Planting for Winter

Green onion seedlings and 1 daikon seedling. I must have dropped a seed in there by accident.

Back in July, I harvested a lot of green onion seeds. I know growing onions from seeds take a lot longer but people say they taste a lot better. On September 19, the day before I was leaving for my trip to New York, I planted a tray full of green onion seeds and a bunch of daikon, Japanese radish.

I normally grow my seedlings at home. Since I was going to be out of town, I left the planted seeds in the green house on campus. I also left my young Soapworts, French lavender, and passion fruit in the green house while I was out of town. Today I found all the daikon seeds have sprouted. The tray of onion seeds is now full of onion seedlings! They sure grew fast in the temperature controlled greenhouse! 

Daikon seedlings

The High Line in New York

parts of the railroad tracks are preserved

For the last few days I was in New York, and one of the highlights of my trip was The High Line, a park built on an abandoned historical railroad. The High Line was opened to the public on June 9, 2009, so I was very excited to have the opportunity to stop there during my visit. The park is located in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan. I took E line of the Subway to 14th Street & 8th Ave then walked a few blocks to one of the park entrances on Washington Street and Gansevoort Street.

What fascinates me about The High Line is that it is built on a railroad 30 feet above the ground, which was abandoned since the 80's. In late 90's, the historical railroad was under threat of demolition. People got together and formed a community based non-profit group in 1999, called Friends of the High Line, to preserve and maintain the structure as an elevated public park. The rich history of The High Line dated back from 1847. The railroad tracks were originally on the street level. Many accidents occurred between freight trains and street-level traffic that 10th Avenue became known as Death Avenue. In 1929 the West Side Improvement Project was passed, which included the High Line.

There are many installation art works in and around the High Line. Many student groups go there for field trips. Office people get a chance to take their breaks in a more natural setting away from the traffic.

"Plenty IS Enough"

I hope that as the plants establish in the park, more bees, butterflies, and birds will visit the park as well. I saw very few bees and birds and didn't see a butterfly during my entire time there. The park is  an ongoing project as only first section is open to the public. More sections will be open in the future. The official website of the High Line has detailed information on maps, history, schedule of art works and performances, and information on how to get involved.

Home, Sweet Farm

"lucky" asparagus?

Ten days ago, we left the farm and ventured over to New York and Baltimore to visit family and friends. Prior to departure, we did as much preparation as possible. We picked as many vegetables and fruits to eat and give to neighbors. I also took several pots of plants to the greenhouse on campus which has automatic sprinkler system. Our neighbor had offered to take care of Dusty during our absence; however, I couldn't possibly ask her to manually water all the raised beds and wine barrels full of vegetables and herbs.

First honeydew melon. It's a little bigger than a golf ball now.

While we were in Baltimore, I checked the weather in the Bay Area. We had another heat wave in the high 80's and low 90's! I normally take Dusty to his cage out in the shaded area when temperature gets that high. I was a little worried about him, but I knew he would be okay. He knows to find a cooler spot when it's hot. Bunnies are not as dumb as some people think. I figured some vegetables would dry out from the heat, but as long as they didn't die off completely, I could revive them upon return.

The cocktail Asian pear tree is blooming again

We returned this afternoon, and I immediately started visiting all the edible plants. I found some asparagus with one growing like one of those "lucky bamboo" plants. It's all twisted. I found one baby honeydew melon that managed to grow to the size of a golf ball. The cocktail Asian pear tree is blooming again. It's called "cocktail" because it is grafted with 5 or 6 varieties of Asian pear. Maybe I will have a few more Asian pears this year. There is also another over grown Japanese cucumber. The bean stalk was full of green beans. Guess what we are having for dinner?

Dusty hopped out from his box and hopped over to my feet. I guess that's his way of saying "welcome home."

Another over grown Japanese cucumber

Hunting for Wild Mushrooms

Just raided the chantrelle gold mine

While I enjoy learning various methods of mushroom cultivation, I am much more excited about going into the woods to hunt for wild mushrooms. In 2004, I went on my first mushroom foray workshop led by David Aurora, the author of Mushrooms Demystified and All the Rain Promises and More. In the beginning, I couldn't see much in the woods.

It takes some time to train your eyes to spot the mushrooms, and it takes even longer to spot the delicious ones.It is also important to network with other mushroom hunters and get on their good side for finding out those secret spots. The best way to meet other mushroom enthusiasts is to join a club or a few of them. In the Bay Area, the biggest mushroom club is MSSF (Mycological Society of San Francisco). A little north of San Francisco, there's SOMA (Sonoma County Mycological Association). South of S.F., there's Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz.
Earlier this year I had my biggest harvest ever. I offered to give someone a ride to "his spot" since he didn't have a car. In two hours we picked over 30 pounds of golden chantrelles. We had a very good mushroom season last year with a lot of rain in the Bay Area. In addition to chantrelles, I collected plenty of Black Elfin Saddle (Helvella lacunosa) and Candy Caps (Lactarius rubidus).

Black Elfin Saddle (Helvella lacunosa). I like the texture of it. It's great in Ma Po tofu. It takes on whatever flavor it's cooked in just like tofu.

Every year we hear about a few families that die from eating poisonous mushrooms. Death Caps (Amanita phalloides), one of the deadliest mushrooms are all over the same places where I would find those good edibles. My rule is to stick to the ones I know well and educate myself well before eating the mushrooms I pick in the wild. People outside of my mushroom circle do not understand why I like to go out and pick wild mushrooms when they are available in the stores. I like being out in nature and fresh produce. I am also a big fan of multitasking.I used to just go out and hike until I discovered the good eats I can pick while out hiking. Most people do not like rain and stay home when it's raining. I can't wait for the rain season to start.  My goal for the upcoming season is hunt for porcini. I have tasted it a few times when other hunters were generous enough to share. It tasted like butter. I never forget it.

A basket full of candy caps! (Lactarius rubidus)

Farm Fresh Gift Basket

Four varieties of tomatoes, apples, and a Japanese cucumber

My brother and his wife are coming over tomorrow morning, and they are going to take me to an Asian hot pot restaurant for lunch. It's an all-you-can-eat, grill-any-meat and make-your-own-soup place. It's certainly not a place I would go by myself. When I was younger, I used to over eat at this type restaurant and felt totally sick afterward.

My brother and his wife are both busy legal professionals. They live in a nice condo and travel whenever possible. In other words, they don't have a garden. Knowing that we will be eating a lot of grilled meat tomorrow, I wanted to put together an assortment of farm fresh produce for them to take home.

I collect clear plastic containers for the purposes of gifting. I don't want to put tomatoes or figs in a bag. They can get smashed. My tomatoes are picked when they are perfectly ripe and super sweet. Oh, I almost forgot about the Mandarin oranges. They will take some of those home, too.

Anyone who visits the farm shall take something home. That is the Sand Village Farm policy!