A look back at Gardening in 2014

Entryway to our front door, the Rose Trellis 

As Fall of 2014 winds down, I just stashed away my last digging fork and managed to crack my favorite spade shovel in half. At least it was during my last transplant of a native Red Cedar. I only had to use half a shovel for the last scoops of dirt. Such is the life of a gardener, wearing out tools and putting holes in gardening gloves.

One variety of my Grandmother's Peony collection

I seemed to stay around the house a little more this year. This tends to happen as plants get established and regular insect visitors come around more and more. My Grandmother's Peony collection is coming along so nicely that I transplanted (what I hope to be) the white doubles to a new section of my front flowerbed. This bed looked really good this year and pollinators tended to hang out here more than other beds in the yard.

One of our Eastern American Toads on guard for pests

My vegetable garden was a disaster and shockingly the only tomato plants I had success with were in pots or sprung up on their own beside the well fertilized chicken coop. Pepper plants grew and grew producing a lot of fruit this year... I gave up on trying them in the garden and now only grow them in pots on my very hot upper deck. They love to bask in the sun.

Just this year I discovered that Kousa Dogwood bear fruit.

Tiring of planting veggies that never produce or get eaten by critters, I switched my focus to fruit. I now have a nice assortment of Black Raspberries, native Blackberries, and Thornless Blackberry plants. I finally have an Elderberry that has made it past the deer and rabbit nibbling stage and actually saw some berries this year. My lone Blueberry plant is doing very well and I transplanted it to a more open spot, holding my breath that I did not kill another one.  My Fig had a few teeny figs this year as did my favorite grape, the Muscadine. I never have paid attention to the suggestion to dig up old Strawberry plants. I just let them keep laying down new extensions of themselves and seem to have some fruit to enjoy. I even decided to transplant native Strawberries 2 years ago and man have they taken off. I adore them (this is the wild berry that has white blooms - not the yellow blooming tasteless aggressive plant that is most often found in yards).

Freakiest bug of the year, Crowned Slug Moth Caterpillar

The only fruit damages that came about late in the season were to my Sickle Pear tree and my Peach trees. Darn those deer. Obviously someone has been having a good time rubbing their antlers on my young trees. I should have known better to leave them unprotected and alone in the back field - my fault really. They are not dead yet but they might never recover.

Lovely assortment of Dahlia's from Ted's Garden

My friend Ted has an amazing assortment of plants. A collector of Dahlia bulbs, you never know how many or what variety you will discover in late Summer. This is the first year that I noticed he has two Persimmon trees in his yard (the Latin name means, Food for the Gods)! He has been nice to share some fruit with me. In the past I've tried using the fruit in cake and cookies but have never found a pleasing way to use them until this year. They are a great addition to my morning oatmeal and to pancakes! High in Vitamin A & C and found to be a cancer cell killer! Ted's yard bursts with color and variety, I love exploring and each year I seem to find another interesting plant.

Spending Fall on the trails around Monticello

It's always sad to see barren Winter approach but I do love sitting beside the wood stove planning next years gardens and adventures. My garden beds will spring up refreshed full of new grow and energy, I hope to feel the same way!

~ Rebecca

One of the best flowers to grow, Foxgloves

Where does Charlottesville Trash Go?

"Lawn Mower Art"

If you have trash pickup you probably have never ventured to the Ivy Material Utilization Center (Rivanna Solid Waste Authority or Ivy Center) in Albemarle County.  It's a magical thing, for your trash to disappear in the wee hours of the morning to never be seen again.  If you choose to dispose of your own trash, you can drive it out South of I-64 in Ivy to our old landfill for a fee of $2.00 for each 32 gallon bag.  The Charlottesville Landfill was closed in 2001 due to ground water contamination so our household garbage is either recycled or transferred to another jurisdiction for disposal. 

There are two places that take trash, the Ivy Center and Van der Linde, a privately owned center, down 250 E toward Richmond.  All trash waste of Albemarle County and Charlottesville City ends up down 250 E way outside of Richmond.  That's a lot of trash.   

One of the most interesting articles I have read was in Garbage Magazine about where your toilet water goes and what happens to it along the way.  I know, you are scrunching up your nose and making an eeeeuuuuu sound, but seriously now, it doesn't just dissipate into the atmosphere, it GOES somewhere.  Americans throw away 4.5 lbs of trash a day - that's the equivalent to a sack of flour.  Locally, we only recycle 34% of our trash -- bad, bad, bad.  You should spank yourself if you do not recycle! There are several places to recycle in Charlottesville, downtown McIntire Center and on the UVA campus.

As the world becomes more populated and resources more limited we all should stop and think about what we're consuming and ultimately what we're each contributing to the waste stream.  The more valuable land becomes and the less available spots in which to bury our discarded consumables, the higher our fees for disposal will climb.  Disposal fees keep going up at the Ivy Center, not significantly but it does show there was some need to gain more revenue.  Apparently this need was partly due to the Cville trash dramas concerning hauling fee collection or the lack thereof.  Trash hauling is a money maker, disposal seems to be an inconvenience for any jurisdiction.  No one wants to live by a landfill and most people have a trash collection service and never think about where their trash ends up.

