It’s a hot day at The Ecology Center and big things are happening…

Our new chicken coop is going up…

and the chickens couldn’t be happier!

The Watershed is in the beginning stages of being painted.

But Carmen just can’t seem to cool off.

“Shake the hand that feeds you,” says Michael Pollan in one of The Ecology Center’s favorite books, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto.  Join us for Green Feast and shake the hand of Alex Weiser, who, for the third year, is generously donating their sustainably grown peppers, summer squash, melons, southern peas, and more from their  farm in Tehachapi.

Weiser Family Farms began in 1977 when Sid Weiser, a chemistry teacher and counselor at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles decided to pack up the family and follow his dream of working off the land. Sidney and his wife Raquel laid down roots in Tehachapi, California. There, they learned to tend to the fruit trees . . . apples, peaches, and pears. In the ensuing years, they acquired farmland in other locations where they branched out into a variety of fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

In 1982 their son Alex jumped in to assist the family in selling at local Farmers’ Markets. There he encountered chefs, the public and specialty produce buyers who wanted seasonal, high quality and superior tasting produce. Listening to this input, Alex began to focus on creating a bio-diverse farm dedicated to applying sustainable farming techniques. His overriding desire was to supply people with unique fruits and vegetables at their peak, rather than picked for commercial usage. Today, Weiser Family Farms grows in the Greater Bakersfield area, Tehachapi and the Lucerne Valley, cultivating a tapestry of high quality produce year round.

Join us next Saturday, August 20th at 1pm, as we host our monthly Backyard Skills workshop at the Center For Living Peace in Irvine. This month we are re-purposing something we all have stacks of in our kitchen drawers, chopsticks! This is a great way to reuse and create a beautiful addition to your garden, not to mention a cozy home for some little birds! To pre-register for this all ages workshop sign up on the Center For Living Peace’s website. We hope to see you there!

Center For Living Peace

4139 Campus Drive

Irvine, California

92612

949.854.5500

www.goodhappens.org

Last week we were honored to host Tyler Valiquette at The Ecology Center for our second Basic Needs event of the summer. Tyler spoke about what Basic Needs means to Catapult Design, the non profit design firm he helped start in 2009, and how they go about developing products to address those needs. Referencing Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Tyler talked about the most crucial of needs, physiological (health, food, sleep) and safety (shelter, removal from danger), and what developing for those needs is like. Just like all product design, or any design for that matter, there are important considerations to be taken so that the end product is relevant as well as functional.  Some of Catapult’s design work includes a Pedal Powered LED light, a Clean Delivery Birth Kit used in India, and Solar Powered Health Clinics in Rwanda.

Thank you to Tyler and all those who attended!  There was a great crowd contributing to an enlightening question and answer.

If you missed Basic Needs July, check back soon for a video recap of the evening. We look forward to seeing you next month!

For the first time ever, we will be holding a raffle for Green Feast tickets.  Tickets are $10 each and the winner will receive 2 Green Feast tickets (a $450 value)!  The raffle started on Earth Day and tickets will be sold through throughout month of May.  On Friday, May 27th, the winner will be drawn.  To enter the raffle either stop by The Ecology Center or give us a call at 949.443.4223.  Good luck!

Think of the neighbor who shares the benefits of her green thumb by offering you lemons from her backyard tree. Or the voracious reader whom  you can count on to have the latest bestseller ready to lend.

While working at the Ecology Center, I’ve met dozens of people who are willing to share their special talents. One is Chris Blank, an attorney and president of outdoor family environmental and adventure group Family Nature Summits. Chris also happens to be one heckuva bread baker who has shared with me techniques that I’ll now share with you.

First off, if this your first time baking bread from starter, Chris highly recommends you inherit starter from a friend or buy some online. If you’re like me, your first few loaves won’t be pretty, but, as long as you have good starter, you can at least count on them to rise.

