How to Make Pavers for your Garden
DIYers and bargain-hunters, did you know that for as little as 30 cents each you can make very cool pavers for your garden? You might have seen expensive kits for this purpose at the craft store but there’s no need to buy them because with a bag of cement mix and some cake pans or other household items, you’re good to go. And besides being cheap, it’s really FUN — for adults and kids alike. Materials Use “Mortar” or “Sand Mix”, which are both combinations of sand and Portland cement. Quikrete, a product that also contains pebbles, is okay to use, but produces a rougher texture. A 60-pound bag costs $3 and makes about 10…
How to Care for Cut Flowers
Happy Mother’s Day, everyone! Even if you’re not a mother. For me it’s a great day to remember my own mother, who passed on her love of gardening to me. After she moved to a condominium, she frequently drove the 100 miles between us just to weed my garden. You might suspect that it was just an excuse to visit me, but she seriously missed gardening – at least as much as she missed me. Now for readers who happen to have received cut flowers or flower arrangements today, here are some tips for making them look as good as possible for as long as possible. Before putting the flowers in a vase, make sure…
Roses at the Franciscan Monastery
The Franciscan Monastery in Northeast D.C. is rightly touted as a great local garden to visit – especially in the spring. Last month the display of tulips made it a must-see destination but now in early May the story’s all about roses. With fewer and fewer rose gardens being tended these days, in favor of low-maintenance landscape roses, this garden is a rare example in our region that stands to remind us of why roses are so beloved they won the coveted title of National Flower. Masses of full-grown roses and stunning Byzantine architecture is a combination I dare say none of us can duplicate in our own far more modest gardens. The photo above…
Highlights of a May Garden Tour
It may have been billed as the Takoma House and Garden Tour but we’ll just ignore the house part and enjoy what the gardens have to offer. Which in a normal year would include a bevy of azaleas in bloom but thanks to our freakishly early spring, they’re already past their glory now in the first week of May. So, the lesser stars of the spring garden got a bit more attention this year. This first little pocket garden surrounded by stone illustrates all sorts of things – starting with how much better plants look set against stones (at least to my eyes). And how much impact a very small garden can have, if the…
Seasonal Cooking
More of Those Early Berries
Seasonal Cooking with Rita Calvert~The Local Cook Yesiree we do have a confusing and early spring. In fact, the past 12 months have been the warmest since the US started keeping records. I use Clagett Farm in Upper Marlboro as my mid-Atlantic Farm barometer. Last weekend-May 5, they had ripe strawberries for their CSA shareholders. Way early since the norm is during the“strawberry moon” which is the full moon of June as I learned from Michael Heller, farmer/educator/coauthor at Clagett Farm. Here are more recipes to celebrate your berry finest. Berry Blush Sangria Serves 4-6 This sangria recipe will make our early spring berries sing! Made with a dry light Pinot Grigio, NOT blush wine,…
Local Berries Are Coming!
