Getting Started

Today's Reading

I just finished the Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. You'll never think of food the same way again. Oh, and the writing is exquisite.

I'm also reading Power, Faith, and Fantasy by Michael Oren. It puts our national involvement in the Middle East in to a different perspective. Regardless of political orientation, if you are interested in history and how we got here from there, this helps.

Small Planet Living is about ...

learning to live on this lovely planet with respect for all the elements that make it home. Maybe our mantra could be "Do no harm" or at least as little as possible. After all, how big a car or house do we really need?

Today's Interesting Connections

Here are a couple interesting links I've found lately.

Local Harvest - Lists sources of local farmers, markets, groceries so you can eat more fresh foods in your area. When did we get away from the idea of eating seasonally?

Smart Gardening TV - Had an episode that took place at Les Jardins de Sortilege in France. The gardener, Annie-Jeanne Bertrand, demonstrated the grelinette to till under her cover crops. It's a great tool and available in the US as a U-digger or broadfork. There was also a discussion of Nettle Tea, which is used as a bioenhancement in gardens throughout France. Makes me wish I had continued my French lessons. There is a nice French gardening site with some interesting info called L'Atelier Vert.

As I mentioned, they employed the grelinette ... broadfork to us. After rummaging around online, I found a source at Johnny's Selected Seeds. They have several models in different widths. However, before I get too carried away, I'll check with Red Pig Tools here in the Portland area and see if it's possible to get a broadfork there. They are pricey for a handtool, so I want to make sure I get a good one.