by Stephanie Ashton
COUNTY – Small Potatoes Gleaning Project, which has operated in Whatcom County for 10 seasons, became a project of the Bellingham Food Bank in 2009. Small Potatoes provides a service to 27 hunger relief agencies around Whatcom County by delivering a much needed resource: fresh produce. Max Morange, Small Potatoes’ Program Coordinator, shares more about the vital organization:

SA: How was Small Potatoes initially formed?
MM: The idea and leadership of the project originated with founding coordinator, Rio Thomas. Rio lives in the heart of farming country in Whatcom County. During the growing season, she saw tons of food from local farms and home orchards being composted or discarded [knowing] that there were volunteers and hungry families throughout the county who would be interested in helping to harvest it for area food banks.
In 2009, Rio decided that it was time to step back from the coordination of the project, and she asked if the Bellingham Food Bank would be interested in taking over its administration. In all those years, the mission and implementation of the project really hadn’t changed, and it runs today much as it did in the first season: over the growing season, [the Bellingham Food Bank] gets calls from farmers and home gardeners who have excess fruit or vegetables they’d like to donate. Gleans are scheduled for almost every day during the growing season, and in 2010, we hope that the project will beat it’s 2009 record of 135,000 pounds of food harvested.

SA:  Can you tell us a little about the places you glean?
MM: Small Potatoes gleans at farms, homes (usually those with fruit trees), and the Bellingham Farmers Market. We work with the farmer, homeowner, and market staff to ensure that hosting gleaners is a positive experience. At the end of the season, we send a receipt stating the number of pounds of food gleaned.

SA:  How have patrons of the food bank responded to the gleaned items?
MM: The response has been terrific. Food bank supplies of fresh produce are often low at the beginning of the harvest season and at its end. Even during peak summer season, when victory garden donations are at their peak, there are still few limits on the amount of fresh produce that can go to good use.  The difference between a canned vegetable item and one that’s been harvested hours before distribution is like that of night and day.  The Food Bank has had very positive feedback about the project. A number of food bank clients have also expressed interest in helping to glean produce, which is a great way for them to get connected to the hunger relief effort in a very productive way.

SA: Does the gleaned food seem to fulfill the demand for fresh produce, or do you find you have shortages?
MM: Client visits to the Bellingham Food Bank have risen by about 40 percent in the last two years alone, and the need for healthy food for distribution is greater than it’s ever been.  Gleaned produce is often some of the freshest and most nutritious that food banks offer clients—in many ways it’s no different from harvesting from one’s own garden. Most appreciated are opportunities to access food in the early and late season, although this if often more feasible from farms which focus on growing things over a longer period of time. The project can always use more opportunities.

SA: Are there gleaned items you find you get the most of? Ones you aren’t able to gather as easily?

MM: 2009 marked a fantastic year for gleaning fruit (plums, apples, pears) as well as corn and potatoes. Zucchini measures pretty high on the list as well. Other, more delicate items, such as blueberries and raspberries are a real treat for food bank clients, although they do have a slightly shorter shelf-life.
For volunteer opportunities, or to donate produce, e-mail glean@bellinghamfoodbank.org.

