Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency as California has yet another year of lower than average rainfall. In the case of 2013-2014, almost none. Not only is rainfall at an all-time low, temperatures have been at an all-time high. (Excuse me, 80° in January?) Is this just a new drought, or is it the new normal? There's no way to know for sure, but we all need to prepare for having less access to water. What can we do…
In my 20s, when I had nothing, I drooled over Williams-Sonoma catalogs with wistful aspirations of "one day." Now many years later, stocked with a full set of cookware, I see WS for the overpriced eye-candy it is. Okay, principle aside, I still want everything in their Agrarian department ('cause it's pretty), but I have everything I need and can easily talk myself down. Or better yet, make what they're selling for a lot less. Case in point: Wild Porcini…
Last Sunday at the Mar Vista Farmers' Market we were treated to a free fruit tree giveaway by the City of Los Angeles. It's all part of the Million Trees LA program, the project set on planting one million trees in Los Angeles to reduce energy waste (trees insulate homes and keep them cool in the summer), and increase our green infrastructure (tree help reduce pollution). The program ordinarily gives away up to 7 shade trees per household, delivered to…
New Year, new recipes to cook up home grown goodness. It's also time for quick meals that don't require a lot of work or fancy preparation. This recipe may look fancy, but it comes together quickly using vegetables and parchment paper (papillote) in about half an hour. If you are exploring more meatless meals, this is one to try. I used homemade seitan on-hand, but store-bought is fine. You can probably substitute an animal protein if desired, just adjust cooking…
Half the country may be covered with snow, but the Gardenerd Test Garden is going strong here in Southern California. Don't think of it as bragging; think of it as a beacon to spring plantings to come. This Saturday marks the first day of winter, but it also means the days will get a little longer each day--a step closer to spring as each day passes. How nice for you...what can I do now? This is the time to spray…
Our last YouTube video of the year is up and running, and it's all about growing chicken forage mix. Homestead hens love to eat fresh greens and those greens can be hard to come by in winter. Start a seed flat or two of forage seed mix and you'll have happy, healthy hens all winter long. We use a regular seed flat and a seed mix from Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply. It's offers healthy omega-3s for you and…
With every new house comes the opportunity for a new garden, and in the case of Jesse Carmichael, a new keyhole garden. Some of you may remember the first garden we did for Jesse a few years ago. Now he's moved and needed a new garden to go with it. His new space had a great view and a small area for a vegetable garden. The style of the home is woodsy and casual, overlooking a pool and well-established trees.…
After a glorious morning hike overlooking the ocean, Gardenerd's Senior Strategy Officer (aka husband) and I took a drive down Pacific Coast Highway to see if we could get in to the Getty Villa for a scenic bite to eat at their patio cafe. What luck! The gate guard was giving away tickets. But before we could reach the cafe, we spied a short line for a garden tour, about to start in moments. How could we resist? We grabbed…
For those who have been following our recent visitors to our milkweed plants, we have some exciting news. We were fortunate enough to catch the transformation of Monarch butterfly from caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly last week. (If you want to catch up, click the link above to go back to the beginning). We were out in the garden early one morning and saw that the chrysalis had changed color. What was bright green had turned dark, and we could…
This week's YouTube video is all about saving celery and dill seeds. They are easy to save and abundant in supply.