Monthly Archives: May 2015

Floral arranging with vegetables

     

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Radishes

Radishes are ready for the harvesting and munching. Great sliced thin in that spinach salad. Lovely scarlet color. Of course, the traditional way to eat radishes is sliced thin with butter and salt on dark rye bread. How do you enjoy … Continue reading

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Delicate, delicious spinach

These cool, rainy days have produced splendid spinach for eating raw or cooked. If eaten within a few hours of picking, the flavors are the best. I made a spinach salad with herb leaves.

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Morels on the South Side

In the rarified community of Hyde Park, on Chicago’s South Side, morel mushrooms are showing up in residents’ yards. Jack Spicer of Hyde Park Landscaping found about a quarter pound in a client’s yard. The client was kind enough to … Continue reading

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How much water?

Since I hail originally from Los Angeles and grew up there during another drought not quite so severe, I was intrigued to read about how much water it takes to grow the common foods we eat. Vegetables and fruits, not … Continue reading

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Spinach: Popeye and the prince

Beautiful, fresh spinach is ready for harvesting now in your kitchen gardens on Chicago’s South Side. Spinach picked and eaten — raw or cooked — has a delicacy unfound in store-bought varieties. Now is the time to pinch off the first broad, … Continue reading

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Microgreens with mega impact

Microgreens are ready for harvesting. These are the young seedlings of vegetables and herbs that are powerfully nutritious. When harvested while petite, right after germination, they have a tremendous concentration of phytochemicals, nutrients we need in a healthy diet. In fact, … Continue reading

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Rhubarb, part two

So as promised in my earlier rhubarb post, I’m writing about a rhubarb meat stew, a traditional Middle Eastern use for rhubarb. I found a Persian version which was delicate, delicious and very special. The tart rhubarb lends a wonderful and … Continue reading

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Local garden fair

Chicago’s oldest community garden fair in Hyde Park has always been a delightful time to wander and pick up herbs and vegetable seedlings. It’s also important to support local community endeavors. This year the fair will be held in the … Continue reading

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What’s up, part two

With the rain and warm sunshine, seedlings and seeds are growing strong. Each day you can see huge growth as asparagus quadruple size, carpets of greens spring forth, soil blocks put out new leaves and fruit trees flower.     … Continue reading

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