Shala K. Howell's Blog, page 14
February 14, 2020
What is a Victory Garden and do I need one to survive 2020?
Recently, I’ve come to realize that the only thing worse for my mental health than Political Twitter is Coronavirus Twitter. If Coronavirus Twitter is to be believed, it’s only a matter of time until this new disease becomes a pandemic that will decimate food supplies, topple governments, spark a global nuclear war, and utterly destroy civilization as we know it.*
*Admittedly, I am exaggerating a little here, but seriously, Coronavirus Twitter makes for pretty scary reading. Just a few tweets of it were enough to send me racing off to Amazon to order 25 pounds of rice and beans and a solar oven just in case. If you are also tracking the spread of coronavirus with the goal of assessing your family's actual risk, I recommend staying off social media and monitoring the U.S. Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization's Coronavirus / COVID-19 pages instead. Their advice is less alarming, less expensive, and more useful -- wash your hands frequently, cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough, and don't get too close to people with respiratory illnesses. Oh, and because this virus is one of those that can be transmitted between people and animals, cook your meat and eggs thoroughly.
To cheer myself up, I decided to take a break from Coronavirus Twitter and read a post-apocalyptic dystopian novel instead. I haven’t read that many of them, but I have read enough to notice that the just-in-time food supply rarely survives the first few chapters. That made me wonder…
What if my best strategy for surviving an apocalypse is not merely to stockpile food, but to learn how to grow it?
[image error]Two American gardeners during WWI (1918 photo, public domain via Wikipedia)
Being able to grow my own food would be a useful skill. But where does a gardening novice like me start?
Folks who know me in real life know that my preferred house plant is a cactus. I like to pretend that this is because cacti are generally non-toxic for cats, but really it’s because I can forget about them for weeks at a time and they’ll be fine. The only plants that have survived under my care so far have been the hardy types that thrive with this sort of benign neglect.
As you know, I pitch in once a week at the library at my local middle school. This week, the seventh graders have been checking out a bunch of WWII books (they’re reading Anne Frank in class and their teacher has tasked them with reading at least one more book about WWII at the same time). Seeing titles like White Bird by R.J. Palacio, MAUS by Art Spiegelman, and Lily’s Crossing by Patricia Riley Giff cross the circulation desk reminded me that the food shortages in WWII prompted lots of ordinary folks like me to start growing their own Victory Gardens.
What if, instead of driving myself crazy trying to evaluate all of the possible fruits and vegetables that grow in the temperate, if drought-prone, Northern Californian climate, I simply researched what was grown in Victory Gardens in the San Francisco area back in WWII? After all, in theory those gardens would have been full of sensible foods that thrived in our climate. You know, stuff even novices could grow with little training and less space.
When I mentioned this idea to my husband, he was sweetly enthusiastic. “Shala, that’s perfect for you. You can learn about history and learn a useful skill!”
In the face of so much enthusiasm, I felt compelled to temper his expectations. “You know I’ll probably end up killing everything.”
“That’s ok,” he said. “It will still make a good story.”
That right there is why we’re still together after all these years.
[image error]WWII-era advertisement for Victory Gardens (Public Domain via Wikipedia).
First things first: What is a Victory Garden?
Although I associate Victory Gardens with WWII, History.com tells me that Victory Gardens were actually a product of the first World War.
According to the Evening Standard, some 70 million soldiers fought during WWI. The vast majority of these — some 60 million soldiers — came from Europe. At the beginning of the war, the standing armies of most of the 32 countries who fought in WWI were relatively small. When the war began in August 1914, Britain’s standing army included a little under 250,000 men. By the end of the war, Britain recruited nearly 1.2 million more — sweeping up nearly every eligible man between the ages of 19 and 40 in the process.
That intensive recruiting was repeated across Europe. It may have succeeded in building out the standing armies, but it resulted in a lot of empty farms. Labor shortages in agriculture were compounded by the fact that the battles themselves often took place on farmland. Unsurprisingly, this led to massive food shortages across Europe. U.S. efforts to aid its European allies began with massive shipments of food, not soldiers.
