Maybe I shouldn’t be so shocked, but I’m still surprised when I run across a gardener who insists on being able to control nature.
A Master Gardener friend recently contacted me asking if I knew an expert who could talk to her garden group about growing tomatoes . Noting that problems with fungi were “particularly [...]
Entries from August 2008
Fighting Nature
August 30th, 2008 · 5 Comments · Uncategorized
Tags: disease·fungi·garden·integrated pest management·tomatoes
Kohlrabi Gratin
August 29th, 2008 · 8 Comments · Uncategorized
I have a secret love for kohlrabi. Kohlrabi has a wonderful, sweet flavor somewhere between turnip and broccoli. But you so rarely see it for sale anywhere that we mostly just dream about it. That’s why we planted it in the garden this year–to satisfy our craving for kohlrabi anytime we like.
Our friend Larry [...]
Tags: garden·gratin·green tomatoes·kohlrabi·summer
Crock Pickles
August 28th, 2008 · 4 Comments · Uncategorized
Cucumber season is nearing an end for us but we are still working our way through the pickle lexicon. Here’s one called “Gram’s Crock Pickles” that I like for a semi-sweet tang. I also like that you can use somewhat larger than usual cucumbers for these pickles and remove the seeds. Somehow a few [...]
Brain Freeze
August 27th, 2008 · 6 Comments · Uncategorized
Sunflowers, cosmos, zinnia–all are standing tall and proud, giving the garden an air of youth and vigor. Everyone comments on how good the garden looks at the moment. But I know better.
The squash and cucumber plants need to be pulled to make way for an attempt at fall potatoes. The turnips are beyond ready [...]
Tags: community gardens·fall·summer
Barbie Says, Let’s Can More!
August 25th, 2008 · 9 Comments · Uncategorized
Careful what you wish for, Barbie. The ground around our Roma plants is littered with tomatoes. I have a feeling if you just gave the plants a good shake, you’d have an unending supply.
These are the pulpy, less juicy variety of tomatoes ideal for dicing and canning or turning into tomato sauce or paste. [...]
More Okra
August 23rd, 2008 · 7 Comments · Uncategorized
If the only kind of okra you know is what you see in the supermarket, it may be you’ve never been inspired to eat it. What passes for okra in the store is typically awful looking. Even in our local Whole Foods the okra looks to be weeks old–all shriveled and covered with brown [...]
Breakfast II
August 22nd, 2008 · 3 Comments · Uncategorized
A previous commenter suggested adding toast to fill out our breakfast. Well, we can do lots better than toast. We can add homemade corn bread.
This is the “Company Cornbread” from Bill Neal’s classic tome, “Biscuits, Spoonbread, and Sweet Potato Pie.” I made it using stone-ground white cornmeal and buttermilk from our South Mountain Creamery [...]
Breakfast
August 20th, 2008 · 3 Comments · Uncategorized
Sauteed beet greens and sliced tomato.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Shopping: none
Our favorite part of harvesting beets from the garden is eating the beet tops. They must be fresh, fresh, fresh. Then simply give them a rinse and toss them wet into a hot saute pan with extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and [...]
Tags: breakfast·garden·summer·vegetables
Catching Up
August 19th, 2008 · 2 Comments · Uncategorized
We had great fun during our week off in Pentwater, Michigan. But the gardener has to ask himself whether he can really afford a summer vacation.
While we were away frolicking in the sun, our vegetables were working overtime. I returned home to a big bowl of Roma tomatoes. Another bowl of okra. Another bowl [...]
Tags: garden·summer·vegetables
Weekend Update
August 17th, 2008 · No Comments · Uncategorized
From our department of Universal Government Truths, this just in: High fructose corn syrup is actually “natural.”
I know–you thought HFCS was a science experiment disguised to look like something edible.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had previously told manufacturers they could not use the term “natural” to describe foods with HFCS in it because [...]
Tags: food news
We are engaging the concerns of a hungry planet--slowly--right here in our kitchen garden in the District of Columbia, about a mile from the White House.
