A trip to the Aldo Leopold Foundation Center in Baraboo Wi

Up in Baraboo Wisconsin you can find the Aldo Leopold Center.  We managed a brief visit to this new facility that celebrates the legacy of Aldo Leopold, "...conservationist, forester, philosopher, educator, writer, and outdoor enthusiast."

It's a pretty amazing story, how a man, and his family were able to transform a barren sandy dustbowl farm into a low land prairie. They planted among other things, thirty thousand pine trees in the course of 10 years.

Central to his philosophy is  the idea that community extends not just to man and his creations, but also to the soil, to trees, to wildlife, what he broadly referred to as "the land."

While his story is fascinating, what I  found particularly interesting was the efforts to make the center as green as possible. They succeeded and they were awarded a Platinum Leed energy certification. I think sustainable gardening  has a natural association with sustainable living in general. This building was built using the timber planted years ago by the Leopolds.

This is the main exhibit space. The timbers are all property grown.

Here is some beam detail from near the reception area.





















In addition to using site grown lumber, they make extensive use of photovoltaic systems. There are 198 panels on the roof producing 50 thousand kilowatt  hours of energy a year. Enough to power about 5 average homes in the area!

While looking at the roof I also spied a passive solar water heating system.

From the sun to the earth, the center makes use of available resources, resources that are older than humankind.  For heating and cooling the Center makes extensive use of passive geothermal technologies with both earth tubes for fresh air as well as running glycol through the concrete floors after circulating it in pipes in the ground. Using the constant temperature of the earth means there is a much smaller heating or cooling delta. For example, the the compared to the outside air with ranges from -20F to 95F, air that has traveled through the 600 linear foot and 5000 square foot system has a minimum temperature of 17F and a maximum of 74F. That's a reduction of about 50 degrees of heating.The air tubes are very subtle. Inside the building, air grates blend in with the decor.

Outside and air intake blends with the prairie plants.

The center takes aesthetic advantage of the prairie, and the prairie style buildings fit right in.

As I walked around the grounds, the natural beauty was everywhere.

This little frog was taking refuge in the shade. At first I was not sure it was real, but it blinked, and on closer inspection I could see it breathing.

We wrapped up the visit, and I left impressed with Aldo Leopold's vision and desire to create a legacy that would not come to fruition in his lifetime. The thought of land stewardship is an old one that is becoming more important as populations grow and green spaces become more rare.

Being green may involve recycling that plastic bottle,  but it can be so much more than that. Aldo Leopold set an example that not many of us could possibly replicate, but his passion and impact are inspiration to do what we can.

Until next time, Keep Digging & Eat Well!

The Gastronomic Gardener
My garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
My cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener

Sunday Morning Bounty

I've not been out to the vegetable plot in a bit so  I needed to go see what was happening, harvest anything ripe, thin the radishes and beets that I've put in for a fall crop. I also had the usual bucket of kitchen scraps for the compost heap as well as the milled skins and seeds from the tomato sauce I made yesterday. That was intended for the chickens.

I like the idea of growing the tomatoes, giving seeds and skins to the chickens, who then make eggs, and contribute to compost heap when their coop is cleaned. Closing the loop and not a garbage can in sight!

I haven't shown you the garden recently but this time I remembered the camera. As I got ready to pull out of the drive, I saw some sunflowers, volunteers from the bird seed no doubt, but they were looking cheerfully jaunty, so I snapped a picture.

After arriving on site and dumping the bucket into the compost pile, I treated the chickens aka "the girls" to the skins and seeds of yesterdays tomatoes.  They are quite funny as they will run up to you and beg, and are generally pretty vocal. This quieted them as they feasted.

Here is the whole garden, it is very shaggy and overgrown but is producing  (a little garden humor for you!) quite well.

The eggplants are happy - the Japanese eggplants keep producing and the globe eggplants are getting there too. Despite the leaf damage the fruits are lovely.

The cherry tomatoes keep going - the homeowner claims these as they are his favorite.

The golden Romas were so vigorous they pulled down their support!

The acorn squash are enjoying themselves - we'll have plenty I think. And I  like that they will keep for months!

After all the photography it was time to do some harvesting. I was surprised at the amount of green beans, the plants look a bit ragged but they keep going strong. Also picked tomatoes, peppers, green beans, Indian cucumbers, and a few eggplant. Another good haul. I'm looking forward to making some golden salsa!

After picking I went over to the big box store, picked up some more canning supplies (on sale) - a little lunch and I'm going to tackle the out of control perennial garden!

