Earth Day 50 th anniversary

EARTH DAY'S 50th ANNIVERSARY

APRIL 22, 2020

During the 1960's Americans became aware and alarmed at  the deteriorating condition of the environment. 

In the decades leading up to the first Earth Day, Americans were consuming vast amounts of leaded gas through massive and inefficient automobiles.  Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of the consequences from either the law or bad press.  Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity.  Until this point, mainstream America remained largely oblivious to environmental concerns and how a polluted environment threatens human health.

April 22, 1970 Earth Day march 

However, the stage was set for change with the publication of Rachel Carson’s bestseller Silent Spring in 1962.  The book represented a watershed moment, selling more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries as it raised public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment and the inextricable links between pollution and public health.

Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson came up with the idea for a national day to focus on the environment after Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, witnessed the ravages of a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, in 1969.  Inspired by the student anti-war movement, Senator Nelson realized that if he could infuse the energy of anti-war protests with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda. He then persuaded Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican Congressman, to serve as his co-chair.

Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson worked with conservatives
to create the first Earth, April 22, 1970 

Earth Day, April 22,1970 gave a voice to an emerging public consciousness about the state of our planet.  Today on April 22, we celebrate the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement.

On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans,10% of the total population of the United States, took to the streets, parks and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies.  Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment.

Groups that had been fighting individually against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness and the extinction of wildlife united on Earth Day around these shared common values. Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, urban dwellers and farmers, business and labor leaders.  By the end of 1970, the first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts.                                                                           

“It was a gamble,” Senator Gaylord recalled, “but it worked.”

Known as the "crying Indian" became the face of  the anti-littering movement. 

In 1990, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage.  Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.  President Bill Clinton awarded Senator Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to civilians in the United States, for his role as Earth Day founder.

As the millennium approached, Hayes agreed to spearhead another campaign, this time focused on global warming and a push for clean energy. With 5,000 environmental groups in a record 184 countries reaching out to hundreds of millions of people, Earth Day 2000 built both global and local conversations, leveraging the power of the internet to organize activists around the world.  Hundreds of thousands of people also gathered on the National Mall in Washington DC, for a First Amendment Rally. 

Today, Earth Day is widely recognized as the largest secular observance in the world, marked by more than a billion people every year as a day of action to change human behavior and provoke policy changes.

Now, the fight for a clean environment continues with increasing urgency, as the ravages of climate change become more and more apparent every day. 

The social and cultural environments we saw in 1970 are rising up again today,  a fresh and frustrated generation of young people such as Greta Thunberg are refusing to settle for platitudes, instead taking to the streets by the millions to demand a new way forward.  Digital and social media are bringing these conversations, protests, strikes and mobilizations to a global audience, uniting a concerned citizenry as never before and catalyzing generations to join together to take on the greatest challenge that humankind has faced.

By tapping into some of the legacy of the first Earth Day while also channeling the energy, excitement, and coordination of the youth climate strikes, we can build a movement going into the 50th anniversary that goes to the very heart of what Earth Day is all about, empowering individuals with the information, the tools, the messaging and the communities needed to make an impact and drive change.

For more information on the history of Earth Day go to:                   https://www.earthday,org/history

Give a hoot, don't  pollute,   

 James

Collar Greens

COLLARD GREENS

From the beginning of recorded human history our ancestors have been
eating wild cabbages., first by foraging and then by farming.

Most Americans associate collard greens with the south where they are very popular.  There are annual festivals in cities like Atlanta and Savannah.  Collard greens are the official state vegetable of South Carolina. It's impossible to imagine southern cuisine without collards, grits or barbecue.

Research indicates that collards originated from wild cabbages found in Asia where it was consumed by humans before recorded time. 

From Asia it spread to Europe where it was grown by the Greeks and Romans in home gardens and eventually became established throughout Europe. 

Today collard greens are eaten around the world. In Brazil they are eaten  as a side vegetable to
the national dish 'Feijoada completa,  pork and bean stew.

Early European settlers brought collards to 
America by ship. 
After their arrival, African slaves added their own cooking styles which has become an important part of our traditional American cuisine today.

Nowadays, collard greens are widely consumed worldwide in many counties, including India and Brazil, where it is an important ingredient in national dishes. Collards are included in New Year's celebrations and eaten for good luck.

Often stewed and served as a side dish, many people over cook collars reducing
 the beneficial vitamins & minerals 

Collard greens are a leafy vegetable from the same family as cabbage and broccoli. Collards are a cool season vegetable that when planted in September can be harvested into early winter. Resistant to frost, they are one of the first crops that can also be planted in early spring, two to four weeks before the last frost. Many people claim that frost helps increase the flavor of this vegetable.

