Blooming in the Drought--Sustaining Pollinators on a Water Budget

The mall is blooming. You can always tell when 'tis the season for new shoes because the mall has changed out the flower borders. In Southern California we've gone from Christmas red begonias to spring pastel pansies to the first riotous red, orange and pink zinnias of early summer in the beds at the mall. They're so beautiful and trust me, color therapy is a thing I believe in deeply--but when I walk past those gorgeous color-filled beds and hear the sprinklers hissing under their leaves, I can't help but feel a twinge of guilt.

"You thought you could enjoy flowers without paying the price? No. No. You'll pay. Oh, you'll pay."

Even though Southern California has had unseasonable amounts of rain this calendar year and Northern California had a very successful rain year in 2016, helping to raise the water table and address some of the dwindling snowpack in the northern mountains that feeds many of our dwindling aquifiers, California is still deep in a drought that will probably be permanent. Our chaparral and desert climate in California was never meant to sustain the amount of farmland and elaborate landscaping peppering the state. Even a traditional suburban lawn sucks down an average of 2000 gallons of water a week just to keep the grass green, even under water restrictions.

Thaaaaat's a lot. For grass? for essentially a spiky dirt carpet? That's a lot. 

Grass is persona non grata on my urban farm these days since we let the lawn die in favor of vegetable beds and fruit trees. But the question of flowers has always been a tough one for me. Are they worth the water? In an urban garden every non-edible plant has to have a function--I have rue to keep away the Japanese beetles, garlic to keep off the aphids. Even my edible herbs live where they live for a reason--cilantro with peppers, basil with tomatoes, companions to encourage the growth of one another and improve the flavor of the edibles. Are my roses out there pulling their weight?

Further complicating that question is the looming disaster of the rapidly dwindling honeybee populations as Colony Collapse Disorder ravages colonies all over the country, leaving scientists baffled as to the source. The Hawaiian yellow faced honeybee was declared an endangered species this week for the first time, leaving species of vegetables like tomatoes, which can only be pollinated by honeybees, threatened as well. While scientists don't know what is causing Colony Collapse Disorder, a bizarre phenomenon which causes the drones to abandon the hive for no reason and die, the decline in available water sources and the longer and longer journeys that bees must undertake in search of pollen have also contributed to the decline in the bee population. Simply stated, fewer pollen-producing flowers per acre means longer flights for bees, who often die of dehydration or heat exhaustion from having to range so far afield with no fresh water sources to sustain them. 

So flowers, pollen-rich flowers, could do a lot for wild honeybee populations. and luckily there are some drought tolerant flowers that take very little water while providing brightly colored bee-attracting blooms. 

Purple-blue borage: edible leaves, medicinal uses for flowers, and a bee-paradise. 

Borage is one of my favorites. You don't often find it in nurseries already started; I planted my first plants from seed. They're super easy to grow, requiring nothing in terms of maintenance, and are self perpetuating. This patch of borage came up from seeds that fell between beds from last year's crop, and came up like gang-busters just from the winter rains. They are BIG, one plant stretching somewhere around 2-3' and reaching about that height. They are a perfect plant to have next to your vegetable beds as bees love them and they can thrive off the runoff from your vegetable watering. The leaves are big and slightly fuzzy and are edible, though the fuzzy texture makes them a little off-putting for me personally; but I rip off a handful of leaves every morning for my chickens and they love them. The stems are succulent and store a lot of water so this plant can take a lot of abuse.

Nasturtiums, "Alaska" mix; heirloom

These nasturtiums are also a hit with my chickens who go crazy for the leaves and the flowers. Harvesting the seeds from these heirlooms couldn't be easier; they drop from the flower heads as soon as the petals start to fade. Bees go crazy for them, especially with the yellow and orange blooms. They fade in the fall and go dormant, but this batch also came up with no help just from seeds that fell from last year's crop and the winter rains. Birds LOVE them so if you plant from seed, keep the bed covered with netting until they get big enough; and they spread a lot, mounding up quite high. Also good for borders, since they will really take over any bed they share; but they keep the ground shaded while taking up very little root space, so they are a good choice under taller plants like fruit trees. Nasturtiums are also a "trap crop", which means they attract bugs and pests and keep them off of your vegetables. When you start to see them getting infested with aphids or cabbage loopers, pull the infected plant and toss it in the compost heap. While nasturtiums do require a little water, they are by no means water hogs; I just hit them with the hose when they start to look droopy and otherwise they live off of the runoff from the vegetable beds.

