Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Environmental Happenings

Late blight has hit Maine and New England with a vengeance this year. Dr. Steven B. Johnson, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Crops Specialist, writes, "Late blight is caused by Phytophthora infestans, a fungus-like organism. Few plant diseases can rival the widespread misery and despair of late blight. Many tomato and potato growers are getting their first introduction to late blight. I’m afraid that many are unprepared for the level of destruction that this pathogen can cause."

Tomatoes and potatoes affected by blight show brown spots on leaves and stems that quickly spread, causing the entire plant to wilt and die. Otherwise healthy and vigorous plants can be overcome in a matter of days. Dr. Johnson's note (available from the MOFGA web site) explains how organic growers can control late blight with copper hydroxide.

Unfortunately, copper hydroxide is not suitable for most home gardeners. If you apply copper hydroxide, be very careful to read and follow the application notes. Ideally, you should have an eye-flush container available, and wear coveralls, chemical resistant gloves, shoes, socks and protective eye wear if you plan to reenter the treated area within 24 hours after application.

Instead of attempting to treat blight, most sources recommend that home gardeners pull blighted plants and either immediately bury them at least 12 inches deep or bag them in plastic and throw them in the garbage. Composting blighted plants above ground can spread the spores and prolong the infestation. A related strain of late blight was responsible for the Irish potato famine; this disease has been a serious problem for a long time!

The weather seems to be the main culprit for the widespread nature of the disease this year. The organism thrives in cool, wet weather. Another problem, according to a specialist quoted by The New York Times, may have been infected plants distributed by large retailers like Home Depot and Wal*Mart. Seedlings showing signs of blight were observed in at least one box store in New York state and remained on sale for more than a week. The distribution of infected seedlings may have exacerbated the outbreak this year.

Environmental Events

F.W. Horch summer hours: Mon by appointment, Tue-Sat 9:30-6, Sun Closed.

Thursday, August 13 - Permaculture Design: Tools for Local Food Self Sufficiency, 7 pm, F.W. Horch, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick. Come learn how to turn your lawnscape into a sustainable food-producing gardenscape. Permaculture practitioners Noah Wentworth, Lisa Fernandes, and Ted Markow will lead the discussion. For more information, please call 729-4050. Free and open to the public.

Tuesday, August 18 - Climate Action and Clean Energy Now, 7 pm, The Gulf of Maine Research Institute, 350 Commercial Street, Portland. Climate expert Dr. Joseph Romm, author of Hell and High Water and the editor of the most widely read climate blog in the country (http://www.climateprogress.org/) will speak on the movement toward a clean energy future. This event is one of 50 events to celebrate Natural Resource Council of Maine’s 50 years protecting the nature of Maine. Join NRCM for a reception from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., with the presentation to follow at 7:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. You are encouraged to register online to help with planning. For more information, visit http://www.nrcm.org/.

Pack a Lunch, Save a Lot

Get into the habit of packing a lunch in reusable lunchware. You'll save money, eat healthier, and help clean up our landscape.


