Lissa

Harvesting Li jujubes today. The tree does well in our summer, but I’ve decided I don’t love the fruit. It is like eating slightly sweet styrofoam. I’m putting them in my drying rack to see how they do after a bit of hanging time.

I’ve got all the heddles threaded for my next weaving project. Hopefully next week I can finish getting it on the loom, and see if the reality will match what is in my head.

I’m winding spools for using the spool rack for sectional warping today. 8 colors, 6 spools per color, 510 yards per spool. This will take me a bit.

This is for the Oil Slick cotton fabric I’m making on the big loom. I can picture it in my head. I hope it looks as cool in person!

When we have squash, I tend to bury the seeds and inner gunk under the fruit trees. Today I harvested delicata and butternut squash. Using food waste for the win!

The daily fig harvest is more than I can eat in one setting, now. (I have a sensitivity to latex, and figs are related. I need to keep myself to a couple at a time.) So I’m running an experiment, and taking advantage of all the Arizona out there to naturally dry today’s batch.

Bringing a fruit basket of yard goodies with me to go visit Brian’s folks this evening. 🙂

Fig season begins! These are the black mission variety. I love eating super super local. Like, my back yard.

I harvested all three types of grapes out of the yard today, and I can’t decide on a favorite. Who is surprised by this fact? My favorite word is ‘AND!’ 😄

(Red flame, green Thompson, and black monukka.)

Thank you. Please keep working on this one.

The rest of my apple harvest is in. 😊 Some of this will be applesauce, some quartered and frozen for morning smoothies, some dehydrated into apple chips, and the tiny and bruised ones will be cider. Ready? Go!

Grape season! The red flame grapes are ripening here in my Phoenix back yard. Imagine if everyone grew a bit of food…

We’re home from the protest downtown in Phoenix. Soooo many people. Great energy, totally peaceful.

#nokings

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Hey, if you’re not able to attend #NoKings events in person—whether it’s because of chronic pain, disability, mental health, caregiving, work, or just needing rest—you don’t owe anyone an apology.
Your voice matters.
Your safety matters.
And you are still a powerful part of this movement. 💙

In my studio, prepping for Saturday. I’d rather be quietly making art and tending my garden, but here we are.

No Kings June 14 · No Kings on Mobilize Find events, petitions, volunteer opportunities, fundraisers and more with No Kings.

So you can find your local protest for this weekend: www.mobilize.us/nokings/

There is a nice storm cell wandering through the valley tonight. Strange weather for this time of year, but I’ll take it!

This afternoon’s adventure: Montezuma’s Well. No, Montezuma had nothing to do with it. But folks lived here ages ago: look in the top left for cliff dwellings. They used a canal system from this source to irrigate crops, but this water isn’t for drinking. It is filled with arsenic.

I was at the Grand Canyon today. Our national lands are gorgeous!!

Eric and I are off on a road trip this weekend. We live in beautiful territory, that is worth preserving.

BlackBerry season is starting to slow down. Up next: grapes, apples, figs, and jujubes.

Fresh fruit, low food miles. Eat your yard!

Gorgeous!

My neighbor had a couple tomato seedlings that needed a spot in the ground, so I pulled an I’itoi onion bed this afternoon to make room for them. You plant one bulb, and get a bunch like this back. I’ll eat a good portion of these, and save the rest to separate, share, and plant this fall.

That would be fun! As it is, I give the grandson sidewalk chalk, and let him go to town on the stepping stones. He makes up his own games with what colors he chooses. I don't know the rules, but he does. :)

This is a heritage breed called Louise. Thorny, has seeds, but a very vigorous grower here in the desert. And I'm getting loads of tasty berries every day right now.

I’ve been wanting to create some stepping stone pathways through the orchard area. I spotted some free on Craigslist last night, and sent the link to Eric. By the time I got up today, he had already fetched them, and it was time to unload together. I get to play making pathways now! Score!!

Still harvesting blackberries and Barbados cherries. This is a typical daily haul. Also got a fig, some itty bitty native wolfberries (I mostly grow those for the birds), and we pulled the last of this year’s oranges off the tree. Yum!!

Imagine if more people converted lawn to food, and shared.

The Trump administration is attempting to weaken the Endangered Species Act with a proposal to narrow its definition of “harm.” But this ignores the reality that if we lost forests, wetlands and other habitats to industry, we’d also lose the wildlife that depend on them.

Blackberry season is in full swing here in the desert. And I harvested my first artichoke today. Eating from the yard makes for the freshest food, and the lowest food miles.

I added two hand woven cloth napkins to my stash. The rest of the yardage is getting saved for a summer top. 🙂 First project off of the loom successful!!