What’s Growin’ On

Read more about the article Roasted Winter Vegetable Jambalaya
Parsnips, carrots, a purple sweet potato and Yukon potato

Roasted Winter Vegetable Jambalaya

Continue ReadingRoasted Winter Vegetable Jambalaya

Looking for a delicious way to cook up those winter vegetables? Look no further. This recipe from the November 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine cooks up a savory, satisfying jambalaya that rivals any meat version. Smoked paprika, cayenne and chili powder make it spicy, but not too hot. Roasted Winter Vegetable Jamabalaya -Serves 6 1 cup long-grain brown rice (we used short grain - worked fine) 2 large carrots, diced 2 medium parsnips, diced 1 small sweet potato, diced…

Read more about the article 2013 Gardening Resolutions
Dirt Simple Compost Tea Brewer

2013 Gardening Resolutions

Continue Reading2013 Gardening Resolutions

With each new year, gardeners vow to make changes or try new techniques (or remember old ones). 2013 shall be no different, and so we bring you Gardenerd's Gardening Resolutions for the new year. 1) De-Clutter - haven't used that stack of plastic pots in three years? It's time to let them go. Donate them to a school or recycle them through Freecycle or Craigslist. I'm cleaning out shredded bird netting, old balls of wire (collected from Christmas wreaths of…

Read more about the article The Chayote Squash Dilemma
Chayote squash sprouted

The Chayote Squash Dilemma

Continue ReadingThe Chayote Squash Dilemma

Interesting things come in the monthly produce exchange, and last month it included one chayote squash. As it sat on the counter, it became more interesting. It sprouted. I've never eaten chayote squash before. It's usually cooked like summer squash, but the roots, leaves and stems are also edible. A quick glance at Wikipedia yields an abundance of ideas for using it in different ethnic cuisines: Uses for chayote squash But wait, there's more... Perhaps the most interesting part about…

navel orange
Navel orange

‘Tis the Season for Citrus

Continue Reading‘Tis the Season for Citrus

There's something special about sneaking outside in your bathrobe into the crisp, cool, fall air to pick a citrus breakfast off a tree: a fresh orange dripping with new fallen rain. December is when navel oranges really hits their stride, and lemons fall abundantly from the tree. Instead of installing a front lawn four years ago, we opted for a mini orchard of five trees. This week the navel orange and Meyer lemon have finally turned color and are ready…

Read more about the article Oh Christmas Tree (+a Book Giveaway!)
Pine needles for tea?

Oh Christmas Tree (+a Book Giveaway!)

Continue ReadingOh Christmas Tree (+a Book Giveaway!)

This week we have a great guest blog post from Kami McBride, author of The Herbal Kitchen. I met Kami at the Heirloom Expo, where she was sharing her knowledge of healing remedies from the garden. Today Kami presents an interesting twist on the Christmas tree. Take it away Kami... Healing Qualities of the Evergreen Trees Decorating the Christmas tree is an ancient tradition from a time when various trees and plants were honored at different times of the year.…

Read more about the article New Herb Garden
The family has 2 rabbits, and they plan to put up a barrier to protect the herb garden.

New Herb Garden

Continue ReadingNew Herb Garden

A call came in from a Santa Monica homeowner who had been wanting to put in a small herb garden for years. She had a busy life, and participated in a monthly CSA (community supported agriculture), so a full-sized vegetable garden wasn't necessary. She dreamed, though, of walking out her back door to harvest fresh herbs. With most of the back yard relegated for volleyball, we chose a corner of the yard for the herb garden. The homeowner wanted to…

Read more about the article Making Pumpkin Puree
One of two Cinderella Pumpkins grown in 2012

Making Pumpkin Puree

Continue ReadingMaking Pumpkin Puree

Did you know that most pumpkin puree sold in a can is not actually pumpkin? It's some other kind of squash masquerading as pumpkin. There's only one way to know for sure that you have the genuine article, and that's to make it yourself. It's easy, and not very time consuming. We harvested 2 pumpkins this year (sad, but still something to show for the season). One of those beauties was massacred in the street on Halloween night. The other…

Read more about the article Bee Hive Rescue – Fascinating Stuff!
New home for bees

Bee Hive Rescue – Fascinating Stuff!

Continue ReadingBee Hive Rescue – Fascinating Stuff!

Every once in a while, bees find a home at Ocean View Farms organic community garden. Sadly, we can't legally keep them there, but instead of calling the exterminators, a bee rescue team came to relocate them to a new home. I was on hand for said event, and it was thrilling to watch. Here's a play by play. The bees had taken up residence in a storage box. Rob McFarland of HoneyLove.org lit a smoker to start the process.…

Read more about the article Fall Garden in Progress – Part 2
Swiss chard is ready for harvest. Cilantro bolts to seed, attracting aphid-destroying parasitic wasps.

Fall Garden in Progress – Part 2

Continue ReadingFall Garden in Progress – Part 2

Last week we shared what's growin' on in our Test Garden. Now let's look at what the fall garden looks like over at our community garden plot. In just a few weeks it's transformed from the dry, spent garden of summer to an active cool-weather garden with oodles of potential. Lettuces, broccoli, cabbage, chard, garlic, shallots and root crops are all making way in the garden. Cilantro, parsley, mache (a.k.a. corn salad) and arugula will keep salads interesting this winter.…

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