It does not happen too often that I see something and have the instant, burning desire to own it. Yet when I first saw a terracotta rhubarb forcer in a magazine a few years ago I wanted one. Not only would it supply us with rhubarb from the garden several weeks earlier, the tall cloche just looked beautiful, like an ancient relic in the garden. Continue reading
cooking
One hot oven, two spreads
Starting to plan the garden (finally!) also means using up what’s in the freezer. And that contains several bags of frozen grated zucchini from last year’s bumper crop, more than I could possibly turn into zucchini pancakes without getting really tired of them. Continue reading
Chicken surprise
As we are hunkering down for record-breaking cold, it is wonderfully comforting and reassuring to look at the shelves stocked with jams and preserves and a freezer loaded with vegetables and fruit, most of it from the garden, the rest from local growers.
A few people have asked me lately, “What will you grow in your garden this year?” I have not given it any thought, and frankly, I don’t want to quite yet. I am still recovering from a long gardening and canning season. Continue reading
Five citron melons, five recipes
If I had lived in the 1950s, I might have asked my husband for a fur coat for winter. Now, in the 2010s, I am asking him for a root cellar to store the bounty from my garden over the winter. He has not given in yet but I’m working on it. Continue reading
Green Card Gardener 