In an effort to increase the amount of commercially produced food available to send to America’s starving allies in WWI, Charles Lathrop Pack and other members of the National War Garden Commission began encouraging Americans to grow their own fruits and vegetables in their backyards, local school grounds, corporate campuses, parks, and vacant lots.
With the help of enthusiastic women’s clubs, chambers of commerce, and civic associations, the National War Garden Commission distributed countless pamphlets to their new army of gardeners, telling them how, when, and where to plant, which crops would work best in their area, and tips for dealing with common problems like insects and diseases. The war garden effort was so successfully that these early instruction manuals were followed by still more pamphlets describing how to can and dry surplus crops.
[image error]WWI advertisement for war gardens. That woman sowing seeds is Columbia, who was recognized as the female personification of the United States during WWI. (Public Domain image via Wikipedia)
By the end of WWI, people started calling their war gardens Victory Gardens. Many people continued growing their own food long after WWI ended. When WWII began a generation later, it was only natural for Americans to think of Victory Gardens again — especially once food rationing started in the Spring of 1942. In 1942, nearly 15 million families supplemented their rations with produce from their Victory Garden. By 1944, the number of gardens had climbed to 20 million. It’s estimated that those 20 million gardens produced nearly 40% of the fresh fruit and vegetables Americans consumed in 1944.
What kinds of things did they grow in Victory Gardens in San Francisco?
Nationwide, Victory Gardens tended to include things like beans, beets, cabbage, carrots, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, peas, tomatoes, turnips, squash, and Swiss chard. Presumably those things would grow well in Northern California’s temperate, if dry, climate, but just to be sure, I decided to see if I could figure out what community gardeners grew in the Victory Garden at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
Frustratingly, although there’s plenty of evidence that a Victory Garden existed at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, I wasn’t able to find a list I trusted of what was actually grown in it. I did find this picture from 1943 of one of the 250 victory garden plots in Golden Gate park.
[image error]1943 photo from the archives of the San Francisco Public Library’s Historic Photo Collection of a victory garden in Golden Gate Park. (Image via Golden Gate Park: Views from the Thicket)
My ability to recognize vegetables in their native environment is as poor as you might expect, but those leafy things in the front look to me like some kind of lettuce, while those triangular supports might be for tomatoes?
Clearly, I needed to keep digging.
After a bit more searching I came across an excerpt from John Brucato’s memoir, “A Sicilian in America”, in which he talks broadly about Victory Gardens in San Francisco during WWII. He is also frustratingly vague about what was actually grown, but he does mention an article that appeared in the San Francisco News advising locals to plant tomatoes, zucchini, string beans, and “other warm weather crops.”
I needed a better list, so I decided to tackle the problem another way. Instead of spending any more time looking for a list of what they grew in Golden Gate Park, I’d take the list of vegetables grown nationally in Victory Gardens (beans, beets, cabbage, carrots, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, peas, tomatoes, turnips, squash and Swiss chard) and see which of them would grow well in Northern California. This plan led me back to the University of California Master Gardener’s website, where I found this little beauty: a layout for a 4′ by 8′ vegetable garden tailored to Northern California climate and optimized to use less water.
The garden includes herbs like basil, parsley, and chives, and vegetables like chard, lettuce, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes. All that’s left to do to implement this plan is to identify native flowers that attract pollinators but don’t require much care. Excellent.
So which of these things will grow in a container?
We’re renting, so I’m not allowed to dig up the backyard to put in a Victory Garden, no matter how fruitful. But I am allowed to grow whatever I can fit in a container.
Fortunately, my old pal the Farmer’s Almanac has published this handy list of vegetables that grow well in containers. Looks like I can grow pretty much whatever I want in a container, even stuff like tomatoes and beans that require trellises.
And that brings me to my final question…
Which of these things will my family actually eat?
Cucumbers and zucchini are a hard no. Chard is questionable. Tomatoes are ok, as long as I don’t plant too many of them (I like tomatoes, but my husband will only eat them if I turn them into salsa).
