Was hoping for a green raspberry bee...

...but it looks like I only ended up with a green bottle fly. Still, it's a gorgeous critter, and I'm amazed I was able to capture this guy on my straw flowers:

TELL CONGRESS: STOP THE PESTICIDE THAT IS KILLING BEES

Friends, I can't emphasize enough how important bees are to our crops and our survival. Please spread the word. More info about the petition after the jump.

Reps. Earl Blumenauer and John Conyers just introduced a bill which would suspend the use of bee-killing pesticides. Please join me in adding your support to the Save America's Pollinators Act: http://org.credoaction.com/petitions/tell-congress-stop-the-pesticide-that-is-killing-bees?sp_ref=5609335.4.300.e.1290.3&source=mailto_sp

Summer Lovin'

The time for Insalata Caprese is finally upon us -- and earlier than usual! The wait for my tomato harvest is agonizing, but patience sure does pay off. Nothing beats fresh tomatoes and basil mixed with mozzarella cheese, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. I kid you not, I wait all year for this. Add to this some dolmas whose grape leaves were harvested from a pruning project, along with some homemade pesto on bread -- pure awesome.







Happy harvesting, everyone!

Plowing Ahead Into My Third Quarter

Greetings! Welcome to Homegrown Revival, your connection to my little slice of homesteading goodness. I've been meaning to write sooner, but my hot romance with school is delightfully consuming my waking hours. Indeed, I am moving right along into my third quarter of Lake Washington Institute's environmental horticulture program, and it's been quite the adventure. Don Marshall is the master horticulturalist, and it's an honor to study under his renowned tutelage. I never quite imagined how much fun going back to school would be -- it somehow feels like cheating.

Given that I'm already halfway through the year, I'll share some of the highlights:

• Ongoing plant ID, which includes classroom study, examining live samples from the school's arboretum, and completing nursery visits.
• Soils -- learning about the chemical, physical, and biological properties of good, fertile, sustainable soil
• Pruning -- classroom study and several pruning field trips
• Volunteering at the 2013 Northwest Flower and Garden Show
• Growing three sets of crops from seed in the greenhouse: Nasturtium 'Empress of India', Alyssum 'Easter Bonnet Mix', and Bell Peppers 'Mini Red'
• Cultivating said crops for several months and selling them at our spring plant sale. Proud to say that my nasturtium crop completely sold out!
• Creating and drafting a landscape design for a client, then learning the bidding and estimating side of implementing that design.
• Beginning another session of plant ID devoted to weed identification and management
• Touring different greenhouses in the area and learning about their infrastructure
• Just in the last week: Interning with Robin Haglund of Garden Mentors, Inc. and Kerry Sexton-Smith of Walden Garden Services as part of my career exploration course. I'm super grateful to both for giving me a taste of on-the-job work experience so I can get a feel for a few parts of the industry.

As you can see, there's lots of hands-on opportunities here, which is exactly what I was craving when I started this transition. And this begs the question: What exactly are my plans post-graduation? To be honest, I haven't narrowed it down that far. I'm continuing to explore what's out their and trying to absorb as much information as possible. I can say this for sure: I want to be outside, working with my hands, in the elements, as much as my body will allow.