Summer is finally here. So, here are a few helpful reminders for keeping your plants watered through our dry, sunny summer days.
In Whatcom County, it is typically best to water in the morning as opposed to the evening. In hotter, drier areas like Eastern Washington you are told the opposite, because much of the “morning water” evaporates and is unusable to the plants. Therefore they water in the evening.
Here it’s not near as hot, and watering in the evening leaves water on the foliage which may encourage many of our Pacific Northwest diseases. That being said, watering in the evening after work is better that no water at all.
Slow and thorough waterings are always best. A thorough watering gets water way down in the ground, so the roots grow way down in the ground. A little sprinkling of water for two minutes keeps all the water at the surface. All the roots will then grow at the surface, and you get that dries out a lot faster.
Be sure to keep all your vegetable crops well watered right now.  Under-watered salad greens quickly go to seed (bolt) and yield poorly. It’s especially important to water your tomatoes in the morning; avoid getting water on the tomato leaves to help avoid diseases like late blight.
Under-watered squash, cukes, and pumpkins (especially zucchini) get powdery mildew on their largest leaves first. We generally think that water on the foliage spreads disease; it can. Here, however, lack of water creates a stressed zucchini plant that can’t as easily “fight off” powdery mildew naturally.  (The same is true for columbines, delphiniums, roses, bee balm, honeysuckles, to name a few.)
Now that it’s warmer and your hanging baskets have been growing, they’ve made a lot of roots and will require a lot more water. Combination or mixed hanging baskets dry out very quickly with all those plants in one basket.
Fuchsias and begonias, however, being in the shade, typically require less frequent watering.Begonias especially will suffer if over-watered. If in doubt, stick your finger an inch or two into the soil; if it’s wet, don’t water it.
If you go out of town for the weekend and return to find your hanging baskets wilting (a common phenomenon), don’t panic.  Take them down and soak them in a tub or bucket in the shade for an hour or two; you may have a few yellow leaves to remove.  Also, avoid fertilizing a dry hanging basket; water it well first, and then fertilize the next day.
Definitely continue to water your new plantings whether they are fruit trees, perennials, annuals, lawn, etc.  Even new plantings of drought tolerant plants like lavender, juniper, and barberry need regular waterings to establish a good root system. Again avoid getting water on foliage as much as possible.
Soaker hoses are a great way to water flower beds. Wind the soaker hose through your beds, tomatoes or whatever, and use those weed barrier staples to keep the soaker hose lying flat on the ground.  Just hook up your garden hose to the soaker hose and let it run for an hour or two or however long you might need.  Soaker hoses soak the ground, and no water gets on the foliage.  And you can leave them set up on the ground all year long.
Some plants need way more/less water than others.  As always, know your plant! Remember, try to water in the morning, but watering in the evening is better than no water at all.  And less frequent, slow, thorough waterings are better than frequent quick waterings.  Here’s to keepin’ it watered.
Chuck McClung has a Master’s Degree in Botany and helps others solve their indoor and outdoor gardening dilemmas. He can be reached at orchidfruit@hotmail.com

by Brita Adkinson
DEMING – Local artists will have their art on display in the new meeting room at the Deming Library, during summer and fall. The first art show opened July 6, featuring paintings by Paul Temperio of the South Fork Valley, and will run through Aug. 8. Among Temperio’s artworks are portraits and several striking images of Mount Shuksan.
On Aug. 16, Max Lucy will open the second exhibition, featuring photographs. Lucy, a 23 year-old graduate of Mt Baker High School, grew up on Mosquito Lake Road in Deming. Lucy’s father is a potter (co-founder of Cloudy Mountain Pottery) and his mother creates quilts.
“I’ve been surrounded by art and directly or indirectly encouraged to create my whole life by my parents,” Lucy said.
During his high school years, Lucy traveled to Costa Rica and South Africa with the Experiment in International Living. “For the first time I had my own 35 mm camera and was presented with subjects that were foreign to me and hence, personally captivating.”
After high school, Lucy attended the University of San Francisco and graduated with a degree in International Studies: Environment and Development, with minors in African Studies and Environmental Science. In those four years, Lucy traveled to India and Japan, studied abroad for a year with the School for International Training in Switzerland and Uganda, and also traveled in Europe, Egypt, and East Africa. Lucy’s photography pictures life in the countries he visited.
“The photos convey a shared sense of commonality that wherever one is in a US city, in a rural African village, in a national park, or in a different time, there are people who have the same simple emotions as people always have.”
Currently, Lucy works for the Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD), an international organization which partners with more than 300 community-based organizations throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America to support sustainable change. The work involves public health, youth and education, environmental degradation, entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment, and human rights. Lucy’s photographs will be on display until September 12.
From September 27 until October 24, textile art will be on show, featuring quilts and other textile art by Paula Graham, of Deming. Around 20 years ago, Graham began making quilts, wall hangings and other textile art works, for herself and as gifts for friends and family. In the beginning, she learned rules and traditions in quilt making and worked in the established traditions. Eventually, Graham began making her own patterns and “bent the rules.” She said doing so “felt invigorating and allowed me to experience a sense of creativity that I did not expect fabric to provide.” These days, she has freed herself of all rules and enjoys creating new patterns and styles in her art.
During November, a group exhibition will feature local crafts.
In the spring 2010, the Friends of the Deming Library, a 500-member support group, formed a sub-committee called Foothills Arts and Crafts Exhibits, FACE, with the purpose to organize these art shows. “When we looked at the walls of the new meeting room, we thought this is a good place for showing art,” said Sharon Digby, committee chair and coordinator of the art shows. Digby, who previously worked for the Whatcom County Planning Department, has spent the last seven years supporting the Deming Library through the Friends. She served as project manager for the extension of the Deming Library, completed last year.
Art shows will be 4-6 weeks in duration. “We will be emphasizing artists from the foothills area, but are not restricting ourselves geographically,” commented Digby.
Local artists who wish to exhibit their art may contact Sharon Digby at 592-2286, or the Deming Library at 592-2422.

