Seasons of Abundance

This article was first published in the April 2012 issue of the Mountain Chronicle.
Spring has sprung and is in full swing. Oh wait just one or two more low elevation snowstorms to make sure we think we had winter. So just when you thought summer would be here early, winter decides to make a tardy appearance. Better late than never perhaps? Well it is better for the snow pack of the Sierra. We are up over 50% of annual snow pack and counting. Maybe there will be a rafting season after all. Morel mushrooms might have ample moisture for fruiting. There should be plenty of agricultural water for the central valley farmers. Fire danger won’t be extremely high all summer long. Whew, it was looking scary for a bit there. Are we back to normal? We’ll I’m not sure about that. At least there will be some familiarity and I plan to keep going like there won’t be much change in the seasonal patterns.
So what about seasonal patterns? There is a rhythm in nature that all life on earth has come accustomed to. Weather it be a moisture pattern, a fruiting pattern, a dry pattern or any other pattern you’ve recognized there is a certain frequency that the entities of nature depend upon. Take for instance our own human sustenance coming from the farms that raise them. There is a season for planting and a season for harvesting and then we are fed upon that seasonal pattern. But what if some of the patterns begin to change? If California summers are no longer dry what will that effect? If the winters are no longer cold what will that effect? Well I noticed this year that there was an unseasonable flush of Manzanitae Boletes (Leccinum manzanitae) that was very LARGE. I picked some in the fall and early winter this last year, which is the usual season, but was surprised that there was another major flush this spring. There is something to say about how the conditions were different this year to create such a flush. Exactly what they were is a mystery but change is evident here.
So what to plant now? If you haven’t started already, it's the season to start gardening with this change of seasons. One thing to note while planning your garden is that zones changed on the USDA Zone Hardiness map by about one zone. With a warming trend over the past several decades the hardiness map had to finally be revised this past year and zones are about one zone higher than they were previously. That means that we are seeing an annual average of low temperatures becoming warmer. So you may be able to plant that citrus tree you’ve always wanted or that fig tree or the avocado. This trend may continue so you may want to anticipate even milder winters and warmer summers by establishing perennials that will thrive if the warming trend continues. This may eventually effect our average last frost date too, so we can expect longer growing seasons on the horizon. As far as the annual garden goes you should start just about all of your summer seeds in greenhouses or cold-frames now if you want to have the wonderful experience of seed to harvest. Some can be started after the chance of frost directly in the ground, such as beans and squash, but others should be planted much sooner for a quality harvest. If you don’t have the option of starting seeds early indoors there are many places to purchase vegetable starts locally. There is still the possibility of a frost that would kill frost sensitive plants such as tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons and several others, they can be planted out but will need protection from the cold to do well or merely survive. However there are several plants that may be planted out sooner than the last frost date that are frost tolerant. I’ve been planting peas since February at 4000 feet in elevation and will continue for about 3 more weeks. All sorts of greens do well with occasional frost. My scallions have been growing profusely in the past couple of weeks even though we keep getting snowed upon at this elevation. Several types of kales and mustard greens are providing fresh mineral rich greens before they flower. Even the florets are edible and they can be continually chopped back to satisfy your appetite. Giving their last hurrah before younger plats get planted to take their place. Fruit trees are waking up to provide nectar for bees as we eagerly await the first fresh fruits of the season. Those of us fungophiles are beginning to see some delectable edible mushrooms pop up in our forests and at our favorite restaurants. A fresh spring mix salad offers an array of textures and flavors that is unique to the season.
We are beginning to see some of the fresh bounty of the coming growing season in our own gardens, at grocers and restaurants. Don’t miss the experience of partaking in this classic dance with seasonal food. When you eat these seasonal treats in their local season the experience is much more meaningful. When you reserve your fresh tomato eating to only those that are vine ripened locally it’s hard to go back. You also become more aware of the seasonal patterns that we are amongst every day. Won’t you take this dance with what this season has to offer?