Seasonal Cooking with Rita Calvert~The Local Cook I was jolted awake when I saw a Facebook notice from Flavor Magazine (Virginia) that LOCAL BLUEBERRIES (from Grelen Pick Your Own-near Charlottesville) ARE ALMOST HERE! Wahooo! “Our blueberries and brambles are much ahead of last year’s ripening schedule. We expect the first blueberries to ripen within the next two weeks, and we have lots of them! Black raspberries should ripen by late May followed by red and yellow raspberries. Blackberries should ripen by mid June.” It’s nice to have a savory dish to offer as a surprise for berries. Then, of course, come all of the irresistible desserts. Because we can never get enough berries…we’ll continue this berry…
Simple Snazzy Herb Sauces-Way Beyond Pesto
Seasonal Cooking with Rita Calvert~The Local Cook -Leave a comment Last Saturday we had lots of activities happening at Homestead Gardens, Davidsonville. If you missed the action and fun, here is a recap of the sauces I made SANS any basil. It was called, “Beyond Basil”. Now I did talk about the new ‘Valentino’ basil-pretty cool being large and great for drying-ya’ just gotta see it-only at Homestead Gardens! Cilantro Pumpkin Seed Pesto Sauce (Shrimp in Pumpkin Seed Sauce) Makes: 4-6 servings For Cinco de Mayo, use this lush sauce to highlight the celebration. This recipe, published in “Recipes From the Regional Cooks of Mexico” and “Nothing Fancy,” is cookbook author Diana Kennedy’s version of…
How to Make Pavers for your Garden
DIYers and bargain-hunters, did you know that for as little as 30 cents each you can make very cool pavers for your garden? You might have seen expensive kits for this purpose at the craft store but there’s no need to buy them because with a bag of cement mix and some cake pans or other household items, you’re good to go. And besides being cheap, it’s really FUN — for adults and kids alike. Materials Use “Mortar” or “Sand Mix”, which are both combinations of sand and Portland cement. Quikrete, a product that also contains pebbles, is okay to use, but produces a rougher texture. A 60-pound bag costs $3 and makes about 10…
How to Care for Cut Flowers
Happy Mother’s Day, everyone! Even if you’re not a mother. For me it’s a great day to remember my own mother, who passed on her love of gardening to me. After she moved to a condominium, she frequently drove the 100 miles between us just to weed my garden. You might suspect that it was just an excuse to visit me, but she seriously missed gardening – at least as much as she missed me. Now for readers who happen to have received cut flowers or flower arrangements today, here are some tips for making them look as good as possible for as long as possible. Before putting the flowers in a vase, make sure…
More of Those Early Berries
Seasonal Cooking with Rita Calvert~The Local Cook Yesiree we do have a confusing and early spring. In fact, the past 12 months have been the warmest since the US started keeping records. I use Clagett Farm in Upper Marlboro as my mid-Atlantic Farm barometer. Last weekend-May 5, they had ripe strawberries for their CSA shareholders. Way early since the norm is during the“strawberry moon” which is the full moon of June as I learned from Michael Heller, farmer/educator/coauthor at Clagett Farm. Here are more recipes to celebrate your berry finest. Berry Blush Sangria Serves 4-6 This sangria recipe will make our early spring berries sing! Made with a dry light Pinot Grigio, NOT blush wine,…
Roses at the Franciscan Monastery
The Franciscan Monastery in Northeast D.C. is rightly touted as a great local garden to visit – especially in the spring. Last month the display of tulips made it a must-see destination but now in early May the story’s all about roses. With fewer and fewer rose gardens being tended these days, in favor of low-maintenance landscape roses, this garden is a rare example in our region that stands to remind us of why roses are so beloved they won the coveted title of National Flower. Masses of full-grown roses and stunning Byzantine architecture is a combination I dare say none of us can duplicate in our own far more modest gardens. The photo above…
Highlights of a May Garden Tour
It may have been billed as the Takoma House and Garden Tour but we’ll just ignore the house part and enjoy what the gardens have to offer. Which in a normal year would include a bevy of azaleas in bloom but thanks to our freakishly early spring, they’re already past their glory now in the first week of May. So, the lesser stars of the spring garden got a bit more attention this year. This first little pocket garden surrounded by stone illustrates all sorts of things – starting with how much better plants look set against stones (at least to my eyes). And how much impact a very small garden can have, if the…
Local Berries Are Coming!
