The research is pretty conclusive that spending time outdoors is good for people. The fresh air, the sunlight, the chance to connect with our natural surroundings are all good for physical and mental health. But outdoor time is good for plants, too, as my mother demonstrated this summer. For a couple of years, she’s had a succulent dish that we…
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For the first time in 13 years, I have a bumper crop of usable Haralson apples off the tree in my yard. I credit it to good luck, the University of Minnesota and lots of bees. Here’s the story. I’ve had two apple trees in my yard for 13 years (the Haralson and a Connell Red) and I’ve barely harvested…
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My daughters grew up going to the Northfield Farmers’ Market. It was a highlight of many Friday mornings and often involved a bike ride, our baskets filled with vegetables on the way home and a treat from Martha’s Eats and Treats. So, it was no surprise when my eldest, now a Chicago-based editor, said, “I want you and Dad to…
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It has been damp this year, so mushrooms in the yard are not exactly a surprise. But I was a bit taken aback by the number and size of some of these mushrooms that appeared recently near our ash tree in the backyard. The tree is one of my favorites, but its branches were getting a little too close to…
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This spring, I bought some apple-mint plants at Ecogardens in Northfield. This is one of the prettiest mints I’ve grown and the flavor adds so much zest to beverages. Much of this summer I have been “mojito-ing” my iced teas, by muddling the apple-mint with sugar and then adding some lime juice. It’s an instant pickup in the middle of…
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