Pennsylvania Gourd Fest

This year our PA gourd fest was held at a new location, the Shady Maple complex, a beautiful facility with a superb buffet eatery. This new location provided ample outdoor space as well as comfortable indoor space for our gourd club and vendors.

That sunny June Friday, I got my gourd fix and spent the day perusing the gourd art and shopping for those special gourds for my new projects. When I arrived, there were gourds of all varieties neatly organized in bins under a large canopied area. There were cutters available for those who wanted their gourds pre-cut and there were multiple gourd vendors with supplies and materials. I could feel the excitement in the air as I proceeded directly to the discount gourd boxes to find my treasures!

Now gourd lovers are friendly people and besides not knowing what you will find to kindle that creative spark, it is easy to find new friends while gourd shopping! I met some wonderful ladies that were shopping for gourd pieces in the bargain bins. They were busily pairing gourd tops and bottoms for birdhouses. Ideas were graciously shared and we had a grand time showing each other our finds and whimsical pairings. We all went our own way happily, with arms full.

Next I was off to see the inside area. As I entered there was a small lobby set up with a table and chairs set up for the free demonstrations. Down the hall, there was the great room with all the gourd vendors and artists. Beautiful gourd art displayed the many talents and styles that artisans explore, some inspire you to stretch your own talents while some are just awe inspiring. Although I did not sign up to take a class this year, there were curtained off areas for the classes with many students enjoying their new learning projects and techniques. PAGs had a wonderful display of musical gourd items and of course the gourd auction that featured finished items up for bid as well as supplies for the gourd artist. 

I decided to attend a demonstration on using epoxy sculpt as I had purchased some last year but did not know much about how to use it. The demonstration covered how to mix it, color it, and shape it and even gave the audience a bit of hands on.The demonstrator's experience in using epoxy sculpt definitely showed through her casual “no fear” teaching style.

After enjoying a delicious and plentiful buffet lunch, I made the rounds again through the inside area and stopped to talk with Sylvia who had her beautiful gourd art displayed for sale. Our supply and tool vendor Blue Whale Arts, was unable to attend this year and was missed but we hope they will be with us next year.

Although our new facility will prove to be a great location for our future gourd fests, I am sure we will all fondly remember the Smucker family who graciously hosted our gourd fests past. We all thank them for sharing their farm and for working hand in hand with us to make the fests a success and a wonderful experience to hold in our memories.

Gourd festivals are very inspiring and are a great place to explore the many modalities of gourd art.  Many states have their own chapters and some states have local "patches" that get together monthly to share techniques and projects.  Why don't you check your state for a gourd society chapter, visit and explore the creative world of gourds!

Well, the gardening has begun!  I really enjoy digging in the soil, turning it, weeding and seeing the increased number of earthworms.  I decide to forgo the use of tiller for this job because I love connecting with the soil.  This process is very meditative for me and as I turn the soil I contemplate the miracle of growth and give gratitude to the earth and to my father who taught me what I know about gardening.
 I had started a compost pile which is not in an optimum place due to not having enough sunshine, so I decided to compost directly in the garden!  This seems to be a great decision and I believe this is the reason I have such a nice increase in earthworms.  All I do is take the kitchen scraps out, dig a shallow hole about 5-6 inches deep, spread the scraps in the hole and shovel some soil back on top.  The worms do the rest!  Make sure when you compost you use only vegetable matter and keep in mind citrus does not compost well.

I lucked out and discovered at the hardware store three 40lb bags of wood pellets that were being given away free because the bags were broken open and were exposed to moisture.  I snagged those babies and spread them in the garden!  I did my due diligence first and researched to make sure there were not additives or chemical content.  The wood pellets absorbed the moisture and broke down beautifully, adding organic matter and moisture retention ability to the soil.  Mushroom mulch is sold by the scoop locally here in PA; it make a lovely top dressing for your garden and I also use it to mix in with the soil when I plant tomatoes. 
So far this season, I have planted collard greens, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, carrots, radishes, kale, onions and potatoes.  Now, most people here in PA do not understand this thing with collard greens...this is a southern thing that is not understood this far noth, however, I am from Virginia and southerners know there is nothing better than some collard greens cooked with a bit of ham or better yet, a meaty ham hock!  I am making myself hungry now....!
To my dismay, I visited the garden this morning to find my lettuce and my broccoli had been topped by the resident rabbit!  Not good.  To discourage rabbits, I hear blood meal sprinkled around the garden arer will repel rabbits.  I prefer not having to purchase critter control products; I figured that since I had never seen my cilantro bothered, I thought it may act as a deterrent if I planted it next to the rabbit's preferable dining choices.  We will see how that works.....  The good news is, I harvested my first few asparagus spears today! They did not last long after washing; they were wonderfully sweet and crisp!

Remember to "season" your seedlings!