Scented geranium, "Tea Rose"

These scented geraniums are probably my favorite water-wise flowering plant in the world. Scented geraniums are similar to regular geraniums but their leaves contain a strongly fragranced oil that makes the leaves scented with anything from chocolate mint to tea roses to citronella. I originally bought and planted these scented geraniums because I had read they were one of the most strongly fragrant plants out there, and I was trying to combat a stinky backyard that smelled horribly of dog from the previous owners. Whenever I had a few extra bucks I would drop by the nursery, pick up another 6" pot of these (sold in the herb section, all leaves and no flowers) and stick it in the ground. They required a bit of water to take hold but otherwise were one of my first successful garden projects. I stated collecting all the different kinds I could find and they were really, beautifully fragrant. It only took a slight breeze for the wind to pick up the scent and fill the backyard with a fresh sweet aroma.

I had never had geraniums before so I was completely unprepared for what happened once they got established. My leafy green pots shot out runners and started growing EVERYWHERE. The "citronella" variation grew straight up in stalks but all the others started sending out their vines and twining all over everything--the retaining wall, the fence, and each other. And then, without warning, they BLOOMED! Pale pink and peach and bright pink and deep fucshia, they exploded into blossom and the bees went straight for them. Once they were established, I never watered them. I went through a period where I was just too overwhelmed to take care of the garden and stopped watering them and they just grew higher. I have several plants that have now grown up over the fence and taken over everything on my back hill, and the bees just go to town. 

The great thing about geraniums is that they are easy to prune, the stalks, no matter how thick, being fairly brittle and easy to clip. They propagate themselves readily, growing to fill any space, and take up very little root space. If you can train them to grow up they look gorgeous against a fence or climbing up a tree. They drop their leaves and make their own thick, crumbly mulch, and the few times we have wanted to clear an area of geraniums they are extremely easy to pull up as their roots are very shallow.

Bottom line, when I'm thinking about what's going to live in my urban garden, I'm looking for flowers that are pollen rich (sunflowers for example, are great, but many strains have been developed to prevent allergies and have are pollen-free) or will repel or trap pests. If they can attract beneficial insects, like Bachelor Buttons attract ladybugs, great. If they're edible, as all three of the plants I've highlighted here are, even better. They need to be low-maintenance, since vegetables require most of my attention in the spring and summer months. The question remains then--with all of these great, water-wise plants, filled with pollen, requiring no care...are my roses worth it? Roses require pruning, dead-heading and weekly water; they attract diseases and take work to keep them free of leaf rot and rust spot and pests like aphids. They're petulant, spoiled princesses: if you leave them alone, they'll grow sickly and wither on their canes. 

Still...today as I was taking a good long look at the ultra fertile soil those roses live in, that beautiful crumbly dark soil filled with banana peels and garlic heads and cocoa mulch that I have cultivated over the years in order to keep those roses healthy, as I was thinking how I could stick an orange tree into that space if I just yanked them all up and it would probably take up less water, as I was asking myself what these roses were doing to earn their keep...

I noticed three honeybees climbing drunkenly into a single white rose, seductively shimmying up and down the inner petals, luxuriating in their soft, silken spa, sliding their legs through the pollen in a bacchanal of hedonism. The wind picked up the scent and carried the honey-sweet fragrance of the roses to caress my face. 

Dammit. 

Fine. But you're sharing the bed with the garlic bulbs.

Sustainably Lux--Better from the (Urban) Farm

Ok, yes, I'm an environmentalist but I admit it--the main reason I want an urban farm is I have expensive tastes. I'd floop around all day in Jimmy Choos from patisserie at Alice Walker's Chez Panisse in Berkeley to a tasting menu at Thomas Keller's French Laundry, picking up artisan candles and soaps along the way, if I could--but sadly, house payments.

Hi. I'm a freeloading slacker that does nothing but provide shelter and keep you from your dreams.

Luckily, urban farming, as in so many other ways, provides. Here are a few of my favorite things that are sustainably lux and so, SO much better from the farm:

Crack Level-Addictive Everyday Sandwich Bread

First of all, can someone PLEASE deconstruct the heavenly orgasm that is the smell of fresh baking bread and bottle it into a candle because I cannot maintain my sanity in a kitchen that is slightly warm and filled with that ambrosial scent of yeasty wheat rising loaves. It's seriously one of the things you're supposed to do to sell your home--have something baking in the oven--and nothing is better and more universally yummy and comforting than the smell of baking bread. I wish I could dab it on behind my ears and go. Gucci "Essenza del Pane". I'm saying.

My recipe for everyday sandwich bread is delicious to smell but even better fresh out of the oven, because I have a little trick of greasing the loaf pans with bacon grease. That's...not the most elegant and luxurious phrase in the world so ...I'm going to rename it Flavor Infused Crisping Oil, because that's exactly what it does. I bake my bacon in the oven on racks over a roasting pan to catch the drippings and then use that as my cooking fat for just about everything, including greasing baking tins. It leaves a faintly salty flavor on the crispy crust of the fresh baked bread, so when you take it out of the pan, it slides right out and tastes like crunchy soft heaven. You cannot get fresh baked bread that is that hot and crispy unless you stand in the bakery and wait for them to hand it to you straight out of the oven. This bread also has no preservatives and you won't need preservatives because in my experience you can't keep a loaf in the house without it being devoured within a day.

