Right now, my terrace is a vision of windswept desolation. The plants have been drab, brown-grey for months now, the blooms and vines of 2012 blown into tangles and dried into rattling husks. The only big excitement for the last long while has been when the gusts get so strong that the trees tip over, [Read more]
Category: Growing How-To
Growing Lemons (and Limes and Oranges) Indoors
I would like to live in Spain or Sicily or even Sacramento, someplace where oranges grow on trees in tiled courtyards and mild, golden sunlight blesses the earth all winter long. Alas: New York. But citrus dreams die hard, and if you, like me, live in a cold-winter climate but still long for fragrant lemon [Read more]
The Stranger Squashes
When it comes to winter squash, you have the usual suspects: butternut and acorn squash. And oh, the mileage you can get with those two. The soups, the sides, the stir-fries, the pies…. They’re wonders! BUT, they’re also just the beginning of story. There’s a whole world of stranger squash. Let’s tour a few of [Read more]
Why Do Purple Beans Turn Green?
A few weeks ago, we were talking about beans, and I was extolling the virtues of the Royal Burgundy bush beans I’ve been growing — their delicate violet flowers, the dark pods dangling like mysteries from their stems. But I also mentioned a slight sadness: the purple beauties turn green when you cook them. Which led [Read more]