By Johanna Silver, Sunset test garden coordinator

I checked on the snails today. They're getting FAT! One in particular looks like it's about to bust out of its shell:

They have until tomorrow to gorge themselves on cornmeal. That's when Amy fries them up!

By Johanna Silver, Sunset test garden coordinator

Last February I introduced quinoa as one of our potential one block crops and explained what goes wrong when planted at the wrong time of year.

We've tried again, this time sowing the seeds in April, and the results are much more successful.

Here is what the plants looked like about a month ago:

And here are a couple of shots from today:

Here are answers to the most commonly posed questions by visitors:

1. What is that?

As I wrote in February, Quinoa is a staple to Andean cultures. It is grown mostly for its edible seed (not a grain, as it is often mistaken, because it is not from a grass) though the leaves are also edible. It is a complete amino acid and is unusually high in protein for a seed.

Here is a link to Sunset recipes with quinoa.

2. I never knew you could grow this in your garden. Is it a good idea?

You can absolutely grow your own quinoa. I recommend Faro, a variety bred for sea level.  It's probably not the most realistic endeavor since our entire bed (4ft. by 8ft.) will likely yield a serving or two (and some say I'm being optimistic). We're doing it for fun. Many of us are of the mindset that it's exciting to grow anything once, even if it's not the most logical use of space. It's the same reason we're growing our own chick peas.

3. Why is that bed of lamb's quarters being allowed to go to seed?

Great question! Quinoa resembles lamb's quarters (or pigweed) because they are in the same Genus, Chenopodium. Lamb's quarters can also be used for their edible leaves, but if you're like me, all you've ever done is weed it.

4. How will you harvest it?

Having never done this before, I'll follow the instructions on the back of the seed packet: Cut mature seed heads after frost, and dry in an undisturbed place. Thresh when completely dry. Rinse well before cooking. Store seeds in cool, dry, dark conditions.

I've always wanted to thresh something....

Reader Karl Arcuri sent us a question last week: I live in Austin and I'm thinking about starting an urban hive. I've been following your blog, and I'm curious on how big your yard is where you keep your hives?

Team Bee member Brianne McElhiney: Here at Sunset, we are fortunate to have a campus that is about 10-12 acres, but the beekeepers guild that I belong to says that you only need about 10 sq. ft.to keep a hive. Recently, I have heard of people in San Francisco raising hives on top of their apartment buildings, and one of the men in my beekeepers guild keeps them at his condo complex.

You just want to be sure that there is a large enough food source for them in your area. Typically your bees will stay within a mile radius, so as long as there are plenty of flowering plants in your neighborhood, the bees will stay around. I would also recommend that you contact your local beekeepers guild (in Austin one guild is the Capital Area Honeybee Stewards) and perhaps attend a meeting. The members are usually very knowledgeable and more than willing to answer any questions you may have about raising bees.

Brianne McElhiney (shown in photo), assistant to the editor-in-chief, keeps bees at her home in the South Bay, as well as working on Sunset's Team Bee.

Team Bee member Margaret Sloan: Our beeyard is in the back of our nursery area (bees like privacy). We keep our hives far enough apart that we can still work between them, but commercial beekeeps stack them on pallets with little or no room in between hives. It’s up to you.

Before you buy bees, be sure to check your city’s municipal code or call the city to find out what the restrictions are. Some cities are fairly restrictive when it comes to beekeeping, and some outlaw beehives altogether, although that is beginning to change.

Update: Since Karl sent us his question, he's emailed us with the news that he's started beekeeping lessons with the owner of Round Rock Honey, and hopes to start his hive in August.

By Johanna Silver, Sunset test garden coordinator   

I crush snails daily in the test garden, but this whole escargot thing is really messing me up. It's one thing to think of them as garden pests and to kill them right away, but a whole other thing to raise them for food. I have much different standards.

I checked on the little guys over the weekend and felt so bad that we were starving them. They had clearly slowed down, and I felt like I was engaged in bizarre form of snail torture. I wanted the little buggers to be ok!  So I cleaned them up and added a few teaspoons of cornmeal.

So far there have been two casualties, but the rest of the gang is still hanging in there.

At this point their systems are purged and they're just being fattened up on the cornmeal. They are excreting nothing but white ribbons of cornmeal:

by Elizabeth Jardina, Sunset researcher

We found a morel in the garden!

(We think it's a morel.*)

Yes, right here in Sunset's test garden, dried up and shriveled and attached to a piece of fir bark mulch.

Sometimes you plan for One-Block projects; other times, they come to you. See, we'd been thinking about ways to expand our hand-grown, handmade feast to include mushrooms for a while. For me, that had meant lingering gazes toward shiitake logs and tiny oyster mushroom farms. And then, we find a morel. It's not enough for a feast, but it's enough to get us thinking.

