Gardener to Farmer

Grocery Gardening Video

Want to see me use my newscaster voice? Check out the new video for Grocery Gardening:

Win an eCopy of Growing Food

Hey kids, Billy Goodnick (Fine Gardening's Cool Green Gardens Blog) and I are having a reader giveaway. The winner gets an ecopy of my first book Growing Food. Now, this is not my second book Grocery Gardening, but it is a mighty fine book, if I do say so myself.

Here's how the contest works:

• Head over to Billy's review of Grocery Gardening
• Sign in and leave a comment (be nice)
• Return to this post and leave a comment letting me know
• That's it!

I mean, listen people, I put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into that book and all you have to do is leave a couple of comments. :) This giveaway ends Sunday at 6 pm PST, so hurry over and leave your message!

February Spawned a (Garden) Monster

My February garden is a sopping mess of dead plants, wet dirt and unruly vines. I know it is time to go out and give it the old hack and rake, but I am still wrapped in the hazy blanket of sunlight deprivation and 4 months of rain. And the melancholy of this time of year pairs nicely with my love of Morrissey.

iPod loaded with Smiths' songs, I will head out this weekend to mope my way through these chores:

1. Use my Garden Shark and Groundhog rakes to gather up all of the debris
2. Look for unharvested root veggies (carrots, celeriac, etc)
3. Prune back the evil grapevines (there's a whole chapter on growing grapes in my book Grocery Gardening)
4. Prune raspberry canes (check out this post for the 411)
5. Nap
6. Prune vertical sprouts from the apple tree, cuss at the vertical sprouts on the pear tree that I can't reach
7. Give the plum tree the once-over, see if it needs pruning
8. Clean out the greenhouse and get ready for seed starting
9. Mix a gin and tonic
10. Go through all of my seeds and create a time table for starting and setting out

This is generally when I get geared up for spring...however, this year is more complicated as I will be traveling three weeks out of the month to speak at garden shows (Chicago, Iowa and San Francisco). And speaking of garden shows, I am not speaking at the one here in Portland, but I will be at Rose Marie Nichols class at 10:30 on Sunday if you want to stop by and have me sign your book.

Two other cool things: yours truly has a page in this month's Fine Gardening magazine with recommendations for a PNW perennial cutting garden. And, my Good Enough Gardening Podcast has a new sponsor...Annie's Annuals! If you have listened to my 'cast at all, you know my co-host, Amanda Thomsen and I are nuts about Annie's. More to come...

Grocery Gardening on KOIN Keep It Local

Check out my guest spot on Portland's KOIN "Keep It Local" show. Of course, I'm talking about Grocery Gardening...and I do my first cooking demo, ever! (mouse over the thumbnails to find my segment)

Social Media for Gardeners: Podcasts, Forums and Communities

On Monday, I started the first of a two part series on Social Media for Gardeners. The first post includes Twitter, Facebook and blogs. Today's post was originally intended to cover podcasts, forums and communiities. Then I realized I forgot video and photo...so next Monday, I will have a third post with my favorite video and photo sites.

Again, I will start this post with the disclaimer that these are not the ONLY resources out there, just the ones that I prefer. You may find that you like others better. Feel free to leave comments on each of the posts with other recommendations.

Podcasts:

I will admit it, I am biased. I think that the Good Enough Gardening podcast that Amanda Thomsen and I host is the best thing out there. However, I realize some of you might very well prefer something else. There are very, very few that I actually like, so my list is short. But even if you search on iTunes, there just aren't a lot of good quality gardening podcasts right now.

• Gardenfork.tv/Gardenfork Radio
• The Gestalt Gardener
• Ken Druse "Real Dirt"
• Wiggly Wigglers
• Coopette.com Alternative Kitchen Garden
• Nest in Style (a brand new podcast)

Forums:

Forums and discussion sites were precursors to the social networks of today. Personally, I don't spend much time on these sites as I find Facebook serves a similar function. But, if you want to immerse yourself in a gardening-specific experience, this is a good place to do it. Here are some of my faves:

• Dave's Garden
• Garden Web
• Garden Forums
• The Helpful Gardener

Communities:

There are several smaller gardening social networking communities. These can be fun to join and become a part of the conversations. It is a bit like going to a plant lovers meeting without ever leaving your house.

• Vegetable Gardener
• Renee's Community Garden
• Gardener's Index

Social Media for Gardeners: Twitter, Facebook and Blogs

Finding other gardeners online is a challenge, to say the least. Searches reveal little to no usable results and if there is a directory, I haven't found it. So today, I am posting the first of a two part series showing people how and where to find social media sites for gardeners. I will list my favorite sites by category. Please leave your suggestions in the comments section so I can expand to include others as well.

