Sign Up for Current Class Schedule
Growing produce from Seeds, Seed Starting Basics
Jan. 29th 11:00-1:00, $30.00
Growing Cut Flowers in Your Vegetable Garden & How to Use Edible Flowers in Cooking
Feb. 5th 11:00 – 1:30, $40.00
Growing a Spring Salad Garden & Salad Harvest Demo
Feb. 26th 11:00 – 1:30, $40.00
Organic Vegetable Gardening & Cooking Demo
March 26 11:00 – 1:30, $40.00
Remove any summer crops that are starting to fade and prepare soil with mulch, mycorrhiza, compost. Re-plant with fall/winter crops or cover crops.
Plant last round of heat loving crops
(early) tomatoes with harvest dates within 50-60 day range
Summer/winter squash (same requirements)
Peppers
Mid-season planting in August
Basil
Beans
Beets
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Chives
Cilantro
Cucumber
Dill
Lettuce
Kale
Mustard Greens
Onion, Shallots, Green onions
Radish
Peas, plant 2 rounds, August and again in Sept for fall/spring harvest
Spinach
Turnips, baby white turnips & regular
Late summer (end of Sept) plant cover crops for any areas where you won’t be planting any winter crops.
Some cool season vegetables should probably be protected from the hot months of Sept into Oct. But by planting these vegetables/fruits now they will benefit from the warmth of the soil and the longer days. If you wait too long, late Oct, the soil is already cooling down and the sun is leaning towards winter, the days growing shorter.
Need more help? Send me an email with questions. I have video’s available for guidance, contact me, [email protected]
It’s not too late to plant that spring garden! Are you new to gardening or just have unanswered questions? I have the answers!
I’ll give you ideas on how to design your spring kitchen garden, where to put the garden and how to plant so you’ll have a big harvest of fresh organic vegetables. Downloadable pdf’s for you to keep! We’ll answer questions on where to buy your plants or how to start seeds, how to care for your babies, fertilizing and harvesting.
You’re invited! This will be a Zoom class, we hope to return to in person teaching soon
Sun, April 11th
11:00 – 12:30, $30.00
You can sign up here
An herb garden doesn’t have to be big so you don’t need much space to grow one. You can even start a potted herb garden on your windowsill! This way you’ll have the aroma of fresh herbs right inside your kitchen or on your patio.
When growing herbs, location is key. Some like it sunny and dry, while others prefer filtered sunlight and moist soil. Regardless, make sure to use well-drained fertile soil. Most herbs will survive in poor sandy soil, but few will tolerate wet clay soil. If your yard is all sun, try planting shade-loving plants east of taller varieties like sunflowers. The tall plants will generate shade for the smaller ones.
Basil, Chives, Dill, Oregano, Rosemary, Tarragon, and Thyme prefer full sun, while Chervil, Lemon Balm, and Mint prefer partial shade in your herb garden.
Water newly planted herbs regularly but once they are established, most are naturally drought resistant. Watering and drainage goes hand in hand. Rather give your herbs too little than too much water. After a good soaking, allow the water to drain away and the soil to dry out slightly. Water again when the top 1″ or so of soil is dry to the touch.
During the growing season fertilize about once a month with a weak solution of fish emulsion. Compost 4 times a year (at the beginning of each season, will also provide the plants with the nutrients they need. Don’t fertilize dormant plants, such as tarragon, some thyme and sometimes chives, just add a little compost around them and wait for them to wake up in the spring.
If you over feed your herbs and make them happy and beautiful they may lack some flavor. Hold back a little water and a little fertilizer to help concentrate the oils in the leaves thus increasing their flavor, aroma and medicinal value.
Pruning is essential to encourage healthy, bushy growth. Remove dead leaves and flowers on a regular basis. Should you frequently use your herbs, pruning may not be necessary, as you would be pruning automatically.
Be sure to let some of your herbs flower and ‘go to seed’, it will encourage good bugs, butterflies and hummingbirds into the garden.
