What's Growin' On Archives - Page 109 of 136

(Clockwise from top left) Orach Mountain Spinach, cilantro, Roc D'Or yellow wax beans, Dragon Tongue beans, Ronde de Nice zucchini, Bennings Green Tint patty pan squash.

After-Vacation Harvesting

There's a point at which every garden hits autopilot. With a little planning and adequate irrigation it can happen while you're on vacation. During my trip to Italy my garden took off, and when I got back it was time to harvest the first fruits of the season. (My apologies to those still covered in snow out there. Your time is coming )

Some may recall that our community garden plot was going through some hard times last year - excessive zinc in the soil, nematodes - things were just ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:June 1, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
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I added some of the whey back in to make it a little thinner, since I "helped" by squeezing too much whey out of the yogurt as it was draining.

Trials and Tribulations of Making Yogurt

It happens every once in a while, probably every few months. Some people go on a bender. I go on a cooking jag.

The latest cooking jag involved making bread from a new book (more on this later), finding new ways to use a mountain of freshly harvested kale, and making the seemingly simple recipe for home made yogurt in a Thermos. It seems like every newsletter and magazine I opened in May featured home made yogurt, so the time had come to try it out.

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Post author:Christy
Post published:June 1, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
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Apricots are in Season at the Farmers’ Market

This week Mar Vista's Bounty Hunter found apricots and fava beans to delight customers at the Mar Vista Farmer's Market. Find out what you can do with both of these in your kitchen:

Do Me a Fava and Eat an Apricot This Memorial Day
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Post author:Christy
Post published:May 31, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
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Italy Travelogue: Farmers’ Markets Abroad

In the last few years, Los Angeles has seen an abundance of Farmers' Markets popping up all over town. People are longing to get back to the way things used to be, by buying fresh local produce straight from the farmer. Well, in Italy it still is the way it used to be, and nothing proves it more than a visit to a Farmers' Market.

There are many towns, even cities, in Italy where supermarkets do not exist. Instead the locals get their food needs met by stopping at the baker on the ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 25, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
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Cherry Season is Here!

Don't you love it when new fruits pop up at the Farmers' Market? This week's Mar Vista Bounty Hunter is all about cherries and what to do with them:

It's a Cherry Jubilee at the Farmers' Market
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Post author:Christy
Post published:May 25, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
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Italy Travelogue: Umbria’s Beauty and Hotel Montali

I've just returned from 12 days in Italy filled with gelato, pasta, cheese and beautiful countryside. May is a wonderful time to be there - just before the stifling heat, but just after gardens have been planted. If there's one thing you see a lot of in Italy, it's front yard gardens. They are not obsessed with the idea of a grassy front lawn like we Americans. They use their land to grow food - lots of food.

Driving through the green rolling hills of Umbria, we saw small Medieval towns dotting the ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 24, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
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Local Organic Blueberries – Get ’em at the Patch

Here's the most recent post from our forages through the Mar Vista Farmers' Market:

Organic Blueberries Give Kids a Sweet Snack Alternative
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Post author:Christy
Post published:May 24, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
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Dream Garden Grows Up

I stopped by the Dream Center garden in downtown Los Angeles yesterday to see how things are growing in and I was delighted to see what has transpired since my last visit. It's all grown up!

Not only did the flagstone and decomposed granite get installed in the pathway, but the mulch had arrived (free from the City) and it was all in place.

Pathway complete, plants growing in. Happiness is a thriving garden!

Some of the tomatoes even had fruit set already: ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 18, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
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Venice Garden Tour 2011 Review

Every gardenerd needs to "fill the well" sometimes, to take in beauty and inspiration that will generate ideas for future gardening projects. Today was filled with sparks of gardening inspiration at the Venice Garden Tour. There were 31 houses on the tour, so we set out on foot to take them all in.

Venice Beach, for those who aren't familiar, is an eclectic town populated with artists, architects, landscape designers, and hippies. It was the epicenter of pushing the envelope in the 20s, where the world's first swimsuit competition was held. It's the ...

Post author:Christy
Post published:May 11, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
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Eat Your Heart Out Popeye – Kale Lasagna Beats Spinach

We have a steady stream of kale coming from the garden these days, and while I make my favorite raw kale salad almost every week with it, there is a need for a new recipe. Enter Kale Lasagna from the January/ February issue of Vegetarian Times magazine.

Along with a slew of other kale recipes, this one caught my eye. Anything that calls for no-boil noodles increases the odds of actually making the dish, so I gathered the ingredients and went to work:

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Post author:Christy
Post published:May 10, 2011
Post category:What's Growin' On
Post comments:5 Comments