The Bees Have Landed

The wait is over. On Friday the 13th Kirk came over with a box of angry bees and our adventure in beekeeping (backwards) began. The bees had been split from another hive by Kirk and Sebastian. They are not queen right (no laying queen) but have 2 queen cells and should be right in about a week. When bees don't have a queen, they aren't particularly happy campers. Nor do they appreciate being shut in, jostled or having their hive moved for them - understandably so.


Kirk got our medium boxes ready for the 5 large frames the bees were on by stacking our medium boxes two deep and removing 5 frames from both the upper and lower boxes. The deeper large frames will hang down from the top box into the lower one - not really how they were meant to work but it gets the job done and that's how we roll at Camp Ramshackle.


We suited up while Julia and the kids watched.

This is probably the right time to mention that I don't really have a proper beekeeping suit - its just a hat, veil and tough silver members-only-style jacket that I got from work as a holiday gift and never wore. I think I was lulled into a false sense of security after watching "Every Third Bite" (about 5 times) and seeing the beekeepers there with no equipment on at all.

As Kirk carried the nuc up to the hive site quite a few bees slipped out the cracks. They weren't in the best mood and forced Julia and the boys into the house. That left me the job of taking pictures which is not the easiest thing to do when you have a makeshift bee suit on.

Kirk smoked the nuc twice. I was a little surprised by the defensive behavior of the bees when he opened the lid. About 10 or so workers immediately flew to the camera and began trying to sting it and my gloved hands. I think they may have mistaken the black lens for a bear snout. I have to admit a moment of doubt in my shoddy beekeeping suit's efficacy but it held up perfectly.

In the picture above you can see the bees dangling from the starter strip on this frame. Kirk said that's what they do when they are getting ready to draw the comb.


Here Kirk is pointing out the queen cells.

Close-up of the queen cells.


A full brood frame goes in. After that the stragglers were dumped from the nuc to the top of the hive and it was closed up. Kirk and I went back inside for some water and home made coconut macaroons while I got some more instruction on feeding which will be in the next post. I also uploaded more pictures here on our flickr account.

A few hours later, after the air had cleared of bees I went to get the camera which I had left near the hive. I snuck around the corner to snap a picture when a handful of guards spotted me and chased me off.

Over all it was a complete thrill and I am happy to say that no one was stung (except possibly our dog Trudy - but if she was, 5 minutes later you couldn't tell) Thanks Kirk!

Previously:
All of our posts about Bees

Related:
more pictures on flickr
Backwards Beekeepers Blog

Melissa's Worms

Our friend Melissa started her adventure with worms this past Christmas when her wonderful boyfriend made her a worm bin as a gift. It's a pretty cool design with a charcoal filter in the lid to keep the smells to a minimum.


Mel gets huge points in my book for overcoming her repulsion to worms and for apartment composting. She proves that you don't need a big yard, or really any yard for that matter to compost your kitchen waste.

You can read more about Mel's foray into vermiculture here:
No Idea What in the Worm I'm Doing

I also noticed that the Mikey and Wendy at Holy Scrap Hot Springs are selling worms now. If you need worms, check 'em out.

Rosemary Nut Flour Torte

Inspired by Leah at Our Yellow House, I made a variation of her clementine cake (via Smitten Kitchen via Nigella Lawson). In my ode to the cake, I used kumquats and reduced their boiling time to one hour. I'll be making that cake again soon. What a perfect venue to fuel my kumquat obsession. Ever so tasty and enjoyed by all in the house.

While savoring the kumquat cake, I thought that the recipe would adapt well to a savory rendition. So with the dinner hour fast approaching, the idea became a mandate. This torte (pictured above) is fantastic. This will become a staple in our house, and one I plan to share at food centered get togethers.

Rosemary Nut Flour Torte
1 cup hazelnut flour
1 cup almond flour
6 eggs
2 1/2 Tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
1 heaping teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup of milk (I used unsweetened soy)

Preheat oven to 375°. Butter an 8 inch springform pan and line bottom with parchment (I used a 9 inch pan & the torte was rather flat).

Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients, add to dry. (Add more or less milk as needed.) Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30-50 minutes, covering torte after 20-30 minutes if the edges get too brown. Torte is done with toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Remove from oven. Let rest on wire rack for five minutes. Remove from pan.

Our dinner was paired with a blood orange salad (the blood oranges a gift from my mom).