Do the speed limit
It seems every high season, we have more and more drivers on Mount Baker Highway who are unfamiliar with the area. They are either speeding so fast I can’t see the color of their car or driving so slow a turtle could beat them to Bellingham. Just so we’re all clear here, the speed limit is 55 with small pockets of 40 in a few communities along the way to the mountain.
Please respect the road, and more importantly, your fellow drivers.
–Cath Mahoney, Kendall

Suddenly I

The campsite on the "island" at Bearpaw Mountain Lake. PHOTO BY JOHN McKNIGHT

Helping to take the tent down the next morning. PHOTO BY JOHN McKNIGHT

had the window I’d not expected and my daughter and I were going on a hike. At four she had to get over the “and mommy too?” bump, but once she understood it was just her and I out in the woods overnight she took hold of the idea with unbridled enthusiasm. Saturday morning was filled with periodic “are we going hiking yet(‘s)?” as I got our gear together. And after a frantic waving session to mommy we pulled away a little past noon. Giggling she exclaimed, “Daddy, is this fun or what!”
She quickly fell asleep and napped for the first hour of the drive to the trailhead. We were going to Bearpaw Mountain Lake so timing was everything. There’s one primo campsite on a little “island” that sticks out into the lake and that was where we wanted to be. We hit the empty parking area ecstatic to have the place to ourselves, knowing that someone could still come in later and pass us on the trail.
Slinging her little backpack over her shoulders she watched in some amazement as I horsed mine up and on. She was carrying her blanket, some snacks, and her water. Not heavy but it had enough heft to it to feel like work. Across the road was the brushy trail heading up into the woods. Teaching her how to push her way through the undergrowth I promised it would be easier once we got farther up the trail. It was slow going but the focus on the brush helped in the long run. She got a little momentum and when we hit clear stretches of trail she motored right along.
Overall the trail isn’t well maintained with all the brush and numerous logs to cross over, and I didn’t remember it being quite so steep.  I had backup plans if we ended up turning around but she was determined to get to our campsite so the idea never came up. She even managed to carry her backpack about three-quarters of the way in.
We made steady progress with little grousing and I think the only rest she took lasted about 10 seconds. I couldn’t tell how far it was walking with her, but it felt like about 1 1/2 miles.
The last bit is a gradual and pretty little drop into the lake. We even saw snow and that got her excited all over again. But the best part was the big “Wahoo!” she let out at the edge of the lake when she realized we were finally there. We rounded the lake to a tippy rock bridge out to the island campsite. I had to carry her, her backpack and my fully loaded pack over all together. Quite the sight I’m sure. Then we broke out the snacks, water and juice and set up camp.
Fish were jumping everywhere but she wanted to play in the snow patch first at the end of the lake. So I carried her back across the bridge and we went exploring. We walked up one snow patch, crossed a creek, and learned about snow bridges on the other side. Or at least I did, she thought it was pretty funny she could walk across where I fell through. But I had the last laugh as she face planted in the first snow patch on the way back to camp. (After I made sure she was OK of course.)
We built a fire, we fished, we ate dinner and we talked. Then goofed around in the tent for a bit before she gave me permission to go back out and sit by the fire. I sat up too late enjoying the stars and waiting for the moon to finally show its face. It never did, and the next face I saw was grinning from ear to ear as it told me to, “Wake up daddy!” somewhere near the crack of dawn.
After breakfast we fished some more and played around on our little island. She helped break down camp and started on the tent by trying to pull out the stakes. I watched a bit before getting out the camera to take a picture, then took over the stake pulling. I showed her how to unhook the poles and she demolished the tent in a matter of seconds. We packed everything up and decided to hit the trail.
She couldn’t wait to get to the “hard part”. Which I learned was the first really brushy part at the trailhead. That would come but for the moment I was focused on controlling any tumbling down the steep sections of the “easy part”. We cruised right along without too much stumbling and stopped to drink a little water once. Then it was off to the races. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t a seemingly tireless drive to get to the end of the trail, especially on the way in.
Finally reaching her hard part, the hottest nastiest buggiest part of the hike, I relaxed and enjoyed the game she made of getting through it. Warning me to stay away from the big “stickeries” that looked like the ones on the trees – Devil’s Club with Maple treelike leaves – she pushed on excited by the challenge. Then before she knew it she was walking across the road to our car. Arms bent at the elbows she pumped her little fists out in front of her and exclaimed, “Wahoo!” one more time.

