fungus among us
a friend described mushrooms to me as the “internet of the earth” because of their networks of fibers (mycelia) that regulate the flow of nutrients and H2O in soil. thinking about all the cool things mushrooms can do made me want to take a closer look at their physical selves. these photographs were taken on the tree-lined trails that lie beyond the gardens at Garden Farme.
zippy and soy bean
these are surely two of the loveliest dogs ever to grace this side of the mississippi. they are brother and sister and thirteen years old, and legend has it that one winter, zippy, the brother, saved soy bean, his sister, after she fell through the ice and into the creek that runs around and through the farm. soy bean’s on the left, zippy is on the right.
zippy is one of the canine loves of my life. standing in one place and looking around are two of the things he does best.
soy bean is arthritic and has a busted elbow (which is said to be related to the creek incident), but that doesn’t stop her from getting from point a to point b in a hurry.
garden farme
I’ve been living and working on an organic farm in a small town in Minnesota for the past two weeks. It’s been amazing so far. I’ve learned which weeds are good for the soil because they fix nitrogen, what happens to a plant once it reaches maturity and starts producing seeds, why it’s important to pat down the soil when you plant seeds, and what caterpillar poop looks like. I’ve also developed a mean sunburn despite constant sunscreen application. Below are some of the pictures I’ve been taking. The bright green plant in the third picture down is a lettuce called Black Seeded Simpson. It is both beautiful and delicious, and also looks really cool after thunderstorms, when the rest of the world is sepia-toned. We grow more kinds of lettuce than I can keep track of, but Black Seeded Simpson and a red romaine called Rouge d’Hiver are two of my favorites.
We also grow rhubarb, kale, spinach, basil, cilantro (my favorite thing to harvest, because it leaves its deliciousness on my hands for hours), squash, arugula, mustard greens, garlic, parsley, edamame, strawberries… It feels good to know exactly where your food is coming from.
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