Being homebound all weekend during Portland’s recent snow and ice storm had it’s moments of beauty. Here are a few from the garden. First came the snow – about 6-8″ in a town with few snow plows. The covers blew off my raised beds, which were then blanketed in white. Then came the ice. Freezing rain kicked in and left 1/2-1″ thick icy over the
My Favorite Winter Plants
It’s the end of January and some of my favorite winter plants are on full display. Keep your eyes peeled for some of these beauties, or perhaps they are already growing in your garden. Every winter I am reminded of the magic that is witch hazel. Although it looks fairly inconspicuous most of the year, this beauty will fill your garden with intoxicating fragrance during
January Harvest
It is mighty quiet on the homestead right now and I’m enjoying every chilly moment. It’s my one time of year to get ahead of the garden. Most of my chores of late include cleaning out dead leaves, setting up new trellis for maturing vines, and working the compost. But there are a few things to harvest when I look carefully. Our onions are best
Fall DIY Wedding Flowers
Weddings are celebrations of love – not just for the person you are marrying, but also for the people you love invited to witness it. With that in mind, I was honored to be asked by my mother to do the flowers for her late fall/early winter wedding. It makes the celebration that much more special to have it come together with the help of
Homemade Pumpkin Puree
Making homemade pumpkin puree is insanely simple and the flavor is far superior to anything you will find in a can. The most important aspect is choosing the right pumpkin. Grocery stores often carry small “pie” or “sugar” pumpkins that work well, as they have a higher sugar content. I tend to favor Rouge vif D’Etampes, a French heirloom, which is sweet and a good keeper.
Cooking Winter Squash
We are up to our ears in winter squash! I decked out our front porch this year with some really fun varieties, in part so we could make some delicious meals with these beauties. There are so many fun varieties to cook with and luckily many of them will keep for weeks, or even months. Growing winter squash takes up some prime real estate on
Planting Fall Garlic
It’s not too late to get a fall planting of garlic in the ground. This easy to grow crop is adaptable to different soil types and is an incredibly low-maintenance plant. My dad shared some of his garlic harvest with us and we have been saving the best and biggest bulbs to plant this fall. Garlic generally produces the best crops when planted in the
Snapshots of Autumn
The wind and rains are rolling in on these late fall evenings – a reminder that winter is rapping on our door. Here are some snippets of what autumn has looked like on our homestead. Fall creates a mix of cool blues and gray-greens in the front yard, dotted with yellow leaves from our trumpet vine and quince shrubs. Scarlets pop up here and
Fall Plantings
Fall is a great time of year to plant new trees and perennial shrubs for two big reasons: it gives your plants several months to work on establishing roots and there are all kinds of crazy deals right now as nurseries close out their summer stock. Just be sure to get your new purchases in the ground well in advance of your first hard freeze,
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