In theory, at least, growing one's own mushrooms shouldn't be that hard, if you've got wood inoculated with mushroom spores and a cool, dark spot where the magic can happen. Now, it's just a matter of getting the right materials.

*At least, we think it's a morel. It looks an awful lot like a morel. It doesn't especially look like a false morel. That said, I'm so incredibly freaked about the idea of eating wild mushrooms that I have just kept it in my desk for almost a month, in an empty box of Lady Grey tea.

By Johanna Silver, Sunset test garden coordinator

I found a bunch of snails huddled together in the garden and scooped them up in my hand before the sole of my boot could get to them.

Let the fun begin! I'm following Sunset's instructions from 1988, and the first step is to purge them for at least 4 days. This clears their systems from any toxins that might be poisonous for human consumption.

Here I am, such a proud mother, checking them out in their new setup, complete with watering dish:

Their home will need to be cleaned every other day (but they'll survive the weekend, don't you think?) and then they can be fattened up by adding a few teaspoons of cornmeal.

Clockwise from top left: Snaily, Shelly, Shelli, Chelle, Mishell, Rachelle, and Shelby
(Hey - they named the chickens and, though they might be in denial,
we will eventually eat them too.)


Last step: covered in several layers of cheesecloth and secured tightly with a rubber band.

My favorite part of the Sunset article: "Check daily and discard any dead snails. Scratch the snail's foot to check: if it doesn't twitch, the snail is dead." I never thought of their underside as a foot. I like it!

By Johanna Silver, Sunset test garden coordinator

My beloved garbanzo beans have grown fuzzy, adorable seed pods.

This is another first time crop for me, so I'm anxiously tending to them and gently trying to coax them into maturity (mostly by talking to them and reading up on growing conditions).

I'm trying to figure out when they're ready and am getting a bit confused. The horticulture department at Purdue (high up in a google search) says they are ready between 3 and 7 months. How helpful! The same site lists the traditional medicinal uses as, "aphrodisiac, bronchitis, catarrh, cutamenia, cholera, constipation, diarrhea, dyspepsia, flatulence, snakebite, sunstroke, and warts." Impressive -- I don't even know what a few of those conditions are!

On second thought, the 4 month range might have something to to do with the fact that you can eat them fresh when they immature, or wait until the plant browns and eat them as dry beans. I like these instructions: Chickpeas for fresh eating can be picked when pods are still immature and green; they can be eaten like snap beans. For dried chickpeas, harvest the entire plant when the leaves have withered and turned brown; place the plant on a flat, warm surface and allow the pods to dry. Collect the seed as the pods split. Seeds that will barely dent when bitten are sufficiently dry.

I will graciously accept any advice from you, dear reader. Do I cut the water in order to get them to brown? Dried versus fresh? It's my gut to eat them fresh since that seems to be a major perk of growing them.

Side note: I found an empty garbanzo bean pod on the ground after Celebration Weekend and nearly cried. Garden etiquette, people! I had one man PLUCK more than a few leaves of my tarragon to ask me for a plant ID. Now I know none of you would ever do that, right? Especially in the test garden, where everything has the intention of being photographed for the magazine.

By Margaret Sloan, Sunset production coordinator

Beekeeper and beeblogger Kirk Anderson believes that with bees, backwards is the new forwards. Inspired by the writings of Charles Martin Simon, he practices this new trend in hive management. “Take everything you knew about beekeeping and forget about it,” Kirk told me. “Don’t use foundation. Don’t treat them with chemicals. Don’t feed them any additives. If I have to feed them, I’ll feed them cane sugar and water. I let them use their own wax to make their own comb, and then the hive is clean.”

Sure, it’s revolutionary. And controversial. But Kirk keeps “backwards bees” with great success all over the L.A. area in places like Pasadena, Silver Lake, and Studio City. It turns out that Southern California is a great place for bees. Kirk says, “They flourish in urban areas. I haven’t bought bees since 2000. I use feral bees. There are lots of swarms in the L.A. area.”

Kirk’s Beehuman blog centers on how he captures those swarms, and his joy in promoting the fine art of beekeeping. "The number of bees and beekeepers has gone down in the last 20 years.  But it’s like planting seeds. People are getting interested in beekeeping."

Perhaps the trend of keeping backyard bees isn't as popular as the not-so-bogus backyard chicken trend. But less than a year after Kirk started the Backwards Beekeepers bee club in September 2008, 132 people have joined. That's a pretty good number of newbees.

Kirk’s strongest advice on keeping bees to those new to it? Leave the girls alone. “Most people get bees, they think they’ve got an aquarium and want to inspect them once a week or more. When you first get them, give them a week and inspect to make sure she’s laying. Then go through the hive a month later to make sure there’s a good pattern of eggs and brood.

