Our rainy season appears to be coming to a close here in Los Angeles, but before we turn on the irrigation, there's still a little bit of water in our rain barrels. It's hard to get every last drop out from the bottom, so we've employed a little ingenuity to help us along. Fountain pumps come in handy to extract the last bit of water out from your rain barrels. They can also help pump water uphill to your plants.…
Nature plays a mean trick on gardeners here in Southern California. By the time the tomatoes are ripe and the chiles are ready to pick, the salsa garden is missing an important ingredient: cilantro. Our delicate friend has long since bolted to seed, and like the hawk and wolf in Ladyhawke, never the twain shall meet. But now there is a simple way to preserve the fresh flavor of cilantro. It's like making pesto, but without the cheese and nuts.…
You've most likely heard of companion planting, so interplanting won't be entirely unfamiliar to you. It's basically the idea of planting two or three different plants together to take advantage of available space, and to benefit the plants involved. For example - by alternating plantings of lettuces and kale in rows, you can take advantage of slow-growing kale by using the space in between to grow a quick crop of lettuces. Another example is radishes and artichokes or squash. You…
It's a mouthful of a title, but basically Pasta al Cavolo Broccolo e Romanesco is pasta with Romanesco broccoli and a delightful Italian sprouting broccoli otherwise known as Spigarello or Cavolo Broccolo a Getti di Napoli. I made up this recipe based on what was in the fridge. Spigarello is grown for the leaves more than for the heading flowers. You can use it as a substitute for kale, collards or spinach in cooked dishes like this. Our recipe starts…
Wisteria blooms each March in Southern California, though last year it bloomed in February (well hello, climate change). Each year we look forward to fragrant blossoms hanging delicately from the pergola overhead and we don't seem to mind the beautiful mess they make as the purple petals fall to the ground. Bees love wisteria and dance around each dangling cluster of blossoms gathering nectar for this season's honey stores. But before we wax rhapsodic any further, let's get something straight:…
Spring may have arrived, but we're still seeing winter root veggies and greens at the Farmers' Market and in the garden. We tried this new recipe from Vegetarian Times' Eat to Beat Inflammation ebook to use up some of our home grown carrots and collard greens. The recipe involves cooking veggies separately, but all in all it was easy to put together in under an hour. It calls for rutabaga, but we substituted parsnips because we had them on hand…
Now that Gardening for Geeks is on the shelves, it's time to celebrate with a chance to "Meet the Author" and talk dirt (soil, that is). Here are some upcoming events where you can bring your copy to be signed or chat with fellow gardenerds about your spring garden escapades. Gardening for Geeks Launch Party - April 7, 2013 - 4-6 p.m. Where: Ilan Dei Studio Shop, 1650 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice CA, 90291 Ilan Dei has graciously agreed to…
Spring is just around the corner, and those who can grow fall crops are just starting to swap out winter's harvest for spring seedlings. Here's what we're harvesting this time of year: Lettuces Broccoli Romanesco Cavolo Broccolo a Getti di Napoli - Spigarello to many of you Spinach Arugula Kale Peas Root veggies - carrots, parsnips, beets, etc. There are a few nibbles here and there on lettuce leaves, and more aphids than we'd care to admit, but that's just…
Just to be clear, it's not a watermelon and a radish in this salad, it's two Watermelon Radishes. If you haven't grown them, put them on your list of "musts" for this season. Watermelon radishes look boring on the outside; their whitish-green exterior doesn't lend much excitement to a dish. Cut them open, however, and you'll find jewel pink centers that make other vegetables jealous. There's a trick to growing watermelon radishes though: you have to let them get large--about…
What the heck is "Active Batch Composting" anyway? You're about to find out, but first let's look at another term: Cold composting. Cold composting, though the name is a bit of a misnomer, is what most gardeners do. We have a compost bin or pile, and over time we add our kitchen scraps and garden waste, some leaves and shredded office paper, tissues, paper towels, etc. We water it and wait. The temperature may climb to 100-120°F but that's about…