New USDA Plant Hardiness Map Reflects Warming

The new USDA plant hardiness zone map, unveiled in January.

As may or may not surprise you, the colorful United States map of planting zones is being updated for a warmer 21st Century.

Hardiness zone maps for the United States were developed during the 1920s and 1930s to help farmers plan for their regions' growing seasons. The first USDA Map was published in 1960 (USDA Miscellaneous Publication No. 814 "Plant Hardiness Zone Map.") and was developed by Henry Skinner while he was the Director of the U.S. National Arboretum. The map showed ten broad hardiness zones based on 10 degree F. gradients:

By 1990, the USDA version of hardiness zone maps became the primary source for zone identification. That same year, H. Marc Cathey completed a major overhaul of the USDA map using temperature data from 1974 to 1986. One new zone was added to coincide with adding Mexico and Canada to the map and the prior 10-degree gradients were broken down into 5- degree a and b zones. One of the primary reasons given for the update was that, "We have been losing from our landscapes plants that apparently survived the 1940's to the 1960's. Many of the hardiness zone classifications of plants are no longer considered valid. In North America, the ranges of temperature and moisture for the past decade were wider than those recorded for the 1940s through the 1960s."

That statement—made more than 20 years ago—is interesting for two reasons: One, it presages the current debate over the proposed update to the old 1990 USDA map—and two, for its implication that the hardiness zones need to reflect recent global warming.

The latest update to the hardiness zone map unveiled in January, is the first since that 1990 overhaul and includes two new zones added in hotter climates, bringing the number of mapped zones up to 13.

The new map is located on the USDA website and was designed for the Web, allowing people to enter their ZIP code and see their zone down to half-mile segments. That eliminates the guesswork for the nation's 82 million gardeners.

Catherine Woteki, agriculture undersecretary for research, education and economics, said the changes to the map don't indicate permanent climate change. No section of the country changed more than half a zone, according to Woteki. She says scientists used the latest complete data, adding they performed an analysis to see if incomplete data from the past five years would require alterations.

"We saw it would not change the map," she told USA Today.

The USDA website notes: "Climate changes are usually based on trends in overall average temperatures recorded over 50-100 years. Because the (new map) represents 30-year averages of what are essentially extreme weather events (the coldest temperature of the year), changes in zones are not reliable evidence of whether there has been global warming."

Needless to say, something's amiss. Check out this cheat-sheet of changes:

• Much of the Northeast is half-zone warmer. For example, Pennsylvania, which was about equally divided between zone 5 and zone 6 in the 1990 map is now about 70% zone 6 and 30% zone 5.
• Nebraska was mostly zone 4 and is now almost entirely zone 5.
• Ohio was mostly zone 5 and now is mostly zone 6.
• South Florida and Southern California have new hotter areas around cities, but California also has some colder areas in the mountains.

Check out this news report:

What do you think?

Getting Garden-Ready is a Snap with Mulch Gardening Methods

Old tires double as planters. Different layers of mulch gardening visible clockwise from top left: wood ash, grass clippings, cardboard, and worm dirt.

You wouldn't know it by this week's forecast, but last week's spring fever grabbed ahold of the North Country and sent people in droves out to their gardens to turn soil, mulch, plant, and even weed—in mid-March!

Having been warned of Mother's Day blizzards and three feet of snow in April, Better Farm just dipped a toe into the spring excitement by getting seeds out in the greenhouse and clearing out some raised beds for incoming leeks, carrots, potatoes, herbs, and beets. Here's what we've accomplished so far with our mulch gardening system at Better Farm:

Mulch Gardening: RESULTS
We've had a lot of posts on this blog about the wonders of mulch gardening; and in the fall we walked you through our winter-prep process of laying some old, degrading hay over our garden rows. Here's a shot from Nov. 3:

When we went out to work in the garden last week, here's what those same rows looked like:

Reduced from three fluffy feet of hay to about one foot, upon closer inspection here's the dirt we discovered underneath:

Black gold! This soil—derived from the rotting hay and layers of compost and cardboard, is rich in nutrients and ready to be planted.