More Facts About Packed Lunches
  1. A recent article in Forbes magazine listed packing your own lunch as the number one way to save money at your job, with an estimated annual savings of $780.
  2. Packing your own lunch makes it easier for you to eat a healthy mid-day meal because you can control your portion size, include a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, and avoid processed foods.
  3. If everyone used reusable lunchware, we could keep billions of disposable cups, utensils and wrappers from littering our landscape and clogging our landfills.
  4. Eating lunch within walking distance helps reduce traffic congestion at one of the busiest times of day. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, more car trips are taken per hour during lunch time (noon to 1 pm) than during the morning commute hours (7 am - 9 am).
  5. The United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service provides several recommendations for "bag" lunches: pack just the amount of perishable food that can be eaten for lunch so you won't have to worry about the safety of leftovers, include a frozen gel pack or frozen drink to keep food cold, pack your lunch in an insulated lunch box, or pack items that don't require refrigeration, such as whole fruits and vegetables, hard cheese, peanut butter and jelly, breads, and crackers.
  6. Rigid containers, such as stainless steel tins, keep everything from getting smooshed, making it easy to enjoy a healthy salad and fresh fruit every day.
  7. Ramit Sethi, the author of I Will Teach You To Be Rich, suggests starting by deciding how many times each week you will pack your lunch, and how many times you will eat out. That way, you can plan ahead so you aren't stressed out every morning trying to put together a lunch for the day.
  8. Having two or three sets of reusable lunchware makes your life easier because you don't have to worry about washing your lunchware every single day. If you forget or get too busy to wash things one evening, you'll still have a clean set ready to use the next day. (You will eventually have to wash them all, though!)
  9. If you're really pressed for time in the mornings, pack up your lunch the night before and put it in the fridge. Until you get into the habit of taking your lunch with you, a reminder note on your door ("Don't forget lunch is in the fridge!") might be a good idea.
  10. Packing your own tap water in a stainless steel bottle is by most accounts the cheapest and healthiest option for drinking. (Buy a water filter if you're concerned about chlorine or other contaminants in your tap water.) You risk cracking a metal bottle if you put it in the freezer, but you can fill it with ice cubes to help keep your food cool. By lunch time, the ice will have melted and your water will be ready to drink.
  11. Signing up for a community supported agriculture (CSA) share, or visiting a farmers market, is a great way to buy fresh local food in season for a week's worth of lunches.
  12. One reason people don't bring their own lunches to work is that they don't want to miss out on going out to eat with their colleagues. If you can change the culture of your workplace, people can bring their lunches and eat them together. Lunch time is important for socializing and networking; in a "green" workplace, you can bring your own lunch and eat it, too, without being left out of the group.
  13. A "naked" lunch rule will help you make sure you really are saving money, eating healthier, and keeping our landscape clean. Ideally, everything you pack in your lunch will be "naked", i.e. it won't be in its own individual wrapper. For example, whole fruits and vegetables, sandwiches, and your water or other beverage will go "naked" into your reusable lunchware. Anything that comes in its own plastic, paper or foil wrapper is likely to be more expensive, less nutritious, and (thanks to the extra wrapper) more wasteful than a naked alternative.
  14. Don't forget to bring home your peels, pits, paper napkins and any left overs. It all makes great compost!

Monday, August 03, 2009

Permaculture Design: Tools for Local Food Self Sufficiency

F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods and Supplies, 56 Maine St., Brunswick, will host "Permaculture Design: Tools for Local Food Self Sufficiency," a discussion led by local permaculture practitioners Noah Wentworth, Lisa Fernandes and Ted Markow, on Thursday, August 13, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. The talk is free and open to the public.

"We can grow food and our local economy by utilizing our own yards, public open space and our local farmland," says Mr. Wentworth. "Come learn how to turn your lawnscape into a food producing gardenscape."

Addressing the growing concern about the energy consumed in shipping food from distant places and the degraded nutritional value when that food ultimately reaches our dinner plate, permaculture design offers strategies to grow more food in our own communities. Permaculture is a unique approach to creating agricultural systems that are perennial and evolve micro ecosystems that are healthier and more disease resistant. By designing ways to grow more food locally, permaculture seeks to strengthen local economies and revitalize our own yards, public open spaces and local farmland through plant diversity and balanced resource extraction.

Those attending the discussion will learn proven strategies for turning an unproductive "lawnscape" into a food producing "gardenscape" with enhanced economic and aesthetic value. Seating is limited, so those interested in attending are encouraged to call the store at (207) 729-4050 to reserve a space.

This presentation is part of the F.W. Horch series on sustainable living. Each monthly talk is held at the F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods & Supplies store, 56 Maine Street, Brunswick on the second Thursday of the month. September's presentation will feature Al Heath on the topic of designing and building or renovating your own super efficient home.

For more information, please call (207) 729-4050 or visit www.FWHorch.com.