I recently drove up AF canyon and, after a hike, found myself standing atop a mountain peak overlooking several beautiful mountain ranges. In my mind I tried to see the view as part of a large gentle beast. From this lofty view I kneeled and brushed the ground as one might caress a massive elephant or buffalo and felt an immense kinship with the earth. I felt incredibly small. In that moment I also felt grateful for the wonderful life the earth had provided me. I took a picture of that very view. In the photo below you can see how many dead trees are laced throughout the pines. I dwelt on this and many thoughts flowed through my mind?

9/09/23

I harvested my two 10lb Kohlrabies. surprisingly still crisp and sweet for their size these are going to make great sauerkraut.

Typically you’d shred and brine the leaves of a cabbage but since we’re dealing with kohlrabi, we’re going to shred and ferment the bulb too. roughly 3tbsp sea salt tossed with 5lb of shredded vegetables is all you need. The salt will expel the water from the plant and after several hours it should be able to be packed down tight and submerged under it’s own juice. You can also add whey. This will brine in my Kilner for at least 6 weeks. There are other fine sauerkraut recipes that add spices and other vegetables for great flavors but this is the basics.

8/13/2023

I have enjoyed another bounteous year including my 10lb Kohlrabi, copious amounts of broccoli and peppers but The biggest accomplishment by far this year was the corn I grew without water. And by no water I mean only supplemental rain. Not only did it grow healthy and green but 12’ tall! I had 3 varieties here in my garden and behind the tall corn to the right you can probably see there are short stalks. This is, of course, because I cut all the tops off to prevent cross pollination with a later variety. I am learning a lot more about soil carbon levels, microbes and deep mulch. Most importantly, water is a nutrient that plants need but not in the amounts you might think. If you trap the water in and prevent evaporation you will be fine. If you can not grow corn like this without water, your soil is not conditioned correctly. Next year I hope to outdo myself again.

I really feel proud of those my students who have reported a total loss this year because they just put into practice their no till mulch gardening system for the first time. It takes years of conditioning the soil and setting aside old habits to get here and they will see success if they keep at it. The best I can do is share what is working for me.