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Category Archives: Fruits and Vegetables
The Northern Heartland Kitchen
A Gardener’s Reading, 22 of 30 By Beth Dooley (University of Minnesota Press, 2011) I mentioned in an earlier review that I was hoping to get a copy of The Northern Heartland Kitchen, a new seasonal, local cookbook from the … Continue reading
Edible Gardening in the Midwest
A Gardener’s Reading, 21 of 30 By Colleen Vanderlinden and Alison Beck (Lone Pine Press, 2009) If you are scrambling for a last-minute gift for a young or would-be vegetable gardener, here’s an inexpensive, helpful option. Canada-based Lone Pine Press … Continue reading
Posted in A Gardener's Reading, Fruits and Vegetables
Tagged Colleen Vanderlinden, how-to grow, Inthegardeneonline, Midwest, vegetables
1 Comment
Berry Lover’s Cookbook (and Other Veg Favorites)
A Gardener’s Reading, eighth of 30 By Lee and Shayne Fisher (Golden West Publishing, 2000) I can’t remember when I picked up this thin cookbook. It’s simple and not at all fancy. But if you cook and you grow a … Continue reading
Finally, a Tomato — and a Correction
I harvested my first tomato yesterday, finally. It’s a Martino’s Roma tomato from Seed Savers Exchange, one of several paste tomatoes that I planted in hopes of having a huge harvest to freeze, can and dry. Given the green fruit … Continue reading
Posted in Bees, Fruits and Vegetables
Tagged sonicating bees, tomato blossom drop, tomatoes
1 Comment
Tomato Harvest Down? Blame the Heat
A recent string of comments on the University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener listserv answered a question I’ve been wondering about: Why do my tomato plants look so stellar and yet have very few fruits? The short answer is blame … Continue reading
Planting Peas with the Peepers
This morning while walking the dog around the ponds near our house, I heard a chorus of squeaks and peeps. The spring peepers are finally singing. This is late for them, but within the range of when peepers herald spring. … Continue reading
Posted in Fruits and Vegetables, Seasons
Tagged phenology, spring peepers, when to plant peas
1 Comment
It’s Pruning Time!
Yesterday was a gorgeous afternoon, with intermittent sun, temperatures in the 50s and that delightful smell of spring in the air. In other words, it was a perfect day to prune. February and March are generally considered the best time … Continue reading
Posted in Fruits and Vegetables, Shrubs and Trees
Tagged apple trees, pruning, pruning fruit trees, Thorn Crest Farm
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Winter Sowing Tomatoes
I’ve used the winter-sowing method for starting perennials from seed ever since Northern Gardener ran Michelle Mero Riedel’s article about the success she has had with the method. Briefly, winter sowing involves planting seeds in damp potting soil in mini-greenhouses, … Continue reading
Posted in Fruits and Vegetables, Seed starting
Tagged Michelle Mero Riedel, seed starting, winter sowing
2 Comments
Old is New Again: Choosing Heirloom Seeds
This year, I took a different approach to choosing vegetable seeds for my garden. I decided to go almost entirely to heirloom or older variety vegetables. While hybrid seeds are known for their disease-resistance and large harvests, the people I … Continue reading
Posted in Fruits and Vegetables
7 Comments
Checking the Larder, and Squash Waffles
As we hit the end of January (woo-hoo!!), it seemed a good time to check on the garden goodies I stored away for winter and see how we were doing at eating things up. This fall, my husband and I … Continue reading
Posted in Canning and Preserving, Fruits and Vegetables, Recipes
Tagged preserving, recipes, squash, waffles
2 Comments