He Is Happiest Who.....

Some days the bugs can really get you down. I find this is especially true on long summer days when tomato hornworms demolish your best tomato plants and spider mites suck the life out of your lemongrass. Experienced gardeners learn over time not to take these attacks personally.They know that when one plant flounders another will jump in and flourish in its place.

This week I watered my garden thoroughly and then packed the car and drove away for a few days. I'm trying not to worry about what is going on back home and hoping the neighbors came by and helped themselves to some cucumbers and squash.

Meanwhile I have been enjoying the gardens far from home in NYC and Brooklyn. I am learning a lot about small space gardens here and the importance of picking the right plants for the right places. In New York City every inch of space counts and there is no room for error. Color and style abound from postage stamp sized front stoops, window boxes, fire escapes and even the sidewalk cracks..

One of the most delightful gardens I have visited here is the Children's Garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. This garden has thoughtfully planted soft grassy spaces for toddlers to sprawl in, and whimsical child-sized seats hidden under long draping boughs of weeping mulberry. There are scented and soft silvery petting plants. There are tiny herb gardens, interactive waterfalls and a dark cool grove of giant bamboo for curious kiddos to discover.

There is also a spacious vegetable garden planted in the children's area. This lush vegetable garden is impeccably maintained with rows and rows of plants. The wide and bountiful rows are absolutely bursting with great big cabbages and all manner of produce plants. Unfortunately for me this garden taunts grown up gardeners from the other side of a picketed gate stenciled with a stern warning:, "children only past this point".
A ten foot topiary spider of ivy and iron stands guard as children enter this whimsical retreat . I couldn't help wondering how many new horticulturalists there would be in the future because of this magical place. It was obvious by all the happy little patrons I saw skipping through the space that the garden was indeed capturing the imaginations and hearts of many children the day we visited.

As we were leaving the Children's Garden I glanced back to see a group of children busily gardening under the careful guidance of several young garden volunteers. Children were flitting like bees in and out of a small building oblivious to the message poignantly chiseled in the limestone lintel above the door. The message said.."HE IS HAPPIEST WHO HATH POWER TO GATHER WISDOM FROM A FLOWER".

That message makes me smile. I especially smile when I think of all the profound things God has taught me in a garden. I hope you too have been able on occasion to hear God speak through nature. If not, then I suspect you are not listening, for God's voice is unmistakable there as he shouts from tenacious little seedlings and whispers in the winding tendrils of a vine. Sometimes He screams words of wisdom from a trail of garden ants, or mutters sweet nothings under the falling petals of a pear tree.

If you want to know what God is saying, I recommend spending some time in a quiet garden spot. I am pretty certain that you will come away agreeing with the stone mason's message carved above that door way....that he is happiest who hath power to gather wisdom from a flower.

Spring Rolls in Summer

One of my favorite ways to use and eat fresh vegetables is spring rolls! I just love the taste bud sensation of cool rice paper wrappers crammed with a vibrant explosion of flavor. Since my garden is overflowing with radishes, snap peas, cilantro, and assorted greens, I can think of no better way to use them then this dish. It takes some time to chop and assemble but it's worth the effort. Spring rolls have become a regular craving for me.

My spring roll ingredient list is never the same twice. You can add in any cooked meat or seafood you like, but I prefer them vegetarian style. I start with romaine, spinach, chard, or a combination of large leafy greens for an inner wrap to contain the rest of the veggies. I actually used a few young beet leaves the last time I made these, having pleasantly mistaken nearby beet greens for ruby chard while picking in the garden.

Next, I chop vegetables into short thin sticks or smallish pieces. Cucumbers, radish, snap peas, carrots, cabbage, and celery all lend a terrific crunch. I sometimes add raisins, dried cranberries, cherries, avocados and or nuts as well. Sometimes I add rice noodles prepared as directed. Often I get so excited about the vegetables that I forget the noodles.

