Tag: garden

Gardening Tips for Beginners

Gardening Tips for Beginners

As the days get longer, the air warmer, and the early morning birds louder, I start to think of my garden. I think of seeds germinating and the first leaves emerging from the soil in the early spring sun. I think of the time I 

The First Snowfall Makes Me Think of My Garden

The First Snowfall Makes Me Think of My Garden

As the first real snow of the season falls outside, my thoughts turn to warmer times and I’m thinking about my garden. January is the month to begin planning for the growing season ahead. It is time to order seeds, check supplies, and make sure 

How To Get Your Kid To Eat Vegetables – Herbed Vegetable Dip

How To Get Your Kid To Eat Vegetables – Herbed Vegetable Dip

Children don’t always eat their vegetables. With my son it was no problem; he would sit silently in the back seat of the car during long trips, for example, munching an entire feed bag full of raw vegetables. My daughter Ariana…well, not so much. I 

Sweet Treats – Sugar Snap Pea and Corn Salad

Sweet Treats – Sugar Snap Pea and Corn Salad

Mid June brings my favorite garden vegetable – sugar snap peas. They are sweet treats hanging on six-foot tall vines getting more plump with each passing day. As soon as they form I want to pluck and gobble them up, but I know I am 

Cooking with My Son – Pesto Ravioli with Pesto Parmesan Cream Sauce

Cooking with My Son – Pesto Ravioli with Pesto Parmesan Cream Sauce

My children have always loved pesto; since they were little, pesto on spaghetti has been one of their favorite meals. Before they got wise and refused to help, I tortured them annually with the Great Basil Harvest. We sat outside for what seemed like hours 

A Fresh Start

A Fresh Start

One of the great pleasures of home gardening is that each year, you get a fresh start. If a particular crop or variety of plant did not work out, grow well, or produce much, each spring you get a do over. You get to start 

A Look Back

A Look Back

As the cold of winter continues, I have time to reflect in this off season about the crops I grew in my garden last year and changes I want to make in the coming year.  During this time, I like to review the list of 

Salsa Verde – Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Salsa Verde – Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

The first year I grew tomatillos, it was in a garden that happened to be on a nature preserve. I had a pretty good harvest. It was in the second year that I realized there was a problem. The tomatillos from the previous summer had 

Salad on a Stick – Greek Salad Bites

Salad on a Stick – Greek Salad Bites

As we cross the threshold from summer to fall, I am harvesting the last of my summer vegetables before cool-weather, fall crops ripen in earnest. There are a few cucumbers and tomatoes hanging on the withering vines, and I want to savor the last of 

The Great Basil Harvest – Pesto

The Great Basil Harvest – Pesto

My family loves pesto. It was the first meal I ever cooked for my wife, although she complained my pesto didn’t contain enough garlic. (Not a bad sign for a potential relationship.) Now we eat it on grown up grilled cheese sandwiches, sautéed veggies, and