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It’s a glorious summer in the Seagarden. The strawberries are in full swing; blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and NZ cranberries (Myrtus ugni) are ripening. The espaliered tree has revealed itself to be some sort of green apple, and both the sweetie and braeburn apple trees are full of fruit. Fig brown turkey fruited before there were […]
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So delighted to harvest my first globe artichoke today. In honor of this joyous occasion, I offer Pablo Neruda’s “Ode to the Artichoke.”
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Cherries, strawberries, raspberries, apricot tree growth, myrtus ugni, grapevines, French lavender in the vertical planters, heavenly scented citrus flowers, ripening blueberries, fig tree, apples and blossoms on the espaliered tree, calendula flowers, blackberry blossoms and braeburn apples:
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Having a blast with mushrooms, grown from Parkvale’s GYObuckets. Amazed at how they went from fuzzy white mycelium to tiny pin-head fruiting bodies to mushrooms as big as my hands in just a few days. They are just delicious, enjoyed so far sauteed, scrambled with eggs and as the star of mushroom fried rice (alongside […]
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Juiced, wilted, braised or super slow cooked? All of these and more!
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For months, I looked for wheatgrass seeds among the seed packets and the bags of seeds-for-sprouting at the organic grocer. I started to suspect they were not stocking the seeds in order to promote the expensive flats of already growing wheatgrass. Eventually, I asked the woman at checkout why they didn’t stock them, and she […]
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QUESTION from a Garden.Geek.NZ reader: I wonder if you have any suggestions for ripening windfall tamarillos? We had some extremely strong winds recently here in New Plymouth NZ and so many of our fruit fell to the ground and are still very green. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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In which we explore the wonderful new film “Queen of the Sun” and the honeybee queen’s dramatic nuptials, partnering with microbes for better health, and the latest happenings in the Seagarden.
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Initially I didn’t have high expectations for Tomatillo Grande Verde, since I associated tomatillos with Mexican food, and therefore a sunny, warm climate. But the tomatillo’s been surprising in so many ways, proving itself hardier than all the tomatoes I planted this year and even thriving in the challenging Seagarden environment.
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Behold, today’s bountiful harvest! Featuring cavolo nero, meyer lemon, parsley, roma tomatoes, jalapeno pepper, hungarian wax pepper, mint and oregano. See how it transforms into a delicious lentil-based salad with a recipe inspired by Madhur Jaffrey.
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A year of the Seagarden in two minutes of video.
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Hard to believe it was just one year ago the Seagarden orchard was planted. Especially the magical bean-stalkish tamarillo trees. Almost everything made it through the first year on our extreme coast and quite a few have thrived. Here’s what’s notable in the garden this week, starting with the first ripe tomato.
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Growing up far from any ocean, I don’t remember coming across live bivalves, and although I’ve always loved eating them, I was intimidated to cook them for a long time. Turns out there’s nothing simpler…
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