It is still cool here in southern PA. and the perfect time to plant those cold weather veggies such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, beets, radishes, onions and potatoes.  Instead of starting my broccoli and cabbage from seed I purchased seedlings to get a jump start on the season.  Not only am I  particularly fond of these, there is a little garden pest that LOVES these tender little seedlings too...the CUTWORM.  Cutworms can be in the soil (typically where there has been a lawn or grass because the feed on the roots.  Out of sight and right beneath the soil line, they wrap themselves around you nice little plants and chew around the base.  You, the happy gardener, go to check on your newly planted plot only to find them wilted or laying dead on the ground, leaving you disappointed and wondering what you did wrong.  Well, this cutworm is easy to stop and only takes one item and one extra step during planting, and, will save you from all that disappointment of loosing you crop!  The secret is cutworms hate black pepper!  And the good part about using black pepper is that it is completely natural and will not harm the beneficial earthworms...win, win : )

So here's how:
Raid your spice cabinet and get the can of ground black pepper ( even though you will have to replace it...a good investment!)
Remove your seedlings from the pack and place in the prepared hole.  Before covering with soil, sprinkle the black pepper around the plant set.....I use about a half teaspoon per plant but no measurement is necessary. 
Cover the plant roots with soil and for good measure, I sprinkle a little more pepper on top of the soil around the plant.....just to make sure!  You will be so pleased to see all of your seedlings remain standing and growing happily : ) 
One more tip.....  There is another pest that loves cabbage and the other plants in cabbage family.....the cabbage looper.  During the maturing season when the weather is warmer,  you may see these pretty little white butterflies in your garden.  Don't be fooled.....these most likely are the cabbage looper laying its eggs on your plants.  But again, there are a few all natural remedies to prevent them from devouring your crop.  If you have a fireplace you should have some wood ash...or if you do not have wood ash, you can purchase from your health food store or gardening center some diatomatious earth. (it will cost you more from the gardening center). Diatomatious earth is the skeletal remains of microscopic water animals.  The skeletons are very sharp edged and just like the wood ash will scratch the skins of any crawling "plant munchers" and they will die from dehydration.  All you need to do is sprinkle your plants with either of these and again, both are completely natural. 
One word of caution using diatomatious earth....apply this on a day with little wind as you will not want to inhale it.  Also try to limit the amount you get on the ground as it will do the same to earthworms as it will to cabbage worms!  Happy gardening.

PS....I am trying to get this on the "Gardening" page, but it may not work!  Still learning about this blog thing ; )

Try, try again!

It seems that seedlings do not like blue!  This is the conclusion I have come to due to the fact that out of 6 seeds and 2 trays, none of the seeds sprouted in the blue Styrofoam tray.  I sprouted seeds successfully in a yellow tray so I know it  is not the process that is incorrect.  I have decided to try a different method using a heat mat. I am clipping the seeds and will pot directly in a peat pot covered with plastic wrap to preserve moisture.
Who would think that a seed could be affected by color?!   Strange the things we do not know that affect natural processes......... unlike nature's inborn knowledge inside that seed!   Try as we might in our infinite quest to outsmart nature, we must come to the realization that nature is already perfect. 
 It has been proven that plants are affected by sound....they love classical music and are not too fond of rock.  Music is sound and sound is vibration.....makes sense.  If you think about that and extrapolate that to the human body, wouldn't our bodies be affected by these things too?  Maybe we should be more aware of what vibrations we are feeding our bodies individually, if we are to raise humanity's vibration.  So, consciously feed your body good vibrations and be your own composer!  Lastly,  I could not help but be reminded of this song...enjoy!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVKCRpOewco

Ever heard gourd music?

If you have never heard gourd music before then here is your chance!  This music is performed using all gourd instruments.  I usually listen to one of the CDs when I am inspired to work on my gourd art!  Very organic music to be sure : )  Check it out....hope you enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=JYqJ3FBplgc

Looking forward....

Spring has sprung and it is time for new beginnings, new life and new growth.  Just as mother earth encourages all this activity, I myself, have begun this new endeavor "blogging".  I am not close to being a techy-type person............ heck, I gave up my cell phone over 3 years ago!  But it is time for me to grow and learn new things, so here I am.  I am definately suffering through a learning curve with this blogging thing, and I suppose I could have asked my son or granddaughter and recieved a quick lesson.  However, learning through trial and error always provides me a much richer experience as I navigate and learn via those "I'll never do that again" moments!  This is only the beginning to my new adventure and I hope it gets easier and faster as I know I spent hours trying to get my pics posted on my gourd page last night!  Ha!
Looking forward I will be sharing good food recipes (both healthy and not so healthy ; ).  Also, I will be sharing gardening tips and methods that I have been playing with.  My dad taught me and my sisters gardening at an early age; all that dirt gets in your blood and it is something you are not willing to give up.  Additionally I plan to teach some gourding techniques and hopefully there is someone out there in blog world that would be interested in learning this. 
In closing, think about getting out there yourselves and learn something new...... grow, evolve and enjoy the spice of life!

Make a toy for your best friends!

Dog toys are so expensive right now and the money can be better spent in another budget area.  Here is a quick and easy dog toy you can make from a remnant of fabric and an empty plastic bottle.  My pups LOVE anything that makes noise and the bottle crinkle is a lot less irritating to your ears than those squeakers!  Toy can be re-filled/re-used and the bottle can be recycled after your dog has his fun!
 It cost me a little over $1 for the fabric....cheap, easy and quick! 



Will look something like this....


Items needed:  empty plastic water or soda bottle
                        Fleece remnant (other fabrics work but fleece is    stretchy and forgiving)

1:  Lay out fabric on table and measure width around bottle adding 1" extra for 1/2 inch seam

2:  Measure length of bottle and add an additional 6" (additional 3" for both top and bottom tassels)

3:  Cut fabric and sew side seam

4:  Turn right side out and sew bottom seam 3" from bottom edge of fabric
5:  Slide bottle into tube created and tie shut with additional length of fabric or string
6:  Cut tassels on bottom and top 3" every 1/2"
7: Done!

She LOVES it as you can see...........  : )