What's Growin' On Archives - Page 82 of 142

Seed heads start to emerge from grassy stalks.

Growing White Sonora Wheat

Every year we experiment with growing a new grain, not only to enjoy it in the kitchen, but to generate biomass for the compost bin. This year we chose White Sonora Wheat, and heirloom wheat. According to Slow Food USA, White Sonora is "one of the oldest surviving wheat varieties anywhere in North America. Predating the Red Fife and Turkish Red wheat." Even small space gardeners can grow grains. In our 4x4 bed, the yield isn't high enough for a…

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 28, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Ours was #17. Would we win?

Field Trip: Honey Tasting Competition

You would never know how different honey can taste from hive to hive until you've tasted a few samples side by side. It's astounding, really. The flavor profiles range from grassy to floral to fruity, just like a good wine or chocolate. This past Sunday, beekeepers from all around submitted their honey for the Honeylove Honey Tasting Competition. There were jars sent from as far away as Nepal and as close by as our backyard. 17 samples in all, and…

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 27, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Fertile soil meant abundant harvests for trade.

Gardens of Pompeii

I had the privilege of visiting the California Science Center to see the Pompeii exhibit over the holidays, where I saw ancient ruins preserved in ash from the massive eruption of the Vesuvius in AD 79. Having been to Pompeii in Italy a few years ago, and having been disappointed that most of the artifacts and figures has been removed to a museum, I was excited to see the actual artifacts found on site. The experience was not disappointing. Pompeii…

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 14, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Fresh picked eggplant, dill and parsley form the base of this meal.

Recipe: Crisp Fried Eggplant with Parsley Sauce

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you'll have noticed by now that Rose Elliot is one of my favorite cookbook authors. She excels at combining minimal ingredients for maximum flavor. With its promise of "30 minutes or less," her Vegetarian Fast Food cookbook has been my go-to reference for quick meals since the early 90s. Since we recently harvested Listada di Gandia eggplant from the winter garden, we wanted to showcase it, rather than blend it into a…

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 7, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Soil builder cover crop

New Year’s Garden Resolutions 2015

Happy New Year, fellow Gardenerds! 2015 is here, the days are growing longer each day, and seed catalogs have arrived. We've been poring over them during breakfast, marking off new heirloom discoveries to try this year. This exploration leads to New Year's garden resolutions every time. Here's what we're thinking: 1) Give Tomatoes a Little More Room We've always planted our tomatoes very close together, and for many years it worked great. But lately, with what seems like an undefeatable…

Post author:Christy
Post published:January 6, 2015
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:1 Comment

Dr. Mercola's Sprout Doctor Sprouting Kit. Get 3 with our giveaway!

Giveaway: Sprouting Seeds for Greens All Winter

It's holiday time, which means thoughtful gifts and good cheer with loved ones. It also means, for many people, a winter without fresh greens in the garden. Thankfully, we can sprout seeds indoors for snipping into salads, soups and more all winter long. Our regular readers may recall that we attempted to sprout seeds in a Mason jar not too long ago. It was a lot of work for a few dollars-worth of sprouts. If only it were easier... Imagine…

Post author:Christy
Post published:December 10, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:43 Comments

Photo by Andrew Cheeseman

Scoring Big with the Rain Barrel Rebate

We try to write blog posts with a nationwide focus, but every once in a while, something with a local flare is in order. This is one of those times: Los Angeles is finally seeing some rain, and our rain barrels are full once again. We just wish we could get more rain barrels for a decent price. How about free? Yea, that would be great. Well, if you live in the Metropolitan Water District area of Los Angeles, you…

Post author:Christy
Post published:December 9, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
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Yours truly and Will Allen of Growing Power

Field Trip: Ocean View Farms and Will Allen

I had the pleasure of arranging a visit to Ocean View Farms organic community garden for a group of innovative folks who are working to solve several issues at once: food waste, food deserts, soil fertility, and carbon loss. What's the solution? Compost, of course. Will Allen, of Growing Power in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, led the group and the discussions that followed the tour. The event was sponsored and organized by The Community and Regional Food Systems Project, The Growing Experience,…

Post author:Christy
Post published:December 3, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:3 Comments

New bioswale captures and sinks water deep into the ground for fruit trees to enjoy.

Big Changes for a Big Front Yard

Our largest Turf Removal Rebate project to date involved eliminating 3,000 square feet of lawn in a big front yard and parkway in Beverlywood. The owners wanted to reduce their water bill and make their front yard an inviting place for kids to play, while providing native habitat for birds and pollinators. These were big changes for the neighborhood, as a quick drive around the block would prove. Every house had a lawn. This was going to be big. This…

Post author:Christy
Post published:December 2, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:2 Comments

Technically a fruit, carob pods are eaten while the seeds are discarded.

Making Carob Powder

Autumn brings with it an array of colorful fruits and vegetables from the garden...and seeds. This Thanksgiving, as we dig into our root cellars for orange carrots, purple potatoes, and red beets, as well as colorful persimmons, pomegranates, and grapes, let's not forget our podded friends, seeds and nuts, that also contribute to holiday stuffings, nut breads and more. Today we're exploring one other option: Carob, a locally grown seed pod that substitutes for chocolate (okay, nothing replaces chocolate) and…

Post author:Christy
Post published:November 20, 2014
Post category:Blog What's Growin' On
Post comments:19 Comments