Is it a weed? Is it a pretty garden flower? In my book, oxeye daisy is an attractive perennial, with tasty leaves, edible flowers, and (I’ll admit it) an aggressive growth habit. If you’re someone who needs to tightly control every plant in your garden, oxeye daisy isn’t for you. But if you appreciate a free-form, natural landscape, why not…
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Ok. I didn’t get this posted in time for May Day. So sue me. But since sweet woodruff (aka Galium odoratum) is plentiful all summer long, there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy this infusion any time of year. May wine is made by steeping sweet woodruff in white wine. Drying the herb before infusing it concentrates the flavor of…
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During that far-too-brief period of time when fiddlehead ferns are in season, I suggest you make the most of them. After all, you only have a couple of weeks, and then all that’s left are dreams, memories, and a longing for crunchy green crosiers that won’t be around for another 50 weeks. Fiddlehead farfalle is the perfect way to feature…
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Most people (and all gardeners) consider Japanese knotweed to be an aggressive, invasive weed, that crowds out many less vigorous plants. You might wonder what’s wrong with that, survival of the fittest and all, but the truth is that monocultures in nature can be unfortunate things, especially when wildlife depends on diversity in the landscape for food and shelter.
It’s clean out the freezer time here in Santa Fe! Gotta make room before I can store all the new greens I hope to be harvesting over the next few months. Last night I pulled out two vacuum sealed packets of blanched greens (nettles and garlic mustard) and threw together this spring greens gratin. It was a huge hit, and…
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