- A collection of career items I found interesting this week.
- Book Review: Understanding Garden Design – April 7, 2011
- Drought-tolerant garden workshops, plant sales for inland residents – April 5, 2011 – More great gardening indo from The Dry Garden.
- How to Turn a Pallet into a Garden – April 4, 2011 – This looks like a fun project to try, especially for those with limited space like a balcony. I could see growing strawberries on something like this rather than a strawberry pot.
- A Guide for California Wildflower Lovers – April 4, 2011 – It is wildflower time and time to get out into the mountains. This is an excellent collection of links to California State Park information.
- Datebook: Events, exhibits, classes for the week ahead – April 4, 2011
- White Cheddar, Asparagus, & Ham Frittata – April 3, 2011
This photo from Flickr is a great reminder that Spring (and Summer) are on their way. Hang in there!
Via Flickr:
© Ben Heine || Facebook || Twitter || www.benheine.com
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A sunflower field I captured near Sarlat in France
The above photo has been shot with the Samsung NX10
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For more information about my art: info@theartistery.com
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Sweet Message
A poem by Katie Gabrielle
sunny flower in my garden
may I speak
I beg your pardon!
you fill the air with
joy and love
a beauty
from heaven above
children count
your petals many
until soon
there just
ain’t any!
come again another time
your sweet message
is sublime
I wrote a few days ago, and made the Grass video, about the overgrown grass that was taking over the front garden. Today, I spent about a half hour focusing on one section of those paths. Applying my 10-minute Gardener methodology (LAUGH) I selected just one small section to attack today. I wasn’t going to try and do everything, just this one small part of the pathways. This served me well as I was able to see a big difference with just a little work.
In the past, I have used my Loop Hoe
I was able to combine this project with one other, too. I have meaning to pull the flagstones from these paths for years. They aren’t really needed and tend to disappear under the leaf mold. As I pull the grass from each section, I am also pulling up these flagstones to be used elsewhere in the garden. I plan on refurbishing the short walls in the back garden (which were made from discarded concrete refuse) and I think topping it with the flags might dress it up a bit.
Looking at the pictures below, I think you will see that this cleanup was pretty effective. I will most likely proceed the same way with the rest of the paths. Looking over how much I cleared today, though, I probably have another 8-10 hours of work ahead of me — unless I can get the wife and boy to lend a hand.
Click for large images
Roses in April 2011
A winner has been chosen in our book giveaway contest for March. Facebook Fan Page member Minibox Farm has been selected randomly from the list of members from the Gardener’s Notebook Fan Page.
Join the Fan Page and watch the blog here for upcoming giveaways.
Review: Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce by Cathy Thomas
I love when someone puts the iPhone to good use. Here is one that uses the Internet access, camera and GPS to help your explore your world.
Project Noah is directed at kids, but I think anyone would find it interesting. You take photos and tag plants and wildlife along your travels and share them with other Project Noah users. Having trouble with identification? No problem, post it anyway and let the community help you figure it out.
Project Noah App Lets You Learn About Nearby Wildlife and Provide Worthy Research Yourself: “Project Noah App Lets You Learn About Nearby Wildlife and Provide Worthy Research Yourself
Kat Hannaford — This could be an app that makes you relinquish control of your iPhone and see the nearest kid around you begin a lifelong journey in wildlife appreciation. The free Project Noah app lets you snap photos of a plant or animal and submit it to find out details on exactly what it is, and what it’s good for.”
(Via Gizmodo.)
- A collection of career items I found interesting this week.
- Blanche Vaughan's perfect spring raddicciho rissotto – March 30, 2011 – I am always a sucker for risotto and this sounds like a great variation on the 2 we already make. I am not a big vegetable eater, but I do like radicchio in salads so I think it would be fine here.
- How to Turn a Pallet into a Garden – March 25, 2011
- How the iPad 2 Glass Bends to Incredibly Extreme Angles [Video] – March 25, 2011 – This looks like a fun project to try, especially for those with limited space like a balcony. I could see growing strawberries on something like this rather than a strawberry pot.
- Seven things to plant in your parkway that are better than turf – March 25, 2011
- Book The Dry Garden: 'Reimagining the California Lawn' – March 25, 2011 – I will try and catch up with the authors as they make their tour nearby. I could use a lot of advice like this in sprucing up my own garden.
You don’t have to be a proponent of survivalist training to understand the joys of preserving what food you are giving so you can enjoy it later, usually when the food would not be available otherwise. Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It runs the gamut of preserved foods. The title says it all and then you add in salad dressing recipes, beverages, candy and more.
As with most food books I read, this one has many paper markers sticking out of the binding. There are many things I plan on trying, given half a chance. The section on making your own butter and cheese caught my eye immediately. I have been exploring making my own cordials and hard cider, so a little cheese to go along with them would be a great next steps. Of course, as harvest time arrives this year, I will be well prepared to save some of the abundant fruit for those long Winter nights in the form of jams and jellys.
Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It by Karen Solomon from Amazon.com
I first heard of this book from Eric Rochow over at Gardenfork.tv. He followed some of the recipes for making his own cheeses.
How to make cheese, ricotta cheese, queso blanco: Gardenfork.tv
Product Description from Amazon.com
Do you relish the joys of hot toast spread with your own homemade butter and jam? Love to dazzle your friends with jars and tins of choice goodies–all created by you? The kitchen is a paradise for crafty cooks, and whether you’re a newcomer to the realm of amateur artisanal edibles or a seasoned food crafter on the prowl for your next batch of appetizing challenges, Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It has recipes galore for you (75, to be exact).
Projects range from perfect pantry staples (Butter, Crackers, Pasta) to festive giftables (Toasted Walnut Brandy, Lemon Curd, Peanut Butter Cups); some give quick gratification (Mayonnaise, Rumkirschen, Potato Chips), while others reward patience (Gravlax, Ricotta Salata, Kimchee). Practical prep-ahead and storage instructions accompany each recipe, several give variations (like Caramelized Onion and Thyme Butter–yum), and most share ideas on how to use it, serve it, and give it away.
Complete with color photographs and the accumulated wisdom of author Karen Solomon’s years of food crafting, Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It is your one-stop resource for turning your culinary inspiration into a pantry full of hand-labeled, better-than-store-bought creations
Karen Solomon is a food and lifestyle writer and veteran culinary tinkerer and food crafter. She is the author of The Cheap Bastard’s Guide to San Francisco, a contributor to San Francisco magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle, and a former editor and columnist for the San Francisco Bay Guardian. She has also contributed to Chow! San Francisco Bay Area, the SF Zagat Guide, and dozens of Bay Area and national publications. She lives with her partner, son, and food-focused dachshund in (you guessed it) San Francisco, California. Reach her at www.ksolomon.com.
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