To top things off I add fresh ginger shavings, a bit of cilantro and minced garlic or onion. Cilantro gives the roll a nice punch, though this is one herb I add sparingly, much to the dismay of my oldest daughter, who would sneak more cilantro in if she were standing by. Finally I add a hint of dressing which can be a lemon honey vinegrette or an asian style dressing. For dipping, I like to use hoisen sauce jazzed up with some wasabi and ginger, but you can also use soy sauce or any asian style dressing or dipping sauce.


Assembling the rolls can be a bit of a challenge. I wet two rice paper circles well, and set them on a cutting board. The wet rice paper will quickly soften into a cool moist flexible wrapper. Next I lay a large leaf or two of romaine or other greens on top the rice paper to help contain the rest of the veggies. Then I drop a few peices of each of my remaining ingredients in the center of the leaf. Usually I put too much stuff in and have to go back and remove something or else I end up with a ripped and bulging roll which tastes fine but looks unimpressive.

When I get the insides just right, I begin on one end carefully rolling both the rice paper and the leaf wrapper together over the inner ingredients. I tuck the sides into the roll just before I get to the halfway point of rolling. If I try to wet more than two rice papers at a time, I find they get too soft for me to roll them easily. I don't have restaurant style neatness and conformity on my finished spring rolls yet, but then good gardeners are seldom perfectionists. Finally I slice the rolls in half on the diagonal to get a colorful presentation on the plate. Any goofed up rolls get gobbled down by me in the back room! Left over cut up vegetables get tossed into a stir fry or a salad the next day.


Spring rolls are a fun way to use vegetables and a great way to experiment with some new ingredients. You can find rice papers, hoisen sauce and anything else you need in the asian section of most large grocery stores. With any luck you will find yourself developing a new craving for colorful crunchy spring rolls all year long!

How does your garden grow?

Things are really coming along here in my little 5' x 10' raised bed garden. I am amazed at what I can grow in such a small space. The spinach and radishes are about done. The marigolds and nasturtium failed from the get go, but the squash and tomatoes are going crazy. We have been eating sugar snap peas and lettuce like crazy from the garden. The beans are flowering and the eggplant is holding its own.

I think this picture displays the magic of square foot gardening! radish, leeks, peas, beans carrots and baby beets all snuggled in close. Because every inch is planted weeds are nearly non existant at this point. I can weed this bed in 1 minute a day. No tilling or digging because beautiful loose organic soil was trucked in and dumped 1 foot high. When the radishes come out the carrots take over their place. The peas are shading the spinach for an extra week or two of sweet harvesting. And best of all my neighbors think I am a genius! Little do they know that anyone could do this with a tiny bit of planning and the right seeds.
Tomatoes and squash are duking it out and the basil has been divine! The peas which didnt require staking are sure happy that they got some support anyhow! And I am finding myself dreaming about vegetables.

what to do with a bumper crop of radishes

We have radishes out the wazzoo! I have tried several radish salad recipes but so far none are keepers. I did however find that I love radish sandwiches!!! This would also be a great appetizer dip or topping for crackers or celery. I used 4 oz cream cheese softened and a heaping tablespoon of chopped chives with 2 garlic cloves minced and salt and pepper to taste. I sliced thin about 7 or 8 radishes which had been halved or quartered depending on their size. I salted the radishes and set them in a colander over a paper towel and let them drain for about twenty minutes. After that I squished out a bit more water from the radishes and mixed them with the above ingredients. We spread the mixture on both rye toast and a bagel! The results were delish!

A bit of a parterre garden

This is as formal as it gets around my yard. I love the look of a formal parterre mixed with herbs and fruit trees. But not too fussy or groomed. The gravel for my paths came from a client's home when she no longer wanted it and the brick was left over from a construction site. I have been having a heck of a time this year due to rabbits eating my parsley and a few other things. In this picture you can see creeping thyme and curry in the urn, surrounded by 4 squares of oregano, sage, parsley and dill. The inside of the circle is also ringed with purple basil which is sitting defiantly in its place refusing to grow an inch since I moved it out from the nice warm house and the grow lights. Reminds me a bit of a child I know...heheh! Well, eventually I hope they both get happier where they are and begin to burst forth with new life!

