As many of you may know, I teach about mushrooms. Foraging them, how to find them, growing them, and eating them. Recently, I've done a couple of classes on mushrooms, and have had a great response from clients who would like mushroom patches of their own. Often times in landscaping, there is that awkward space under the stairs, or a completely shady corner where nothing grows. Well, today is the day, folks. Stone Soup Gardens has been doing mushroom patches galore the last month or so, and we are thrilled to see such an abundance of soon-to-be-shrooms! One project that I'm proud to share is in the Columbia City neighborhood, not far from my own awesome patch. These clients are near and dear to me because of their deep love of all things permaculture. Our fabulous designer, Jacqueline Kramer of Design Collaborators, created an amazing space full of northwest edibles. We built them a lovely hugelcultur bed, an herb spiral, and a lovely backyard patio with steps down to a gravel gathering space. We also inoculated an area under the stairs with turkey tail mushrooms, put birch bolete spores under the birch tree in the front yard, and added a sawdust patch for our clients to do their own experiments in mushroom cultivation. In addition to all that wonderfulness, we were able to use all the materials we pulled out of the yard, to build the yard back up! This includes logs, branches, and sod for soil building for the hugelcultur bed. The best kind of recycling! The clients also had a mushroom class in their own yard so that they would know how to tend their new mushroom patches, what to look for when harvesting, how to harvest, and how to prepare the beds for winter. Are you interested in growing mushrooms? Do you want to learn more about hugelcultur beds and soil building? Contact Stone Soup Gardens today. We would love to show you all the wonderful joys of our northwest climate!
Our class this weekend was a great success. We had mushroom lovers spread out all over the living room. Each had a unique reason for coming, and all of them left a bit more confident in farming and finding edible mushrooms.
Some of our attendees are having mushroom patches installed into their own yards, and attended the class to find out more about what they will be growing, how to get started, what to expect, and how to harvest. Each got to take a tour of the wine cap patch we have at Stone Soup, as well as see what a shiitake looks like growing on a log. Others were more interested in getting a leg up in mushroom identification for foraging in the wild. We talked about a few varieties that I find particularly delicious, and discussed best practices for identifying them, how to harvest, and what conditions they grow best in. I had also foraged several different types myself the weekend before, and had those on hand for a bit of show and tell. There were lots of great questions and comments, and I look forward to hosting the class again in the future. If you are interested in hosting a mushroom class, or would like more information on how to grow mushrooms at your home, contact Stone Soup Gardens. We love to talk mushrooms. Happy growing and happy hunting!
Just today I went out to check on my logs and prepare a water bath for them as the rains come, and look what I found. My first oyster of the season. I can't wait!
Are you interested in growing mushrooms at your house? Contact Stone Soup Gardens today. We can help you get started. Or, come to our upcoming class: Growing Mushrooms at Home October 11, 10:30 - 12:00pm 4804 S Snoqualmie Street, Seattle 206-661-7628 -- gardenergnome@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/events/646535972131479/ We had a wonderful time at Harvest Fair! The weather was awesome, the people were bountiful, and our birds were very busy being held and greeted by the fair goers. What a wonderful way to celebrate harvest time. Seattle Tilth is a great organization and has a knack for bringing the Seattle community together. If you were able to stop by our booth at the harvest fair, thanks for coming out! If not, we hope to see you next year.
It's that fabulous time of year again! The chickens and I always look forward to the Harvest Fair. It is such a pleasure to connect with our great community of friends, and to meet new faces! Stop by our booth, say hello, and hold a chicken!
After a robust day on Friday of finishing touches for our yard and chicken coop, we were ready to roll for the 10am start time of the Seattle Tilth Chicken Coop and Urban Farm Tour. It was an unusual 90 degree day on Saturday, but Stone Soup Gardens had a wonderful turn out! We were leading tour groups through the garden and coop all day. It was great to talk permaculture with so many different folks, and to have them be so engaged with the urban farm aesthetic. A big thank you to the Tilth team who puts the event on every year. It's a fun event to be a part of, and an exciting way to introduce people to new and old ideas about gardening, permaculture, and chickens. Did you miss the tour? Check out the photos below for a look at Stone Soup Gardens headquarters! Check out this awesome upcoming Permaculture Class! Jenny Pell is a great human being, and I really support the work that Permaculture Now is doing. Join us for an incredible evening of permaculture, architecture, and urban design. Seattle is a leader in urban agriculture, green building, walkable cities, and local food - urban dwellers of all stripes are eager to be a part of the solution for thriving, resilient cities. Homeowners are demanding features that allow them to easily step into the flow of sustainable living - edible landscapes, small livestock like bees and chickens, rain gardens, legal grey water, water catchment, passive and active solar, outdoor kitchens for community gatherings, and more! Jenny Pell is a former tree planter, helicopter pilot, carpenter, and yurt builder. Jenny manages many of the Permaculture Now! projects. Based out of Seattle, WA Jenny works in Washington State, Central America, Hawaii, and Europe. Her slideshows and presentations inform, inspire, and motivate people to make changes that help move us towards a sustainable future. The number of participants will be limited, so please RSVP to assure your spot! Purchase Tickets HERE More Information HERE Wednesday, May 28, 7pm - 9pm Phinney Neighborhood Center (lower brick building) 6532 Phinney Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103 Come and learn about the Seattle RainWise Program and the rebate process, and see if you qualify for a rebate. Stone Soup Gardens will be there to walk you through the process and provide helpful knowledge and our potential design and installation services. We look forward to seeing you there! February 5th, 2014 - 6:00 -7:30 pm Ballard Public Library 5614 22nd Avenue Northwest, Seattle,WA 98107 For more information visit: http://www.sustainableballard.org/ai1ec_event/get-rainwise-free-workshop-3/?instance_id=273 From the website: "All are welcome to attend the free event and learn more about the community benefits of installing rain gardens and cisterns in Ballard and nearby areas. Attendees will have a chance to learn about the ways in which rain gardens and cisterns help protect the Puget Sound from toxic storm water run-off. Local homeowners who have claimed their rebate and RainWise-trained contractors will also be on hand to answer any questions. Rain that falls around our homes rushes quickly to the closest drain or stream and during big storms this excess rainfall can cause sewer backups, pollution and erosion to our streams. King County and the City of Seattle are promoting the rebate program so that locals can do their part in reducing flooding, protecting property and restoring the local waters both for people and wildlife." |
This is how Stone Soup Gardens rolls - check out our blog for current, upcoming, and past projects, events, and other super cool stuff worth mentioning.
Archives
|