Closely related to kale, collard greens require similar care. A moist soil, rich with compost that is not permitted to dry out and receives full sun. When started from seed in late August or September, follow the directions on the label for basic care of your seedlings. Collards require one inch of water a week. They are light feeders and when planted in soil enriched with compost do not require additional fertilizer. 

Collars are closely related to Kale which has gained more popularity
recently than collars, being served in the finest restaurants in America.

Collard greens are considered a 'super-food' with impressive health benefits. They are known to purify the liver and eliminate toxins from the body. They supply vitamins and minerals that have many positive effects on the body. They even supply antioxidants which offset early aging, promote hair growth, and help prevent disease such as diabetes.

Too numerous to write here, more information on the health benefits of collard greens can be found online and are well worth researching. Sadly many people over boil these think greens which leaches most of the nutrients out.

I myself have never grown or cooked collars, but I am  able to
enjoys great collards from one of the most famous restaurants in New York City.

Other 'cole' crops (cold weather crops) that can be planted now include cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and kale.

  

Happy Gardening,                                            James

Air layering Propagartion

AIR-LAYERING (Propagation)

With the invention of air-layering horticulturist were able to produce young plants
 that would have taken years to grow by seed.

Air-layering is a form of propagation used for centuries by the Chinese.  It was introduced later to America by the Europeans. In the past air-layering was used mainly for outdoor plants, but today it is also used on indoor plants. Air-layering was a hit or miss technique, often drying out or falling apart, but since the invention of plastic bags and wraps the success rate has become very high.

When I first started air-layering  I would unwrap and check the roots. This can damage your tender roots.
Be patient, keep the peat moist and the plants will send out roots. 

Many houseplants such as croton, fiddle-leaf figs, and dracaena often outgrow their space and become leggy. Their large leaves make it hard for them to transfer enough water to their leaves so propagation by many other means is difficult. Instead of pruning them and tossing the tops away, air-layering will turn the tops into healthy new plants and encourage the bottom stalks to force new growth on the parent plant. You can keep both plants or give one to a friend.

I do my air-layering projects around Valentines Day, in mid-February.
As days grow longer the plants begin to revitalize encouraging new root growth. 

Supplies: peat or sphagnum moss*, a knife, rooting hormone powder*, plastic wrap, twist ties, 2 dixie cups (one with water) and a spray bottle for watering.

Technique:

   1.Decide where you want to make your cut. You might need to remove a few leaves to make room for the air-layering pocket.

 2. Put a little rooting powder in the empty cup. This will prevent you from contaminating the 
remaining powder in the jar   

   
3.With the knife gently cut a diagonal cut about 1/2 inches upwards into the branch no more than halfway in. Be slow and steady so you don't cut though and take off the top, a common mishap.

   
4.  Snap the toothpick in half. Dip a piece of toothpick in the water, then dip it into the rooting hormone and then put the toothpick in the cut.
The toothpick will prevent the plant from healing the wound and help insure success.

   
5.Pack the area thoroughly with moist moss. The roots will grow into this. Dust the area with reminding rooting hormone powder. 

For easy clean up put newspaper on your work space or in your
kitchen sink before starting this project. 

   6.Cover the area around the moss with the plastic and fasten both top and bottom tightly with twist ties. Touch the plastic weekly to make sure the moss is wet.

You will need to untwist the top twist tie and  spray water every week. to wet the peat moss.
I put a towel under the plant before to absorb dipping water.

7.When it dries out loosen the top and moisten with a spray bottle, then retie. As the roots develop the moss will dry out faster.

   
8.When the roots have developed usually six to eight weeks later, cut off the newly rooted plant, gently remove plastic and then pot it up. Carefully spread the young roots to encourage healthy growth. Keep the new plant moist until it becomes established then begin to tend to it normally.

Before potting your new plant gently loosen the roots so they will spread out
 in their new environment. You can now care for this cutting as an adult plant.  

  9.The parent plant will force new shoots out in a few weeks. You have now mastered another horticultural skill and watching the young plants grow is rewarding.

Before being the process choose a work area that will be easy to clean and cover it with newspaper.
Gather  all the tools nearby so you don't have to stop the project.

*Sphagnum moss and rooting hormone can be found at  garden centers. Avoid popular brand name mosses that contains plant fertilizer. They will encourage leaf growth rather than root development. 

Happy gardening,

James

Chocolate

THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE

It's the holiday season and the perfect time to write about one of the most festive and popular treats in the world, chocolate.

Although chocolate is available almost everywhere today, hand crafted
high quality chocolates are a greatly appreciated hostess and holiday gift.   

The story of humans and chocolate began well over two thousand years ago in 'Mesoamerica', the regions now known as Mexico and Central America.  It is hard for historians to pin down when chocolate was first introduced, but it is clear that it was cherished from the start. The Latin name for the cacao tree,  Theobroma cacao, means "food of the gods."  The cacao tree is native to the North American tropics.

