Fruits of our labors

cantaloupe

There are some jobs that are best left to professionals. Plumbing. Aircraft maintenance. And, I’m convinced, melon growing. Every spring, we’ve planted one kind of melon or another, but in a lottery-ticket spirit. We don’t really expect any melons but, hey, you never know. Really, though, we did know. We weren’t going to get any [...]

Overcuked

turkey and cukesc

Can a surfeit of cucumbers be said to be a bounty? I’m thinking no. It is, instead, a testament to bad planning. In May, the idea of healthy, vigorous cucumber vines flourishing in the hoophouse and growing a robust crop of cool, crisp cucumbers is very appealing. So appealing that I planted seven – seven! [...]

The great green hope

See!  See!

This year, we went way out on a horticultural limb. Last year, we planted tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and cucumbers in the hoophouse. The cucumbers did pretty well, but succumbed to mildew fairly early in the season. We got a few tomatoes, but the heat got so intense that a lot of the flowers fell off. [...]

Arugula salad with orange vinaigrette

Arugula salad with orange vinaigrette

I don’t often post recipes. In part, this is because I believe there are already too many recipes in the world that need good homes. And, in part, it is because I am a slapdash cook who never measures anything. And, in one more part, it is because I am not a particularly imaginative cook. [...]

The April harvest: It’s not easy having greens

hhkalearugula

Those of you who have even a passing familiarity with what we do here know that I am a crappy gardener. I have grown bitter collards, anaemic snow peas, wormy cabbages, and, perhaps most notably, watery giant squash – and that’s just above the ground! Look below, and you’ll find I hold the world’s record [...]

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