Have you ever thought about what sort of food grows around your neighborhood? The bounty of edibles found right around the corner, from apples and nuts to rosemary and greens, is astounding. The urban landscape is filled with fresh, free food if you just know what to look for. Plants you might normally ignore, like dandelions or nettles, can be cooked into healthy, delicious meals.

Many people first experienced wild foods in their childhood—learning to mushroom hunt with their grandfather or picking apples from a neighbor’s tree. Looking for wild fruits, veggies, and nuts is a fun family activity that helps teach kids the value of local, fresh food. In addition to having kids help you forage for your own kitchen, you can volunteer to help harvest urban edibles for those in need (see resources below). More...

-Heather Hale, Sustainable Business Accounts Manager

The seasons here in the East Bay are definitely changing. We've had our first two heavy rains, and there's a new crispness to the air. Leaves are turning wonderful shades of red, orange, and rust, and many trees are losing their leaves altogether.

You're probably picking the last of your homegrown tomatoes, if you haven't already. But wait! If you're packing all that gardening equipment away until early next spring - and you haven't tried fall and winter gardening yet - you're missing out on six months of outdoor fun! More...

Did you know that some plants grow better when they grow next to other plants? The opposite is also true, where some plants just don’t get along. It is a little known secret in organic gardening and all has to do with one plant repelling pests that would attack the other plant, or attracting beneficial insects, providing nutrients, or in some cases simply offering shade and support. Celebrate this marvelous concept in biodiversity when planning your spring garden. More...

Native plants are a gardeners dream: local, tolerant, and inviting to wildlife.

The California Native Plant Society is an excellent resource. Select a native plant from one of these lists:

• Butterfly Host and Nectar Plants
• East Bay Calochortus
• California's Colorful Calochortuses: An Introduction
• Buckwheats of the Eastern Sierra

If you are fond of a particular type of plant, ask your nursery if there is a similar native variety that you can grow instead.

Resources
California Native Plant Society local chapters

Ask the Gardener at California Gardens: gardener@californiagardens.com

Great California Native Plants from www.bewaterwise.com

Gardening Project #1: Eating From Your Yard More...

Growing your own food has become wildly popular, due in part to food prices rising, a national interest in organic living, and author Michael Pollan suggesting the White House lawn be partially converted into a vegetable garden.

But what’s the harm in a lawn, and how can you get started? More...

Around the end of summertime, gardeners start playing jokes on one another.  Neighbors donate apples to each other, and receive their produce back in the shapes of homemade pies or crumbles.  Baskets of free tomatoes grace office tables, and Craigslist posts about excess pears abound.  The best way to get rid of extra fruit and veg that I’ve heard of, though, involves zucchini:  put them on your neighbor’s porch, ring the doorbell, and run.  For the record, if anyone out there would like to play this joke on me, just email me and we’ll work something out. More...

I firmly believe it’s nearly impossible to divorce a thing from the context you experience it in.  Sixteen means drivers’ licenses,  early morning cartoons are for Saturdays, and cake and ice cream spells birthday party.  That being the case, few things are as synonymous with sultry summer days as watermelon.  The sweet, juicy, messiness of this gourd is embedded in most of us as common picnic or dessert fare, and there’s little that can do as much to cool you off as much as sinking your teeth into a ripe slice on a sweltering day. More...

While walking to work this morning, I heard one my favorite sounds – bees buzzing away while collecting their tax of pollen.  Even better, they were buzzing away on one of my personal favorite plants – the lovely lavender.

Lavender, like the roses we discussed not so long ago, has also been cultivated for ages.  Part of the mint genus (which explains its square stems and poignant fragrance), lavender is native to the Mediterranean region.  This makes it a perfect match for Oregon’s modified Mediterranean climate.  Growing your own lavender plants is relatively simple, too – you can purchase plants from a nursery, or simply look for a friendly neighbor with a plant.  Often, lavender plants will send up their own tiny shoots, which can be dug up and transplanted.  If there aren’t any shoots, you can usually just divide the plant in half (carefully, of course). More...

A man does not plant a tree for himself,  he plants it for posterity. - Alexander Smith

With little effort and zero fancy equipment, I’ve reduced my average water consumption by three percent. Long, hot days of summer have slowed me down and drained ME of energy, but not the weeds. The weeds are running riot and lustily propagating faster than I can eliminate them. I am mostly watering only the plants which I planted this spring and summer, plus my tomatoes, the containers, and of course the hydrangeas. More...

The non-profit organization Trillium Artisans has long been a favorite of EcoMetro Portland. Members must use a minimum of 50% recycled materials in their gifts and wares. The flower represents the three principles of people, planet and profit that guide this group in creating business opportunities for low-income artists. Group members are coached in small business counseling and gain access to credit card processing and other benefits that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive. Applicants must be below the median income in Portland ($33,950 for a house of four, $27,150 for two and $23,750 for one). This week we'll take a look at some of our favorite picks from the online shop. Artists interested in forming a similar group in your area can contact Trillium via their site for more information. More...