I was seized by an impulse to clean the deck this weekend and when the deck is fit to sit on, we want to eat there. Here’s one meal that requires little more than a bottle of wine: grilled local sausages consisting of a Italian rope delivered from the local dairy, plus brats and lamb [...]
Entries Tagged as 'summer'
Sliding from Spring Into Summer
June 10th, 2010 · 1 Comment · garden
“Why did you take down the snap peas?”
I’ve lost count of how many people have asked. The peas, clinging to their trellis, made a lovely wall of green for passersby to admire. But, as I explain, they weren’t making any more peas. No more flowers, no more peas. They were done. I’ve learned from fellow food [...]
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 [...]
Better Burger, No Bun
September 5th, 2009 · 6 Comments · Recipes, Wellness
If you are at all sensitive to carbohydrates, there’s no reason to spoil your Labor Day hamburger by smothering it in a bun. Nothing could be finer than a burger constructed of grass-fed beef from our local dairy, topped with grilled onion and a thick slice of Mortgage Lifter tomato from the garden. All we [...]
Teacher Is In
August 17th, 2009 · 3 Comments · garden, urban agriculture
How do you know when a carrot is ready to harvest? When should you pick your cucumbers?
Those were among the questions I fielded on Saturday from a group of new gardeners who started plots this year with something called the Neighborhood Farm Initiative. It’s the brainchild of two passionate and engaged gardeners–Bea Trickett and Joshua [...]
Tags: harvesting·summer·teaching·vegetables
Home Again
August 13th, 2009 · 1 Comment · garden
I miss my morning walks in Maine.
Two miles each way along back roads out of South Freeport. The roadsides were thick with wild flowers: Queen Anne’s lace, goldenrod, purple loosestrife, buttercups, black-eyed Susan’s. Gold finches flitted in the dense branches of an apple tree. Amidst the low din of bird sounds, the mechanical trill of [...]
Tomatoes!
July 18th, 2009 · 10 Comments · garden
Were you one of those kids who used to sit in the garden on a hot summer day with a salt shaker, gorging on ripe tomatoes? I was. So I guess I am just rediscovering my youth, growing 12 tomato plants in our front-yard kitchen garden here in the District of Columbia, about a mile [...]
Garden Album
July 13th, 2009 · 7 Comments · garden
Our kitchen garden here in the District of Columbia, about a mile from the White House, is approaching its full summer glory. We do not have a back yard. The garden borders the sidewalk on a busy residential thoroughfare. People love to stop and lean on the iron fence to take it in and sometimes [...]
Tags: flowers·summer·vegetables
Squash Carpaccio
July 8th, 2009 · No Comments · Recipes, garden
My wife is not a big zucchini fan, but on occasion I am able to entice her with our favorite Italian summer squashed sliced thinly and served raw with a seasonal dressing of goat cheese, olive oil and fresh herbs, such as oregano or mint or basil. Or maybe all three. Don’t feel constrained. This [...]
Tags: goat cheese·herbs·salad·squash·summer
Daughter’s Favorite Cajun Pickles
July 7th, 2009 · No Comments · Recipes, garden
We just picked another load of cucumbers and I knew exactly what I was going to do with them. There are so many ways to pickle cucumbers, but we have our favorites. Besides the classic deli-style dills, we like this spicy “Cajun” version that’s packed with hot red peppers, red onion, oregano, chili powder and a bevy [...]
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.
