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Homesteader Heirloom Apples and Real Cider

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The Renaissance of Heirloom Apples Traditionally, an old fashioned fall treat has been the availability of aromatic autumn apples and the rich complex flavor of pressed cider. Although grocery stores attempt to carry "cider" in pasteurized containers all year, the taste is insipid in comparison to the special flavor that blended heirloom varieties give to their juices. Some of those … [Read more...] about Homesteader Heirloom Apples and Real Cider

Ready To Eat Local? How About Slow Gardening?

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Go Slow Slow Food and Slow Gardening are related. What is slow food you ask? Sourcing your ingredients locally and using high quality is the gist of it. Growing your own would be a part of it, but patronizing the farmer's markets and encouraging your grocer's to supply locally produced products would be part of it, too. How about slow gardening? I suppose there is something of an … [Read more...] about Ready To Eat Local? How About Slow Gardening?

Good Reason To Eat Locally Grown Tomatoes

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If you weren't convinced already, the truth about your store bought, commercially grown tomato is out and being broadcast.Everything You Wanted To Know About Tomatoes But Were Afraid To Askgives everyone a heads up on the new book, Tomatoland, by Barry EstabrookIf ever there were a plethora of reasons to grow your own tomatoes and patronize your local farm markets, and groceries that carry … [Read more...] about Good Reason To Eat Locally Grown Tomatoes

Responsible and Remarkable Resource

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I like to shop at Whole Foods, and this spring I picked up a free magazine called "Edible Columbus". I got a chance to really read through and get into the articles within, and was surprised at the range and depth of this great resource. It was a complimentary issue, and I hope it is successful since it is crammed full of real garden and food information worth reading. The format is not a glossy … [Read more...] about Responsible and Remarkable Resource

What’s Cooking?

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Many very fine garden books I had purchased in the past had recipes included in a chapter towards the back. 'Herbs: Gardens, Decorations, and Recipes' was one. I am wondering if that isn't a trend to look for again in the future. Not predicting it, but it seems that everywhere food and cooking is moving onto the (ahem) front burner of the community consciousness. Probably due to the economy, but … [Read more...] about What’s Cooking?

Wall Street Guru Gives Gardening Advice

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Swiss Chard Not Swiss BanksThere is an awful lot of speculation about the economy and where the financial shape of the world (and our future) is going and proffered advice on how we can protect ourselves from hard times. Jim Rogers, Well Known Investment GuruJim Rogers, an expert investor, has good advice for the wise (at least some feel it is wise), but gardeners and garden bloggers have been way … [Read more...] about Wall Street Guru Gives Gardening Advice

Rossella’s Salad

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Here is the link to Rossella's Salad with the figs and fennel. She is undoubtedly a better cook than me, but I think I would lightly braise the fennel. Rocket is not widely available here, but baby spinach is, and I would use that.Rossella's Simple but Wonderful Salad.*Note to self: arugula is probably an easy addition to the food garden. Grow ones own arugula :) i do grow the fennel, but it is … [Read more...] about Rossella’s Salad

Growing Organic

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Just to underline the fact that there is more than one reason to "grow your own" and that organic methods are the best way to do that.clipped from www.msnbc.msn.comIt's happening to crops in the United States, too. In 2004, Donald Davis, PhD, a former researcher with the Biochemical Institute at the University of Texas, Austin, led a team that analyzed 43 fruits and vegetables from 1950 to 1999 … [Read more...] about Growing Organic

Rock Dust

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I came across an interesting video that combines some thoughts I've attached to over the years. It inspires me to get some local rock dust from the gravel pits around here- we are a glaciated region. Well, I'm not considering becoming vegetarian any time soon, but it just makes sense to build the depleted soils I grow my food on, now. https://youtu.be/Za8chf4nkC4 and are two books … [Read more...] about Rock Dust

Not the Candy Apples I Remember!

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But quite beautiful in their own way. From Matt Bitesclipped from mattbites.comI walked back into the kitchen to find the most beautiful candied apples before me.  Black glossy cinnamon-scented candied glass enveloped small apples, twigs became their handles, and a few shockingly red candied apples only made their black counterparts more ominous. It was halloween on a silpat, a spooky forest … [Read more...] about Not the Candy Apples I Remember!