Even though it still feels like summer (technically it is) fall will be upon us soon. Fall is the best gardening season in Southern California; the ground is still warm enough to germinate seeds quickly yet cool enough at night as not to kill the delicate plants. If you want to start a small kitchen garden now is the time. Here are some easy plants to grow with a little information on how to get them started. If you’d like more information just send me an email, [email protected]
Carrots and Radish
Grow carrots and radish in cool weather, that means fall through spring in Southern California. Succession plant carrots and radish every couple of weeks for continual harvest. They both like full sun to light shade and very, very loose soil. Rocks and clumps will cause the carrot to deform.
Carrots and radish grow well in containers as well. The seeds are very small, plant them about one-quarter inch deep. Carrots do best if direct seeded in the garden, but I’ve grown them in peat pots that you can just plop right into the garden after they sprout. This gives me more control to germinate the seeds which like to be moist, (not wet) and it’ll take up to 15 days for them to sprout.
After you’ve planted the carrots, plant the radish see directly around the carrot. The radish will help keep the soil loose around the top part of the carrot. Radishes grow quickly and will sprout in about 3 or 4 days and can be pulled in about 4 weeks.
Thinning: If too many plants come up in the planting bed don’t pull out the extra, cut it off so as not to disturb the plant next to it. If starting in pots to transfer to the garden be sure to break off the bottom of the pot so the carrot can grow straight otherwise when the root hits the bottom on the peat pot it may become deformed.
Beets
Beets are one of the easiest vegetables to grow. They’re almost never troubled by pests or disease. They don’t need staking, pruning or fussing. Just sow the seeds and you’ll have beets in about 6-8 weeks.
Plant seeds directly into the garden with loose friable soil. Each beet seed is actually a cluster of several seeds so you may need to thin the plants so as not to crowd each other out in the bed. To thin them just cut the top off of the weakest seedling and move on.Keep the soil moist until the beets germinate and plant in full sun. Beets will actually grow veery well over winter, they don’t mind the cold.
Harvest beets when they are small for the sweetest flavor, baby beets should be about 2” in diameter. You can let them continue to grow if you prefer bigger ones. There are many different kinds and colors of beets so try something unusual this year. Don’t forget the tops are edible as well! Salads and stir fried are just a couple of ways to prepare them. Treat them like you would cook or prepare spinach.
Peas
Snap peas are eaten whole, and both the crunchy pod and the peas inside taste sweet. Snap peas yield more food per square foot than the other types.
Snow peas produce tender, flat pods that are eaten whole. Snow peas also produce the most tender vine tips for adding to salads or stir-fries.
Shell peas are often called English peas, because many varieties were developed in Great Britain in the 18th century. Sweet green peas are shelled from tough, inedible pods.
Pre-soak seeds overnight in warm water to soften the seed coat. Peas like moist but not wet soil. I like to start them in Sept. and then plant out in the beds when it’s a little cooler, about the end of Oct. I succession plant them by starting new seeds mid Nov. and then again early spring, this means I’ll have peas all the way up to early summer next year.
Provide a trellis for your peas, check your seed package to determine the height that they will grow. Some are actually ‘bush’ type peas. Peas can be grown in containers, but your yield may be little smaller.
Spinach
Spinach is easy to grow during the cooler months of the year; it doesn’t like hot weather so you can enjoy it from fall to early summer in most parts of Southern California.
Spinach prefers a well-drained loose soil and plenty of nitrogen.
Start spinach indoors or direct seed in the garden as soon as the weather cools down. Start seeds early Oct and in about 3 weeks the transplants will be ready for the garden. If you direct seed wait till mid Oct. to plant unless you’re on the coast, then plant around the first of Oct.
Spinach will grow quickly and can be harvested at almost any stage. Succession plant it every 3 weeks for a continual harvest through early summer. You can harvest it when they leaves are the size you like. You can harvest it in the ‘cut and come again’ method, meaning pick the older, outer leaves first and let the inside grow a little more. You can try cutting the entire top off and it may re sprout with new baby leaves. Spinach is veery easy to grow and full of vitamins.
