Sustainable Bellingham

(Compiled by Shannon Maris/ Garden E-News, Arthur Tenebrae and Rachel Perry)

“It’s in the Bag!” Market Tote Bag Workshop
Monday, July 30th; Wednesday, August 1st; Friday, August 3rd, and Saturday, August 4th, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, Fourth Corner Quilts, 1844 North State Street, Bellingham
 Make an eco-friendly reversible grocery tote for shopping. Be prepared for the City of Bellingham bag ordinance that goes in effect Wednesday, August 1st! All supplies including the use of one of our Janome sewing machines provided. To learn more or register, call 360-714-0070 or email at service@fourthcornerquilts.com. The cost is $5 per person.

Northwest Animals: Beavers
Tuesday, July 31st, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm, Bellingham Public Library, Lecture Room, Central Library, 210 Central Avenue
Join Jan Stamey and Jan Nelson from the Northwest Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and create art crafts, sing songs, listen to stories, and learn about beavers. This event is for children ages 6 – 9. No live animals will be present. Pre-registration is required. To register, call 360-778-7200 or visit the Bellingham Children’s Library.

SB Yoga at the Parks Tour: Maritime Heritage Park
Tuesday, July 31st, 7:00 pm, Maritime Heritage Park, 514 W. Holly Street
This week continues the Sustainable Bellingham and Kaleidoscope Yoga’s Yoga in the Parks Tour. Each week includes a different beautiful park in Bellingham. The yoga begins at 7:00 pm on each Tuesday through July. Bring a dish to share; after the yoga, we sit and eat together.

This week will be held at Maritime Heritage Park, weather permitting. If it rains, we’ll be inside the Majestic Underground on 1207 N. Forest Street at 6:00 pm. Check the Kaleidoscope Yoga Facebook page, or call 360-676-1487 if the weather is questionable.

These are great events, and a sign that summer is here. We do yoga for approximately one hour, and then share a meal together. Bring a light dish to share, your dish and utensils; and a drink. The suggested donation is $5 – $10. If you have any questions or get lost, call 360-927-8735 before the class begins.

 Bellingham Parks Volunteer Work Party: Woodstock Farm
Wednesday, August 1st, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Woodstock Farm, Chuckanut Drive, Bellingham
Come enjoy this beautiful historic site and lend a hand removing non-native invasive plants. Arrive early and have a picnic dinner before getting dirty! There is no parking on site; park at the North Chuckanut Trail head & walk/bike to the farm, which is ½ mile south of the parking lot. For more information, call 360-778-7105.

Cob Designs Workshop: Essential Cob
Thursday, August 2nd – Monday, August 6th, Bellingham
This 5-day workshop includes mixing, building, and shaping with cob, as well as foundation work and plaster finishing techniques. All workshops are hands-on and open to all ages. They are fun and physical by nature, we encourage each person to work at a sustainable pace. Meals and camping provided. Pre-registration is required. To learn more about the time, location, and to register, call 360-610-7823 or send a message via the contact page. The cost is $315 plus a $50 non-refundable place holding fee (taken off total). Discounts are available when you sign up with a friend.

Salmon at the Bay                                                                                     
Friday, August 3rd, 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm, Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro, 1107 Railroad Avenue
Please join NSEA for a gourmet wild salmon dinner with live Celtic music! Tickets are $20 (half price for kids) which includes a wild Alaskan salmon dinner with herbed quinoa feta salad, harvest green salad, local fresh baked breads, corn on the cob, and ice cream sundaes with local berries! Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance at NSEA or Boundary Bay Brewery. All proceeds go toward NSEA salmon habitat restoration projects and work parties! All ages welcome – so please invite your friends for this annual event! Dinner will be followed with a live performance by Bellingham Youth Jazz Band at 8:30 pm.

Summer Rides: Dutch Treat Bike Ride
Sunday, August 5th, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Departs from The Woods Coffee, 1758 Front St., Lynden, WA
Lynden boasts Washington’s largest Dutch Heritage settlement where our ride showcases the town’s charming windmill and history museum. A performance by the Firewheel Unicycle Team completes the ride. Our ride will take in part of Dutch Old Town and a stop at the Lynden Pioneer Museum. After riding along the Nooksack River, we return to Front Street and celebrate with treats after at The Woods Coffee. Summer Rides are easy social outings, rolling more or less weekly throughout the summer. Roll with friends and meet new friends while discovering backroads and hidden bikeways in Bellingham (and a few in Lynden, Ferndale, and Birch Bay, too). Each Summer Ride has a different theme, with goodies provided along the way. Summer Rides each feature a different fun theme and cover easy routes of around seven miles.

Northwest Animals: Beavers
Monday, August 6th, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm, Bellingham Public Library, Lecture Room, Central Library, 210 Central Avenue, Bellingham
Join Jan Stamey and Jan Nelson from the Northwest Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and create art crafts, sing songs, listen to stories, and learn about beavers. This event is for children ages 6 – 9. No live animals will be present. Pre-registration is required. To register, call 360-778-7200 or visit the Bellingham Children’s Library.

