Nature

— To cook up all this zucchini. This is one week’s worth.

You’ve seen Monster Trucks. How about Monster Zucchinis?

Actually, it’s just one of my seed zucchinis from which I’ll save seeds for next year’s crop.

I’ve shared two of my favorite zucchini recipes here.

This is another family favorite.

It’s been about a month since I planted my garden.

Here’s how it started.

Here’s what it looks like one month later. What a little sun and rain will do, when you start with good dirt…

Without a wide-angle lens, I can’t get the whole thing in. But you get the idea.

So far, we’ve enjoyed Swiss Chard, Bok Choy, the usual lettuces, peas, snow peas, beets, all kinds of herbs (most of which I dry for use throughout the … Read More

With the cost of food skyrocketing, and the prices of organic produce off the charts, my garden experiment this year is to work toward growing enough food to feed my family for the year. Matron of Husbandry over at Throwback at Trapper Creek was the one who inspired me.

This year, I’ve more than doubled the size of my gardening space, as well as added several more fruit trees and bushes. Even with all that, I’ll need to increase my … Read More

It’s that time of year. The weather’s warming. The birds are nesting. The garden’s calling.

Cold weather crops are well underway.

Seedlings are put outside for a few hours a day to start hardening.

When they all come back inside, there’s hardly a flat surface free. Time to seriously think about the benefits of a small greenhouse.

Also time to double the garden size.

I’m seeing lots of hot showers for sore back muscles in my future.… Read More

Barbara Kingsolver brought the idea of locivore food growing and buying to the fore with her book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. In it, she speaks to the value of focusing on eating locally instead of using fossil fuel to transport food long distances.

While Kingsolver feels a moral and environmental obligation to do so, most people are starting to feel a financial obligation to do so. The price of fresh fruits and vegetables (especially organic) is … Read More