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I’ve been initiated into the glorious world of mushroom hunting. I have always reveled at the diversity and beauty of fungus. I am often the slowest hiker oohing and ahhing at the crazy colorful formations pushing out of a wet layer of humus. Only on rare occasion did I think I seen an edible variety- Trumpets of Death and Morels. I have now been shown how to spot delicious Golden Chanterelles in nearly my own backyard. A generous friend, Lauren, decided to share the wealth. She blindfolded me and drove in circles to confuse the location before we arrived at a seemingly average hiking spot. Apparently, there is no aura of heavenly light where edible mushrooms are to be found.

The mushrooms don’t sit pertly on top of the ground. They lay buried with only an odd mound of leafy looking orange peaking out.

I thought maybe Lauren had x-ray vision but it turns out that once you had a sighting and plucked your first bouquet of meaty funnel shaped fungus, you are on high alert for more. It was thrilling and even more amazing is that I have significant poundage to cook with for my Thanksgiving feast (I already ate some so I know my family is safe). Hopefully I won’t be itching at a poison oak rash over dinner.

The week is speeding by but before it is slips away, I must mention the food systems work happening in Oakland. A new report is out called Cultivating The Commons: An Assessment for the Potential of Urban Agriculture on Oakland’s Public Lands, by Nathan McClintock and Jenny Cooper. The report presents the amount of public land potentially available for urban agricultural use. By using aerial photos, geographic information systems (GIS), and site visits the authors identified 1,200 acres of open space, most of which are within 1/4 mile of public transportation. They believe with this land available for urban agriculture, the Oakland community could produce between 5%-10% of the city’s vegetable needs.

The report offers a helpful discussion on food deserts and excellent graphics to illustrate how potential sites might be used. It is worth the read. If you want to get deeper information on Oakland’s urban political ecology, check out Nathan’s paper on From Industrial Garden to Food Desert: Unearthing the Root Structure of Urban Agriculture in Oakland.

Perhaps dovetailing with this effort is the recent news that Kellogg Foundation has selected Oakland school district as one of the nine school districts nationally to receive a collective sum of $32, 450,00 over a three year period to increase access to healthy food and physical activity for vulnerable children and their families.

I recently spoke with a San Francisco resident that wants a veggie garden. Their plot is against the front of their house. They tested their soil for lead, found medium levels and removed nearly twelve inches of soil and retested. They found in the lower layer even higher levels of lead. They wanted to know what their options are for planting (if impatient, scroll to bottom for suggestions).

I did some looking around and found one approach is to use a phosphate spread in the affected soil. The suggestion comes from Microbiologist, Dr. Sam Fogel of Bioremediation Consulting Inc. He was initially quoted in a Boston Globe article on the subject where were he explained that Phosphorus binds with Lead and reduces Lead mobility and its biological availability. I went in search of academic findings to support this idea and did not find an overwhelming amount of research. However, there were a couple interesting articles. One is in Soil Science, “Lead Phosphorus Interactions in Equilibrated Soil Suspensions” by M. T. Aide and D. Huff. However, I found it hard to compare their experimental study with the true conditions of soil in a yard but they did report that “Phosphorus amendments limited the appearance of the exchangeable Lead.”

Another Article from the Journal of Environmental Quality, is “Chemical Immobilization of Lead, Zinc, and Cadmium in Smelter-Contaminated Soils Using Biosolids and Rock Phosphate” (catching title) by N. T. Basta, R. Gradwohl, K. L. Snethen, and J. L. Schroder, reported:

“Rock phosphate was the only treatment that reduced human gastrointestinal available Lead in both gastric and intestinal solutions, 23 and 92%, respectively. Alkaline organic treatments (lime stabilized biosolid, n-viro soil) decreases Cadmium transmission through the food chain pathway, whereas rock phosphate decreases risk from exposure to Lead via the soil ingestion pathway.”

I then contacted Dr. Fogel to follow up on what his own understanding of Phosphorus binding with Lead and the suggested quantity to use per square foot. Dr. Fogel informed me that he did not yet know the exact quantity to use per square foot and that I would have to determine the appropriate amount to use through experimentation (in partnership with my state agricultural school no less). After providing a very simple but decent test methodology he suggested using the highest level phosphorus spread (called Triple Superphosphate) and using a quantity according to agricultural recommendations. He used this method himself and found Lead levels 100 times less in his own garden plot.

I did find a critique of Triple Superphosphate in that phosphate binds to other minerals besides Lead, rendering them unavailable to plants. These other minerals included zinc, iron and manganese, which are needed for plant health. However, this is not an issue in this case as the garden will not be planted directly in the affected soil. If using regular rock phosphate (rather than triple super), you would use a greater quantity.

Quickly, to understand the difference
To make 0-20-0, rock phosphate is treated with sulfuric acid to make calcium phosphate (0-20-0) and calcium sulphate (gypsum).

