Wild Foods Garden Things and Music at the Gandhi Garden

Recently I took a bike ride to collect some wild yarrow and blackberries.  Yarrow is an herb with lots of uses and benefits. The blackberries were about 20-30% ripe, so I was able to collect about a cup. Theyre really tart, but also really tasty!

I also recently got an email from a Wild Foodies group in Philadelphia about the plant of the week, Rose of Sharon.  I hadnt heard of it, and when I saw a picture, I recognized it as a plant that my landlord has growing up and down the edges of his property.  I found a recipe to stuff the violet, pink, and white flowers in goat cheese and bread and fry them.  That seems tasty, but I also want to find a recipe that doesnt completely hide the taste of the flower.  I believe the leaves are edible as well.  Theres food all around us!

I found this praying mantis hanging out in my Kale a couple days in a row.  Good luck or something, right?

Then I found these melting, drippy mushrooms growing on my straw bale garden next to some watermelon and pumpkin seedlings.  It was a hot day, but Ive never seen that before.  Trippy!

At work the other day, I was playing with a little butterfly or moth.  It looked a bit like a monarch on the top of its wings, but with the wings up, it looks more moth-like.  What do you think?  He wanted to eat my finger.  Silly guy!

A few nights ago, some friends of mine with the SAGE Coallition threw a cookout/concert in downtown Trenton at the Gandhi Garden (219 East Hanover St Trenton, NJ).  Vita and the Woolf played an awesome set, and Ruff House brought the funk!  It was a great time!

Vita and the Woolf

Ruff House

I also recently harvested a bunch of Queen Annes Lace (wild carrot) flowers to make a jam.  I need to collect a bit more, but Ill post pictures when thats finished.  Its suppossed to be very tasty, so Im excited to see how it turns out.

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IBC Tote!

A few weeks ago, I saw a post on reddit.com/r/aquaponics where someone was offering to sell an aquaponics-ready IBC tote.  I had to drive down to Alexandria, VA, but it was worth it.  I was able to get this awesome 330 gallon tote, already cut in half, including plumbing and a pallet, for only $180.  Im going to set it up at my parents house in Wilmington, DE in the Spring.  Its pretty much ready to be set up, and just needs a pump.  This will be my biggest aquaponic system to date, and Im excited to see how it turns out.  I have a few months to plan the system, but Im thinking about building more grow beds to link into the large fish reservoir that well have.  I might even set up some strawberry towers.  Super exciting!

This is what it looks like now.

 

This is what it will look like in a few months, hopefully.

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Oyster Mushroom Kit from Back to the Roots

Some photos from the first flush of Oyster Mushrooms that grew in the Mushroom Kit from Back to the Roots.

Pinning

A day or two later

A day or two later

Harvest Day

These were started on May 11, started Pinning on June 2nd, harvested on June 6th.

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Ordering another Water Test Kit and an Aquafarm Review to come!

Ive been waiting to receive a replacement color chart for measuring pH, Ammonia, Nitrate, and Nitrite levels.  I sent API $2 for a replacement, but its taking forever.  So, I ordered a new test kit from amazon.  Theyre marked down to ~$16 dollars from ~$20.  I can use this at home, since my other test kit is at Pogos apartment with his 105 gallon system.

Also, I just received my pre-ordered AquaFarm from BacktotheRoots.com.  This is the most hyped aquaponic kit that was on Kickstarter recently.  Im excited to get a Betta fish tonight and get it set up.  Ill have an unboxing video, and a review of the system in the coming weeks.

I also recently read an article about Aqua Vita farms in upstate New York.  Theyre one of the only commercial Aquaponic farms on the east coast.  Theyre looking for a buyer or investor, otherwise theyll have to close up shop in about a week.  Its a shame to see that they couldnt see profitable margins in their venture.  The owner, Mark Doherty, claimed that they had to redesign their system to make it more efficient and profitable.  However, they ran out of capital because of the redesign, and now they dont have enough money to stay afloat.  I hope them all the best, and I hope that I can someday meet Mark and learn from their experiences.  Heres a link to the article:  http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/06/aqua_vita_farms_owner_we_need.html.

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