Currant News

We have nearly completed our first year of living full-time at UCM and we are still uncovering secrets of this unique bio-diverse property.

While walking down to the orchard the other day we noticed a beautiful bush with gorgeous clusters of fine blossoms tangled into the forest. After a bit of research we confirmed that it is black currants. In the next several days we located at least eight black currant plants on the property and have trimmed around each to encourage them to grow and prosper.

The fruit has an extraordinarily high vitamin C content (302% of the Daily Value per 100 g, table), good levels of potassium, phosphorous, iron and vitamin B5, and a broad range of other essential nutrients. So we are hoping to be making a black currant jam this fall. Another interesting note is that adding a small amount of blackcurrant juice to Guinness is preferred by some to heighten the taste of the popular beer. Bob looks forward to testing this tasting theory in the future.

Famous UCM Baritone visits Orchard

Preparing for the evening serenade of Bob & Sylvia while they sit on the deck after dinner. One of the leads of the opera spent time today in a raised bed in the orchard dining on insects.
While the frog lounged at shadows edge of the raised bed a spider cruised deeper into the moss along the Upper Creek of the Monastery.

Chainsaw Preparedness

Kevlar is used for more than bullet proof vests and sailboat racing sails. Here Sylvia is modeling her new 10 ply Labonville Chainsaw Competition Kevlar Chaps and Labonville Kevlar logging boots with steel toes. She plans to do the Big Stomp on runaway alders while Bob remains on the unable to perform list for chainsaw duties. Remarkably these chaps will stop the blade of a runaway chain saw before it gets through to the leg. There have been a number of testimonials to there effectiveness from loggers in the community. Their stories also give credence to the dangers inherent in using a chainsaw, hence the high ankle Kevlar boots as well. There are a number of videos on the web demonstrating how effective these can be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52N9YPfFkcw

Hopefully this will never be tested at UCM.

48 Rhododendron Planted at UCM

Another volume onslaught planting occurred at UCM. The latest planting involved 16 white Rhodys, 22 purple Rhodys and a half dozen red being planted just above and just below the entrance gate of UCM. They are expected to grow to about six or seven feet tall, eventually providing a big blast of solid color groups. They will also provide (in 5-10 years) a sight and sound barrier for the dirt road traffic travelling up to the six neighbors beyond us on Fern Ridge Road. There are blossoms on the new plants so we hope to bring you some color photos of the flowers when they spring . That will not be long as the ornamental plum trees planted last year are already blossoming!