May Is Mulberry Heaven
Posted on 04. May, 2012 by pamela in G3 Blog, Nature Lessons, Watershed Notes
It is a brief moment. Don’t blink or the season is over. Don’t stare or the birds will discover the tree. Eat them immediately. They don’t keep. They are the ultimate local, fresh produce that seduces even the most jaded Von’s shopper. Mulberries (Morus nigra) have appeared on the tiny weeping tree in the driveway. Every day I walk by without noticing; I’ve been so busy with Hands-on Workshops, Generation Water, and Core Concepts that I didn’t even notice the first white–then pink–now deep black fruit hanging tenuously on slender green stems. There are now so many that some have jumped off the tree on to the ground. No matter. They are gently rescued from the container and the ground, amidst leaves and debris; and unless completely gross, they are consumed — eyes closed — tastebuds popping — memories flooding.
I remember my German-American grandmother, who made the most amazing mulberry preserve (all mulberries and very little sugar). I remember mulberry cobbler straight from the oven, and a scoop of Breyer’s vanilla ice cream. That was a once-a-year Sunday dinner surprise somehow connected in my brain with the final days of the school year.
Bowl of Mulberries
I vividly remember the huge mulberry bush that defined the border of the side yard. May or June in Pennsylvania came, and suddenly fruit appeared, along with the myriad of finches and sparrows, and other more exotic birds that are in my memory but precede my understanding of birds. As a child I sang “ring around the mulberry tree” and caused great sorrow on washing day with my indelibly purple-stained smocks. As a young adult, I practiced driving to the old homestead jonesing for the berries. Mulberries are full of the promise of glorious summer produce straight from the victory garden. Mulberries in May. Heaven.
Ray At SEA Lab Endorses Ocean Friendly Gardens
Posted on 22. Apr, 2012 by pamela in Environment 911, G3 Blog, G3 Community, G3 Education, G3 Partners, Homeowner, HOWs, Los Angeles/South Bay, Nature Lessons, Surfrider Foundation, Water, Watershed Notes, West Basin
Ray At SEA Lab Loves OFG
Ray at SEA Lab pulled G3′s Pamela Berstler aside to share his concerns about the quality of ocean water and to heartily endorse Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Gardens and West Basin MWD’s Ocean Friendly Landscape Programs. According to Ray, 80% of ocean pollution is from land-based sources. He recommended enlisting the help of soil-based microbes to halt polluted runoff before it enters the ocean. Soil microbes are accustomed to dealing with land-based pollution, while the ocean and waterways simply don’t have the funding, bandwidth, or technology to clean it up. That’s why Ocean Friendly Gardens get Ray so electrified! He understands that everyone who implements an OFG in their own yard is taking a step toward healing the ocean and local waterways through CPR (Conservation, Permeability, and Retention). When it comes to rainwater and preventing pollution, be sure to practice Ray’s Mantra: SLOW IT! SPREAD IT! SINK IT! You can make a difference by being part of the solution, not the pollution.
Inspired by Ray, G3′s Pamela Berstler worked with Elise Goldman of West Basin MWD to teach a couple hands-on workshops at Redondo Beach/SEA Lab’s Earth Day Event. This mini OFG program demonstrated how to select plants that are climate-appropriate, group them for maximizing water conservation according to sun, shade, or other microclimate factors, and place them in the ground at the appropriate distance.
Earth Day West Basin MWD Event
Other techniques included converting from a spray irrigation head to on-line drip tubing using 1 GPH pressure-compensating emitters, including adding mycorrhizae fun guys to the soil, planting correctly using sufficient water to wake up the soil party, and mulching heavily 3″ – 4″ total with the soil party pizza-equivalent: small-sized bark and shredded leaves.
Jeremy Irons Out Plastic Bag Migration
Posted on 12. Mar, 2012 by pamela in East Coast, Environment 911, G3 Blog, G3 Community, G3 Partners, Los Angeles/South Bay, Nature Lessons, Orange County, San Diego County, San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Barbara County, Surfrider Foundation, Ventura County, Water, Watershed Notes
The Ocean Friendly Gardens Program is a complimentary program to Surfrider Foundation’s Rise Above Plastics Campaign. But lots of great activity is happening about single-use plastics awareness. Check out this Heal The Bay video about the migration of the Plastic Bag from grocery store to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch hilariously narrated by Jeremy Irons.
Los Angeles Sense of Place
Posted on 01. Mar, 2012 by pamela in G3 Blog, Green Infrastructure, Los Angeles/South Bay, Nature Lessons, Watershed Notes
Understanding your Sense of Place — where are you in the world and what has been/is/should be here with you? — is central to understanding the Best Management Practices that can be applied to heal the environment. Here’s some perspective on Los Angeles, and in particular, the Ballona Creek Watershed from KCET’s blog.
Image at top: A man wades into Ballona Lagoon, circa 1902. Courtesy of the Title Insurance and Trust / C.C. Pierce Photography Collection, USC Libraries, reprinted from the KCET blog linked above.
A Tree And Thee
Posted on 12. Jan, 2012 by pamela in G3 Associates, G3 Blog, G3 Partners, Nature Lessons, Watershed Notes
Check out G3 Associate, Marianne Simon’s, Poetic Plantings’ Blog: Do Trees Dream? This reminds us of Mayita Dinos’ rendition of “A Tree And Me,” conveniently found on I-Tunes.