Blood Orange Salad
4 blood oranges, without peels, chopped
a handful flat leaf parsley
2 Tablespoons of thinly sliced red onion
salt to taste
drizzle with olive oil

Hard Luck Screen Door

Our rickety old screen door takes a lot of abuse from dogs, the kids and frankly us too. I thought I had fixed it last time but the new nails pulled out even though they were thicker than the flimsy little brads that I used the first time.

This time I went through our jar of old screws and pulled out 10 or so matching brass wood screws that were pulled from some rotten windows in a shack on the property. In the picture above you can see I drilled the frame, used my new countersink bit and screwed it back together.


This is the adjustable countersink bit. It creates a space for the screw head to end up flush with the surface. The collar around the outside can be adjusted to the right depth with a set screw at the base of the bit. Pretty handy tool.

Here is the repair in all it's glory. This state of things lasted about 1 week (I meant to post about it sooner).

Here is how I found the screen door at about 2:00 am night before last. That is the inside layer of hardware cloth ripped from the door frame on the ground. Our dog Moxie was worked up by something in the yard. The door latch is a spring loaded twist down kind of thing that I guess she must have inadvertently hit with her paw while bouncing against the door. Next she set to work trying to get through the screen door.

The most amazing thing to me is that the stuff on the ground is hardware cloth - it's tough, and she tore it to pieces with her teeth. In my half sleeping state I managed to step on pieces of it twice, both times puncturing my feet. (oh yeah, and we all have colds right now which is why we slept through so much of the commotion - fun)

The only explanation for Moxie's determination that I can think of is that it must have been one of her arch enemies: a raccoon. Raccoons and tree squirrels are only visiting fauna she hasn't added to her trophy list. (coyotes don't come into the yard).


In this picture you can see that she was gnawing through the door by the time I got there but the screws I had added just a few days prior held. If I hadn't done the repair who knows what might have happened.

I guess I know what I'll be doing next weekend.

Previously:
Fixin' it Good
Window Repair

Ready for Bees

This weekend I finished assembly of our beehive by painting the outside. We have 3 boxes right now. When we get our bees we'll start with one box (or super) and add the the others as the colony expands.

These are medium boxes which each hold 10 frames. When full of honey they will weigh 60 pounds each as opposed to about 90 pounds for the deep boxes you often see in professional apiaries.


This is one of the frames with the starter strip inserted near the top and painted with uncontaminated organic bee's wax (thanks Kirk!) With backwards beekeeping we don't use foundation (pre-stamped honey comb starter) because we believe that letting the bees draw comb the way they want it is better for the bees.

For more pictures and explanations check out our flickr set: Getting Ready for Bees and this recent post on the Backwards Beekeepers blog.

Rice Cream Ice Cream

When Eric and I married six and a half years ago, we were gifted a Cuisinart ice cream maker. I had been cruising garage sales in search of one after some great homemade ice cream experiences, including a big extended family get together at my uncle's in Wyoming and a kayaking trip in Baja Mexico where Eric reigned as the master-ice-cream-trundler while the sun set and manta rays leapt in the distance.

Still, I worried the ice cream maker would be an extra appliance used rarely, taking up valuable space in our small kitchen. So I determined to use it. Thanks to our generous gift six and a half years ago, our ice cream, sorbet and sherbet is almost always homemade. I think I've bought ice cream only a handful of times since it came into our lives.

Above is an afternoon treat made by the boys and me. So simple and so delicious. Below is the recipe we made up. It's adapts to variations well. So use what you have on hand and enjoy.

Blueberry Rice Ice Cream
3 cups vanilla rice milk
3/4 cup agave syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

In medium bowl, whisk to combine rice milk and agave syrup (about 1-2 minutes). Add vanilla. Stir to incorporate. Turn on ice cream maker, add mixture. Mix until thickened, 25-30 minutes, adding blueberries in the last five minutes.

When our little machine breaks and is no longer fixable, I think I will invest in the KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment.

No ice cream machine? Don't despair. Follow Sarah's lead at The Small Object and make ice cream without an ice cream maker.

Weed Harvest

Although some of the weeds in these tubs are edible, the harvest here will feed our compost pile. It is getting pretty big right now but still not quite heating up. I hope this additional fodder will will push the pile into high gear.

New Desk for the Shack

Some days I work from home. It spares the commute, I get to have lunch with the family and simply not be in the office. Our small house is not conducive to a productive day when the kids are home so lately I have been working from the trailer. It's ok but yesterday I decided to set up shop in the shack, using some scrap wood to make a desk.


