The Ojai Garden

If Saturday's Edible Landscaping workshop was any indication, we'll be seeing some water-hungry Ojai lawns replaced by something interesting and much tastier in the near future. Despite the inclement weather, over 40 people came to the City of Ojai Community Demonstration Garden for Kathy Nolan's workshop. It was a tight fit in the gazebo, so some latecomers stood just outside and peered in, remaining there even during the intermittent showers. Kathy brought a diagram of an edible landscape to help illustrate her talk. Her landscape included raised vegetable beds, a compost area, a chicken coop, fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, grape vines and more. Kathy brought several examples of interesting edibles from her own yard, such as rapini and lancinato kale, colorful red chard, dill, borage and native Catalina cherry and Mexican elderberry. An array of jars containing culinary delights created from the bounty of Kathy's own garden, such as dried elderberries and dried apples, was an inspiring end to the workshop. Kathy's enthusiasm for the subject was contagious and participants left with a hunger to create their own edible landscapes at home. Photos by Les Dublin.