The Fight for Food-Growing Space
February 28, 2025
Nature howls in February. The sun is stronger and slowly warms the soil. Buds are swelling and bulbs are reaching. The itch to garden is upon us. At FECO, we are spoiled to have a perpetual lease on public land. Others…
Resilience! What Can We Learn from the Pacific Yew
January 19, 2025
We will face challenges in our future. Will we stay rooted when we feel torn apart, burned out, stepped on, whipped by the wind, undernourished, out in the cold, sick from the pollution? How long will we last? These challenges…
A Medal for the Medlar
December 12, 2024
Our Medlar tree exploded with plump fruit this year, enough to share and also cook up a delectable paste. Squish out the seeds (roll them around in your mouth for a tasty bonus) and cook the fruit with a little water and…
The Essence of Senescence
November 6, 2024
To say "deciduous plant" implies seasonal leaf senescence (leaf shedding), a process that helps the plant optimize photosynthesis and nutrient efficiency. Senescence is a good survival strategy for plants in that the…
Gotta Have a Spy to Make a Good Pie
October 21, 2024
The 2024 14th annual Cider Fest was the most successful to date. On Saturday, October 19, 180 visitors sipped hot fresh-pressed cider. A record for attendance! We fretted all last week about the rainy, windy forecast. Knowing…
The Ant Rant
September 12, 2024
The Ants Go Stinging One By One, Hurrah, Hurrah??
Ants exploded out of the gravel and dashed in all directions. In no time many scurried up my glove and onto my skin, blasting formic acid from bottom of their butts. Trying…
Place based, Kids and Curiosity
August 28, 2024
For eight years, several times each summer, children from the nearby KidsCo summer camp have been visiting FECO. When we see them march around the corner we rush up to the shed to greet them.
They range from five to 12…
A Gift of Doo from the Zoo & Composting Careers
July 22, 2024
Jennifer secured an appointment for a ZooDoo pickup recently so off we went, Philippa and I, to the Seattle Woodland Park Zoo even though the temperature was 93 degrees! We actually didn't notice the heat much, mostly because…
A Taste of Ethnobotany – Yarrow for Tomorow
June 29, 2024
The 2024 Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS) Study Weekend took place on the traditional lands of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe. Many plant enthusiasts were privileged to participate in field trips led by Tribal Citizens.…