“And be a responsible beekeeper. Because you usually don’t have trouble with bees. You usually have trouble with people.”

By Margo True, Sunset Food Editor

The other day I read an inspiring bit of reader mail about egg-layers who quack instead of cluck. With the writer's permission, I've copied it here.

*  *  *  *  *

The April edition of Sunset couldn’t have had more perfect timing for my backyard projects. I had just finished planting my vegetable garden in my raised planter beds, and was looking forward to home grown eggs from my newly purchased chicks. The only difference being my chicks had webbed feet and bills.
        Ducks are often overlooked as egg producers but depending on the breed lay as many eggs as chickens. Their eggs are larger and are good for general eating. They have slightly higher oil content which makes them great for baking. They are also easy to raise, and more disease resistant and withstand a wider temperature range than chickens. Best of all they will take care of your bugs AND weeds! They love to forage around the backyard for snails, slugs, and whatever else they can find.
        They make great pets and most cities that allow chickens will also let you have ducks. They don’t need a pond but love a shallow tub or “Kiddy pool” to splash in. Some breeds like Pekins can be loud so just make sure you research breeds before you buy. Ducks make great pets and their hilarious antics are a nonstop source of entertainment in my yard.  — Nicole Goss

*  *  *  *  *

She sent these pictures too. They look like happy ducks, don't they?
   

by Elizabeth Jardina, Sunset reseacher

You can visit our One-Block project this weekend at Celebration Weekend.

On June 6-7, we'll be opening our Menlo Park campus up to the public; I'll be in the test garden near the chicken coop.

Here's the One-Block stuff you'll be able to see:

The chicken coop

 

 

Oh, and beautiful flowers too. If you're into that sort of thing.

Bee boxes (without bees)

 

A sniff of vinegar

 

I'd love to talk to any blog-readers who are planning to come out! Find me in the Test Garden. This is me:

 

By Johanna Silver, Sunset test garden coordinator

By Margo True, Sunset Food Editor

Behold our new outdoor kitchen. It was finished about 10 minutes ago. Frankly, I'm dazzled...I have to restrain myself from running out there to admire it yet again. Not only does it have a stately pizza oven (that large red item at the back), a snazzy cocktail/wine bar (in foreground), and a long counter inset with multiple grills and a ferociously hot wok burner, it also has...

by Elizabeth Jardina, Sunset researcher

Sunset's editors have been lately spotted toting bottles of kombucha, fermented tea sold at Whole Foods Markets and natural foods stores. (So you're not surprised if you try it: It smells like vinegar, but get past that and it's tasty. Plus, it has an aura of good health.) However, at $4 a bottle, I'm drinking away my salary.

Which is why I was excited to read on the ApartmentTherapy blog Re-Nest that you can make your own. From reading their description, it's less complicated than making vinegar; it only takes 10 days from putting a batch together to drinking a batch you made yourself.

Now all I need is a "scoby," a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast that works like the mother in vinegar-making. Oh, no, wait: Thank goodness for the Internet. According to the Love Your Mother blog (love the name), I can make my own. 

Any DIY-kombucha drinkers out there? I'd love to hear about your experiences.

by Elizabeth Jardina, Sunset researcher

Big Snack gets in on the local movement: Your heart-of-hearts definition of "local food" probably doesn't include anything that comes in a crinkly mylar bag, but the fact remains that potato chips are an agricultural product. Made of actual potatoes. This truth has also not escaped the folks at Lay's, who make the chips in the iconic yellow bag.

Their new campaign, launched two weeks ago when potato farmers rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange, is moving to local festivals and fairs all over the country this summer. Frito-Lay wants you to know that potatoes for its chips are grown in 27 states; at least one of them is likely to be near you, right? 

The "Lay's Local" campaign is trying to associate themselves with the local-food movement: Their product seems fresh (grown by potato farmers in California! and Maine! and Florida!), and it gains a whiff of the wholesomeness of the get-your-hands-dirty folks who have been pushing for local food on blogs like this one. In response, some local-foodies have started throwing out the term "localwashing," a relative of "greenwashing" (when you try to make your product seem more environmentally conscious than it is).

Except after you polish off a bag of Lay's (and we all have; don't lie), you don't end up with dirt under your fingernails—just that greasy, salty, potato chip residue.

Related: Breaking news! Pringles, despite the fact that they're only 42 percent potato (that is true) are officially potato chips according to the British supreme court. (The Brits charge an extra tax for "crisps," as they call their potato chips; the UK Procter & Gamble was arguing they didn't have to pay it because their product is not a chip.)

Have we completely lost our minds about the word "local"? Browsing Salt Lake Magazine's Utah Locovore 100 list was quite a treat. Even if their No. 1 local item is Jell-O. (Wait, what?)