After, “When do I plant?” the hardest gardening question to wrap you head around is, “How much do I plant?” Everyone, from high-rise gardeners with a few pots to big time farmers with thousands of acres, has to annually decide how much of their land they will allocate to each crop they want to grow….
Which Caricature Are You?
People come to gardening for many reasons. Have you ever wondered where you stand in the great big world of edible gardening, environmentalism and social awareness? Well not to worry, we’ve designed this Cosmo-inspired quiz that will lead you to greater self-awareness of your particular gardening caricature. Just answer the following questions and check your results…
We Have A Wild Fermentation Winner!
Last week, in honor of hitting 1,000 followers on the NW Edible Facebook page I sponsored a giveaway of one of my favorite preservation books, Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz. Well, we have a winner! A huge congratulations to Kristin, comment number 49. Kristin, you’re the winner of Wild Fermentation! Send me an email (nwedible…
I Grew Some Vegetables, Now What?
Having a productive garden in August is kinda like a having a three-year-old who keeps asking, “Why, mommy? Why?!” You love them, but sometimes you wish they’d just stop and give you a minute of quiet peace. So it is. After months of work, the vegetative horn of plenty arrives in August. Crops are pumping out…
Pantry Ranting
If I see another perfect, straight-out-of Williams-Sonoma pantry filled with quaint matching baskets and lovely labeled glass canisters full-to-bursting with wholesome looking gluten-free grains I’m going to beat someone over the head with my copy of Real Simple. But perhaps I’m just jealous. You see, my pantry – and I am blessed to have an…
Lazy Preservation At Its Best: Freezing Peaches
Last week I ordered 100 pounds of peaches from this new fruit CSA from Eastern Washington that serves the greater Seattle area (by the way, for local people, I’ve had great service and fruit from them for an excellent price and will be ordering again soon). After jamming and canning and drying until my floors were…
I've Become The Weirdo Wasp Lady
I have a wasp nest. I had a wasp nest. A wasp nest hangs in a tree in my yard. If may or may not contain wasps. I’ve been keeping my eye on this nest for several weeks. It’s the aerial home of a colony of bald-faced hornets (despite the name, a type of wasp)….
1,000 Strong, And Growing – A Wild Fermentation Giveaway!
You know that jingle for kid’s vitamins: We are Flintstones kids – ten million strong, and growing…. Please tell me you remember that ad or I’m going to feel really, really old. Anyway, that tune has been running through my head about the Northwest Edible Life Facebook page, except instead of ten million, it’s a thousand strong…
No Place Like Home – Appreciating the Urban in Urban Homesteading
I had a commitment in Eastern Washington this weekend which necessitated a little family road trip to the hot, sunny, dry part of the state. When we returned Sunday night, we followed I-90 west, eventually climbing up the Cascade Mountains to the summit at Snoqualmie Pass and returning back down to the cooler, greener side of…
Not Your Grandma's Plastic Bag Dryer
My grandma used to wash and reuse plastic bags. This Depression-era action epitomized, to my parent’s generation, cheapness and time wasting. I distinctly remember my own minimalist-minded mother laughing about the hoard of used plastic sandwich bags her mother-in-law never threw away. Well everything old is new again, and now I’m a bag washer and re-user. Say…
Dawn In The Garden: Mid-August In Pictures
Mid-August and everything is growing well but my little squirrel heart tells me fall is in the air and just around the corner. I’ve got ripe tomatoes and lots of beans and cukes and zucchini. The fall stuff is mostly in and growing well and the late summer flowers are adding some pretty to the place. …
Easy No-Stick Canning Jar Labels
Last week, just in time for a massive can-o-thon over the weekend, I followed a Facebook recommendation to some fantastic, customizable canning jar labels on Etsy. I’d link to them, but my aging memory and the fast pace of digital life don’t always play nice, so I’ve completely forgotten where I saw them. The neat thing…