I am so glad to announce that this year the San Lorenzo Valley Water District has again awarded me a grant for six “Watershed Nature Walks.” Our first guided walk will feature Daniel Williford, Henry Cowell State Park interpreter, and Laurie Egan, stewardship coordinator for the Coastal Watershed Council.

Miranda Beasley

“Five gallons of soup”, my Hubby Norm yelled, “five gallons of soup?…Colly this time you’ve gone too far!” he kept repeating as I lugged in twenty pounds   of Cremini mushrooms packed in five pound cartons.  Next came twenty-two quarts of chicken stock, cream and onions and finally, the bottle of sherry wine that it would take to create the Santa Cruz Mountains Gourmet Dinner Club’s Rustic Cream of Mushroom Soup.

Has the hot, dry, windy weather made your garden look like mid-summer? Our meager spring rains have all but disappeared from the soil and what hasn't evaporated the weeds have taken. The local water companies all have water conservation requirements that began last month. I'm getting lots of calls and emails asking for advice about the best way to use water efficiently so the garden doesn't look like the Sahara this summer. I'm helping others redesign their gardens with an eye towards ongoing water conservation.