The Problem is the Solution

This adage sums up the spirit of permaculture - a way of envisioning and organizing your life to minimize work and optimize enjoyment, that can be applied to your desk drawers as well as your garden.

It's a concept that for some reason we haven't yet taken to heart - we struggle against weeds with all our might, yet the way in which we struggle creates the perfect conditions for weeds. Weeds grow well in bare, disturbed soil. We disturb the soil to get rid of weeds.

It would be interesting to take a completely opposite approach to gardening - leave the weeds until more desirable plants grow up and shade them out.

In the meantime, why not enjoy the weeds we have? So...

Two additions to my edible weed list:

1) Land cress or hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta)

Which seems to be sprouting everywhere in my garden and has tasty leaves.

Not to be confused with this fellow, thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), which has its calling in scientific research rather than salad.

2) Chickweed (Stellaria media)

Not very commonly eaten anymore, it used to be used for a variety of medicinal purposes, some of which are outlined here: http://www.altnature.com/gallery/chickweed.htm 

It can be applied to the skin to treat itchiness and may have the properties of an antihistamine.

Either of these can be used as a garnish, in salads, as pesto, on eggs and in pasta.

Another gardening trick: because as soon as we plant our food in tidy rows, insects and deer alike line up for the buffet. Why not plant our vegetables here and there, so the deer never know what's food and what's not? Even if they find one kale, they won't find the rest. To that end, I'm leaving other plants to grow up around my collard greens, in a "confuse-a-deer" strategy. Report on whether this works coming up soon.

At any rate, what looks like a deer problem, could be a venison solution.

On a Lighter Note...

As a college student, I suppose I am doing my part to undermine the national economy by being VERY CHEAP.

At the same time, as an environmentalist, I have set myself the challenge to make myself one meal every day, in order to become more aware of the origins of my food.

Luckily, I do not think these two goals mutually exclusive.
But as a habitual frequenter of the campus dining halls (which, to their credit, have made some massive strides toward sustainability), I am something of a stranger to food autonomy, and the results could be interesting for those on a tight budget and a ticking time schedule.

So far, Grocery Outlet has been my ally. I am of the opinion that, if it's been on the shelf once and is now seeing it's second time, it's cheap because otherwise it would be tossed out. In fact, the cheaper it is, the less wasteful I feel.

Besides that bonus, the store's role as a supplier of an underpriviledged populace is very evident. Though they don't harp on this fact, it positions them as a key player in the "people" factor of sustainability.

Beyond that (I looked up our particular outlet - http://www.groceryoutlet.com/Bellingham-WA/) it's family-operated and generally a pleasant place to work.

And beyond that - they even carry an organic section.

Something worth supporting.

Then, the only flaw, that the store does not connect me with the actual source of my food, I plan to address through visits to the Bellingham farmers' market, and growing and gleaning my own food.

The farmers' market opened last week and I am super-excited to buy myself a big pot of honey there.

In the last two weeks I have discovered literally three new avenues through which to grow my own herbs and veggies. Apparently once you start looking, opportunities in Bellingham are not far away.

Meanwhile, while my cilantro gasps for sunlight, I have a salad-solution to tide me over. Dandelions. They are everywhere.

From About.com (http://landscaping.about.com/od/weedsdiseases/a/kill_dandelions_2.htm)

All parts of the dandelion are edible:

• Dandelion root can be roasted as a coffee-substitute, or boiled and stir-fried as a cooked vegetable.
• Dandelion flower can be made into a wine, or boiled and stir-fried as a cooked vegetable.
• Dandelion greens (i.e., the leaves) can be boiled, as you would spinach, and used as a cooked vegetable, in sandwiches or as a salad green with some "bite."

Supposedly the leaves are best picked this time of year (early spring) or after the first autumn frost. They provide a rich source of vitamins A, C, and iron.

My latest edible invention - take a tortilla, fill it with a bit of kale, some straws of chive (these are growing behind Arntzen Hall on campus) and dandelion leaves. Spread some peanut butter on these - it's a little bit like a spring roll - roll up and enjoy!

Bellingham Scheduled to Become Major Coal-Exporting Port

From the March 26, 2011 Seattle Times article:

"Coal quandary as state plans to send dirty fuel overseas"

Photo credit: Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014609339_exportingcoal27m.html

We have what I can only deem one set of policies undermining another. Governor Christine Gregoire just signed a deal in March that would close two major Washington Sate coal-fired power plants by 2025.

By comparison, SSA Marine plans to have its Bellingham terminal ready to export 24 million tons of coal per year by 2015.

My issue is not so much the increased traffic of uncovered train cars which will blanket surrounding communities with coal dust, particularly near the end of the line in Bellingham, and contribute to derailments (Power companies and shippers in the Powder River Basin, source of the coal, have fought extensively against taking responsibility for the impacts of coal dust - "Railroads, Utilities Clash Over Dust From Coal Trains" Josh Voorhees. New York Times. January 25, 2010 http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/01/25/25greenwire-railroads-utilities-clash-over-dust-from-coal-55265.html).

It's not even so much that impacts to local herring have not been fully studied, although this particular species of herring, by virtue of its offset reproduction schedule, provides a vital food supply for salmon and orca populations ("Cherry Point herring - Protecting a native Puget Sound resource." Conservation Northwest http://www.conservationnw.org/wildlife-habitat/cherry-point-herring).

It's that we can't seem to see we are running backwards against progress toward a clean energy future. I understand that the project has the potential to provide 400 jobs (perhaps 3,600 during construction). It's a hard proposition to turn down, especially in hard economic times.

And perhaps no amount of regulation on our side will affect in any way the coal-burning habits of Asian countries. But to actually aid them in that pursuit, when they are on the brink of deciding their own energy futures, seems to me downright irresponsible. And why, if we are looking for energy independence, should we link up our economy with their future dependence on coal?

Consider also that once the infrastructure is in place, no form of incentive will undo the decision. These facilities are not built with downsizing in mind. Another terminal, proposed by Millenium Bulk Logistics to export 5 million tons of coal a year from the Columbia River, was stalled only when internal documents revealed intentions to expand to 60 million tons once permits were granted. Let's insure that these plans do not become reality on our coast.