Meyer Lemon Curd

Lemon curd is super easy to make; it's essentially zest, juice, egg yolks, butter and sugar whisked together over a double boiler until it thickens. It takes about 15 minutes to juice and zest the fruit and 15 minutes to cook.

Wait, then why does this cost $12.95?

Meyer lemons, full disclaimer, are not one of those super hyped, no delivery fruits that people tack onto the name to make something look "artisanal". Meyer lemons are actually almost a completely different fruit, with an increased sweetness, a finer peel, lower acidity and are somewhere between a Eureka (standard) lemon and a clementine. While you could definitely make a regular lemon curd, it would be much more sour and lemonade-flavored than the delicacy of a meyer lemon curd, which is so delicious and rich you really won't need more than a bite. Perfect for tarts or for a dollop on top of yogurt, it's just one of my favorite things.

There are a ton of lower priced substitutes, but I think Williams-Sonoma is the best curd, lightly sweet and rich, bringing out the flavor of the Meyer lemons. At $12.95 for a jar of what is essentially flavored butter, though? Mmm, that's asking a lot. Luckily, Williams-Sonoma publishes their recipes and you can make your own exactly like theirs. You can find Meyers in the grocery store and at farmer's markets in the spring and summer, and you only need three for this recipe (two if they're particularly big). I get mine from my dwarf Meyer lemon tree that lives in a pot on my patio and produces lemons all year round. My curd is vibrant, sunshiney-lemon yellow with no additives because of the intense color of my backyard chicken eggs--their highly varied diet makes their egg yolks an extra bright yellow. 

On the left, Mrs. Dickinson's (pale and sad) on the right, my brilliant, happy curd. 

Dwarf Meyer lemons are about the easiest thing to keep in your backyard, and they cost about the same as a single jar of WS Meyer Lemon Curd; they're happy in a big pot, just add citrus fertilizer from time to time and you've essentially taken out the most expensive ingredient in the recipe to lemon-y joy.

Meyer Lemon Curd (Source: Williams Sonoma Kitchen)

• 8 egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice
• Grated zest of 2 lemons
• 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut
    into 1/2-inch pieces
• In the top pan of a double boiler, combine the egg yolks and sugar and whisk vigorously for 1 minute. Add the Meyer lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk for 1 minute more. Set the top pan over but not touching barely simmering water in the bottom pan and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the butter, 1 piece at a time, whisking until melted before adding more.
  
  Remove the pan from the heat. Pour the curd through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, pressing the curd through with a rubber spatula. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. Makes 2 cups. 

The only problem with this recipe is that you're left with a ton of egg whites. What to do, what to do, what to do with those beautiful egg whites from your backyard chickens?

Lemon Meringue Tarts

I typically freeze extra egg whites in the hopes of not having to waste them, but once I had collected a huge bag full in the course of making a few batches of lemon curd, I had to do something with them. I went looking in my copy of Thomas Kellers "Bouchon Bakery" cookbook, seriously the gold standard of baking from basic French technique all the way up through a completely hedonistic decadence, for things that require egg whites. Meringues were the first thing that popped up, and in conjunction with having just made lemon curd? How could I not make lemon meringue tarts?

With as sweet and rich as the lemon curd was, I chose a tart dough with no sugar, made for savory tarts, called pate brisee. Once the tart shells were cooled I filled them with lemon curd and chilled again, then topped with delicious swiss meringue and bruleed them with a culinary torch. You can also use the swiss meringue recipe to make a pavlova--a baked meringue that tastes like a crispy marshmallow--just spread or pipe it into a circular shape and bake at 350 for a few minutes until it solidifies. You can then use the pavlova as a shell on its own and spread it with lemon curd or any kind of jam for a delicious sweet dessert with no fat.

Swiss Meringue (source: Thomas Keller's "Bouchon Bakery")
Egg whites--100 g/about 3
Sugar--200 g/1 cup

Mix egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer set over a double boiler. Whisk and heat to 160 degrees, then put back on the stand mixer and whisk for 5 minutes on medium high or until meringue holds stiff peaks.

Pate Brisee (source: Thomas Keller's "Bouchon Bakery")
All purpose flour, divided--140 g/1 cup
                                            165 g/1cup+3 tablespoons
Kosher salt--3 g/1 tsp
Cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4" cubes--227 g/8 oz
Ice water--58 g/1/4 cup

Mix the 140 g flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. With the mixer running on low, add the butter small handful at a time. When all butter has been added, increase speed to medium low and mix for 1 minute until blended. Scrape down, turn to medium low, and add remaining 165 g flour. Mix just to combine. Add water and mix until incorporated. Dough should feel smooth, not sticky.

