Blog
March 19, 2023 I approached a bush bean plant last year and spotted an insect on a leaf. I waved my hand to shew it away! Then I saw another, but this time I looked closer. A lacewing! “Come back!”, I yelled to the first one, in vain. How thrilling to be hosting a lacewing, […]
NANCY, PLEASE STEP FORWARD
April 30, 2022 Back in 2013, KING 5 came out to interview a representative from Freeway Estates Community Orchard. I pushed Nancy out to face the interviewer. She has a strong voice, a good memory and, she’s willing! Recently, Nancy has been interviewed three times about FECO. The first call was from an independent researcher. […]
Path Project Procures Power Players
March 17, 2022 Ken Yu Last Thursday was tough. We spent hours filling in ruts from the gravel truck. But, as we were getting ready to leave, Ken got out of his car. I smiled and my shoulder blades dropped down my back. Ken, always conscientious, wanted to look everything over, to be fully prepared […]
FECO Website Refresh
February 22, 2022 FECO’s old website had some bumps and bruises and we wanted to share new ideas and information. So, we went back to the drawing board! We hired professional help for layout and received support from the director of Zipcon.com (our website host). A chunk of volunteer hours were needed within a short […]
Whether to Wonder about Weather
January 25, 2022 Did my garden get enough rain this week? Will the seeds I planted yesterday need to be watered today? If I work in the garden this afternoon will I need my rain jacket or my sun hat? Or both? These are just a few of the weather-related questions a gardener might ask. […]
Blissful Birder
December 27, 2021 Alec is a new volunteer. His profession is landscape design and he worked hard on the recent 60th St restoration project. He is also a stellar bird enthusiast and photographer! A couple of weeks ago, I spotted a bird in our yard that I did not know. Excited, I emailed Alec. Ruth: […]
Everything From Fruit To Nuts
November 23, 2021 Friday we devoured the last few plump Evergreen Huckleberries – the end of our fruit and nut bounty this year. And just before the Huckleberries, a few volunteers tried the Medlar. (Medlar? Read Shakespeare to find out about this unusual fruit.) One volunteer thought it tasted like refried beans. Another tasted applesauce. […]
Salsify Can Satisfy
October 27, 2021 This fall I made the best batch of cooked greens! The secret ingredient? Salsify. Wow! Chefs (mostly from Britain) warn that the peeled root turns brown “at an alarming rate”. They advise to drop the peeled root quickly into water with lemon. I followed their instruction, then chopped the root to add […]
Desperate Decision → Piddly Persimmon
September 15, 2021 No one in their right mind would buy a Persimmon Tree from Home Depot. Or would they … if desperate enough? We ordered an Izu from a well-known nearby nursery in 2019. We received the bareroot tree in March of 2020 and made a nice home for it along the west fence. […]
Turn over a new leaf – if you still have one!
August 22, 2021 Our June heat wave hit just after the summer solstice, precisely when the days are the longest of the year. Double whammy! Record high temperatures in June beat our plants to the max. Ouch! We all witnessed the most obvious punishment, sun scald. What’s a plant to do? The stomata pores of […]
Pruning Points
July 25, 2021 Last week Ann saw a T-shirt with printed words, “I’m pretty sure I am not going to figure it out.” Sounds like me and pruning! I have been watching Ingela masterfully craft the orchard fruit trees for 10 years but, this week, it was I who grasped the pole pruner and reverently […]