 Chocolate was cherished by the Aztecs and Mayans for its spiritual powers.
In Europe the Spanish Catholic Church preached that chocolate was the devil's food.
Priests believed followers couldn't resist chocolate & would brake their fast for the drink. 
.

Both the Mayans and Aztecs believed the cacao bean was magical and even held divine properties, suitable for sacred rituals of birth, marriage and death.  Aztec sacrifice victims who were feeling melancholy were given a gourd of the chocolate cocktail. This was to cheer them up enough so they could join in the ritual dancing required to make them worthy to the gods before their death.

The cacao beans were so important in these great ancient empires that they were used as currency and could buy food and fowl.

The cocoa tree is native to the tropical rain forest of Mexico and Central America.
The unripe fruit are brown gourds growing all over the tree.

For many centuries chocolate was a bitter drink. The pulp of the cacao fruit which surrounds the beans was fermented into an alcoholic beverage of the time.

When the Spaniards arrived, the famous king of the Aztec's, Montezuma, mistaking the conquistadors on horses for reincarnated gods of ancient lore, hosted a banquet for the explorer Hernando Cortes that included the chocolate drink. 

Unlike most trees, cocoa sets flowers along its trunk and branches. 

Unsuitable to the European taste they described it as "a bitter drink for pigs".  In spite of this Cortes did bring the chocolate drink back to Europe where after being mixed with honey or cane sugar, chocolate quickly became popular throughout Spain.

In Spain chocolate quickly found disapproval by the Catholic Church.   In spite of church preaching chocolate as the "drink of the devil" it continued to gain popularity in Spain.

When ripe, the football shaped large gourds turn orange
and are ready for harvesting. 

By the 17th century chocolate was a fashionable drink throughout Europe believed to have nutritional, medicinal and even aphrodisiac properties.  It was rumored to be the favorite drink of Casanova.  

In spite of its popularity, chocolate was too expensive for the masses until the invention of the steam engine which made mass production possible in the late 1700's.  During the Revolutionary War in America, chocolate was highly valued and  it was included in soldier's rations and used in lieu of payment.

After the fruit has been cured the beans are ready to be separated from their
pulp, dried and roasted.

In 1828, a Dutch chemist discovered a way to make powered chocolate by removing half the coco butter from the liquor, pulverizing it and adding alkaline salts to cut the bitter taste. This became known as "Dutch cocoa"  and soon after the creation of the first solid chocolate bar.

A man by the name of Joseph Fry is credited for the first modern day chocolate bar in 1847 when he discovered he could make a moldable chocolate bar by adding melted cacao butter back into Dutch Chocolate.  By 1868 the Cadbury Company was selling boxes of chocolate in England.  Milk chocolate was soon after introduced to the public by now well known Nestle Company.

After roasting, the beans are crushed into a powder and are ready for their transformation
by chocolate companies and chocolatiers around the world.  

Today chocolate is a 4-billion-dollar-a year industry in the United States and the average American eats at least a half pound of chocolate every month.

Although chocolate should be eaten in moderation, research shows "dark chocolate" is a rich source of antioxidants and minerals, and it generally contains less sugar than milk chocolate.  Some research suggests that dark chocolate may help lower the risk of heart disease, reduce inflammation and insulin resistance, and improve brain function.  People who are interested in adding dark chocolate to their diet should keep in mind that it is high in fat and calories, so moderation is key. Many people believe dark chocolate is a mood enhancer and take it to fight the blues.

Happy Holidays,

James

 Thanks to Smithsonian.com (Amanda Fiegl)  for the historical information in this article.

Daffodils

DAFFODILS  / NARCISSUS

Externally hardy and long lived, daffodils will brighten your spring garden
every year with very little care.

Of all the beautiful spring flowering bulbs from early snowdrops to late blooming tulips, few are more dependable than daffodils.  For a reliable display you can count on year after year, these popular perennials  will give you 'the big bang'  for your time and money.

All parts of daffodils are toxic so deer and other wildlife pass it by as they devour the other plants in the environment. If you live in an area with deer, daffodils are one of the few fool proof plants you can count on.

\
Deer will devour almost everything in sight but pass daffodils by,
leaving them to bloom for our enjoyment.

Once properly planted daffodils will come back for many years, blooming in early spring with very little care.

There is a long standing debate on the correct name, Narcissus, Daffodils  or Jonquils.  In this article I am simply going to use the most common name in our area, daffodils for all of them.

Trumpet shape flowers which begin to bloom in April, daffodils have a large selection of color patterns to choose from. The most popular yellow will brighten up any garden from the front door to large displays in back yards or even in open fields. In addition pure white flowers are available as well as mixed trumpets blends of two or three colors on the same flower.

For the largest variety of  daffodils and the best quality of  bulbs
order them from a good catalog company. 

Easy to plant, place the 'bottom' of the bulbs six to eight inches in the ground, 5 to 6 " apart. They will fill in quickly.