Until next time, Keep digging & eat well!



The Gastronomic Gardener
My garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
My cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener

A Wednesday night harvest

I cut the lawn tonight after a several week hiatus. I'm sure the neighbors were happy. Having a lawn sack of cut grass required a trip to the garden and the compost heap.

The compost pile grows higher, we may have to extend its footprint. Peeked at the garden.

I think we will remove the bush beans and try for another crop - we'll see.  Beets and carrots will be harvested and replanted. The tomatos are just staring to come in.

Did I mention the mosquitos were ferocious? They were chowing down as fast as I could swat at them.

After going over the harvest with the landowner, this is our share.

Clockwise we have : Beets - (I'll be making a beet ginger relish), carrots, tomatos, cherry peppers, japanese eggplant, cucumber - these are delicious white!

This should make for good eating for a few days!

Eat Well!

David P.Offutt

The Gastronomic Gardener

My garden blog  http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
My cooking blog  http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/

Green Beans from the Garden, Vegetable Curry

We had some green beans from the garden, I did not get over there but the wife did. More than enough for dinner.

Here are some strange radish pods or moolachya shenga.

A little chopped garlic and grated ginger.

The prepped vegetables.

Start with oil or ghee and mustard seeds.

When they pop, add the garlic and ginger. Lower heat and cook. When soft, add the rest of the vegetables.

We're testing Baji's Curry Simmer Sauce. It's from Aldi's. You add it to the vegetables plus 8oz of water and simmer. You can use meat, but tonight is vegetarian.

We had some spinach we needed to eat, so in it goes.

It sure cooks down quickly!

Dinner is served!

 All in all the Sauce is pretty good, but rather middle of the road. It does nothing to offend, but not much to excite. Not a bad way to make a quick weekday dinner. I'd buy it again.

Eat well!

A double post as the green beans were from the garden.

My garden blog   http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
My cooking blog  http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/

Of salads and compost.

After all the meat of the past couple weeks, tonight I'm craving a big salad.


Aside from making cake mixes, salad making is where I started, with a small knife, standing on a stool helping my mother by chopping vegetables. She had enough to do trying to feed 12 people, so truthfully, by the time I was helping, a couple of the older siblings had likely moved away. But a big tossed/chopped was a mainstay of our dinner table.

Salad making is a lot like making soup. You root around in the fridge and pantry to see what can go into the bowl or pot. Tonights' offering is romaine, carrot ribbons, mushrooms, onion, yellow bell pepper, chick peas, celery, tomato and avocado. I'll add the tomatoes and avocado later so as not to make the salad too soggy now.

When making a salad there are always scraps. Some are OK for eating, others I do not want to.

I keep a "soup bucket" which is just a quart container from yogurt or cottage cheese in the freezer, so usable vegetable trimmings, left over rice or pasta for example, may be saved to make a soup in the future. When the bucket is full, I make soup. I don't like to throw food away so this works for me.

The material that is unsuitable goes into another bucket that ends up in the compost heap.

As I said the other day, we pay to have our trash hauled away. It doesn't make any sense to me to have it in a landfill when I, with a little patience, can improve the soil I am growing yet more vegetables in.

It keeps the circle intact, I don't have to pay to have it hauled away, and in the end it improves the soil. Conservation at every level!

Now about the dressing.....

Keep Digging!

As this post is pertinent to both blogs I am double posting.

My garden blog  http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
My cooking blog  http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/

A week in the sun

Finally, we've had a week with out rain. Not that I'm complaining about the rain but rather about the lack of sun.

I've not been over to the veggie garden in a few days, and I do have kitchen scraps to add to the compost pile.  Whatever scraps we can't use in the freezer soup bucket, goes into the compost bucket. As we pay for our trash removal, it makes more sense to improve our soil, than pay to have it go in a landfill.

Let's see what's happening.

Ther green beans are just starting to mature

The cherry peppers are going, but not sure we'll have enough to pickle. Time will tell.

 

Perhaps the vigorous thinning will result in a few beets.

 

The pumpkin/squash look good too , hopefully get some fruit off these blossoms.

 

Oh, and the real reason for going, the compost heap. Fortunately, the homeowner has six chickens and the coop straw, full of poop, and feathers get added weekly. Should be really nice by next year.

 

So there we are for today. Weather report is for hot humid and rain for the next week.

Until next time, keep digging!

 




My garden blog  http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
My cooking blog  http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/