We are fortunate to be able to pick kale in the winter that is growing in the garden under small greenhouse covers. In fact, overall kale tastes even better once it is exposed to a slight frost and it is very cold weather tolerant. While easy to grow, the hard part is getting my children… Read more »
Roasted Italian Sausage, Carrots, Parsnips & Potatoes
Winter is a time for root vegetables in our household and I am always looking for a new way to prepare them. Today I roasted parboiled carrots, parsnips and potatoes with browned sausage pieces. A twist on a classic country meal, it was easy to prepare, flavourful and hearty. Served with some fried kale &… Read more »
Harvested Winter Kale And Spinach
While I’m not sure what is happening to winter here in Ontario as we still have no snow on the ground, we have had some cold nights over the past few weeks with several nights down below -15C. But today was a lovely sunny day, enough to entice me out to the vegetable garden to… Read more »
Staying Garden Fit Through The Winter
I find no difficulty keeping reasonable fit during the garden season. There are always beds to be edged, weeds to be pulled, plants to be pruned, rocks to be moved, vegetable gardens to be turned over not to mention all the new plants that need to be hauled from the garden center, moved around in… Read more »
Cupressus macrocarpa Wilma Goldcrest
Attracted by the bright and cheery lime green foliage, I picked up two Monterey Cypress Wilma Goldcrest at my local grocery store just before Christmas 2011. I thought their bright green fern like foliage would look particularly attractive on either side of our mantle, already decked out for Christmas. Wilma Goldcrest was discovered in the… Read more »
Don’t Love Them To Death
I am not very good at taking care of indoor houseplants. While I have a pretty good green thumb for outdoor gardening, my indoor garden skills are practically non-existent. Even keeping Christmas poinsettias is a major feat for me. However this year I think I have finally figured out what I have been doing wrong… Read more »
10 Garden Resolutions for 2012
Every year I seem to have one major project or another on the go. While these projects have been crucial to our landscape, managing these projects along with trying to keep up with the necessary garden chores often meant that small jobs kept getting pushed off to another year or that some areas of the… Read more »
The Best of 2011
2011 was like an extreme sandwich for the garden. The summer was hot and dry, nestled in between a spring and fall that were both cold and wet. Top that off with an addition to our home and we definitely found this year to be quite a proposition. Yet as I sit, listening to the… Read more »
Has Winter Finally Arrived?
We came home today after three days away to the first snowstorm of the season. After a mostly grey and rainy December followed by a green Christmas, it was strange to leave our house is what seemed like spring and return to see everything covered in white. While not a lot of snow, only about… Read more »
Twas The Night Before Christmas
Tis the Night Before Christmas, when all through the house, something was stirring, oh shoot, it’s a mouse! The mouse traps were place on the cold floor with care, in hopes that the mouse head soon would be there. The parents were nestled all snug in their beds, while the youngest saw visions of mice… Read more »