Other things planted in my herb garden are lavender, echinacea, love lies bleeding, lemon thyme, english thyme, genovese basil, bloody sorrel, chocolate mint, bronze fennel, cilantro, chives, a few stray tomatoes and a struggling old espaliered bartlett pear tree. I pulled up all the french tarragon last year because it had grown so old and woody. Since then I have not found any new tarragon worthy of planting.

This year I proudly outwitted the chives by picking off all the lovely chive flowers before they went to seed which I hope will save me a lot of trouble next year digging out stray chive plants from the gravel path. But I was sorry to remove those pretty little purple balls since they were about the only spring color in the parterre other than green. Somewhere in my herb garden I vaguely remember planting some seeds for a greek oregano that was supposed to make a really swell immune boosting oil of oregano. It was the end of a long day working in the yard and planting way too many seed packets. I was in a panic trying to find an empty spot for the last seeds on my list. I should have used a plant marker because the location of this new oregano has completely left my memory.

If you decide to plant an herb garden, be sure you keep it close to the kitchen, for if you are like me, you will be scurrying out the door once or twice during most meal preparation snipping a bit of this or that for seasonings. Whenever I am at a loss for what to make, I grab a bit of english thyme from the garden and sprinkle it on chicken breasts, sometimes still frozen. I top the chicken with some olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and garlic. Finally I add a dash of salt and pepper and bake uncovered for a half hour or so, depending on whether the breasts are thawed or not. The results are always delicious and satisfying.

OH SNAP!

It is June already, and so much has happened since my last post! I don't know where to start! I have peas popping and rabbits hopping! Last night we ate our first salad made solely from vegetables grown in our own yard. It was delicious and so fresh. I used spinach, several assorted varieties of leaf lettuce, and radishes. This morning I even tossed some spinach and radishes into omelets with a bit of goat cheese for a great start to the day! The sugar snap peas are coming on quick and should be ready to eat in a day or two! I can't wait!

We had a bit of a problem with bunnies in the yard so we devised a simple fence by stapling green plastic fencing to 1" x 1" x 4' stakes which we slide in and out of brackets screwed to the outside of the raised bed frame so that we can get in to the garden easily but the rabbits can't.
I think it is working wonderfully as it takes only seconds to put up or down. A deer is munching on my purple loosestrife growing just a few feet away from the raised bed garden. I am hoping this brazen little buck with his newly sprouted velvet covered antlers doesn't decide to lean over my rabbit sized fence and sample my veggies.

Most of the things I planted are doing well. The marigolds and nasturtiums never sprouted. I am wondering if I inadvertently weeded them away in my haste to clean up the garden one day. My banana peppers got long and leggy and flopped over. Since then they have refused to grow another inch. I may replant them now that it has warmed up.

My scraggly eggplant seedling got seriously sunburned when I moved them outside Then the few leaves that survived got attacked by flea beetles. I am managing this with plastic jugs to cover the eggplants. I cut the bottom off the jugs and saved the top caps. Then I set the jugs over the eggplants. I cap the jugs at night to keep the warmth in, and uncap them during the day to keep them from overheating. This is working well and the eggplants are perking up. I haven't seen a flea beetle on my eggplants since. Soon the eggplant will outgrow the jugs which is okay since the jugs need to come off before the plants begin to flower anyhow.



I took my camera out to the garden and snapped some shots of the Tom Thumb lettuce and Bloomsdale spinach after the rain. The French Breakfast radishes needed a bit of wash up before they were camera ready! Anyhow aren't they gorgeous?

a visitor stopped by my little seedlings today

Glad to see this little lady bug has found a bit of spring here in the house...No wonder she made her way to the plants because as I walk up to the window now I can definitely smell the distinct smell of tomato plants in the air. In a few weeks everything will be moved outside and then we will be off and running.