I love fancy furniture that uses free edges (like the work of George Nakashima) but we can't afford that and so have found our poor folk version of it: The split board.

We first used this accidental technique with the cookbook shelf, and in fact the desk top pictured is a section of the same board which was left outside until it split in two. The split followed the wood grain around a knot and we just went with it.

This time I didn't sand it or do anything to it. I like it just how it is. The supports were cut from a scrap from the floor joists on the shack. They screwed to the vertical 2x4's.

There is a space in the back that would allow a pen to fall but the tilt of the screen puts the bottom of the computer out exactly three and a half inches away from the wall anyway. I'll fill in the gap with a 2x4 if the gap becomes annoying but for now I like the minimalist aspect of it.

As you can see, it accommodates all of the essentials: computer, coffee cup, note pad and pencil, and phone (not pictured because it was used to take the picture). I am pleased with the outcome and in fact, submitting this first post from the chair in the photo.

Previously:
Cook Book Shelf
Ramshackle Shackitecture

Owly Stencil Shirt

My son picked up a copy of Andy Runton's Owly Tiny Tales when we were at the library. I saw him at a table flipping through it before he brought it to the front desk for checkout. Little did I realize then what a treasure he had discovered.

Owly is a comic book/graphic novel series sharing stories of a big hearted owl. Runton skillfully presents tales of friendship and the human spirit ironically through a group of close knit animals. And he accomplishes this without words. The story is driven by illustration alone. I'm amazed at the depth of emotion Runton evokes by his images.


In homage to a new deeply loved friend, I made an Owly shirt for my son.

Owly series:
The Way Home & The Bittersweet Summer (v. 1)
Owly Volume 2: Just A Little Blue (v. 2)
Owly Volume 3: Flying Lessons (v. 3)
Owly Volume 4: A Time to be Brave (v. 4)
Owly Volume 5: Tiny Tales (v. 5)

Great freezer paper stencil tutorial from Angry Chicken inspired by Craftster.

Nursery School Garden Beds

Here are the three garden beds at our son's nursery school (what I hope will be known as the "before" photo in the future). On the to do list today, more planting.

The seeds planted by students have not fared well. Two classes were a total bust without one seed germinating. I handed out more seeds and hope the second effort is more fruitful--or vegetableful.

Crispy Kale

I've been meaning to post this delicious recipe from my sister-in-law and brother since they shared it with me a few weeks ago. Each time I make the dish, however, it's eaten before I can photograph it. Baked kale is incredibly light and crisp. Even my kids love it.

Crispy Kale
1 bunch of kale, destemmed
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
salt
sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 350°. Destem the kale. Drizzle kale with olive oil. Rub each leaf until it is shiny with oil. Lay flat on a cookie sheet. Salt and toss a scant amount of sesame seeds. Bake in oven for 8 minutes. Flip the kale and cook for 2-4 minutes more.

Sadly, this is the last of our current kale crop. Aphids attacked with such ferocity, the kale was cut back. I'm trying to get some seeds growing. While we wait for the new crop, I'm going to miss the convenience of this dish, from planter bed to oven to table in no time at all.

Composting at the Nursery School

Julia has started to tend to portions of the garden at the nursery school our son attends. This weekend the whole family went to take care of some maintenance. My job was to try to get the compost going again. The picture above is how we found it. The first thing I did was knock it over.

The bin had been left alone for a long time and was filled to the gills with dry, cold compost. There was a section in the back that had decomposed but for the most part it was practically mummified.

There were some weeds and grass growing in a nearby culvert so we harvested mostly weeds which consisted of mallow, mustard, sow thistle, spurge and duckweed. I took whatever grass came with the weeds but tried to focus on the leafier stuff.

I've found that smaller pieces work better so I broke up small fists full of the weeds and scattered them on top of a layer of dry material alternating back and forth - about 1 inches deep dry material to 2 inches deep green.


You have to be careful with using weeds to feed the compost because the seeds are very tough and often survive the process. These weeds were still young enough that none had gone to seed yet. A couple of the mallow plants had just started to flower but no seeds were forming.

I made 3 layers dry and 2 of green starting with dry on the bottom. We need more nitrogen rich material to get the pile really hot. Luckily, the school has rabbits so we'll try to get some of their droppings to add to the mix. As we do we'll add back some of the dry stuff that didn't make it back in the bin this time.

