The Bunched Arrowhead Heritage Preserve is one of my favorite late-day stops when I need to get a nature fix. It’s about 20 minutes from my house and offers a range of habitats to explore — including forest, rare wetland seepage areas, and maintained meadows. Meadow habitats have become so scarce in the Carolinas that DNR uses mowing and controlled…
Woops! It’s spring… this week got busy! I went to a great SCUMS meeting, the Organic Growers School, and created a huge new garden with the help of three friends. We’re still planning to amend the beds with compost but technically we could just plant in it as is. I did process photos to show you how to make raised…
I thought I would post about morels next but good things come to those who wait. In the meantime we have a bad thing with (at least one) good solution. Ever heard of Atrazine? It’s in the news right now for altering the reproductive systems of frogs: CNN, Reuters, Fox, BBC It’s now infamous and controversial. Atrazine has a reputation…
You may not be awash in excitement from the title of this post, but you should be. This magazine, the best garden magazine I ever read, has long been out of print. I purchased my first copies at a Master Gardener Symposium exchange for $0.25 a piece. I could scarcely wait to go online to buy a subscription and was…
This blog often focuses on eating local. However, if you aren’t comfortable gardening on your own or your yard is shady (or nonexistent) you can still grow your own food successfully. You just need to get involved with a community garden! The characteristics of community gardens are varied. Some of them allow you to rent a plot of land that…
If you’re a Facebook user and you’d like to show everyone you’re a sustainahillbilly, here’s Appalachian Feet’s new Facebook fan page! Appalachian Feet on Facebook You can also follow Appalachian Feet on Twitter. Short and sweet.
Crop Mobs are a new movement that I suspect will spread like wildfire. If you’re a small-scale, sustainable farmer they can be a lifesaver. And if you’re without ample land they’ll rescue you from growers lust and put you in touch with the source of your food. :)Anyone can participate. It’s not charity. The premise is that people who want…
I’ve been thinking about guerrilla gardening lately. I’ve done it… but why not delegate and get your neighbors to do the work? If you’re a butterfly gardener, birder, or simply a lover of native plants it is a good way to increase the species diversity in your area. Studies show that birds thrive in areas rich with native species. Butterflies…
If that title sounds too good to be true, it’s not. Over the weekend my friends Tradd & Olga invited me over for dinner (and after eating the wild mushroom dish that Olga served you can expect a post on morel hunting soon). Tradd is a Mycologist and together they run Mushroom Mountain out of Liberty, SC. You can buy…
*EDIT 1/15/2013* – This post was written when bees were far less expensive than they are now. Unless you are planning to catch a free swarm or have some other cheap bee source, it would be a good idea to learn all you can prior to obtaining bees. Yeah, that’s right. I did a Valentine’s post on undies followed by…
The last few dawns have sounded like spring (in spite of the snow we’ve been having). The birds are getting excited and so am I! I’ll be renewing my efforts to learn bird calls this year. Here are some suggestions on how to become an auditory birding expert. Books and CDs: The Backyard Birdsong Guide: Eastern and Central North America…
For Valentine’s Day I decided to write about my recent quest for latex-free undergarments and socks. I won’t go into details, but suffice to say I had a “duh” moment about the latex sensitivity that I’ve known about for years. Guess what elastic is?! My (urgent) search made me a bit of an expert on sustainable undergarments. Here is what…
Does anyone who loves tomatoes really need advice on more tomatoes to buy? Yes. Because how else are we going to make it through the winter? Note: for photo captions “OP” stands for Open-Pollinated, which means you can save the seeds. Heirlooms are OP. For hybrids you can’t save the seeds, but they aren’t the same as GMOs. Everyone has…
This is one of my favorite things all year… and only 2 days left for early bird registration! Prices go up a little after February 12th at 5:00pm. The Organic Growers School spring conference is on March 6 & 7 this year. You can register here. If you live in any convenient distance from the University of North Carolina at…
I’ve seen endless information about how to make compost but very little about what to do with it once it “happens.” One frequent question I get as a Master Gardener is when and how to use this garden black gold. I decided to write a comprehensive post about it. First, you need some compost. You can make it in a…
My friends and I pull out all the stops for our annual pie party competition and this year I liked my tomato tart entry enough that I’ve made it several times since November. It is becoming a quick potluck favorite. I make it either as a large tart or as mini tartlets. It’s delicious! The recipe calls for soaking the…
(Catalog Link Directory last updated 9/22/2010) I do it for you… Alright, maybe I am addicted to seeds. They are beautiful and each little dormant embryo is ripe with an active daydream for my spring garden. But I am happy to condense my catalog experiences to help out those of you who are overwhelmed by the plentiful selection. First, think…
This is similar to a post I published in August, but I think winter food buying bears special mention. Just a handful of years ago if I didn’t plant enough food for my family over the winter my only option was to buy hard, bland produce shipped from around the globe to my conventional supermarket. Not this year. I didn’t…
Appalachian Feet’s Store is finally finished. I chose the cream of my books, thought-provoking movies, and useful green products (such as canning equipment, rain barrels, produce bags, and cloth napkins) that you can buy once and use for life. Click to enter store: Appalachian Feet Store If you have advice on a sustainable product or book that I left out,…
You may have noticed a tree in your neighborhood that rains dull green baseballs each fall. In most locations these heavy fruits are ignored by residents, unless a group of children utilizes them in a mock battle – or better yet – discovers the joys of walnut-stained body parts and clothing. Often my mother threw up her hands in despair…