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...
Garden Vegetable Coconut Curry
Here’s a quick little lunch or dinner with veggies from the garden. Add a side salad and you’re all set. Garden Vegetable Coconut Curry 1 T. olive oil 1 medium leek, chopped ½ cup chopped onion 1 tsp. brown mustard seeds 1 ½ tsp. curry powder 1 cup veggie...
Sweet Potato Leaf Quinoa Soup
Since it's getting close to the end of the growing season for my sweet potatoes, I decided that harvesting some of the leaves that have sprawled into my other garden beds would probably not affect tuber production significantly. I've sautéed sweet potato leaves...
Too Late for Dinner in the Garden This Year
Anneliese took this picture of a young deer in the yard this afternoon. It was relatively fearless and Anneliese was able to get fairly close before it bolted. Fortunately for us, the deer have not been much of a nuisance this year and did no garden damage. I...
When Autumn Leaves Start to Fall
In the village that borders us a few blocks to the west and south, leaf burning is prohibited, but it is allowed and practiced as a seasonal rite in our township. I'm not advocating a ban on burning, but I really wish the neighbors understood what they are wasting. ...
Wild Rice and Bread Stuffed Winter Squash
It’s that time of year when the weather turns chilly and winter squash is on the menu. Obviously it’s right after the plentiful harvest but the body seems to need that filling substance to warm itself and feel satisfied after a hard day’s work. Since we don’t cook a...
Seed Stratification
Last spring I started some Agastache mexicana seeds indoors but got very spotty germination. I decided to investigate whether or not stratification would improve germination. I think that it will. Here's the why and how: Many seeds have built in germination...
Have Noel give a vegetable gardening talk!
Over the past couple of years Noel has been developing and refining his presentations on organic raised-bed gardening. It's about time. After thirty years of growing lots of good food, he has learned a thing or two. Below is the press release that we have put out...