gardening

How to Make Magic, One Strawberry at a Time

June 23, 2021 by admin

Years ago I had the great fortune to live on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. I had a spacious yard and created a big garden, complete with fruit trees. A large old fig tree came with the house, and I added four apple trees, a plum tree, and a pear tree.

It was magical.

I learned quickly, though, that “magic” doesn’t happen without “hard work.” Some plants needed to be moved to a different spot. Sometimes I had to get up at dawn to remove worms from the apple trees. There was endless weeding, composting, deadheading, and pruning to be done. I’m not complaining, though. I loved it!

We don’t often equate “magical” with “hard work.” Yet in the garden, or on farms, both of these exist side by side. Since I live on the East Coast now and no longer grow my own food, I visit some of the local farms and “pick your own” to bring me back to the joy of the harvest.

This photo does not do the place justice. I’m looking at an overview of the strawberry fields.

One of my favorite places is Fishkill Farms, where varieties of fruit roll one into the next. The strawberries are nearly finished, but the raspberries are coming in. Blueberries won’t be far behind. In the fall I’ll pick apples for applesauce. I’ll never tire of watching seeds becoming plants and then bearing fruit. It’s nothing short of miraculous!

The farm is beautiful, with undulating hills filled with fruit trees and mountain views. Each week when I visit, I am reminded of the magic and miracles of growing things…but I also know the hard work and diligence that goes into creating this magic. Farmers put in long hours for not enough pay. One has to do this work for the love of it.

As I finish The Factory Girl and the Fey and prepare it for its next step, advance reviews, I have experienced magic throughout the process. This book has engaged my imagination as no other before…and yet the magic emerges in part because of regular, sustained attention to it, with lots of revision and editing and waking in the wee hours because I understood how to change something that wasn’t quite working. It has meant many revisions, multiple rounds of editing, and a bit of insomnia. The “fruit” will be ready for harvest in the fall.

My farm visits replenish my spirit, providing a kind of active rest for the brain, one strawberry at a time. I find peace there in between my own bouts of hard work, giving me fuel to continue. I am grateful to the committed farmers who work so hard to make all this magic, which then helps me make mine.

The Power of a Plant #bookreview #memoir

August 2, 2017 by admin

If you’re a longtime reader of this blog, you know I love to garden. It’s summer in the Pacific Northwest, and I just took my third load of juicy plums to the food bank. When I’m not writing fiction, you’ll find me outside growing things, and there’s nothing I love more than sharing fresh, organic food with people.

I am also a big fan of Donorschoose.org, an organization we have supported for many years. When we put on our NYC hats in the fall and winter, I also work in their offices. Recently I noticed a post (on Twitter, I think) that referenced South Bronx teacher Stephen Ritz, who has created a gardening revolution, using gardening to teach students a variety of subjects.

Stephen, as it turns out, has a book…so of course I bought it. While I normally stick to reviewing fiction here, I can’t help but share this book. If you are feeling uninspired about the state of the world today, Stephen Ritz and co-author Suzie Boss will lift you up.

The Power of a Plant: A Teacher’s Odyssey to Grow Healthy Minds and Schools tells the story of a chance occurrence in his classroom one day, where the sudden appearance of daffodils broke up a fight, that led Ritz down his current path.

Prior to this event, Ritz had no gardening experience, but he always “knew a guy,” and thus found people to learn from. Through the lens of gardening, he taught math, science, and the importance of healthy eating. Along the way he managed to lose 100 pounds himself as he changed his own eating habits. He heads up the Green Bronx Machine, and his students have met the White House chef under Obama and received numerous awards for their work. Not too shabby for students who live in the poorest congressional district in the nation!

If you get a chance to see Stephen Ritz on YouTube, you’ll find a man larger than life, filled with such passion he appears almost as a madman, with flailing arms and bugging eyes. He is, quite literally, a force of nature. The Power of a Plant, though bursting with his incredible energy, is also an honest reflection about his journey that doesn’t shy away from his mistakes and political battles with school officials.

Reading his frustrations, I am reminded that sometimes in the garden, when a plant isn’t doing well, the solution is to move it to another spot where the light and moisture are more suited. Ritz had to make several moves to find a place where he wouldn’t feel stifled by school politics and other bureaucratic problems.

You don’t have to be a gardener to appreciate the changes he has wrought in the last decade-plus. This is a story to remind us we can all make a difference. Reading it, you may recall teachers who affected your lives as well.

Ritz still bases from the Bronx but travels the world lecturing and sharing his vision. From planting seeds in a single classroom he is now changing the world. We could all do well to learn from his example.

Feeding Time

March 29, 2016 by admin

This is the time of year when garden tasks are more of the geeky variety. I’m testing soils and making up batches of fertilizer for each of my garden beds. Some need a lot, some just a little. It’s feeding time. It’s a time of listening…to what the garden needs, to Mother Nature’s whims of rain or sun, and to my own energy levels as I reconnect with “spring muscles.”

I didn’t always understand the importance of this time. A relatively new gardener, I wanted the showy plants but didn’t like taking the time to feed the ground.

Yet when the ground is properly fed and composted, the plants grow better, it’s easier for the beds to retain moisture in the dry season, and the food I harvest is healthier. By taking time to test the soil and give each bed the foundation it needs, I will have greater abundance in the end.