We also weeded the raised beds—an easy job because of cardboard weed barriers, compost manure, and layers of compost:

Our upcycled tires, used last year for tomatoes and sunflowers, will grow potatoes this year. In them last fall we layered cardboard, hay, compost, wood ash, grass clippings and dead leaves, worm dirt, and a top layer of cardboard to encourage decomposition:

Next week we'll be layering more hay, compost, and cardboard in new garden rows we're creating, adding some sawdust into the mix, building new beds, and constructing a brandy-new composting system that will allow us to provide organic potting soil to the masses. Stay tuned!

betterArts Membership Drive: Support art and music outreach in the North Country!

Your membership contribution to betterArts will support vital services and events, increase economic vitality to the community, promote access to the arts in the North Country regardless of economic status, enhance cultural tourism, and improve the quality of life in our region. All membership contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Membership moneys go directly into our programming, which includes:

• Artist Residencies: betterArts seeks to provide an opportunity for creative exploration and growth to artists, writers, and musicians within the context of Better Farm's dynamic environment through a year-round, low-cost artist residency program. 
• Free and Low-Cost Music and Art Instruction: We are in the process of designing private music and art instruction for all age groups. These programs will be offered in Better Farm's Art Barn year-round. Moneys we raise allow us to pay teachers fair wages while offering the public reduced-cost or free instruction.
•  Workshops, Performances, and Events: As part of our outreach efforts, we offer concerts, gallery openings, and performances to the public for free. We also have studio space available for artists and musicians at low cost, and ongoing group art projects including murals and sculptures that we invite the public to participate in year-round.

All levels of membership include the following benefits:

• Online delivery of the seasonal betterArts/Better Farm newsletter
• Access to monthly membership meetings
• Invitations to members-only mixers, special events, and gallery previews

Rates are as follows:

• Individual, $25/year
• Family, $30/year
• Friend, $50/year: Also includes betterArts mug and one-of-a-kind betterArts postcard
• Arts Organization, $100/year: Also includes mug, postcard, 20% off coupon for the gallery, and free table set-up with your organization's information at betterArts events.
• Patron, $200/year: Also includes mug, postcard, 20% off coupon for the gallery,  free table set-up with your company's information at betterArts events throughout the year, and one free ticket to our annual, end-of-summer, formal dinner party fundraiser.
• Corporate Patron, $500/year: Also includes mug, postcard, 20% off coupon for the gallery,  free table set-up with your company's information at betterArts events throughout the year, and two free tickets to our annual, end-of-summer, formal dinner party fundraiser.

Click here to sign up!

Breaking Ground on Art Barn Deck

The men of Passerino Painting and Contracting dig holes for 6x6 posts that will hold up our new Art Barn deck.

It was a little more than one year ago when we began putting together plans for Better Farm's new Art Barn. Continuing from those ideas (several new banks of windows and sliding doors, gallery walls, track lighting, and recycled spray foam soy insulation), Passerino Painting and Contracting stopped by the farm yesterday to break ground on the Art Barn's brand-new custom, second-floor deck. Spanning more than 26 feet by 12 and overlooking a lovely natural amphitheater, this is going to be our new outdoor concert hall: bands on the deck, crowd on the hill...

The materials.

The decking material we decided on is MoistureShield, environmentally friendly composite decking that utilizes 95 percent recycled materials. Here are some fast facts about this company:

• No new trees are cut down to make MoistureShield Decking.
• Their process stops more than 270 million pounds of trash from entering landfills every year—that's 36 football fields of trash, each stacked 10 feet high!
• They save more than 5.3 trillion BTUs of energy per year.
• MoistureShield's process saves 1 million gallons of gas a year.
• Not only does a 12´ x 12´ MoistureShield deck save 110 gallons of gas, but it also reduces greenhouse gas by 619 lbs. CO2 equivalent.
• The plastic and wood A.E.R.T. recycles annually is comparable to taking 54,000 vehicles off the road.

