Category Archives: Fruits and Vegetables

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Mary Schier

It’s rhubarb season here, which means thinking of lots of ways to use those tart stalks. Growing up, both of my daughters loved rhubarb sauce with yogurt, and rhubarb muffins are also delicious. Strawberries and rhubarb go really well together, … Continue reading →

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Filling My Salad Bowl

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Mary Schier

Earlier this week, I had my first vegetable harvest—some lovely leaves from my three lettuce-bowl gardens, dressed with a ranch-style dressing spiced up with snips of chives and parsley from the yard. I love the taste of home-grown leaf lettuce, … Continue reading →

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How to Build a Garden Low Tunnel (for Free)

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Mary Schier

Like many Minnesota gardeners, I’m getting itchy to put some plants in the soil. I have lettuces and greens under lights in the basement and some tomato seeds planted, but not yet germinated, in a warmer spot upstairs, but that’s … Continue reading →

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Will Green Tomatoes Ripen on the Counter?

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Mary Schier

I got a chuckle out of yesterday’s gardening column in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, in which garden writer Bonnie Blodgett bemoaned her difficulties getting green tomatoes to ripen indoors. I’ve also struggled with that issue, but am having better … Continue reading →

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From Garden to Kitchen

Posted on October 6, 2012 by Mary Schier

I came into gardening through the kitchen door. I loved to cook long before I began gardening, and while my yard does have a lot of annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees, the plants that I feel most attached to are … Continue reading →

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Hanging Tomatoes to Extend the Garden Season

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Mary Schier

For many northern gardeners, the recent bouts with frost have come too soon. I don’t want to say good-bye to my flowers yet, and I have dozens of green tomatoes still on the vine. When a light frost struck the … Continue reading →

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My Raspberry Picking Apparatus

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Mary Schier

It’s that time of year! The fall-bearing raspberries in our backyard are getting ripe and soon I will be picking everyday. Picking can get tedious, but a tip I learned from one of my fellow University of Minnesota Extension Master … Continue reading →

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Blueberry Jam/Jelly Recipe

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Mary Schier

I make about 20 half-pints of jams and jellies each year, some of which we eat and some of which we give away. One of the more appreciative recipients of my jamming efforts is my dad, who often enjoys a … Continue reading →

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Making the Berry Calculation

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Mary Schier

We love berries around my house, but I only grow one kind, and it’s a calculated decision. Here’s the calculation: Reward – work = to grow or not. The imaginary solution to this equation must be positive. I thought about … Continue reading →

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Cherry Season: It’s All Over But the Pie

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Mary Schier

This spring I blogged several times about my ‘Bali’ cherry tree and my efforts to prevent the blossoms from freezing during our warm/cold/warm/cold April. I’m happy to report that many of the cherries did survive and, in some ways, I … Continue reading →

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