Green beans, lettuce, and all the herbs are easy yes’s. So I’ll start with those. If I manage to grow anything, I’ll post a picture of it. Because you know I won’t be able to keep a major life achievement like that under wraps.
Do you have a vegetable garden? What’s in it?
Related Links
U.S. Center for Disease Control Coronavirus / CORVID-19 information page (CDC)World Health Organization’s Coronavirus information page (WHO)America’s Patriotic Victory Gardens (History.com)WWI Facts and Numbers (Evening Standard)How were soldiers recruited in WWI (BBC)Victory Gardens in WWII (UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County)San Francisco’s War Gardens: Historical Essay by John Brucato (FoundSF)
February 8, 2020
What are the kids reading this month?
The first of the monthly posts in which I tell you about five of the books the students at my local middle school library are reading. Since in most cases, I haven’t read these books yet myself, I’ll have to rely on Goodreads to tell you what they are about. (Books are listed in alphabetical order by the author’s last name.)
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt (Fiction, Animal Stories)
From the book description on Goodreads…
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“There is nothing lonelier than a cat who has been loved, at least for a while, and then abandoned on the side of the road.
“A calico cat, about to have kittens, hears the lonely howl of a chained-up hound deep in the backwaters of the bayou. She dares to find him in the forest, and the hound dares to befriend this cat, this feline, this creature he is supposed to hate. They are an unlikely pair, about to become an unlikely family. Ranger urges the cat to hide underneath the porch, to raise her kittens there because Gar-Face, the man living inside the house, will surely use them as alligator bait should he find them. But they are safe in the Underneath…as long as they stay in the Underneath.
“Kittens, however, are notoriously curious creatures. And one kitten’s one moment of curiosity sets off a chain of events that is astonishing, remarkable, and enormous in its meaning. For everyone who loves Sounder, Shiloh, and The Yearling, for everyone who loves the haunting beauty of writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Flannery O’Connor, and Carson McCullers, Kathi Appelt spins a harrowing yet keenly sweet tale about the power of love and its opposite, hate the fragility of happiness and the importance of making good on your promises.“
Sophia’s War by Avi (Historical Fiction)
From the book description on Goodreads…
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“Lives hang in the balance in this gripping Revolutionary War adventure from a beloved Newbery Medalist.
“In 1776, young Sophia Calderwood witnesses the execution of Nathan Hale in New York City, which is newly occupied by the British army. Sophia is horrified by the event and resolves to do all she can to help the American cause. Recruited as a spy, she becomes a maid in the home of General Clinton, the supreme commander of the British forces in America. Through her work she becomes aware that someone in the American army might be switching sides, and she uncovers a plot that will grievously damage the Americans if it succeeds. But the identity of the would-be traitor is so shocking that no one believes her, and so Sophia decides to stop the treacherous plot herself, at great personal peril: She’s young, she’s a girl, and she’s running out of time. And if she fails, she’s facing an execution of her own.
“Master storyteller Avi shows exactly how personal politics can be in this ‘nail-biting thriller’ (Publishers Weekly) that is rich in historical detail and rife with action.”
Their Fractured Light by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner (Starbound #3) (Fiction)
From the book description on Goodreads…
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“A year ago, Flynn Cormac and Jubilee Chase made the now infamous Avon Broadcast, calling on the galaxy to witness for their planet, and protect them from destruction. Some say Flynn’s a madman, others whisper about conspiracies. Nobody knows the truth. A year before that, Tarver Merendsen and Lilac LaRoux were rescued from a terrible shipwreck—now, they live a public life in front of the cameras, and a secret life away from the world’s gaze.
“Now, in the center of the universe on the planet of Corinth, all four are about to collide with two new players, who will bring the fight against LaRoux Industries to a head. Gideon Marchant is an eighteen-year-old computer hacker—a whiz kid and an urban warrior. He’ll climb, abseil and worm his way past the best security measures to pull off onsite hacks that others don’t dare touch.
“Sofia Quinn has a killer smile, and by the time you’re done noticing it, she’s got you offering up your wallet, your car, and anything else she desires. She holds LaRoux Industries responsible for the mysterious death of her father and is out for revenge at any cost.
