Earth Building

New Moon Earth Building Workshop

July 19-20th

4-7pm


Summer Projects

  Strawbale Greenhouses, Earth Ovens, Living Roofs and Rocket Stove Benches
Learn about Materials and Building Methods

$10 dollars per person/day enjoyable for all ages

Bring a Tarp, 5 gallon bucket and Vegan Dish to Share

Reach us @ 730.2441 for Directions

Squash Blossom Farm
Agroecology ~ Heirlooms ~ Earth Building ~ Sustainability

Whitefish,MT

 

Sustaining Local Populations

In the garden we're trying to create habitat for pollinators, birds and mammals. Living on the cusp of open land and urban landscapes we are serving as a connector to species adaptable to edges. Over the past 5 years our "let it grow approach" has created habitat for several friends. We've had foxes move in that hunt the abundance of voles in the meadow and scavenge carcasses from the neighboring tract of wood. By allowing the edges of our modest 1/2 acre grow naturally into the wetland-meadow habitat, fauna can coexist and benefit. Our source of flowers, cover crops and vegetables offer crucial habitat for beneficial insects, pollinators and butterflies. Not only does this provide resources for local migratory birds it's sustains a struggling population inundated with chemicals and pesticides-Bees.
We continue to develop a closed loop ecologically stable environment. By practicing a labor vs mechanical intensive style of farming we not only preserve vital soil structure and insect populations but also replenish necessary nutrients with crop rotations, cover cropping and green manures. The viability of growing food in the long term is highly dependent on our source seed production, limited fuel use and minimal intensive labor. Sustainability is essentially defined upon these principles and demands them.
Genetic diversity of crops generates several safety mechanisms for their long term survival in varying climatic conditions. That's why we emphasize growing heirlooms in our garden. It also sustains us by producing an abundance of seeds for future years. This surplus is rich in genetic structure available for long term adaptations. Self sufficiency and survival being the optimal goal for us and plants alike.

We welcome the swallows and bluebird families that will call our corner of the world home by allowing the landscape to develop naturally. Listen intently for the Sora and Wilson's Snipe to arrive in the spring and serenade the lingering sun at dusk all summer. The fox may kick out our residence skunk to raise her pups and we'll watch as the ravens cavort and defend their territory in the meadow from the fleeting red tail hawks, bald eagles and northern harriers all the while relishing every moment as the system seasonally changes.
There is so much possibility to intensively farm supporting both native fauna and flora while maximizing grow space when garden rows are designed not by the size of the tractor wheel. Instead you navigate the garden by the size of the growers foot, reach or straddle. Our modest beginnings are crucially supported by a small group of people who make expansion of growing space and acquisition of heirloom seeds sustainable. We appreciate your interest in local food-you're apart of this system.

Food for Dragonflies and Chard Two Ways

There is a dragonfly and mosquito hatch happening simultaneously in the garden. Another ecological balance-mysterious and illuminating and almost as fascinating as warblers gleaning insects. Fortunately for us there is a source population of dragonflies migrating over from the wetland. In numbers strong enough in combination with the nesting swallows to keep the mosquitoes somewhat down. As much as mosquitoes seem a nuisance they play an important role directly and indirectly on many trophic levels. But if you'd like to keep them off-we like mixing vodka with this synergistic melody of essential oils ~ clary sage, rosewood, lavender, peppermint, lemongrass ~ 4-8 drops each in a 4 oz bottle. Any bites we got this week we covered with calendula salve which dramatically improved inflammation including itching within a few hours and totally healed within a day.  

You might enjoy this refreshing soup from the garden the other night. We cooked down some chard and baby bella mushrooms then added the sliced garlic for 2 minutes and poured the coconut milk over the top. Finishing it with fresh dill.

