Last weekend, M and I went to visit Lodi in northern central California. I had really wanted to visit the cactus garden in Walnut Creek, but decided on a zoo trip instead.

Micke Grove Zoo is located in Lodi, just next to Stockton. It’s a small friendly town surrounded by vineyards. Ripe grapes were hanging left and right. And it looked like they were about to be harvested soon. I usually think of Napa Valley when I think of vineyards. But Lodi has some nice vineyards of their own too.

The last time we visited the place there was a lonely seal swimming in a pool. The swimming pool is gone and the seal has been replaced by lorikeets. They are pretty birds, but made so much noise.

I spotted these two Lorikeets enjoying a bath. Must be nice to enjoy a bird bath without having to worry about predators (such as cats!).

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When I think of Luang Prabang (in Laos), I usually think of clean and quaint streets. Along with sacred Buddhist temples and other beautiful scenery.

But then I came across this article. The author was talking about how plastic bags are becoming a polluting sight seen along roadsides to landing between crops.

There are also sight of rubbish mounds (mostly of plastic bags) being burn across many villages.  Which only adds to more air pollution.  It really saddens me to hear this.

A unique way to take cabbages from the market. Plastic or Rattan? Photo from EatingAsia.

An excerpt from EatingAsia:

Each item, purchased from a different vendor, will be placed into its own clear plastic bag –, and each of those bags slipped into another, larger one. Customers leave the market with their fingers dripping yellow, pink, black, red plastic bags.

Most of those bags will never see a second use. If you live or have traveled here you’ve probably seen where they can end up: alongside roads, strewn over hillsides, on beaches, blanketing land resting between crops.”

What ever happened to traditional market baskets? The nicely weaved ones that can carry loads of vegetables. Even heavy duty and reusable nylon bags and cotton bags would be a better choice.

To my surprise, not all hope is lost.  As market vendors came up with this neat idea.  Instead of “Paper or Plastic? In Luang Prabang, it’s plastic or rattan strips?”

Other vegetables that can be strung and carry this way are bamboo shoots, lettuce, and even small bunches of herbs such as peppermint. I think it’s a great idea!  

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Once I found out about permaculture, I’m thinking it’s the new way to garden. So when I came upon The Green Barn Nursery from Quebec and saw their list of permaculture plants, I was thrilled.

If anyone would like to know what they should grow in their permaculture garden, how about giving these plants a try. They are easy to grow, good for the soil, and also have edible fruits/food/herbal usage that are packed with nutrients.

The following description of plants are excerpts from The Green Barn Nursery.

This Rogosa Rose is also known as Dart’s Dash and makes nice shrub roses. Photo/Illustration: Jennifer Benner of Fine Gardening.

Rogosa Roses: These are rugged, disease-resistant, self-rooted roses that are able to easily withstand harsh climates. White, pink or red flowers make a colorful fragrant hedge and nest area for thicket birds. Rugosa roses produce the largest edible rosehip which is be used to make jams, jellies, teas, etc. Vitamin C content is 10 times that of an orange. Very hardy and disease resistant.

Silver Absinthe: Ideal for hedges. Beautiful silver foliage shrub with intoxicating, aromatic smell. Both the scented leaves and flowers have a wide range of uses; salads, potpourris, dried flowers, repelling moths, attracting wildlife/bees, flavouring vermouth and medicinally for stimulating appetite, aiding digestion, expelling worms. Great for hedges as it will survive drought and total neglect.

Willows: Willows are usually sold as fast growing ornamental that take poor wet soils. But they are also very useful plants for visual barriers, windbreaks, beaver food, farm furniture/baskets, stakes, pussy willow flowers, etc.

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In Asia, the use of bamboo charcoal for health purposes is very popular. People in Japan, Korea, and China find the uses of bamboo charcoal to be very beneficial for many other uses too.

It was discovered that the porous structure of bamboo charcoal helps absorb bad stale air amongst many other benefits.

Bamboo charcoal is  made by placing cut and dried bamboo stalks into a kiln.  Cooked in high temperatures, the charcoal is then collected and cut into small pieces.  The pieces have found their use in the health and beauty market.

The following benefits of bamboo charcoal include:

Removes odor from kitchens, shoes, and other places.

Extracts humidity from the air and turns it into negative ions.

It’s also useful in help absorb formaldehyde.

Also helps fight electromagnetic waves from electronic items. So it’s best to place bamboo charcoal near your computer and other electronic items.

It’s also recommended to add bamboo charcoal and water to a vase of cut flowers. This helps extend the life of the flower.

So far I have added bamboo charcoal to my potted plants (which are near my computer), and also to my flower pots outside.  It’s only been 1 week since I’ve used it, so I can’t say if I’ve seen any improvements yet.

I have also put some bamboo charcoals in a basket and keep it in the bedroom.  This is to help clean the air. I’m hoping it’s making some difference.

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I planted some “leftover” tulip bulbs in some flower pots and soon forgot about them. Surprisingly they are now in bloom! These plants do get lots of nice sunshine and shade throughout the day.

This is the pink tulip getting some shade. And of course my little Dessert Rose (which I prefer to call them, but they are really named “hens and chicks”) in the blue and white pot. They are succulent evergreen perennials. It is a super easy to grow plant.

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I can’t really explain why I find bamboo to be so familiar. Maybe it’s because my mom loves to cook with them, I mean the bamboo shoots. Or maybe because we use many bamboo products around the house, from chopsticks to rice baskets. Or is it because I’m Asian, and it just runs in my veins? But the best part of bamboo, is that cute panda bears just sit all day and munch on the leaves. Very good life.

The best news yet, is that it’s suppose to be environmentally better. It can grow fast (in 3 years) compare to longer for trees. Although it isn’t a tree, but a grass. People in Asia have been using it for centuries. And now bamboo is entering the market as in bamboo fabrics, flooring, and furniture too.

I have actually tried the bamboo fabrics and can say they are super soft. Just like acrylic or even cashmere. They have these great benefits such as being antibacterial. The fabrics keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Much like the fine organic alpaca fur too.

There seem to be a larger market for bamboo flooring then there is in textiles. Here are some really great sites you can visit to find out more about bamboo floorings. My favorite is Bamboo Hardwood, which has been around since 1995. They are from Washington state. Cali Bamboo also has a very nice selection. Another great site is Bamboo Revolution. I love their bamboo blinds (for the windows) very much. I hope to get blinds like that soon.

And in Chinese cultures, the bamboo represents good luck and wealth. For my birth year, they recommend I have potted bamboo in the entrance of the house. I have had it for about 3 years now and I’m not sure about the wealth I’m getting. But definitely luck has been on my side.