What is it? Garlic scapes are the magical-wand-like flower shoots of the garlic plant. They emerge in late spring and contain a small bud that will become a flower if left on the plant. Many farmers, including me, prefer to cut the scapes away. The theory is that instead of the garlic spending energy growing the allium blossom, it will focus on the bulb. The scape is edible at this early age. Many farmers include [...]

Rising temperatures find home cooks looking for low-heat meal options. Gazpacho is a refreshing choice that requires only the use of your blender. This version was made with what I had on hand during late spring: last year’s home canned home grown tomatoes, garlic scapes, fresh cilantro, and store bought jalapeno. Later in the season, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh peppers would make great ingredients. The process couldn’t be simpler: blend together clean vegetables and [...]

Snow falls on garlic. Gardeners learn that fall sprouts precede best harvest.

This weekend was a blur of summer fading to fall.  I put three garden beds to rest, including harvesting peppers and green tomatoes, pulling out honeysuckle and ivy creeping around the fence, and adding to our massive compost heap. In discussion last night we decided to take advantage of low mortgage interest rates at our favorite credit union.  We hope to sell our Honda Fit and buy a mid 90s Civic or similar, using the [...]

We cook with garlic almost every day.  Did you know that garlic is simple to grow and so delicious when picked right from your yard?  It is! The hardest part of growing garlic is that you must plan ahead.  Garlic needs to be planted in the fall, overwintered in the ground, and then harvested in mid summer. To grow garlic, first you need a space in the garden.  Garlic only needs to be spaced about [...]

Way back in the fall, we started the bulb vegetable journey by planting some garlic cloves.  Because they were already growing in our onion bin, there was really no downside to planting them to see if they would grow. Alex thought shallots would be fun too so he bought some starts and planted those alongside some onion sets in a raised bed. I never expected how pleasant and easy they would be to grow.  Requiring [...]