Tip of the Day: Planting Seeds

When starting seeds that will eventually be planted in the ground come Spring, use biodegradable Jiffy strips that can be put right into the ground with the seedling when it’s time.  Plants that grow in these pots have much stronger root systems as a result of having to grow through the cardboard material and you’re eliminating the waste that comes with planing in the cheap plastic seed trays.

Simply label the pods with a permanent marker then plant away!  When it’s time to harden them off and move them into the ground, you’ll be glad you did as you grow strong, healthy plants!

In Print: Clips from Food Sections

5. - The Boston Globe The Equation for a New You “Not willpower, but “habit change” is the new key to weight loss. After all, a little effort goes a long way.”

4. - The Chicago Tribune Putting Flavor Back Into Pork “One could say pork’s gotten a bit of a bad rep in the past decade. That’s unless you count pork belly, which has caused a culinary stir. But take your typical pork chop: Cook it slightly too long, and your “other white meat” suddenly becomes the “other gray meat,” a dry, tough mess that’s now your dinner.”

3. - The LA Times Grown-up Lunches that Pack a Punch “Just because the expense-account lunch is largely a thing of the past doesn’t mean that you can’t still enjoy the meal, even celebrate it. Instead of depending on the kindness of menus, use a little homespun imagination. Thinking outside the lunch box is probably the best way of getting anything good inside it.”

2. – The NY Times Fresh Start for a New Year? Let’s Begin in the Kitchen “…if your goal is to cook and cook quickly, to get a satisfying and enjoyable variety of real food on the table as often as possible, a well-stocked pantry and fridge can sustain you. Replenished weekly or even less frequently, with an occasional stop for fresh vegetables, meat, fish and dairy, they are the core supply houses for the home cook.”

1. – The Washington Post On the Road for Change “Daniel Bowman Simon and Casey Gustowarow didn’t really have a plan when they set off on a cross-country drive in a topsy-turvy school bus with herbs, greens and root vegetables planted on the roof. But they didn’t think they needed one. Their cause seemed so pure, so obviously righteous: to persuade the next president of the United States to grow food on the White House lawn.”

photo from The Washington Post

Easy Tomato Salad

Out of avoidance of the grocery store during “rush hour” (you know what I am talking about – the swamped aisles when everyone’s just left work and is buying everything just because their hungry after a long day), I whipped together this healthy tomato salad for dinner last night.

The recipe is simple… Tomatoes from the garden, a drizzle of olive oil, thinly sliced red onion, a crumbling of feta and some fresh basil.

Enjoy!

Squash as Noodles?

You bet! This is a delicious way to prepare summer’s most abundant vegetable… ZUCCHINI! I don’t know about you, but when planting my little seedlings in the Spring, I always seem to forget just how much one zucchini plant will yield and August brings weeks of just trying to give the stuff away!

Zucchini Noodles

A couple of zucchini from the garden
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.

In the meantime, use a mandoline (or if you have mad knife skills, by hand) julienne the zucchini into matchstick-sized strips.

When water has reached a rolling boil, add zucchini noodles and let cook for 2-3 minutes or until just tender.  Remove from water and immediately toss with butter, lemon zest and Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Winners of Bee Tees

We’re a bit slammed with a couple of recipe testings over here and will announce the winners later today – in the mean time, check out this amazing picture of a zinnia and a bumble bee from my garden!

Fabulous Finds: Tubtrugs

When searching for gardening gadgets that make pesky tasks like weeding more fun, I came across Tubtrugs. Indispensable, durable and brightly colors, these flexible “buckets” make so many chores around the house and garden so much easier. From hauling top soil for house plants, to carrying weeds, storing cut flowers, tubtrugs have a wide-range of uses (click here for some really interesting ones).

Though they hail from England, they are available in the US from Gardener’s Supply for $12.95 and up.

Tips & Tricks for Terrific Tomatoes

As of the most ubiquitous and best-loved vegetables, it’s hard to beat the taste and scent of sun-ripened tomatoes (the ones in the grocery store are usually artificially ripened) and the best way to satisfy the craving is to plant them at home! Here are a couple of tips and tricks for terrific tomatoes!

Start with healthy plants – If growing from seed or purchasing plants from your local garden center, you want to transplant the short and stocky plants. The greater the girth of the main stem, the better! This means they’ve established a better root system and will grow much stronger after being transplanted outside.

How to: Grow Hydrangeas

Susan Poneman, owner and head floral designer of Heavenly Hydrangeas Floral Design has shared five tips for keeping your hydrangeas happy in the DC area.

Plant properly. Hydrangeas love well-drained soil, rich in organic matter. THE most important step for successful growth and showy flowers for hydrangeas is to prepare your soil well and properly. Our DC area clay soil must be amended with peat moss and compost or other organic matter. Buy a bag of each at your local nursery (American Plant Food on River Road is a great source) and mix the two together in a bucket or wheel barrow. Or if you have a compost pile, perfect to use. Select a location that receives some sun or alot of sun. My 70+ bushes are in full sun. (There are some varieties that are shade tolerant but most like some sun during the day.) After digging your hole (does not have to be 3x the size of the root ball – I have never done that and my hydrangeas are heavenly!), add some of this clay to your peat moss + compost mixture. Pour some of this mixture into the hole. This is hard work and messy so make sure to drink alot of water and wear old cloths/shoes. Then place your hydrangea plant in the hole. Fill the surrounding area in with you peat moss + organic matter mixture to cover the root ball completely. Pat down lightly to hold in place but do not smother it. Plants need air. Then turn your hose on to a very very slow trickle and place it at the stem and leave it there to soak for an hour or so. If you would like to put some mulch on the top, that will help retain water and keep the roots cooler. Or you can use dried leaves – the perfect, natural mulch.

A Garden Bouquet

Everything in that mason jar came straight out of my Newark Street Community Garden. There are arugula flowers, Icelandic poppies and peonies. Whimsical fresh from the garden arrangements like this are one of my favorite ways to display flowers.

Oh, Deer!

However precious they may be, deer can be pests when they make up their minds to devour your garden!

There are several ways to deter deer from making a meal of your plants. If adequate fencing is not a possibility, I suggest planting flowers, bushes, and shrubs that are not appetizing to our four-legged friends and to avoid certain proven deer-attracting plants! A hungry deer may be hard to deter, but giving it a less appealing options is a sure-fire way to decrease the likelihood that your lovely garden suddenly becomes a cafeteria.

First, let’s start by what is on a deer’s menu. Roses, azalea, rhododendron, yew, day lillies, pansies, and tulips (which, unfortunately, happen to be some of my favorites!) are all deer-friendly.

Luckily, there are plenty of options that are far more deer-resistant! Some options for trees, shrubs, and vines are boxwoods, junipers, Japanese cedars, American holly, magnolias, and wisteria.

Annuals and perrenials that are fairly deer-proof include herbs such as sage, thyme, and lavender, as well as jack-in-the-pulpits, lily of the valleys, marigolds, columbine, snap dragons, and oriental poppies.

If all else fails, some gardeners swear that “Irish Spring” soap is an effective deer-repellent. Though I have not tried it myself, hanging a bar from a shrub couldn’t hurt!