Wet, blustery days in February do not usually bring to mind fields of fresh root vegetables or greenhouses filled with herbs and greens. But in the Northwest, farmers work year round to bring these foods to our tables. Although you cannot usually source these delectable, nutritious and flavorful foods at farmers markets in the winter, […]
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Posted inBest of West Sound Results
Best of West Sound Results 2017
WestSound Magazine magazine is excited to present the annual Best of West Sound results — from Bainbridge Island all the way to Gig Harbor, we’ve found the businesses and places you love. Enjoy! Best Restaurant La Fermata La Fermata offers “Northern Italian dining with a Northwest twist.” With a menu that’s more sophisticated than many […]
Posted inGarden
Winter Kitchen Gardens
“Shall I not have intelligence with the earth? Am I not partly leaves and vegetable mould myself?” ~ Henry David Thoreau Ever since people stopped wandering and put down roots, there has been a special place set aside from which they cultivated herbs, flowers, vegetables and fruit for the stuff of daily life. As our […]
Posted inGarden
Sustainable Rose Growing
Sustainable growing means different things to different people. In organic gardening and farming, a sustainable growing system minimizes what enters and leaves the system, using only what is sustainable to the environment. Beyond that, sustainability is a local concept. For example, collecting water in rain barrels is considered sustainable in Western Washington but not in […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Morrison Gravel — 70 Years of Success
In marking 70 years in business in 2016, Morrison Gravel is an example of a company that has evolved adroitly with the needs of Kitsap County. Through the years, it has diversified from a gravel pit to a full-service gardenscape supplier. The Morrison family moved to Port Orchard from Idaho in 1944. When World War […]
Posted inPeople & Places
The Belfair Community Trail System
The Belfair community might soon be recognized as one of the best places in the state to take a nature hike. A trail system currently runs through the Theler Wetlands on a 5-mile loop connecting the wetlands to the Belfair State Park, and now there is a new plan to extend the trail. It would […]
Posted inGarden
Winter is Birdhouse Time
Winter is the best time to think about birdhouses. The birds are starting to think about where they will nest once spring arrives. Where houses are already in place, it isn’t unusual to see chickadees exploring them in January and February. They may decide to nest in one or they may be checking on what […]
Posted inGarden
Community Gardens and P-Patches in West Sound
Washington state is an amazing place, and not simply because of its immeasurable beauty. The Master Gardener program saw its birth here, training volunteers who are passionate about gardening to offer science-based answers to community members’ gardening questions. This program has spread throughout the country and into Canada since its inception in 1973, and has […]
Posted inThe Outdoors
The Battle of the Colonies in Real Life: Slow-Motion Science on the Beach
Where would you go to find a clonal colony of creatures armed with thousands of neurotoxin-filled harpoons engaged in deadly combat? To find the front line of an intergenerational clone-colony war, you need go no farther than your local beach. The humble sea anemone’s colorful arms may make them look peaceful as flowers in a […]