The bulb is a storage chamber supplying everything the daffodil needs to
survive until next spring.

In our clay soil and handful of chopped leaves will lighten the soil and help with drainage. If you don't have leaves take advantage of your neighbors who mow their leaves and put them on the street.

There are so many color combinations such as 'Fragrant Breeze' you can to to your daffodil display
every year for more interest and impact. 

 After daffodils have bloomed leave the green leaves until they turn yellow before cutting them back. These leaves will supply the energy for next year's bloom.  One of the few drawback of daffodils is that these leaves will remain until early June. When planting my summer flowering plants, I simply push the greens aside and put the new flowers between them. They quickly over grow the yellowing leaves and draw attention away from them.

One of the few yearly task you should do to help your daffodils remain viable is to cut off the dead flowers after they have bloomed, a technique known as dead-heading. This will force the bulbs to transfer major energy from setting seed into producing next year's flowers and ensuring a healthier bulb to survive the winter. I also sprinkle  a fertilizer such as bulb tone around the greens when dead-heading the flowers.

When your daffodils have become overcrowded they will flower less. This is the time to lift
them out of the ground, gently wiggle apart and replant them to increase your display.
 

If your flowers begin to dwindle it's time to dig up the bulbs and divide them. This should be required only once every ten years. This process will re-new your bulbs and double your stock.

Hybridizing daffodils has created  color blends and textures that are dramatically
different from the original trumpet parent plants.
Above: Double Narcissus 'Cherefulness' 

Happy Gardening,

 James

Pumpkins

PUMPKINS

Pumpkins are native to North America where seeds have be found in Mexican graves and temples dating back five to seven thousand years ago. Up north, pumpkins were grown by Native Americas for hundreds of  years before the first European settlers arrived here.

When the Europeans "discovered" America they actually found a
great civilization that had existed here for thousands of years.

The American Indians created a farming technique called "The three sisters". Corn was grown in the same plot as beans and squash. The corn would grow tall and the beans would use it as a trellis. The pumpkins and squash were planted at the base and would discourage raccoons and other critters from eating the corn and beans. 

The "Threes Sisters" planting system would get wildlife to focus on the harder to eat
pumpkins and squash, distracting them from the beans and corn. 

The Natives later taught this practice to the Pilgrims. Without pumpkins it is doubtful any of the Pilgrims would have survived the first long winter.

In later years the Pilgrims would carve out pumpkins, fill them with milk and bake them until they turned in a rich, flavorful custard. This tradition later became today's pumpkin pies. 

Sugar pumpkins are used for baking while the larger pumpkins are used mostly for display.
The stems add interest to the pumpkins and your display. 

Pumpkins and other winter squash are easy to grow if you give them their basic requirements, warm rich soil, heavy but even moisture, lots of sun and most importantly, plenty of space to spread out and grow. If they outgrow their space your can turn the growing tips towards where you want them to grow. When harvesting leave at least one inch of stem attached and let your pumpkins sit in the sun for ten days to cure them before storing them.

If you want to grow a large pumpkin, remove all but one from the vines so the
plant can focus all it's energy the one remaining fruit. 

Our modern Halloween tradition of carving out pumpkins began in ancient Ireland. The Celtic people believed the dead arose from their graves every year on October 31.  

To ward off evil, people carved faces into rutabaga or turnips, beets or potatoes and put them in windows and at their doors. Even the name Jack-O-Lantern is derived from Irish lore and folktales.

October 31 was celebrated as Samhain, marking the end of the harvest season and the being of the
dark winter ahead. It was the day the dead walked the earth.

When our Irish immigrants arrived in America they brought these traditions with them and quickly learned pumpkins are much easier to carve out.
Today pumpkins can be found in a variety of sizes, from the massive orange pumpkins to jack-be-little, which can fit in the palm of your hand. 

Pumpkin craving is a creative and fun event that millions of Americans enjoy as an annual
Halloween tradition. 

Color choices now start at white, then orange, and blended. There are even pumpkins with warts for folks looking for something different.

With the addition of heirloom pumpkins, choices of color and textures are continuing to  grow.

Selecting a pumpkin is often a family event with everyone going to a local farm to make their selections. When choosing your pumpkin pay attention to the stem. Pumpkins with stems last longer; long or curved stems add character to the pumpkin.

Halloween has a centuries old history as an adult holiday.
It has only recently that it has become a children's  celebration with preparations and decorations
 starting weeks before October 31

A pumpkin placed by a door or in front of a house today has come to symbolize the autumn season, good fortune and prosperity.  

A pumpkin placed by the front door in the autumn is a symbol of hospitality and welcome.

Happy Halloween
 Drive Extra Safe,                                                                                                           James

Although not as spooky as it used to be, millions of people still go to sleep
on Halloween with one eye open.