I did not grow up in a garden. I was raised in the suburbs and largely fed from grocery store shelves. Though my father hailed from a nearby dairy farm and his parents still lived on the family land, I have next to no childhood memories of helping anyone dig or plant or harvest. It’sContinue reading “Grow With Me”
Tag Archives: garden
Flowers for Dinner
It’s been a disappointing zucchini year. Nothing like last year’s plenty that left me begging for mercy. But that’s okay. My dad sent me packing back in June with a bag full and my local farmers market tables are groaning with zukes. I feel certain that if I asked around, a few of you mightContinue reading “Flowers for Dinner”
Salad Days
There’s been a stretch of hot here in Southwest Virginia and it’s spelling the end of what has been a wonderful few months of salad eating. We had red leaf lettuce from our cold frame in the chill of March and since late April we’ve been eating from a beautiful bed of mixed lettuces and endive, arugula andContinue reading “Salad Days”
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
This dressing is thick and creamy and best when it’s filled with fresh local herbs. It’s a more decadent, flavorful version than what you’ll find on your grocery store shelves. But that’s exactly why it’s worth making from scratch. Makes 2 cups Ingredients 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup buttermilk (I use a local dairy that bottlesContinue reading “Buttermilk Ranch Dressing”
Wisdom from the Flock
It’s been about a year now since a quick stop at the hardware store to pick up some, you know, duct tape and grass seed, turned us into part-time poultry farmers. Not that I blame my husband. Those little balls-of-fluff are enough to melt any man into a can’t-say-no-kind-of puddle. And those downy cuties madeContinue reading “Wisdom from the Flock”
Horseradish Cream Sauce
We’ve grown horseradish in our garden for a couple of years now and I’ve come to really love it. I typically harvest it after a few killing frosts in the fall, then grate it and mix it with vinegar to keep in the fridge for the year. (Read more of what I’ve written aboutContinue reading “Horseradish Cream Sauce”
Springing Forward
It’s almost here, that amazing season of promise and possibility, when the sunshine warms us and the daffodils cheer us. And the spring greens, the spindly asparagus stalks and the tiny sprouts of new life actually, for the first time in so many months, feed us. Gone are the soups and stews of winter.Continue reading “Springing Forward”
Tangy Tomatillos
We pulled out the tomatillo plants a few weeks ago. I’m missing them already. For years we had talked of growing these delightful cousins to the tomato but had never found the plants when we needed them. So we’d move on, regretfully. Next year, we’d sigh, we’ll try those tomatillos. Then this spring, it allContinue reading “Tangy Tomatillos”
An Okra Adventure
My husband is the magic behind our garden. It was his idea to begin growing our food the first summer we owned a home, all those years ago. He is the planner and planter. I’m the second-wave worker, on maintenance and harvest. But every now and then, I pipe up with a suggestion. What aboutContinue reading “An Okra Adventure”
Pesto Possibilities
The basil came late to our garden this year. We planted it, same as always, but for some complex convergence of heat and rain, sunlight and nutrients and pollinators, it took awhile to get going. It was the same with the carrots. But now that a little rain has arrived, the carrots — and even moreso, theirContinue reading “Pesto Possibilities”