The days are lengthening. OK…not by much, but I’m not walking home from work in the dark these days. There’s plenty of snow blanketing the gardens and the seed catalogs are filling the mail box. The sure sign of spring to come. So many options, so many new varieties to choose, so many old heirlooms toexplore. A letter has
Is it Christmas already?
I did some shopping yesterday with Christmas songs in the background…it’s cold, but no snow…sent off a package this morning…and here’s a box at my doorstep. Wow…oh yeah, no turkey and pumpkin pie yet…what could it be?
The Winter Pantry Box!!!
If I didn’t know better I would think I had a bowl of little green snakes. I HATE snakes. I know I shouldn’t, but…I blame it on my sister. She used to chase me with sticks when we were little and tell me they were snakes. It’s all HER fault! But no….these are wonderful green garlic scapes. They have only made the scene a few years ago.
Yes, we love our babies and those grandbabies are just the best…and….it’s spring! There are lots of babies to love these days. I wonder around the yard with my cup of tea seeking out all the new growth. On a warm morning after a fierce lightening storm overnight, everything has just popped. The miniature leaves on the bushes and trees are unfolding before my eyes. The flowers spring up as if they have been sleeping right
Growing your own mushrooms seems a bit unusual, seeing as I steer clear of their random unwanted cousins in my garden. When I first tried this I was living in the Midwest. I had a huge crop of shitakes that were a great conversation piece when visitors came. I am not sure how I came upon getting my first kit. It has been so many years…
It’s time!!! For my Midwest climate, anyway. I’ve started several of the herb seeds this week. A full tray of sweet basil and a full tray of Italian parsley, as those are the two that I use the most of throughout the summer. Basil is preserved into pesto that is frozen and parsley is dried with a dehydrator, so there is never any waste there. I’ve also started a couple other kinds of basil
The weather is frightful, the wind is blowing, and it’s snowing once again! I’m ready for spring. I’m always ready for spring. Maybe that’s why we tolerate this Midwest winter… the change is so welcome. As March approaches, it’s evident that my rosemary plant has seen better days.
With a last sweep of the garden on this bright, but very cool, day I discovered the parsley had survived some very cold nights when everything else around it was dead. It doesn’t often happen this late in the season.Trying to think of some fun food gifts for friends is always a challenge, but the parsley got me thinking…last year I made bouquet garnis for Priscilla, and she was asking for more.
I think I bought too much garlic! Here it is in all its glory. It looks beautiful, it tastes delicious, and I cook with it everyday, including using it in classes for 6-8 people a couple times a week. You would think….but…I’m worried about it drying up before I can get through it all. I buy it every year from a small “mom and pop” operation in northern Wisconsin.
It starts out so innocently. A few seeds in a sunny spot. After the weather warms up and the sun kicks into gear those little seeds have sprouted into cute little plants. In a couple weeks they grow and grow. Big bushes now overtake the too small space I gave them. So, it’s time to choose…who will live and who will succumb to the compost pile?
I returned from a week out of town and made a tour of the garden. It had been a hot week and the window boxes and pots were in dire need of a thorough soaking. The tomatoes had started to ripen…finally, and the potato barrel was looking dreadful. Then I realized it was time to harvest! Only a couple of the plants had any green left on them, so I started pulling out the yellowed and withered plants.
