Opossum Visit/Honeybee Update

Our chicken coop was built to keep out predators. We used hardware mesh rather than chicken wire, because the holes in the mesh are so small no rodent can slide through. We buried the mesh a foot underground, then gave it a 90 degree fold to foil predators who dig. Mesh covers the top of the coop, under the roof, so that no hawk can fly in from above. We have not had one predator kill in our flock, and we intend never to have one.

That doesn't mean that predators don't come sniffing around. I've written about our friend, the early morning coyote, who frequently comes in the yard at dawn to puzzle out a way to get to those delicious birds. We have regular raccoon and skunk visitors. Hawks still hang out in our larger trees, watching (though of course they are also after small songbirds). We've never seen an owl, but I often hear them at night, so I know they are here. 

But, we had a new visitor the other night, and it surprised us! Tom went out to lock up the coop (we use a lock because we've known so many folks who haven't and the raccoons have gotten in, despite intricate latches) and saw this guy right out in front of the coop door. 

This is a terrible picture, but it was fully dark, and the flash made this guy look fiercer than he was. He was only about ten inches long, definitely a juvenile, and he was very frightened of us. We could get very close and he didn't move. Of course we didn't want to harass him, so we left him there after taking his picture. That night, and all the nights since, we have made sure to contain the cat and the dog before full dark. I've never seen an opossum in our garden before (usually I see them on the road, oftentimes as roadkill, but sometimes slinking around) and it prompted me to do some research. 

Opossums are the only native American marsupial. They are not native to California but were introduced in 1910 from the east coast, and now they are well-established. They do not tend to live long, three years is old in opossum years. Their habit of feeding on roadkill is what kills them most often, as they get run over by cars. 

Adult opossums are the size of a house cat and weigh about 15 pounds. (The one we found was pretty small, so definitely not an adult yet.) They eat fruit, vegetables, mice, rats, frogs, snails, and birds. Several of the things on that list are things I don't want in my garden, so it's nice that the opossum feeds on those. They can really damage crops, though. It's possible that what I've been blaming on squirrels is really opossum damage (sorry, Nutkin). They live in compost piles, brush piles, and under porches.

We don't have a raised porch, but we certainly have brush piles...

My intent with this was to attract snakes...

... and we have Adam's train shed, which is raised on blocks. I've seen rats living under the shed, and most recently lizards, but I've also noticed some digging in places around the shed and it could be the opossums.

I'm not inclined to try to eradicate this little opossum, or any other ones, unless I start to notice that they are becoming a big problem. It sounds like opossums can be quite a nuisance, fighting with dogs and cats, and they can carry a lot of frightening diseases, but I don't have little kids running around here in the dark, and as long as we keep the pets safe, I don't see any harm in letting this guy live.  I will be on the lookout for older, meaner opossums, though.

I wanted to let you know that the bees are doing fine. No sign of mites, wax moths, or ant problems this year. They are bringing in an awful lot of nectar; they are constantly foraging in the plants in my garden as well as some in the neighbor's yards (one of our neighbors has the most attractive dahlia and I never see a blossom without a bee on it, and another neighbor has some very appealing blue salvias that are always mobbed). I also have noticed that our privet is blooming.

Now, I must be clear, I am not a fan of privet. I have removed six from this property already. I find them boring to look at, they are bullies in the garden, they reseed annoyingly regularly, and their pollen is an allergen to many folks I know. But we have one privet which started off as a bush in our yard when we first moved in, maybe three feet high. I decided to try to prune it as a tree, and let it grow to shade the patio. And it has done that.

As you can see, it shades the grill and smoker, so Tom has a comfortable place to cook outside. But it is still a pain - it needs pruning at least twice a year, and heavily, or it overwhelms everything (it's due for a trimming now in fact), The only reason I keep it (besides the shade) is that is blooms this time of year, when not a whole lot else does.

And the bees LOVE IT. Stand underneath it, and you will be surrounded by humming. 

The bees don't collect any pollen from this tree, but they are certainly collecting nectar. And the bars in the hive reflect this - bar after bar is filled with shiny uncapped nectar and capped honey.

The bees are still bringing in pollen (mostly a dark orange color) because the queen will lay eggs for another month or two. But she is slowing down, and the forager bees are mainly bringing in any nectar they can find, to prepare for winter.  We could probably take a bar of honey if we wished, but we have enough in the cupboard, and the bees will need it come colder weather. If there is a surplus in spring, we'll take some then.

Seed: The Untold Story

My blog post about taking control of your food seemed to get folks interested in seed saving and the ways in which we can begin to control what we grow in our gardens. Along those lines, I want to recommend a film that is screening now. It's called Seed: The Untold Story, and it looks fascinating. The movie is screening all across the country, and I'd really encourage you to go. I'll be at the screening in Vallejo on October 8th, if you'd like to join me there.

