February 21, 2008

lettuce seeds

This year I have a ton of left over lettuce seeds. I only ordered a few new ones. Since I have such a nice collection, I did some research on lettuce types and characteristics. There are five distinct types of lettuce: leaf, Cos/romaine, crisphead (Iceberg types), butterhead, and Batavian/summercrisp. Lettuce is a fairly hardy, cool-weather vegetable that thrives between 60 and 70°F. At high temperatures, growth is stunted, leaves are bitter, and the plant bolts. Some types and varieties of lettuce withstand heat better than others. The crispheads are slowest…

February 17, 2008

seasonal martinis

As I mentioned in my last post, I enjoy eating (and drinking!) seasonally. These martinis are some of my favorites. They aren’t like the fancy sweet martinis on restaurant menus. I don’t like too much flavor to overwhelm the beverage, just a bit of color or spice to complement the gin and celebrate the season. Summer martini: I like very fresh cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and little pink radishes. Fall/Winter martini: A spicy slice of chile pepper wrapped around and onion or olive, or carrots and celery. Winter/spring: A frosty white…

February 15, 2008

round black Spanish radish

Last year I bought some radish seeds called a round black Spanish. Well, they didn’t even sprout for me, but I’ll try again this year and give them more sun. In the mean time, I was surprised to come across the same radish in my local supermarket. It was grown in Vermont. It turns out that the round black Spanish radish is a nearly forgotten vegetable. It is quite bitter when eaten fresh, but is a good keeper and mellows with time. I was a bit hesitant to try it,…

February 14, 2008

the big dog show

Skippy’s cousin Sam was in the Westminster Dog Show yesterday! He looked awesome! Congratulations to Sam and his owners.

February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine’s Day

I got yummy cookies for Valentine’s day! Delicious.

February 9, 2008

tomato seeds

These are the tomato varieties I’m growing this year. I haven’t grown tomatoes from seed for many years. By growing my own, I’m looking forward to having more unusual varieties. I have ten varieties so far. They should be planted indoors around April 5th. Heirlooms: Brandywine: One of the best-tasting tomatoes. Brandywine’s luscious flavor is “very rich, loud, and distinctively spicy.” The large fruits, often over 1 lb., have deep pink skin and smooth red flesh. 78 days. Cherokee Purple: Unusual variety with full flavor. Pre-1890 Tennessee heirloom is reportedly…

February 8, 2008

garden timeline

This shows the timing of my crops last year. Harvest spanned half a year.

February 6, 2008

garden poetry

This is a great poem, so I am posting it again. This time the full version. With it are some photos of Skippy and my garden from last spring. Ahhh, the Spring. Soon another will come ….

February 5, 2008

colored pencil faucet

I’ve been playing with Photoshop.

February 5, 2008

dull, dark and snowy

Skip and I took a walk through the community gardens today. I thought I’d take some pretty garden photos, but no such luck. Its still dull, dark and snowy. Seems to be some real nice garlic in one garden. Idle tools in others. All the plots are still sleeping.

weeks and counting until my last spring frost

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30	31