We were able to harvest enough compost and dirt from the forgotten bin to fill these three strawberry pots.
Right now it is a little less than half full. Either Julia or I will check again on Thursday, fingers crossed, to see if it is heating up at all.

Gopher Snake

This weekend, the boys and I went to a Pasadena Open Space fair. A group of neighbors are working to designate an undeveloped hillside as Open Space. Check out neighbor Joan Dooley's pasadenaopenspace.blogspot.com for details.


At the fair, the Eaton Canyon Nature Center had set up an outreach booth. Student Naturalist John Garrett shared this gopher snake with my sons.

Back in the Saddle

Prior to moving to the house we live in now, I walked or rode my bike to work nearly every day for about 4 years. It was easy because I only lived about a mile from work (2 different jobs). My bike at the time was a heavy 60's era Schwinn 3 speed "racer." When we moved to the new house, the hills and extra 2 miles made riding much more difficult but when my job moved 14 miles away to Burbank, the bike became obsolete, then came kids, excuse, excuse, etc.


I finally bought this, not particularly fashionable reconfigured bike from my friend Mr. Jalopy at his shop in Silverlake: Coco's Variety. Cocos is awesome - part urban mercantile, part second-hand store, part secret hipster hot spot.

The bike is a (guessing) '70's era Cyclone 10 speed frame with mountain bike components and handle bars (so that's 15 gears now - just enough to get my decrepit bones over the hills and 15 miles to work)


I added my old lights, a rack and panniers (also from Coco's) then tested the panniers out with a quick beer run. Mission accomplished. After one more training ride I'll start my commute rides with one a week to begin. I'll let you know how it goes.

Tomorrow - Urban Livestock Workshop at Homegrown Evolution

I meant to post about this sooner but the date snuck up on me.

Sounds really interesting. From their site:

Homegrown Evolution will be hosting an urban livestock workshop at our humble abode in Silver Lake on March 1st from 1-4pm. We'll be talkin' chicken, permaculturist Joan Stevens will be rapping about rabbits and Leonardo Chalupowicz will share his recent experience of becoming a "backwards" beekeeper. We'll discuss how to integrate these animals into your backyard and how they can serve multiple purposes beyond just being pets. Suggested donation: $10 to $20. Space is limited, so please RSVP by sending an email to homegrownevolution@sbcglobal.net.

Link: Urban Livestock and Bikes!

Slow Food in Brooklyn

Rick and Michael Mast making chocolate.

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

I read Oliver Schwaner-Albright's New York Times article Brooklyn's New Culinary Movement on Tuesday. Since then, I find my mind wandering back to it. I don't need much to make me want to visit New York, but this article makes the desire even more acute. If you haven't already read it, I hope you enjoy the window on urban slow food.



And here's a film short on Cut Brooklyn, Joel Bukiewicz's fine knife company which is also featured in the article. Via Cool Hunting.

Hayground Organic Gardening Plant Purchase

Jimmy (seated) & Logan (standing) Williams

The charming father and son team Jimmy and Logan Williams of Hayground Organic Gardening sell organic vegetable plants at the Santa Monica Farmers market each Wednesday and Saturday. They also sell Sundays at the Hollywood Farmers Market.


My sons and I picked up some Portuguese kale, tomatoes and other plants to give a jump start to his preschool's vegetable garden. The kids at school are also germinating seeds that will be transplanted.


These plants will be in the ground tomorrow, but right now, they journey from the wagon to the bench and back...over and over again.

Tyrannasaurus Rex Puppet at Los Angeles County NHM

I have written many times about my affection for the LA County NHM in the past. After seeing Dinosaur Encounters, I'm here to profess my love yet again.

From the NHM website:

To create Dinosaur Encounters, Museum paleontologists collaborated with puppet fabricators and performers to bring the dinosaurs to “life,” while still ensuring authentic detail and movement. These amazingly realistic creatures help us better understand dinosaur behavior, anatomy and survival tactics.

Bring to life indeed. When my sons and I saw the presentation, a fourteen foot T-Rex (seven months old according to the T-Rex wrangler) growled, blinked, played and enthralled the audience--kid, teen and adult alike. I can't recommend Dinosaur Encounters enough.

Previously:

NHM Member Loan Program: Crow Skeleton
The Modern LA County Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum Members' Loan Service