Tag: Organic Gardening
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Legume Levity
You know the rhyme about “beans, beans, the musical fruit,…” But do you know that legume levity is not limited to toots and tunes? Today we turn to our favorite upright gardening crop, asparagus beans. We grow heirloom asparagus beans (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis) also known as Chinese long beans, yardlong beans, snakes beans, and…
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La Pomme d’Amour
Today I return to an idea from recent post, “Intermingling”, but with a Taos twist. What, you wonder, is a pomme d’amour? And what could it possibly have to do with a high desert town in the southwest? Both good questions. And here’s another. Aside from the similarly staged snapshot in the previous post and…
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Jumbo Blackberry
This evening, walking to the house before dinner, my niece handed me a blackberry she’d picked in the garden. it was enormous. The biggest I’ve ever seen. And, without thinking, I popped the jumbo blackberry into my mouth. It exploded in flavor, like a fistful of normal sized blackberries, warmed by the sun. An explosion…
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Persimmon Optimism
It’s that time of year again. Midsummer. The garden and orchard are lush. Or mostly lush. A young whitetail deer mowed through many of the green beans, some of the Swiss chard, and a whole lot of spinach a few days ago. And the poppies are struggling. Perhaps over-seeded. Perhaps too much rain. Perhaps both.…
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Chilled Dairy Free Broccoli Soup
It’s been a hot and steamy Independence Day weekend so far. When we entertained family last night I wanted to prepare something light and garden-fresh to transition into dinner. With the first crop of our Brassica oleracea var. italica succession crop ready to eat, we opted for a chilled dairy free broccoli soup. Let’s begin…
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First Poppies of Summer
Yesterday’s nod to Hemerocallis Fulva, notwithstanding, my floral fondness for Papavers is an open secret. Who am I kidding? It’s no secret at all! So I brimmed with jubilation when Pam surprised me today, with our first poppies of summer. I was euphoric! And so a spontaneous haiku was born… Summer’s First Poppies Summer’s first…
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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…
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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.…
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West Elevation Doorway Installed
I’m thrilled to showcase the icehouse’s west facade with new double doors flanked with full-height side lites. What a transformation. With the west elevation doorway installed we’re approaching the point where reality resembles Tiho’s renderings. Remember that west elevation drawing Tiho created to help the team visualize where we were headed? The image below captures…
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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…
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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…