My first experience making lavender ice cream several years ago did not end well. As mentioned in a previous blog entry, I somehow released all the camphor in the blossoms and ended up with Vicks Vapo-Rub ice cream. Since then I've vowed to attempt another batch, but it wasn't until our trip to Ojai in June that I discovered what to do differently. In case you missed that trip to the U-Pick day at
When a gigantic bouquet of Swiss Chard appeared on the porch the other day, an image of the jam-packed fridge came to mind. This was going to require some thinking. It was time to pull out the big guns, and by "big guns" I mean that it was time to ask the Gardenerd Community for help.
I put a call out in the last Weekly Update and got a couple of good recipes from fellow chard lovers. ...
Use these watering techniques to keep your plants happy this summer.
During the Dwell on Design conference, I was fortunate to be asked to participate on a panel with two other gals about community and school gardens. One of the ladies, Hynden Walch, was the founder of the Hillside Produce Cooperative, which is a monthly free food exchange that helps distribute the surplus in a given community. She pointed me in the direction of Naomi Curland, who started the Westside version of this ...
Last week I was interviewed by Bruce Boyers of Organic Connections Magazine. He wanted to know how Gardenerd got started and why we're doing all this food-growing stuff. Check out the article here:
The Gardenerd: Grow Your Own Organic
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Find out great ways to use and preserve your lemons this summer.
This past Saturday, August 7, was our very first Summer Potluck and Seed Exchange.
A question came in this week:
"Balcony gardening question - Is anyone growing wild edibles in pots - such as purslane,dandelions,lambs quarters,wood sorrel,etc.?"
This is the first time anyone has asked me how to cultivate weeds deliberately, but it's not the first time the idea of eating weeds has come up in conversation. While most people simply forage for them, there are many benefits to the plants you have listed here, and with caution, you can cultivate them ...
Garden harvests are too good to keep to yourself. Use these summer gathering ideas to share the abundance this season.
In our last episode, our protagonist was struggling to understand where excessive zinc levels came from in her garden soil. The story continues.