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Author Archives: Debra
Shrubs, part 2: cold process
I attended the Yum Yum Fest in Madison, Wisconsin, last month and enjoyed several excellent shrub-based cocktails. Refreshing. The chefs I spoke with all used the cold process for making shrubs because it leaves the most fruit flavor in the … Continue reading
Posted in preserving
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Birds in the garden
Perhaps because the garden is very luscious this year, there are a lot of birds. Sparrows raise their chicks and peck for insects. A cardinal pair nests nearby. There is always the robin couple who raise their broods on the … Continue reading
Posted in ecosystem
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“Want some keenies?”
Here is my charming and erudite friend Julia with many large zucchini. What to do with them is a persistent problem for vegetable gardeners who choose to grow summer squash. After making all the usual zucchini and summer squash dishes, I discovered an … Continue reading
Posted in summer squash, zucchini
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Cherry pie
With sour cherries picked last month and froze, I made a pie and shared it with friends who made perfect whipped cream. A cool treat on a hot summer night.
Posted in cherry
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In Memoriam: Pamela Haley
My dear friend Pam Haley died peacefully on 21 July. Pam was a very caring person whose abiding generosity, good humor and natural tenderness embraced people, animals and gardens. May she now dwell in the Garden of Delight. Pour yourself a … Continue reading
“Garlic is as good as ten mothers”
I harvested my garlic crop yesterday. Lots of beautiful heads now cure in my kitchen. I harvest the garlic when 4-5 of the leaves have browned but the paper that surrounds the head of cloves is still fully intact. This means … Continue reading
Posted in garlic, harvesting, superfoods
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Pesto
The basil is ready for eating, for making pestos. Just perfect.
Posted in basil, harvesting
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Fruits galore
I go away for a week and come back to a garden bursting with produce. Six cups plus of raspberries. Beets and carrots for roasting. Three colors of fillet green beans. A green pepper, the first tomatoes, the first eggplant, … Continue reading
Posted in harvesting
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Tarragon terrific
This year, the French tarragon — thriving, delicately flavorful and beautiful, is having a terrific year. For reasons I don’t fully comprehend, the thyme did not survive last winter’s bitter cold but the tarragon did. (Thyme and tarragon are perennial herbs which I … Continue reading