HETE BLIKSEM

Context doet er toe.

“Ik vroeg me af of het iets zou uitmaken als 67P in geschiedenislessen werd opgenomen. Als elk mens verplicht een kwartiertje naar die kosmische stofwolk moest staren, in het besef dat we meer zijn dan mens. En dat leven al begint waar het zelf afwezig is... ...De onwaarschijnlijkheid van de verwantschap tussen mens en komeet. Verwaarloosbaar, omdat hij zo ver teruggaat in de lijn van leegte naar leven, en tegelijkertijd zo fundamenteel. Want zonder die bouwstenen geen mensen.”

In the category ‘awe-inspiring’: it appears the entire Alphabet can be found on the wing patterns of butterflies

Inspiring biomass belt design by the Balkan Ecology Project!

Aardappelboer Arnold herinnert ons aan de juiste doelstelling: meer voedingswaarde, in plaats van meer kilo’s. Zie ook zijn verhaal in de Groene Amsterdammer.

All meat is not created equal...

Spotted over @ Diana’s Mooie Moestuin: staked zucchini plants as photographed @ Villa Augustus.

I wonder if this would be a functional way to save tons of water in the process of washing greens? Should be available for a few bucks at Ikea soon!

Aaron Vansintjan @ No Tech Magazine on the magic of fermentation...

Cool. Cool cool cool cool! Let’s build one of these and host the most fuel-efficient neighborhood pizza parties out there.

Awe-inspiring

“Sarah planted this area (Above) near the drive more than a decade ago, greatly reducing labor while keeping the bed full over a long period. Perennial artichokes mix with bulbs and tubers in three layers: dahlias in trenches at the lowest level; Allium hollandicum‘Purple Sensation’  plus earlier and later allium varieties in the middle level; artichokes at the top level. The artichokes shown here are a mixture of ‘Green Globe’, ‘Violet de Provence’, and ‘Gros Vert de Laon’.”

This is great. I’d love to build one of these myself. Perhaps even smaller, to accommodate direct composting on the bed.

“While kale is usually grown as an annual, we have found that in our cool climate with relatively mild, frost-free winters, we can easily grow kale as a perennial. Since kale is much healthier and nutrient-dense than most lettuces and other leafy greens, we have no problem letting go of our lettuce crop. By simply harvesting the leaves as they grow towards the outside of the plant (and a couple occasional tender leaves for salads), our kale plants have been thriving for several years now.”

A little help in learning to love the idea of winter... Apparently, at least 35 different vegetables will grow just fine in our climate. What’s not to love?

Also, I consider these a reminder that ‘mainstream’ local and organic could use a serous upgrade, rather than reasons to back away from those ideals. There’s still so much room for further development or even just dissemination of agro-ecological solutions, so why settle for chemicals and capital-intensive high tech at this point?

“To rely solely on foliar sprays for plant nutrients would require regular application, which isn’t ideal, as well as leave our soils anemic, which is the antithesis of what we want. They are a great way for starting young or transplanted crops off with a bang, for helping when our soils are lacking, and for extending a productive plants output a little further, but the soil is what will provide the consistent nutrients needed...”