Growing Microgreens
My friend Ted Skenandore of the Tsyuhehkwa Center has been growing pea and sunflower micro-greens and explained his method to me a few months ago. Now I’ve been growing them for myself as well as with the young people of the Save Our Youth program. These are his...
Ratatouille Hot Dish Casserole Bake, with Potatoes
Can you tell by the title that I grew up in Minnesota? Actually I was given a version of this recipe when I lived in Michigan many years ago so it’s more of a ‘bake’ or ‘casserole’. The original recipe included a double layer of sliced zucchini, onions, tomatoes,...
Elegant Vegetable Container Gardening
Judy's good friend Dorothy Davenport lives in a condo but that doesn't keep her from growing a lot of her own food. Using pots, containers and hanging baskets, Dorothy grows a lot of different vegetables while keeping everything looking pretty by inter-planting...
Worm Free Cabbage Crops? Check out Neem Oil
I've done battle with the caterpillars of the small white and yellow cabbage butterflies for as long as I've gardened. The most destructive caterpillar, known as the Imported Cabbage Worm, is from a white butterfly native to Europe called the Cabbage White Butterfly...
Shiitake Mushrooms – A Missed Opportunity
I missed one of the largest flushes of mushrooms I've ever had by three or four days. I didn't even think to be checking for them in our summer heat and it was just chance that I looked over in the woods, today, to find these. They are on three year old...
Pesto Corn on the Cob
I doubt that I would ever say no to a piece of corn on the cob smeared with fresh butter and salt. But I have tried a couple of alternatives that place high on my list of yummies. One option is extra virgin olive oil with lots of freshly chopped garlic and salt. ...
Cow Flipping in the Kickapoo Valley
This is an absolutely un-retouched picture of Judy lifting a cow over her head. Now you know why I'm so meek and mild mannered. I wouldn't dare step out of line when flipping a cow around is so easy for her. She could send me to the moon. The picture is courtesy of...
Preparing for My Fall Garden in Austin
I garden year round in Austin, so there is no point at which I “put the garden to bed”, as is often done in more Northern climates. I never get to start with a clean slate for the next year’s season. At any given time in my garden I’ll have recently planted sections...
K is for Kohlrabi Pancakes
Kohlrabi is one of our favorite crunchy summertime veggies. We like it best when peeled, sliced and sprinkled lightly with salt. It has a mild cabbage flavor with a turnip-like texture. Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea (gongylodes group)) is best picked when less than...
Anticipating the Main Harvest
Here Come the TomatoesWith this year's warm weather, we'll be picking things from the garden a lot earlier than most years. I'm often late getting things started, but I did a good job of getting the tomatoes, peppers, and cole crops into the ground before the end of...
Overhead Irrigation System for a Backyard Garden
We have not had significant rainfall for six weeks. I was told that June was the driest recorded here since they started keeping records. Today and tomorrow will be among the two hottest days in south central Wisconsin since the weather service started logging...
GWA Region V Meeting
CobraHead is a member of the Garden Writers Association – GWA. It's been a great organization, as garden writers have been instrumental in helping us get the word out about CobraHead Tools. The GWA is divided into various regions and we officially belong to Region...
Double Amaranth Bolita Bean Soup
I grew bolita beans a couple of years ago as a dried bean and had yet to cook them. Last week I made this bolita bean soup with amaranth leaves, amaranth grain (hence double amaranth) and purslane. 1 cup dry bolita beans, soaked overnight 3/4 cup amaranth grain 1...
Photo Contest Winners
We're pleased to announce the winners of our Photo Contest. We had a lot of great entries that you can see here. First prize goes to Paul O'Day. He wins two-hundred dollars cash. Second prize goes to Vicki Sappington. She wins a CobraHead Weeder and Cultivator,...
Photo Contest Entries
We received a lot of great entries for our photo contest. Thanks to everyone who participated. Here are all of the entries. Click on the smaller images to see the full sized picture and caption. [portfolio_slideshow]
Growing limes in containers
Even in hot Austin, our winters get too cold to leave lime trees outdoors when temperatures dip, so I'm growing both Mexican lime, Citrus aurantifolia, and Kaffir lime, Citrus x hystrix, in containers. Then I can move them indoors when necessary. Mexican limes are...
Roasted Asparagus Salsa
1 ½ - 2 cups roasted asparagus, chopped (see roasted asparagus recipe here) 2 T. fresh lime juice ¼ tsp. cumin 2 T. minced green onion 2 T. medium salsa verde or salsa of your choice 1 tsp. minced or pressed garlic Salt & pepper to taste Puree asparagus, lime...
Klehm Arboretum Garden Fair
This weekend Judy and I were vendors at the Klehm Arboretum Garden Fair. This was our seventh year at the event now in it's 19th year. Rockford is just under 70 miles from home. If you don't know Rockford, it's the second biggest population area in Illinois...
Orange Frost Satsuma
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...
Repurposing Chain Link Fences at Wamboldtopia
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...