How cute is this card my daughter sent me? I can't wait to eat all those yummy vegetable parts from my heirloom plants. It will be so sweet to know what I am eating has not been genetically altered, irradiated or doused in chemicals. Longing for some homegrown buttercrunch lettuce in a lemon honey vinagrette!

sugar ann snap peas poking up their heads

raised bed garden...simple and effective

Elizabeth Magnolia in all her buttery yellow beauty

magnolia a bit worn from ravages of late frost and thunderstorms

tomato burlesque

Reaching for the Light

It is funny how fast these plants turn and grow right for the light. I can turn their pots several times a day and within an hour or so they have leaned right back toward the window stretching to get every last drop of sunshine. They long for the outdoors and full sun. But lucky for them, they are nice and warm inside. It has been cold and snowing a bit here the last few days. I am glad the sun has been popping in and out to smile on my little seedlings. They don't look too bad for two week old plants. You are looking at leek, basil, tomato, and eggplant seedlings. My parsley and peppers have been dragging their feet a bit.

anticipation!

I woke up this morning in the best mood, wide awake and anxious to see what was happening in the yard and with my seeds started in the window! I have this magnolia tree called Elizabeth which is currently teasing me with the biggest velvety buds you ever did see! The Grandiflora and Stellata Magnolias are all in bloom here, but my yellow lady is keeping me waiting! Hence, the fitting addition of Carly Simon's song "Anticipation" to my blog's garden song playlist!

I know that the politicians of late have snagged onto the words HOPE and CHANGE, but I think my garden speaks of better things, an everlasting hope and a change that brings life and joy! So today as I listen to the wind and rain howling through the blooming flowering pears, my mind wanders to the One who first used a budded fig tree as an example and a reminder of how we should discern the times we live in.

When I plant my seeds I like to use soil-less seed starting mix, so I don't get problems with soil born pests. I add some warm water into the seed starter mix until I get a crumbly moist soil mix, about like a barely moistened baking mix. Trust me on this and don't try to put the soil mix into the pots dry.

sort of like making muffins.








a chopstick works really well for planting tiny seeds.Seeds in a sunny window

Seeds Seeds Seeds

I don't think I really told you very much about the special heirloom varieties of seeds I am planting this year. I would like to take some time to describe in detail the 23 kinds of seeds I will plant this year all in one 5'x10' raised bed! I really spent a lot of time pouring over seed catalogs to develop what I think is the finest collection of seeds around for a small home garden. So if you will bear with me a bit, I plan on bragging about some of these great plants I can't wait to start growing.

The very first thing that I plan on planting outside in my garden is Sugar Ann Snap Peas. This is a great little snap pea for small gardens. It is a bushy vine that needs no staking. Sugar Ann has crisp sweet pods are edible and ripen early, thriving in cool spring weather. Snap peas are great raw for a snack or in salads, but they are also delicious steamed, sir fried, or sauteed. You can plant these peas as soon as the ground is warm enough to work. I plant my sugar peas in April, so it is nearly time to get planting. Be sure to pick your peas often and enjoy them while you can. Sadly, once the weather gets hot your peas will pea-ter out!

Another plant that gets planted early in my garden is lettuce. Lettuce also loves cool weather, so I can plant it outside about the same time as my peas. I am planting two kinds of lettuce this year. The first is Tom Thumb lettuce which has been around since the mid 1800's. I love this lettuce because its leaves feel soft and buttery in my mouth. It is the perfect lettuce to top a sandwich or burger. It also keeps well in the refrigerator which is why I buy buttercrunch lettuce at the grocery all winter. Tom Thumb, true to it's name, is perfect for a small garden because it forms a 3"-4" cabbage-like head. One plant is just about right for an individual salad. You can encourage Tom Thumb to grow a second head if you cut the first lettuce off an inch above ground.

Another lettuce I will grow this year is a gourmet mixture of looseleaf lettuces. These gorgeous red and green lettuces are more heat tolerant than other lettuces and look so pretty in a salad bowl. I can pick these leaves when they are still very small, just bite sized really. This will be the first vegetable I can pick from the garden! The best thing about looseleaf lettuce is the way that I can pick just the leaves I need for my salad, starting with the outer leaves, while the rest of the plant remains to continue growing more and more leaves for the next salad.

