Keeping Cool
Keep your plants alive and well this summer with these helpful tips
Home grown poblanos ready for deliciousness
Recipe: Home Grown Chili Fries (Poblano Pepper Poppers)
We're up to our ears in Poblano Peppers from our second-year pepper plant. The little guy hardly produced last year, but over winter the plant started sprouting new leaves and by spring it had doubled in size and was full of flowers. So far we've made chile rellenos and roasted poblano quesadillas, but what else could we do? Chips. Something crunchy but healthy that didn't require roasting and peeling the skins. That's what I wanted. I found this: Rachel Ray's…
We selected our hens from several stalls like this one.
New Hens in the House
Over the past year, we've lost 2 chickens for various reasons. Our remaining hens grew louder (we assume due to loneliness - they are social animals, after all) so we decided to bring in more chickens to enliven the party. Last week we made a trip out to Chickens Galore in Norco, CA to pick out three new hens to join the flock. We brought our research--a dog-eared book highlighting different breeds for the best egg layers, disposition, etc. The…
Pinching Basil
Keep pinching and pruning your basil to have it keep producing through summer
Is this a White Peacock? So beautiful.
Field Trip: Butterfly Pavilion
The Natural History Museum's Butterfly Pavilion is more than a place to see butterflies, it's a place to learn what to grow so you can attract them to your garden. I spent some time there last week taking in the beauty of the butterfly, and words just can't express it as well as a photograph. It's my first time using the "gallery" feature on this blog post, so forgive any formatting glitches when you try to click on the photos…
Spicy Zucchini Soup
Zucchini Overload? Spicy Zucchini Soup to the Rescue
You know the drill: you go away for a weekend and come back to baseball-bat sized zucchini. After you've given away as many as you can and your neighbors have stopped talking to you, there's only one thing you can do--make Spicy Zucchini Soup. This recipe is the perfect solution for zucchini overload because it uses 2 POUNDS of chopped zucchini (you don't have to shred or even peel it). It comes together in about 30 minutes and is perfect…
Sprout It!
There's a new gardening app to help you as you garden and it's gardenerd friendly.
Hot weather crops get the sunniest part of the garden
Tiny But Mighty Venice Garden Makeover
Those who are familiar with Venice Beach, CA know that it's a great place to live, but the lots are tiny. Finding a place to garden is challenging and finding adequate sunlight can be even more of a challenge. Last month, Gardenerd helped one couple find the perfect solution to both issues. The homeowners were excited to take back control over their food sources, and wanted to grow as much as possible. The front yard was the only place that…
Bee on a cardoon
Field Trip: Edible Garden at Natural History Museum
Amongst the dinosaur bones, fossils, and taxidermy, there is a beautiful reason to step outside at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, CA: the Edible Garden (or Home Garden as they like to call it). You can see the expanse of fragrant and colorful roses from across the fence, but only in the Edible garden can you catch, marvel, and release insects of all sorts as you browse tasty heirlooms growing in abundance. Each plant is carefully marked to…
Propagating Lavender
Want lavender growing in your yard? Save money by propagating lavendar.