As you spend the winter dreaming about and preparing for your summer garden, or if you're still in the market for seeds for a fall/winter garden (as I am here in California), you can get your seeds from these reputable seed houses:

Seed Savers

Baker Creek

Renee's Garden

High Mowing

Seeds of Change

When you buy from your local nursery, don't be afraid to ask about their policies on GMO and organic seeds (I also always ask about their policy on neonicotinoids and other pesticides, as well). 

And of course you can save your own seeds. Most seeds only need a short stint on a paper towel to dry. Then put them in a ziploc or mason jar and put them in your fridge until it's time to use them. Tomatoes are a bit more complicated; you can find my instructions for tomato seeds here. 

This is an important issue and one we can all benefit learning more about. As one man says in Seed: The Untold Story, "The diversity in our seed stock is as endangered as a panda or a polar bear right now." 

Drying Herbs (and a purple surprise)

When buying organic, non-irradiated dried herbs in jars from the store, they can be quite expensive; and I'm growing lots of herbs, so I decided to try drying some and see if I can't be a little more sustainable in my herb cupboard. 

I grow pretty much everything: Chives, Mint, Oregano, Marjoram, Savory, Parsley, Thyme, Sage, Rosemary, Tarragon, Cilantro, Basil, Fennel, Lemon Verbena, and Lavender. The herb bed is a tangled jungle of high growing herbs and low growing, some blooming right now, some not, and around all of them, fallen leaves. I went out this morning after the dew had dried and picked bunches of four different herbs - rosemary, thyme, sage, and oregano, all of which I use regularly in dried form (as well as fresh). 

It was a pretty simple process, I just used some kitchen twine and secured the bunches at one end, then hung them from our clothesline (which is usually used for drying swimming suits and towels). 

They'll hang outside for a week to ten days, then I'll separate the leaves and store them in jars. Apparently you can put the bunches of herbs in a pillowcase, shake them, and the leaves will magically detach from the stems, which would be nice, especially with teensy-leaved thyme.

Dried herbs will keep for a year in the jar.  This might be a really nice Christmas present or favor.

As for the purple surprise, well. I decided to pull out the winter squash vines (it was a very bad year for winter squash, I just had uncontrollable powdery mildew) in order to clear the bed for fall and winter crops. I think I told you that I had volunteer sweet potato vines (the Japanese variety) come up in that bed as well. I pulled those vines out too, and got a nice little crop of SP's for me and Tom (the kids don't like them). 

They aren't pretty, but after curing a bit on the patio table, they'll be delicious.

It's starting to look like fall around here. 

A New Way of Baking Sourdough Boules

For the past two years or so, I've been baking our own sourdough bread at home every week (except when it's very, very hot - then I skip it, not wanting to turn on the oven). I keep a sourdough starter in the fridge; I take it out every Thursday night, feed it twice on Friday, and then either bake with half of it or put it back in the fridge if it's too hot to bake. I'm happy with my starter and hope to keep it going for the rest of my life. But I haven't been happy with my bread results lately. 

First of all, I was having to order organic wheat berries from a family farm in Washington State. I was happy to support them and their mission, but the shipping costs were not sustainable. So I started to do some more searching and then I had a brainstorm. We love a farm about an hour from here, in the Capay Valley, called Full Belly Farm. They are 100% organic, and I called them to see if they grow or sell grain. And they do!!! They grow and sell four different kinds, three of them new to me. I instantly ordered four pounds each of Hard White Wheat, Iraqi Wheat, and Frassinetto Wheat. The cost is $3 for each 2 pound bag, quite a bargain. (They also sell Hard Red Winter Wheat, which I skipped this time, as I still have some in the freezer.)

Frassinetto is an Italian wheat, an heirloom, dating back to 1927. It has protein levels up around 13%, and apparently makes great pasta and bread. The Iraqi durum wheat is indeed originally from Iraq, but it apparently grows well in the Sacramento Valley, which means it could catch on in the local wheat movement. It is a hard wheat with a high protein content. The Hard White is still a whole grain wheat, don't let the name fool you (white flour is traditionally flour that has been ground, with the kernel and bran removed - I am using the whole berry). But it does have a lighter color and flavor, which I am after, because Kate doesn't like the hearty, brown bread I've been making.

I'm thrilled to find a local source of organic wheat. I grind the berries myself in my NutriMill Classic Grain Mill. I try to grind only what I need each week, but whatever is left is stored in the freezer. I keep the berries in the freezer too. As a matter of fact, I also keep all whole flours and meals in the freezer, to keep the nutrition intact, and to keep them from spoiling (since I am using the whole grain, the oil in the kernels can go rancid, especially after grinding). 

I also finally broke down and ordered some proofing baskets. I've been proofing the dough in bowls, and while it's worked just fine, I decided it was time to up my game. They weren't terribly expensive, I was able to buy a couple with liners on Amazon for about $25 total.

And while I was at it, I decided I needed a new method of making bread, or at least a way to slightly skew my method. I believe that whole grains need 100% hydration or close to it, so I wanted to stay with a wet dough, with a fairly light kneading routine, but I wanted an expert opinion. Around this time, a blog I like (Root Simple) posted a video of bread baker Josey Baker speaking to some folks at Google and demonstrating his method. Here's the link. I enjoyed watching his method and promptly bought his book. I wish I had purchased it years ago as he takes you from the very earliest beginner steps, up through to what I'm doing, which is baking a whole grain country loaf from a sourdough starter. 

