Read more about the article Gardenerd on Back to My Garden Podcast
Back to My Garden's Dave Ledoux interviews Christy about writing, gardening and failure.

Gardenerd on Back to My Garden Podcast

Continue ReadingGardenerd on Back to My Garden Podcast

A fellow gardenerd up in Canada has a new podcast (okay, not so new. He's got 20 episodes already) called Back to My Garden. Dave Ledoux grows in northern climates, where snow and short growing seasons are a reality. He wanted to interview me about Gardening for Geeks and growing food in Southern California for a change of pace. Listen and subscribe to Dave's podcast, Back to My Garden on iTunes or Stitcher. His podcast is different from most gardening…

Read more about the article Field Trip: Heirloom Expo 2014 Review
Abundance is everywhere at the Heirloom Expo

Field Trip: Heirloom Expo 2014 Review

Continue ReadingField Trip: Heirloom Expo 2014 Review

This year's Heirloom Expo was particularly delicious because I had the chance to give a lecture on my favorite subject: small-space biointensive gardening for urban gardeners. The rest of the time, however, was spent blissing out on gorgeous displays of seeds, melons and squashes, and rare breed livestock. Let's take a tour: The Heirloom Expo is a yearly event in Santa Rosa, CA at the Sonoma County Fair Grounds. Now in its fourth year, the festival is running on strong…

Read more about the article Recipe: I-Love-Veggies! Bake
Our verdict: I love veggies! Bake is a winner.

Recipe: I-Love-Veggies! Bake

Continue ReadingRecipe: I-Love-Veggies! Bake

It's new recipe time! This one uses foods from the summer harvest (mostly) and makes enough for leftovers. Mixing flavors of sweet potatoes, butternut squash and green beans also makes this dish colorful, and the delicious, savory sauce made from...cauliflower (don't be afraid) put smiles on everyone's face at the table. This dish requires some time, but it's well worth it. If you have a mandoline or a sous chef to do all the slicing, that will cut down on…

Read more about the article Field Trip: Little Farm in Encino, CA
Not so foreign, but I'd never seen a quince in person before.

Field Trip: Little Farm in Encino, CA

Continue ReadingField Trip: Little Farm in Encino, CA

We're about to take you on a journey to a magical place; a place where tropical and rare fruits grow in abundance, where grapevines climb arbors, where goats, chickens, rabbits and birds live in comfort, all in the middle of a housing tract in Encino, CA. Clive Segil, the owner of this parcel just under 2 acres, calls it Little Farm, but there's nothing little about it. A group of Our Time Bank friends and I ventured out to Encino…

Read more about the article Harvesting Sage
Fresh sage is fragrant and adds earthy flavor to fall and winter dishes.

Harvesting Sage

Continue ReadingHarvesting Sage

I have a confession to make. I've never really been able to keep culinary sage alive, even though it's a perennial. Therefore I've had very little experience with harvesting sage, aside from picking individual leaves, because it usually dies in the first year. Today, that all changes. With enough water and attention I've managed to keep my "drought tolerant" sage alive to the point that it is now thriving and ready for harvest. Not just leaves, actual stems. How-to: To get…

sliced zucchini
sliced zucchini

Recipe: Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna

Continue ReadingRecipe: Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna

This week, we continue our efforts to provide interesting meal ideas with the abundance of zucchini coming in from the garden. Are you sick of it yet? Hopefully not, because this zucchini quinoa lasagna (technically lasagne, because we're using more than one lasagna "noodle" here) is delicious. In this recipe, zucchini serves as the flat noodle, which makes this a gluten-free recipe. Quinoa really works as the filling here, all skepticism aside. The dish is meant to be vegan as…

An Entirely Flattering Open Letter To Steve Martin

Continue ReadingAn Entirely Flattering Open Letter To Steve Martin

(Fellow gardenerd, forgive my use of this platform to express what appears to be unrelated subject matter, but it's something I have to do. We will return to our regularly scheduled programming shortly.) An Entirely Flattering Open Letter to Steve Martin Dear Mr. Martin (may I call you Steve?), Dear Steve, I sit here at my desk having just read the news of Robin Williams’s untimely death and I am struck with the irrational thought that maybe, just maybe, if…

Read more about the article Summer Pruning
Prune rosemary after it finishes flowering

Summer Pruning

Continue ReadingSummer Pruning

These Dog Days of summer are challenging. It's too hot to plant or work in the garden, but garden is starting to look ragged as plants near the end of their life cycle. What to do? It's time for a little clean up. Summer pruning helps in so many ways. It clears away dead or diseased plant material. It keeps home-orchard fruit trees in check. It refreshes the garden with a snip or two, here and there. Best of all,…

Read more about the article Summer Garden Party Recipes
Summer party lights hang from a giant Brazilian Pepper tree

Summer Garden Party Recipes

Continue ReadingSummer Garden Party Recipes

It's hot, and nobody wants to turn on the oven. This is the time for a magical, outdoor, sunset-lit summer garden party. These parties are the stuff of summer. How many childhood memories do we all have from outdoor summer gatherings. We caught fireflies in Mason jars on hot August nights in upstate New York. We watched the sun set over the Pacific ocean and gathered under 100 year old trees at long tables in Malibu. Barbecues take center stage,…

The New Drought Landscape

Continue ReadingThe New Drought Landscape

Water, water, everywhere...well, not so much anymore. States like California and Texas are suffering severe drought conditions and gardeners are rising to the occasion by swapping out thirsty lawns for drought tolerant plant material. A new phrase, "drought shaming" is making the rounds--ratting on neighbors who water between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., let their irrigation run down the sidewalk, or wash their cars in the street or driveway. I fully admit I'm one of those tattlers. I've got the…

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