Acadia Maine

The Garden 2009

Again this year, the Coo-op Community Garden in Norwich VT, gave us the opportunity to develop our inside gardeners. The lack of space at home was not a problem to cultivate our own veggies and flowers in that place, as you can see above the flower came from a seed, turning out in a cute Teddy Bear Sunflower, it was a birthday present from my friend Mimi Pearson, what a surprise! I called the photo "Running with the wind".

Sunflowers from our garden in Norwich, Vermont

SUMMARY

FEBRUARY, MARCH, APRIL
Nice thing to start the plants from seed. Above, you can see the tomato seedlings growing indoor, when outside the temperature reached -26ºC. Unfortunately, when I transplated the tomato seedlings, some of them died because an unexpected frost... but some of my hot pepper seedlings survived!


JUNE, JULY - The Agricultural Disaster in New England?

Everything was fine until an unwanted fungus spread out to every garden in the area, it is called Late Blight which attacks tomatoes, potatoes plants and weeds. It was something devastating in the Northeast of the country. LB had not beeing seen since around 100 years. 97% of my fellow gardeners lost all their tomatoes. Michael and I lost all of our tomato crop (24). I read several articles about this symptom, like this one but I needed a local help, our garden coordinator was away at thime. I spread the word in the garden about what I was told.

A prevailing atmosphere of uncertainty was among everyone in the garden. My first contact was Cooperative of Extension of New Hampshire asking for help, I received a prompt and an appropriate answer!
The advise was pulling out all the affected plants and throw them out in the garbage bin, not in the compost pile. It was a hard time for Michael and myself I just coudn't believe all our effort that we did at the beginning bringing compost from a farm horses in Hartland, VT where Mrs Polly Smith was so generous with us donating the compost; we did several trips driving our tiny blue Elantra Hyundai car... all almost for nothing.

Michael pulling out the tomato plant.

Regarding our potato crop the plant were cut, while the tuber were left underground, it was not the same, but it was a challenge. I was dissapointed to see an empty garden. We tried to save the green tomates, we got a huge bucket of them, but after some days at home all of them turned awfully brown.

AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER - After the Storm

Fresh radishes ready to be eaten!

My favorite crop: ONIONS

I kept going with my major enthusiasm after this sudden storm. Then, there was a time for the first harvest of radishes, arugula, lettuce, Swiss chard, hot peppers, flowers. Between onions my favorite hot pepper! This has its own story. When I transplanted the seedling, I broke part of its root! I just got mad with myself... after an hour, the seddling looked so weak... I touched and talked to it saying what a fool I was... the next day for my surprise this tiny pepper plant looked alive and ready to go.. so, it survived! THANKS, I said. Since then I called it "El Malimuerto vivo" (something that the dead is alive)

Another surprise in the garden. Of course, gardening is also a kind of experiment. So, I planted the seed from this decorative gourd and look what I got.


GIFTS OF THE NATURE IN THE GARDEN WHILE GROWING THE VEGGIES

Cute nest of birds located between weeds in the plot of my neighbor Jerome, who is nearby my garden.

Some days after a rainy day, I was cleanning up the garden from weeds (I heard it is easier to pull them out when the soil is wet), then I found this innocent and quite toad in between my onion crop!

And finally, this bicolor spider was looking at me while I was harvesting peas :)

LOOKING FOR ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO GARDEN IN OTHER PLACE

"CANILLAS COMMUNITY GARDEN" In LEBANON, NH

Starting the garden with raised beds. The CCG started late (June) but with so much energy!
Celebrating and sharing our first harvest.
The Canillas Community Garden group

Patty McGovern (right) is who is leading this project very well! I love to work with her and her team. In the center is Helen Brody and Rebeca Perkins (left). Behind, Normi, a friend. It is a nice team!!

COMMUNITY GARDEN - NORWICH, VERMONT

It is September and everything is growing fast, peas, onions, corn... It is a privilege to have a pleasant summer here.. everything grows fast. The flowers give their best to the environment: color, beauty, scent, happyness...

Here the first zucchinis. I was told that I can eat their flowers which I tried them with garlic and oil in a pan... Guess what! Delicious!

Cleaning the space, feeding the plants are our priority to have success with healthy and delicious harvest. When I sowed this tiny Chamolille seeds, almost invisible I couldn't imagine what will come later!...Then looking at these plants, their shape with flowers, it is something wonderful!

We cannot stop the harvest!

Onion, onions, onions, potatoes and flowers

Before ends the season, we had a Harvest Potluck with all the gardeners. I prepared a Peruvian spicy sauce with fingerling potatoes (see below photo in the red dish)Dominica Borg our gardener fellow, cutting blueberry cake.

Enjoy Michael!

The below coliflower was my huge challenge... I saw it growing step by step until it turned like a tender cotton.

Then it ended up cooked in this delicious dish "Escabeche de Coliflor" a Peruvian dish.

Eating what we grew up in the garden this "Escabeche de Pollo" with carrots, onion, parsley, hot pepper, coliflower, peas, green beans. The recipe has chicken.

ENDING THE GARDEN SEASON

The kale is a strong plant. In the middle of october after several critical cold nights, the kale is still up.

Before, this was the kale seedling among a path of green been seeds that I planted for companion.

The kale harvest was a lot! We need to buy a freezer. The plan is to enjoy the frozen kale in delicious green soup from Portugal... I cannot wait!! Michael at home having difficulties cleaning up the kale, because we got a lot!

That was our wonderful time in the garden. With expectations, dissapointings, challenges but with lots of perseverance and care.. All these were the ways to do gardening. We love to see butterflies, bees, birds enjoying our plan... and of course, eating our organic veggies.


Videos that I recorded before we pulled out our tomato plants due to the Late Blight.

