Archive for April, 2009

Making Rillettes

It’s funny how some posts draw comments… and what for…Like my post on spring salads prompted requests for the recipe of the potted meat I served with it!

Which, of course, one should rightly ask for the recipe, because it is simple, simply delicious, can be made well in advance, will keep in the fridge for [...]

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Postcard From The Woods

Actually not from the woods but from a very nice garden that was open during Virginia Historic Garden Week. But the dogwoods are blooming in the woods too - although the last couple of very hot days is shortening the bloom time. Other than that, it’s been a fabulous spring for dogwoods, rebuds, sassafras [...]

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Tis the Season

I know. I am supposed to post the recipe for Pork Rillettes. But I am too tired. It’s spring after all, with its myriad tasks: making new beds, planting like crazy, transplanting like there is no tomorrow, watching the chicken scratch through the weeds, weeding!, uppotting tomatoes, feverishly writing labels… and ah! yes! morels! from [...]

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Spring Luncheon

The secret is in the dressing.
Well, not really. The secret is a just-picked mix of lettuce and other greens such oak leaf-lettuce, Reine des Glaces, baby arugula, baby spinach, frisee, a few pea shoots, an asparagus or two (thinly sliced), sorrel, escarole, a smattering a baby mustard, flowering tips of kale and cabbage, a [...]

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Blooming Currants

Did you know red currants bloom as the same time as the cherries?
They do.
But unlike the billowy dreamy snowy cherry blossoms, the flowers of red currant are rather inconspicuous. One hardly notices them - especially with the explosion of greens and colors in the garden around the shrubs.

Still. As insignificant, small and greenish as they [...]

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Before The Rain

Before the rain is a good time to:
1. transplant Swiss chard

2. transplant lettuce

3. check on tomato seedlings in greenhouse. Sigh. Too early to transplant outside. BUT

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Start! part 2

This is the 2nd article of a 2 part-series geared at first-time would-be food gardeners (Read Part I here)

What should I plant?
Not so fast! (aren’t you getting tired with me saying this so often?)
Before you plant, you need a place to plant. We already discussed where. Now let’s discuss how.
Mid-April is late by all counts [...]

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Pushing Up!

Bow to the mighty asparagus!
The first ones are now tentatively pushing their rosy tip up - just checking on the above ground weather. Is last year holds true (and so far, it does, as after a few days of warm weather, we are back to cool - including below 32F (0C) at night), then the [...]

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A Beginner’s Guide To Starting Your Kitchen Garden

It’s heartening to hear so many people say they want to start growing some of their food. Many also say they are overwhelmed by what it seems to require - or have no idea how to start.

However, millions of people have been gardening for thousands of years. So, it can’t be that complicated. It’s just [...]

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Fragile Promises

Cherry blossoms in early April are incredibly lovely, aren’t they? and incredibly fragile. They open their snowy petals for pollinators to do their jobs when the chance of freeze or frost is still real and so one wonders: is this too early? will a frost come and wipe out this year’s crop? or will they [...]

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