Friday, February 26, 2010

Is spring in the air?

I am on the east coast at the moment, just south of a bunch of snow. There is still snow on the ground outside this hotel. Once again, I have let quite a bit of time go by without updating the blog. That doesn't mean we have not been updating the homestead. We have had some more rain in California, which is needed. In between rain, we got some things planted and some other things are showing signs of life. To the left is new growth on the loganberry. We expect to get some actual berries from it this year. We also planted some more strawberries, which we should get this year.

We also planted thornless blackberries and thornless red raspberries as well as 2 elderberry bushes. We will probably not get any berries this year, but next year will be a berry good year. In other fruity news, we planted 2 paw paw trees and the multigraft plum tree is blossoming, along with the blueberry bushes.
 

 

Monday, February 1, 2010

Nuclear loan guarantees

I apologize for not talking about my garden so much, but some things just set me off. How about this? The Obama administration is proposing $54 billion in loan guarantees for new nuclear power plants. Compare this to the paltry $3-5 billion in loan guarantees for energy efficiency AND renewable energy. Is this the change you can believe in?

Safe nuclear power = 93 million miles away in space. It provides solar, wind, biofuels, etc.

We have not solved the waste problem, the radiation problem or the terrorism problem. Loan guarantees are needed because the market has decided nuclear power plants are too risky.

He did say he was for nuclear power during the campaign. I'm just saying...

Jeeeeez....

Romanesco Broccoli

Back in August I planted romanesco broccoli. It grew and grew and grew and grew but never brocc'd. I was ready to give up hope but it is winter and not much else is growing, so I left it. I have finally gotten a few heads starting in January.
 

It is a difficult to predict variety, as the heads are forming ever so slowly over the course of two months, but it is delicious and satisfying to have in the middle of winter.

One of them got so big and top heavy that it fell over and had to be staked up.

Just started seeds of regular broccoli for spring.