mesquite green and ocotillo pink

I love the signs of spring here.  Well actually I love them everywhere I've ever been, but I was especially appreciating the new leaves on the mesquite as I did some clearing in the tree grove today.  And then there is the ocotillo, such a gangly and spiny desert plant with such a distinct form.  This time of year the tips of the branches sprout salmon colored bunches of trumpet shaped flowers.  I took an early morning walk to harvest some flowers along with the bees who were happily rolling in the pollen, and stood on my toes or uphill of them, to reach the flowers.  Maybe because so much is brown and dry colored here, the splashes of green and pink and yellow amidst the desert hues feel even more special.

new mesquite leaves!

ocotillo with cottonwood in background

ocotillo flower tea... looks better in real life

I have a medicinal plant book for this general area, and in the lists of uses in the back index, ocotillo flower is one of few listed under the heading "For Tea- tastes good."  I guess many desert plants are potent medicine but might not be considered to taste good... And it does taste good! Sweet, floral, and a bit tart all at once.  This batch didn't turn out as pretty of a color as the first one however, I think I left it in the sun oven too long.

canal garden... also looks better in real life

And speaking of spring, the arugula in the canal garden is harvestable! And oh do salads taste good. Excellent with orange and avocado pieces, and toasted pumpkin seeds.   I guess I just have to work a bit harder for my greens here than in California.  The "L'Itoi Onions" which are actually more like shallots are leaping out of the ground at a visible pace, and there are lady bugs all over the fava plants--seems like a good sign-- which have finally recovered from being mowed down by "mochomos." (the ants)

I am more and more inspired to do food growing here, in and among the trees, rather than in the field, where there is already abundant diversity, good soil, food growing, and some protection from the impending and already building heat and blaring sun.  While certain things perhaps will do better in the field, it seems just as worthwhile to keep observing, learning from, caring for and adding to the food forest that already exists without a whole lot of human input, and to keep questioning prevailing paradigms of how to grow food.

As I was pruning dead mesquite wood, which the trees seem to produce in abundance, I considered best use of it.  Or more specifically where this dead wood would support the most life and diversity added back to the land.  Observing natural cycles, adding it back to the soil, seems the natural answer, as dead branches eventually land under the tree to finish decaying and feed the soil, so I guess more specifically my question is how can we-- as humans with unique tools available to us-- facilitate this natural process to aid the building of soil.

Upon closer inspection the wood I was pruning was already full of ants and some had fungus growing on it, so arguably its already supporting life and perhaps I should just leave it and let it fall on its own time.  I do believe though, that humans have the unique position of being able to aid in some of these natural processes, if we can observe them closely enough and ask the right questions so we are indeed doing something beneficial.

One thing we're both interested in trying here is making biochar, that is basically charcoal which increases soil fertility by providing lots of microscopic crevices for things to live in, and can be a tool in sequestering carbon.

In California I've used branches to make hugels, but I'm not sure how they would do in such an arid place.  Perhaps watering them with our greywater would help out the decomposition...

There are obviously some experiments to come.

Happy Spring!