Here's what goes into each board of MoistureShield:


The deck is going to run up the side of the barn:

Then across the entire back of the barn:

And overlook a natural amphitheater behind it:

As the guys get the deck in ship shape, we're going to bring in a friendly neighborhood goat to clear out all that brush and burdock (seriously). Stay tuned for more photos!

To schedule an estimate for one of your at-home projects, contact Passerino Painting and Contracting at passerinojm@gmail.com or (315) 783-3994.

Seeking Sponsors, Talent for Our Annual Open House

betterArts, a new arts and music not-for-profit offering free and low-cost workshops, private instruction, artist residencies, and events out of its location at Better Farm in Redwood, NY, is seeking musicians and artists to participate in its Second Annual Open House and Fundraiser from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, May 26.

This event will feature live music and performances, interactive art projects, information on upcoming workshops and private instruction, arts and crafts stations, a gallery of work by local and visiting artists, a tour of our studios, a potluck barbecue, and raffles. A cash bar will also be available. Entrance is free and open to the public.

Visitors can also tour the grounds of Better Farm, step inside “green” buildings and learn about construction methods, check out the no-till, organic gardens and composting stations, and meet the staff.

The open house is in conjunction with the First Annual Artists' Studio Tour scheduled for the Thousand Islands Region from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. May 26 and 27.

Better Farm and betterArts are seeking the following participants for the event (click here to RSVP!):

• Bands/Musicians: If you and/or your band is interested in volunteering your time for this cause, please send an e-mail to info@betterarts.org. Those musicians who are also interested in teaching for betterArts in future programming efforts (private instruction, group workshops or lessons) can visit http://www.betterarts.org/teach-for-us to download a form.
• Artists: There is no charge for artists who would like to display their work in the gallery on this date. betterArts will recoup 20 percent of all art sales. Price your work accordingly! All work must be brought to Better Farm by May 20. To arrange for a drop-off, call (315) 482-2536 or e-mail nicole.caldwell@betterarts.org. Every piece must have the following information with it: Full name of artist, title of piece, medium (watercolor, 35 mm, mixed media, etc.), price, and contact information.
• Sponsors: Individuals, businesses, or organizations interested in donating items for raffle or making a monetary contribution to defray costs will be cited in all press releases and advertisements, as well as on Better Farm and betterArts' websites and blog. Their names will also be displayed prominently at the event. To offer a sponsorship, e-mail info@betterarts.org or call (315) 482-2536.
• Volunteers: Anyone willing to run an arts & crafts table, membership sign-up, clean-up/set-up, or the beer tent is asked to please e-mail info@betterfarm.org or call (315) 482-2536. There are five shifts: 10 a.m.-12 p.m., 12-2 p.m., 2-4 p.m., 4-6 p.m., and 6-8 p.m.
• Organizations: Any local organizations or businesses are welcome to set up a table at this event. Tables cost $10/group. To register your group or organization for this event, contact Nicole Caldwell at (315) 482-2536 or nicole.caldwell@betterfarm.org.

The betterArts board meets at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of every month at Better Farm, 31060 Cottage Hill Road, in Redwood. All meetings are open to the public.

betterArts is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to the arts throughout Redwood, N.Y., and surrounding areas. The group's purpose is to offer art and music education through the provision of workshops, residencies, internships, and low-cost or free art instruction, studio, and gallery space for residents. betterArts, Inc. affords people the opportunity to discover and develop their creative and artistic spirit while offering educational opportunities in land stewardship and sustainable agriculture. betterArts, Inc. is committed to promoting the sustainable management of environmental resources while fostering individual and collaborative creative expression for the enjoyment and education of the people of Redwood, the region, and beyond.

Spotlight On: New York State Bluebird Society

Mr. Nicol from the New York State Blue Bird Society stopped in at Better Farm on Sunday to introduce himself and give us some literature on his group (and to give us a BEAUTIFUL new bluebird house, see photo above!).

The New York State Bluebird Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of the Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis), New York's state bird. It is the group's mission to:

1. monitor and increase production of Eastern Bluebirds and certain other cavity nesting birds through a statewide nestbox program.
2. educate or inform people of New York on the ecology and management of Eastern Bluebirds.
3. conduct research on bluebirds and bluebird habitat selection, including nest box preference studies.
4. cooperate and coordinate with other organizations with purposes similar to those set forth above.
5. the corporation is organized exclusively for charitible, educational, or scientific purposes within the meaning of Section 501(C) of the United States Internal Revenue code.

