Warm Season – Bloom Dammit!

September 29, 2019September 30, 2019

Indigo Adventures

About a year ago, when Diego was a newborn, I needed some alone time and decided to take an indigo dyeing class at the Roosevelt with https://www.buaisou-i.com.

I previously got into dyeing through my friend Zoe Umholtz, who is a fiber artist, she’s great and you should check her out when you have a minute. So I had already dyed some basic tie dye stuff so this was a good way for me to really delve into the history and Japanese tradition behind indigo.

I had the opportunity to meet Graham Keegan, first through IG and then IRL at his studio. He gifted my students about 200 indigo plants. We’ve been growing them and lately we had to start harvesting.

It’s complicated to grow something you’ve never grown before, but rewarding. I’m posting a couple of pictures of the indigo and then some of the harvested indigo. I’ll be doing some research around how to use it to dye clothing – more posts to come.

check out Graham here: http://www.grahamkeegan.com/

Zoe Umholtz workshops here: https://www.numulosgatos.org/products/artist-led-workshops-indigo-dyeing-with-zo-umholtz-sunday-april-22nd-1pm-5pm

December 17, 2018

Loofah Sponges and Waste Reduction

I visited my friend, Farmer Rishi at his farm to pick up a mango tree and came across the most beautiful hanging squash. It’s great to go to someone’s home and see their kitchen, their garden, but seeing someone’s farm just gives me next level envy. I asked him what these plants were and he said Loofah gourds. I remembered living in Mexico and this was the standard for exfoliating, for scrubbing counters and for cleaning dishes. And I’m really looking forward to trying it out.

There is so much talk about microfiber cloths and plastic components either ending up in our waterways or ending up in our landfill without the ability to breakdown. I was going to wait to grow it this upcoming year, and hope for the best – still planning on that but I came across some loofah sponges at El Mercadito in East Los. I bought a nice size sponge for $4.00. Yes, it was a trek and a half to get there, and it’s ridiculously crowded at the moment, pre-Christmas, but I really do think I got more than a bargain, since I can probably make upwards of 1 dozen sponges from this baby.

March 2, 2016

Three Sisters Planting

I’ve been on a research kick all Winter in order to prepare for Spring and I really wanted to try something new and challenging for the Spring. I came across a few posts regarding the Native American way of planting and how it can be beneficial to both the soil and plants. You’ll find more info. here . The idea is to plant the corn first, then once it’s 5″ talk, you plant the beans around the corn. The corn will provide support for the beans. After that you plant squash for ground cover.

The corn I planted is called Oaxacan Green Dent Corn – from Seed Savers.

I prepped the soil through the Fall and Winter by using the box as a compost bin. It didn’t really smell but I had to be dedicated to turning the soil. The soil appeared to be very rich, fertile and better than anything I had ever purchased at any gardening center. I would do this again in a heart beat – it really reduced our food wastes as well. I guess having to look at your trash often helps you reduce the amount of trash you make. Eggs, coffee, leafy greens decomposed quickly – citrus not so much.

It still looks a little messy, and I do need to keep picking out any growths that aren’t corn – so medium level of involvement.