Comments for Digging in the Driftless

Comment on The Heat Is On — WICCI Details Climate Change for Wisconsin by LET IT SNOW! « Digging in the Driftless

LET IT SNOW! « Digging in the Driftless — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:18:15 +0000

[...] hot breath at our necks. (See my post on what climatologists believe is in store for Wisconsin here.) I am cherishing snow. Each new round of snow will reflect its own unique conditions, and I am [...]

Comment on Think Small to Build Small by denisedthornton

denisedthornton — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:43:20 +0000

Yes, my grandparents had a farm outside Monticello, so Allerton Park was always part of my life. My parents moved away when I was a baby, but we returned again and again to visit. Then my mom moved back to Monticello and lived there with her mother in that tiny house that became our family gathering spot.
Beyond the Mansion and formal gardens, lie miles and miles of rough trail winding through the Sangamon river valley, as you no doubt remember too. Me and my sibs, with pals and spouses would hike, run and ski those back paths and think we were in heaven.
I think houses can be too big and comfortable — and then we lose touch with the outdoors.

I’ll bet there was plenty of nitrate pollution to study in the Sangamon, surrounded as it is by agribusiness as far as the eye can see (and in central Illinois, the eye can see pretty far) What a brown river.

Now that my mom is gone, I still find a reason to go back to Monticello every year, but where I am really going is Allerton Park.

Glad to share that memory!

Comment on Think Small to Build Small by DennisP

DennisP — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:25:58 +0000

Denise, your reference to Allerton Park brought back some long-forgotten memories! My wife and I went to graduate school at Univ Ill – Urbana/Champaign. Several times we drove down to Allerton and wandered around on a lazy Sunday afternoon, back in the early 70s. I especially remember the Sangamon R. because my grad. thesis was a study of nitrate pollution which involved the Sangamon R. Thanks for stimulating the memories!

Comment on GREENS IN THE GREENHOUSE — ALMOST THERE by GREENHOUSE READY FOR WINTER « Digging in the Driftless

GREENHOUSE READY FOR WINTER « Digging in the Driftless — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:29:24 +0000

[...] have been pushing to build our greenhouse growing boxes (see my previous post Greenhouse Almost There ) and fill them with a growing medium made by mixing soft, absorbent organic material with some [...]

Comment on Forge Brown Gold — Compost your Leaves by denisedthornton

denisedthornton — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:11:55 +0000

Yes, for years I just made a heap and used it about a year later. That seemed to work, but it’s being interesting to get a little more involved and treati it the compost like the living entity it can become. I think we’ll have to name it soon.
Denise

Comment on Forge Brown Gold — Compost your Leaves by DennisP

DennisP — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:39:33 +0000

You know, I’ve never had much luck composting, despite the many pages I’ve read about the process. So I sometimes just mix the stuff up and let it sit for a couple years, maybe turning it a few times. What I’ve been doing more commonly lately is turning the plant remains under directly in the garden bed after harvesting the veggies (e.g. potatoes, tomatoes, beans, sqhash, etc.) and letting them decompose in the bed. And I’ve been taking bags of kitchen waste out to the garden, spreading them out, and turning them under a layer of soil to again decompose in the garden beds. Just skipping the compost pile step. And I grow green manures that I turn under in the spring. We’ll see how all this works out…

Comment on O CHRISTMAS TREE: MAKING OUR EVERGREENS EVEN GREENER by Ann G

Ann G — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:14:47 +0000

What a lovely posting — I, too, always look for the wild ones.

Comment on A VEGETARIAN GIVES THANKS by Put the Pumpkin back in Pumkin Pie « Lost Between the Letters

Put the Pumpkin back in Pumkin Pie « Lost Between the Letters — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:54:27 +0000

[...] Market mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, cranberries and our main course was polenta dome with yeasty gravy…so tasty. Dessert was my responsibility this year, and I created a hybrid of the traditional [...]

Comment on A VEGETARIAN GIVES THANKS by Putting the Pumpkin back in Pumpkin Pie « Cooking Between Classes

Putting the Pumpkin back in Pumpkin Pie « Cooking Between Classes — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:21:56 +0000

Comment on A VEGETARIAN GIVES THANKS by denisedthornton

denisedthornton — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:29:51 +0000

I tried to be clear that factory farmed meat was my main concern. Unfortunately that constitutes most meat available. Many people probably don’t have your options to find animals raised more humanely.
Wishing you a very fine Thanksgiving,
Denise