Everyone else's winter is California's spring. Check out these California natives in bloom. And not a California native, but certainly a trademark of California: More to come!
It happens to everyone at some point, we get injured. Injury brings garden progress to a halt. All those plans for fruit tree pruning, rose pruning, turning compost piles, etc., stop dead while injuries heal. Or do they? I recently had a little roller disco accident while celebrating a friend's 40th birthday. I think it's needless to say, at this point, that "40th" and "roller disco" probably shouldn't be uttered in the same sentence. But it happened, and I've been…
Now that we've finished combing through the pile of seed catalogs that came in the mail over the holidays, we've made our list of new seeds we'll be planting this spring. It's a Gardenerd tradition to share our new seed favorites for each year. Let 2015 be no exception. Several of our selections came to us via seed saving: Marina di Chioggia David King at the Seed Library of Los Angeles handed out wedges of Marina di Chioggia squash last…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…