When starting out, it’s best to consider baking bread a weekend project. There are three rises to this recipe, so you’ll have to summon up whatever time-management skills you have to make this go smoothly. After attending two of Chris’ workshops, I created a personal bread-baking timeline that works well for my schedule. You can use this as a cheat sheet.

6 p.m. Friday night: After obtaining your starter (which is actually a live culture of yeast), your very first step is to “feed” it. Stir in 1 cup water, then add 1 cup of flour and stir again. Stir until the flour is incorporated. Type-A-ers be warned: There will be lumps in your batter! It’s OK. Really. Leave them be, and the yeast in your starter will eat them right up.

Sometime between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Saturday: After feeding your starter, you’ll need to wait between 12 and 24 hours for the next step. Bread dough made from starter at 12 hours after feeding will rise fastest; dough made from starter at 24 hours after feeding will rise more slowly but have a tangier flavor. Ideally, you’ll start this step at 8 a.m.

Place 1/3 cup water and ¾ cup starter in a large, non-reactive mixing bowl. Sift in 1½ cups flour and ¾ tsp salt. Use a large, non-reactive spoon to stir the mixture until the flour is moistened. Mist with water and cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap. Let rest 5-10 minutes.

Lightly flour a working surface and your hands. Set the mixture on the working surface and knead, adding flour if needed to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. Continue kneading until you have a dough ball with a lumpy but roughly uniform texture.

Lightly spray the bowl with cooking oil, place the dough ball back in the bowl. Spray the ball with a light coat of oil and then a spritz of water. Cover with towel or plastic wrap and wait for your dough ball to double in size, four to eight hours. *For a quicker rise, Chris turns his oven light on—not the burners—and places the bowl in the oven.

2 p.m. Saturday: Return the dough to your work surface, and punch it down, kneading until the dough is smooth, not sticky. If the dough is too stiff, add just a bit of water until you get a better texture. If it’s too sticky, add a little flour. Return the dough ball to the bowl, spritz again with both oil and water and cover. Let double in volume again.

6 p.m. Saturday: Return the dough ball to your work surface and punch down one last time! Knead for one minute before letting it rest for 10 minutes. To form a baguette, press the dough ball flat, stretching it lengthwise. Pick up the long edges and press them together, almost as if sealing a seam. Next pull in the ends and fold them into the seams. Repeat until the loaf is the length you’d like, then roll along the work surface to make it uniform in diameter. *Chris gave me a great little tip here. When folding and pinching the dough to create a loaf, lightly oil your hands with olive oil. This leads to the creation of more air pockets in the bread. Place loaf on a cookie sheet that has been spritzed with cooking oil. Spray loaf with a light coating of oil and water, cover with plastic wrap and let double in size once again.

9 p.m. Saturday night: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place half a  dozen ice cubes in an oven-safe custard cup or ramekin and set it on the baking sheet next to the loaf. Turn an aluminum hotel pan over the cookie sheet, covering the loaf and ramekin. Set inside the oven and bake for 15 minutes. This allows the loaf to bake in steam. After 15 minutes, remove the hotel pan and ramekin. Brush the loaf with olive oil before returning to the oven—lower the temp to 425 degrees now—and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. The bread will be ready when the internal temp reaches 195 degrees. Remove the loaf and allow to cool on a cooling rack for at least 20 minutes.

10 p.m. Saturday: Grab butter and honey, apply liberally and eat.

As you can see, timing is everything here. I’ve ruined loaves by rushing some and neglecting others during the rising process. I don’t recommend this because one, it’s a waste of flour and, two, cleaning a bowl full of over-risen dough is zilcho fun. Once you get your bread-baking rhythm down, you can get fancy!  Chris suggests mixing in nuts, seeds, herbs or cheese.

By Morgan Greenwood

By Morgan Greenwood

Situated on 40 acres of historic Rancho Mission Viejo property, San Juan Capistrano’s Tree of Life Nursery is the largest native plant supplier in California. It offers more than 500 species and varieties available for wholesale and retail for landscaping, as well as ecological restoration.

