The Walden Effect: Farming, simple living, permaculture, and invention.

Spiralizing zucchini, feasting on chanterelles, and more

Spiralizing zucchini

It's been six weeks since I last regaled you with my adventures. Let's see if I can sum it all up in ten pictures or less....

Luna Moth fencing

I'll start with the most relevant bit --- the garden. As might be expected, our plot is feeding us bountifully (especially in the zucchini department). We've been building a tremendous netted anti-aviary around the berries, which I hope will be chipmunk proof before the second round of strawberries starts to ripen. And we're weeding (never quite enough), planting, and even freezing dribs and drabs of extra produce.

Smooth chanterelle

The woods are also providing delicious feasts in the form of wild mushrooms. My current favorite is the Smooth Chanterelle, which smells like apricots and tastes even better. At the moment the forest is providing more than we can eat!

Compost bin

Meanwhile, a garden tour provided lots of bright ideas, like this pretty and functional compost bin.

Bouche-Thomas hedge

Then we caught sight of a Bouche-Thomas Hedge at a Xenia arboretum. Unfortunately, closer inspection revealed that the apple trees had almost no fruits on them. I suspect the complexities of managing for both aesthetics and productivity are beyond most gardeners.

Mother and daughter

And then there were visits...

Kids at the lake

...lessons in spontaneity from the neighbor kids...

Active archaeological dig

...a fascinating tour of an active archaeological dig...

Russula mushroom

...another hands-on lesson in mushroom identification...

Eastern pond hawk

...and seemingly endless beauty.

Light waterfall

How was your June? (Did you notice I snuck in photo number eleven?)



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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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So glad you are posting entries! I have been enjoying your posts for years, and enjoy them so much!
Comment by Maggie Turner Sat Jul 6 18:33:29 2019
Nice to see the updates Anna. I am jealous that you are getting more chanterelles than you can keep up with, we are not having a great year for them here in Maine. If you haven't already tried freezing them, I definitely recommend it. Saute in a dry non-stick pan until the water renders and cooks off, add a little bit of butter, and then just vacuum seal and freeze in bags any that you don't eat right away. I just thaw them in a warm water bath and do a quick saute to reheat or add to soups, casseroles, etc. Happy hunting!
Comment by Anonymous Fri Jul 19 10:47:17 2019





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