99.9% Homegrown Soup
It's hot as Hades and fires are burning everywhere. The last thing on my mind is to fire up the oven to make dinner.
It’s Hip to be Square
Use your space wisely and get more out of your garden. Learn about this terrific method of bio-intensive gardening that will make the most of your vegetable patch.
A Season of Orach
It's sort of mean that we can't grow salad greens in the summer here in So Cal. It's too hot and they bolt to seed so quickly. I've tried growing lettuces under shade cloth and that helps a lot, but it's nowhere near as delicious as fall-grown salad greens. One way to combat the heat is to grow slow-bolt or heat tolerant varieties. Another is to try something completely different.
Enter Orach Mountain Spinach.
I know I've talked about this fantastic green before, but I'm going to expound on the wonders of Orach again because this year was particularly ...
Taming of the Asparagus
I'm a little bit of a late bloomer. Or maybe it's just that I get used to looking at - or stepping over - something that's in my way and then I don't do anything about it for a long time. It's kind of like that pile of laundry in the middle of the room. It doesn't go away, but you start to ignore it - so it really isn't there any more, right?
This was the case with the wild patch of asparagus in the raised beds. We're at the end of our second year, which means that ...
Put a Lid on those Critters!
Don't let bugs take the fun out of growing summer squash and melons. Use this cheap trick to keep critters clear of your crops.
Eggplant Parmigiana – Under the Tuscan Sun Style
I'll admit it. I've never made eggplant parmigiana. I ate it growing up; as a picky eater it was probably the only way I'd ever eat eggplant. So leave it to a gardenerd to grow eggplant and not know what to do with the finished result. Until now.
I've been hoarding a copy of Frances Mayes Bringing Tuscany Home for a few years now, just waiting for the perfect moment to strike, when I felt confident enough to try making what I thought would be a daunting recipe. The torn piece of paper marking the page was nearly withered ...
Adventures with City Mulch
Awhile ago, my husband and I decided to put a hold on our backyard design project until the economy levels off. This of course took place after we had ripped out most of the existing plants and installed drainage and irrigation materials. So we had a lovely expanse of dirt we were perfectly willing to live with (which many students have seen if you've come to a class at the house and test garden).
Of course, what happens when you have a large expanse of dirt? You get weeds.
We needed mulch to cover the dirt. Lots of ...
Gardenerd.com on LA Times.com Today
Just caught sight of a post on the LA Times Blog in the Home Section about our upcoming Fall Garden Planning Workshop. Check it out here:
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Got Recipes?
Today we share our favorite sources for recipes so you can use up all that zucchini without pain.
Pumpkins on the Early Side
Believe it or not, our pumpkins have finished up already this year. Now we're baking up the best pumpkin bread around with them.