Mr. Nicol said he'd spoken with my Uncle Steve about the organization once or twice in the past, which was what inspired him to stop by—extra fitting, as Sunday was also the day after the three-year anniversary of Steve's death. After Mr. Nicol's left, I set about reading the literature he'd left behind:

Then took to hanging the bluebird house he so generously gave Better Farm:

Below is information on everything you'd ever want to know about bluebirds. If you're in New York (or not) and would like to support the valuable work of the New York State Bluebird Society, click here to become a member.

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)

• The Eastern Bluebird is a member of the thrush family, as is the Robin.
• Adult males are a dark blue color on their head, back, wings and tail. Theyare a reddish-brown color on their chin and breast. Their belly is white.
• Adult females are a duller blueish-gray color on the head, dull brown on their backand blue on the tail and wings. They are a light reddish-bown on the chin and breast.Their belly is white.
• The Eastern Bluebird is found throughout the eastern US and southern Canada.
• Eastern Bluebirds in the north will remain as far north during the winter as they can as long as they can find food, water and shelter. The harder the winter, or the more scarce food, water and shelter are, the further south they will migrate till winter breaks.
• Eastern Bluebirds generally return north to the state of New York in early to mid-March.

Range

NestBox Location

• Bluebirds nest in open fields or orchards. They don't generally nest in cities or suburbs.
• Place the box in an open an area as possible, do not mount on trees or buildings. Keep away from the edge of woods as house wrens will fill them up with sticks.
• mount the box 4 to 6 feet up a pole or board
• put a guard on the pole to keep out raccoons, snakes and other potential predators.
• Try to face the box opening towards a tree or bush to give thefledglings something to fledge to
• Do not face the box opening INTO the prevailing wind direction
• Place boxes 100 yards from each other to minimize bluebird territory overlap. This distance can be reduced if there are trees/shrubs/landscape that break up the line of sight between the boxes.
• Consider placing boxes in pairs, either back to back or within 4-6 feet of each other to encourage tree swallows and bluebirds to both nest. They will tolerate each other but not pairs of their same species.
• If you don't get bluebirds in some boxes (or too many house wrens) after a couple seasons, consider moving them to another location.

NestBox Dimensions

There are many styles and shapes of bluebird boxes. Some made of wood,others PVC. Some general criteria are:

• Inside dimensions of 4x4 for the eastern bluebird, 5x5 for themountain/western bluebirds.
• entrance hole of 1.5 inches for the eastern bluebirds, slightly largerfor the mountain/western bluebirds.
• bottom of entrance hole should be around 6 inches above the floor
• no perch
• box should open from top or side to allow for monitoring
• ventilation at top of sides, drainage holes in bottom

Average Activity Periods

Many of these periods are subject to delay or extension due to inclimate weather and availability of food.

• Courtship - 3 to 5 days
• Nest building - 4 to 5 days
• Egg Laying - starts 1 or 2 days after nest is completed. One egg is laid each day until the clutch is completed. Average clutch size is 5 eggs.
• Incubation - starts when last egg is laid, lasts on average around 14 days
• Brooding - starts when eggs hatch, lasts on average around 18 days. Stop nest checks after 12 days to prevent premature fledging

NestBox Monitoring

• Try to monitor at least once a week
• Stop monitoring 12 days after the eggs hatch. The young *may* prematurely fledge at this time
• Minimize your time at the nest, especially in wet/cold weather
• Tapping on side of box may help flush out brooding parent
• Take note of eggs and nestlings and dates when laid, hatched and fledged
• Remove nest after nestlings fledge to promote a subsequent nesting. Bluebirds will nest up to 3 times a season.
• Join your state bluebird society or the North America Bluebird Society. The society will provide valuable information and birders with similair interests. Your data will help to understand the bluebird's breeding success.