Last week, I headed down Ortega Highway completely unannounced, hoping for an opportunity to speak to a staff member about native plants. I was fortunate to sit down with chief financial officer Laura Camp, who took the time to share with me the benefits of native plants, Tree of Life’s focus on education and the big plans for the first California Native Plant Week.

San Juan Capistrano Patch: What do you think draws first-timers to Tree of Life?

Laura Camp: I think there are two big draws. First, people are coming because they want to save money on their water bill. Planting drought-tolerant natives can certainly help them do that. We are also finding that many people are interested in natives for habitat creation. People want to know which plants attract butterflies, bees and birds. Last, we offer free “Replace Your Lawn” workshops, where attendees learn first how to kill their lawn, then how to design new landscape. These are followed by two plant selection classes.

San Juan Capistrano Patch: How many students typically attend these workshops, and how has attendance changed over the past few years?

Laura Camp: We have anywhere from 25 to over 60 attendees. Attendance has grown steadily over the past few years.

San Juan Capistrano Patch: How often are these workshops held?

Laura Camp: The next series starts March 19, and we aren’t sure when the next will be, but we try to hold the series every other month.

San Juan Capistrano Patch: The workshops sound like a wonderful way to educate people about native plants. What other resources do you recommend for someone who’s just learning about natives?

Laura Camp: I would recommend visiting the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden and looking into the Orange County chapter of the California Native Plant Society. The Tree of Life website has links to these and other helpful organizations on our resource page. You’ll also find a plant catalog,planting guide, plant respecifier and an archive of our e-newsletter.

San Juan Capistrano Patch: My understanding is that October is the best time to plant natives. Is this true?

Laura: Most homeowners will have the greatest success if they plant natives between October and springtime. Some can be planted year-round; others will have a tough time if they are planted in summer.

San Juan Capistrano Patch: I hear you have a new butterfly garden. Tell me about that.

Laura Camp: I’ll show it to you! (Laura walks me to a wooden bridge near the nursery entrance.) This was designed a few months ago by pollinator expert Bob Allen. Each of these plants meets one of two criteria for attracting butterflies. They must either provide nectar for the adult butterfly or good “hosting” for the butterfly larvae. Many of the best butterfly plants provide both.

San Juan Capistrano Patch: I have heard that the California state Assembly and Senate approved a resolution to establish the first California Native Plant Week this year. What is Tree of Life doing to celebrate?

Laura Camp: Yes, California Native Plant Week is April 17th through 23rd, and we are celebrating all week long. We’ll have the grand opening of our butterfly garden, wildflower walks, native plant luncheons and other events.

After my interview with Laura, I walked the Tree of Life grounds, snapping photos, enjoying the fresh air and marveling at what an incredible local resource the nursery and its extremely knowledgeable staff are for San Juan residents. To complete my visit, I purchased two Ray Hartman California lilacs.

On my way out, staffer Patty gave me a pocket guide to the “top 10 native plants to attract wildlife.” Among the top 10: bush monkeyflower, dwarf coyote bush, manzanita, lemonade berry and, wouldn’t you know it, California lilac.

Tree of Life Nursery is at 33201 Ortega Hwy. For more information, call 949-728-0685. Nursery hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Visit Tree of Life for more info.

Saturday was our monthly Backyard Skills workshop at the Center for Living Peace.  We were so lucky to learn about designing an edible garden from Jonathan Davis of Fullerton Arboretum. Jonathan is a Biologist at the Arboretum and is responsible for an 11,000 square foot garden he started himself in 2008.

Jonathan outlined the steps to start an edible garden but emphasized the importance of jumping right in, getting you hands dirty and simply planting something.