Here is something new to my garden this year, American Flag Leek. While it may be new for me, this is an old standard for home gardeners. It has delighted folks for centuries with its delicate onion-like flavor. You can use leeks in soups, salads and stir fry dishes. Leeks take a long time to mature requiring 130 days to harvest. I suspect this is what has kept me from growing leeks in the past as I am not the most patient gardener. Because I want to grow a garden this year that is something akin to the old victory gardens of the 1940's, leeks are being included to round out my plant list. One great thing about leeks is the way they can actually overwinter in the garden if I don't get them all eaten before frost. I think it could be great fun to run out to the garden at thanksgiving time to dig a few leeks for my turkey dinner.

While we are talking about turkey stuffing I may as well mention one of my favorite herbs which is parsley. You cant make a proper stuffing without parsley. I will be growing Italian Flat Leaf Parsley because it has better flavor then the curly leaved variety most restaurants plunk down on your plate for a garnish. Flat leaf parsley takes a few weeks to germinate, but the wait is worth it, because once it is up and running this yummy herb is perfect for salads, soups, meats and casseroles. After you have used fresh parsley in a homemade chicken soup you will never be satisfied with that dreadful dried up old stuff in the spice drawer.

Cilantro is another herb I grow in my garden. I like Santo Cilantro because it is slower to go to seed then other cilantros. The only problem I have with cilantro is that it grows too fast and begins to flower before I would like. Once it flowers you may as well tear cilantro out of the garden because it won't be any good for your salsa or thai dishes after that. I know that cilantro flowers turn into coriander seed, but honestly, I have had the same jar of coriander in my cabinet since my wedding shower, I think...so it's not something I crave. But salsa and spring rolls crammed with cilantro and fresh vegetables are two things I simply can't get enough of through the summer. Plant cilantros a week or two apart to extend your cilantro season.

Last week I started a few seeds inside. One thing I started inside was California Wonder Bell Pepper. In the past I have had mixed results growing seeds inside, mostly due to my getting lazy about watering. Last year I said forget it and planted all my seeds straight out in the garden. This worked fine for everything but my peppers. I think my bell peppers just moped along until August. This year I really don't care to buy peppers at the market in July so I am more determined than ever to baby these seedlings inside so they can get the head start they deserve. I don't have to tell you about all the wonderful traits of California Wonder Bell Pepper because I am certain you already have your own favorite ways with this famous sweet pepper.

The other pepper I planted inside last week was Banana Pepper. This is another sweet pepper with a bit more zing. I love banana peppers because they ripen before the other peppers and they have some bite to them if you pick them young and green. The longer you leave them on the plant the richer their flavor and color will be. Perfect to top salads, sandwiches, and pizzas, no garden of mine would be complete without banana peppers.

Red Rhubarb Swiss Chard is one of the prettiest plants I grow. It deserves a place in the front yard. But instead I tuck it into the vegetable garden and forget about it until my spinach burns out. When it gets too hot for the spinach I move to the chard which I use like spinach. You can saute it with garlic, or toss baby leaves into your salads. When the leaves get mature I like to add them to soups or toss them in the crock pot with chicken breasts, chicken broth, garbanzo beans, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic. Chard really shines at the first frost, turning wine red, and tasting great till a really hard freeze.

Every garden needs green beans. They are so easy to grow and delicious. I like to grow Royal Burgundy Bush Bean because the bugs don't bother these beans like they do the greener varieties. This tender and beautiful bean is tasty fun. After about a minute of cooking they turn from purple to green. Use these beans just like any other green bean. You won't be disappointed.

Rutgers Tomato is a well loved old standard. It is perfect for slicing or cooking. This tomato has a great flavor and is not too seedy. It should be staked or planted with a tomato cage for the best results. Use
stretchy ties to secure tomato vines to stakes. The other tomato I grow is the famous Roma Tomato. This popular pear shaped paste tomato is productive and disease resistant. It is beloved around the world for sauce making. Stake or cage roma tomato just like the rutgers variety. There is nothing that beats the taste of a garden fresh tomato. If summer had a taste it would have to be tomato flavored.

