O, Christmas tree
Not exactly a food topic, but if you're still deliberating about a Christmas tree (real tree? artificial tree? no tree? see what Grist's Umbra had to say), here are two ideas that are easier than buying a live one that you have to try to plant somewhere:
My choice, an idea borrowed from a friend: a live 4-foot Norfolk Island pine. It isn't native to the temperate zone, but it's lovely, and makes a fine house plant. The tree, bought from a local independent greenhouse/nursery, cost the same (or less) than a modest-sized "real" Christmas tree. The local chestnut tree farm that used to sell Christmas trees got out of the Christmas tree biz last year.
Meanwhile, a Pinwheel Farm offers this tradition, which it practices after Christmas but would be just as good beforehand. The following is from the Lawrence Sustainability Network's newsletter:
Here's how we keep the spirit of a Christmas Tree without spending money and energy on a disposable, plantation-grown dead tree covered with electric lights, non-recyclable tinsel, and decorations made in China! A longstanding winter tradition at the farm is to gather kids of all ages to help make edible decorations for the birds and decorate the locally-grown fir tree we planted a number of years ago.
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Comments
By Bonnie P. on December 20th, 2007 at 10:17 am
I've read that Christmas tree plantations aren't "that bad" but it just feels wrong to me to drag a dying tree in your house and then throw it out afterward. Last year I convinced my grandmother to buy a small living tree (photo) and somehow she bought two, then I had to make good on my promise to plant them afterward, which I ended up doing the morning we were leaving. They're thriving though, and since she lost a lot of her pines in Hurricane Ivan, they're nice to have.
At home, we have had a "Christmas ficus" since 2000. This plant is so enormous, it is 6 feet tall and about 5 feet wide — it came with the place when we bought it, because no one wanted to move it. I put little lights on it and a few years ago I decided it was too much trouble to take them off -- they are unobtrusive enough to stay on there year round, and I just put ornaments on and plug it in after Thanksgiving. It's a little Charlie Brown but I like it.
By Jenni P on December 20th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
One thing Umbra didn't mention is that it's easy for Seattlelites to get -- and get rid of -- a living tree.
Swanson's, a Seattle nursery, offers native varieties that you can donate to be planted near a local stream to aid in salmon recovery. You have to pay for the tree and for delivery both ways, so it's costly. But you get to have a tree that looks and smells like Christmas without leaving a sad dead tree on the curb afterwards. (Though if you go that route, trees left curbside with your yard waste will be turned into compost.)
By Janet on December 20th, 2007 at 7:09 pm
Actually, it's possible here in Lawrence to do a totally local thing. There is at least one Christmas tree farm still in operation locally, and the city uses the dead trees for wildlife habitat. Still, I like the idea of not killing a tree.
By Julie on December 20th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
Similar to your idea to get a Norfolk pine, Australians can get Wollemi pines instead. They're an endangered species that they're trying to re-introduce. They can be potted, or planted in your garden.
Oh - I've just looked again at the site and it looks like you can get them in a lot more places than I realised: http://www.wollemipine.com/global.php