Wealthy, Tompkins King, Dutch Mignone the heirloom Apples of Broadview

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Updated: October 29, 2020

A post from Will Murray of the Friends of Piper’s Orchard

2020 will undoubtedly be the year that shatters fruit harvest records in Broadview if such records are actually kept.  City Fruit recently harvested apples at Pipers Orchard in Carkeek Park for the #GreatSeattleFruitHarvest and a local backyard tree produced over 576lbs of apples. 

Wealthy, Tompkins King, Dutch Mignone, Roxbury Russett apples harvested from Pipers Orchard in Carkeek Park

Fall in Broadview has meant apple harvests since the 1890s when the Piper family homesteaded here. The Pipers originating from Germany planted European Apples Bietigheimer, Gravenstein, Tompkins King, Dutch Mignone also American varieties Esopus Spitzenburg and Wealthy. European apples have complex flavor profiles such as Bietigheimer which is slightly sour. Esopus Spitzenburg originated in New York and was Thomas Jefferson’s favorite apple. The commonality between these original apples at Pipers could be their use in baking as they had both a bakery and confectionery in downtown Seattle. The apples were also sold from a wagon at 6th and King St. years before Pike Place Farmers Market was formed. Here is an award winning apple pie recipe to put all those apples to use.

Blue Ribbon Apple Pie

Pastry for 2-crust pie

3 large apples

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp flour

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp salt

2 Tbsp butter

Combine all ingredients. Pile in pie shell. Dot with butter and cover with top crust. Make steam vents and flute edges. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 1 9” pie. recipe courtesy of Jewel Knutson Wenatchee, Washington 

576lbs of Winter Banana apples ready for donation to local food banks. Harvested from one Backyard tree in Broadview this fall and they are still harvesting!

To learn more: Friends of Pipers Orchard Fruit tree map

City Fruit Urban Fruit Project

Local Food Bank accepting homegrown produce

HALLOWEEN TIPS FROM PUBLIC HEALTH

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Posted: October 22, 2020

Halloween has some good celebration options since many activities can be outside and mask wearing is part of the holiday, but there are still some risks with COVID circulating. Public Health has tips to prevent illness, help our community stay on track for reopening, and still retain some of the spooky and sweet flavor of Halloween.

Trick-or-treating

During the pandemic, trick-or-treating presents some new challenges. Door-to-door trick-or-treating will likely bring people into close contact, especially if people gather and cluster on doorsteps and walkways. It’s also difficult to ensure that everyone is wearing the right face coverings or masks. Trunk-or-treating (when people go from car to car instead of door to door) may also be difficult to do while keeping adequate social distance. While we have continued spread of COVID-19 in our community, Public Health is encouraging other options.

If you are thinking about trick-or-treating, here are some things to consider:

  • If you want to give out treats, understand the level of risk you’re willing to take. Packaged food is not considered a common source of coronavirus exposure, but it’s not without risk. If you put out a bowl of candy, a larger number of people will touch the bowl and candy. If you hand out candy out individually, fewer people touch the candy, but they come into closer contact with one another, especially if children line up outside the door. It’s close contact with others that creates the greater risk of COVID spread..
  • Reduce risk in how you hand out treats. Options to reduce (but not eliminate) risk include:
    • Use tape to mark waiting spots 6 feet apart on the way up to your door.
    • Use fun ways to give the candy while staying 6 feet apart, like slide the candy down a wrapping paper tube into their trick-or-treat bags. Or individually wrap goodie bags and line them up for families to grab and go while staying social distanced (such as at the end of a driveway or at the edge of a yard).
    • When you answer the door for trick-or-treaters, wear a mask.
  • Wear masks that snugly covers the nose and mouth as part of the Halloween costume. Kids can decorate cloth face coverings with fabric markers or embellishments to go with their costumes! Avoid plastic masks with holes—commercial costume masks won’t provide the same level of protection unless they are made of two or more layers of breathable fabric that fit with no gaps around the face. Make sure kids wear their masks while trick-or-treating.
  • Make sure children (and adults) stay at least six feet apart from others. If you can’t keep physical distance, it’s best to avoid activities like trick-or-treating or going to a crowded pumpkin patch.
  • Wash your hands thoroughly when you get home. Carry hand sanitizer so that kids can wash their hands while trick-or-treating.
  • Set aside any candy that comes from outside your household for 24 hours before allowing children to handle it. Reality check: we know that it’s too much to ask of kids to wait to eat their candy. You might purchase a small amount of candy in advance so that you can have candy on hand that your kids can eat immediately on Halloween.

Safer Halloween options

We recommend Halloween activities that make it easier to maintain physical distance, wear face coverings, and keep people from sharing items. If you do have any social gathering, keep it small and on a shorter time frame (the fewer people and shorter the time, the safer it is).

