Of all the things I demo’d yesterday at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, nothing – nothing – rocked people’s socks like my favorite technique for making excellent homemade mayo in a hurry, using a mason jar and an immersion blender. This is the simplest mayo method I’ve ever tried, and I’m consistently happy with…
Sunchoke Soup with Hazelnuts
This recipe is from the Eating Local in the Depth of Winter recipe demo and presentation I gave at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. Thank you so much to everyone who came out to learn just how delicious it can be to eat from your garden, even in the “low time.” To view all…
Skillet Cauliflower with Curry
This recipe is from the Eating Local in the Depth of Winter recipe demo and presentation I gave at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. Thank you so much to everyone who came out to learn just how delicious it can be to eat from your garden, even in the “low time.” To view all…
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Maple-Bourbon Vinaigrette
This recipe is from the Eating Local in the Depth of Winter recipe demo and presentation I gave at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. Thank you so much to everyone who came out to learn just how delicious it can be to eat from your garden, even in the “low time.” To view all…
NW Flower and Garden Show Schedule
Look, guys, I don’t know how this happened, but they are letting me up on stage at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle tomorrow to talk about vegetables and cook food in front of an audience. There is a pretty good chance I’ll pass out from stage fright right into my Sunchoke Soup….
5 Ways To Use Coffee Grounds In The Garden
At a certain point I might as well admit that we drink a rather obscene amount of coffee. It’s almost all frugal, brew-at-home type coffee, but still: that stuff ads up. Luckily, the grounds are almost as valuable as the liquid coffee, and we save them for use in the garden, thereby getting the most…
The Crappy Composter's Secret To Perfect Compost
Maybe you are a compost geek. Maybe you totally adore balancing greens and browns and maybe the challenge of maintaining a 155 degree pile for days on end really hits your g-spot (g for “gardener,” naturally). If that describes you, this post isn’t for you. This post is for those of us who basically suck…
Which Seed Starting Supplies Are Worth It? And Which Aren’t?
As a gardener, there is no end to what you could spend your money on. Take seed starting – what do you really need? Are those peat pellet kits really worth it? Can you start your seeds in yogurt tubs, or is that somehow not….correct? Here’s my opinionated opinion on what should get your money…
Giveaway: The Speedy Vegetable Garden
“I don’t have a short attention span, I just….hey, is that a broccoflower?” Gardeners generally take the looonnnnng view, at least by the standards of today’s soundbite culture. And while it’s probably true that, “a society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit,” at a day-to-day…
Thrift Shop – An Anthem for New Frugality?
Homebrew Husband came home after his commute the other day and told me that local Seattle rapper and my fake internet boyfriend, Macklemore, is overwhelming the Seattle radio scene with his hilarious ode to frugality, Thrift Shop. Thrift Shop has been making rounds through the money-saver forums for months and months, so I’ve been loving…
Boom, That's A Garden Plan
So the past week my kids have taken turns with the sickies. First the girl spent a week coughing her lungs out, then just when she had recovered enough to return to school, the boy spent a night puking all over me. Good times, good times. So, what does this have to do with gardening?…
Grassfed vs. Organic Butter, And Which One Will Kill You Faster
Butter Basics Butter. Oh yum, butter. Butter on corn, butter on scones, green beans in brown butter, buttercream icing, herb butter… Oh, butter, no other fat is quite like you, and we love you for it. But let’s start at the beginning. Cow’s milk is separated into milk and cream. Butter is made from agitating (churning) this cream…