Here is a common story across the U.S.:  I live in a small town that has been traditionally agricultural. Since the late 1800s, we were one of the most productive farming communities in the Pacific Northwest.  Our rich alluvial soils were regionally famous. We exported fruits, vegetables, grains, livestock, and fibers, and we were the most successful producers of dairy products in the state.

Then came the 60s and 70s. People caught on to what a paradise it was. Land was cheap. The population exploded, property values and taxes skyrocketed, and with the growth of mega-ag farms and economic changes, agricultural production costs went up while prices for commodities went down. Many of our old-time family farms, unable to survive economic pressures, were sold to developers.

Today – nearly 75% of our farmland has been lost.  Of our 500 dairies, only 2 remain. Yes, only two.

Saving the farmland has been a real challenge. One way is to support the local farmer (BUY LOCAL!).

Another is to support organizations such as Friends of the Fields, which is a nonprofit that is committed to preserving farms and farming in our region.

And a third is to adapt to change.

Enter Agritourism – that alternative farming enterprise that blends farming with tourism, education, and just having a great time.

Most people think of pumpkin patches and corn mazes, which have sprouted up all over the country.  In Sequim, it’s lavender.

In July, our community turns into one big party in purple. Great music, locally grown food, wine and cheese …. mmmm …. it’s all about the sensations: see, hear, feel, taste, and smell.  And though we might get invaded by 30,000 people, they’re all here for a good time, to spend a little money, to kick back, relax, and smell the lavender.

So it might not be traditional farming, but it is agriculture all the same. It has raised awareness of the importance of farming in our community. It has given our community a tremendous economic boost and has brought us together.

I’m curious – is agritourism or other forms of alternative farming helping to save agriculture in your community?

Want to know more about the Sequim Lavender Festival? Click here.

See more photos and  visit my regular blog  here.

Thanks for visiting!

Yikes! I don’t know about everyone else, but harvest time came nearly 2 weeks early this year! Usually I plant around Halloween with the idea that a later sowing will delay the harvest until after the 4th of July holiday. This year, however, the plants fooled me.

I can only figure it’s the weather. We have had one of the driest seasons in 116 years, including two periods of scorching heat (by our standards). The drought, combined with frequent winds strong enough to blow chairs off our deck, have made keeping on top of watering especially tricky this year.

Watering is such a balancing act. The garlic needs good drainage; too wet a soil (and other damp conditions) invite molds and fungi. Too dry, however, and the bulbs shrivel and wilt in our choking, clay-based soil. Mulch can help conserve moisture; but it also keeps the plants a bit too cool, provides a safe haven for insects and rodents, and encourages fungal growth. And then there’s the advice not to water the last few weeks before harvest, assuming you know when that is. We hit a hot spell late June – to water or not to water? Last year, the molds wiped out a lot of my crop. I didn’t want to take a chance.

And so I bit my nails as I watched the plants, obviously a bit stressed, as their bottom leaves browned and they neared the end of their life cycle. I could only think that if it is true that flavors intensify under adverse growing conditions, my garlic is bound to be particularly strong this year.

When to harvest is a bit more art than science. We all like to say that when we don’t really know what we’re doing, even though we’ve been doing it for years and years. But the fact is, the bulb can increase a lot during its last month. Harvest too early? Wimpy bulbs. Too late? No storage value; earwigs and other bugs move in. Better a little early than late.

Sometimes there is only one way to tell: test a few. “Green” (i.e., uncured) garlic is delightfully mellow. Gently cooked, it spreads on a crumpet like soft butter…and if that isn’t reason enough to test whether its “ready,” I don’t know what is!

Dig the bulbs when the bottom leaves die off but a few green ones remain. Sometimes, though, with the tips yellowed and the bottom leaves brown, and if the plant is looking pretty dry, you start thinking that harvesting is an act of mercy. Just do it.

And now that I am finally getting them out of the ground, what do we get? RAIN! Lots of it.

Aaaggh! Will the dreaded mold and fungus return? I don’t know. I will do my best to chase them off with good air circulation. And wait.

In the meantime, the plants that remain are breathing a sigh of relief, and I have to admit, that rain feels mighty good.