Ever wonder …..how-to hypertufa? 

New Guide from Xerces Society: Conserving Our Native Bumblebees

 Listen to Your Weeds
Your weeds are trying to tell you something. Put your ear to the ground and listen. Weeds are excellent indicators of soil conditions. In fact, geochemical botanists often look for specific weeds to help them locate minerals in the soil and to pinpoint geological features. You can apply this science in your own back yard in two ways: to plant garden crops that will thrive in the same conditions as those weeds or to amend your soil so that the conditions are less inviting to the weeds you find there.

City Officials are Waging a War on Gardens

FACTS ABOUT TREES:
* The shade and wind buffering provided by trees reduces annual heating and cooling costs by 2.1 billion dollars.
* Each average-sized tree provides an estimated $7 savings in annual environmental benefits, including energy conservation and reduced pollution.
* A single tree produces approximately 260 pounds of oxygen per year. That means two mature trees can supply enough oxygen annually to support a family of four!
* Water originating in our national forests provide drinking water for over 3400 communities, and approximately 60 million individuals.
* One tree can absorb as much carbon in a year as a car produces while driving 26,000 miles.
* Over the course its life, a single tree can absorb one ton of carbon dioxide.
* An average American uses about 750 pounds of paper every year, and 95% of homes are built using wood. That means each person uses the equivalent of one 100 foot tall, 16 inch diameter, tree every year for their paper and wood product needs.
* About one third of the United States of America is covered by forests.
* According to the last forest inventory, there are almost 247 billion trees over 1 inch in diameter in the U.S.
* The average tree in an urban/city area has a life expectancy of only 8 years.
* The tallest tree in the country is a Coast Redwood growing in northern California’s Redwood National Park. It is 369 feet tall and over 2000 years old!

 Three Secrets to Crispy Pickles, and A “Lost Recipe” Found
Whether you’re a veteran canner or you’ve just discovered this hot trend and want to get in on National Can It Forward Day this weekend, you know that the ultimate test of a good pickle is whether it’s got some crunch to it.

Everyday Daikon and Carrot Pickle
Makes about 3 cups
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
1 pound daikons, each no larger than 2 inches in diameter, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons plus 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar
1 cup lukewarm water

1. Place the carrot and daikons in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt and 2 teaspoons of the sugar. Use your hands to knead the vegetables for about 3 minutes, expelling the water from them. They will soften and liquid will pool at the bottom of the bowl. Stop kneading when you can bend a piece of daikon so that the ends touch but the daikon does not break. The vegetables should have lost about one-fourth of their volume. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water, then press gently to expel extra water. Return the vegetables to the bowl if you plan to eat them soon, or transfer them to a 1-quart jar for longer storage.
2. To make the brine, in a bowl, combine the 1/2 cup sugar, the vinegar, and the water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the vegetables. The brine should cover the vegetables. Let the vegetables marinate in the brine for at least 1 hour before eating. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.
Note: Sometimes the daikon develops a strong odor as it sits in the jar. This doesn’t mean that the pickle has gone bad. Before serving it, open the jar and let it sit for about 15 minutes to allow the odor to dissipate.

 Visi Tilak’s The International Flavors of All-American Coleslaw
Too much cabbage? Try these no-mayo recipes….. 

Greek Garlic Sauce (Skordalia)
Makes about 3 cups
1 1/2 pounds red or yellow waxy potatoes, pared and sliced into 2-inch chunks
8 garlic cloves, peeled and halved lengthwise, green sprout (if any) removed
About 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
1/2 to 3/4 cups fruity extra virgin olive oil, or more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (optional)

Place the potatoes, 3 garlic cloves and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover by 1/2 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer about 25 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Replenish the water if necessary to keep the potatoes covered.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked potatoes to a mixer bowl and break them apart. Reserve the cooking liquid. Beat the potatoes with a mixer on low speed until the potatoes are reduced to a coarse meal. (Do not attempt to do this in a food processor or the potatoes will become gummy). Dribble in up to 3/4 cup of the cooking water while beating the potatoes, until they are reduced to a loose, rather soupy puree. Set them aside while you mash the garlic. Place the remaining 5 cloves of garlic in a mortar or directly on the counter. Using a pestle, a flat stone, a meat pounder or other pounding implement, smash the garlic roughly. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and continue mashing the garlic until it is reduced to a paste. (You should have about 2 tablespoons.) Do not use a garlic press or allow the puree to sit or the flavor will be bitter.

Blend the garlic puree into the potatoes. Stir in 1/2 cup or more of the olive oil, the salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Add lemon juice if desired to lift the flavors. (The intensity of the garlic and the balance of salt will change as the skordalia sits. Adjust the seasoning before serving.) Serve the skordalia warm or at room temperature. Just before serving, drizzle olive oil liberally over the sauce.

Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.