Northern Lights Chard in a Lime Coconut Soup with a hint of Dill

5 stalks Chard

Baby Bella Shrooms 

3 garlic cloves

a few sprigs of Dill

Coconut Milk

Our sunset dinner last night of Garlic Scape Pesto over stir fried Chard and Orach was not only brilliantly colorful and tantalizing to the taste buds but full of pure health benefits. We paired it with the Yugoslavian Butterhead lettuce, you'll find in your share this week, topped with shredded zucchini and golden beets, avocado slices and raisins.

Garlic Scape Pesto

1 cup soaked cashews

7 garlic scapes

1/2 cup grapeseed oil

2 handfuls of basil 

a little water to get things moving in the blender

salt to taste

My measurements are always estimates so the blender should visually be about 2/3 of the way full of ingredients. Add the water while the blender is running until it's a nice creamy green consistency. We cut the scapes where they start to curl and chop the remaining stalks for the stir fry of chard and orach and served it over a bed of penne rice noodles.

As for how the garden grows ~ We really enjoyed the first round of peas-they were well worth planting back in March and have served both purposes as staple and nitrogen fixer. The sugar snaps never tasted so sweet. We'll be turning the veg under for the cucumber crop. The peppers, tomatoes and tomatillos that made the transplanting window before my departure a month ago are loving these warm nights that are barely dipping below 60. The squashes are coming-just a little later than planned. I'm catching up on transplanting our namesakes in the ground to climb up 3 foot radius tepees. And even though the we'll use the flowering arugula next season once it goes to seed I'm restarting another round along with bilko chinese cabbage as both started flowering during my hiatus.

Today we resumed the earth building adventures. After flipping the tarps off I discovered some ants making a home in the premix and thankfully not the sand in the earth oven where the toad was found. Lesson here keep the premade mix in trash cans instead of tarps. So instead of the full foot immersion we spent an enjoyable day hand building and throwing on the wheel. Talus taking his first ride at the wheel and showing me few new ways to work the clay. Tomorrow is another day of opportunities.

      

Wetland Rainbows-Week 3 Food Share

After a heavy week of rains and several rainbows, the garden is looking more unruly than ever and deliberately merging with the meadow. This is most noticeable on the east fence line where the suite of wetland birds meet. When we let the biomass rise the birds are pleased with the added strata for insects, shelter and disguise. A solid group of pine siskins and american goldfinches are taking advantage of the dandelion seeds(gasp) in the lower reaches of the yard and the red tailed hawk while on the hunt for red wing blackbird nestlings was amazingly deterred by a male nest defender. I was hoping to see a catch but the crow quickly showed up to share in the dissent and the red tailed hawk retreated empty clawed.
Throughout the last couple days of weeding and transplanting the garden has been filled with the sweetest sounds coming from the bluebird box. Their first nestlings of the season are calling like wind chimes before the lady bluebirds arrival with a mouthful of gleaned insects. Her stellar aerial capabilities were hardly replicated by the male who spent most of the day feeding himself and maintaining the perimeter. I'm curious on his involvement tomorrow. We finally saw a pair of violet green swallows claiming the new east edge nest box and with the bluebirds busy they might have time to start building.

What you'll find in this weeks share

A head of Oakleaf lettuce

Easter Egg Radishes

Stir Fry Asian Greens

  ~Bok Choy and Mizuna/Choy Mix~

 Bag of  Spinach

Herbs

  ~Chives, Cilantro, Basil~

Shallots 

This will be the last round of our spring spinach but don't worry we have purple orach to follow and a heat tolerant spinach for later in the season. See you in the garden.

The Roots of True Love

An easy way to Share your Love of Garlic in the Garden

Garlic Spray

1 Bulb Garlic

2 cups Water

Drop a Bulb of Garlic into Blender with Water

Blend & Strain

Add to 1 Gallon of water

Fill a handy spray bottle and mist the leaves of crops potentially affected by aphids and other undesirables before they arrive for the feast.