Competing Species

Tree Swallows, Chickadees, Wrens and House Sparrows my attempt to nest in your box. The first three are tolerable. House Sparrows ARE NOT. Please do not "settle" for house sparrows. If you let them breed, you are actually working AGAINST bluebirds and other native cavity nesting birds.

• Tree Swallows: mount a 2nd box on the same pole or on a pole 4-6 feet away. Tree swallows will nest in one, bluebirds in the other.
• Wrens: move the box out in the open, away from the edge of the woods
• Sparrows: keep removing their nests to deter them. They are a non-native unprotected species so you can deal with them as you see fit. We have in-house trap plans if you areso inclined.

Predator Deterrance

• Put a pole guard on the pole to keep climbing predators out
• some people grease the poles as well
• Have the roof of the box overhang the front around 4 inches tomake it harder for predators to reach the entrance hole
• If birds of prey attack your bluebirds, move the boxes away fromtrees where the prey birds may be launching their attacks
• keep grass/weeds trimmed near box to remove predator hiding spots
• deter feral/stray cats. They prey on many bird species.

Food Supply

Bluebirds eat mainly insects that they capture on the ground. They do noteat bird seed. They will eat berries, currants, raisins and mealworms when insects are not readily available.

• keep some areas mowed to provide ground insects more readily
• supply some of the materials listed above in bad weather (early spring,late fall, during winter) to supplement insect food.
• place materials on a covered, open sided tray
• plant berry-bearing shrubs/trees (holly, olive, mulberry, cherry, honeysuckle)

The NYS DEC sells berry producing seedlings each spring. Check out their link in our links section.

Here's a list of native trees/shrubs bluebirds are known to utilize for food:

Summer or Fall Fruits	Winter Fruits
Trees:	Trees:
Serviceberry Flowering dogwood hawthorn Serviceberry red mulberry black gum pin cherry black cherry choke cherry sassafras	hackberry winterberry holly American holly eastern red-cedar American Mt. Ash
Shrubs & Herbs:	Shrubs:
Hercules club red-osier dogwood hucklebery spicebush pokeberry blackberry/raspberry American Elderberry blueberry arrowwood	red chokeberry wax myrtle bayberry mistletoe dwarf sumac staghorn sumac smooth sumac blackhaw viburnum
Vines:	Vines:
wild grape american bittersweet	Virgina creeper poison ivy coral honeysuckle

Wintering Over

Bluebirds will winter over if the weather does not get too harsh and they have (1) shelter,(2) food and (3) water.

For shelter, bluebirds will roost in empty nestboxes. You can add clean dried grass in thefall if you wish for bedding material. You can also plug up air vent holes to help prevent heat loss. You can also build roosting boxes.
For food, you can plant berry bearing trees and shrubs so the bluebirds will have fresh food available. The also eat raisins and currents.

Martha Sargent suet recipe:

• 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1 cup lard
• 2 cups quick-cook oats
• 2 cups cornmeal
• 1 cup regular (white) flour
• 1/3 cup sugar

Melt the lard and peanut butter together in the microwave or on the stove top. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour (actually its more like “plop”) the mixtureinto square freezer containers that will fit your suet basket. Or cool it in the fridge and crumble for a feeding platform. Store it in the freezer or refrigerator (depending on how much you use daily) until you are ready to use it. This recipe makes about six cakes. Only use the peanut butter in a mixture, not alone, as it may stick to the birds' crop.
For water, you can put fresh water out daily if there is not running water available. There are also products available to heat or vibrate the water to help prevent freezing.

Grounds Keepers

Chives wake up in one of our raised beds.

It was April last year when enough snow had melted away for us to start working on the grounds at Better Farm and get ready for the spring season. Well, things have started early this year; and on Saturday a bunch of us got busy with the seasonal yard work required to make way for the spring, summer, and fall rush.

Here are pictures from the first week of April, 2011:

Tiger lilies bed at the front of the main house.

And here are pictures this morning—still the middle of March!

Tiger lilies in the front yard.

Onion and garlic sprouts.