Gardening is like that. So many little things along the way can derail the whole project. You tackle it like it’s all under control, but in the end, you realize nothing is in your control. And you just appreciate it for what it is.

(more about our garlic & other backyard garden musings at http://barbolian.com)

An Angelica plant seems to be exploding in celebration! Happy Independence Day everyone!

Latest news from the Barbolian back acre: we’ve just installed our first rainwater collection system.

It is hard to believe that water quantity might be an issue in the rainy Pacific Northwest, but here in Sequim, it is becoming contentious as the requirements of wildlife and agriculture clash with the demands of an ever-increasing population. Water, or rather, lack thereof, could well be the most effective growth management tool in our region.

This is hardly the forum to delve deeply into watershed management, the effects of climate change, and balancing the needs of humans and salmon, but residents here recently got a rude awakening when the Department of Ecology notified us of pending water restrictions on new developments.

Fortunately for the Barbolian homestead, we are grandfathered in, having purchased rights to the irrigation ditch along with our home. Being on the ditch is a real advantage; however, every once in awhile, particularly in September when things are getting really dry, without warning, it shuts down. Sometimes completely. Shut-downs are based on river levels; there must be adequate water for the salmon runs.

I agree with that. So what to do?

We can switch to our well, but at that time of year, our well water is also getting low, and we start finding small grains of sediment in our tap water. Not good.

We’re not talking about watering fancy lawns here. We’re talking about keeping plants alive that we have nurtured since the beginning of spring. We’re talking about food that feeds our families. Let it all dry up right when it’s time to harvest? No way!

A rainwater collection system just makes sense.

We have an advantage: a metal roof on our barn provides a lot of surface area. A phenomenal amount of rain drains off, and other than a little debris, it is relatively clean.

For less than $250, including hardware, we used a simple adapter to connect the downspout from one side of the roof to a 275-gallon storage tank with a spigot near the bottom. (Ok – so it’s still a little funky – but we are thankful for Ziplock Ties and plumbers’ tape inventions! We will refine the setup as we test the system.) Interestingly enough, our local Co-Op provides the cheapest system around. You can connect a series of 50-gallon barrels, but the 275-gallon system costs a whole lot less. We didn’t find anything close to it online.

We built a foundation for it with some old pumice-block bricks, which elevates it enough to increase the water pressure.

This system is long overdue! It is simple and effective. It may not provide all the water we need, but it will definitely help us through the dry spells. We want to set up another one for the other side of the roof.

Water is our most valuable resource. Even with access to the irrigation ditches or other water supplies, if more home owners do what they can both to conserve water and collect their own, more water will be left for other uses.

So – How exciting! Here we’ve been so tired of all this wind and rain and sleet and snow we’ve had lately, and now, we just can’t wait for those heavy clouds to cut loose!

Garlic is up! Time to get weeding!

Ok, folks, spring is officially here, and there is no time to lose!

Barbolian Garlic Status Report: The garlic is growing strong! Better than strong: these sprouts look like my best crop ever! All that work that went into building the beds has really paid off!

Of course, alongside the garlic, the weeds. With longer days and warmer temps, they are already taking off and robbing the garlic of all those nutrients I carefully worked into the soil.

Garlic does not compete well with weeds. The garlic may be strong, but the weeds want to take over the world. We must not let them get that first stranglehold. The war begins, quietly.

The weeds are thick on the southern sides, testimony to the benefits of a raised bed and a southern exposure. Over the winter, they have served their purpose, holding the soil in place during heavy rains and strong winds. But now they must go. The beds keep the soil soft. Weeding is labor-intensive, but easy. I toss them into the paths between the beds, let them dry out for a few days, and then till them into the soil. Usually just turning them over with a shovel is enough, but I have a little tiller if I want to fire it up. I am finding more and more that the tiller isn’t that much faster, and it comes at a cost, but that discussion should be saved for a different post.

Next, I will help the garlic be strong in the face of adversity. I will support its drive to reproduce. (And then I will eat its delectable young.)

For now, it is primarily a leafy plant. The more it grows now, the more reserves it will have later for making bulbs. After eradicating the weeds, I will be side-dressing the garlic with a little blood meal to give it a nitrogen boost. Over the next few weeks, I will also periodically spray the plants with diluted seaweed and fish fertilizer, but will minimize any nitrogen fixes once the bulb formation starts.

