Cooking
Too Many Tomatoes?
It’s tomato time! My kitchen is overflowing in tomatoes – yellow, red, round, huge, grape shaped, gold with black shoulders (the fantastic ‘Indigo Kumquat’), and so many more. I always overplant tomatoes. Why? Because I LOVE TOMATOES! By time I plant the varieties I teach with in seed starting workshops, plus favorite varieties from years…
Read MoreI Hate to Harvest – A True Confession
I love to grow vegetables but I hate to harvest. I love to start start vegetables from seed. Even before the first set of leaves unfurl, I’m dreaming about planting each seedling in my raised garden beds. I carefully labeled everything so I can track who grows where… I visit my garden every day, looking…
Read MoreLet’s Plant! Seed Starting Workshops 2020
https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/451363110th Anniversary Series Since 2010, I’ve taught hundreds of people to grow their own vegetables, herbs, and flowers from seed In this workshop, you’ll learn my easy, hands-on methods and secret tips for growing and feeding your family wholesome, organic produce from your backyard or your balcony. I brings the seeds and supplies. You take home…
Read MoreZa’atar – The All Purpose Middle Eastern Spice Mix
Did you know that Judaism is rooted in agriculture? Many Jewish holidays have agricultural roots: Passover at planting, Sukkot at harvest, Tu b’shvat marks bud break in spring, and so on. Plants and trees, fruits and nuts are woven throughout the Torah, both literally and figuratively. Many Jewish traditions incorporate planting and respect for nature,…
Read MoreThe Year’s First Seed Starting Workshop is a Big Success
it was cold and rainy, but that didn’t’ stop anyone from showing up for the year’s first seed starting workshop one evening last week at the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant in Old Town San Diego. We all knew that spring is just around the corner and with it, spring and summer vegetable gardens. I panicked…
Read MoreBlades of Glory: Whether catching morning dew or in your morning brew, lemon grass has it covered
It’s summertime and the living is easy, as long as I have a tall glass of lemon grass and mint iced tea to cut the heat. Fortunately, I grow both mint and lemon grass, so I can make ice tea whenever I want — and you can, too. Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) gets its fresh,…
Read MoreHappy Father's Day!
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads and honorary dad’s out there! I’m playing sous chef and head dishwasher for my daughter Tamar, as she prepares a meal for her dad from Cooking With the Seasons, Rancho La Puerta. This is one of the wonderful cookbooks from Rancho La Puerta, the fabulous fitness spa in…
Read MoreFestival of Flavors!
What’s the surest way to get the most flavor from vegetables and fruits? Grow em yourself…..from seed! Starting vegetables from seed was the topic of the talk I gave at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Garden’s Festival of Flavors this past Friday. The topic seemed fitting since the huge variety of vegetables seeds…
Read MoreStroll With Me Through Stone Brewing World Bistro Gardens
Yesterday, I visited Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in anticipation of the program I am doing there next Sunday, March 15. For the Ides of March, I am leading a stroll through the brewery’s wonderful gardens. I remember the first time I visited Stone. It was September of 2005 when CEO Greg Koch toured…
Read MoreLa Cocina Que Cantar
Weather Report: Last night’s low 35.7 F. Today’s high: 81.5 F. Precipitation: 0. I spent most of this morning pruning fruit trees -an activity that I both love and hate. More about that another day since it was the afternoon that was the highlight of my day. I attended a talk by Deborah…
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