In my mind you must grow basil if you grow tomatoes. My favorite Basil is Genovese Sweet Basil. It has a great flavor and the nicest big fat leaves. Genovese sweet basil is an Italian heirloom that cooks love. Use it to flavor dipping oils, pestos, sauces and dressings. My favorite way to use basil is to chop it up with tomatoes, and garlic. I top crusty french bread slices with this mixture and add a dollop of olive oil and sea salt before warming it for a few minutes in the oven. I go into a bit of a funk when my basil succombs to the first frost. I dread having to resort to dried basil for my bruschettas. The scent of basil is so wonderful that I have been contemplating the idea of making basil scented bath salts this year to soak away next winter's blues.

I have a few more seeds to tell you about but I think it will have to wait for now. If you like the selection of seeds I am growing you can grow them too with one of my U "can" garden kits. But don't wait too long to order a kit, because they are going fast and the planting season is nearly upon us.

An Ancient Rite

And so it begins...again...this ancient springtime ritual, a thing repeated generation after generation and world wide from the beginning of humankind. It is a rite so basic and so vital to man's existence that I can think of few other acts that better display the commonality of men across the ages and the planet. Despite all our attempts at improving the process, it seems to me that there is no substitute for the profound and hope filled act of setting seed to soil. It is a mysterious event that binds us to the earth and gives us pause as we consider the mystery of the seed and the sprout.

I for one, love to stand and ogle the seed packs in their glorious display racks at the garden aisle. I cannot help myself from stopping to gaze upon the vast array of plant choices. It doesn't matter how many seeds I already have or how few I really intend to plant, still I love to linger over the descriptions and lust after the pictured plants. I thrill at the way every plant has its own grand merits and even a few inherent weaknesses just waiting to be discovered. Plants remind me, in that way, of all the people I have known. Each one is unique, bearing many gifts and surprises if I will but open my heart to them.

So, it is that time of year again. And I am busy doing what ancient relatives must also have done. I am thinking of seeds and buying and trading seeds. I am putting a few into pots and sitting them in sunny windows to get a head start on spring. It is a good thing to do. It is a time honored tradition and it speaks of hope.

And God said, "Look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. Genesis 1:29

Ah...Rosa Bianca Eggplant...Surely this must be one of the most beautiful vegetables around. It is nearly too pretty to eat. I can't wait to see its lovely purple blooms in my garden! More importantly, I can't wait to eat this mild flavored beauty in a dip called Baba Ganoush. And you thought eggplant was just for parmesan! I have been trying for several years to get a friend of my husband's to share his recipe with me, but alas, I am still waiting. After trying a number of different recipes, my family and I have settled on this one as our favorite. Baba Ganoush is easy to make, delicious, and so much healthier than that your mother's tired old ranch dip. You know, come to think of it there is really no reason I have to wait for Rosa Bianca to be ready in my garden to enjoy this dip. I should just head right over to the grocery and buy a fine organic eggplant today. One last thing... I did weasel this much out of my husband's friend....He cooks his eggplant on the grill for his Baba Ganoush which adds a nice smokiness to the flavor.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:

* 1 large eggplant
* 1 can chickpeas, drained (garbanzo beans)
* 3 cloves garlic
* 1/4 cup lemon juice
* 3 tbsp tahini
* dash sea salt
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley (optional)

Preparation:
Slice eggplant in half, and roast in 400 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until soft.

Allow to cool slightly, then scoop out inside of eggplant, leaving skin behind.

In a blender or food processor, combine eggplant and remaining ingredients, except oil and parsley, until smooth. Mixture will be somewhat thick. Slowly incorporate olive oil until well mixed. Mix in chopped parsley by hand. Serves eight.

Enjoy with veggies, pita, or as a sandwich spread. I like to spread some baba ghanoush in a flour tortilla and add lettuce, tomatoes and veggies for a sandwich wrap.

Nutrition Facts:
One serving provides approximately:
Calories: 304, Calories from Fat: 118
Total Fat: 13.1g, 20%, Saturated Fat: 1.7g, 8%
Cholesterol: 0mg, 0%
Sodium: 58mg, 2%
Total Carbohydrates: 37.8g, 13%
Dietary Fiber: 11.8g, 47%
Sugars: 7.3g
Protein: 11.9g
Vitamin A 3%, Vitamin C 14%, Calcium 9%, Iron 23%, Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Don't forget to order your U "Can" Garden Kit today which includes Rosa Bianca Eggplant seeds and 22 other great old garden favorites!