NYC

May 2009. What a nice idea to visit New York City, one of the most interesting and big cities of the world. Although, the weather was rainy, cloudy. Michael prepared the entire tour to visit: The Repertorio Español, a theater in Spanish, museums, restaurants. By the way, we found a Peruvian restaurant where they have the delicious, traditional Peruvian taste, "Pollo a la Brasa" in Restaurante Pio-Pio located in the East side: 1746 First Ave, full of noisy guests but yummy food! Therefore, Michael added in the agenda a tour to the Botanic Gardening, the Jew Community and the Cloisters, Despite of we missed our visit to the Building Empire due to the bad weather all the reservations were cancelled, our time in NYC was amazing!

Empire State Building, NYC

Michael drove five hours from New Hampshire to get the big city of NY and I was the co-pilot... who was sleeping from time to time :)

Now, we are in the great city, well known as The Five Boroughs. This phrase is used to refer New York as a city in order to avoid confusions with the Metropolitan area of New York, in other words there are two NY's one is the state and the other the city.

BROOKLYN Botanic Gardening - May 2009. If we think about NYC it comes to our minds its big buildings, gorgeous architecture, huge streets with nice shopping centers... but no, NYC is more than that, it is about its green areas, its history and culture.

The Lilac tree (above photo), were the most well looking with delightful fragrance, it lies in the Brookly Botanic Gardening. The area is 21.06 hás (52 acres). Huge! With a diversity of flowers, herbs and trees from around the world. It looks like a paradise!

The path of the Cherry Blossom is so lovely, with petals on the ground. I felt like a queen resting on pink petals!
There are many areas with amazing designs like this one that belongs to the Japanese garden style.The below photo there is an announcement for kids to encourage and teaching them to do gardening, the program is called "Garden Kids". Brooklyn bridge, NYC. May 2009 One of oldest suspension bridges of the United States. It was built in 1870 and its length is 1825. It joins Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Also it was the first bridge suspended by steal cords. For that, this has became the historical symbol from New York.



This kind of bridges remind me something that some time ago I have read an article from the New York Times  "How The Incas Leapt Canyons". An interesting story, worth to read it! 

Impressive view of Manhattan burough from the Hudson river. As I told before, the day was rainy, but we were prepared for that. While Michael was standing up in a park, a group of movie makers were doing their job there.

recording a movie - NYC

We were delighted going to the the Spanish theater Repertorio Español located between 138 East 27th Street, New York. The "El Quijote de la Mancha" play was terrific!. Most of the artists were from Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Spain, Argentina... buenisimo!

Blue bouquet.

A guided tour to the Jewish community. The visit was an special one, that allowed us to meet their traditions, life style among others.
This ambulance, according with our Jewish guide, said that it only attends emergencies from people of the Jewish community.

 The store has lots of silver decoration for selling. 

Now this picture was taken inside the temple.

What is Left after the 9/11
Visitors, tourist cannot avoid to stop by the place that with horror was attacked by terrorists during the last past 10 years. I must confess that it was sad looking the places around and imagining the overwhelming moment. We walked by the Ground Zero. I knew that Ground Zero refers to the place of maximun devastation, it can be the epicenter of an earthquake, etc. 

Waking few minutes from the GZ, you can notice this monument a round piece standing in a park, but it does not have a specific shape or meaning, we read what was written in the plaque. Below the story.
This monument is called "The Sphere", its creator was the artist Friz Koeni. Originally the Sphere was in World Trade Center plaza, it remained for at least 30 years ago as  peace symbol; after the disaster and with visible damage, this was relocated some blocks far away from the original place. Now The Sphere reminds the memory of who died in such devasted event.

Rebuilding the Grand Zero, NYC.

All the week was cloudy, so it was not a good idea to visit the Statue of Liberty, but it was a better day to shoot this picture for our album. The Statue of Liberty was a gift made by French people to remark their friendship in honor of the one hundred anniversary of the American Independence from the Great Britain. The lady's is 93 m high.

Museums Around
The museum for the German and Austrian art called "Neue Galerie", whas a worthy visit. Basically, this museum is about a group of German and Austrian artists who did a wonderful job with their paintings, scupltures, etc in the 20's , unfortunately most of them were chased by the Nazi regime, who considered them dangerous people against the nazi ideology.
Very close to the Neue Galerie museum, there is another one the "Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum" located in 1071Fifth Avenue, New York, the line is so big to visit it, we weren't able to get tickets.

 In Brooklyn the magnificient Public Library!

Over the floor of the Saint Paul Church, nearby to the Grand Zero, there is a plaque in honor of Queen Elizabeth II who visited New York in July 1976 to celebrate the bicentennial of the American Independence and it was right here where she was standing up.

Now, I am walking through the place where the economy operates worldwide : Wall Street.  I couldn't avoid to touch this Wall Street bull. There are a lot of tourists who try to do the same. The bull sculpture represents the symbol of optimism, aggressivenes and financial prosperity, slightly bent at their front legs and head bowing as if he is ready to attack. It was made by bronze and wieghs 3,200 kg

The Cloisters Manhattan, NYC.
This was our last place to visit. This is a brangh for the Metropolitan Art Museum of NYC. It holds medieval art and architecture.

The cloisters are in the north part of the Fort Tryon Park de Manhattan, nearby the Hudson River. Its area is 16,000m2

Interior of the cloisters

There are a lot of valuable collection. More than six thousand objects are for exhibicion in several galeries of the first floor located in the 5th Avenue.

Very nice design of the pear tree, climbing the wall. It is at least 50 years old!

Michael resting for a while in one part of the herbal and floral garden, listen to the song birds. Now, we are ready to come back to New Hampshire, after this sensational trip!!