I’m taking the same approach to my writing. Today is the official release date for What She Knew (though I had to make it live sooner to do a Goodreads giveaway). For months I have worked behind the scenes, getting industry reviews, setting up advertising, etc. Soon the blog tour will begin. I didn’t do this with the last novel. Hopefully with this one I will find a way above the noise and find some readers…but in any event, I have fed the soil, and the results are starting to bear fruit.

Hyacinths: blink and you miss the flowers.

Here’s to spring and to feeding time!

The Goodreads giveaway for What She Knew goes on until April 1, so it’s not too late to sign up! Also, to celebrate the paperback release of What She Knew, I’m offering the Kindle version FREE through April 1!

A to Z Blogging Challenge Theme Reveal!

March 23, 2015 by admin

Good morning, everyone! This year I venture into new territory: my first-ever Blogging from A to Z. Thanks to all the great folks over at the Insecure Writers Support Group for their guidance as I navigate these new waters.

Today’s the day we reveal our themes for the month! And mine is…drumroll, please…

Dishing the Dirt: My Gardening Life

After all, it’s springtime, so that means I’m outside. We live on a double lot that is almost entirely garden space. We dug up most of the grass a few years ago so I wouldn’t have to nag my husband to mow. Last week we installed a new front yard fence so I can continue working on my “food forest” concept without having the local deer munch everything to ruins before it can grow.

Gardening makes me more peaceful (no small feat) and reflective of the rest of my life. I’ve only gardened for five years now, so I still have a lot to learn, but the garden teaches me…and it’s fun!

The Blogging from A to Z Challenge begins Wednesday, April 1. You’re welcome to join us, too! It’s not too late.

All of these blogs will be participating in the Challenge, too! I’m still getting to know a lot of these blogs, but there’s some great material in this group, and I’m looking forward to reading what everyone has to say.

See you April 1!

Giddiness

September 9, 2014 by admin

Here, enjoy this taste of tomato through the Internet. They’re small, just a bit larger than a cherry tomato, but take one into your mouth. Let it roll around your tongue and teeth for a moment. Now, bite down on it. Let it fill your mouth with its juices, sweet yet tangy. Just one will leave you nourished, but go ahead. Take another. We leave the bowl out on the counter and eat them like candy. If you’re old enough, you remember when tomatoes always tasted this good, nothing like the red cardboard you get in the grocery store.

The anticipation began in spring when the first tomato starts appeared at the farmers’ market. When I grow them from seed, it begins even earlier, in egg cartons under grow lights, as the first leaves start to emerge. In late May, when it’s warm enough, I put them outside on my deck. By this time, the plants are already tall enough to need support. In early July, I am harvesting the first fruit.

It’s late summer now, and the tomatoes are just about finished. Here in the Pacific Northwest, tomatoes are the holy grail, difficult to grow because our temperatures remain in a narrow band, never too cold, but never too hot, either. After last year’s bumper crop, friends told me not to expect that kind of production every year. I know they’re right, but I’m too busy eating them to think about next year.

As some of you know, for the past 20 months or so we have been involved with a bitter and nasty legal battle. I can’t and won’t write the details here, because some aspects are still ongoing. However, on Friday, one piece of the battle ended. It’s hard for me to take that in, and my Sunday night sleep was disrupted as it has been for some time. Still, I am freer than I’ve been in some time, and that makes us giddy.

Ancient Madrona by Rachel Josepher Gaspers

Port Townsend was filled with visitors for the annual Wooden Boat Festival. The monthly Gallery Walk coincides with the festival, filling our little downtown with people and a carnival atmosphere. We ran into friends everywhere we went, and without the expense of a hearing, we spent some of that money on art. Seems like a better use of funds! I include a couple of photos here, and will follow soon with a photo of the third piece we bought — which has its own separate story.

We are deeply grateful to the friends who have stood by us in our difficulty, to the creative atmosphere of our town, and to the garden that always reminds me of what truly matters.

Taste the tomato and see if you, too, don’t feel as giddy as I do.

Random 5 Friday – Winter Has Arrived?

November 22, 2013 by admin

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Random 5 Friday. For more great Random 5s, visit Nancy at A Rural Journal.

Here’s my five for the week!

Cold weather came to visit this week. Yesterday morning it was 28 degrees. Due to a stiff back last week, I couldn’t get the gardening work done that I wanted (still battening down the hatches for winter), so I get to work in the cold. Yippee.
I’ve been working with a local environmental group, and one of my jobs has been to update a website that gives people ideas for saving energy. If you are so inclined, take a look at JeffersonCAN (Climate Action Now). We have a blog, a Facebook page, and even a Twitter account, in an effort to get the word out about how people can lower their carbon footprint.
As you may recall, I’ve been tweaking my diet of late, limiting gluten and sugar. So far I haven’t lost any weight, and I’m still waking up at night. Boo. This week I’ve been able to get back to my normal exercise routine, so hopefully that will help. I am feeling more energy during the day, especially as the week progresses, so I’m showing signs of improvement.
I’m knitting gift items as quickly as I can. I found a simple Christmas stocking pattern that I can make in a single day, and I’ll put candy in them to give as children’s gifts. I’ll post pics once I’ve done the finish work.
The other night we saw All is Lost with Robert Redford. It’s an extraordinary performance, and I applaud him for taking such a creative risk at age 77. He is silent throughout most of the movie.