Seasonal Cooking with Rita Calvert~The Local Cook I was jolted awake when I saw a Facebook notice from Flavor Magazine (Virginia) that LOCAL BLUEBERRIES (from Grelen Pick Your Own-near Charlottesville) ARE ALMOST HERE! Wahooo! “Our blueberries and brambles are much ahead of last year’s ripening schedule. We expect the first blueberries to ripen within the next two weeks, and we have lots of them! Black raspberries should ripen by late May followed by red and yellow raspberries. Blackberries should ripen by mid June.” It’s nice to have a savory dish to offer as a surprise for berries. Then, of course, come all of the irresistible desserts. Because we can never get enough berries…we’ll continue this berry…
Fun with Fertilizers
At this month’s meeting of the Golden Spades, Homestead’s own guru Gene Sumi talked fertilizer – the basics, plus answers to everyone’s questions about them. Organics Feed the Soil Organic gardeners know that the best way to get nutrients to their plants is to give them good soil, soil that holds onto nutrients (unlike pure sand) and has the microorganisms that can turn organic matter into nutrients (unlike the hardpan often left by developers after they’ve removed the topsoil). So organic fertilizers, made from living things, release nutrients into the soil by way of microbial action. Compost works this way, improving the soil’s structure while feeding our plants. And good soil structure means the soil…
More Lawn Tips from Mike McGrath
He’s back – the ever-popular guru of gardening, Mike McGrath. Mike’s the former editor of Organic Gardening Magazine, host or visiting expert on numerous TV shows, and now star of his nationally syndicated radio show, You Bet Your Garden, which airs locally on WTOP every Saturday morning. He spoke to customers recently as part of our Urban Gardening Weekend and here are the highlights. His lawn advice applies to cool-season grasses, like bluegrass and fescue, not to the warm-season turfgrass zoysia. How to mow? Always with a sharp mower. Dull blades cause injury to the blades that does not repair itself. And don’t mow during droughts – that just encourages weeds by exposing more…
Simple Snazzy Herb Sauces-Way Beyond Pesto
Seasonal Cooking with Rita Calvert~The Local Cook -Leave a comment Last Saturday we had lots of activities happening at Homestead Gardens, Davidsonville. If you missed the action and fun, here is a recap of the sauces I made SANS any basil. It was called, “Beyond Basil”. Now I did talk about the new ‘Valentino’ basil-pretty cool being large and great for drying-ya’ just gotta see it-only at Homestead Gardens! Cilantro Pumpkin Seed Pesto Sauce (Shrimp in Pumpkin Seed Sauce) Makes: 4-6 servings For Cinco de Mayo, use this lush sauce to highlight the celebration. This recipe, published in “Recipes From the Regional Cooks of Mexico” and “Nothing Fancy,” is cookbook author Diana Kennedy’s version of…
Gardening Tips from Margaret Roach
Margaret Roach, one of the stars of the gardening world, was cajoled into traveling from her Upstate New York garden to speak to the Maryland Horticultural Society last week, and both she and her garden were hits with the crowd. Margaret is author of the excellent blog A Way to Garden and former garden writer/editor for newspapers and Martha Stewart. Here’s Margaret ready to sign copies of her memoir about retiring to Nowheresville. The title of Margaret’s talk was “At Home in the 365-Day Garden” and this scene reminds us that with the right plants, there’s lots to see even in winters, something she knows a bit about there in her Zone 5 garden. Her…
Maryland (House and) Garden Tours
It’s garden tour time, and Maryland’s got some great ones, especially the houses and gardens that are presented as part of the Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage. That’s a non-profit dedicated to the preservation and restoration of architecturally significant properties in Maryland – it’s been doing that since 1930. Starting next weekend and running through May is their multi-county spring tour, which gives us a peek at some extraordinary historic and contemporary sites while raising money for the cause. Here are the highlights of 2012 tours – highlights of the gardens, of course. Be sure to scroll down to Anne Arundel, a particularly promising county for gardens! Click the county name highlighted in green for…
Much Ado About Asparagus!
Seasonal Cooking with Rita Calvert~The Local Cook -Leave a comment The award for the harbinger of spring, without a doubt, goes to asparagus! We are just beginning to see those stalky bunches at our farmers markets. Quite possibly your own garden has a few shoots reaching skyward. Once you taste the young, fresh local asparagus you’ll never go back to imported supermarket version. Treatments for asparagus abound so try as many as you can before our fleeting verdant friend has finished its reign. This season I am highly promoting the simply elegant technique of oven (or grill) roasting-glazed with a shine of olive oil, then sprinkled with a blanket of freshly grated pungent cheese. Many…
