I tried it for the first time last fall, and it’s easy as can be. Garlic bulbs contain four to 12 cloves around a central stalk. When planted in the fall, each clove will form a new bulb that’s ready to harvest next summer. This old dog learned a new trick! And it was so embarrassingly easy I don’t know why I didn’t try it decades ago. After more than 30 years of gardening, I finally planted garlic for the first time last fa…
Garlic may be my very favorite crop. Nothing else in the garden provides so much pleasure for so many months for so little effort. Here’s the prize: cured, trimmed and ready to be stored for the winter. Garlic may be my very favorite crop. Nothing else in the garden provides so much pleasure for so many months for so little effort. Though the effort is minimal, the planning and timing are critical. Garlic is unique in that i…
…hillsides. If they’re a blaze of red, orange and yellow, it’s time. I’m always saying how easy it is to plant garlic. Now I have some photos to prove it (see slideshow, below). Planting enough garlic to last 12 months took me an hour. I might put in a few minutes weeding in early June, and I usually spend about 10 minutes cutting off the flower heads when they appear in early July. But, other than that, there’s nothing to…
Freshly harvested garlic. Photo: Deborah Miuccio Deborah Miuccio, who manages the test gardens here at Gardener’s Supply, just harvested a fine crop of garlic — her second year with this easy-care crop. Other than keeping the bed weeded, she offers this advice: “Remember to top-dress the beds with some slow-release fertilizer in spring,” says Deborah, “and keep the plants watered if you don’t get enough rain.&#…
If you’re shopping for shallots, you’ll find they are quite a bit more expensive than garlic. That’s one good reason to grow your own. Shallots combine the best qualities of onions and garlic. Their flavor is more interesting than an onion and milder than garlic, which makes them well-suited to salad dressings, delicate sauces, eggs and fish. When fully cured and ready for storage, the shallot’s neck will be totally…
…ato Towers in them and all survived Hurricane Irene!” PJ Benoit, customer service, gardens intensively in her small urban yard. She’s been growing potatoes in eight Potato Grow Bags for several years. “I use 100 percent of my own compost and add our organic All-Purpose Fertilizer. I have wonderful results and haven’t had to buy a potato since I began using this system.” The garlic on the left spent the winter in its…
A salsa recipe that’s super easy and has a distinctive texture and flavor. The best part: It only has six ingredients. Tomatillo-Chipotle Salsa Most varieties of tomatillos are still green when they’re ripe. Once the bottom of the papery lantern has split open, they’re ready to be picked. It’s not unusual for one tomatillo plant to produce as many as 100 fruits. Our gas grill was broken when I made this salsa, s…
…is essential and everyone said it’s worth buying the best quality you can afford. If you’re out of good, extra virgin olive oil, use canola oil rather than a cheap, heavy-weight olive oil. The standard rule for vinaigrette is 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil. Garlic. Most people add a little garlic to their vinaigrette. Some add lots. Be sure you mince it super-fine so no one gets surprised by a chunk. I prefer using shallots rather than garlic be…
…nd what went into producing it. So how come I can’t have the right to know what’s in the food I buy in the store? That’s the goal of the Just Label It campaign, which last month submitted a record-breaking 1.1 million signatures to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in favor of labeling genetically engineered (GE) foods. And in polls by ABC, MSNBC, NPR, the Washington Post, Consumer Reports and others, consistently…
…cipe, I’ve roasted plum tomatoes topped with garlic, fresh parsley and thyme, but you can use any fresh herb you have on hand, or even some fresh breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Oven-Roasted Tomatoes Start to finish: 1 hour 30 minutes (15 minutes active) Makes 24 tomato halves 12 ripe plum tomatoes, washed, dried and halved lengthwise 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1/4 cup ch…