Gratitude Gourmet

12/25/2025

Christmas Berry

Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) is a California native evergreen shrub that is also known by the common names Christmas Berry and California Holly because of the bright red berries it produces in the winter.

Toyon got its name from the Ohlone tribe. It is a member of the rose family, so it is susceptible to fire blight damage. It typically grows 8 to 15 feet in height and width, however, some specimens grow larger and work in the landscape as small trees. It thrives in full sun but it will also grown in partial shade. This hearty California native tolerates serpentine, clay and sandy soils. Unlike some other members of the rose family, Toyon requires little pruning to make a great screen or to help with erosion control.

It is also a fantastic habitat plant and the beautiful red berries are what attract and feed many birds including American robins, thrashers, woodpeckers, cedar waxwings, mockingbirds, quail, towhees and various finches and sparrows.

Branches of the late-season berries also make wonderful holiday decor that can be used in place of true holly when you are "decking the halls." In the summer Toyon blooms with small white flowers that are attractive to bees.

Now is a great time to plant Toyon in your yard.

Photo by Erica Fleniken taken at Ulistac Natural Area in Santa Clara

12/21/2025

Imagine this.

In every neighborhood, every yard leaves just one corner untouched.
A small patch of stems and seedheads.
Clover. Goldenrod. Milkweed.

Within a single season, those small spaces begin to matter.
They provide food and shelter where pollinators live, rest, and reproduce.
And when enough of them exist, close enough together,
they start to function as a network—
stepping stones that help pollinators move through human landscapes.

No laws.
No committees.
No waiting for permission.

Just people making a simple choice:
to leave a little room,
and let nature breathe again.

12/13/2025

It's official. The two pesticides we're exposed to the most are both "probable human carcinogens" according to the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer. The number-one, glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup (now owned by the German company Bayer), h...

12/06/2025

⚠️Take action now to protect California’s coast and forests.⚠️ The Trump administration is considering new offshore oil and gas leases under the 11th National OCS Program, including up to six off the coast of California and two near the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Offshore drilling risks catastrophic spills, chronic pollution, disrupted ocean food webs, toxic runoff, and habitat fragmentation that threaten redwood forests, coho salmon, and the endangered marbled murrelet.

California’s redwoods are global climate champions, storing more carbon than any other plant species and buffering communities against extreme weather. Oil drilling and its infrastructure will undermine climate resilience and biodiversity.

🚨Your voice can help stop real harm. Join Sempervirens Fund in urging Congress to reject new offshore oil leases. https://secure.sempervirens.org/a/protect-californias-coast-forests

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📸 Ian Rowbotham
Photo ID: A view of the California coast with a forested area in the foreground. Text overlay requests to urge Congress to reject new offshore oil leases and protect California's coast, forests, and wildlife. A red button reads "Take action."

12/05/2025

It's World Soils Day!

The Unitied Nations tells us: Sustainable soil management practices reduces erosion and pollution, and enhances water infiltration and storage. They also preserve soil biodiversity, improve fertility, and contribute to carbon sequestration, playing a crucial role in the fight against climate change.

But when we think about soil, we almost always associate it with the countryside and nature. We rarely stop to consider that urban soil is also fundamental.

Here's how to build healthy soil:

https://ccmg.ucanr.edu/files/141617.pdf

Photo: Lukas, Pexals

12/05/2025

The simple pleasures are often the best ones. ♥️ ~ Nanea

12/05/2025

Hi All It’s very important for you to know this action can impact your gardens, food you eat, water you drink, you as gardeners and your families and friends and folks working in landscape and gardening thus everyone’s health. Please let your legislators and neighbors know your opinion on this. Thank you.

Trump Admin Backs Bayer in Roundup Lawsuit Battle

The Trump administration has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to accept Bayer’s appeal aimed at shutting down thousands of lawsuits that claim its herbicide Roundup causes cancer. According to the brief filed by the administration, federal pesticide law should override state-level claims, including cases brought by people who say Roundup caused their illness.
Reuters

If the Court agrees, many pending lawsuits numbering in the tens of thousands could be dismissed, despite ongoing concerns about cancer risks associated with Roundup exposure.
Reuters

👉 Read more about why this matters: the ability of states to hold large chemical companies accountable for public health harms could be severely limited.
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/trump-administration-backs-bayers-bid-curb-roundup-lawsuits-2025-12-02/?fbclid=IwY2xjawOcWtRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEePu3tlY0mloQNswr8clw5rbjLrNAqki7yYMdB3HzG1yKZWIwXaOsluuVWyKo_aem_qnKTuE45r6S-fImFLYw_YQ

12/04/2025

December Fruit Trees Activities and Tips:

Harvest early-ripening mandarins, lemons, and limes

Continue to monitor for and protect from frost

Begin winter pruning after most leaves have fallen, and tree structure is visible: remove crowded, crossing, and unwanted branches (See more pruning information (PDF):
http://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8057.pdf

Manage pests: after peach and nectarine trees have dropped leaves, spray to prevent peach leaf curl (refer to Peach Leaf Curl Pest Note, UC ANR Publication:
http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7426.html

(Information and photo source:
https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-sacramento-county/monthly-orchard-tips

12/04/2025

From little-known wild nut to holiday staple, the story of Pecan is a journey through 8,000 years of American food history. Native to North America, pecans sustained Indigenous communities and eventually became key to beloved recipes like pecan pie. Today the United States grows the majority of the world’s pecans, but their story reveals something deeper about food sovereignty, heritage crops, and the true value of native plants in our food system.

📄 Full article: “How pecans went from ignored trees to a holiday staple — the 8,000-year history of America’s only native major nut crop.”
https://organicconsumers.org/how-pecans-went-from-ignored-trees-to-a-holiday-staple-the-8000-year-history-of-americas-only-native-major-nut-crop/

Read more in last week’s Organic Bytes: https://orgcns.org/4pnVEly

12/02/2025

🌱 What to Plant in December
• Choose cold-tolerant greens to keep harvests going through winter.
• Root veggies sown now develop sweeter flavor in chilly soil.
• Fast growers like microgreens give fresh food in just days.
• Hardy berries and shrubs establish strong roots in cool weather.
• Winter herbs and perennials benefit from stable, moist soil.
• Protect new plantings with mulch in harsh climates.