It didn't take long to use up all the wonderful fresh veggies I bought at the Northampton Winterfare, but the Greenfield Winterfare, a winter farmer's market is coming up on Saturday, February 5 from 10 am - 2 pm at Greenfield High School on Lenox Avenue. In addition to all delicious food, bread, fruit, veggies, meat, yogurt, jam, pickles, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, there will be a variety of workshops on canning, growing grain, seed saving and more. There…
Constance Spry found beauty in places others had not noticed. The unexpected drama of the plants she used surprised and delighted people. She turned to the vegetable garden and found one of her favorite plants – kale – but used other vegetables and fruits to brilliant effect. Her arrangements would not have the same startling effect today, because the ideas she propounded, her cry to forget about the rules and have fun, to see beauty in the commonplace…
Fourteen years ago, at the age of 17, Jere Gettle put together his first list of heirloom seeds and mailed it to 550 gardeners. Now he oversees a veritable empire consisting of the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, the Bakersville Pioneer Village complete with seed store, bakery, restaurant, jail, herbal apothecary, music barns with monthly festivals and more in Missouri, and the Petaluma Seed Bank in California, which opened last spring. Most recently he bought the Comstock, Ferre…
One of the New Plants for 2011 profiled in the new issue of The American Gardener published by the American Horticultural Society is a Watermelon Radish from Renee's Garden. I am ashamed to say that when I first came across this beautiful vegetable in Beijing I insisted on calling it a turnip. Who ever heard of a radish as big as a baseball? My Chinese colleagues insisted on calling it a radish, but in spite of the fact…
Have you been longing for fresh greens and the chance to meet the farmers in our area? Long no more. It is time for Winterfares! This Saturday the winter farmer's market will be held at the Smith Vocational School in Northampton on January 15 from 10 am to 2 pm. Fresh greens, apples, honey, yogurt, root veggies, local grain, bread, the Soup Cafe (bring your own cup) and workshops. This is a delicious and healthy event - pure…
When we moved into our house I was thrilled that there was also a hen house in the back yard. The building is about 30 feet long, divided into three sections. We store the feed, kept in metal garbage cans, as well as bales of shavings, in the first section. We also brood our chicks in that section when they arrive around the first of June. There is a chicken door that allows the chicks to go outdoors into a…
Storey Publishing is helping me celebrate my Third Blogoversary by giving me three books to give you starting with Recipes from the Root Cellar: 270 fresh ways to enjoy winter vegetables by Andrea Chesman. I have been using my own copy of this book for the past month, making Festive and Fruity Coleslaw for Thanksgiving Dinner and Applesauce Crumb Cake for a weeknight dessert with friends. I can tell you that coleslaw is really good with turkey and…
Thanksgiving begins in the kitchen. Although I have handed out the recipe, I am still responsible for making the stuffing. The turkey barely fit in the roasting pan. I needed Henry's help. Betsy was the host this year. It's good she has so much counter space. Here she is, almost ready. I have to say that as devoted as I am to eating local food, I am happy that we can also eat delicious fruits and vegetables from…
I got my first 2011 catalog today! Totally Tomatoes offers 34 (count 'em) pages of tomato varieties - and then we begin on the peppers. Sixteen pages of peppers, from sweet to hot, big and small, round and curly, then on to a couple of pages of cukes and other veggies, plus an array of tomato growing and preserving equipment. Cook books, too. Have your gotten your first catalog yet?
I don’t know about you, but I am already starting to work on my holiday gift list. Those who know me, know I think that few gifts are as good as a good book. Books teach and inspire, and often offer great encouragement. Gardening has long been one of the nation’s most popular pastimes, but recently with our difficult economy, and worries about the energy costs of agribusiness, many people are turning to the vegetable garden, for fresh…