To make 0-46-0, rock phosphate is treated with phosphoric acid. With this, much higher phosphate content, much higher N-P-K fertilizer formulas can be made. Less needs to be used.

For applying rock phosphate (0-20-0):
Pacific Calcium Inc., which carries organic soil amendments, suggests 500 to 2000 pounds of Montana Natural Rock Phosphate per acre or 10-25 pounds per 1000 square feet, or .01 lb-.025 lb per square foot.

Triple Superphosphate (0-45-0) one manufacturer, Simplot, suggests an application of 4 pounds per 1000 square feet, or .004 lb per square foot.

Returning the point of this blog, which what could help make the lead contaminated plot usable, here is what I suggested.

• - Mix a phosphate spread into a 6 to 8 inch layer of the exposed dirt (I’d use the triple super).
• - Replace the 12 inches of excavated soil with fresh clean soil.
• - Build 3 foot raised beds for planting (which should be filled with an appropriate organic soil)
• - Place either landscape fabric, or cardboard, and thickly mulch the exposed dirt path between the raised beds.
• - If this does not abate their concerns enough, they can also plant fruiting crops such as tomatoes, squash, peas, and corn because (they take up relatively little Lead) and avoid planting root vegetables, potatoes, and leafy vegetables, which take up more. I personally do not feel this last measure is necessary.

There remain some issues with this approach. One is that to determine the decreased level of Lead present, you’d have to continue to test. Another is that if the source of Lead is coming from old layers of paint or old pipes from the abutting house, Lead will continue to seep into the soil. Since little is yet known about the exact quantity and frequency of phosphate treatment required to keep Lead levels under control for planting, it is hard to guarantee effectiveness over extended years. However, I would imagine that for quite some time to come the raised beds would be safe to use (annual testing would help determine this).

I have encountered the dreaded problem of rats in my garden. I first noticed when I watched a rat come out at dusk and eat my first harvest of Fuji Apples in October. I was not so pleased and decided to harvest ASAP to avoid more destruction. I brought the apples into my cool dry basement where I had kept potatoes and winter squash successfully the year before. Within a few days a rat (or rats) had located the honey sweet apples and irresponsibly taken bites out of each one. Through December ferociously hungry rats gnawed clear through an industrial garbage can several times to eat the high protein turkey food housed within. Incidentally, they also managed to eat off the bottom of a brand new light weight water resistant bike pannier that contained an unused gel shot (caffeinated no less). As a desperate measure to ensure these heavily caffeinated and hungry rats did make their way into the house, I poisoned them. This is not a preferred method for a number of reasons but the snap traps did not work and I have negative zero interested in catch and release- catch maybe but release, no way. I found said rats postmortem.

It turns out the word is out in the rodent world and I am dealing with a persistent problem. One very fat one in particular has become so bold it walks around at all times in the day foraging very near to me. I watched it yank the last of my strawberries right off the plant. I did not get to eat one berry off those plants yet thanks to that rat. I am also concerned that its all day double duty implies babies near by.

I have considered all manner of methods to expire this animal and its kin- knife throwing; poison; pellet guns…which I learned are quite powerful. I found a pellet gun with a shooting distance of up to 575 yards (five football fields) and a .177 caliber pointed steel hunting pellet. From my hillside yard, I can see what is the Grand Avenue valley, 575 yards means a neighbors car or window across the main avenue and several blocks away. Then I learned that 1) Pellet guns sound just like actual guns when discharged and 2) It is completely “unlawful for any person to at any time fire or discharge, or cause to be fired or discharged, any firearm or any projectile weapon as defined in this chapter within the limits of [Oakland] (Code § 9.36.080)”…oops.

The city of Oakland considers the following as projectile weapons “air gun, air pistol, air rifle, gas-operated gun, BB gun, pellet gun, flare gun, dart gun, bow, cross-bow, slingshot, wrist rocket, blow gun, paint gun, or other similar device or instrument.” I find the listing of slingshots deeply ironic in a city where illegal firearms are discharged frequently.

Apparently a person “shall be guilty of a separate offense for each and every firing of a projectile weapon or discharge of a firearm, and shall be punished accordingly.” If you saw the size of the super tiny pellets, it would seem ridiculous to be punished for each and every one of them but it’s the law. Punishment includes up to $1,000 fine, less than 12 months of jail time and your neighbors thinking you are the biggest jackass in the world.

