Field Trip Archives - Page 3 of 3

The bees enjoyed the flowers of bolting kale and mustard greens.

Field Trip: Huntington Herb Garden

Spring is a beautiful time to visit botanical gardens, and Southern California does not disappoint. The Huntington Library and Gardens is off the charts in May with flora and fauna. We took a visit to the Huntington Herb Garden after tea last weekend to see what's growin' on. Perennial herbs including Rosemary and thyme form clear boundaries for this formal garden. Annual crops fill in the spaces in between. The end of the season can be as beautiful as the…

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 10, 2016
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Artichoke hearts sold fresh, floating in water.

Field Trip: More Italy!

There's nothing quite so exotic as a farmers market in a foreign country. You get to see the staples of the local diet on display. Here in the US, we see peppers and eggplant and tomatoes just like in Italy, but the varieties are different and there's so much more. Radicchio, fennel, porcini mushrooms and chestnuts are readily available at Italian farmers markets right now. Just remember, the rules there are different: don't touch the produce, tell the vendor what…

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 28, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Fresh olives ready to be picked next week.

Field Trip: Villa Vignamaggio, Italy

We took a little break from gardening here in the states to visit the Chianti region in Italy for a friend's wedding last week. Little did we know we would be staying in a magnificent villa complete with organic vegetable garden. Meet Villa Vignamaggio. Villa Vignamaggio is everything a hopeless romantic could wish for: stately mansion, spectacular hilltop views, olive trees and grape vines everywhere, manicured gardens suitable for royalty. But while everyone else was busy fawning over all that…

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 20, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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One of several Pomegranate trees on the property.

Field Trip: Arlington Gardens, Pasadena

During the Garden Writers Association Symposium in September, bus loads of eager gardenerds stepped off to visit Arlington Gardens, an historic site in Pasadena, CA. It is "Pasadena's only designated public garden designed to demonstrate sustainable water-wise gardening in a Mediterranean climate." Boy, did it live up to that claim. In the middle of our drought, this garden was lush and thriving. Enjoy these photos, and then plan your visit. Walking around to the different "rooms" in the garden, we…

Post author:Christy
Post published:October 13, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Moringa seeds - loose and ready for the taking...swapping.

Field Trip: Heirloom Expo Seed Swap

This will be my last post about the 2015 Heirloom Expo, but it's one that couldn't be left out. Every year the Heirloom Expo hosts a seed swap for those who have been saving seeds throughout the year. They bring their seeds to swap with other gardeners, hoping to find interesting varieties to take home and try this year. It's mayhem. It's wonderful. It's worth writing about. Baker Creek not only hosts the seed swap, but they hand out bargaining…

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 22, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Yours truly and Will Allen of Growing Power

Field Trip: Ocean View Farms and Will Allen

I had the pleasure of arranging a visit to Ocean View Farms organic community garden for a group of innovative folks who are working to solve several issues at once: food waste, food deserts, soil fertility, and carbon loss. What's the solution? Compost, of course. Will Allen, of Growing Power in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, led the group and the discussions that followed the tour. The event was sponsored and organized by The Community and Regional Food Systems Project, The Growing Experience,…

Post author:Christy
Post published:December 3, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Round the corner to the entrance to the farm and you're greeted with roses and hay bales.

Field Trip: Cal Poly Pomona’s Kellogg Ranch

It was 5:30 in the morning when I got in the car to drive the hour it would take to get to Cal Poly Pomona. By the time I arrived the sun was just creeping over the mountains, streaking light across the sleepy landscape. It revealed acres of open pasture, rows of fruit trees and yes, even the classic red barn. Translucent greenhouses glowed amber in front of the sun's assent. After driving through the long stretch of city life,…

Post author:Christy
Post published:November 11, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Not so foreign, but I'd never seen a quince in person before.

Field Trip: Little Farm in Encino, CA

We're about to take you on a journey to a magical place; a place where tropical and rare fruits grow in abundance, where grapevines climb arbors, where goats, chickens, rabbits and birds live in comfort, all in the middle of a housing tract in Encino, CA. Clive Segil, the owner of this parcel just under 2 acres, calls it Little Farm, but there's nothing little about it. A group of Our Time Bank friends and I ventured out to Encino…

Post author:Christy
Post published:August 26, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:1 Comment