Spring Arrivals

 The Mighty Honeybee. Does she know the power she holds? Driven by the instinct of survival and the greater good of the hive, she literally flies until her wings are shredded and expires crawling on the ground. A lowly demise for a noble creature. In her short few weeks of life she has pollinated millions of plants, in fact 1/3 of the plants that produce the food we eat. She has helped produce pounds of honey for our enjoyment and beeswax for lip balms, soaps, candles and lotions. With so much impact on our world it's no wonder images of the honey bee have been found since the beginning of civilization.

This Spring I set up six hives. Three at UrbanTerra and three on Vashon Island, Wa. at Dragon's Head Cider where Wes and Laura Cherry grow fields of apples destined for fermentation. My husband and I have planted our fair share of those apple trees and now our bees will pollinate them. 

I installed the hives at UrbanTerra first. I inspected the queen for health, placed her in the hive and then dumped in the workers. They tumbled into their new home and went straight to work. They were created for that purpose. 

In just two days after being gathered into their package for shipping comb building began around the queen's cage in preparation for her laying. Little did they know that the wire box was not their permanent home. Isn't this a great visual for "Busy as a Bee"?

The following morning we headed west to catch the ferry to Vashon Island to install the prepared hives at Dragon's Head Cider. It was a brilliant Puget Sound day!

The still snow-laden Olympic Mountain range soared above the Sound waters and the unusually warm spring air was welcoming and refreshing. 

This ferry was headed towards Downtown Seattle. The Puget Sound ferry system allows commuters to live on the offshore islands yet only be a few minutes from their offices in the bustling city. Island life is a sanctuary and reprieve from the daily grind.

 Two ferries run between Fauntleroy, Vashon, and Southworth making the trip less than 30 minutes from West Seattle. From UrbanTerra to Vashon including a wait in the ferry line is usually only around 1 hour if my timing is right. Once I'm done working the bees I head out to explore the island's farms, beaches, sights, restaurants and shops. Soon I'll be posting about touring Vashon Island on my travel blog. www.expressionstravel.blogspot.com

Meet Wes. A young man with a big dream that he's living! Yes, we are drinking his lovely cider and enjoying one of the most beautiful Springs I've experienced in years strolling among his flowing orchards. Creating a symbiotic relationship with a local company who shares similar environmental ideologies is an ideal situation. Responsible farming that benefits local food producers that serve our communities creates a full circle of healthy living. Fabulous honey, fabulous cider.

I have now taken on the moniker "Bee Whisperer" by my husband. It's a pet name by which he bestows his complete approval and admiration for my activity as beekeeper. The only time I don a coat and veil is during a full inspection or if I have to get into the hive during inclement weather when the bees will be very unhappy of my intrusion. He finds that amazing and thinks that I have some special calming vibrations that the bees can perceive. I think it's because my bees are happy and content and I know when to leave them alone!

The hives at Dragon's Head are in an open situation and the entrances face east to capture the first rays of the sun. The trees to the north will give protection form cold north winds in the winter. Wes tilled up the grass underneath the hives and sowed wild flowers to make the bees happy and create a picturesque scene from the house.

My friend, Aaron Russell,  is filming a documentary video for my website. He has amazing talent and spent the entire day with us documenting the installment and interviewing me about beekeeping and UrbanTerra. These things take time and I am busting at the seams to see the finished product. 

Beekeeping is an integral part of a complete urban farm and a smart addition to a lifestyle of self-reliant living. If you live in the Seattle area attend my Natural Beekeeping presentation at Olson Kundig Architect's "DabbleLab" in Pioneer Square located at Jackson and Occidental next to Starbucks. It will be held at the lunch hour on May 22nd from 11am to 1pm. You can sign up for the class or just drop in.

Check back soon for more UrbanTerra Lifestyle.

Winter Plans Coming To Life!

I think the last we met I had mentioned warm hearth fires and Spring planning. The fires burned bright along with my imagination and creativity. With credit card in hand much purchasing ensued and now I'm paying the price with projects mounted up like hay stacks!

In those cold months we did accomplish plenty of pickling, sauerkraut making and a small batch of Mead.

Our sauerkraut featured at a friend's German dinner party.

We managed to stuff this crock full of cabbage added some whey creating a natural fermentation within. The kraut that went into that crock in November is now gone. Eaten or given away to friends and family it was enjoyed in so many ways by so many...but alas, the kraut is just a memory.

So much for looking backwards...let's be moving ahead to all those wonderful inspirations garnered in front of the fire!

Look at these strawberry growing ideas! Here on the west side of Washington State we get approximately 38 inches of rain annually and come springtime the slugs and snails emerge eating everything in their path. This is why I don't grow strawberries - the critters get 'em every time before they ripen enough to harvest! If the critters don't get them the soggy ground does. What I like about both of these structures is that they are space savers, growing up or overhead adding another dimension to your growing footage. I rather prefer the columnar one as the new runners can just crawl down into the planter below and plant themselves. Project 1.

We have decided to make beer this year...that only means one thing...we have to grow hops. So we ordered three varieties from our local homebrewing establishment, Mountain Homebrew in Kirkland, Wa. Fantastic people! 

Tettnang is used for flavor and aroma, Nugget is used for bittering with an herbal note and Golding the traditional English hop is smooth and sweet and is used for flavor, aroma, and bittering.

Hop rhizomes are planted in the Spring and take off growing 15 feet very quickly. Once their height is reached the upper stems send out laterals and these are what bear the hops. 