Twitter:

It can be a challenge to learn the culture of Twitter, let alone find gardeners (my user name is @jeanannvk). With Twitter, there is no "there" there, so you have to know how to do your own digging (so to speak). Here are some of the ways I recommend:

• Listorious: This is a great site for finding both lists of gardeners and individual profiles. Just enter search term in the search box and see who pops up...I searched Listorious for "gardening". Click on the link for the results. 
• Twibes: This site is similar in that it can be searched for relevant groups of twitter users. Here's a search on Twibes for "gardening". I found some 57 related groups.
• Twellow: There are lots of Twitter directories where you can search for users in a format similar to the white/yellow pages online. Twellow is one of the most common ones, but if you Google "Twitter Directory" you will find a whole passel of them. Here's the link to the Twellow Twitter Directory.
• Twitter Search: Twitter also offers a search function right on the home page. Just enter a search term and see who is talking about the subject entered. This is a good way to find conversations that are happening right now.

Facebook:

Facebook recently opened their site (in a much broader way) so that searching for others is an easier process. Businesses, authors, botanical gardens, you name it, there is probably a fan page for it. I have a few, one for my podcast "Good Enough Gardening", one for my book "Grocery Gardening" and another for my job "Garden Bookstore".

• Fan Pages: One of the easiest ways to find others who share your interest on Facebook is to join several fan pages. I have a few that I really like: Fine Gardening, Horticulture Magazine, Gardening with Confidence, Organic Gardening Magazine, The National Gardening Association, and the Square Foot Gardening Foundation.    
• Individual Profiles: You can also find other gardeners on Facebook with the search box. Enter the term "gardening" and when the results come up, scroll to the bottom of the links on the left hand side. Click the "posts by everyone" button to get up to the minute results of conversations happening on Facebook about your topic. 

Blogs and gardening have always meshed well together. There are literally thousands of garden-related blogs out there, which is both a good and a bad thing. On one hand, you will never have to worry about finding information. On the other, there is so much out there that sifting through can seem overwhelming. If you want to find my other blogs, like Portland Foodie, you can look at the top of the page for tabs that will take you to all of them. Here are a couple of ways to sift and sort through the rest of them:

• Blotanical: This site has a huge listing of garden blogs. I find this site particularly helpful as a blogger, though it is a bit overwhelming.
• Google Blog Search: Use the Google Blog Search engine to find gardening blogs across the web.
• Technorati Blog Search: Another good blog search engine.
• The Blogs I Read: If you would like a peek at the gardening blogs I read, you can check out my public "Gardening" Google Reader page. This contains all of the posts in my reader from all of the blogs I follow.

 Wednesday's post, Social Media for Gardeners: Podcasts, Forums and Communities, will take us a bit further into the online world of gardening. Stay tuned!

Kale: It's a Sneaky Vegetable

Now anyone who has listened to me espouse the virtues of growing and cooking kale, knows that I am nuts about this particular vegetable. First of all, it is insanely easy to grow...just plant the seeds in late winter and as soon as the ground warms a bit, it will take off.

Unfortunately, many people aren't sure how to prepare kale. I suspect it is due to the sense that it should be cooked like a traditional "green". And while kale can be prepared this way, I think it is a very narrow way to think about it. Personally, I like to think of it as the ultimate "sneaky vegetable". Its flavor is so mild that it adapts to almost any recipe. I have used it in pasta dishes, meatloaf, meatballs, shepherd's pie...the possibilities are endless.

To get your creative juices flowing, here's one of my favorite kale recipes.

Asparagus and Kale Pasta

This dish is a great way to use two seasonal ingredients together. Combine it with a handful of asparagus and a big can of chopped tomatoes and this dish is absolutely full of nutrition.

1 lb ground hamburger

1/2 lb kale, stems removed and leaves chopped

1 12 oz can of diced tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Splash of half and half (optional)

1 tbs fennel seeds, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp basil, 1 tsp rosemary, 1 tsp thyme, and 2 bay leaves

pinch of red pepper flakes

generous amounts of flaky salt and freshly ground pepper

1 package of conchiglie pasta

Brown hamburger and onions in skillet. Drain some of the excess fat leaving enough to prevent burning, omit draining if meat is lean. Add spices and herbs, salt and pepper, sauté for a few minutes. Add tomatoes and garlic. Let simmer to combine flavors and reduce liquid from tomatoes.

