One of the benefits of participating in the Westside Produce Exchange is that, while you never know what you're going to get, you can usually count on something new and unusual. This month's Exchange featured Jerusalem Artichokes.
The participants stood in a cluster, staring down at these knobby roots (tubers actually) wondering 1) what are they? and 2) what do we do with them? The answers that followed were as colorful as the questions.
4 ...
It's time to start thinking about the future, and whether that's the upcoming holiday season or next year's garden, Gardenerd is here to motivate you. What better way to start the ball rolling than a tour through the new 2012 Spring/Summer Seed Collection?
Each year we select our favorite heirloom varieties, or coveted heirlooms that we've been dying to grow. We choose a trusted seed source that takes the Safe Seed Pledge and promotes bio-diversity by offering heirloom and open pollinated varieties that you can grow, save and plant again year after year. ...
Fall is the time to start thinking about next year's fruit, mainly because bare root fruit trees and cane berries will soon be in stock. Most seed companies and nurseries encourage you to order early for deliveries that start in January, and their supply sells out quickly. So now is the time.
Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply has always been my go-to place for bare root fruit trees and cane berries (no, I don't get any kickbacks for promoting them, I just love these guys). The folks at ...
October was a busy month for garden design, as Southern California gardeners became excited about fall gardening. Our most recent project already had an existing vegetable bed, but the homeowner wanted more space to grow, and less grass to mow. We took it from there.
The existing garden bed was infiltrated with devil's grass, crawling its way up through 18 inches of fecund soil. Crabgrass surrounded two young fruit trees, potentially hampering future growth. The homeowner wanted berries and had an ideal location along a neighboring garage wall.
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A not-so-new threat to America's citrus population has recently been found in Southern California. Almost 4,000 sightings of the Asian Citrus Psyllid, including in Riverside and Mar Vista, have been reported in 2011. The damage from the Psyllid can potentially send a citrus tree to its grave.
The Citrus Psyllid can be a carrier of a bacterial disease called Huanglongbing (HBL) or Citrus Greening disease, which causes the leaves to appear yellow with green veins, and the fruit becomes misshapen. Eventually the trees die.
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Need something quick to grow this fall before cold weather shuts down the garden? Try radishes. They go from seed to maturity in about 6 weeks. They sprout in around 3 days, so they're the perfect crop to grow if you have a short attention span.
Got kids? Grow radishes. They are the instant gratification vegetable. Children can plant them in small containers, watch them sprout, and harvest them before they remember that they don't like vegetables.
Cherry Belle and Easter Egg radishes, freshly ...
The latest post from Mar Vista's Bounty Hunter is available from Patch.com. Get the lowdown on those funky orange fruits that are all over the markets these days. Find out what they are and what to do with them:
Do You Fuyu? It's Time for Persimmons
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In an effort to use up more of the gifted limes from a friend (see Watermelon Lime Sorbet), I pulled out Ann Gentry's Real Food Daily Cookbook for ideas. Flipping through the index, I found several lime-infused dishes that must be tried. The first: Black Bean Soup with Jalapeño Lime Creme.
Alicia Silverstone has kindly reproduced it on her site, The Kind Life, so ...
The giant Crimson Sweet watermelon is taking up a lot of room in the refrigerator, so something must be done. The pile of limes on the counter, gifted to me from a friend, is also singing out a call to action. The solution? Watermelon Lime Sorbet.
It's no surprise that watermelon and lime is the perfect, orgasmic combination of flavors that bridges the seasonal change from summer to fall. Even though we are moving into flavors of earthy root vegetables and hearty stews, the refreshing sweetness of citrus and melon is a ...
For so many years, arugula has been a staple in the garden. It's a fantastic addition to salads (grown right next to mustard greens and lettuces, it adds amazing texture to the garden as well), and can be cooked into pasta dishes, thrown on sandwiches or served as a garnish for Italian dishes.
This year, our regular arugula plants are getting some competition. We've always grown arugula (A.K.A. rocket salad, rocket arugula, eruca sativa), but ever since a visit to Italy where we ate an entire salad made from Wild arugula (A.K.A. ...