Great Lakes Foodie » Gardening

NPR Story: ‘Gardener’ Gives ‘Heirloom Life’ To Forgotten Flora

Great Lakes Foodie — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 12:46:47 +0000

This article has me thinking about the garden for 2012. I know that I haven’t finished gardening yet this year…but there’s always time to plan for next year!

‘Gardener’ Gives ‘Heirloom Life’ To Forgotten Flora

via ‘Gardener’ Gives ‘Heirloom Life’ To Forgotten Flora : NPR.

Excerpt:

As a child growing up on his family’s farm in the 1980s, Jere Gettle didn’t spend his evenings watching TV; instead, he read seed catalogs. To him, the endless varieties of seeds with exotic-sounding names were full of possibility. He loved the idea of planting them in the ground, tending the crops that grew from them and preparing the harvested vegetables for a family meal.

Gettle and his wife, Emilee, have built a thriving business off that early fascination. The Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. carries a large selection of seeds from the 19th century, and the Gettle’s new book, The Heirloom Life Gardener, offers advice on how to save and grow heirloom vegetables.

Jere Gettle tells NPR’s Lynn Neary that you can find heirloom seeds sitting in people’s backyards, garages and cellars, just waiting to be rediscovered — and now, some of them are finally coming back.

NPR Story: How That Food You Throw Out Is Linked To Global Warming

Great Lakes Foodie — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 12:40:27 +0000

Interesting article. Makes me think about my approach to composting yard and kitchen waste in my backyard. More yard, less kitchen!

How That Food You Throw Out Is Linked To Global Warming : The Salt : NPR.

Winter Greens…Not the Ones You’d Expect!

Great Lakes Foodie — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 15:20:22 +0000

After Christmas, I usually start gearing up for seed season in the house. I’m almost ready to start. However, a few weeks ago, I decided to inject our winter months with some nice delicate salad greens. We’re almost ready to start eating them. Might pepper some into our salad lettuce this week!

Technorati Tags: Lettuce

Chives…Make you cry???

Great Lakes Foodie — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:18:29 +0000

It’s that time of year when I look at what I have left in the garden and try to find ways of using/preserving it so it’s not wasted. This afternoon, I went out into the garden and started pulling chives and mint. For chives, I like to clean them and then chop them up finely. I’ve found that I can put them into a freezer-safe container and will have chopped fresh chives on hand throughout the winter. I chopped off the bulk of two chive plants in my raised beds and netted two 2-cup containers full of the chopped, onion-scented bits. I had a little epiphany this afternoon along with it. If you chop enough chives, they can have a similar affect on you as having chopped an onion. The tears were definitely coming!

Technorati Tags: Autumn, Crops, Fall

No More Wascally Wabbits!!!

Great Lakes Foodie — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 23:29:28 +0000

Are the rabbits getting to you this year? The population in our area is crazy. For the past two years, we had hardly any foraging in our yards. This year, I can’t keep them out. After spending weeks and weeks working on seedlings indoors, I put my prized seedlings in the garden. As you saw in a previous posting, the rabbits decided to partake in some head lettuce. Their latest is a foray into peppers. My pepper plants were chewed off a few times. Most recently, they were hacked beyond repair. I went to a local garden chain, Steins Garden and Gifts, to buy my replacements. Two days later, pepper plants purchased with peppers growing on them were hacked!!!!

It was war. As of this afternoon, we have a 2 foot fence of poultry wire around each garden bed. Though the bunnies can jump, there is enough other vegetation around that I don’t think they’ll be interested in the extra effort. Now, I might have a chance for some peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoes. The one thing that successfully has survived all attacks is my herb plot. With tarragon, oregano, cilantro, basil, parsley, chives, sage, rosemary, thyme and dill, the bed is absolutely flourishing. In fact, I need to spread some additional cilantro seeds down to ensure that I have leaves later in the season. Though Dale has the gene that leaves you feeling like you drank a bottle of dish detergent, I’ve started to really enjoy the verdant taste of cilantro.

Technorati Tags: Gardening, Herbs, Pests, Rabbits, Raised Bed, Vegetables