Welcome, July!

Jul 1, 2011 by birdsong

The garden got some drenching rain three days ago, something very unusual for the end of June in these parts. I was happily transplanting in black-eyed susans and marigolds the morning the storm was predicted, in order to take advantage of the gentle temperatures predicted for my new plants to settle into place. Now, the weekend of the 4th is expected to be the hottest of the year!

It appears that the high elevation plants are approximately 3-4 weeks behind schedule, but I have already begun cutting and drying yarrow and bronze fennel from the garden, and plan to harvest ‘regular’ fennel from a large patch nearby early next week, when the holiday crowds abate. Gathering and drying plant materials will dominate my work for the month of July, and I look forward to getting out into the backcountry as the snows finally melt off, and re-connecting with some of my favorite plants.

This will be an interesting weekend for those used to visiting and camping in the cool mountains; both temperatures and water flow in the rivers will be up, an unsafe combination!

The Downie River, full of snowmelt in the late afternoon, with one of the hotel walkways in the background to show how high the water is!

I will be participating in Willow Springs’ annual Living Skills Day tomorrow afternoon, demonstrating spinning and natural dye plants and results. It will be a hectic and fun-loving event, showcasing some of the ways our talented communities are working together on self-sufficiency and localizing our economy. Come on by if you are in the area! I will also be giving a talk for the Sierra Permaculture Guild next Saturday, at the same location.

For those who have already signed on for the natural dye CSA shares, please let me know if you didn’t receive your first e-newsletter last week. I also put together my first-ever Survey Monkey survey, and look forward to your input!

For those who haven’t signed up, there are still 6 spaces remaining. I will continue to offer full shares (which you can share with however many people you want at your end!) until the end of this month, when the first mailing will go out. Help me spread the word, as I work to make the first-ever natural dye plant CSA a reality!