I’ve spent most of the morning pinching scapes off my garlic plants. And in case you didn’t know it, scapes are quite a delicacy — right up there with fiddlehead ferns in my book!
Both have a short window for when they’re available though. While I’m lucky enough to grab them fresh, straight from the garden, chances are that you can find them at your local farmers market right about NOW! If you do find some, here are two of … Read More
My plumbs are growing nicely. But…
This wasp nest presents a dilemma…
With the general lack of bees, I’m always trying to support whatever bee/wasp colonies I can. While wasps aren’t the handy dandy pollinators that bees are, they do some pollinating. AND they eat lots of other pesky insects.
So, even though they are more aggressive in general than bees, I usually take a “live and let live policy.” BUT– the problem is that they also feed on fruit.… Read More
Three months later and half the time I still find myself going to fill Kiera’s food bowl… I’ve had enough human and animal loss in my life to know there’s nothing that can be done except to wait out the sadness.
The last few weeks, I’ve been busy planting my vegetable gardens, and pruning my grape vines and fruit trees. The thing I love most about Spring and gardening is always the renewed hope and excitement I feel at getting … Read More
I’ve been a little under the weather, and wanted to make myself a healing soup that wasn’t the usual boring Chicken Soup. This Seafood Curry Chowder, with its Indian spices (which helps open breathing passages) and chicken broth (general fixer-upper elixir) gives a one-two punch!
BUT…
It’s so rich and delicious and special–and SIMPLE to make–that you could serve this at any dinner party and get rave reviews. It’s my family and friends’ all time favorite soup!
1 fillet of … Read More
I’m finally at the end of my gardening season. Harvesting is complete and garlic for next year has been planted. As I ready the rest of my beds for next season with weeding and composting, Finn is having a field day! Imagine his excitement at seeing pristine rows of dirt all fluffy and ready for his “deposits!”
Don’t get me wrong–I love Finn. I just don’t love the potential health problems his natural cat behaviors present for my garden. And, … Read More
I was raised by a father who taught me how to be creative, resourceful, and self-reliant. There’s little I can’t fix and not much that I can’t build–up to and including completely renovating a house by myself.
All the tools in the garage (and there are lots) are mine. In other words, I’m handy. And I love to invent things and improve on things that are less than perfectly designed.
Which also makes me a little bit of a gadget … Read More
As I mentioned recently, I get three kinds of calls from family. Last week it was my sister asking how to tell if her garlic was ready to be picked.
Where we live (in the Northeast), we plant hard neck varieties at the end of September into early October, which means our harvest time is roughly mid-July to end of of July. This is my sister’s first year of planting her own, and she wasn’t sure when to pull her … Read More
The garden is lush with all the rain and warming temps. It looks like it’s going to be a bountiful season. We already have lots of lettuce and herbs, peas and beans, kale and broccoli, and of course all the June berries.
Looking for a quick something for dessert this evening, I came back with these. I was thinking a nice strawberry rhubarb crisp would be refreshing.
But Graidy was thinking fresh strawberries… … Read More