Steps to Building a Garden:

1.  Education

2. Start a compost pile

3. Select a sunny spot

4. Prepare site/kill lawn

5. Amend soil if necessary

-Compost is best

-Aged manure and other composted organic amendments are also beneficial

-Organic mulches can be later turned-in

-pH adjustments only if necessary

6. Plan and plant

7. Maintain – Weed, feed, water and harvest

-Water deeply and less frequently

-Regular light feedings

-Constantly add to garden and experiment

-Monitor and manage pest populations

Some Considerations for Garden Design:

-Microclimates

-Adequate and efficient spacing

-Diverse and complimentary planting

-Separate same/similar crops

-Rotate crops

-Incorporate fruit and other perennials

What to plant this Spring and Summer:

-Squash, cucumber, melon

-Tomato, pepper, eggplant

-Beans

-Corn, sunflower

-Heat-tolerant greens

Blame it on the economy or good old HGTV, but folks are doing things for themselves these days. They’re learning to tackle home repairs and complete renovation projects. They’re growing fruits and veggies in their own backyards and jamming or pickling the extra harvest for their friends and neighbors. They’re mending holes in socks and knitting mittens and scarves.

The practice of living a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle is called homesteading.Lead this kind of lifestyle and you’ll save lots of money on your water and energy bills and avoid costs of unneeded purchases. If you decide to practice small-scale agriculture in your yard (or on your balcony), it’s likely that you’ll improve the nutritional value of the foods you eat. If you take on jamming or knitting, you’ll probably find that you always have homemade gifts on hand, which will come in handy since homesteading will undoubtedly introduce you to a whole host of new friends.

The benefits of homesteading are hard earned. Especially at first, they’ll cost you in sweat equity and a few key pieces of equipment. If you can round up the 10 items listed below, however, you’re already properly equipped to handle all sorts of projects. Missing a few items? Borrow, rent or purchase now so you can start enjoying the fruits of a little homesteading labor.

1. Something with wheels

Depending on the size of your “plot,” it may take a wagon, a wheelbarrow or a tractor to fulfill your homesteading dreams. At some point, you’re going to wish you had something with which you can do some hauling.

2. A good garden fork and spade

Until you’ve successfully transformed your garden soil into dark, rich, fertile loam, a heavy duty fork and spade will help you work you way through stubborn clods and around large rocks.

3. Sewing kit

Include a pair of small, sharp scissors, safety pins, a thimble, needles of various size, thread in a few basic colors, a small tape measure, a seam ripper and some buttons. With it, you’ll be able to repair clothes, a tent, a sail, your shoes or a canvas bag.

4. Mason jars

From canning and preserving to seed soaking, a collection of mason jars is an inexpensive and multipurpose investment.

5. Veterinary manual

For your beloved pets and domestic livestock, a veterinary manual featuring symptoms, causes and treatments for a range of diseases will help you come to their rescue.

6. An heirloom seed catalog

A good seed catalog contains valuable information from growth requirements and planting instructions to germination times and recommended uses. Many of these, like Baker Creek, are free. Heirloom seeds have been passed down from previous generations with care and without genetic modification to ensure purity and diversity—two elements that will help protect our future food supply.

7. Six-foot step ladder or higher

Whether you’re swapping incandescents for LEDs, cleaning out your rain gutters or pruning the deciduous tree planted on the southwest side of your home, you’re gonna need a boost.

8. Kitchen scale

When it comes to food preservation, most kraut, pickling and smoking recipes give recommendations by weight. To fully cover your needs, keep both a zero- to one-pound and a one-to 10-pound scale nearby.

9. Soil moisture reader

Monitoring soil moisture level improves your ability to conserve water and energy, optimize plant health and crop yield and to avoid both soil erosion and water pollution.

10. Plier set

Keep a set of Vice-Grip, Needle-Nose and Linesman’s pliers handy and you’ll be able to remove bolts and stripped screws, pull nails, open bottles, insert small parts into hard-to-reach places, remove splinters from flesh and crimp, cut and twist medium to heavy gage wire.