Ideas for activities with lower risks of COVID-19 include:

  • Organize a neighborhood costume parade with social distancing.
  • Decorate yards or your neighborhood.
  • Do a Halloween scavenger hunt by giving your kids lists of Halloween-themed things (like different types of decorations) to look for while they walk outdoors, keeping a distance from people outside your household.
  • Hold a virtual costume party online.
  • Exchange candy with families you know. Do a drop-off delivery at their doorstep for a Halloween surprise for the kids.
  • Trick-or-treat inside your home by hiding candy for your kids to find. If your kids like Halloween jump scares, hide yourself, too.
  • Have a spooky movie night or Halloween craft party with the family.

All ages Halloween tips

Halloween is not just a holiday for kids, so we have some key recommendations for the teen werewolves and adult ghosts and witches:

  • Avoid house parties and bars, where the risk is high for the spread of COVID.
  • Keep any gatherings small, outdoors when possible or if it must be indoors, in well-ventilated spaces (open windows and doors).
  • Avoid indoor haunted houses where people may be crowded together and screaming (people spray tiny droplets when they scream).
  • Incorporate a mask that covers your nose and mouth snugly into your costume. Wear the mask whenever you might be in close contact with anyone outside your household.

Thank you for doing whatever you can to reduce the risk of COVID for neighbors, children, and everyone in the community. Have a happy Halloween season!

International ShakeOut Day Thursday Oct. 15

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Posted: October 13, 2020

Many areas of the globe are prone to earthquakes (see links below) You could be anywhere when an earthquake strikes: at home, at work, at school or even on vacation. Are you prepared to survive and to recover quickly?

Great ShakeOut earthquake drills are an opportunity to practice how to be safer during earthquakes: “Drop, Cover and Hold On.” ShakeOut also has been organized to encourage you, your community, your school, or your organization to update emergency plans and supplies, and to secure your space in order to prevent damage and injuries.

MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE WILL PRACTICE HOW TO DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON AT ABOUT 1015 AM PDT ON OCTOBER 15TH DURING THE GREAT SHAKEOUT. WASHINGTONIANS CAN JOIN THEM BY REGISTERING FOR THE 2020 GREAT WASHINGTON SHAKEOUT. PARTICIPATION IS A GREAT WAY FOR YOUR FAMILY OR ORGANIZATION TO BE BETTER PREPARED TO SURIVE AND RECOVER QUICKLY FROM BIG EARTHQUAKES. OVER ONE MILLION PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON ARE EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE. PRE-REGISTER TODAY AT WWW.SHAKEOUT.ORG/WASHINGTON.

Drawing of a family protecting themselves during an earthquake, under a table and in a wheelchair

Presentation on solving homelessness in our city, Oct, 1

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Updated: September 26, 2020

Here is an opportunity  for Broadview Bitter Lake Community Council members  and the public to join Haller Lake Community Club for a presentation on solving homelessness in our city! We hope you’ll join us for this virtual Zoom meeting.

Third Door Coalition

A civic alliance working to solve chronic homelessness

October 1st, 7 – 8:30PM

Virtual Meeting: Where: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86188877531, or dial +12532158782,,86188877531#

Speakers:

  1. Chad Mackay of Fire & Vine Hospitality, Third Door Coalition co-founder and co-chair
  2. Del Lausa of DESC (Downtown Emergency Service Center) runs the permanent supportive housing for the two DESC sites on Aurora Ave N. 
  3. Other members of the Third Door Coalition board of directors

 

Broadview-Bitter Lake Community Council
 
Our NEW Website:             www.broadviewbitterlake.org
Our NEW Email:                 BroadviewBitterLakeCC@gmail.com

A Look Back at Piper’s Orchard Festival of Fruit, October 5th, 2019 by William Murray

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Posted: September 24, 2020

Over 300 people attended the 13th annual Piper’s Orchard Festival of Fruit in Carkeek Park on October 5th 2019. Attendees enjoyed Master gardeners, fruit tasting, cider pressing and orchard tours. For the first time in many years two apple trees were planted in the orchard. After volunteering at the Festival since 2008, I was excited to become a member of the tree planting committee until I found manual labor was involved as Paul Brookshire handed me a shovel indicating where to dig. Soil in the orchard is a hardpan glacial till similar to quick dry concrete. While digging a nearby anthill boiled ants while squirrels dropped horse chestnuts from a nearby tree! Ah these are the joys of volunteering. Our first tree, donated by Bob Baines, was an Ashmead Kernel in a 10 gallon pot. Soon a crowd formed to witness this auspicious occasion and discussions on planting apple trees and soil amendments ensued. Bob’s theory is no soil amendments; if the trees survive they survive. Several young volunteers stepped up to help out and the Ashmead Kernel was planted and christened Fiona then generously watered from nearby Pipers creek.

