By thegardenergal on June 11, 2011
It is, by my calculation, at least 3 weeks too soon to harvest the garlic, but the tops are turning brown and falling over, so I guess the garlic thinks it’s ready, so I had better comply. This is when I hold my breath because, since it grows underground, and you never know what you’re going to get until you’ve dislodged all the roots and then it’s too late to put it back! See my dilemma yet??? I have to believe that I did everything right, and unless maggots ate the edible parts of the plant, the parts that I want to eat, all shall be well. I will let you know.
Posted in Country Lifestyle, Gardening, Green living, Herbs, Kansas, Kansas farm life
By thegardenergal on June 10, 2011
I’m ashamed to be writing this so late, but as I’m sure many people will agree, getting the vegetable garden in and growing takes priority in the spring – that is my excuse. That being said, this “thank you” is incredibly, awfully late, and I’m not usually this rude. Really. Don’t get me wrong – I can be really rude when I need to be, but it takes effort and energy that I just don’t have this time of year. So, please believe me when I tell you that this epic rudeness was unintentional. Continue reading »
Posted in Conservation, Country Lifestyle, Ecology, Gardening, Green living, Herbs, Homesteading, I recommend these..., Kansas, Tips, Tricks and How-tos
By thegardenergal on May 17, 2011
Where we live, we are having drought conditions. We have cracks in our backyard that I don’t even want to try to measure – they’re deep. It’s worse in a lot of places than it is here, but since this is where we grow, this is what we’re concerned with. So, how thrilling it is to have the possibility of alleged rain in the forecast for not just one day, but several days! My plants were really dry yesterday, though, and my last experience with the local weather guys predicting rain was really disappointing. Continue reading »
Posted in Conservation, Country Lifestyle, Dieting and weight loss, Ecology, Gardening, Green living, Herbs, Homesteading, I recommend these..., Kansas, Kansas farm life, Reducing sodium intake
By thegardenergal on May 15, 2011
A few days ago, I blogged about my obsession with pesto. Yes, I am a pesto purist… I prefer original, classic pesto made with fresh basil, however… my basil is only a couple of inches tall and there’s enough to make about 3 teaspoons of pesto right now. While I wait impatiently, I am going to try something new and different today. I am going to make pesto with cilantro! Continue reading »
Posted in Conservation, Country Lifestyle, Dieting and weight loss, Ecology, Gardening, Green living, Herbs, Homesteading, I recommend these..., Kansas, Kansas farm life, Recipes, Reducing sodium intake, Tips, Tricks and How-tos
By thegardenergal on May 12, 2011
Let me begin by saying that we eat horseradish here at home… about 1/4 cup per YEAR. Harvesting it for home use is not why I wanted to grow it. It was supposed to deter black blister beetles from devouring my tomato crop, and that is the ONLY reason I wanted it. I regret the day I brought home the first slip of horseradish, believe me. If I could go back in time, that’s a life event that would definitely make me want to hit the “do-over” button. Continue reading »
Posted in Conservation, Country Lifestyle, Ecology, Gardening, Green living, Herbs, Homesteading, Kansas, Kansas farm life
By thegardenergal on May 7, 2011
After I posted about using basil to repel flies, my mouth has been watering all day at the thought of fresh pesto. Oooo… fresh pesto on a thin slice of homemade bread. Yeah, baby… that’s what I want. Sadly, my basil is only about an inch tall right now. I’ll have to wait awhile, but once it’s tall enough to start harvesting, here’s what I’m going to do with it. Continue reading »
Posted in Country Lifestyle, Ecology, Gardening, Green living, Herbs, Homesteading, I recommend these..., Kansas, Kansas farm life, Preserving the harvest, Recipes, Reducing sodium intake
By thegardenergal on May 6, 2011
Most people are familiar with flies getting in the house on occasion, some seasons more than others, and some climates more than others. Just because flies try to get in doesn’t mean you have a dirty house. It is the nature of flies to annoy us! Continue reading »
Posted in Conservation, Country Lifestyle, Ecology, Gardening, Green living, Herbs, Homesteading, I recommend these..., Kansas, Kansas farm life, Tips, Tricks and How-tos
By thegardenergal on May 1, 2011
Where I live, salsa is popular, and it has come to my attention that a lot of people struggle with when to plant the cilantro so that it is at its peak when the tomatoes and peppers and onions are at their peak. All I’ve got say about that is… it isn’t easy, and it’s more luck than skill. Continue reading »
Posted in Country Lifestyle, Gardening, Herbs, Homesteading, I recommend these..., Kansas, Kansas farm life, Preserving the harvest, Reducing sodium intake, Tips, Tricks and How-tos
By thegardenergal on April 30, 2011
A couple of days ago, I entered a contest (and didn’t win it) for a new cookbook. The entry form required me to write a couple of sentences about the springtime gardening chore I hate the most. I couldn’t really think of any, because by spring I’m so eager to be outside that almost anything is “fun” – but then I remembered how much I dreaded having to pull the winter annual weed henbit out of the flower beds. I made the unpremeditated comment that “If I could find a market for henbit, I could retire” – and I’ve said that before about bindweed and johnsongrass. But I digress… Continue reading »
Posted in Country Lifestyle, Ecology, Gardening, Green living, Herbs, Homesteading, I recommend these..., Kansas, Kansas farm life, Tips, Tricks and How-tos
By thegardenergal on April 24, 2011
I had the opportunity a few weeks ago to attend a workshop about high tunnels, also known as hoop houses. Prior to the workshop, I thought I wanted a greenhouse. I thought that for several years. I was so wrong. I want a high tunnel and I want it now! Continue reading »
Posted in Conservation, Gardening, Green living, Herbs, I recommend these..., Kansas, Tips, Tricks and How-tos