Squash Blossom Farm
Whitefish, MT
Specializing in Heirloom Crops, Agroecology, Earth Building and Garlic
www.squashblossomfarming.blogspot.com

Week 2 Share-Thundering Full Moon

As of Friday we entered into caterpillar eruption mode and I wonder what triggers this cycle-rain, underlying current in timing-when were the eggs laid? Nymphalis milberti is clustering up on the nettles and the unidentified two hungry ones from the greenhouse have a new home on the deck. Their previous existence in the greenhouse endive was not satisfying their cravings as much as the broccoli starts and as much as I didn't mind sharing bitter endive-broccoli starts have to much delicious potential. so, we're awaiting metamorphosis and hope to witness the transformation. They have a happy new home in potted endive and the remnants of a woody basil plant.

In parts of the garden we have nettles, nettles and more nettles sprouting up. When one casually allows it to seed and then composts it thinking the heat will anniliate any hopes of germination-the abundance can be profuse but strangely beneficial when you get past avoiding the sting. The good part is it's vigor extends into the surrounding root structures of nearby plants thereby increasing their growth and yield.
Serving as a native butterfly attractant the caterpillars exclusively consume the nettles keeping the crop in check. It also enriches soil for future plantings, speed ups compost decomposition and acts as an aphid trap. Not to mention the benefits when drank as tea or made into a soup broth.
 Yesterday, I transplanted a large cluster of nettles into the 2 year chicken compost pile without seeds so the root system gets to work. A balanced blend of greens, kitchen scraps, manure, straw, coffee frass and the like have gone into this beautiful pile. Most of the time I just cut and incorporate but this year we're trying the growing method for the piles we've stopped turning.

I also unloaded 30 maybe 40 gallons of micro green flowering plants into other compost piles and the chicken tractor on Friday and the soil beneath looks rich and inviting for the first round of Hungarian Heart, Mikarda, Aurora and Soldacki Tomatoes. Never underestimate the power of cover cropping. It's beautiful unruliness is a driving force in soil moisture retention, loft and procures hardly any physical input on our end. Mustards as a cover crop also grows faster than grass and provides and insect trap for over voracious slugs who might have an interest in my kohlrabi and spinach. In fall I leave these prodigiously producing mustards to self sow and offer up our earliest micro green crop in the spring.

This weeks share~
3 Asian Bundles-mizuna/bok choy/southern frill
1 Bag Salad Mix-it's colorful and full of flavor-hints of cilantro this week
1 Bag Kale or 1 Bag Spinach
2 Herbs-Basil, Chives
1 Bundle Radishes

We thought you'd like to know how to store your Asian greens for optimum life in your fridge. Ziplocks are best to keep stir fry greens from going limp. Eating is easy: stem and greens are all edible and reduce down significantly in a skillet with sunflower oil. Add shredded carrots, sunflower seeds, red beans and chives and serve in bowls.

See you at the Market this week.

Week 1 Squash Blossom CSA

Whoo Hoo! We've been enjoying much of what you'll be eating this week. So check the previous posts for creative recipe ideas. This grow season has been really warm early and has given the garden some volume this time of year. The nights are suppose to start warming up so it may be safe to start moving more of the warm crops outside this week-with some night time covers just in case. So the share this week

3 Asian Bundles

~Mizuna, Bok Choy, Southern Frill~

2 Bags Micro Salad Mix

~Pablo lettuce, Micro Greens, Kan Tsai, Oak Leaf lettuce, Baby Spinach

3 Herbs

~Anise Hyssop, Marjoram, Basil~

Bag of Olympia Spinach

CSA members can pick up their share Wednesday between 5 and 6pm. Let us know if you can make it. 

We're diving back into the Earth building this week too. Did I mention how much I Love Building with Clay?The Earth Oven is coming along and the core of it should be done within a couple weeks. The potter in me is dreaming up all sorts of creative design features to work into the oven....bird sitting on a nest and wrap around seating has been brewing about. See you in the garden.