Do you need help with your garden? Virtual consultations are available, get in touch!
Try these recipes using fresh herbs from your garden! Don’t have an herbs garden? I can teach you, more to come next week!
A classic French Herb Omelet. If you don’t have all the herbs, use what you have or whatever combination pleases you.
Whisk eggs in a bowl until the whites are completely mixed in. Add some sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Stir in the herbs.
In a small nonstick skillet (8”), melt the butter over medium heat and immediately add the eggs. Stir the eggs with a heatproof rubber spatula and slightly move the skillet around while stirring. Bring the sides over the middle so the edges don’t overcook and get crispy.
Roll the omelet from one side to the middle and while holding the pan at an angle, slide the bottom part of the omelet onto a plate and fold the rest of the omelet on top on that. You’ll have a nice little 3 fold omelet. Garnish with a few more finely chopped chives and serve.
Combine the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse several times. Add butter and pulse until the mixture begins to look like little peas.
Transfer the mixture to a lightly floured surface and gather it into a ball with your hands. Gently flatten the ball into a smooth disk about 1-1/2 inches thick and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate until firm enough to roll, at least 1 hour.
Heat the oven to 350°.
Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a round, about 1/8 inch thick. Roll the dough over your rolling pin and lift it over the tart pan. Unroll it loosely over the tart pan and gently press the dough into the pan without stretching it. Fold a bit of the excess dough inward to form a lip. Roll the rolling pin back and forth over the pan.
Dock the bottom of the dough by pricking with fork tines. Butter the dull side of a piece of foil and place butter side down over the dough. Fill with pie weights or dried beans.
Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown, rotate the tart pan halfway through the baking time.
Remove the crust from the oven, remove the foil and let the crust cool completely.
Preheat oven to 425°.
Mix goat cheese with just enough cream to make it spreadable. Mix in herbs and spread over the bottom of the cooled pie crust. Top with sliced tomatoes and bake until the tarts begin to bubble, and the crusts are golden brown, about 45-50 minutes. If the edges of the crust are getting too brown, cover with pieces of foil. Let cool on a rack for 15 minutes before serving.
*Can also be made into individual tart pans makes 6.
Serves 4
Heat oven to 200°.
Dry the fish with paper towels, season lightly with salt, pepper and Old Bay if using. Dredge lightly with Wondra flour.
Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan and brown on both sides. Remove to an oven proof plate, place in the oven while you make the sauce.
Sauce:
Cut the butter into medium (1/2-inch) cubes and return the butter cubes to the refrigerator to keep them cold, which is very important.
Heat the wine, vinegar, and shallots in a saucepan until the liquid boils, then lower the heat a bit and continue simmering until the liquid has reduced down to about 2 tablespoons.
Once the wine-vinegar mixture has reduced to 2 tablespoons, reduce the heat to low, take the cubes of butter out of the fridge and start adding the cubes, one or two at a time, to the reduction, while you whisk rapidly with a whisk.
As the butter melts and incorporates, add more butter and keep whisking. Continue until you only have 2 to 3 cubes remaining. Remove from heat while whisking in the last few cubes and whisk for a moment or two more. The finished sauce should be thick and smooth.
Season to taste with sea salt, add herbs and serve over fish with lemon wedges, if using.
Add yeast to the warm water then stir in sugar with a wooden spoon. Let stand until foamy.
Add flour, salt and herbs and stir well. Add the warm water and mix until the flour is well incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 2 hours or refrigerate for at least 7 hours and up to 24 hours.
Lightly coat one 9” pan with olive oil or butter then line the pan with parchment paper. Pour one tablespoon olive oil into the center of the pan. Roll the dough into a tight ball and place in the middle of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise another 2 hours. The dough should fill most of the pan when properly risen.
