What I've been up to ...

Who ever thought too much blogging would result in no blogging, but that's what's happened to me.

Apart from working on a new blog for the Horton Farmer's Market here in St. Thomas, and planning the design of one for our friends at McSmith's Organic Farm, I've given myself a blog challenge;

I wont throw out a piece of plastic until I know I can't recycle it.
And then post a list so I'll never have to research that item again.

Like the thing that holds a 6 pack together, or a potato chip bag. Or how about the plastic my new underwear is sold in, or all the wrapping containing my PC tea, other than the box? My tofu container, coffee tin seal, resealable bag of peanuts, and the bag containing my cereal in the box.
Seems simple, but it wasn't until I starting looking for it did I realize most of the plastic leaving our home isn't labeled with a recycling code which is another disappointing realization, hot on the footsteps of "most blue box items go to landfill".

So it's better to be informed and a little disappointed, than to be naive and in ignorant bliss. I've begun asking manufacturers to provide me with either the plastic code, or the plastic type. I'm also asking why, with so much labeling, promotion and information on packaging, they aren't provide consumers with the info we need to properly dispose of their often excessive packaging.

Oh, and did I mention a group of us at work are creating a long-overdue Environmental Committee?

Being Fruit (ful)

What is it about apple trees?

Is it some deep DNA-linked force, that their mere presence reassures me?

Knowing birds have a home and bees have a meal certainly works for me on a tree-hugger level, but I wont be sitting under them for shade or climbing them to hide from seekers.
I guess they kind of seem wise to me, once they get old and wizened.

Robin loves the knarriness of a fruit tree that's seen a few years, largely from a painterly point of view, but my connection seems stronger than a visual.
Whatever it is, we've planted three beautiful young apple trees on our west property border, in a spot unencumbered by wires and blessed with full access to sunshine.

We decided on three trees, purchased from our local nursey, Canadale, once we learned we needed more than one cultivar for cross-pollination (Mustsu apple trees require TWO other varieties). A piece of information which will not only help ensure fruitful trees, but also eliminated the need for an embarrassing arm-wrestle in the middle of the nursery (a challenge I would've been forced to win by cheating).


Mutsu - a bakers fav, was chosen by/for Laura for obvious reasons, some of which will by pies and sauce, freshly prepared by mom and daughter (hint hint)

Cox's Orange Pippen - which Robin chose largely due to a nostalgic connection to the UK and partly due to the fact he can now more easily work the word "cox" into a dinner conversation.

Honeycrisp - my choice for it's sharp sweetness and durability (bouncing around in my sweater pocket, it's still firm when I finally decide to bite in)


Thanks to Lisa who provided the supports our saplings will need to survive our increasingly aggressive storms, and to Mom who was our "investor". I guess we owe them both a few pies!

We've been careful to keep their mulched mounds watered during these early days and with luck (and careful pruning) our three trees, snuggled securely into the ground, will give us lots of blossoms, nests and fruit in return.

I expect I'll look back on this post, years from now, with our freezer filled with sauce and our cupboard with jars of sun-dried slices.