Every year I force bulbs into blooming to brighten the dull days of winter. Alex delights in the ‘dominance over nature’ implied by forcing but Lil and I just love watching things grow. This year, our bulbs became a science project for Lil. Lil chose several paper white narcissus and one amaryllis bulbs from our favorite local nursery, Oakland Park. Fancy-grade amaryllis can be very pricey but the $6 version thrill kids just as well [...]

This little hellebore from our deadly garden is blooming about four months ahead of time. Perhaps it has the religious holiday seasons mixed up, as hellebore typically blooms when Lent begins, not during Advent.

Who says a late autumn garden is dull and brown? Ours is hanging on to some color with rainbow swiss chard and greens, some of which self seeded when I neglected to pull the flowering mustard green plants. Austra the Australorp chicken regrew her jet-black feathers after molting and her comb is starting to redden up. On yesterday’s unseasonably warm evening, the sunset was full of bright hues too. Surely the color will fade or [...]

l to r: pimento, Jimmy Nardello, pepperoncini, purple beauty Last year, sexy tomatoes stole my heart. 2011 is the year of pretty homegrown peppers.   Added to 5 Minutes for Mom and Wordless Wednesday.

Every year I commit to growing something completely new to me. This year, that distinction went to sesame. I sprinkled seeds, liberated from Franklin Park Conservatory, in rich soil in mid May. They sprouted and grew to three feet tall. A string of pentagonal buds formed into sweet white flowers. Below the flowers, strings of five pointed pods grew around the stem. The pods are swollen and dark green now. In time they will dry [...]

Mmmm…cornichons. Oh…gherkins. I like to say your names. I love how your vinegary taste and crunchy texture excite the palette, especially in between bites of rich charcuterie. The tiny cucumbers needed to make cornichons are difficult to find raw. To fulfill my homemade pickle desires, I did what any self-respecting homestead would do: grow my own. I started with Parisian Pickling Cucumber seeds from Seed Savers Exchange. Last year the plants grew a little and [...]

I am a mad woman harvesting Parisian pickling cucumbers every morning and night. I want them at exactly 2-3 inches in length to make into cornichons. Too small and they aren’t worth processing. Much larger and the skin is bitter. But try as I might, little cukes camouflage themselves under umbrella green leaves. Seemingly overnight, they turn into big honkin’ cucumbers. They can’t be eaten raw and will not make pleasant pickles with thick sharp [...]