Preheat oven to 450°. Drizzle a little olive oil over the dough. Using your fingers press dimples all around the dough. Sprinkle with herbs and salt.
Place the pan into the oven and turn the temperature down to 425°. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Remove to a cooling rack.
Beets
Be sure to thin plants to about 3″ apart and harvest when they are small for a sweet flavor. Leaves and stems are edible, steam lightly or add to a salad.
To cook, place in a piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast in a 450° oven for about 10-15 min. or until tender. Rub skin off with a towel
Broccoli/Cauliflower
Buy transplants in the fall and bury the stem up above second row of leaves. Try roasting these vegetables in a 450° oven. Place cut up pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet, toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and any other seasoning you may like (red pepper flakes, garlic powder, lemon juice. Roast for 10 -15 minutes or until tender.
Cabbage
Cabbage is in the same family as broccoli and cauliflower. Homemade sauerkraut is the best! Cut out the fore of the cabbage and thinly slice the leaves into shreds. Place in a large bowl, add 1 1/2 Tb. kosher or canning salt and knead or massage the salt into the cabbage until it releases it’s liquid. Pack into a quart jar with a wide mouth and pour all liquid over the cabbage. Make a brine of 1 cup water and 1 Tb. kosher salt, stir to dissolve salt and then pour it all into a quart freezer bag, place this on top on the cabbage and place a piece of cheesecloth over the mouth of the jar, tie down with string or a rubber band and place in a cool, dark place on your counter. The second day, remove bag and press down on the cabbage to see if it will release more moisture. It should ideally cover the cabbage, if it doesn’t add more brine by either adding the ingredients in the freezer bag or make a new brine by stirring together 1 cup water and 1 tea. kosher salt. cover the cabbage and let stand for 3 -10 days. Begin tasting sauerkraut on the 3rd day, when it reaches the flavor you want, place a cap on the jar and store in your refrigerator.
Carrots
Make sure you have nice loose soil so the carrots can grow long and deep. Thin them when they sprout to give them room to grow, add the thinnings to your salad, soup or stew. Slow roast carrots as you would the broccoli or cauliflower. Drizzle with honey after roasting.
Leafy Greens
Lettuces, spinach, chard, mustard and kale all grow very well over the winter but plant at 2 -3 week intervals for a staggered supply of greens instead of harvesting all at once. Many greens can be lightly sautéed or eaten raw.
Onions & Garlic
Plant onions from ‘starts’ rather than from seeds. Pick short day varieties for best harvest. Scallions that are succession planted can be harvested over the winter/spring season.
Plant garlic from bulbs, plant pointed end up and cut off any green that is sprouting from the top.
Peas
Fall & Spring harvested peas are sweet and easy to grow. Plant a variety from English peas or shelling peas to sugar snap peas. Give them a trellis or cage to grown on and harvest daily for a continued harvest.
Peas and pea pods are lovely lightly steamed or even raw.
You can still plant sweet peas this month for spring flowering
Are you hankering for some romaine lettuce? Well, there are tons of alternatives here in So. Cal for you. From the CDC website here’s what they are saying about the current outbreak of e coli on romaine lettuce.
‘Based on new information, CDC is narrowing its warning to consumers. CDC is advising that U.S. consumers not eat and retailers and restaurants not serve or sell any romaine lettuce harvested from the Central Coastal growing regions of northern and central California. If you do not know where the romaine is from, do not eat it.’
Here’s the link for more information, CDC.
Personally, I like a mix of lettuce mostly, a little crunch, a little color and a tangy dressing. My favorite is a good old Italian dressing made with a very good red wine vinegar. I love a little cheese as well, blue, parmesan or goat goes well with a tangy Italian dressing.
Just mix a little Dijon mustard, like Maille, with your red wine vinegar, add a little minced shallot, some fresh ground Italian spices and whisk in a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and you’re done.
Local lettuce varieties are usually more plentiful during the winter as most lettuce prefers to grow in the cooler weather. Here are some varieties that will offer no only color but flavor to your salad bowl.
