The following travelogue has little to do with the purpose of this blog.  I expect only my lurkers (I know you’re out there) and grandmother to read this post.  But if you want to know in great detail about our recent trip to southern California, here goes: Wednesday, August 26, 2009: I dropped off Lil at Alex’s parents, flew through CMH and ORD and arrived at LAX in the afternoon.  I rented a car by [...]

While it is probably clear to long term readers, we have never described in detail our no man-made chemicals garden practice.  Sometimes we describe our garden as organic for ease of description, but we don’t even use organic chemicals and are certainly not registered by an organic licensing body. Our vegetables and fruits grow in garden compost, water, sun, and soil.  That’s it.  Once this year, when the kale was infested with aphids, we considered [...]

This morning I venture out to California to meet with Alex, already there conducting some business audits. California is special to us because just after we were married in December of 2000, we moved to Monterey.  Alex was stationed there learning Russian at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) for the Army Reserves. We moved back to Ohio in July of the 2001 to finish our college education but our hearts and marriage are forever linked [...]

Many garden novices seem to be overwhelmed at the time investment in gardening.  I can tell you it doesn’t take that much time, but I finally realized I need to quantify it. So last week, I recorded every moment spent in the garden.  I chose mid-August because it is a typically busy time – weeding, watering, planting, and harvesting all call out for attention.   If any time is busier, it might be spring, when beds [...]

I put in six hours at the kitchen today.  My work was measured in quarts and pints; four and twenty one, respectively. It started with these fifty pounds of organic tomatoes from Green Edge Gardens.  (Daughter pictured above is only thirty eight pounds.) Then my friend Sarah and I chopped and sauced.  Thank you Sarah not only for your help but for bringing your sons to entertain Lillian. Next was the canning. And finally, pints [...]

Herbs are big and bushy around Central Ohio right now, which means it’s time to think about drying some for the winter. Many people also grow herbs inside and we’ll certainly try that, but indoor gardening remains difficult for me. Here’s how I dry big leafed herbs like basil, oregano and mint: 1) Pick whole stalk (or buy from the farmer’s market) 2) Wash and pat dry 3) Hang by clothes pins on the clothes [...]

When I was co-leading the Freezer to Table class at Wild Goose last weekend I realized that we completely missed the first step in produce preservation: proper storage of raw fruits and vegetables. Many foods can be preserved in their raw state for a long time if done at the right temperature and humidity.  Here are tips for extending the life of your fresh local foods, whether from your garden, farmer’s market, or CSA: ~Eggs: [...]