Trash disposal at the Ivy Center varies from $8.00 - $66.00 a ton, depending upon what type of material you are bringing to the center.  There are spring and fall FREE disposal days for certain large household items.  We took advantage of this last fall and took our water heater to the center.  There is nothing worse than living next door to a neighbor that accumulates trash so before you make a large purchase, think of how you are going to dispose of that product (and how much it's going to cost you) after your done with it. You can also pick up a truck load of mulch for $24.00 a ton. 

Personally, I find the process quite interesting.  The Ivy Center has its very own Thrift Shop. The Encore Shop is the end of the road for disposed of "treasures".  I have actually purchased several storage racks, a filing cabinet, a cool rooster platter, and a box of glassware at the Encore Shop.  It would be any easy thing to just let people drive in, dump, and run so it is great that some of our waste is diverted from our earth.  It is a small moneymaker for the center and a good all the way around concept. 

Kudos for reducing, recycling, and reusing even at the end of the road.

-Rebecca

Tempting "Collage Table" at the Encore Shop

Fresh local food in Charlottesville

Forest Lakes Farmers Market

You have probably heard by now that Charlottesville, Virginia has been judged the Happiest city in the nation. A recent 19 News story attributes its happiness partly to abundant food options. I'll have to admit that I'm certainly much happier with the local fresh food options in Cville compared to where I lived previously. Moving here from a small rural town in Southwest Virginia, I didn't realize that I was moving to the Garden of Eden. There are three farmers markets within 7 miles of my house!

Home grown in Albemarle County

Years ago I sold produce in Pulaski and Blacksburg, Virginia. I even set up selling crafts at the Roanoke City Market at Christmas time. The desire for farm fresh produce has really grown since the days of my attempt to be a farmer. It's evident that Charlottesville residents support our local farmers by the number of markets that promote local food in Albemarle County where the city of Charlottesville is located.

Forest Lakes Farmers Market

Yesterday I checked out the Farmers Market at Forest Lakes. The market was larger than I anticipated and is heavily supported by those living in the North side of the county. A sea of fresh produce, bread, meat, eggs, frozen drinks, popsicles, jam, pesto, and even bee propolis and pollen can be found at the market. I love the fact that this market is open in the afternoon each Tuesday from 4 pm - 7 pm (NOTE: on Thursday, same time, there is a market in Earlysville).

Of course the biggest Farmer's Market in the area is the downtown City Market that is open on Saturday's from 7 am - noon. A lively market located in an open parking lot where one can buy produce, plants, crafts, and prepared food and drinks. Each year it becomes bigger and bigger and a permanent market space appears to finally be on the drawing board for this hugely popular and growing market.

The Farmers in the Park market is held at Meade Park on Wednesday from 3 pm - 7 pm. Located near the water park on the East side of downtown, offering veggies, fruit, plants, and more.

Hunt Country Market Daily Menu

Another popular market in West Albemarle County near the Horse Race Track is the Shady Lane Market. Open Thursday from 11 am - 5:30 pm  One family farm located in Free Union provides breads, produce, and plants.

While you are in the area, if you would prefer have your meals prepared for you, check out the historic 1911 Hunt Country Market and Deli. Each day their exterior chalkboard touts a new take home dish. Dinners are available for pick up from Monday - Saturday, 4 pm - 7 pm (call ahead to reserve).

Each Fall Market Central hosts Meet yer Eats. This tour of local farms is amazing, check out my prior year blog post about this event.

I would be remiss to not list a few grocery store options we have in Charlottesville for local foods, Relay Foods brings items from stores and farms and trucks them to various pick up spots all over the area. You order online and go pick it up. A good way to get a large variety of items from several stores and farms in one spot. Our local Whole Foods was relocated several years ago and has grown in size from a small crowded and honestly not the "happiest" place to a large welcoming fun grocery store. Read my blog post about the relocation, it was one of my all time most enjoyable write ups. Other popular groceries embracing local foods are Foods of all Nations, Rebecca's, and Integral Yoga. Even Harris Teeter carries a local line of produce.

I'll end this post listing a few of my favorite Cville food finds:

• Salad:  The Bazaar Salad with candied Walnuts at Twisted Tea Branch
• Pad Thai Jae:  Always consistent and delicious at Tara Thai
• Tea:  Iced Sweet Tea at Sultan Kebob Turkish restaurant
• Coffee:  Honey Orange Cappuccino at Millie Joe's
• Cookie:  Mexican Dark Chocolate (baked Tues, Thurs, Sat) at Great Harvest Bread

What's your favorite Cville local food find? I would love to add to the list!

-Rebecca