by Geoff | May 31, 2012 | CobraHead, Gardening
Earlier this month I attended the Texas State Master Gardener Conference in San Antonio. The master gardeners had a new cold hardy satsuma, “Orange Frost”, available. This satsuma variety will not be commercially available until 2014. What makes Orange Frost cold hardy in places like Austin is that unlike most satsumas, it is not grafted. So if a hard freeze in Austin kills the top growth down to the ground, the re-growth in the spring will be true...
by Geoff | May 24, 2012 | Events, Gardening
Back from the Garden Blogger’s Fling in Asheville, North Carolina; great gardens in a beautiful setting. I saw way too much to try and put into one overview, so I’m going to highlight ideas that I got from several of the places that inspired me in a short series of posts. Wamboldtopia is the creation of Damaris and Ricki Pierce. Besides being gardeners, Damaris is an artist, artoflife.com and Ricki a stone mason, RockPirate.com. Their entire garden impressed...
by Geoff | May 15, 2012 | CobraHead
We want a photo of you using the CobraHead Weeder and Cultivator or CobraHead Long Handle Weeder and Cultivator. You could win $200! Do you have a favorite use for the CobraHead? We would like to see you in the garden using our tools! Between now and June 12th, upload a picture or pictures of you using the CobraHead or CobraHead Long Handle. Winners will be selected by the CobraHead team and will be announced in June. We will award prizes for the best three...
by Geoff | Apr 24, 2012 | Gardening, Recipes
Driving around Austin during the past couple of weeks I have seen hundreds of loquat trees, Eriobotrya japonica, loaded with ripe fruit. Here the trees are mostly planted as an ornamental, in part due to their tropical looking foliage. The fruit, however, is delicious. Loquats are originally from China and are distantly related to apples. My friend Bianca says that growing up in San Antonio, they referred to loquats as ‘Chinese plums’. I find the...
by Geoff | Apr 11, 2012 | Recipes
I still have sweet potatoes from my fall harvest. I made this soup a couple of weeks ago for some guests. Easy and filling. 3-4 large Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ chunks 1 medium onion, chopped 3 stalks celery, chopped 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped or crushed Olive oil Fresh ground black pepper 1/2 tsp Caraway Seeds Vegetable stock Rice Milk (or soy or dairy) Fresh Mexican oregano or other fresh herb for garnish Sauté the onions and celery in olive...
