Revealing where our food comes from
We spent the week of Thanksgiving planting. This is a little ironic while celebrating our harvest, but that is how the gardening world keeps spinning. The cycle never stops and every harvest starts with putting seeds in the ground. Today we got seeds in the mail to grow wheat and rye. With the advice of…
A year and a half ago, we had a large celery crop. I even put together a cream of celery soup recipe to help everyone use the bounty. There is a reason that someone decided to can the stuff. It’s a great soup when made fresh. I saved one plant because I wanted the seeds,…
Tomorrow the weather is going to change here in California. We expect the temps to drop down to freezing at the garden on Sunday and Monday nights, so the first thing that I helped with today was to put up some row cover over our green bean plants. They are full of flowers, and I…
Just when the weather cools off and the winter season is getting close, mother nature gives us greens. These green vegetables come in all shapes and sizes, but they all like the cold, and if we had more sunlight, they would flourish through the winter. The greens are where the photosynthesis happens, and the green…
After what seemed like a tumultuous start, our brassicas are charging full steam ahead. We already have cauliflower heads forming and will be ready to harvest the first week of November. Rutabagas will be ready in a few weeks as well and broccoli soon to follow. Brussels Sprout Greens Today we cut off about 6-8…
When we prioritize our garden to-do list, I always try to remember the quote from Robert Louis Stevenson, “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. “ Planting is always the number one priority because without planting, we will never be harvesting. The weeding and the insects…
The last time I ate broccoli was five months ago. I am now stalking my broccoli plants looking for a hint of a head. Protecting it from insects and making sure it has the right amount of water as the weather cools. My planting schedule tells me that I should harvest it in the middle…
Just as the seedlings we planted last month were starting to grow into full-sized plants, we have been hit with a caterpillar infestation. And their favorite foods are brassica vegetables: specifically Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. It looks as if we have staved off the attack, picking 3-4 caterpillars off over 100 plants that…