ONE SQUASH SLEPT ON THE WINDOWSILL, another in the cabinet beneath the sink. Both stayed firm (and presumably delicious) all winter long, and then some—far into the next year. Lia Babitch and Ian Robb, co-managers of Turtle Tree Seed in Copake, New York, may store their ‘Butternut’ differently, but the greater mission they’re part of is the same: to offer biodynamic, open-pollinated seed to gardeners and farmers that’s been selected to be the very best it can…which if you’re a winter squash means sticking around a good long while. Meet these gifted gardeners and more of their very special seed varieties, and maybe win one of two $20 Turtle Tree gift certificates I’ve bought to share with you. [read more…]
herbs
Which oregano is the real one? How to grow and preserve a year of parsley, basil and other green herbs. Garlic, from planting to harvest and curing to storage. All these and more herb gardening topics to browse through.
giveaway: growing wholeness at turtle tree seed
February 19, 2012 at 11:19 am
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giveaway: rose marie nichols mcgee’s herb q&a
February 12, 2012 at 7:43 am
WHEN I CALLED Rose Marie Nichols McGee after much more than a decade, it was like we’d just hung up moments before. “Do you still grow Phlomis?” she asked without missing a beat, referring to a mint relative I’d loved early on in my garden’s life, a former Nichols Garden Nursery purchase I’d almost forgotten (since I’d eventually killed it, oops). That’s OK, she said; it got tricky here, too. The nursery, with more than 60 years selling herbs and much more—one of the first places I ever shopped as a gardener—is Rose Marie and her husband, Keane’s, family business (that’s them above), and they’ve seen lots of plants come, and go, and come around again. With a gift-certificate giveaway and an herb-growing Q&A, meet an old friend and some great new and old plants as well–and learn tricks for growing them. [read more…]
friendly reminder: when to harvest garlic
July 7, 2011 at 7:49 am
IAM WAITING, WATCHFULLY, FOR THE MOMENT–the garlic-harvest moment. Unlike its botanical cousin the onion, garlic doesn’t want to be left to go completely brown in the garden–but digging it too soon can diminish storage life as well. How to tell just when to harvest your homegrown garlic–and if yours is ready, how to stash it for a long-lasting, firm supply, along with all my other garlic how-to’s.
garlic scapes: out of the garden, onto the menu
June 19, 2011 at 10:23 am
GARLIC SCAPES ARE ON THE MENU THIS MONTH, courtesy of a garden that’s also featuring peas, tender salads and a delicious, if dwindling, final week or so of asparagus. But what to do with this latest offering? A sautee, perhaps, and also some pesto for future reference sound just right to me. [read more…]
when to start what: vegetable-seed calculators
March 25, 2011 at 6:27 am
WONDER WHAT TO SOW WHEN to get homegrown transplants ready for the vegetable garden? I’ve gathered links to some foolproof online seed-starting calculators and charts, and also summarized my very simple “lumping” method, where I group all my seeds into three groups rather than try to remember every last detail of what happens when. The scoop: [read more…]
mad stash: everything into the pot, freezer, cellar
October 27, 2010 at 1:26 am
THE GARDEN IS QUOTING RUDYARD KIPLING AT ME, invoking a list of “if’s” as I survey what’s left to gather before coming cold renders the remaining possibilities moot. Can I keep my head when all about me—every vegetable and herb, every apple—are losing theirs? Can I stay ahead of impending weather (and find just a bit more room in the freezer)? It’s Mad Stash Week of Fall Fest, and that’s the Kipling-esque question at hand: Can I keep my head? [read more…]
growing and storing a year of garlic
September 8, 2010 at 12:41 am
MY HOMEGROWN CROP OF GARLIC GETS ME TO ALMOST FEBRUARY, and then it’s just not what it used to be. You know how it goes—you’ve bought late-winter cloves that start to sprout and just don’t feel as firm or weigh what they did before time took its toll. I don’t have a perfect storage spot; considering that I do quite well. But this year I’m laying in a supply in the freezer, too, following safe, sane methods—no, you cannot just pack it in oil and refrigerate! My tactics for growing, harvesting and enjoying a year of garlic. Both softneck and hardneck types are welcome here, by the way—dare I ask which camp you’re in? [read more…]
think green: as in leafy, beans and herbs
August 11, 2010 at 4:11 am
IAM UP TO MY KNEES IN GREEN(S)—chard, arugula, and beans (sometimes yellow-green!), with kale coming on. I’m also up to my ankles, or at least toes, in deliciously lovable green frogs (Rana clamitans, a native species here). The amphibians seem to be sticking close to my home, where a few backyard pools and ceramic troughs provide respite in dry times. The botanicals do best near my sprinkler, which I’m moving every two hours practically 24/7, hoping to be fresh looking for today: Herbs, Greens and Beans Week of our 3d annual Summer Fest, a giant cross-blog recipe swap featuring nonstop green. Welcome! [read more…]
cukes ‘n zukes: size matters, as does pickling spice
July 28, 2010 at 12:15 am
LET’S BE FRANK–SIZE DOES MATTER. The naked truth: Smaller is better, or at least when talk turns to cucumbers and zucchinis, as it does today for Week 1 of the third annual Summer Fest, a giant cross-blog recipe swap celebrating garden-fresh flavors. (Get all the links below, just before the comments, and stock up on delicious ideas from around the web.) Before they get away from us and swell to baseball-bat size, it’s time to get picking and get pickling—which is where the spicy part comes in. [read more…]