This leads us to Project 2. Building support for three varieties of hops. Chosen apparatus: Decorative vinyl arbors laced with twine in a pattern to accommodate fast, tall growing vines and have plenty of horizontal space for lateral growth. This project actually took Project 1's place as I have made plans for a documentary video of the UrbanTerra apiary project which happens this week. More on this in a future post. So, no strawberry columns made but three arbors built, holes dug, cement poured, and pier blocks being set as I write. Why am I sitting here writing you may ask? I had to take a break from lifting those 50lb blocks and bags! Oy Vey, my back!

Project 3: Get out of the shade! Not my shade but that cast by the tall trees on our southern property line. Plan of attack...take the neighbors some farm fresh eggs and have a conversation. Worked like a charm!

Plenty of those golden rays streaming through the southern border now. I'm happy, chickens are happy, bees are happy, hops are happy! Project 3: Complete (except for splitting the wood.)

I have wanted to plant fruit trees on this property since we moved in. Finding a place for them just wasn't happening until now. Introducing the mini-dwarf apple orchard.

I've planted three mini-dwarf apples and one columnar. These will only grow about 4' x 4' except for the columnar which will grow 8' x 2', and between them all produce a crop large enough to supply us with apples for the year. The varieties are Gala, Gravenstein, Zestar, and the columnar is Tangy Green Urban. The trees are planted but the "orchard" is not quite cleaned up the way it should be. Old blocks and ground covers will need to go, the soil tilled and amended. Since the trees are small and planted inside their composting pots it will be at least a year before their roots venture out into the surrounding soil. Thankfully that gives me time! Project 4 almost completed.

One more project has been hanging over my head for some time now. Years in fact. It's the north side-yard. You know, the side of the yard with the garbage cans. It's dark, wet, and the only reason people go there is if they can't get to the back yard through the sunny south side-yard. (grinning because we all have one). Well my north side-yard leads straight into the apiary and desperately needs something done. The project is all planned out I just can't bear the thought of moving 3 or 4 tons of flagstone again. So I think I'm going to hire some men to come and do the carrying for me and I'll do the bossing. I'm pretty particular about the pattern the rock creates. Plus, I want to do some rock sculpting so this project will be put off until this lady has more time on her hands. I'm hoping that means this summer.

Thanks for stopping in for another run down of creating an urban farm here at UrbanTerra. Keep in touch so you can see my new video and photos of all these projects completed!

2012 Potpourri

As the sun set on another year I took a look back at my compilation of photos. I like doing this because it jogs my memory of things I'd forgotten to share, mostly things that didn't require an entire post but in some way merit mentioning. There is never a dull moment on an urban farm.

Sometimes things happen. One fine summer day while working in the garden, hens clucking and scratching for bugs, I noticed one trying to lay her egg on the ground in the run. I figured no big deal, I'll just let her do her thing. Hours passed and still poor little hen had not passed that pesky egg. So I headed to the house and to Google to see if I could find any information on why she might be acting in this manner. The results was unmistakably "egg bound" so I followed instructions giving my hen a nice warm water bath and a thorough abdomen massage but to no avail. After two hours I dried her off tucking her away in a small dog kennel with a heating pad placed on "low" for the night. In the morning my poor little girl had passed from exhaustion. I can't explain this phenomenon but it happens. It was a sad day.

On a happier note, I learned how to fly fish! I'm not sure if I can be sustained with the tiny fish I caught (these were catch and release) but I sure had fun. We stayed at Canyon River Ranch and used guides from Red's Fly Shop who are located on the property next door. Both have excellent facilities and many activities to keep you entertained.

There was another passing in our family as well. One of my hives died out. I don't know the cause, I can only rule things out. It wasn't mites and it wasn't starvation. The colony was a little weak in numbers and in the end I believe it was moisture but that may have just been a symptom of a weak colony not being able to properly ventilate the hive. My colleagues at Snoqualmie Valley Beekeepers (of which I am now the Secretary) tell me that a new beekeeper can expect a 50% loss the first year. I don't like those numbers but, in my case, they ring true. The upside of this loss is that I got to harvest the honey that they left behind. Well, not all of it. Most of it and the empty combs are in the freezer awaiting to be used for the surviving colony and for the new colonies I will purchase for delivery in the Spring. This will give them a head start on building up for the busy gathering they'll be doing come nectar flow. So what to do with the honey we harvested? We used some for eating, some for experimenting (think adding flavors), and some to make mead. The bottle above is just about ready to rack. We won't know for a few months if it's worth drinking!

The island of Maui in December. A world away from the cold and pre-Christmas chaos. Just what the doctor ordered to wrap up a fabulous and prosperous year. My family's Christmas present, we spent twelve days exploring this diverse island. Surfing Goat Dairy, Ali'i Kula Lavender Farm, and Tedeschi Winery were stopping points on our eco-tour of upcountry Maui. Other days were spent on a small patch of beach in the photo above. Out in the distance past the large stretch of sand you can spot a road traversing a large lava flow that pours into the Pacific. That's the King's road. At the head of that road you can spot a white dot of sand. THAT was our Paradise. The area surrounding that magnificent lava flow (about 1790) is an underwater preserve where no boats are allowed. No cars or foot traffic are allowed in and among the lava flow. It was here, just outside the preserve boundary that I gathered a gallon of pure Ahihi Bay water. I took this water to our rental house in Haiku and dehydrated it into pure flakes of white salt. I've made salt from waters of the Puget Sound too. You can see the process here. It is quite easy. 

So, besides all the other projects and happenings around UrbanTerra (did you notice the name change?) these were tucked in among them rounding out a rather productive year. Tonight as I write this, snuggled by the fire and sipping a dram of fabulous Scotch, I am dreaming and scheming of new projects to start as soon as the ground thaws.