Montpelier Orchard…Work in Progress
The difference that this beneficial community space can make to our neighborhood is significant! Plus a community orchard is a really special place (to get organic food). From it's inception, it was an audacious idea. However, once the idea guy left, the orchard went to pot. After we bought the house, a couple neighbors helped to weed the area and plant additional trees into the orchard. At one point in the 2.5 years since we bought and got involved, hubby and I were the only folks taking part in the planting and upkeep of this double l…
Cost-Free & Chemical-Free
3 Steps to a Fragrant Home In the summertime, in our region, Zone 7 of the mid-Atlantic, it gets humid. Real humid. Most folks opt to run air conditioners for the season, but we hold off as much a possible. However, a humid house holds onto smells better than conditioned one. So in order to re-up the fresh smells of the homestead (or to get rid of olfactory evidence of the infrequent cooked meal) , I have three winning solutions from the stove: Cinnamon and Cloves My mother who is an excellent Caribbean cook gave me this solution …
Montpelier Orchard Update: Cobbler!
As spring turns to summer, our neighbors’ thoughts turn to cooking out. This year’s limited harvest in the Montpelier Orchard lends itself perfectly to good old summertime potluck fare. Since hubby and I are invited to our first cookout of the year next weekend, it’s time for me to make a practice cobbler, before the main event. The Orchard's sour cherry trees are in full fruit and must be picked this week or everyone misses out. Having just harvested two cups of these cherries, I pitted and drained them, and am about to marry thes…
From Gruesome to Garden (2016, II)
It’s been raining nonstop for over two weeks. The ground is wet, plants we bought to place in the herb vegetable gardens look sad sitting on my back porch; they’re tired of waiting. I’m tired of waiting. Lo and behold, yesterday the sun came up in the evening and it’s been out all day today. It’s now or never. We breakfasted at the coffee shop and strolled arm-in-arm through the Waverly Farmer’s Market . On the way home, we picked a peck of peppers for placement in the orchard veggie garden and got to work. In our yard proper, eve…
From Gruesome to Garden (2016)
This weekend Hubby and I put in time on Montpelier Orchard and also on our back 40. Thankfully, my mom and dad presented us with flowering plants from their own gardens, and the perennial growth from last years plantings will make it a little easier for us to maintain both plots throughout the season. First, Montpelier Orchard Since my neighbors who planted the first veggie garden last summer have moved away, no one has taken up the mantel of the left side (aka the vegetable garden). So I decided to give it a good clear out, and a…
Fresh Herbs: Three Bean Salad
We’ve lately been picking through the (limited) bounty of the Montpelier Orchard. In addition to cukes, and lettucies, and soon-to-be-red tomatoes, there is an abundance of herbs, that I’ve been collecting to spice up some home cooking. Well I say cooking… While weeding this week I grabbed a handful of Lemon Thyme for our three bean salad; a perennial summer staple. Crushed in a mortar and pestle this herb added a lemony tang to our summery meal. I literally grabbed a handful of stalks and flowers, then stripped and muddled the herb. H…
Montpelier Orchard July Update
Whew! It's hot outside. I came home from my Sunday bike ride to find three neighbors toiling away inside of the Orchard. I decided to roll up my sleeves and lend them a hand- before the heat got the better of me. Here's what's going on: Neighbors have applied for a neighborhood garden grant to help us with the financial aspects of taking care of the space. One of our intrepid bunch drew pup a preliminary plan of the interior layout. It looks fantastic; stone paths rock (sorry about that): Taking a close look, it's obvi…
Mini Harvest at Montpelier Orchard
While this is not monumental, it is excellent news. In addition to veggies, fruit and herbs, our community members also grow lettuces in front of the orchard. As an early riser it's nice to see beautiful, healthy edibles that I can grab on my way to work. Today, that's just what I did; leaving the house with a few teabags, a salad dressing packet, and an empty Ziploc bag, I pinched off a few leaves on the way out of the neighborhood. Today's lunch consisted of green salad, vanilla yogurt and raspberry tea. Fantastic.
What's up with the Orchard?
I lived in Better Waverly about five years ago when the Montpelier Orchard looked like this. It was the brain child of a community member who had high hopes and--what we hoped was--stamina. Well, a few trees were planted eventually, and I moved away to seek my fortune in another part of town. On the day that we signed the deed and handed over the largest check I've ever seen, the orchard look more like the photo below. It was overgrown, untended, and the gate to this community green space was perpetually locked. After some research I…
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