Ever wonder how cucumbers would taste for breakfast? One of the joys of vegetable (and fruit) gardening is the opportunity to try new things, dip into the abundance in unusual ways, and experiment with combinations of ingredients and unusual pairings. As it turns out, a handsome woodchuck — a North American marmot (Marmota monax), if I’m not mistaken — and I agree on the appeal of cucumbers for breakfast!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a cucumbers-for-breakfast newbie, but I can confidently vouch for the refreshing crunch of peeled, sliced cucumber with your first mug of coffee, tea, or MUD|WTR. Especially when you lather it with honey roasted peanut butter. It’s practically a full, balanced meal.
You convinced? Try it!
Woodchuck Chuck
Our hungry Rosslyn marmot, let’s call him Woodchuck Chuck (more of a nod to my juvenile enthusiasm than a gift for gabbing with varmints), turns out to love cucumbers for breakfast too. And his palette doesn’t even depend on peanut butter to tempt.
After a couple nights of excessive buffet-ing his way through the veggies, we decided it was time for relocation. He’d burrowed himself a cozy accommodation beneath a temporary rock pile adjacent to the garden, so that’s where we placed the live trap. A broken up cucumber proved irresistible, and we were able to assist with his relocation to a less populated area with plenty to eat and no pesky gardeners vying for harvest priority.
Will Woodchuck Chuck return? Perhaps. But if he’s anticipating a never ending smorgasbord, well, hhhmmm… Maybe peanut butter?
After sharing pics on our Instagram (@rosslynredux) and Facebook (@rosslynredux) feeds it seems that peanut butter *might* be the secret sauce.
Sara Star: Looks like you trapped the varmint. Did you use peanut butter? It’s great bait for critters. We have live trapped a few skunks with it, and relocated. That woodchuck looks big!
Geo Davis: Huge! We didn’t even need to resort to peanut butter, just chopped up cucumber bits. Next time we re-relocate him it might require peanut butter though…
Sara: Such are the challenges of growing good food. Everyone wants to eat your veggies.
Geo: Heheh. True enough. Cheers to good food (and enough to share!)
And another similar experience.
Lorraine Townsend Faherty: we re-homed one (very chubby fellow) a few years ago using PB as bait for the trap. He knew how to get pb out of trap without getting himself trapped. but we persevered and he was taken away.
You see? Peanut butter.
Marmots & Abundance
Whether or not I’ve inspired you to try cucumbers for breakfast — with or without peanut butter, with or without woodchucks — it’s worth concluding this post with some context. Gardens invite eaters. Human eaters. But also insects, mollusks (yes, slugs are actually gastropods), birds, animals, and all manner of hungry opportunists. So what’s an organic gardener to to?
I post often about our various creative solutions for gardening holistically, but I’ve never talked about marmots. And the reason is, until now, we’ve never felt with garden pressure from marmots. Deer, yes. Raccoon, yes. And plenty of others. But no marmots until Woodchuck Chuck. So this is a first foray but not likely a final foray. I’ll update if/when useful developments.
Until then, it’s worth reiterating my underlying assumption that garden–to–table lifestyle need not focus on scarcity. I’ve likely explained that my gardening philosophy (upon rereading this sounds decidedly stodgier than intended) is an abundance mindset. What?!?!
An abundance mindset refers to the paradigm that there is plenty out there for everybody. (Source: Forbes)
Wait… what? Gardening enough for everybody? Everybody?!?!
Actually, pretty much yes.
We overgrow in the hopes that there will be plenty for us to enjoy even when our wild neighbors help themselves. Within reason. But when a wild neighbor, Woodchuck Chuck for example, gorges to excess, then we try to get creative. If our first relocation attempt is unsuccessful, then we’ll brainstorm how to leverage the magic of peanut butter!
[N.B. Were you looking for Why are my Cucumbers Orange?]
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