Category Archives: garden

6.10.13 Agretti (Monk’s Beard)

Posted on June 10, 2013 by diary of a tomato

After our first planting of agretti failed, we thought we’d missed the season. However, with the return of cooler June temperatures and near to 2,000 seeds still on hand, we’re giving it another try. Reports of germination rates vary between … Continue reading →

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6.3.13 Beneficial Procrastination

Posted on June 3, 2013 by diary of a tomato

Touring other’s gardens online, we see that we’re woefully behind in our own. We’ve flats of seedlings to get into the garden, while the overwintered plants have yet to be pulled up. Several weeks ago, we’d harvested what we thought … Continue reading →

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Agretti Spaghetti with Spring Onions and Lemon

Posted on May 31, 2013 by diary of a tomato

Nothing excites a cook more than discovering a new tool, a new technique, or, in this particular case, a new ingredient. We came across agretti, an Italian specialty green, last season through Seeds from Italy, and vowed to give this … Continue reading →

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5.20.13 Kale Rabe

Posted on May 20, 2013 by diary of a tomato

We’ve extolled the virtues of bolted kale here before. Whenever we chance to be in the garden, we pinch off a couple of sweet florets to nibble on. It was with delight, then, that we discovered that snapping further down … Continue reading →

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5.13.13 Lemon, Asparagus and Sunchokes

Posted on May 13, 2013 by diary of a tomato

After our third tree in so many years, we’ve finally gotten an indoor lemon tree to bear fruit. From bloom to ripe citrus, this solitary harvest took seven months of patient tending. What to do when you only have one? … Continue reading →

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5.6.13 Asparagus, Spring Onions and Chard

Posted on May 6, 2013 by diary of a tomato

Enough of the asparagus has finally made it’s way up to warrant harvesting. Along the way, we picked some of the over-wintered Fordhook chard, a handful of spring onions ( chives, walking onion, and garlic chives), and a couple of … Continue reading →

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4.29.13 Preserving the New Season

Posted on April 29, 2013 by diary of a tomato

While inspecting our stores and planning this year’s garden, we’re making a mental list of things to preserve in the coming season: – Freezing peas — One of the earliest tasks; as with tomatoes, we can’t imagine not having some stored away … Continue reading →

Posted in cooking, garden, preserving | Tagged , , , , | 25 Comments