The ever-versatile cucumber isn't held in high esteem here at Gardenerd (much like bell peppers, its flavor takes over everything it touches), but we've come to love them--and grow them--for the express purpose of making spa water or pickles, or perhaps they find their way into a nori roll or Tadzhik. Over the years we've grown several heirloom varieties, but our ...

Strawberries are in season and the garden is dripping with them. We took the opportunity to use the harvest to make a delicious cobbler that was easy to assemble in under 10 minutes.

The recipe comes from Vegetarian Times magazine, and use non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening in order to make it vegan. We used butter instead, since I had it on hand.

Strawberry harvest

In spring, we experimented with planting edamame (soybeans) and, despite having to re-seed 3 times (with only 7 out of 20 seeds surviving in the end), the plants have yielded excellent results. Today we began harvesting the plump pods.

We've grown edamame from seedlings once before, but never from seed. Trial, and plenty of error, lead us to discover that soaking the seeds before planting is a bad idea when it comes to Sayamusume soybeans. We did inoculate ...

The latest Mar Vista's Bounty Hunter article is posted on Patch.com. Discover this great local source for delicious pies made from family-farmed ingredients:

Celebrate the Fourth of July with Marcie's Pies
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It's well-known that free-range chickens produce healthier eggs with darker yolks and higher nutrient values. Our hens forage around the yard, but their yolks are still somewhat pale. Could it be that they only have mulch for them to scratch through? 

What, no greens?  Don't get  me wrong. We feed them kitchen and garden scraps, but they still need more greens in their diet. Enter Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply's Chicken ...

There they were, just sitting in the refrigerator, waiting for something to happen. Those freshly picked blackberries weren't going to last long, and since nothing captures the taste of summer fruits like freezing them into ice cream, we decided to make up a recipe on the spot.

Here begins the lazy-person's blackberry ice cream recipe. No cooking, no straining, just combine a few ready ingredients and you're done. To start, gather your supplies:

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The newest Edible Westside Magazine just hit the news stands, and Gardenerd's Sow, Plant Eat Guide is included. Pick up your copy at Whole Foods and other find food locations around Los Angeles, or take a gander at the digital copy here. (Note: the link works best in Chrome):

Sow, Plant, Eat - Edible Westside Summer 2012

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Have you ever tried to replicate a restaurant meal at home?  It's part adventure, part science project around here. In our effort to eat from the garden as much as possible, we attempted to re-create, or at least give a nod to, the Poached Eggs and Asparagus dish on Venice Beach's GJelina brunch menu. Here's how that went.

Let me start by saying that I've never poached an egg ...

This one is for you locals out there. We've got three new vendors at the Mar Vista Farmers' Market. Learn about each one and what they have to offer.

New Farmers Come to Mar Vista Farmers' Market
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