July 16 - 21

Let's see...this week I did a lot of weeding...so much that it was all I could think about when trying to fall asleep. There is something satisfying about pulling up weeds and watching their long roots pull out of the soil. It reminds me of that time at Oxford when I watched the lady in the Ox (a late night grill on campus) pull a long hair out of my milkshake before handing it to me.

This weeks lessons:

- When letting a field go fallow it is best to fill it with "green manure." This means that when you harvest crops you plant leguminous plants (such as clover) in its place. It is best to mix those plants with wheat because it is a "pusher" - it encourages the legumes to do their job of nitrogen fixing. Eventually, the green manure will be turned over in preparation for a new crop to go in.
- Sunflowers are allelopathic, meaning they deter weeds by releasing a toxin. Therefore, sunflowers are good to plant at the end of a beds to prevent weeds from creeping in.
- When picking peas...if you lightly pinch the outside and feel a slight hollowness or hear them rattle they are not ready to pick...and if they have a bumpy, rubbery shell they are too old.
-White rot, Sclerotium cepivorum, is a fungal disease that attacks garlic plants. Once a farm gets white rot they can never grow garlic again because it sporifies until it senses garlic again. It also has an ability to move through the soil...so planting garlic in another location on the farm doesn't work. So whenever we visit other farms we have to clean off our shoes so that we don't track it elsewhere.

Mmmm...it was pretty rainy all week. Funny how rain effects my mood...makes me bleh. I cooked lunch again on Friday! Que disorden! I made lentils cooked with carrots, onions, raisins, garlic, pepper, curry, and garham marsala! Yum. Along with some stir-fried kale and sunflower seeds...and oatmeal cookies. What a process! Or prOcess (long o sound) as the Canadians say. I'm gonna have to think of easier and faster meals. Any ideas would be much appreciated!

My cousin Sadie and her 11 week old baby, Kohen, came for a visit...along with my second cousin, Acacia. It was nice to have family visit...and especially nice to have a bubbling baby around. Babies have such a sweet life....so cozy. Que rico! - As my host mother in Costa Rica would say. It's the same phrase you would use when saying a meal is delicious. How delicious babies are!

I went to market again on Saturday with Mary Alice. From there I caught a bus home. It was my first DOUBLE DECKER BUS! As soon as I got on I rushed upstairs to get a good seat in the front row, and it turned out I was the only person ever up there. I was like a dog going for a car ride...all panting and stuff. I guess Canadians are soooo over double deckers. Anyway, tis all for now...until something more amusing comes along.