Lunch and Learn
If you are planning a spring luncheon or dinner party, give it more meaning with a theme.
It’s Garden Tour Time
April and May are remembered most for showers and flowers, but the best part of all that spring activity is the garden tours. Now's your chance to get out and see what's growin' on, to get ideas for your own garden, and to see how other gardeners are doing it. Garden tours lend great perspective and "fill the well" for those of us who do this for a living. They differ from flower shows and expos in one major way--they're…
Whitish clear eggs in small piles atop the soil
Mystery Eggs
Last week I was cleaning up my community garden plot to ready it for new crops and I came upon several small piles of mystery eggs. I had never seen anything like it before and didn't know whether they were from beneficial insects or not. So I left them. Here's what they looked like: Had I been diligent and done the research right away, I would have found out immediately (thank you Google images) that they were...ready for it? SLUG…
Tax Day Gardening
April 15 is planting day for many gardeners, which shines a ray of sunlight on an otherwise dreaded day.
A small fountain pump is a great garden helper
Fountain Pump for Rainbarrels
Our rainy season appears to be coming to a close here in Los Angeles, but before we turn on the irrigation, there's still a little bit of water in our rain barrels. It's hard to get every last drop out from the bottom, so we've employed a little ingenuity to help us along. Fountain pumps come in handy to extract the last bit of water out from your rain barrels. They can also help pump water uphill to your plants.…
Preserving Cilantro (and other herbs)
Nature plays a mean trick on gardeners here in Southern California. By the time the tomatoes are ripe and the chiles are ready to pick, the salsa garden is missing an important ingredient: cilantro. Our delicate friend has long since bolted to seed, and like the hawk and wolf in Ladyhawke, never the twain shall meet. But now there is a simple way to preserve the fresh flavor of cilantro. It's like making pesto, but without the cheese and nuts.…
Corn and a mystery cucurbit -most likely cucumbers grow together this season.
Interplanting – It’s a Good Thing
You've most likely heard of companion planting, so interplanting won't be entirely unfamiliar to you. It's basically the idea of planting two or three different plants together to take advantage of available space, and to benefit the plants involved. For example - by alternating plantings of lettuces and kale in rows, you can take advantage of slow-growing kale by using the space in between to grow a quick crop of lettuces. Another example is radishes and artichokes or squash. You…
Finished dish awaiting devouring.
Recipe: Pasta al Cavolo Broccolo e Romanesco (Gluten-Free)
It's a mouthful of a title, but basically Pasta al Cavolo Broccolo e Romanesco is pasta with Romanesco broccoli and a delightful Italian sprouting broccoli otherwise known as Spigarello or Cavolo Broccolo a Getti di Napoli. I made up this recipe based on what was in the fridge. Spigarello is grown for the leaves more than for the heading flowers. You can use it as a substitute for kale, collards or spinach in cooked dishes like this. Our recipe starts…
Natural Easter Eggs
Use natural dyes to brighten your holiday table.