Inspiration Station: Asheville, NC

I headed to Asheville, N.C., last weekend for an amazing wedding where I was bombarded with excellent inspiration for Better Farm.

1. Rainwater Collection We've been tinkering around with several different ideas for rainwater collection bins. While at a community garden that is part of the Bountiful Cities Project (and which served as the site for the wedding's ceremony and reception), I came upon this setup. It's a simplistic design with strong hardware (note the gutter attachment at the top and industrial-strength nozzle at the bottom), which can hold several hundred gallons of water:

2. Cob Construction There's something about earth mixed with sand and straw that is very appealing. Cob building is an ancient construction method that produces ovens, saunas, and homes that are extremely durable, with wonderful insulation. The garden in Asheville has this cob oven, in which we cooked several delicious pizzas during the wedding:

3. Compost Toilet Lest we lose sight of the value of alternative restroom facilities, behold this outhouse, complete with compost toilet ("Sprinkle 1 to 2 cups of sawdust over your deposit!" a sign inside explains) and green roof:

4. Raised Flower Beds Back at the carriage house where many of the kidddies stayed, we had some raised beds in the backyard. Not a bad idea for planting - especially with the clay- and sand-based soil of the Farm:

The brain races.

Better Compost

Worm composting is one of the easiest and quickest ways to convert your table scraps into rich, healthy, organic soil for your garden. Carina Molnar was kind enough to pass along to Better Farm a big bin already in the throes of what we call vermicomposting.

Inside the bin are hundreds of what I believe to be red wigglers; one of the best worms around when it comes to compost. They eat fast, and provide some of the darkest, densest, nutrient-rich soil there is.

Into the bin go coffee grounds, vegetable and fruit rinds, unfinished salad scraps, and the like (no bones or meat). If the bin starts to smell, wet some strips of newspaper in the sink, ring them out like a sponge, and put those in the bin. The pH level will right itself in no time. You can also ensure a smell-less bin by not overpowering your worms. Only put in as much as gets gobbled up. It doesn't do anyone any good to fill the whole bin at once with table scraps only to suffer through the rot process. Always err on the less-is-more side of things.

I've been turning the compost (which, if you have sealed in a heavy-duty plastic bin like ours, you can keep right under your kitchen sink) over with a trowel every week or so; and have already used it to bring several houseplants back to life. In a few weeks I'll start adding it little by little to the acre we've plotted outside for next year's crops.

Redwood Farmers Market

The Redwood Farmers Market starts in mid-July every year and runs until all the produce is gone from the fields and greenhouses (usually late September). We couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet and greet with some locals, bake a few pies, and make several bouquets of wildflowers. Here are Staciemae and Josh readying some bundles the night before:

For the second week of this year's market, we had some special guests up from Manhattan; Alana and Pablo. They came out bright and early Saturday morning to help out.

Josh took it upon himself to study some parlor tricks, then set up a magic tricks booth. He stayed in the box for most of the morning in spite of the 85+ degree heat.

Josh only took one break; and that was to hold a pies sign out on the side of Route 37.

What a guy.

Many thanks to all the folks who came out to support local agriculture. See you next Saturday!

Dog Days of July

July at the Farm, with fresh-plowed fields:

L-R Brian Purwin, Josh Babcock, Kobayashi Maru Caldwell, Brett Goodman, Hunter Ciliberti, and Sadie Babcock

Loch Ness Monster sighting in Mosquito Pond

Brett Goodman (left) and Brian Purwin, surveying Mosquito Pond

Kobayashi Maru, Hunter Ciliberti, and Brett Goodman at Mosquito Pond

Bambi

Josh Babcock and Brett Goodman check out Paul's "camp" on the edge of Better Farm's property

Because one bonfire is never enough. From left: Hunter Ciliberti, Brett Goodman, Brian Purwin, and Fred Ciliberti

Better Renovations: Koala Room, After

The Koala Room will probably forever go by its former title as the Lilac Room, so called for obvious reasons. This room was pretty structurally sound to start, so it was just a matter of taking care of a few basics. Nils, Cigir, Tyler, and I got in there over Memorial Day for the first coat of paint. From there, it was a matter of tying up some loose ends:

• Clearing out a lot of unused items
• Slapping on a fresh coat of eco-friendly paint
• Patching a few holes in the floor
  
• Stitching curtains out of a pile of long-forgotten fabric and screwing in hooks for the curtain rods
  
• Reappropriating the steamer trunk we found underneath a defunct television. Upon turning it on its side, we discovered it was actually a mini bureau!
• Bringing the gem of a koala lamp in here (traded for the owl lamp, now in the Owl Room)
• Installing energy-efficient bulbs
• Installing bunk beds
• Tracking down some fresh linens from storage
• A thorough dusting, sweeping, and floor washing

"Smells Like Sawdust"

Came across and interesting article called

Down and Dirty: 5 Ways To Go Seriously Green

, and behold! The very first idea is a composting toilet.

In Austin, Tex., a group called the Rhizome Collective has built a commode that uses no water. Instead, when you're finished, you pour sawdust down the toilet.

"This is a great system for environmentally conscious individuals and families," said Jennifer Melia, a member of the collective. She and her cohorts try to live a sustainable, off-the-electric-grid lifestyle -- though the powers that be took four years to give their approval for the system.

"It was just a new thing," said Jill Mayfield of the Austin Water Utility, which finally gave Rhizome the go-ahead. "It takes a while to make sure it's something that would be safe."

The members of the collective say they may not have a solution that pleases everyone, but they're doing their part for the environment. A flush from a conventional toilet, they said, takes 3-5 gallons of water -- clean water that could be used for drinking or cooking, and is in short supply in many parts of the world.

Meanwhile, people who checked out the sawdust-powered outhouse said it smelled mostly of sawdust, and not much else. There are commercially made indoor versions as well.

"They save immense amounts of water, they create healthy soil, and they save energy," said Melia. "These are far beyond the latrines of olden times."

The article did list a few other ideas, but this seemed to be the only one that could be used on a household level...which is fine, since businesses and cities need to get in on the act in a big way...but another option or two for the individual would have been nice.

Regardless, this is exactly what Nicole was talking about adding up at the Farm, since there

is

currently only one toilet. Maybe a smoke signal to that collective in Austin on how they built their own on the cheap??

Fireworks!

Alexandria Bay does its fireworks on July 5 to spread the festivities of the Fourth out nice and big. The explosives are shot out all around Boldt Castle out on the St. Lawrence River. Dozens of boats gather on the water at sunset, waiting like little twinkling fireflies in a field of water. Quite the spectacle.




Then, the games begin.

Happy Fourth of July

Indian River Lakes Conservancy Remembers Steve Caldwell

Burn, Baby Burn: Better bonfire

Blazin' bonfire. What's better than that?


Plus, after all's been reduced to ash, it's great for composting and fertilizer. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

Better Renovations: Sleeping Quarters, Part II

So...

I was outside scrubbing down some more bunk beds with a steel brush, and discovered stickers designating the beds' original stomping ground:




Somehow, this is perfectly fitting.

Better Kayaking: Millsite Lake

One of the nicest parts about the Thousand Islands region is, go figure, the water. With a kayak and paddle you have an almost infinite number of locations to choose from, including the St. Lawrence River itself.

Fred and I headed out a couple of days ago for my inaugural ride of the season. We decided to pay a visit to Millsite Lake, which is just two miles down the road from Better Farm. We hit the water around 9:30 a.m., just after I discovered a whole nest of pink, newborn baby mice in my kayak. Nice.

Take it in, folks: