Meatless Monday: Victory?!?

There was a time in the not so distant past when Americans stood united behind their president as he called for the nation to support the war effort by conserving resources (in the first organized recycling program) and growing their own produce so that canned goods could be sent to the troops overseas. In answer to the call, the “Victory Garden” was born. On farm plots, city lots, and rooftops across America, families and neighbors planted vegetables — in every available space. Nearly 20 million Americans rose to the occasion, with gardens producing some 9-10 million tons of food, an amount equivalent to what was being commercially grown! 

To get an idea of what was planted in a 1943 Victory Garden, check out the one which was recreated outside the National Museum of American History’s cafeteria and the info and images included on the museum’s website. 

After World War II ended, many of the plots turned back into lawns or flower gardens, or simply roofs. Some of the community gardens continued on as rental plots on conservation land. [My dad had one for years at Rock Meadow in Belmont, MA.] But most Americans returned to shopping in the store for their produce needs.

With the renewed interested in eating local food, backyard gardening is once again on the rise. [Look for a post in the near future on what is happening in New Haven.] For now you will have to settle for a brief report on what’s been happening in my backyard, which those of you who follow my blog know is very small, heavily shaded, and very near a very busy street.

There is nothing like a fresh-picked tomato. When the nursery school offered grape tomatoes as a selection in the plant sale a few months back, I decided to practice what I preach and give backyard food gardening a try once again. I bought two plants, planted them in two large pots, full of homegrown compost, and placed them in the sunniest spot in my yard. I know I don’t have enough sun for Big Boys : any variety with which I have ever experimented has ripened at least one size smaller than promised. The grape variety, however, has been a huge success. I put the plants in cages and let the vines roam all over. [I know that sounds like a contradiction.] I’ve been picking them by the handful, and they taste great!  There are still plenty of green ones on the vines and lots of new flowers. Just about a week ago it even looked pretty certain that these plants would prove to be a good economic investment.

My pride and joy.

But last Saturday I noticed the andromeda bush out back under the crabapple tree shaking with unusual vigor for a calm day. And then I spied a large rodent waddling through. I watched it disappear through the hole in the fence into the yard next door, presumably to a burrow under the abandoned shed. After hearing the tales of my friend across town I was pretty sure a woodchuck had paid a visit. I Googled, and discovered that the ground is littered with one of the woodchuck’s favorite foods – the crabapples we don’t eat. This could well be what attracted him or her to our yard. While I can marvel at some of the woodchuck’s habits, such as the fact that its den includes a chamber designated as a bathroom, I can’t say I’m thrilled with the possibility that it might stay here and raise a family. Once they like a place, it is very difficult to get these critters to leave, and my yard has lots of amenities.

I know my friend’s “Woody”  ventures onto the back porch to raid her tomatoes. Are mine doomed to be woodchuck fodder? Just in case, I’d been particularly careful to pick all the ripe fruit over the last couple of days. Then early this afternoon I had a close encounter of the woodchuck kind. I had almost forgotten all about Woody when I glimpsed from my garden apartment window what I thought was a gargantuan squirrel [all I could see was its head] peering out from behind a flowerpot and eyeing my crop. It lt stared at me as I stared at it, and then off Woody lumbered. Woody is really big! You’ll just have to believe me for now, but I’ll be ready to point and shoot [a photo that is] next time. I promise to keep you posted.

Have a good week and please visit again soon.

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal  health and the health of our planet.”

Not Quite the Last Weekend in August Updates

Even the most intrepid blogger needs a break now and then. I took one and have returned rested, refreshed, and full of new ideas. You will probably hear of an adventure or two in the coming days. But, for now, here are the updates for AUGUST!

Our solar fan is turning away, helping us to stay cool during the unseasonably warm late summer days whenever they come around (Cooling with the Sun: 9/1).

Shark sightings continued to plague Cape Cod swimmers (Times Are Strange: 7/16). One was tagged off the coast of Truro on August 23, and sighting of what turned out to be a harmless basking shark forced swimmers out of the waters of Nauset Beach on August 27. But hurricanes and riptides have become the more serious threat.

A manatee was spotted at the Clinton Marina. And, for the first time ever, we had to stop our car on Farnam Drive in East Rock Park to let a doe and fawn stroll across the road. Deer sightings have traditionally been much more common on the west side of town.

Shooting of woodchucks (Woodchuck Wednesday: 6/16) has returned in Beaver Hills; apparently the traps were not a complete success. But a pair of pantyhose, stuffed with rags which had been liberally doused with fox urine, and then tossed into the hole under a porch in the Berkshires, has driven at least one woodchuck to seek a new residence.

Recycling left, trash on the right

The new trash/recycling program in which a newly-delivered small (48 gallon) brown toter becomes the trash container and the old trash toter (larger and blue) becomes the recycling container, began in New Haven’s Westville and Beaver Hills neighborhoods on August 23 (Weekend Updates 8/1). So far, at least on one street, it seems to be working. You can read more about it in the Independent.

Other News:

A second oil platform caught on fire off the Louisiana coast on September 2. The fire was quickly extinguished, all the workers were safely rescued, and the initial reports of an oil leak proved unfounded. The FDA would like us to believe that Gulf seafood is safe to eat, but not everyone agrees. The safety of the dispersants used to break up the spill remains the big question for many. A commercial fisherman was quoted asking in Time: "If I put fish in a barrel of water and poured oil and Dove detergent over that and mixed it up, would you eat that fish?"

The massive egg recall is the new poster child for the risks to humans posed by factory farming. You can read more about the risks to chickens here.

New Haven’s newest and greenest apartment building, 360 State Street, opened on August 1. It has many Green features, including a 400 kilowatt fuel cell which combines hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air to produce electricity, heat and pure water. The largest residential installation of this type in the world, 360 State's fuel cell will generate
most of the building's energy needs.

August Birthdays:

Blogger, the Google product that allows me to publish ontheroadtogreenness turned 11 on August 31, and my blog turned a year old on August 14. This is my 72nd post. Thank you all for reading, commenting, making suggestions, and sharing with your friends over the past year. Having a blog has changed my life.

Weekend Updates

Many readers told me they enjoyed the Weekend Updates I posted in late June so I’ve decided to make it a regular end-of-the-month feature.

Blog Updates (from oldest to most recent):

I have not seen a ladybug since one landed on me in March (3/20 post).

It is important to remember that the disaster in the Gulf is far from over (5/6 post).




Although oil has disappeared from the surface of the water in many places, serious questions have been raised about the amount of dispersants used and what the long-term effects of these chemicals might be.

The State Street trees in front of Channel 8 (5/17 post) are doing well despite the heat. Each tree now has a tag listing its species and information on how to request a tree of your own. Urban Resources Initiative (URI) emailed that they had planted 275 trees around the City of New Haven before “switching program gears to focus upon Community Greenspace.” Community Greenspace has assisted New Haven residents with developing pocket parks and community gardens throughout the City. 

The woodchuck wars continue to rage in Beaver Hills (6/16 post). My source tells me that the neighborhood shooter has switched to Havahart traps. He has caught at least one woodchuck baby (lured by some tender greens) and what happened to that unlucky victim remains a mystery. A skunk has been spotted heading under the garden shed, presumably keeping what remains of the woodchuck family company.

Chatham Seals

“Times Are Strange” (7/16 post) spoke of sightings of great white sharks off the coast of Cape Cod. On Friday, July 30, Chatham officials closed South Beach to (human) swimming indefinitely after three great whites were sighted by a spotter plane. One shark was spotted cruising along the shore just 100 yards from a large group (of humans) assembled in a semicircle near a “Happy 30th” written in the sand. Officials advise that people swimming where it is still permitted avoid getting too close to the seals.

“Where Have All the Codfish Gone?” (7/21 post) was tweeted by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and generated quite a bit of interest at several sites dedicated to fishing issues. A blogger in Iceland who promotes the Icelandic fishing industry left a favorable comment. This eclectic blog has stories and videos on a wide variety of themes relating to fishing and fish: http://icelandicfish.tumblr.com/

Other News:

The New Haven Independent has listed ontheroadtogreenness as one of its favorites. You can find a link to my blog on their site under Road To Greenness.

Single-stream recycling has come to New Haven. In short, what this means is that you now no longer need to sort your recycling before you set it on the curb — just dump it all into your bin. I know it sounds crazy, but this video explains how this is possible.



But wait, there is even more to the trash/recycling story! A pilot program in which your current largish trash toter becomes your recycling bin and a new, smaller one becomes your trash toter, is scheduled to start soon in the New Haven neighborhood of Westville. You can read more about it at the Independent.

It’s been very hot here. We have had a hummingbird feeder in the yard but have not succeeded in attracting any hummers. The Fat Robin sent out a newsletter advising that you change the nectar every two days during this time of extreme heat, especially if you have located your feeder in a sunny area. During cooler times, twice a week is enough if the feeder is in the shade. The Fat Robin also stated, “If you haven't been very successful with attracting hummingbirds to your yard, don't give up! The BEST time in Connecticut is yet to come (very soon in fact)!”

It is now the first day of August, too early for the statistics for July. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released its State of the Climate Global Analysis for June. NOAA reports that June 2010 was the warmest June on record, and that April-June 2010 was the warmest three-month period for the Northern Hemisphere.

During these exceedingly hot days in the Northeast we heard frequent references to the Heat Index. This site explains what the Heat Index is and how the formula was derived, provides a Heat Index Calculator, and includes a chart indicating that it is dangerous for almost anyone whenever it is over 90° and even the least bit humid.

Finally, on a somewhat lighter note, a friend forwarded this story about a person who is researching and photographing the world’s oldest living things. How old they are will blow your mind. For sure.