underlying all the cooking...

must be a community growing great food.



Portland is a lovely place for those of us who think about food, esp. growing food, too much!

Amazon.com Widgets

I have thought the same thing at times...

Just When You Thought it Couldn't Look Worse...

just when you thought things couldn't look worse in my front yard...

This was a few weeks ago actually, when a few of my friends got suckered into doing my work for me. In particular digging trenches and laying pvc pipe. Tod and Adam deserve special mention for their masterful construction of the valve assembly. Things are looking much better now and I hope to get grass in this weekend. I will post them soon. Thanks to Derek and Larry as well for the thankless tasks of digging trenches through countless roots.

Melons!

One of my favorite things to grow is melon. In particular, I like to grow cantaloupes. Highlighted in this picture is Prescott Fond Blanc, which is an antique heirloom from france. The cool thing is that you know when it is ripe because you can smell it in the garden. In my case, I probably could have waited an extra day or so for maximum ripeness, but still it was really tasty!

This makes me look forward to next year, when I will have more room for melons. It should be noted that I grow them on a trellis to save space.

The book that inspired me and is a great source of info and drooly good pictures can be found here

Just When You Thought it Couldn't Look Worse...

just when you thought things couldn't look worse in my front yard...

This was a few weeks ago actually, when a few of my friends got suckered into doing my work for me. In particular digging trenches and laying pvc pipe. Tod and Adam deserve special mention for their masterful construction of the valve assembly. Things are looking much better now and I hope to get grass in this weekend. I will post them soon. Thanks to Derek and Larry as well for the thankless tasks of digging trenches through countless roots.

Melons!

One of my favorite things to grow is melon. In particular, I like to grow cantaloupes. Highlighted in this picture is Prescott Fond Blanc, which is an antique heirloom from france. The cool thing is that you know when it is ripe because you can smell it in the garden. In my case, I probably could have waited an extra day or so for maximum ripeness, but still it was really tasty!

This makes me look forward to next year, when I will have more room for melons. It should be noted that I grow them on a trellis to save space.

The book that inspired me and is a great source of info and drooly good pictures can be found here

It Rained

Ok, I won't post EVERY time that it rains, but it is so unusual for us to have rain in September! It felt really good, and I always feel like I hear a sigh of relief from the plants all over the yard.

By the way, this is what it looks like when kids in So. Cal. confront a light drizzle. You might think we were facing a tropical storm.

It Rained

Ok, I won't post EVERY time that it rains, but it is so unusual for us to have rain in September! It felt really good, and I always feel like I hear a sigh of relief from the plants all over the yard.

By the way, this is what it looks like when kids in So. Cal. confront a light drizzle. You might think we were facing a tropical storm.

posted from the iPod

posted from the iPod

Looking Ahead to November Gardening

I wanted to remind myself about this broccoli that I want to grow this year. Not that I've had any success with broccoli. Maybe better luck this year. I will probably try to put it in the ground in Nov. This one seems worth the trouble as it is both high-heat tolerant, and has a loose head that is sweet and tasty.

cool broccoli

Looking Ahead to November Gardening

I wanted to remind myself about this broccoli that I want to grow this year. Not that I've had any success with broccoli. Maybe better luck this year. I will probably try to put it in the ground in Nov. This one seems worth the trouble as it is both high-heat tolerant, and has a loose head that is sweet and tasty.

cool broccoli

October Gardening

I am now getting really anxious to get the front yard done. I think that the reasons speak for themselves: piles of dirt and roots - not so attractive; the thin film of dust on the front porch and front of the house is getting old; but also, I am just dying to get the veggie beds going.

This article by Barbara Damrosch (of four season gardening fame) in her weekly column is just what I need as I refocus on getting the lawn done, so that I can get the veggie beds done. I am shooting for laying sod next weekend.

What her article reminds us is that October is a great time in the veggie garden. This is especially true in Southern California, where we can happily grow veggies year round. Heck, we can even grow TOMATOES in winter. But best of all are the cool weather crops, lettuces, greens, peas (especially peas!) and other. I will be putting in garlic and shallots, but those are harvested till next summer.

October Gardening

I am now getting really anxious to get the front yard done. I think that the reasons speak for themselves: piles of dirt and roots - not so attractive; the thin film of dust on the front porch and front of the house is getting old; but also, I am just dying to get the veggie beds going.

This article by Barbara Damrosch (of four season gardening fame) in her weekly column is just what I need as I refocus on getting the lawn done, so that I can get the veggie beds done. I am shooting for laying sod next weekend.

What her article reminds us is that October is a great time in the veggie garden. This is especially true in Southern California, where we can happily grow veggies year round. Heck, we can even grow TOMATOES in winter. But best of all are the cool weather crops, lettuces, greens, peas (especially peas!) and other. I will be putting in garlic and shallots, but those are harvested till next summer.

She's the standard-bearer

Ms. Waters, as if you didn't already know, is the leading the charge on so many of the issues that I care about with regards to food. Simple food, local food, school-yard gardens, etc., etc.

The NYTimes has a nice little profile of her on her new book tour. I haven't read it or even read much about it, but it looks cool, and it is definitely on my list now!

Here is a nice litte excerpt from the article:

It was a simple and beautiful thing.

Then she got up, sliced some peaches into a bowl with perfect late-season strawberries and blueberries she said reminded her of times she spent as a child in Maine. Over it all, she poured a syrup made by cooking down sugar, water and golden raspberries.

It was a hot day, so we headed into the air-conditioning to drink lemon verbena and mint tisane. She was sweaty, splattered and, she told me, quite happy to have been surrounded by good food all day. Because that’s how change starts.

“This kind of little gathering in the backyard is what reinforces our dedication,” she said. “That we can do something simply and easily with an unlikely group of people and all be in the same place because of the food on the table is how it happens.”

Yeah, that's pretty much the way I want my garden to go.

Worst Case Scenario...

I have no intention of going off the cliff like this guy:

She's the standard-bearer

Ms. Waters, as if you didn't already know, is the leading the charge on so many of the issues that I care about with regards to food. Simple food, local food, school-yard gardens, etc., etc.

The NYTimes has a nice little profile of her on her new book tour. I haven't read it or even read much about it, but it looks cool, and it is definitely on my list now!

Here is a nice litte excerpt from the article:

It was a simple and beautiful thing.

Then she got up, sliced some peaches into a bowl with perfect late-season strawberries and blueberries she said reminded her of times she spent as a child in Maine. Over it all, she poured a syrup made by cooking down sugar, water and golden raspberries.

It was a hot day, so we headed into the air-conditioning to drink lemon verbena and mint tisane. She was sweaty, splattered and, she told me, quite happy to have been surrounded by good food all day. Because that’s how change starts.

“This kind of little gathering in the backyard is what reinforces our dedication,” she said. “That we can do something simply and easily with an unlikely group of people and all be in the same place because of the food on the table is how it happens.”

Yeah, that's pretty much the way I want my garden to go.