How to attract Bumblebees to your garden

According to Hinterland Who's Who Bumblebees are native to North America (unlike honey bees which did not exist here until Colonists brought them over). They are large and fuzzy, and non-aggressive, unless you disturb their nest or swat at them (or step on them). Their stinger isn't barbed, unlike the honey bee, so they can sting multiple times if they need to. The drones (males) do not have a stinger at all. Bumblebees see in UV light so they are more attracted to blue and purple flowers, but they will happily feed off of any flowers they find.

Only 45 species of bumblebees are social, meaning that they live in hives of up to 200 individuals, whereas honeybees have colonies of up to 40,000. Bumblebees make very little honey as all but the new queens die off over the winter. They usually nest underground in abandoned rodent burrows, and they can be found in sub-Arctic to sub-Tropical climates.

Dandelion Wine

I swear that I'm going to try it this year. I like this method as it looks plausibly medieval.

Ingredients

• 10 cups dandelion blossoms (leaves only, no green part or it will be too bitter)
• 3.7 litres (or 1 gallon, or 16 cups) water
• 2 oranges with peel (if I'm eating the peel I really prefer organic)
• 1 lemon with peel
• 6 cups sugar
• 1 pkg wine yeast
• 0.45 kg (or 1 lb) raisins

Composting. It's really not that hard!

You don't need anything fancy or expensive to start composting. All you have to do is designate a spot in your yard to let nature do its thing with vegetable matter. As always, don't put any bread, milk-products or meat into your composter. It will smell horribly, not compost very well, attract disease and pests... and just generally make your life difficult. Egg shells are one exception to this rule. I rinse them out and then crush them flat before I put them into the compost container.

The most basic way is a pile. Just a pile. You can hem it in with some sort of fence, but that can be made out of a cylinder of chicken wire, old pallets, or just a pile. People tend to put compost into vertical containers to save space and restrict access for wild animals. Container composting is the most popular for those of us who don't live on a farm or have a large amount of yard. However, in vertical containers there is also restricted air flow, so they need to be turned more often to maintain a good mix of oxygen-dependent bacteria.

The fancy word for this is aerobic. They thrive in oxygen-rich environments, and make your dirt good for for your garden. The other kind, anaerobic (surviving in oxygen-poor environments), aren't as good for plant growth and development, and will take time to clear out once added to your garden so the good kind can move back in. So, in this instance, cheap and lazy isn't a bad thing. Piles are messy, but they work.

Wildcrafted local mustard

Garlic Mustard-Mustard               
makes about 1/2 c.

7 Tb ground garlic mustard seeds
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tb water
2 tsp honey or 3 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp turmeric

1. Grind the seeds using either a mortar and pestle or clean coffee grinder, then stir together with the salt and turmeric. Add the water, honey and vinegar and stir until smooth.


Let it sit, covered, in the fridge for a week, and then stir before use. It will darken up a bit. Keep it covered, and use within seven months.

The only ingredients which aren't possibly local are the salt and turmeric. Not bad!

Garlic mustard hummus and falafels

Garlic mustard is an incredibly invasive species. I'll call them 'weeds', but they're actually incredibly edible, so maybe we should call them 'free food'... It grows everywhere.

So, here are a couple recipes you can use them in. Blanch the plants in a bit of boiling water if you find them too bitter when used raw.


Garlic Mustard Hummus 
makes about 2 1/2 c.

2 cups washed, chopped garlic mustard leaves
1 cup washed, chopped ramps greens, or 1/2 cup onion
2 cups cooked chick peas
5 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp tahini
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cumin

1. Put everything into your food processor and blend until a nice consistency. Add more olive oil if you like it smoother.


Green Falafels            
makes about 35 falafel patties

1 cup packed, chopped raw garlic mustard greens
10 green ramps leaves, or 1 small onion, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cans chickpeas, or about 3 cups raw, soaked chickpeas
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
2 Tbsp flour of your choice- choose something with a bit of sticking power like tapioca or corn starch if wheat isn't your thing
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 c. breadcrumbs (gluten free if you like, or more tapioca starch)

1. Heat the oven to 375°.
2. Blend everything in a food processor until a slightly chunky paste forms. You may need to add more olive oil as you want the mixture to be scoopable.
3. Form the mixture into patties, about 2 Tablespoons for each patty. Coat the falafel in the breadcrumbs and place on a baking sheet. Spray the falafels with a light coat of olive oil cooking spray.
4. Bake for 20 minutes, flip over and bake 10 minutes longer. Serve with pitas and fillings.