Monthly Archives: August 2011

Grape Juice the Color of a Jewel

This season has been terrible for most summer annuals – tomatoes, peppers, squash, and the like – but fantastic for the small fruits in the garden.  Blueberries, gooseberries, lingonberries, and currants have all been ridiculously productive, and I even harvested … Continue reading

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Ramps Probably Won’t Grow Here

New seeds arrived in the mail yesterday from Seedman.com.  Chinese Hackberry (Celtis sinensis),Chinese Leeks (Allium tuberosum rottler), Juneberry (Amelanchier alnifolia), and Ramps (Allium tricoccum).  I believe I’m way outside the natural range of ramps, and I have no doubt that … Continue reading

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Of Claimers and Disclaimers and Wild Plants

I’m reading Samuel Thayer’s excellent guide to edible wild plants, Nature’s Garden.  Not only is it a lovely book, full of wonderful photos and informative text, but the very first pages, consisting of a Warning followed by a Claimer (as … Continue reading

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Seeding Fall and Winter Vegetables

Seeds planted today: Broccoli (Calabrese) Mustard (Gai Choy/Giant Red Mustard) Collards (Georgia) Kohlrabi (Early White Vienna) Arugula (Rocket Salad/Coltivata Do Orto) Egyptian Spinach – Molokheiya (Corchorus olitorius) Lettuce (Black Seeded Simpson, Paris Island Cos, Bibb and Red Oak Leaf) Ruby … Continue reading

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Foraging vs. Harvesting

I like foraging (which here I’ll define as wandering around the garden, picking this and that and eating it) much better than I like harvesting, which usually is usually a hot, mosquito-ridden endeavor that involves a bowl, bucket or some … Continue reading

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Of Butterflies and Bulbils

Instead of making seeds, shallots, like some other Alliums, produce bulbils – essentially tiny little shallots – at the end of their flower stalks.  The heavy cluster of bulbils at the end of the long flower stalk will eventually fall … Continue reading

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Shower Time for the Red-breasted Nuthatch

This Red-breasted Nuthatch and its partner (parent? child? mate?) spent quite a while enjoying the gentle overhead sprinkler this morning.  This one sat on a pole bean support directly underneath the falling water, preening and cleaning, and the other, inspired … Continue reading

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