Come Explore!

Come Explore!

The forest is quiet today, but for the rush of wings amidst the branches and the knock of the woodpecker on his snag. Last week’s biting cold has relented, as the clouds returned. They promise rain. It’s hard to believe, with the weather we’ve had, that winter’s not quite here yet.

There is a great deal to explore in our forests and wetlands at Chinook, even in mid-December. A tremendous bloom of fungi this autumn has subsided, but incredible mushrooms are still all around us. The green mosses which are such a ubiquitous feature of every Cascadian forest seem more vibrant than ever beside brown earth and gray skies, and throughout the woods a carpet of dropped leaves serves as an insulating blanket for teeming life. There is no season in which the forest fails to delight the attentive visitor.

We invite you to come explore this land that we love and which sustains us. Come be surprised by the gardens’ underlying geometry while visions of spring seedlings dance in your head. Get to know the birds and creatures who’ve stayed to overwinter here. Find something new. We promise you won’t be disappointed!

The lands at Chinook are open to the public every day, and trail maps are available in the office Monday through Friday.

December 10, 2013

Four Swans

Author Michael Bertrand was inspired to write the following poem upon a recent visit to the white pines at Chinook. Now, as their passing draws nearer, we are honored and touched by his willingness to share it.

Four Swans

Four swans flying south
Against the high-clouded November sky.
Just below them stand two giant pines
Whose massive limbs weave a tapestry of
Seeming vigour and long life.

But underneath their facade of strength
A rot has set in that demands to be looked at.
They stand beside the old farm house
Now threatening it with branches ready to fall.

Before they go, a blessing and a good bye are planned by
Humans with hearts, doing what needs doing.

We feel the ambivalence of life and death on this earth plane.

The swans travel on . . .

December 2, 2013

Our New Chicken Coop

Here at Chinook, a small flock of hens patrol the Westgarden boundaries scratching for caterpillars.

Most of them grew up here on the land, raised this spring by Alexa MacAulay with the support of Maggie Mahle and Cary Peterson. Last week, they got a major real estate upgrade when volunteers Pete Little and Dave Bolt joined forces with Alexa to construct a cozy new coop! The heightened security, warmth, and comfort will be of benefit to the hens as we enter the colder season.

Thank you, Pete, Dave, and Alexa, for keeping our hens warm and safe. (Note: the pictured hen belongs to Marnie Jones, Communications Manager, and is not part of our resident flock.)

November 19, 2013

Summer’s End

We’ve had a fantastic summer.

The Westgarden has been a huge success this year, offering us hundreds of pounds of produce for the South Whidbey community. About a third of our produce (fresh, local, and organically grown!) went straight to the Good Cheer Food Bank, improving access to quality, healthy foods. Additionally, every group that came to the Whidbey Institute for a conference, festival, or gathering had produce from the Westgarden in their meals. Fresh vegetables and fruits also went toward feeding volunteers at our work parties and during service learning classes.

We grew a great variety of vegetables and fruits, and they produced abundantly with the love and care of our volunteers. Along with a new beehive, a new chicken coop and flock of chicks, and some greenhouse renovations, the garden is looking better than ever.

Here are a few highlights of the year:

Many, many beds were flipped and repaired . . .

Hundreds of seeds and starts were planted . . .

Many hours were spent tending and weeding . . .

And we were rewarded with a beautiful, bountiful harvest.

Our biggest tomato this year weighed a whole pound!

Our deep and heartfelt appreciation to everyone who made this year possible.

November 3, 2013

Two Pines: a difficult update

Removal planned for beloved trees

After seeking the opinions of two expert arborists, we at the Whidbey Institute have reached the difficult decision to remove two terminally ill pine trees that stand beside the historic Farmhouse at the heart of Chinook.

The trees, originally planted by the Pietila family in the late 19th Century, have stood watch over generations of visitors to this land. Now,as was mentioned at our 40th Anniversary Festival, they are suffering from disease which not only threatens their own health but also poses a risk to the adjacent structure. For the safety of all, we are planning to have them professionally felled before winter sets in. Their wood will be milled by a neighbor and we hope some of it can come back to Chinook in another form.

The Pietilas were a Finnish family, hailing from a culture where trees were revered as guardians and friends. It is likely that they situated these trees beside their home with deep intention. It would honor the memory of these two pines if those of you who are moved to make a goodbye visit would do so during the coming weeks.

In honor of these amazing symbols of family and home, we will be holding a ceremony Sunday, December 8th at 2:00 pm. Please meet in the Farmhouse. All are welcome.

October 30, 2013

Winterizing the Garden with LEAF

With the cooler weather and shorter daylight hours, the garden’s vegetable production is slowly coming to a close. However, the work is not yet done! It’s important to put the garden to sleep for the winter. The students from the Learn and Serve Environmental Anthropology Field (LEAF) School at Edmonds Community College came to the Westgarden to learn about ways to prepare the garden for the next season.

Planting cover crop seed is a great way to prevent weeds from germinating, prevent soil erosion, and restore nutrients in the soil. Earlier in the summer, we had planted buckwheat, an excellent bee forage plant as well as a fast-growing, reliable warm weather cover crop. The plants were mature, so we collected the seed to plant again next year!

While some were collecting seed, others were flipping the compost pile. We added a biodynamic compost starter to add beneficial bacteria and fungus to the pile. Turning the decomposing plant matter onto the fresher plant matter speeds up the composting process, so that it will be fully decomposed and ready to use in the spring!

Next, we weeded, edged, and flipped three garden beds to show the different ways to prepare a bed for the winter.

With the first bed, we planted garlic in worm castings, and mulched the bed with straw.

In the second bed, we sowed a mix of cover crop seed, including nitrogen fixing legumes Austrian field pea, fava bean, hairy vetch and crimson clover, along with winter rye, a hardy grain. Then we put row cover on the bed to keep birds from pecking out the seeds. Soon, the bed will be a lush and green. The plant roots will hold in the soil and add nutrients needed after a good productive growing season!

In the third bed, we mulched the bed with comfrey leaves, an excellent source of nitrogen and potassium that breaks down rapidly. A thick layer of comfrey leaves a few inches high will break down in just a few weeks and add to the soil’s organic matter.

Voilà! Three garden beds prepped and ready for the spring.

Many thanks to LEAF students Jo-Ann Fjellman, Erin Gamble, Keegan Artz, Kymberlye Hoyle, Kelson Mcconnell, Megan Taylor, Scott Noll, Tyler Smith, and professor Tom Murphy for helping winterize the garden!

October 27, 2013

The Bean Dance

We’ve been growing a beautiful crop this summer. Any guesses on what plant is pictured above?

If you guessed some kind of legume, you’re right! This is a chickpea plant, a middle-eastern variety which produces black peas.

The phases of maturity of the chickpea, from soft and green to dry and black, are shown at right.

Once the plants are completely dry, you can pop open the pods and collect the dry beans. For processing copious amounts of dry beans, most farms use a threshing machine. For small amounts, you can do it by hand . . . or by feet! This week, with the help of the Waldorf 3rd grade, we threshed the chickpeas by doing a little bit of dancing.

Check out our process in this video!

Chickpea dance from Whidbey Institute on Vimeo.

The chickpeas are hard enough that even a good stomping won’t break them. After we had jumped on the plants, we took away the plant matter to reveal a tarp full of little black chickpeas! What a quick and fun way to harvest!

October 17, 2013