Choose lettuce that is bright with no brown edges or spots. Try and get them not too wet, if they are wet, they have a tendency to go bad faster. Pick whole heads of lettuce rather than bagged lettuce. The more lettuce is handled from field to bag the greater chance it can pick up any bacteria. Bagged lettuce can also be washed with chlorinated water and tends to be older than a non-bagged lettuce. Are you tempted to buy the bag that says triple washed and leave it at that? That lettuce may be contaminated with more than just chlorinated water and if it’s wet at all it will likely rot within a couple of days in that bag. Buy un-bagged lettuce, wash and dry well before storing. You might notice that if you purchase your lettuce at a farmers market that it lasts longer than a store bought lettuce, it’s because your farmers market lettuce was probably picked within a couple of days. I’ve had lettuce last up to 2 weeks from my farmers markets. So here are just some of the lettuce types you should be able to pick up anywhere.
Arugula (Rocket)-spicy and peppery, the larger the leaves the more bite it will have
Batavia is a loose-leaf lettuce similar to red or green leaf lettuce with a mild flavor
Belgian Endive-these can be a tad bitter, but they will add crunch to any salad mix
Butter-a very mild lettuce with big cupped leaves, great for serving topped with a crab salad
Frisee (Curly Endive)-Sometimes called chicory, the leaves are thin and curly with a little bit of a bite, aka peppery.
Iceberg-A dense head of lettuce with lots of crunch but little flavor
Leaf Lettuce, Red or Green-Another loose leaf lettuce with mild flavor but both add a lot of color to a salad bowl, great on sandwiches as well.
Little Gem-This lettuce looks like a mini version of romaine but it’s not as crunchy, mild flavor
Oakleaf-Another beautiful bi-colored loose-leaf lettuce that has a mild taste
Radicchio-There are numerous colors of radicchio, most have a little bitterness but a great addition to any salad.
Spring Mix-Usually a variety of small lettuces, some are mild, and some mixes can be spicy.
Watercress – Although probably a little difficult to find it makes a nice addition to a mixed salad or added to a rustic piece of bread slathered with some soft cheese. It has a peppery bit, much like Arugula. Use smaller leaves for less intense flavor.
THE BEST APPLES FOR BAKING
The Farmer’s Almanac
| Name | Best Uses | Flavor Characteristics, Appearance |
| Braeburn | Applesauce | Tart, sweet, aromatic, tall shape, bright color |
| Cortland | Pies, Applesauce, Fruit Salad | Tart, crisp, larger than ‘McIntosh’ |
| Fuji | Baking | Sweet and juicy, firm, red skin |
| Gala | Dried, Cider | Mild, sweet, juicy, crisp, yellow-orange skin with red striping (resembles a peach) |
| Granny Smith | Baking | Moderately sweet, crisp flesh, green skin |
| Jonagold | Pie, Applesauce | Tangy-sweet, Yellow top, red bottom |
| Jonathan | Applesauce | Tart flesh, crisp, juicy, bright red on yellow skin |
| McIntosh | Applesauce | Juicy, sweet, pinkish-white flesh, red skin |
| Newtown Pippin | Pie, Applesauce, Cider | Sweet-tart flesh, crisp, greenish-yellow skin |
| Rhode Island Greening | Pie | Very tart, distinctively flavored, grass-green skin, tending toward yellow/orange |
| Rome Beauty | Baking, Cider | Mildly tart, crisp, greenish-white flesh, thick skin |
| Winesap | Applesauce, Pie, Cider | Very juicy, sweet-sour flavor, winey, aromatic, sturdy, red skin |
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a medium-sized bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves.
Combine sugar and oil in a large bowl with a rubber spatula until blended.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add flour mixture to egg mixture alternately with pumpkin in three batches, beating
well after each addition.
Transfer to a greased Bundt cake pan.
Bake 60-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool for approximately 10-15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack.