Here's a quick "honey-done" list from the last week:

• Got the materials delivered for construction of the Art Barn's second-story deck and staircase
• Raked twigs and wood chips away from wood piles and added to compost
• Turned compost and bagged rich, black dirt for seed planting
• Planted seeds, stocked greenhouse
• Raked away brush from sprouting tiger lilies
• Cleaned out raised herb beds to make way for rising-and-shining chives, garlic, and onions
• Moved the chicken coop to another section of garden
• Inventoried bicycles and the work they need to be road-ready this spring
• Loaded all the bird feeders with seed
• Inventoried wood for new chicken coop
• Scooped gravel onto potholes in Art Barn driveway
• Began organizing things in the Art Barn
• Dragged some of the patio chairs and loungers out of the car port so we can really get the full effect of these beautiful days

Big thanks to Sue Kerbel, Brian Purwin, Nick Bellman, Tyler Howe, and Shani Abromowitz for getting the proverbial ball rolling. To volunteer at Better Farm, e-mail info@betterfarm.org or call (315) 482-2536.

DIY Planetarium

A DIY planetarium model with its Environmentaland crew, posted at Treehugger.com.

Written by Adam Goss for diyplanetarium.blogspot.com.

I've always enjoyed working with planetariums and have recently taken them up as a hobby. As I'm also a member of the Yahoo Groups Small Planetarium blog, I thought it would be fitting to create a blog on my project, documenting the steps for anyone who would like to replicate them. Most recently I constructed a 5-meter diameter Gore Dome inflatable Planetarium out of a thin, lightweight tablecloth plastic.

There are several methods for building a planetarium, but some methods are obviously better than others. A typical amateur approach to planetarium construction is the geodesic dome, constructed of cardboard pentagons. Although this is a perfectly valid approach, it does a poor job of representing a hemisphere as there are many flat sides.

A better approach to planetarium design is a pattern called Gore Domes. Although there is little literature on Gore Domes, the design is used in most planetariums around the world. I am a native of Colorado and live close to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science who recently renovated their planetarium. Their new all digital Gates Planetarium is constructed from a thin sheets of aluminum using the Gore Dome design. Gore domes are unique in that they take flat objects and stitch them together to create a three dimensional dome. The dome itself is constructed from many bulging triangular shaped pieces called 'Gores.' A good representation of this that many of us have done is the elementary orange peel trick; trying to make a 3D object flat (the opposite of what we want to do).

The Gores in this project will look almost exactly like these below:




MATERIALS:

The following materials will be needed when constructing this planetarium:

• Marker
• Pen
• Scissors
• Ruler (Metric)
• 40'' wide roll of white tablecloth plastic
• Masking tape (1.25'' wide)
• Duct Tape
• Blue Painters Tape
• Calculator

STEP 1:
By using the pattern provided by the July 1973 Popular Science Article (here) on Gore Domes, scale all measurements to fit the diameter of the dome being built. The diameter of the dome in the article is 25 Feet, so in order to make my dome (5 meters), I had to multiply all of the dimensions by a scale factor of 0.656167979. This multiplier scaled all dimensions down to a 5 meter diameter, but kept units in English measurement. This is fine if you're comfortable with English units, however I find metric units to be easier to work with on a project like this. I simply set up an excel spreadsheet to calculate the proper dimensions at each height level. A link to a PDF of my calculations can be found here.


STEP2:
Setting up a solid template for cutting out the Gores is crucial when aiming towards a 'perfect' dome. After calculating the dimensions of my Gores, I found it easy to make a template out of tape on the floor. This made cutting and fabricating the sections easy. I laid out plastic over the pattern, put a few books on the top to hold things in place and just ran scissors around the edge for a nice clean cut.





























































STEP3:
Taping together the Gores is tedious work. If you're taping on the ground (easiest) I would recommend a pair of knee pads to combat the hours of brutality they would otherwise endure (I learned the hard way). Taping the gores together can be done on a table, but is difficult because they keep sliding around. I haven't found a cut and dried method for taping together the sections, but small strips at a time seem to work well as the curvature of the gores is always changing. In my procedure, I started with the top of the gores and worked down to the bottom. On the last section, I brought around the ends and taped them together. After the main body of the dome has been taped together, the pieces can be spread out to reveal the circle left in the top of the dome. Simply cut out a circle to fit in the top (see dimensions PDF) and tape it in.

