YOU’RE PROBABLY BUSY planting tulips, hyacinths and daffodils right now, but don’t forget that garlic, too, is an autumn-planted bulb. I’d nearly forgotten to plant my own crop of Allium sativum until thoughts of vampires jostled my memory. Read on, and I’ll show you how to sow, grow, harvest and store the bulbs: There are… Read more »
HAVE TOMATOES SWALLOWED EVERY WORK-SURFACE IN YOUR KITCHEN, TOO? I planted 16 heirloom varieties back in June, and now, after months of careful watering and some decent weather, I can hardly keep up with the produce. (Pictured above is at least 10 lbs. of fruit I collected just this morning, in the rain.) Can you… Read more »
WHEN READER NATASHA mentioned she has too much zucchini (sound familiar?), I offered this advice: “Don’t plant this space-hog next year. Let your neighbors shower you with THEIR surplus zucchini. Then you can give your garden space to something truly expensive — and easy to freeze — like bell peppers.” Whoops. Turns out Natasha didn’t… Read more »
BECAUSE MY SUMMER VEGGIE GARDEN has to feed me during winter, I’m careful to harvest and store whatever I grow. I’ve already “put up” green beans and kale. Next up? About 300 onions. To keep the bulbs fresh all winter and beyond, they must first be cured in the sun. Next, they must be stored… Read more »
YOU’D BE AMAZED at all the winter meals your summer greens will afford. I’ve enjoyed creamed beet- and turnip-tops as a Thanksgiving side-dish, and an awesome Swiss chard quiche for Christmas Day brunch. Kale (that’s the heirloom Red Russian variety above), has topped many a baked potato or plate of pasta here on snowy evenings…. Read more »
PEACHES, I’ll admit, are not so easy to freeze as green beans or herbs. To preserve their color, texture, and mouth-watering juiciness, the fruits must be blanched, peeled, tossed with ascorbic acid, and then suspended in a sugar-syrup. Here’s my fully-illustrated freezing-routine that guarantees succulent success: Start with ripe, ready-to-eat peaches. If you can, select… Read more »
WHY PRESERVE YOUR home-grown (or farmer’s market) produce? First, because these veggies are pesticide-free. Next, having a stash of healthy food in the freezer reduces expensive, fuel-consuming trips to the supermarket. Finally, who doesn’t want to savor the taste of summer during the depths of winter? Here is my easy method for freezing green beans:… Read more »
