Author Archives: diary of a tomato

11.12.12 Winter tomato, pomodorini harvest

We selected two types of pomodorini appesi — Italian winter or hanging tomatoes — to grow this season. The Aprile, named after the masseria in Puglia where the seeds came from, are now in their second year. The Ponderosa del … Continue reading

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Orecchiette with Braised Greens

This second trip to Puglia gave us the opportunity to delve deeper into the region’s cuisine, and revisit such canonical dishes as Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa. Above: The fruttivendolo in Spongano, with chicories and cime di rapa (bottom) in … Continue reading

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11.8.12 First snowfall

First snowfall of the season — this table serves as our ad hoc snow gauge. It’s still very windy, and we were glad to find we had electricity when we awoke this morning.

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11.6.12 Another storm on the way

We’ve barely had time to restock and replenish before hearing reports of another storm headed this way. We think it best to hold off raking for the time being. From the NYTimes: “A classic northeaster will impact the Northeast on Wednesday … Continue reading

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11.4.12 Forecast of frost

With the weather about to take a decidedly chillier turn, it was time to get the garden tidied and ready for winter. The days are shortening, and we try to fit in as many chores in as we can while … Continue reading

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Emergency Preparedness: Going off-grid

“Be prepared.” — Girl Scout motto We don’t have the luxury of being unprepared. We live far enough from town utility lines that when we lose electricity — whether from a disaster or extreme weather event — we also lose water as … Continue reading

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11.1.12 Weathering the storm

It wasn’t a matter of if, more a matter of when we would lose power. With Hurricane Sandy approaching landfall, the lights began to flicker. By mid-afternoon Monday, we were completely cut off. We lose power frequently enough that we … Continue reading

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