Eclectic Meal Choices in Mar Vista
The weekly Farmers' Market wrap up is available for your perusal on the Gardenerd Blog. You'll get hungry just reading about all the options you have:
In the Market for a Meal?
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Fall Garden Planning
It’s August, which means that it’s time to start thinking about your fall garden. This week's Tip of the Week will give you tips to get you started!
Ask Gardenerd: When do I harvest my root crops?
A question came into Ask Gardenerd this week that I've been hearing for the past month or so. Seems like a good time to address it:
"When do you know when to pull out things that grow underground like radishes, green onions, even carrots? I'm either too early or too late. - Rochelle"
Well Rochelle, the answer is in your hands. More specifically, it's your index finger. When growing root crops, the foliage will put on a pretty show above ground, but the real magic is happening underground. In order ...
Harvesting Triticale (and other grains)
August means harvest time, and even in a small garden there's plenty of work to do to bring garden treasures in for the season. Harvesting grains can be a bit time consuming, but it is particularly satisfying when the process is over. After all the chaff is removed, you have a finished product that can be used to make cereals, breads, pie crusts, and other baked goods through winter.
We grew triticale this spring and just harvested it this week. Now it's time to prepare it for the ...
Melons and Tomatoes – Flavors of Summer
Check out the latest post from Mar Vista's Bounty Hunter. Get some great ideas for no-cook recipes for melons and tomatoes:
Savor the Fruits of Summer with Melons and Tomatoes
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Mid-Summer Task List
From tomatoes to blackberries, you're probably experiencing peak summer growth. Now is the time to give your garden a little extra TLC to ensure the same (or better) harvest next year.
Cucumbers Become Mom Jo’s Dill Pickles
Last week's Tip of the Week podcast introduced you to my mother's delicious dill pickle recipe. This week we tried our hands at making them with home grown Lemon Cucumbers. Tension mounted at the thought of doing it for the first time without Mom there to guide, but a few phone calls along the way made it easy.
We started with freshly picked Lemon Cucumbers (and an Early Russian straggler). We soaked them over night in cold water.
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A lacewing egg on a cilantro seed head
Seed Saving for Celery
Celery is an umbel, a member of the Umbellifera family, which has flowers that are shaped like umbrellas. Umbels are famous for attracting parasitic wasps and other beneficial insects that combat aphids in the garden.
Last fall, we tested out some Tall Utah Celery seed from Hometown Seeds in the garden, and found that it did really well. We harvested individual stalks all season long and then let the rest go to seed to attract beneficial insects and provide habitat. Boy did it! It is now 6 ...
Summer is Pesto Time
The latest post from Mar Vista's Bounty Hunter is here to give you ideas about pesto. Make it yourself, or buy it pre-fab - you'll be smiling either way:
Pesto: A Basil-Based Delight
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Mom Jo’s Home Made Pickles
This week's Tip of the Week features a great recipe for canning and preserving pickles, courtesy of Mom Jo.