Tag: Holistic gardening

  • Rain Drenched Orchard

    Rain Drenched Orchard

    To say that it’s been soggy lately would usher restraint and understatement into new chapters. Yesterday’s super saturating deluge came on the heels of day-after-day drizzles and downpours. This evening’s rain drenched orchard snapshots hint at some pros and cons of rain, rain, rain,… Let’s start with the lush tree foliage and grass. The verdant…

  • Hemerocallis Fulva

    Hemerocallis Fulva

    Hallelujah! The daylilies (Hemerocallis fulva) are blooming. That, THAT is the color and exuberance of early summer. Sometimes known as Fourth of July Daylilies because their bloom time (in the northeast) roughly corresponds to Independence Day, Hemerocallis fulva have begun to erupt into spectacular fireworks-esque blossoms about a week ahead of schedule. Must be the…

  • Heaven Can Wait

    Heaven Can Wait

    “Heaven can wait…” while we enjoy the inimitable crunch of June: French breakfast radishes! Remember when I asked if you were ready for radish time? Well, it’s upon us. Lots. Of. Radishes. French breakfast radishes, my favorite, to be precise. That slightly spicy, slightly sweet crunch is sooo satisfying. For breakfast. For lunch. For dinner.…

  • Ready for Radish Time?

    Ready for Radish Time?

    Spring-into-summer is a celebratory parade of gastronomic gateways. Nettles, ramps, fiddleheads, asparagus, rhubarb,… So many seasonal ingredients and tastes. And now it’s radish time! These early French Breakfast Radishes are almost impossibly delicious. Crisp and spicy. Uniquely refreshing. The French Breakfast Radish (Raphanus sativus) is [an] early summer classic — and perennial staple of Rosslyn’s…

  • High Tunnel Tomato Plants, Take Two

    High Tunnel Tomato Plants, Take Two

    Sometimes, when I’m trying to explain the many merits of gardening, I describe the cultivation of plants as a quasi-religious force in my life. Sincerely. Hyperbole? Perhaps, but there’s much in the practice of planting and sowing, cultivating and composting, even weeding and pruning and grafting that underpins my worldview, informs my optimism, and provides…

  • Artichoke Time Prequel

    Artichoke Time Prequel

    Just as there’s a time for asparagus (and tulips and dandelions and radishes and maple syrup and…) there’s a time for artichokes. As it’s only just beginning, today’s post is more of a prelude, an artichoke time prequel. Look at those healthy artichoke starts ready to transplant into Rosslyn’s garden! We were actually ready a…

  • Ready for Rhubarb Time?

    Ready for Rhubarb Time?

    Spring along the Adirondack Coast tempts us with plenty of enticing seasonal flavors, but a personal favorite is the sweet tart medley of local maple syrup and homegrown rhubarb. Although we’re still a little shy of rhubarb time, the maple syrup is standing by, and my imagination is conjuring up this springtime staple. It’s as…

  • Green Eggs and Ham

    Green Eggs and Ham

    As asparagus time begins yielding to rhubarb time (photo update soon!) I brainstorm asparagus recipes that I’ll lament overlooking once seasonality advances our homegrown ingredients. A vague recollection sends me filtering through old blog posts and then drafts of incomplete blog posts. I find notes started on May 14, 2014, and I know what my…

  • Giebel Garden Flashback

    Giebel Garden Flashback

    I apologize in advance for bypassing several timely updates on the icehouse rehabilitation progress. Sorry. I promise that they are coming soon. But there’s something about springtime, about gardening, about the promise of colorful blooms and produce that I’m finding too tempting to resist. And so I share with you what I’ll call a “Giebel…

  • Spargelzeit: Asparagus Time!

    Spargelzeit: Asparagus Time!

    Imagine for a moment enduring many, many months without fresh, homegrown produce. Tragic, right? Especially for a passionate gardener who loves to prepare and share garden-to-table fare for family and friends. Now you can stop imagining because this next part requires no imagination… It’s Spargelzeit! The word Spargel means asparagus and Zeit means time. The…

  • Green Zebras 1st in High Tunnel

    Green Zebras 1st in High Tunnel

    Green Zebra Tomatoes are first transplants of the season. Others to follow soon!

  • Cucumber Plants

    Cucumber Plants

    One of the most refreshing midsummer garden staples is the cucumber. Cuke. Cucumber. Refreshing no matter what you call it. I think we’re just about ready to start transplanting our spring-start cucumber plants into the high tunnel. But it’s a gamble. They won’t withstand frost. They will wilt and wither, and we will ring our…