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Enough chicken of the woods to feed an army. Found near my house today, but too far gone to pick for good eating. Two weeks ago heavy rains penetrated even the dense canopies of evergreen trees, soaking the ground. Then came a heat wave. A week later our woodsy world erupted in […] Transplants in peat pots ready for fall. August — the best of the summer months, when the weather more often than not cooperates for outdoor fun, the biting bugs diminish and the great season of bountiful harvests begins. But I can already feel the hours of daylight diminishing rapidly. Crickets now dominate the […] Spring harvested scallions, from bulblets formed by perennial multiplying onions. Scallions or green onions are among the most versatile vegetables one can grow in the garden. And one of the easiest too. We like them grilled whole, cut up and stir fried or minced for garnish, to name just a few uses. […] St. Johnswort blossoms along the roadside. St. Johns wort (Hypericum perforatum), was all the rage in the 90’s as a herbal remedy for depression. As is often the case with health fads, people soon lost interest, the effects of this common summer-blooming weed being too subtle for those accustomed to aggressive pharmaceutical solutions. […] Boiling juice first and adding fruit at the end to preserve color, taste and texture of raspberries. Hot, sticky, sweet Jam in July. Raspberries ripen fast in a heat wave, at a rate of 2 quarts a day from my 40′ row. With no chest freezer at our house, making jam has […] Open faced sandwich for breakfast. Radish variety – multi-colored "Easter Egg." Stepping out into the garden with a cup of tea this morning to examine the overnight happenings, I found most of my radishes had bolted but a few were still intact and in good condition for fresh eating. This fact, together with […] Snow pea blossoms (dwarf grey sugar) on eve of summer solstice 2010. Summer solstice, the longest day, reaches it’s apex at 7:28 a.m., Monday, June 21st. This point in the revolution of our tiny planet around the sun is notable in Zone 4, not only for the luxuriously extended hours of daylight and […] Jumble of transplants — basil, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers — waiting for the right time to get planted. To plant or not to plant? That is the question. Whether it is wiser to plant now and risk the slings and arrows of outrageous weather or to wait, potentially squandering the too-short lease of […] May 13 before thinning Lettuce grows like crazy in May thanks to the ample daylight hours and still-cool temperatures. It’s salad heaven — the reward for planting in early spring.  A delightful array of colors and textures can be achieved by seeding multiple varieties of lettuce, but it’s also fun […] Korean lilac and siberian iris blooming with the chives – late May 2009 A year ago while admiring the mid-day buzz around some profusely blooming chive blossoms in my garden I noticed that none of the pollinators were honey bees.  Instead,  a multi-cultural throng of pollinating insects ranging in size […] |