Start a pot of water to boil. Add conchiglie pasta and cook according to directions on package. Conchiglie is also known as shell pasta and is great for this recipe. Since this isn't a really sauce-y pasta dish, the cupped shape of the pasta will grab up the bits of veggies and meat really well. To blanch the kale, add to the boiling pasta for the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain.

In the last couple of minutes of cooking, add half and half and cheese. The Parmesan and half and half create a pink sauce...but you can omit it if you like.Add pasta and kale  to sauce. Toss to combine and let stand for a minute or two to allow the pasta to soak up the fantastic flavors. Serve.

Check out Grocery Gardening for more yummy ways to use my favorite sneaky vegetable, kale. And, don't forget to visit Seasonal Wisdom and Bumble Bee Blog to see what they have cooking.

Using Dried Herbs in Recipes

We are in the middle of winter. A time of year when most of us have lost our herb gardens. But, if you harvested and dried herbs from last summer, you can still benefit from their tantalizing flavors. The herb 
section of my new book (Grocery Gardening) shows you how to plant, prepare and preserve the most popular herbs.

I like to think of fresh and dried herbs as being separate flavoring agents. Some herbs are better dried, some lose their flavor, but all change flavors. Oregano, for example, is way too strong for me when eaten fresh. It reminds me of camphor...and the last thing I want is a dish that tastes like mothballs! But dried, it is more mellow, deeper in flavor and a must have base seasoning for many recipes.

I have heard it said that herbs are more intense in flavor when dried...and I have also heard that they are far less intense. Really, both are true...again, it depends on the herb. I will say that with the exception of rosemary, I have never had a time when I over seasoned a dish with dried herbs. I am certain it is possible, I just find that it is far more likely that I under season out of fear of ruining the meal. Don't be afraid to use bold flavors, taste and adjust, taste and adjust.

A few quick tips for using your dried herbs:

• Using up dried herbs in a fairly quick manner is a good idea. They tend to lose their flavor over time. But rather than throw them out, I would suggest upping the amount if you find they are loosing their zest. 
• Some herbs, like parsley, just don't have much taste when dried. Harvest and store those herbs in the freezer for use over the winter.
• Many herbs and all seeds taste better when given a bit of warmth to release the oils. If you are heating up oil as a base for the dish, add your herbs and spices to the oil and saute them a bit. This method works for seeds in a dry pan, too.
• Herbs can meld in the background or step up as prominent features in the dish. Generally, I prefer dried herbs for the former and fresh for the latter.

I would love to know how you use your dried herbs in recipes. For one of mine called Pesto, Meatballs and Pasta, hop over to Portland Foodie. Also check out this week's posts on Seasonal Wisdom and Bumble Bee Blog for more posts on dried herbs...and don't forget to join our Grocery Gardening Facebook page.

Winter Vegetables

For many of us, November signals the end of our vegetable gardening for the year. Frankly, I look forward to this time as it gives me the opportunity to focus on creating new recipes, baking bread, taking naps. Not that I don't take naps in the summer, it's just that I feel less guilty about it.

It really isn't difficult to extend your vegetable harvest to four seasons, particularly if you live in a milder winter climate. And if you live in a place like southern Florida, it is probably a better time to grow edibles. And before you say that gardeners living in the north just can't have edibles all year, let me say that you can. Sure the variety will be less, but many root crops and cole crops can be stored in ground (with the proper covering).

If you want to try growing winter vegetables and you are in a zone that has some form of winter, try thinking about it in terms of extending fall and starting spring early. In order to do that, you need to consider a few things:

• Type and Variety of Vegetables: This means broccoli, kale, cauliflower, carrots, turnips, rutabagas...but it also means choosing varieties of these veggies that are well suited for the cold. 
• Warm the Ground: In both seasons, a warmer ground means edibles will last longer and start sooner. Try using mulch, clear plastic, cold frames and row covers to cheat the weather. If you live in a very cold climate, try storing root vegetables in place with a layer of plastic and about a foot of straw mulch on top.
• Container Growing: Grow vegetables in containers that can be brought into the garage or under the eaves to reduce frost. 
• Greenhouse Growing: If you have a greenhouse, consider using seedling mats to keep plants warm instead of heating the whole thing. It will cost less and conserve energy. 
• Indoor Vegetable Growing: There are a number of systems available for growing edibles in winter. If you don't like the prepackaged variety, buy a set of shop lights and install full spectrum bulbs. Set aside a space in the house just for the veggies. Keep the light up close, the plants warm and the soil watered.

I would love to know other ways to extend the harvest...what ideas do you have?

Composting Fall Leaves

Fall is the perfect time to build up your soil with rich, organic matter. It also happens to be the best time of year to collect one of my favorite organic soil amendments