So, last night I made my levain (or pre-ferment), this morning I ground my wheat (I used half Iraqi and half Hard White), and then I made some bread. I like this method because if you start early enough in the morning, you can get the whole deal done in one day, which means one loaf of bread for dinner and another for the freezer. My previous method was a two day event, with an overnight retardation in the fridge. 

And I have to say, this dough was simply beautiful. The kneading in this method is minimal, and the dough came together with hardly any work from me, into a big, puffed up hill of goodness.

It's a soft, lovely dough. Here it is after shaping, in my new proofing baskets.

And after baking:

I slashed slightly too far to the side (I'm really a dunce with the slashes, the only thing to do is keep practicing! I've ordered a new bread lame for this purpose, I'll report after next baking) so the ear is not great, but there's nice brown crust. 

The crumb was moist but dense. I need to prove the loaves longer in the baskets to get a higher rise. And I might bake it just a few minutes longer. But the taste! Delicious, rich but lighter than we're used to. Kate had two big pieces with butter for dinner (we had it with a frittata) so I guess it was considered delicious by all!

If any of you have a favorite recipe for sourdough, I'd love to have it.

Native Bees in Your Backyard

Today, Tom and I travelled about 120 miles northwest of Walnut Creek to the town of Hopland, CA, to the Hopland Research and Extension Center of the University of California. We went to participate in an event called "Native Bees in Your Backyard," presented in partnership with the Urban Bee Lab at UC Berkeley. We heard three speakers, Dr. Gordon Frankie of the Bee Lab, Dr. Rollin Coville, noted insect photographer and bee expert in his own right, and Kate Frey, author of 'The Bee Friendly Garden.' We had a beautiful catered lunch by Black Dog Farm, and then got to tour Kate Frey's own garden nearby. Tom and I finished our trip with a visit to Cal Flora nursery in Santa Rosa and came home tired, but happy, with some new plants for pollinators, and armed with a lot of new information and inspiration.

The bee experts talked first, describing the research the Urban Bee Lab is doing, and what the preliminary findings are from that research - how many species are found in urban backyards, the general health of these bees, what they are eating and how they are nesting, and how to provide habitat for them in our own backyards. 40% of the country's native bee species are found in California, because we have such diverse habitat. The native bees evolved to survive with native plantings, so our discussion about flowers revolved mostly around California native plants. However we did get some tips for what non-native flowers are also good for pollinators. 

The information that I found most exciting from this talk was the research and education that Dr. Frankie and the Bee Lab are doing in our local agricultural communities. We have a lot of family farms near here - a large area in Brentwood, east of Mt. Diablo, and another in the Capay Valley, north of Vacaville, etc. There are many farms within each of these areas, both organic and conventional. European honeybees are often relied on to do most of the pollinating on these farms, and since honeybees are in trouble and suffering declines, the Bee Lab wants to get farms accustomed to relying on native pollinators to do that work instead. In order for that to happen, certain habitat requirements must be met. Many farmers aren't familiar with those requirements and need some guidance. I find this kind of mentorship really encouraging because the things that native bees require (for example, letting patches of weeds and flowers grow between the fruit trees) also really help with increasing soil fertility and keeping moisture from evaporating, both important features in a farm setting. 

Then Kate Frey gave us a brief overview of her philosophy and design esthetic with regards to gardening for bees and other pollinators. With a promise that we'd talk more at her garden after lunch, we broke for a delicious Thai curry and fruit salad. Plus honey ice cream! We got to talk to the other workshop participants during our meal which was fun. I sat near Dr. Coville and got to chat him up about photographing insects, and what cameras he might recommend if I decide to get more serious about it. That was fun. Then we headed over to Ms. Frey's home to tour her garden. And, oh my. What a garden it was. I didn't take many pictures because I was too busy gawking.

I wish I could just take a video camera and go around her yard and give you a tour, it was such a beautiful place. And the bees were literally on every flower. It was a pollinator haven. It was fun to follow Kate around and hear her talk about different areas in her garden, then follow Dr. Frankie around and listen to him talk about all the native bees (not one of which I took a picture of, sorry). 

During the course of our day in Hopland, I met the owner of CalFlora, a great nursery in Santa Rosa - I have often looked up plants for ID on their website, but I had never been there. On the way home we stopped and bought several asters, a pitcher sage, and some native sunflowers. I'll be planting them tomorrow morning. You can never have enough plants for pollinators!

This was just the most marvelous day. If I could give you just one tip after all I learned today, it would be this: Take some time to watch the activity in your garden and on your flowers. Chances are, you'll see a native bee no matter where you live. And once you see one, you'll start seeing many, and then you'll begin to get excited about how they live and what jobs they are doing in your garden. They really are the most marvelous creatures. And if you live in California, it's worth it to get Dr. Frankie's book, California Bees and Blooms.