“When a LaRoux Industries security breach interrupts Gideon and Sofia’s separate attempts to infiltrate their headquarters, they’re forced to work together to escape. Each of them has their own reason for wanting to take down LaRoux Industries, and neither trusts the other. But working together might be the best chance they have to expose the secrets LRI is so desperate to hide.”
We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen (Fiction)
From the book description on Goodreads…
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“Thirteen-year-old Stewart is academically brilliant but socially clueless. Fourteen-year-old Ashley is the undisputed ‘It’ girl in her class, but her grades stink.”
“Their worlds are about to collide when Stewart and his dad move in with Ashley and her mom. Stewart is trying to be 89.9 percent happy about it, but Ashley is 110 percent horrified. She already has to hide the real reason her dad moved out; “Spewart” could further threaten her position at the top of the social ladder.“
“They are complete opposites. And yet, they have one thing in common: they—like everyone else—are made of molecules.”
Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed (Fiction)
From the book description on Goodreads…
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“This heart-wrenching novel explores what it is like to be thrust into an unwanted marriage. Has Naila’s fate been written in the stars? Or can she still make her own destiny?
“Naila’s conservative immigrant parents have always said the same thing: She may choose what to study, how to wear her hair, and what to be when she grows up—but they will choose her husband. Following their cultural tradition, they will plan an arranged marriage for her. And until then, dating—even friendship with a boy—is forbidden. When Naila breaks their rule by falling in love with Saif, her parents are livid. Convinced she has forgotten who she truly is, they travel to Pakistan to visit relatives and explore their roots. But Naila’s vacation turns into a nightmare when she learns that plans have changed—her parents have found her a husband and they want her to marry him, now! Despite her greatest efforts, Naila is aghast to find herself cut off from everything and everyone she once knew. Her only hope of escape is Saif . . . if he can find her before it’s too late.”
What about you?
Have you read any good books lately?
Related Links:
More middle grade books on CaterpicklesMore Book Reviews on CaterpicklesLook what I learned to do this fall! (Caterpickles)
February 5, 2020
Wordless Wednesday
Related Links:
More Wordless Wednesdays on Caterpickles
January 30, 2020
Throwback Thursday: Snow days are hard on parents
[image error]“How do you make snow cream?” (Caterpickles)
January 24, 2020
Reading Goals 2020
January 23, 2020
Throwback Thursday: The Three-Year-Old sings to Cozy the cat
In the last couple of years of his life, Cozy used to prowl the house, meowing at the top of his lungs. He particularly liked doing it after we tucked our daughter in for the night. Or when we put her down for a nap.
When my husband and I would tuck our daughter in, we used to read her three stories and sing a quick song before bed. We couldn’t always remember the actual words, so we made a little game of swapping in our own.
At three, my daughter couldn’t read yet, but she could sing. So it was only natural that when Cozy had trouble settling in for the night, she would try to help by singing him a little home-grown lullaby.
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Honestly, who needs siblings when you have elderly cats?
Related Links:
What’s a parent to do about Facebook? (Caterpickles)Can cats smell stress? (Caterpickles)
January 16, 2020
Throwback Thursday: Snow is best enjoyed in hindsight
[image error](Facebook post: Shala Howell. Edited to hide other people’s data)
Related Links:
What’s a parent to do about Facebook? (Caterpickles)“How do you make snow cream?” (Caterpickles)
January 9, 2020
Throwback Thursday: How to save a T. Rex’s life
[image error]Wordless Wednesday: Grace Elvis, Supercriminal (Caterpickles)
January 1, 2020
Some New Year’s resolutions are better than others
[image error]Wordless Wednesday: Happy New Year! (Caterpickles)
December 25, 2019
Memories of Christmas Past
[image error](Facebook post: Shala Howell)
Merry Christmas, y’all. Thanks for spending another year reading Caterpickles.
Related Links:
What’s a parent to do about Facebook? (Caterpickles)Something’s different about Christmas in California (Caterpickles)
