Red maple. Photo credit: inoc on Flickr. I’ve been having all kinds of fantasies lately. No, not THAT kind. The kind that comes from being a gardener raising a toddler in a tiny urban apartment. That’s right, I’m dreaming about land. My fantasies are very specific, very romantic, and very far-fetched. In my fantasy, I […]
Archives for October 2010
Now Harvesting: mid-October
The theme song for this week could have been “Here Comes the Rain Again.” Hello autumn in Vancouver. On the upside, it’s time to break out the cute rain boots. And on the upper upside, here come the greens again. After an absence of many months, I’m once again harvesting arugula, Tuscan (lacinato) kale, broccoli […]
Saving seeds and drying herbs
‘Red Sails’ lettuce going to seed. The garden has started its slow decline, and I am not overly unhappy about it. I feel like the ant in that classic fable, putting up food, saving seeds, and drying herbs. While I’m still savouring the last of the summer fruits, I’m also enjoying the cycle of the […]
Now Harvesting: Early October (plus reflections on the Three Sisters)
Before you scoff at my teeny corn, let me explain. This corn almost didn’t make it. At each turn, my crop was beset by terrible weather and thieves. The remaining six baby cobs almost didn’t get harvested, and thus, almost didn’t make it onto our dinner plates last week. Which would have been a gross […]
Succulent wreath
I snapped this photo at my mom’s the other day. It’s a wreath (duh) she made by tucking hardy succulents such as echeveria and sedum into a moss-filled wire frame. I just love the colours and textures. Maybe it’s just because succulents are so hot right now, but I can imagine this wreath fitting in […]
Simple oven-dried tomatoes
If, for some reason, you’ve reached your saturation point for tomato-bocconcini-basil salad/bruschetta/tomato bisque/insert-name-of-favourite-tomato-recipe-here, you may be wondering what to do with all those ripe tomatoes sitting on your counter. Last week I reached that point, and, rather than let the fruit flies carry off my ‘maters, I decided to oven dry them. Following the basic […]
900 arugula seedlings. 12 square inches.
Ever wonder what would happen if you left a packet of seeds out in the rain? Yeah, me neither. But now you know.