Pat into 7-8" disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour to overnight.

Roll out between two sheets of plastic wrap to 1/8" thickness and drape to fit individual tart pans (makes 1 dozen). No greasing of pans is required, butter in the dough will not stick when baked.
Blind bake at 350 for 12-16 minutes with tart pans on a cookie sheet, then allow to cool completely on wire racks.

Seriously, what better use for backyard chicken eggs?
Speaking of backyard chickens...

Backyard Chicken Eggs

One of these things is better. You see it. Left, store bought and chalky. Right, backyard deliciousness.

They're just better. Think about a commercial chicken on the worst end of a spectrum, and the battery cage where she lives, stacked under another battery cage with another hen, and so on up to the top of the cement warehouse where they will live out their lives, breathing and eating each other's feces along with the cheap, filler and hormone laden food they're fed to keep them at their most productive. 

A "cage free" hen gets a slightly better life in that she's not under layers and layers of other hens but the FDA doesn't regulate "cage free" eggs as anything beyond literally hens not living in cages. The warehouse with the concrete floor is still there, along with the feces in the air and in the food, being ingested by the chicken who is processing your eggs. Even a "free range" chicken can sometimes live in the same warehouse, with access to the outside via a small channel that most of the hens in the house will never get close enough to experience. 

'Kay. It's gross. 

But a backyard chicken lives with a dirt floor in the open air. Litter in their coop absorbs the worst of their waste; the rest dries and decomposes into the dirt below. Hens have access to clean feed but also an omnivorous diet as is their nature--bugs, worms, snails, grass, leaves, clover, weeds. Pizza sometimes, if I'm honest, but also asparagus, peppers, pumpkin seeds, sage, kale, carrots, almond meal, stale cake--anything unspoiled and edible. My hens eat as well as we do, and they process eggs that are richly, beautifully, perfectly yellow. Side by side with even farmer's market eggs, there's no comparison. They taste gooier, eggier, more intensely flavorful. In comparison store bought eggs start to taste chalky. Backyard eggs are better in EVERYTHING, from scrambled eggs to sugar cookies.

And speaking of sugar cookies...

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Okay, this isn't grown on my urban farm. But it's created on my urban farm, it's flavorful, it's super easy to make and it's a little cheaper than grocery store vanilla--a lot cheaper than Nielson Massey (the gold standard of vanilla extract). I make mine in a pretty glass cruet, extra artisanal-ly delicious. You will need:

1 cup vodka, rum or bourbon (inexpensive is fine)
5 vanilla beans
Glass jar with lid or cork

Fill the jar with your alcohol. Vodka will leave the cleanest flavor; bourbon or rum will leave a little extra flavor behind. Cut the vanilla beans into 1" pieces and slice them open; scrape the vanilla flecks into the jar and then add the beans themselves. Shake to mix, and shake occasionally for the next eight weeks. Once fully diffused, you can add more alcohol as the liquid levels drop with use; if the flavor starts to feel become too diluted, add another bean. Shelf stable, no need to refrigerate.

Sugar cookies with this bourbon vanilla extract taste extra delicious; even the most simple recipes are infused with added flavor. We also use it in our homemade chocolate syrup to bring out the flavor of the cocoa for our almond milk mochas.

Almond Milk Mocha

Yes, this is also not grown on my urban farm but created, and it's so tasty and flavorful that when our espresso machine was out for repair and I had to go back to Starbucks, I ended up taking one sip and just decided to go without until we could make our own again. What makes it so fantastic for me is the fresh almond milk we make ourselves (a hassle, but 100% worth it, one taste of authentic fresh almond milk and you will never be able to go back to the flat, chemical flavor of store bought); homemade chocolate syrup, and fresh ground espresso.

Any coffee drink you'd normally have with cream or milk is fantastic with fresh almond milk. Where milk fades into the background of a coffee drink, almond milk enhances and adds a flavor of its own. Fresh almond milk is foamy, creamy and without any of the cloying sweetness of store bought.
You will need:

6 oz. raw almonds
5 cups water
A cheesecloth or a nut bag

Put the almonds in a small bowl or pyrex measuring cup with enough water to cover, and let soak overnight. Drain and place almonds with 5 cups water into a blender. Blend on high until almonds are liquified. Strain through cheesecloth or nut bag into second container (we repurposed a glass juice jar with a tight fitting lid). Makes 4 cups. Keep refrigerated for no more than two days. Shake before use.

Urban farming satisfies my gourmet tastes on a budget...backyard blueberries with as varied flavor as different varieties of grapes, sun-warmed strawberries, PINEAPPLE strawberries, fresh onions so strong and green and fragrant you can smell them on the breeze, crisp sugar snap peas straight from the vine...ahhh. If only I could grow Louboutins in my raised beds.

Berry-red...close enough.