My Brother’s Garden

Hey Internet, Remember when I helped my brother make a container garden on his balcony? Behold, it LIVES! He’s done really, really well for someone with almost no interest in gardening only a few months ago. I was concerned that I had overwhelmed him with plants through my own enthusiasm and that he wouldn’t be

Give Me Tomatoes

Above image is the July entry from the 2008 You Grow Girl Calendar I LOVE tomatoes. If I had to give up growing all other crops and choose just one I would probably choose tomatoes although basil would follow as a close second. Who can imagine tomatoes without basil? Don’t make me choose. Tomatoes aren’t

Things I Learned While Camping

Homesteading — the kind that involved living in tents and no machinery — was terribly difficult. I’m sure of it. Of course I already knew this, camping merely drove that point home in a new way. Simple tasks take longer, requiring more planning. Who wants tea? Well, first you’ve got to make a fire. This

And the Winner Is….

….‘Beaver Lodge Slicer’. Although I can’t be absolutely certain since I discovered some ripe ‘Green Grape’ tomatoes hidden beneath their foliage later that evening. We ate those straight-away before I could be bothered to get out a camera. The ‘Beaver Lodge Slicers’ were delicious on a fried egg sandwich with basil. I don’t have anything

Waiting for Potatoes

A lot of exciting things have been happening in the gardens these days. With summer fully underway I have been harvesting all sorts of goodies. There are new discoveries everyday. Yet none have garnered quite the reaction as when I stuck my right arm into the soil, moved it around a bit and pulled out

Cherry Clafoutis

I have a longer post about my trip to Columbus, Ohio coming up but until then a station break about cherry season. It’s on! While I was away Davin went cherry picking just for me, bringing home a giant basket of fresh deliciousness. Picking that basket was preceded by a 13 km hike. What a

Wild Front Garden

Check out this wild front garden I came upon yesterday afternoon. On just a glance I can identify a couple of poppy varieties, calendula, bachelors buttons (aka cornflower), cosmos, and a host of attractive weeds. I just can’t see myself dedicating the space to a wild garden of flowers, preferring to fill up that sunny

Vegan Almond Strawberry Jellie

I have to admit that I made this dessert BEFORE realizing that it was red and white, the perfect Canada Day summer treat. Americans can add blueberries for July 4. I came up with the idea ages ago and then waited in anticipation for strawberry season to hit so I could try it out. I

Roof Garden, Slightly Less Chaos

Click the image to see full-size. This is a panoramic of the roof garden taken just this week. There are a lot more plants out there then I was able to get into a composite. Unfortunately with the gazebo top on I could not shoot the photos from above, perched high up on a ladder

There WILL Be Onions

I am still working on getting warm season transplants into the community garden plot. I’m still working on same on the roof for that matter. I was a little gun shy this spring, following on the heels of last year’s June 5 Curcubit killing cold snap. While that didn’t happen this year, I was relieved

An Edible Bouquet: Chive Blossoms

I came up with this idea while on assignment for Budget Living magazine. The idea was approved but sadly the magazine folded shortly thereafter and I was never able to see this concept to fruition. The editor had asked me to come up with something for wedding season, a request that kind of made me

Rhubarb/Apple/Strawberry/Ginger Crisp

Rhubarb has come into season here in the cold north, and while I can’t say I’m much of a fan, my spouse is — I suppose its only fair that he gets to have something he likes every once and a while. I’ve never grown rhubarb so I can’t tell you much about how to