Month: September 2018

Extending the Pond Patio

We needed a flat area for the picnic table so I undertook to extend the small patio, peeling off the soil first to extend the floor of stone.

Solar Energy in Metchosin

In December of 2017 I had a set of 14 solar panels installed on our house by Rik Perron of Perron Electric in Metchosin

Pine Nut Harvest

Well not much of a harvest yet this year but my two trees planted over 10 years ago have finally produced some cones..2 each!! They fell off near the beginning of September and now I am keeping them in a warm place until they ripen. The cones exude sap so its best to wear disposable gloves when handling. The key to transplanting Pinenuts is that you must scatter soil and needles from the ground around another pine… any variety,  around the base of the new tree in order to inoculate the soil with the mycorrhiza necessary for growth.

There are many websites available with information on how to grow and harvest the nuts.

Apparently the real challenge comes in having to crack the hard casing of each seed in order to yield the nut inside which is prized for eating.