Our Urban Farm Update

It's finally October. As I type this I have a pot of apple, orange, and ginger slices, a cinnamon stick, a pinch of sassafras, and pumpkin pie spice simmering on the stove. It smells heavenly. Fall is a time of celebration for many, especially those of us in Arizona. Everything outdoors-related can be a bit of a challenge in the summer. Matt and I even discussed using summer as many do winter - as a break from the garden. It took lots of valuable water to grow what we did, and it was a struggle to keep our plants happy. With temperatures below 100, here's what's been going on in our little urban backyard! 

Quail

We finally have our happy quail flock! Though I hear chickens in our neighbor's yards, according to our city laws, we're not really supposed to have them. This is one of the main reasons we opted for quail. The males do crow, but it's much quieter, and if they have females around them they aren't as loud. In fact, I love the sound of their little crows! 

My diet is mostly vegan. There are only two exceptions. The first one - quail eggs! 

All the girls are laying now and we're getting between 3 - 6 eggs a day. Three quail eggs are roughly equal to one chicken egg, so we're eating eggs about once a week. My favorite way to eat them is scrambled. I usually use about 15 for a meal for each of us, adding in lots of veggies, of course! 

I know my ethical situation is unique, but I'll share what I've realized since we began keeping quail. If you choose to do this and you do not eat meat, prepare yourself for the fact that the majority of urban farmers who keep quail are raising them for meat. This, of course, is a far better option than purchasing factory-farmed meat, but be prepared for graphic pictures and open talk about it in quail forums, websites, and books. The second thing I realized is that most people keep quail in a metal cage with no bedding and a wire floor. I've even seen them stacked, with very little head room. We opted for a chicken coop for our babies. Though quail aren't known to sit on their eggs, they do make little nests and enjoy rooting around in the grass for bugs. We give them organic feed and supplement with fruits (frozen during the summer!) , sprouts, and little bugs that don't belong in the garden. I love that I can feed them garden pests rather than spray them. 

Garden

My summer garden consisted of Armenian cucumbers and watermelon, but next year I'll have to pick one or the other, since these guys tend to cross-pollinate. :) In early summer we had peppers and tomatoes, but these died off as the heat increased. I will add that I was pleasantly surprised at how well the grape vines tolerated the heat. One of the lattices ripped down during a particularly intense monsoon, but the vine quickly recovered.

We have some high temperatures coming up this week, but I took a chance and went ahead and planted some fall veggies. First I went to our local Starbucks and got a free bag of coffee grounds that was so large I could barely carry it to my car. I spread them out over the soil, then used a hoe to turn them into the top couple of inches. I filled up the wicking beds and planted strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower, spearmint, celery, kale, and green onion. They are under the shade cloth, so I'm hoping that they can tolerate our last few weeks of high temps. 

Lastly, some of our wildflowers are popping up again! 

That's all for now. Happy Fall!

A Bird's Sturdy Nest

I've been seriously slacking the blog department. I had every intention of keeping this updated when I graduated, but then life happened. :) In the meantime, I decided to share the first chapter of a new project. Let me know what you think! (Pictures from this past weekend.)

Chapter 1 – A Bird’s Sturdy Nest

I write this as I sit in my fancy new backyard swing. My purpose in purchasing the swing was to have a comfy place to curl up and read while enjoying nature at the same time. It’s equipped with two tables, outdoor-grade cushions, and a shade. Needless to say, there is less reading and more observation of the little ecosystem around me. It’s nearly impossible for us naturalists to ignore nature and all the lessons that its careful observation share with us. We currently live in Arizona, home to hot, dry weather, endless sunny days, distinct flora and fauna, and occasional monsoons. It was our first summer monsoon last night that prompted me to write this book. I will attempt to put into words those things that touch me so deeply. I hope that I can convey how wonderful our little planet is. I hope I can encourage you to just notice the world around you. There is so much to learn from the natural world.

Last night’s rain, thunder, and lightning brought all the birds out to play this early May morning. The flowers seem especially happy and it’s a quiet, cool Monday in my Mesa, Arizona home. I sat in my fancy backyard swing with the full intention of beginning my aromatherapy homework. As fascinating as essential oils, holistic healing, and Hippocrates are, they just can’t compete with the calming meditative state that comes with watching a bird fly back and forth between my yard and a neighbor’s tree. Each trip, she carried back only one blade of dried grass or small stick for her nest. Back and forth, back and forth, all morning; building against a backdrop of blue and last night’s storm clouds drifting away. She didn’t enlist other birds to help, she didn’t try to carry more than what was comfortable. She didn’t rush. She patiently builds her nest as I type. 

It was then that I noticed another nest, this one in my little Elm tree. The nest has been in this tree, unused to my knowledge, for at least two years. It looks as perfect as it did last year. It has sat strong in the face of the Arizona summer heat, fierce monsoons, and haboobs. I question if a twig has fallen out of place. It makes me think to our immediate reaction to a storm, other than excitement, of course. Desert rain is a fair cause for celebration.  The merlot is known to be uncorked and enjoyed with doors open on a stormy night. Prior to the merlot, I usually rush outside to take down the shade cloth, bring in anything that could be damaged, and worry about the welfare of my garden. How will it fare in this storm? Will the sunflowers be okay? What about my seedlings? Should I protect them from this rain and wind? It should be noted that 99.9% of the time, the flora in my yard are perfectly fine. Happier, in fact – I’m unable to water them with as much skill and finesse as a May monsoon. 

Yet, here sits the little nest. As the monsoon winds push my little Elm to limits bordering horizontal, there it rests. A little bird built it, twig by twig. It wasn’t rushed. It endures. It sits now as a reminder to me of patience and as a humbling reminder that I am just a human; just one species out of so many on this magical planet. Many of the species on our planet, plants included, have been here in some form much longer than we. They have adapted perfectly. They know that extravagant isn’t always best. They know that less is often more. They know that quality is more important than quantity or speed. How often have we put these lessons to the side? How often we assume that we are superior, that nature can just be ignored, that there is nothing to learn. How very wrong we are. 

Affirmation:

“I walk through life with patience.”