STEP 4:
The final step of the planetarium process is the fan/inflation procedure. For my setup, I created a pipe that fitted onto a common everyday house fan with the excess plastic. I taped one end to the fan and the other to the ground. Taping the bottom of the output pipe to the ground and narrowing the top (taping parts of the top edges to the ground) creates a very steady non-turbulent airflow ideal for planetariums. After I had the inflation system in place, I laid out the planetarium on the floor so that the inflation pipe was sticking under one of the edges of the dome. The edges were held down with soup cans, but I recommend anything from tape to sandbags (the smaller the footprint the better).



















STEP 5:
Enjoy...

My basement was too small for this dome to fully inflate. When I head back up to CSU next week I will be testing this dome in full capacity in one of the ballrooms, complete with a mirrordome projection system. Until then, questions and comments are welcome. I will keep this blog updated as this project progresses. My email is adamthomasgoss@gmail.com. Thanks for reading and happy building!

Tomorrow: Thousand Islands Central School Wellness Fair

Better Farm will participate tomorrow in the Thousand Islands Central School Wellness Fair, slated from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. for students and 3-6 p.m. for the public Friday, March 16, in the Thousand Islands High School gymnasium.


Every student in the high school is expected to attend the event, which is funded by the Carol M. White Physical Education Program Grant. That grant is designed to initiate, expand, and enhance physical education programs, including after-school programs for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The event will also feature tours of the new wellness center at the high school.

Grant recipients must implement programs that instruct students in healthy eating habits, good nutrition, and physical fitness activities. This includes fitness education and assessment to help students understand, improve, or maintain their physical well-being. Students will receive instruction in a variety of health, motor skills, and physical activities designed to enhance the physical, mental, and social or emotional development of every student, and to promote physical fitness that supports a lifelong healthy lifestyle.

Better Farm will have a booth at this event with trail guides and maps of hiking opportunities within the Indian River Lakes Conservancy, information about our sustainability internship program and betterArts residencies, a sign-up sheet for the upcoming Earth Day cleanup in Redwood, Better Farm membership opportunities and merchandise, and tons of information about ways individuals can start living healthier, more sustainable lifestyles. Hope to see you there!

Thousand Islands Central School is located at 8481 County Route 9 in Clayton, N.Y., 13624.

Building a Better Farm

Article originally published in NNY Business Magazine. Article by Ted Booker. To subscribe to NNY Business Magazine, call (315) 782-1012.

Signs of Spring

Hands in dirt: sure sign of spring.

The first week of March marks the very beginning of the growing season up here in the North Country: prepping and planting seeds, stocking the greenhouse, turning our compost, and getting the rows in the garden ready.

First, we went out to the compost heap and shoveled beautiful, black dirt into old plastic bags to use as potting soil. Then we took all our flats out of the greenhouse and set them up on the picnic table:

Our weekend intern, Shani, at left, and our latest resident, Sue.

Here are Shani and Susan filling the trays with dirt:

To make labels for the plants, Shani cut up empty plastic water bottles and Susan used a Sharpie to write out the names of the veggies we were planting. Once we pushed the seeds into the dirt, it was out to the greenhouse with the soon-to-be sprouts:

To keep the babies hydrated, we're utilizing rainwater from the catchment system installed last summer:

This week we'll be filling the greenhouse, moving the compost heap, and beginning construction on a new chicken coop for our incoming feathered friends. Spring is upon us!

If you'd like to volunteer with us, e-mail info@betterfarm.org.

Wild Edible Plants: Eat your sumac

Sumac plants in winter.

There are 250 species of sumac growing in subtropical and temperate regions all over the world. The fruits of the genus Rhus are ground into a deep-red or purple powder used as a spice in Middle Eastern cuisine to add a lemony taste to salads and meat.