I retired the idea of shooting the rat from my dining room window and next turned to the natural and perfectly legal method of a hunting animal. My first thought was a feral barn cat that needs no human contact but will deter rodents. This may be a good long term approach but to rid the garden of her infestation I will need an animal that can actually mow down the population. This brings me to “Princess”, my sister’s Rat Terrier.
Turns out her high strung mess of a terrier is actually a keen rodent killer, or so she claimed. I brought Princess over, I pointed her in the direction of the bold fat rat as it poked it s head out of its spot and when I released her, she ran out of the garden, up the driveway and to the car where she sat obstinately looking to and fro from the car door to me. I brought her in the house to calm her nerves and she sat backed against the front door for about an hour, shaking. So much for Princess the Fearless Rat Killer.

I looked into a catch and “release” and found one small enough for chipmunks but apparently even squirrels can fit in there. The thought of catching squirrels in plain sight of the rat made me think of what I know of the rat mammalian brain from my neuroscience courses. They are extremely smart, especially the wild ones. If they see the trap go off, they will not go near it.

I have decided to go with the Tomcat bait trap only big enough for rats and smaller rodents. I am sad to use the poison method but I cannot allow rats to live among my crops.

Every now and again the question comes up as to why I want to live in the city instead of the country. It’s a good question. In the country I could keep as many animals as I like. I could have fields of crop instead of a few tiny rows. In truth, I do feel great in the countryside and the city can be congested and overwhelming…but my friends are here. In the city (at least this one) there is also an amazing convergence of thinking and creating that excites me. Still sometimes I romanticize about the “country life.” However, I’m convinced I can create the romantic naturalness of country living right here in Oakland. A place where community is strong, neighbors trust one another, and we live in connection with our fellow creatures.

After this morning, I feel even stronger about this. Out filling up a bucket for the duck tub, an Anna’s Hummingbird perched herself right on the nozzle of my sprayer. She teetered back and forth on her tiny feet catching her balance by placing her delicate wings on my hand. She flew off and returned. She then zoomed right up toward my eye, close enough that I well understood why the Aztec war god, Huitzilopochtli, is a hummingbird. It’s beak is very sword like. She sped up and landed directly on my head. I felt the slight but definite weight of her just sitting there. Thoroughly immersed in the moment, I remained perfectly still and loved every magical moment. True to the life of a hummingbird she was gone just as quickly as she had arrived.

Today, I am content to be living in Oakland, tending a backyard farm, and having hummingbirds land on me. Where else could I possibly need to be?

I noticed a while back that something has been digging a hole under my fence which leads to our neighbor. I also noticed a series of mid-sized tunnels created under several lavender bushes. There is some excellent real estate in our yard for various mammals but I wasn’t sure who it was. I was dreading the presence of a raccoon. Turns out it’s an opossum. It lives on the side of our yard. It comes out about a half hour before dusk and walks around in the yard. Then it clumsily climbs into a woodpile munching on things along the way. It ventures very close to me and does not seem afraid. If frightened, it hobbles at a pathetically slow pace back to its hideaway, which is a den in a broken retaining wall.

I was not sure how opossum live, what they eat, and if they are threat to my flocks. So I looked it up of course. Opossum are North America’s only marsupials. There are many species of opossum, mostly in Latin America. The opossum we see in California is likely the Virginia Opossum, which was carried West by people as a food source. In fact, several well known cookbooks, such as The Joy of Cooking had recipes for opossum, it was that popular.

Opossum are not aggressive, at all. Though if cornered, they may bare their teeth for show. If truly threatened, opossum play dead. Now, I have heard this but did not understand it. They will go catatonic and emit a foul odor creating a believable version of dead. They can stay in this state for up to several hours and a person could even move them and they would remain dead like. Not that long ago, Dipak and I found a seemingly dead opossum under our deck as we removed the deck boards. As I read about opossum it occurred to me that this animal may have been faking it, but Dipak reminded me that the jaw fell off when I shoveled it up. From what I read, that is not part of the mimicry.

Opossum are omnivorous eating rodents, snails, insects and whatever tasty garbage they may find. Since they are not predatory and don’t like a fuss, it is not likely that it will attack even my hens. They are nomadic and stick around only as long as food and water are easily accessible. They are also solitary and do not built up colonies, so I do not need to be concerned about a family of opossum getting too comfortable in the yard. It also appears that their presence in the burrow will help keep other less friendly mammals. Though opossum are a bit hard to look at, having the appearance of oversized rats, they are not rodents. Also, apparently due to cooler body temperatures, they rarely transmit diseases to humans and are surprisingly resistant to rabies.

They are in fact beneficial animals in the urban setting as they keep it cleaner and safer. All in all, I think we have ourselves a friendly little yard guest.

Pulling up an old tree stump to clear a way for a strawberry patch revealed an amazing discovery. The trunk and roots of the stump were hollowed by years of decomposition and contained a fungi that first unearthed appeared a soft sagey green. When exposed to light the green darkened through several hues of blue until it landed on an indigo. This all happened fast enough to perceive the change while it was occurring. I have asked one of my past college biology professors what kind of fungus this is. I am waiting to hear back…