Fortunately, the garlic pretty much holds it own at the moment, which leaves time for all the other spring chores: starting seeds, getting the veggie garden in shape, tilling in the green manure, doing any last-minute pruning, cleaning out the dead debris so plants can breathe – and tragic site: picking up all those branches that broke off the big fir tree after that recent heavy snow!

Ah, but that first daffodil! It is our assurance that warmer days are ahead (it’s still so freakin’ cold!). If I work hard, I stay warm. A little effort now will pay off big-time later. Visions of garlic sauce over pasta keep me going. Heavy on the garlic, please.

January and February can be a real mixture of weather, and here in the Pacific Northwest, we are no exception. The rain and snow this year for us were a statistician’s dream.  Even without extremes, storms regularly blow in off the west coast, with winds strong enough to break trees, while other afternoons can be deceivingly warm with the promise of spring.

Then the nights freeze solid again, glare ice coats the roadways, and thick frost ices every nook and crevice.

It might be a time for us to hunker down inside, but there is a lot going on in the garlic patch out back. Tender garlic shoots are bravely poking through the soil. Look closely! I DO SEE GREEN!!!

They seem so exposed – so vulnerable. I did not mulch. There is no snow cover for protection….

I encourage them to be strong.

Stay tuned….

Hooray! The garlic is harvested and is now 2 weeks into the curing process.

What do 1300 bulbs of hanging garlic look like?

Granted, by some standards, that is not a lot. But for me – and for many who buy a few bulbs now and then – it’s like, wow – over one thousand bulbs!

How to describe what it is like to step into a small room, surrounded by hanging garlic, and inhale the dense pungent aroma …

It makes you slip into visions of roasted bulbs, garlic bread, rich sauces, stir fries, pestos, tapenades ….

It’s enough to make one swoon ….

Do we have to wait?

No!

Indulge NOW!

* * *

I promised you all my favorite hummus recipe. But first, I’d like to know how a bunch of smashed chick peas mixed with a little this and that, and a name that sounds like something related to compost, has become such an exotic dish among pseudo yuppies like myself.

Indeed.

Ok – I have a confession. I don’t really have a “favorite” hummus recipe. I make it different every time. But see, that’s the beauty of it. Here’s how I made it the other day – and everyone woofed it:

Put in a blender or otherwise chop, smash, and blend:

• 2 cans of chickpeas or garbanzo beans, same thing, drained – save the juice. Usually I cook my own, but this day I was in a hurry. Despite my raving about garlic, garbanzos are really what make hummus hummus – but you could also use another kind of bean if you don’t have them on hand.

• Garlic scapes – about a dozen or more – personally, I just can’t get enough of these curly things

• 3 T olive oil – (low-fat variations could use less)

• 1/3 c lemon juice or a couple of squeezed lemons

• 1/3 c sesame seed (I would have used more but I ran out) – if you don’t have a blender, Tahini, which is essentially sesame seed already blended with olive oil – is a good choice. If you use Tahini, be cautious with the oil.

• 1 c or so of parsley, smashed down – I grow a lot of this, and at this point, this recipe is sounding a lot like the pesto one, only with added beans instead of walnuts

• Maybe a little salt – don’t really need it with the lemon juice

Chop it, blend it, or whatever you need to do to make this a relatively smooth paste. Add back in about 1/4 cup of the drained bean juice if it looks too thick.

This hummus version is very green. People won’t know it’s hummus, which they think of as being kind of tan and something they’d maybe rather not describe. Yes – it’s very garlicky and very lemony. It’s also heavy on parsley. I love all these things.

Hummus is wonderful. Think of the many things you can do with this stuff! Here are some ideas:

• spread it on bread (better than butter!), pita bread, fresh crackers, tortilla chips
• dunk veggies in it, such as carrots, celery, broccoli – or whatever you have
• mellow it out with another can of beans
• spice it up with a little cayenne – or maybe some oregano or cumin, a little pepper
• use black beans instead of chickpeas
• leave out the sesame seeds if you don’t have any – don’t worry, it still works!
• add a couple scoops of peanut butter (some people like anything if it has peanut butter in it, my husband, included)
• make it more tangy with a couple of scoops of yogurt
• use lime juice instead of lemon
• add different vegetables to it – roasted peppers, spinach, sun dried tomatoes? mmmm….
• garnish it with parsley & paprika
• sculpt with it (the idea here is get creative!)

