Summer gleanings

The night-time temperatures are back in the 40s. I guess summer's over, even though it never seemed to get here. We've been ripped off! The garden greens have done well, but the tomatoes are abundant and green. In the one area of our property that was not logged, the fungi have been amazing. I walk 20 yards and find perhaps ten kinds of mushrooms! Then comes the work of identifying them. Golden way caps, a polypore on an elm stump, a still-unknown bright orange one, and more.

I found several interesting tidbits this summer:

• three grass fed beef links:
  
  http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/2006-12-01/News-From-Mother-December-January-2006.aspx
  
  http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/2006-12-01/News-From-Mother-December-January-2006.aspx
  
  http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/2007-08-01/5-Reasons-to-Add-Grass-fed-Beef-to-Your-Grocery-List.aspx

• an article on the impact of air pollution of the dispersal of floral scents
• Want to scare yourself? Check out this search tool for finding out what chemical residues have been found in your food. All the more reason to eat organic or grow yer own!
• I also asked the manager (?) of our local feed store about products with a common insecticide that has been linked to Colony Collapse Disorder (imidochloprid). He said since the patent came off, it's showing up in everything. To pull it off the shelves would leave him with virtually no OTC insecticide products. PLEASE be careful what you spray, if you have to spray at all!

That's enough to share for now. As you walk and ponder, pause at the goldenrod and watch for pollinators. Slow down and look for fungi in the moist places of your world. And if you're around my corner of Michigan, I'll see you at BIONEERS in October!