This is the forest pumpkin and below is the kitty pumpkin. Both are from a farm stand in Wisconsin. I saved a few seeds to try to grow next year and roasted the rest. Roasted Pumpkin Seed Recipe heat oven to 325 degrees rinse seeds, coat with butter or olive oil and season with salt [...]
Mums are a fall classic, little puff balls of color, but they don’t necessarily need to be purchased every year. To keep them around year after year, leave the leaves through winter and mulch after the first hard frost to protect the root ball from the cold. Spring growth is a little slow, but once [...]
Looks like we had a pest and a parasitic wasp laid eggs on him and killed him. Ahhhh nature, kinda gross.
The first frost hasn’t come yet, and with today’s temperature in the 60s, the garden is still blooming and producing. Instead of deadheading this last round of blooms, let your flowers go to seed. It’s a great way to attract and feed our little feathered friends. Black-Eyed Susan, Echinacea, Coreopsis, Aster, Thistle, Goldenrod, Basil, and [...]
Plant Rescue Sale! Saturday, October 22, 2011 Hours: 9 am – 2 pm (or until all plants are sold) Where: Garfield Market Place (just north of the Conservatory Entrance) Come adopt a plant, take home a piece of living history, and donate to the rebuilding of the Conservatory, all at the same time. Many of [...]
With the cold and wind here to visit for a while, I’ve been enjoying the crock pot for my cooking. The Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson has stews, breakfasts, soups, and desserts! This book has pictures of each recipe and substitution suggestions for vegan meals. How comforting to come home from work and have [...]
Drying herbs is easy! Tender Herbs Pick tender herbs like basil, oregano, mint, and lemon balm with a gentle hand as to not bruise the leaves. Rinse with cool water, shake, and let dry completely. Discard any bruised or imperfect leaves as well as stems. Lay leaves flat on a paper towel not letting individual [...]
It seems the cold is on its way to Chicago with a pretty low temperature Thursday night of about 36 degrees. Cut a nice bouquet of flowers for yourself from the garden. Annuals won’t survive a frost. Collect herbs to dry. Basil can be dried, but it’s best made into pesto and frozen to enjoy [...]
Just as the moon pulls on our oceans, it also effects our soil. Some may consider phases of the moon and gardening to be folklore, but we are part of a huge ecosystem. In my head that’s enough to give the moon some thought. According to Gardening By the Moon: “After the full moon, as [...]