April Wildflower: Ode to the Bee

As we start the planting season, I thought I’d share one of my favorite poems by Pablo Neruda, “Ode to the Bee.”  I love how he celebrates every aspect of what is often a vilified insect.  A nice reminder to us of the importance of these little creatures to help our garden grow and also an inspiration for us as we become our own little team of workers planting this Spring.

As always, if you want to share any poems, stories, or photos of your own, please email to 615greenblog@gmail.com.    

Ode to the Bee
Pablo Neruda

Plentiness of the bee!
Coming and going
from orange, blue and yellow
from the softest softness of the world -
she hastily enters on business the flower crown
and exits with golden coat and yellow boots.

Perfect with a waist of lines of dark bands
with tiny always busy head and watery wings
she enters scented windows, opens silken doors
enters the sanctum of the most fragrant love,
stumbles over small droplets of diamond dew
and from all visited houses she takes mysterious honey,
rich and heavy, of dense fragrance
and liquid light that falls down in drops
until she reaches the bee palace
and deposes the product of the flower, of the flight
and of the seraphic, secret sun.

Plentiness of the bee!
Sacred elevation of the unity,
palpitating school!

Sonorous buzzing multitudes that tune the nectar
passing swiftly drops of ambrosia -
it is the siesta of the summer of green and of the solitudes of Osorno.
Above the sun stitches his lances in the snow, lighting the volcanoes
wide as the oceans is the earth, blue is the space
ut  there is something trembling,
it is the burning heart of the summer
the heart of multiplied honey,
the noisy bee in the living comb of golden flights.

Bees, pure selfless workers,
thin, flashing proletarians, perfect fearsome militia
that in war attack with suicidal stings
buzz, buzz over the earth’s realms
family of gold, windy multitudes
shake the fire of the flowers
the thirst of the stamens
the sharp thread of fragrances
that unite the days and make the honey
surpassing the wet continents
and the farthest islands of the sky of the West

Yes:
Let the wax raise green statues
let the honey overflow in infinite tongues
let the ocean be a comb
and the Earth be a tower and tunic of flowers
Let the world be a cascade,
magnificent head of hair,
unceasing growth of Beedom!

Gardening in Brooklyn: Join a CSA

I know a lot of garden members also belong to local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs.  Most of these deliver fresh fruit, veggies, eggs and more throughout the summer and even fall.  It’s a great way to eat locally and support local farms. It’s always a great way to be introduced to new types of produce that you might not normally buy--or grow--on your own.

I thought it might be fun to do a round up of some that deliver to the area for anyone who might be interested.  Some may have closed their memberships for 2012 already but keep them in mind for next year.  

• Just Food (justfood.org):  “a non-profit organization that connects communities and local farms with the resources and support they need to make fresh, locally grown food accessible to all New Yorkers.” Go to their web site to find a based on your zip code for pick up locations.
• Park Slope CSA (http://www.parkslopecsa.org/): Starts June, 2012.  They offer full and half shares and multiple pick up times.  Pick up is at Garden of Union, a community garden between 4th and 5th Aves. Registration closes May 5.
• Central Brooklyn CSA (http://centralbrooklyncsa.wordpress.com/): Starts June 14th for 22 weeks.  Pick up is Thursday from 5 to 7:30 pm at 1256 Dean Street.  They charge based on income level and have a program for members to pay with food stamps.
• Garden of Eve (http://www.gardenofevefarm.com/): Starts first week of June through November. They offer full and half shares.  They have pick up locations in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Long Island.  In Brooklyn, they have pick up spots in Brooklyn Heights, Bushwick, Carroll Gardens, Greenpoint, Kensington/Windsor Terrace and Williamsburg.
• Cobble Hill CSA (http://cobblehillcsa.bobrowen.com/): Starts June 5 until Dec 11.  Pick up is on Tuesdays at Christ Church, 326 Clinton Street. Still taking membership.
• Sunset Park CSA (http://www.sunsetparkcsa.org/): Starts June 14 through Nov 8.  They are sold out for one version of their share but are still accepting membership for alternate weeks.

I’ve done the Kensington Garden of Eve CSA for four years.  My husband and I get a half share and it’s always been an amazing amount of veggies and fruit that usually last us a couple weeks--although we do have to figure out what will go bad first and eat that.  Just like it’s so much fun to see what is growing every time you go to the garden, it’s always fun to see what produce they have at each pick up.  I know that Garden of Eve lets people come tour their gardens and I’m sure that other farms offer tours, too.  

If I’m missing one you belong to or know about--or if you want to share your own experiences belonging to a CSA program, please add to the comments section below.  

Comments Section Fixed

Hi all--for some reason, the typeface in the comments section was white and therefore impossible to read. I finally figured out how to change it.  Thanks for your patience while I figured this one out. 

We're #2!

Did you know that when you do a Google search for gardening in Brooklyn, the 6/15 Green web site comes up 2nd--right after the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens?  Pretty cool! 

Ask a Gardener: When to Plant?

Question: Since it’s been such an unseasonably warm winter, how will that affect the planting season?  Should we plant earlier than usual?  Any suggestions of what to plant when?

Please share your thoughts in the comments section.  This is a great way to share your knowledge with the whole community.  And please send your your own questions for Ask a Gardener to 615greenblog@gmail.com.  

Featured Photo: Spring is HERE!

New Content for 6/15 Green Blog

Hi garden members--

My community assignment is the 6/15 Green blog.  My goal for this year is to make it a much more active blog and I plan to do this is a couple ways. First, I’m going to add this google groups to the RSS feed for the blog--what that means is that any time there is a new post on the blog, it will be announced to this group.  Hopefully that will encourage people to come check out the page.  Of course, feel free to add your own email to the RSS feed so you can get alerts any time there is a new post.

The second way is by adding more content.  I see this as a community blog so I greatly welcome post from any members at any time.  You can either email the post--be it pictures, stories, poems, ideas, or more--to the general email I’ve set up for the blog, which is 615greenblog@gmail.com.  Or you can post it yourself--the password for the blog is love2garden.  I just ask that posts are friendly.

I’ll also be adding more content myself with a series of rotating weekly features that include:

• Ask a Gardener: where garden members can ask advice on any garden topic.  Then, garden members can give responses in the reply section of the blog post.  I’m hoping this is a way for new garden members or season gardeners alike to share their valuable knowledge.  And if you have a question you want answered, send it to 615greenblog@gmail.com.
• Featured Photo: A photo from the garden--please send photos again to 615greenblog@gmail.com.
• Gardening in Brooklyn: Will feature local websites, stores, people and other great Brooklyn gardening resources.
• Wild Flower:  Like a wild card topic--only it’s a garden, so let’s make it a wild flower.  Miscellaneous topics, poems, recipes and more.

I look forward to helping make this another great year at the garden!

Thanks,
Donya