GETTING THERE
To get to Bearpaw Mountain Lake trailhead, head east on Mount Baker Highway. After the town of Glacier, take a left on Canyon Creek Road, then a right on Forest Service Road 3170. You must have a day or annual pass to park at the trailhead.

John McKnight has been exploring Whatcom and Skagit counties for over 25 years. He can be e-mailed at john@foothillsgazette.com.

by Brita Adkinson
EVERSON – Around 60 people gathered on Sunday July 25 at Everson’s Riverside Park to celebrate the completion of the pergola project.
Approximately four years ago, the Everson Garden Club began planning a pergola structure for the park. “We wanted to create a place where people could gather,” said Kim Brandt, president of the Everson Garden Club.
The pergola structure was built to provide a place where families, individuals and groups may gather for birthday celebrations, family reunions, receptions and other parties, explained Brandt. The space is open to the public year round.
The idea was first presented to the club by Everson resident Cori Litorja. Together with two other club members, Libby Mades and Judy Toon, Litorja formed the initial committee and developed a plan. Everson architect Wayne Sorenson carried out the professional design for the construction. Many in the community stepped up to help with donations and construction.
“We could not have completed this project without the help of the many, many members of the community who donated both money and labor to make it possible,” said Brandt, adding, “We received cash donations, in-kind donations of materials and also materials at cost.”
She said volunteers who managed the project included Doug and Jason Brown, Dave Wiggins and Dave Geleynse, all local residents. Many others also contributed their time and efforts, Brandt emphasized. She said although the majority of the garden club members are women, many of their husbands helped support the project with their labor.
Brandt, who works as a school teacher in the Nooksack Valley school district for approximately 23 years, said calculations of costs had not been finalized, however, the construction and landscaping costs are so far estimated to be around $30,000. A notable donation of $10,000 was offered by the Everson Lions Club.
With generous donations of soil and plants, volunteers built a retaining wall and put in a variety of trees, evergreen shrubs and flowering shrubs to surround and cover the structure. The center part of the structure has a solid roof, while the remaining part will be partly shaded by plants.
At Sunday’s ceremony, Sara Swisher, member of the Everson Garden Club, welcomed people and thanked all the volunteers and donors. Builders Dave Wiggins and Doug Brown jointly cut the ribbon to open the premises to the public. Everson Mayor John Perry was present, along with many of the volunteers. Although there was not an extensive program, people lingered in the park for a couple of hours, enjoying the snacks, and in particular, Brandt commented, they enjoyed being together, just relaxing and visiting. “We who live in Everson don’t get together like this very often, so we had a very good time,” Brandt added. She said the pergola project is a great example of how “many people make work light.”
People who wish to plan an event at the Riverside Park pergola garden should contact the City of Everson at 966-3411. According to Brandt, the City will not provide a formal booking service, however, they will make a note on the calendar of any individuals or groups who plan to use the space.