Making pesto.
Over the weekend, I made what I call Panic Pesto. Gardeners, you know what I’m talking about: You scan the weather forecast, realize to your horror that a cold snap is projected overnight, and rush outdoors …
Tag: gardening
Learning in the dirt.
Gardening, for me, is an endless learning experience (that’s the primary reason why I’m participating in the Master Gardener training program this fall). One that sorely tests my patience. I’ve picked up several lessons from our …
Tasting summer tomatoes: part 1.
Farmers’ markets are well-stocked with tomatoes this time of year, in the heat of late summer. And that’s good news for those of us who can’t get enough tomato goodness. Rob and I decided to do …
Garbage gazpacho.
Though my smallish frame might indicate otherwise, my eyes are often bigger than my stomach. And so it is that in summertime I kind of overbuy produce. Everything looks so good at the farmers’ market and, …
Quick pickles.
I hate pickles. Let me be clear: I. Hate. Pickles. Hate them so much that I avoid at all costs what I call pickle contamination: that is, when the juice from an unwanted dill pickle sogs …
Harvesting homegrown garlic.
Forgive my pridefulness, but I had to share a peek at the bounty from my tiny backyard vegetable garden. I planted cloves of fresh farmers’ market garlic last October and harvested two rows of freshly grown …
How to cook with: garlic scapes.
I love growing my own garlic. (For details on how to grow garlic from scratch, read here.) It’s brilliantly simple—separate the cloves and stick ’em in the ground. Planting garlic is an enormous act of faith: …
Better than store-bought: Growing your own garlic.
A handwritten sign at the Hazelfield Farm stand at the farmer’s market read, “Garlic, for cooking or planting.” I’ve quickly come to realize the benefits of cooking with local garlic—the cloves are intensely flavorful without being …
