October 31, 2009

garden surprise – a saffron crocus blossom

What a surprise in the back garden today! A stunning saffron crocus. I planted a few of these fall blooming bulbs many years ago and they never fail to startle me. The stamens are an unreal intense piercing orange. A color all of its own. And the blue petals are so gentle in contrast. Soft and quiet with a fine pattern. And all this on the background of dry rustling and fall leaves. I sat and watched with my coffee cup for quite some time. Here’s where I got this:…

October 30, 2009

the search for the prettiest leaf

October 30, 2009

The Botany of Desire – on PBS yesterday

I set the time and date on my calendar. And it was a great show. I read the book “Botany of Desire” by Michael Pollan, a while ago. A very good read. And the show on PBS was very good also. Lots of exciting information and footage – for a gardening fanatic anyway. I wrote down a few things that struck me: “What are the chances that we’d have the same sense of beauty as a bee? Smell, color, symmetry…” Definitely true. Also taste. Not much that’s better than honey!…

October 29, 2009

rows of fall crops

When Skippy and I visited Waltham Fields, we walked through the CSA fields as well as the community plots and experimental station. These are photos of the CSA fields. Rows and rows of colors and textures. The last crops, enjoying the late fall sun. Local farms are finishing up their seasons now. Last crops are roots (carrots, potatoes, parsnips) and hardy greens (cabbage, cauliflower, escarole and kale). Lots of collards too – a southern green, often grown in very warm areas because it resists bolting. Similar to cabbage, but a…

October 28, 2009

bright fall cosmos

© Skippy’s Vegetable Garden It seems that cosmos are the latest spots of color in the garden this year. My marigolds and zinnias are long gone. These cosmos are at the Cambridge community garden I visited yesterday. I like the bold magenta tones.

October 27, 2009

what’s growing at community gardens? lots of fall vegetables

Neville Place Community Gardens (Cambridge MA) and baby bok choyBrussels sprouts bok choy beets, leek white and red Swiss chardrows of lettuce, baby bok choy and chard shell beans, turnip winterbor kale, purple broccoliTuscan kale I went by a couple local community gardens yesterday to see what’s growing. Waltham Fields and Cambridge Neville Place community gardens. Both have wonderful things still. It gives me ideas on what I can plant for late fall next year. The Brussels sprouts are very pretty. And the Tuscan kale. The big purple head of…

October 26, 2009

garden blog PIRATE site

Check out this pirate site! Gardening Realm Boo! Is it just me they’re stealing from? Do you recognize your material here? I didn’t give my permission for them to use my material and I left a comment today for them to remove it. Let’s see if I get a response. By the way, thanks to Mostlypurple for finding this lousy this.

October 26, 2009

goggle satellite map of Belmont Victory Gardens

This is an aerial snap shot of our community gardens that I came across today. Looks like late in the day on about April 18, 2007. The resolution is amazing! I can see that I had cleared and turned my plot, but there’s no fence up yet. Seems to me Google had a lower resolution version last time I looked.

October 25, 2009

ornamental kale with yellow leaf

October 24, 2009

please tell me your beet recipes

I have 12 pounds of beets to eat! Do you have any great recipes? Please add them or a link below. I usually bake beets in foil at 400*F for 40 min or so – until they’re tender. Then cool, peel and slice. The other day I mixed them with other roasted winter root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, celeriac, fennel and parsnips) with lots of fresh thyme and sage. They were delicious. I made a lot for leftovers, which I chopped fine and fried well the next day to make hash.…

weeks and counting until my last spring frost