Growing Food
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Resplendent Rhubarb
One of first vegetables of the season to produce a harvestable crop, rhubarb has a long and colorful history. We enjoy the tart and tasty species of rhubarb today in dishes such as Broiled Salmon with Garlic and Ginger Rhubarb Sauce (recipe included). Read More ›
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Who Needs Fruit?—Kaffre Lime
Thankfully there exists for lovers of indoor gardening and ethnic cooking a citrus whose foliage—and not the fruit—is the prime objective: the kaffre lime, Citrus hystrix. Read More ›
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Kale: Delicious, Nutritious, and Easy to Grow
Kale is a healthy and delicious cool-season vegetable that produces well into fall. A diverse array beautiful and edible cultivars are available. Read More ›
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A Blended Garden
A blended garden is one that weaves edible and ornamental plants in the same garden bed or container. There isn’t a strict line as to where the flower garden stops and the vegetable garden starts. Read More ›
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Herbes de Provence—An Elegant, Potted-Garden Design
Longing to visit Provence, that beautiful and charming region in the south of France, to bask in its warm sunlight, taste its delicious cuisine, and see the sloping vineyards and colorful scenery that charmed Cezanne and Van Gogh? Well, you can capture some of the ambience of Provence by growing its famous culinary herbs in your garden. Read More ›
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Spring Beauty—A Woodland Wildflower With Tasty Tubers
One of our prettiest and earliest-blooming wildflowers—spring beauty (Claytonia virginica)—is also a delicious vegetable. Read More ›
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A Houseplant Harvest—Tropical Trees That Really Do Fruit Indoors
I've been collecting and propagating fruiting tropical shrubs and small trees on my four-acre property in Vieques, Puerto Rico, like a man with a mission. My ultimate goal is to supply my own table with a diverse mix of fresh produce year-round, grow enough surplus fruit to be able to vend to local restaurateurs, and establish a modest nursery and display garden. Read More ›
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Elements of a Perfect Apple Pie
The prize-winning apple pie marries an exemplary crust with tree-ripened apples that contribute acid, tannin, sugar, and flavor. Read More ›
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The Makings of a Good Cider
For at least 2,000 years, humans have been making apple cider wherever they could grow the fruit. Read More ›
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Antique Apples: A Guide for Eaters and Growers
Most antique or heirloom apples are distant cousins to the commercial varieties available on supermarket shelves today. While modern varieties such as 'Red Delicious' have been selected for their consistent appearance, cosmetic appeal, and tolerance of long shipping and repeated handling, antique varieties were often selected for their cider-making quality ('Golden Russet'), their retention of flavor and firmness without refrigeration ('Winesap' and 'Baldwin'), or their intense and unusual flavor—without regard to external appearance. Read More ›
