The Year of Pandemic

2020 has been a year like no other. At the end of 2019, there were news from China about an outbreak of a new deadly virus.  Most of us didn't think too much of it. It was all the way on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. As the months went by, it had reached Europe.  Italy was hit particularly hard with the highest death toll then it came to the States.  At the end of March, while I was working in the office, the Shelter in Place order came from the County Official and the State Governor. We were told that we needed to "flatten the curve" of the virus infection rate. Within a few hours, we were all making arrangements to work from home. 

The following week, all the retail stores and restaurants were closed.  Only essential businesses were open such as grocery stories and hospitals. Suddenly, it felt like we were in a war as the city streets, mass transit and freeways were empty.  Everyone's weekend outing plans were cancelled. Schools were closed. All non-essential air travel was cancelled.  My home became the safest and only place I could be. 

With all the time staying at home, I started working on the garden and other home projects every weekend and sometimes after work. My old garage door was in need of a fresh coat of paint. I thought instead of just painting it with one color, why not paint something interesting on it.  Although I have done much drawing in recent years, I made a pencil sketch on paper.  Within a week, I repainted my garage door with lilac color hibiscus flowers on a bright golden yellow background. Many people in the neighborhood stopped to compliment the painting.  Most of my neighbors were surprised that I can draw and paint a mural.  I often see people stopping on the sidewalk taking photos of the painting.

There were tentative plans to lift the shelter in place order on June 1st.  Unfortunately, people couldn't stay home during Memorial weekend.  The infection rate shoot up again after the holiday weekend. 

During July 4th weekend, I picked as many plums as I could to give away to people in the neighborhood.  For some reason, every plum tree in El Cerrito were covered with super juicy sweet plums.  Many people were giving away plums on NextDoor.

After all the plums were gone, I decided it was time to get rid of the grass and plant some bee flowers. I started with the small patch on the sidewalk.  It took me about a week, one hour a day, to dig up all that tough grass.

By now, some businesses were allowed to open as long as certain guidelines are followed. I made a trip to Annie's Annuals and Perennials and got a bunch of bee and butterfly friendly and drought tolerant plants. I am particularly excited about the hollyhock.  After all the plants were planted, someone in the neighborhood was giving away extra mulch since they ordered too much for their yard.  I was able to get enough to cover the area. 

It's been exciting to see many people taking advantage of this time to redo their gardens.  Last weekend, I have finally removed all the grass in the front yard.  Now I am just waiting for the HomeDepot gift card to arrive in the mail so I can go get the soil and compost for the new front garden.

Spring is Here

Orchids are blooming again

Last weekend when I walked into the farm, I suddenly noticed all the colorful flowers. Unlike other gardens, most of my flowers will turn into food. Many years ago, a family friend gave us a pot of orchid. We have since then separated that one pot of orchids into 3 pots. I even transplanted one pot into the ground.  For a couple years, they did not bloom. Last weekend I was surprised to see the flowers in one pot and buds in the other pot that was transplanted into the garden.  That was a big happy surprise for me!

Mizuna blossom

All the mizuna plants are almost as tall as I am, and they are in full bloom. This is what happens since I didn't eat them all. I love seeing a sea of yellow flowers with a lot of bees buzzing around them. Even though I didn't eat all the greens, the bees now can collect the pollens and make honey.  Later on the flowers will produce seeds, and next year I will have mizuna again without doing any work.

Asian pear blossom

Both the pear and peach trees are blooming. A bunch of bumble bees have joined the honey bees. Thank to their efforts, I will have a tree full of peaches again in the summer. I am really looking forward to it!

Bumble bee busy at work

Flowers, Seeds, and Cooking Dinosaur Kale

Snow pea flower

It's been raining on a regular basis for the last few weeks in the Bay Area. I have taken every chance I got in between the rain to check on the plants and take a few pictures. The snow peas are flowering and some pea pods are growing.

I often leave some leafy vegetables to flower for the bees and the seeds. I am still learning different seeds and how to collect them. Speaking of seeds, this Friday, March 4, 2011, from 7 - 9 PM, is the Bay Area Seed Interchange Library's 12th Annual Seed Swap at the Ecology Center at 2530 San Pablo Ave and Dwight Way on the SW corner of the intersection in Berkeley. Please see Ecology Center's event calendar for details on cost if you are interested in going.

dinosaur kale

I have one big plant of dinosaur kale. One seed got mixed in with my spinach seeds last year. While all the spinach from last year are long gone, the kale has kept on growing and thriving. Now it is flowering. I just recently found out it is commonly called "dinosaur" kale. It's a fitting name for its appearance. I had no idea how to cook it, and honestly, it didn't look all that appetizing although I was sure this dark green leafy vegetable has to be highly nutritious.

My opportunity came when I brought home the leftover Szechwan spicy boiled fish fillet from China Village Restaurant. By the way, that dish is excellent if you are into tongue numbing super spicy Chinese food. What I brought home was mostly that garlicky super spicy sauce, and I thought, why not cook a bunch dinosaur kale leaves in it? 

It was so good, and I am not sure how I did it but I ate it all - kale and all the sauce. Just typing it makes my face start to perspire and mouth water. The lesson here is that if you are not sure how to cook something, cook it in some leftover sauce/broth that you love.

calla lilies

All the calla lilies are blooming in the front and back gardens. They come back every year and are a sure sign of spring that's just around the corner.

I have made several jars of pickled daikon. There are more daikons and some of them have started to flower. I am not sure whether the flowers will produce seeds. I will find out after the flowers die off.

Daikon flowers

Flowers that Make Me Very Happy

Eggplant flower

A couple month ago I introduced some of the flowers on the farm that just keep popping up by themselves. There are other flowers on the farm that make me really excited to see. Eggplant flower is one of them because usually fruits come after the flowers. Growing eggplants have been a challenge for me, so seeing the flowers make me feel very happy.

Garlic chive flowers a.k.a. Chinese chive

 

 

I also noticed some garlic chives in one of my onion and potato patches recently. I was surprised because I planted 10 garlic chive seedlings earlier this year and they all died off, so I thought. Everyone told me how easy it is to grow garlic chives and how they would take over your yard so they should only be planted in a pot. I was quite disappointed when they all died off. Now I suddenly see them popping up again and flowering! That makes me really happy.

Chive flower

This purple chive flower makes me very happy because I saved the pot of chives from being killed by nasty black aphids. Back in July it was covered with aphids, and I almost gave up on it. I was visiting my friend, Annie's urban farm, and she gave me a recipe for non-chemical homemade aphids repellent. I made it that night and sprayed the chives just once and the aphids disappeared. Now the chives are thriving again and blooming!

Flowers

I don't usually plant flowers because I consider them none producers and high maintenance. I have a small flower bed in the herb garden near the front door, and I picked all drought tolerant flowers. The rest of the flowers just pop out on their own. I can't get rid of them even if I want to. Some of the regular flowers I have are calla lilies. They are mostly white but I noticed this light pink one just popped out next to the back door all alone.


I also have plenty of nasturtium plants. They grow like weeds. I didn't know the flowers are edible until I saw them in salad mixes at some farmers' market. Still, I have never tasted it. I suppose if I was left with nothing to eat, I'd give it a try.

Then there's California poppy, our state flower. They pop out everywhere and each flower produces a seed pod. When the pod is completely dry, it pops open and hundreds of tiny black seeds just fly all over the place. As a result, they start growing out from cracks on the drive way, cracks between bricks, and cracks on the patio. If you want some California poppy seeds for cooking or whatever, let me know. I can give you some seed pods. Feel free to take them from the front garden.