In Arab cuisine, sumac is used as a garnish on dishes such as hummus and added to salads in the Levant. Iranian food features sumac on kebabs and lahmacun. In North America, the smooth sumac and staghorn sumac can be used to make "sumac-ade", "Indian lemonade", or "rhus juice". This drink is made by soaking the berries in cool water, rubbing them to extract the essence, straining the liquid through a cotton cloth and sweetening it. Native Americans also used the leaves and drupes of the smooth and staghorn sumacs combined with tobacco in traditional smoking mixtures.

Photo of sumac berries drying out from First Ways. Blogger Rebecca Lerner suggests spreading the berries out on a shelf in a warm, dry room.

A lot of people mistakenly assume all sumac plants are poisonous. But poison sumac, while related to the sumac trees this post is about, is not the same thing and actually looks very different. Poison sumac has smooth leaves and white berries, while edible sumac has tightly clumped red berries and jagged, toothy leaves:

Sumac contains calcium, potassium, magnesium, citric acid and antioxidants, according to a plant physiology study conducted by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Sumac bark is useful medicinally as an astringent tea for anti-diarrhea purposes. It’s also antibacterial.

Sumac makes a great, healthy lemonade alternative. Just soak the berries in cold water, rub them to release the juice, and then leave them for several hours to infuse into the water. You can also heat it up to speed the process. You can also freeze the liquid in ice cube trays and use it year-round like lemon juice. “Wildman” Steve Brill’s Wild Vegan Cookbook offers several interesting recipes for sumac concentrate. 

If you dry the sumac berries out and grind them into a spice powder, it will last year-round without refrigeration. Sprinkle the powder on rice, hummus, or kebabs. 

Here's our friend Bob Laisdell showing how to retrieve the drupes (clusters of berries): 

And our friend Rick Lopez showing off the berries up-close:

 

Want to give it a go? Here's an easy recipe for sumac tea:


Fresh Sumac Iced Tea
Serves 4

6 cups near-boiling water
2 drupes of staghorn sumac berries
Honey or other sweetener to taste 

1. Remove the berries from the drupes.
   
2. Pour nearly boiling water over the berries and steep for an hour. Smoosh the berries in with the water. Strain the berries.
   
3. Chill the drink.
   
4. Take the warm berries and add to an ice cube tray. Fill with halfway spring water or with the drink itself and freeze.
   
5. A few hours later fill up the ice cube tray. This way the berries will be prevented from floating to the top. Freeze again.
   
6. Add the ice cubes to your glass and fill with the chilled drink. Add sweetener if you like.

Better Farm Scores a Spot on the 1000 Islands Agricultural Tour

Better Farm has been invited to take part in this year's 1000 Islands Agricultural Tour, a project undertaken by the 1000 Islands International Tourism Council that maps and compiles information about local farms in a free brochure. Visitors can follow the map, listen on cell phones to an audio tour, and stop in at the local operations. Similar to historic buildings tours or wine trails, the 1000 Islands Agricultural Tour allows you to sample local wines, veggies, fruits, honey, cheeses, ciders, and more—and visit with unbelievably adorable barnyard animals, alpacas, horses—and now, all the diverse, creative creatures calling Better Farm home.


When you visit the ag tour's website, be sure to check out our page! And don't forget to order a brochure—the weekend-long ag open house is slated for 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, July 21, and 12-4 p.m. Sunday, July 22. That event, open to the public, is designed to promote the agricultural industry throughout Jefferson County. It's a great chance to visit a number of local family farms, including but not limited to dairy, livestock, fruit and vegetable farms, wineries, butcher shops, and farm supply businesses. Each location will have a special, weekend-long feature going on especially for that event. Not to be missed!

For those of you who haven't stopped by Better Farm yet, that will be a perfect weekend to see what our synthesis of sustainability and creative expression looks like. The open house is supported by Jefferson County Agricultural Development Corporation, the 1000 Islands International Tourism Council, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County, and the Jefferson County Chapter of Adirondack Harvest.

Farms and agricultural businesses interested in participating can go to www.agvisit.com or www.comefarmwithus.com to download a participation form.  The application deadline is March 30. To order a free brochure of the farms included in the tour, click here.