I spent the better part of the weekened paying back for all that good compost we laid on the vegetable beds in the spring. The cosmos were seven feet tall. The zinnia were so big they had simply collapsed and were splayed all over the ground. The “mammoth” variety sunflowers had grown into sequoias, towing over [...]
Entries Tagged as 'fall'
Germination in Record Time
August 31st, 2010 · 3 Comments · garden
Tags: compost·fall·germination·greens·planting
My Big, Fat Radish Harvest
December 10th, 2009 · 2 Comments · garden
It’s only because I had not been paying close enough attention that I was walking around with the completely mistaken impression that nothing much was happening in the radish patch. From a distance, it looked like all foliage, no radishes. But with a Polar Express bearing down, I was out yesterday pulling anything edible from [...]
Oxtails And Friends
November 23rd, 2009 · 2 Comments · Recipes, dinner
Some braised meat dishes are so rich they take your breath away. I place oxtails in that category. Richness dictates smaller portion sizes, which fits oxtail perfectly since this is one piece of meat that is mostly bone. Oxtail belongs to that group of odd bits that butchers in a bygone era would practically give away. [...]
Tags: beef·braise·entertaining·fall
Saving Okra Seed
November 5th, 2009 · 5 Comments · garden
Saving okra seeds should be easy, right? You can’t hardly miss the seed pods. But the ones I saved from last year resulted in zero germination. What did I do wrong?
The only thing I can think of is I didn’t leave them on the plant long enough. I wasn’t going to make that mistake again. [...]
Brined Pork Tenderloin
October 29th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Recipes, dinner
The menu my wife devised for a recent catered dinner party included a pork tenderloin brined, then grilled. The pork was so outstanding–as evidenced by guests visiting the kitchen to make comments–I thought the process was worth sharing.
There’s nothing really new about brining meats to infuse flavor, but pork seems to benefit especially. This particular [...]
Okra And Pepper Medley
October 14th, 2009 · No Comments · Recipes, garden
Regular readers will be heartbroken to learn that this is the end of our okra for the year. I know, I know. It hardly seems possible. It seems like we were just getting started on the endless possibilities of okra. But the sad truth is impossible to deny: the season is over. There will be [...]
Separation Anxiety In The Garden
September 15th, 2009 · 5 Comments · garden
Excuse me if I sound out of breath but these last two weeks I have been transitioning from a summer food garden to a fall and winter food garden in what used to be our front lawn here in the District of Columbia, about a mile from the White House.
The seedlings that were planted with [...]
Fall Potatoes
November 12th, 2008 · 4 Comments · Uncategorized
We planted potatoes this fall as an experiment. And look how happy the plants are! Much happier, I should say, than they were during the summer. Summers in the District of Columbia are typically so hot and humid, especially July and August.
In truth, potatoes are a cool weather plant, unlike their cousins, tomatoes and [...]
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
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.
