Organic Gardening NOT JUST in the Northeast
We knew little of what is referred to as "Lawn & Garden" in the worldwide marketplace before we started CobraHead. But we soon learned that if you can make garden writers familiar and happy with your products, there is a chance they might mention them when they...
Sweet potatoes are for lovers
Happy Valentines Day. If you're like me, the first food that comes to mind when you think of romance is the sweet potato. This dish is usually served as a Christmas time children's treat in Mexico. However, hand feeding this to your special someone will turn it...
Winter Fruit Tree Pruning
Ten days ago I pruned my peach and plumcot trees. Given our exceptionally mild winter, the first week of February was already on the late end of optimal pruning time. I still consider myself a novice pruner, but while at the State Master Gardener conference in...
Early Riser
Here's a snowdrop that's shown up over a month early. A lot of snowdrops and crocus have sprouted with our unseasonably warm weather. I'm going to drop some leaves over them to see if I can help them hang on until their normal blooming time later in March. Early...
Corn Potato Chowder
Here’s a quick soup recipe that was ‘loosely’ adapted from a cookbook by Jeff Smith, ‘The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American’. I say loosely because the original recipe was made with cream and crawfish and garnished with hard boiled eggs. Well, even though the Crawfish...
More on Heat Mats
Geoff posted last week about the heat mat set up he is using to start some pepper plants, here. I use a heat mat and grow-lights as well to start peppers, tomatoes, and other vegetable seedlings that need a jump start, and I've also found the set up useful to give...
Pumpkin Quinoa Whole Wheat Yeast Bread
I've been trying to figure out what to do with all that frozen pumpkin puree I have in the freezer. Well, I'm pondering no longer. I'm getting back into old-fashioned bread making, and adding pumpkin to whole wheat yeast bread has been a winner. We can only make or...
BioMarkers win Green Thumb Award
We’re pleased to announce that our BioMarkerTM plant markers won a Green Thumb award from the Direct Gardening Association this year. Now in its 15th year, the Green Thumb Awards recognize the best new plants and gardening products available each year from gardening...
Heat for Hot Peppers
Last year I skipped using a heat mat underneath the flat in which I started my hot pepper seedlings. That was a big mistake. I had a germination rate of less than 10%. This year I picked up a new heat mat and have had great results. It’s already time to start hot...
Kale Avocado Salad
Still harvesting winter kale? My friend Matt Gossage gave me the recipe for this salad. I tried it for myself a few nights ago and decided to share it. The avocado gives a creamy texture to the salad. Ingredients One large bunch kale Two ripe avocados Fresh lemon...
Climate Change Brussels Sprouts
The weather in Wisconsin has been super freaky. With highs of 50 yesterday and again today following a December with no snow and exceptionally mild temperatures, a lot of the locals are saying, "what the hey, this ain't all bad!" I have to say yes and no. It's kind...
Spirooli Is Where It’s At!
Turning Slicer Last September Noel & Anneliese were vendors at the Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, PA. The booth next to them was “Wild Success” promoting their raw foods and kitchen equipment. When Noel called to ask me if I needed anything I said,...
Red Cabbage, Leek & Apple Walnut Slaw
One of our favorite winter salads is coleslaw. We had a really good cabbage harvest this year – red and green alike, so we are still eating this from our own garden. Cabbage is a good keeper and we had 2 in the fridge just waiting for good things to happen to...
Bring Back the Light
The Winter Solstice is December 22nd this year, but we celebrated a few days early because it's always easier to party hard on Saturday night as opposed to Thursday.Here is Anneliese supplicating the winter spirits in front of the solstice fire while Geoff is a rather...
Self Watering Strawberry Containers
In October I wrote about the project that I did with Save Our Youth making self-watering planters out of reclaimed five gallon buckets. You can read the original post here. I decided to modify the original design and turn it into a strawberry planter. First a note...
Double Corn Chili Bean Bake
Need a quick meal to put on the table while you’re ‘busy’ doing holiday preparations? This dish is a great way to ‘re-purpose’ leftover chili if you have about 4 cups from a previous meal. If that’s the case it takes about ten minutes to put together & it’s...
Teaching an Old Dog to Teach
The outdoor season is over for my 2011 Wisconsin garden. I may do a little more clean up, and possibly drag in a few leaves to cover up some north beds, but the frost has already penetrated deep and there is nothing left to harvest. There will be no more weeding or...
Sautéed Veggies with Volcano Rice
Recipes are normally Judy's and Geoff's department and what you see here is totally Judy's creation, I'm just putting it down on the blog because I found it way more than worthy. Judy had to grab the phone to take an order and that's a good thing. On her way past me...
Burning with Boss
I posted recently about leaf burning and why I don't think it's such a great idea, even if it is allowed, but I was careful to mention that I'm not at all opposed to fires. Being a relative land baron out here on my almost rural four acres, I would have some major...
Pumpkin from the Garden to the Table
Why pumpkin pie – and not a Hubbard or an acorn squash pie? Just about any hard squash will make an excellent pie, but because pumpkins are pretty bland and flavorless as a stand-alone squash, they get relegated to fillings for pies and breads. Most winter squashes...