This humble dish is one of the oldest known to man – and you can see why – it can be whatever you like or whatever you have or a mixture of all you have and like. It’s wonderful. It’s eaten daily all over the Arab world, and many other cultures have a version they call their own. In fact, it’s known to have been around 5000 years before Christ! Now that’s amazing. My guess is that it helped the Egyptians build the pyramids. Just think what YOU can do with it!

Plus, it’s full of protein, iron, vitamin C, fiber, and more, depending on how it’s made.

I figure that anything that looks like a glob but gets your kids to eat beans, whole-grain crackers, and vegetables must be a good thing.

ENJOY!

I have been asked – no – begged – to reveal my soon-to-be-famous recipes for pesto and hummus using fresh garlic scapes. Ok. I bend to peer pressure. But not without this warning:

EATING THIS STUFF CAN BE ADDICTIVE!

And to lure you into my web, I also offer a recipe for homemade crackers to go with them.

Go ahead…try these…don’t let anyone see you…scoop them into small bowls and go off to your happy place…we’ll see you in a few days. I tantalize you first with the pesto. You have to come back for the hummus and crackers.

GARLIC SCAPE PESTO:

First, a caveat: the problem with this recipe – or maybe it’s me – is that nothing is really measured and substitutions are made freely, depending on what you have on hand. If you are a freestyle cook, you understand this mentality. There are a few things you must have, namely, garlic and olive oil, or it simply isn’t pesto. Personally, I grow a lot of basil and several varieties, but I am not terribly fond of it in pesto (I know, this is blasphemy to my Sicilian heritage), because most recipes ask for a lot of it and it is too overpowering. Now the garlic – I grow lots – I use lots – it is incredibly overpowering – and if you are a true garlic lover, that is just how it should be. Ok – the recipe:

1 doz. garlic scapes
1 cup, more or less, of parsley (I grow a lot of this, too – it balances well with garlic and is available most of the year)
1 1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 – 1 tsp sea salt (you don’t need much)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice

Chop, blend, or whatever you need to do to make it smooth. Yes, you can add Parmesan if you have it – or if you have pine nuts, those are great – and of course, you can totally change the taste with aromatic fresh basils, but I don’t always have those things, and the craving must be fed, regardless. What kind of recipe is this, you ask? Ok, not really a recipe, more like a guideline.

But now that you’ve made it, you must face your ethical dilemma: go hide or go share. Your choice. I won’t tell.

Despite the cold spring here in the Pacific Northwest, the garlic has been thriving! We got everything weeded over the weekend and thoroughly watered. You can almost feel them reaching upward, waiting for that promised sunshine!

As you can see from the photos, I planted the garlic rather densely in beds (4 rows/bed) this year, which has really facilitated the weeding, fertilizing, & watering tasks! The picture in the lower right quadrant shows 2 plots in the background that were recently tilled under — I had grown a green manure crop of a combination of clover, vetch, and ryegrass; I will be planting them again soon with more of the same; these will be garlic beds for next year and 2010. Yes, those are the Olympic Mountains in the background. Gorgeous morning!

Also pictured are the tall spikes, often called “spears” of the elephant garlic. The hardneck varieties send smaller shoots, called “scapes”; pictured are the tight-curling scapes of the rocambole hardnecks. I have been cutting these off (yes! you can have some if you are in the neighborhood!) and using them in pestos, salad dressings, & stir fries. They also add an unusual touch to floral arrangements. I am making some garlic hummus to bring to a barbecue this weekend, and am thinking about how the scapes might be quite beautiful pickled in a jar! Mmm!

I figure bulb harvesting is about a month or so away (a little late this year). I may get one more watering in, but will stop the water after that, which will help prevent molds and extend the shelf-life of the bulbs.

We might hit 70 today when the official summer starts at 4:30 today! That is welcome news for those of us who have been wearing sweatshirts all spring! Celebrate the solstice!

(visit my official garlic website at http://barbolian.com)