U "Can" Garden Kit

Well they are here at last, my new for 2009 vegetable garden seeds kits! I am so excited about these terrific seed collections in a can! Now there is no reason you can't grow something to eat as long as you have a small sunny spot in your yard. These kits are designed with beginning gardeners in mind and for small but efficient gardens of 10'x5'. Every can includes a colorful planting plan and key, plus a detailed instruction guide. Kits also include 23 easy to grow, open-pollinated, heirloom varieties of vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Heirloom seeds have been historically favored and selected over many generations. You can be sure that these cans contain some of the most beloved garden plants that have ever been grown. Because they are open pollinated you can collect the seed from these plants to store and plant the following year. You can’t do that with hybrid plants because they won't reproduce true to kind. More importantly, heirloom vegetables have better flavor and produce fruits over a longer period than hybrid plants. Hybrids are bred for commercial growers who want vegetables to ripen all at once and to travel 1000s of miles without bruising. Heirlooms are bred to be prolific and to have great taste rather than thick skins. Even if you have never grown anything before in your life, I urge you to consider making this the year you start growing something to eat.
It's a great feeling when the grocery stores are pulling all the tomatoes due to a salmonella scare, to know you have delicious and safe tomatoes right outside your door.

U "Can" Garden kits are available here for $25.95 plus $5.95 shipping and handling or you can buy them at my Etsy Store. Enjoy!

Something I Cant Wait to Grow this Spring

Early Wonder Beet is
an old heirloom from
the 18th century.
This beet produces early smooth round beets. Early wonder
also provides plenty
of tender greens too!
I hear this is a perfect beet
for pickling, fresh
cooking or borschts.
You can grow both an early
and a late season crop.

For forty years I have avoided beets like the plague. I think it stems back to my childhood when we used to eat at a restaurant which always served a beet red spiced apple slice on the kiddie plate. I really loved that apple slice. But, later on I would begin to find this beautiful beet red slice on my plate at home. I would happily think it was a spiced apple and I seem to recall that my mother would assure me it was an apple slice. But much to my dismay after taking a great big bite, I would discover with a pucker that it was instead a sour pickled beet....My mom would laugh and laugh and think this was great fun. Eventually I vowed that I would never again taste anything magenta.

More recently however I was lured into eating a most amazing magenta beet salad just because it was just so shockingly beautiful. It was also dotted with goat cheese and nuts and just screaming for attention in magenta madness from the glass deli counter. Maybe because it wasn't soaked in vinegar, and maybe because I wasn't expecting a spiced apple, I found the beet salad to be really really yummy. I was saddened to think I had missed out on this vegetable for decades all because of some childish misunderstanding.

Then a few months ago at a quaint little restaurant in NYC with my daughter, I ordered a beet stuffed ravioli dish. I don't know what possessed me to do such a thing, but I had traveled along way to visit my daughter, and I was feeling adventurous. I found that the beet ravioli surpassed my expectations by miles. It was so divine that I think about it months later and my mouth still waters.

I have never grown beets in my garden before because of my early life beet trauma...but I cant wait to grow them this year!

Gardenlady's Top Ten Reasons To Grow A Garden This Year!

1. You can avoid genetically altered, irradiated and chemically treated foods.
2. You can get better taste, more vitamins and nutrients, and better looking food from just picked produce.
3. You can save money on your weekly grocery bills.
4. You can eliminate worries of nasty germs getting on your produce at large processing and packing plants.
5. Your children and other family members will be more enthusiastic about eating vegetables they helped grow.
6. You can have the convenience of fresh herbs and vegetables growing right outside your kitchen door.
7. You can grow something to share with friends and neighbors.
8. You can do something "green" while learning to appreciate nature.
9. You can reap health benefits in your garden from exercise, fresh air and vitamin D producing sunshine.
10. You will enjoy a great sense of accomplishment when you eat something you have grown yourself.