 

Ashmead Kernel ‘Fiona’ planting site solarized 

Secondly, we planted a Dutch Mignone from a 5 gallon pot from the Baine’s collection, joined by Nathan, a recent transplant from Oklahoma. Again our young helpers christened this newly planted Dutch Mignone Perry. The tree planting is part of a multi-year science experiment, proposed and supervised by Adam Wargacki, involving solarization of the planting site. Solarization involves covering the planting site with heavy plastic sheeting to heat up and possibly kill harmful micro organisms in the soil thought to be replant disease.  Apple trees planted at Pipers in the past 10 years did not bear fruit while apple trees planted in the 1980s and 1890s are doing quite well. The experiment could take many more years to come to fruition by observing if the Ashmead Kernel Fiona whose site was solarized and the Dutch Mignone Perry’s un solarized planting site become established amongst their older peers.

Dutch Mignone Perry planting site was not solarized

Update September 22, 2020   UNFORTUNATELY  due to Covid concerns the 2020 Piper’s orchard festival was cancelled.   Bummer !   And the apple trees had a good crop this year too. HOWEVER,  on the positive side we have harvested hundreds of pounds  and given them to food banks this summer and fall.   Special shout-outs  to the Mullins,  the McLeans,  June S.,  Bernice M.,  John W., Paris Y.,  Chris D., Paul K., Will M ,  to City Fruit organization and to  others.   In fact we have never given more food to food banks than this year!

Free Stay Healthy Block Permits

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Posted: September 22, 2020

The Stay Healthy Streets have been very popular (see here, here, and here!) and the City of Seattle has received many requests for more outdoor recreation space. 

Enter: Stay Healthy Block Permits, which support community groups to temporarily close blocks to thru-traffic for increased access to outdoor recreation space and improved mental health. 

Broadview didn’t get any Stay Healthy Streets when they were created a few months ago.  Perhaps an organization in Broadview could apply for one.

Stay Healthy Block Applications for community organizations and nonprofits are available now! 

The permits will allow community organizations and non-profits to take the lead. With the permit, these groups can open one or more blocks on non-arterial streets to Seattleites. 

How to know if your street is an arterial:

If you look at your street and there’s no dividing line down the center, it’s not an arterial! To learn more about arterials in Seattle, check out this map and select “arterial classification” in the Layer List (gray streets are non-arterials, and streets with colors are arterials).  

If your organization wants to apply for a permit, keep these things in mind: 

  • You can go to our Stay Healthy Blocks website to apply now. 
  • You’ll be responsible for notifying neighbors, closing the street with barricades and printable signs we developed, and monitoring for safety.   
  • You’ll also be responsible for ensuring compliance with public health guidelines. 

12th Ave NW Basin Drainage Improvement Update

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Posted: September 17, 2020

Seattle Public Utilities has issued a a Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Checklist and Determination of Non-Significance (DNS) for the 12th Ave NW Basin Drainage Improvements Project. The SEPA Checklist and DNS can be found under “Project Documents” on SPU’s documents webpage at https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/neighborhood-projects/12th-ave-nw-basin.

Comments on the DNS must be submitted by Oct. 1, 2020 via email to:

Betty Meyer, SEPA Responsible Official
Seattle Public Utilities
betty.meyer@seattle.gov

Appeals of this DNS must be accompanied by an $85 filing fee and must be filed by 5 pm on Oct. 8, 2020. Please see the Office of the Hearing Examiner web site for Temporary Operating Rules During COVID-19: http://www.seattle.gov/hearing-examiner

Project updates

In April, we announced the proposed locations of new natural drainage systems. You can see a map of proposed improvements on our website.

Types of improvements

  • Natural drainage systems – The natural drainage systems are sited in areas where they will provide the biggest drainage benefit while still being cost-efficient. Additionally, the selected locations avoid existing underground utilities and other significant structures.
  • Trees – New trees may be planted inside the natural drainage systems or as stand-alone improvements. The tree locations avoid overhead utilities, maintain sightlines for pedestrians and drivers, and allow trees to be clustered for ease of maintenance and tree health.
  • Grass planting strips – To make the natural drainage systems function properly, we will need to install additional underground support structures like pipes that will direct the captured stormwater flows to existing collection facilities. If we disturb the right of way to put in these support structures, we often restore it with new grass and trees when we’re finished (most of these areas are either grass, asphalt or gravel currently). The new grass isn’t part of an engineered drainage system in itself, but rather is a greener, more drainage-friendly way to restore disturbed right of way (grass and trees soak up rainwater better than asphalt).

If you live next to a proposed improvement and have questions or concerns, please reach out to the project team at SPU_BroadviewProjects@seattle.gov.

Looking ahead

  • The project is moving toward 60% design.
  • At this time, construction is anticipated to begin in fall 2021. We will update the community if there are any significant impacts to schedule.
  • Additional outreach will be conducted closer to the start of construction, but we’re available to have one-on-one conversations (by phone, email or virtual meetings) with homeowners in the meantime. Please reach out to us if you have questions or concerns.

if you have a question about the project, please feel free to contact the project team by emailing SPU_BroadviewProjects@seattle.gov.

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