Photo by Judith Hausman Spiced tomato jam pairs well with leftover meats. This year, I intended to thriftily use up and give away my “stash” of jam before next strawberry season or at least before Florida citrus and marmalade season this winter. But I ran across a new formulation of pectin that allows you to pick […]
Photo by Audrey Pavia My lame hen sits in her carrier waiting for the vet. This is the first time in my life that I’ve owned chickens, so I don’t know if it’s common to have periodic problems with birds in such a small flock. Over the last few years, I have lost two hens […]
Photo by Rick Gush These snails have been farmed specifically for escargot. A couple of times, back when I was in college, my friends and I collected a big mass of common brown garden snails, threw them into an empty, plastic garbage can with a head of shredded lettuce, kept them in the garbage can […]
Photo courtesy Southern SARE Each year, Camp T.U.R.F. provides at-risk youth with hands-on activities at botanical gardens, field research stations, greenhouses and more. Over a two-week period this June, Oklahoma State University Extension hosted its 2012 Camp T.U.R.F. (Tomorrow’s Undergraduates Realizing the Future). Through the program, at-risk youth — all entering their freshman or sophomore […]
Photo by Judith Hausman Caponata siciliana is even better the next day, so try doubling the recipe. It’s been a bad year for eggplant in our garden, but another local garden provided me with a shiny-smooth, purple one the other day. Because I recently ate a very good version at a New York restaurant, I […]
Photo by Audrey Pavia My campsite at the competitive trail ride this past weekend. As bucolic as it can be on my urban farm, there’s no point in keeping horses if I’m not going to take them anywhere. So, this past weekend I loaded up Milagro and took him to a competitive trail ride. Milagro […]
Here are a few secrets to producing hefty, juicy blueberries and myrtle berries.
Photo by Judith Hausman Broccoli di rabe pancakes make for a quick vegetarian dinner. Potato pancakes with horseradish are a yearly tradition, and Korean-style scallion pancakes, brushed with sesame oil, are a restaurant favorite. Recently, I fooled around and came up with broccoli di rabe pancakes, which turned out great. We had ruthlessly harvested most of […]
Photo by Audrey Pavia Rio got very excited over a recent summer shower. Southern California summers are typically hot and dry, especially in the areas that are farthest from the ocean. My urban farm is part of what they call the Inland Empire – “Inland” meaning it’s far enough away from the ocean that we […]
Image courtesy of www.carighttoknow.org California’s Prop. 37 proposes placing labels on genetically engineered food. California residents will have the chance to vote on the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, also known as Proposition 37, on Election Day this year. The act will require retail stores to label all genetically engineered foods. According […]
Photo by Judith Hausman Bright nasturtium flowers add an extra dose of color to this rice salad. Even though the sun is setting earlier, the temperature of the water is cooling, and some 2012 garden favorites are already a memory, there’s still a riot of color in the garden. We’re picking pink and yellow tomatoes, […]
Photo by Audrey Pavia Milagro and Rio, the strawberry killers. Early last summer, my roommate Lisa planted a garden. Using four of the large terra cotta pots that were sitting empty on my patio, she started peppers, tomatoes and strawberries. She diligently watered the seedlings every day and, before long, the bright California sun brought […]