Remove pan carefully from cake and cool completely.
Easy Cream Cheese Frosting
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and beat at low speed until sugar is incorporated.
Increase speed to medium high and beat until frosting is light and whipped, about 3 to 4 minutes. Use to top cookies, cupcakes, or cakes
I like to use an orange flavored olive oil for this cake.
You’ll never have enough Alpine Strawberries, also called fraises des bois, to make a pie but they are so delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or with a creamy panna cotta. I love them with my cereal in the morning fresh from the garden. Best grown in containers, in my opinion, they are small plants that will do well in partial shade or full sun. Mostly without runners I grow from transplants instead of seeds. I just never had any luck starting the tiny seeds. Alpine strawberries are related to wood (wild) strawberries and can be red or white with delicate white flowers. I think the red taste like perfume and the white are reminiscent of pineapple.
They like well-drained soil, rich in organic matter so that they drain well. I amend my soil every fall and feed regularly with an organic fertilizer. Be careful not to cover the crown of the plant and keep the leaves off the soil. You can plant these much closer together than a bigger strawberry as the plants are small and grow slowly. Here in So. California my alpine strawberries start fruiting in Jan and finish up late fall. They do stop producing in summer if it gets too hot and sometimes I’ll move the pots to partial shade where they get morning sun. Other than protecting the delicate fruit from the birds, alpine strawberries are easy to grow and are pretty little plants in pots near my front door.
I love this bright lemony cake so much I adapted it slightly from Dorie Greenspan by adding these super sweet little strawberries, Alpine strawberries.
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter an 8 1/2-x-41/2-inch loaf pan and place the pan on a baking sheet.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Put the sugar and zest in a medium bowl and, with your fingertips, rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is moist and aromatic.
Add the yogurt, eggs and vanilla and whisking vigorously until the mixture is very well blended.
Still whisking, add the dry ingredients, then switch to a large rubber spatula and fold in the oil and then the strawberries. You'll have a thick, smooth batter with a slight sheen. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the cake begins to come away from the sides of the pan; it should be golden brown and a thin knife inserted into the center will come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes, then run a blunt knife between the cake and the sides of the pan. Unmold, and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.
Glaze (optional)
½ cup lemon marmalade mixed with 1 teaspoon water
To Make the Glaze:
Put the marmalade in a small saucepan or in a microwave-safe bowl, stir in the teaspoon of the water and heat until the jelly is hot and liquefied. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the cake with the glaze.
A lovely amaryllis in bloom is a sure sign that the holiday season is in full swing. By planting in November, you can ensure gorgeous flowers come Christmas. TV gardener Andrea Mason shares easy techniques for growing amaryllis in three different mediums:
WATER PLANTING
Fill a clear vessel with a three-inch layer of stones or pebbles. Add the amaryllis bulb, then add more stones around it for stability. Add water just below the bulb, but not touching it, and monitor the water level to make sure it remains consistent.
SOIL PLANTING
Partially fill a pot with well-draining potting soil; add bulbs. Fill in with soil 2/3 of the way up the bulb, keeping the “neck and shoulders” above the soil level.
Water and let pot drain; cover the soil surface with moss or pebbles for decoration. Potted amaryllis can thrive for more than 15 years if properly maintained.
COCO PEAT PLANTING
Place coco peat disk in a container and add warm water. Allow disk to absorb water and expand for about 15 minutes; stir. Fill the bottom half of a pot with coco peat mixture and position bulb with roots down. Add remaining mixture so about 1/4 of the bulb is above the surface.
Care Tips
After planting, place bulbs in a warm, bright spot. Bottom heat, such as a germination pad or the top of a refrigerator, will help force the bulbs out of dormancy. Water sparingly until green growth appears, then water regularly. Try to keep the soil moist but not soggy.
Stake the stalks with twigs when they grow tall so they don’t topple over. After flowers fade, cut stems an inch from the base of the bulb. Water as needed and apply household fertilizer monthly until midsummer. Then, cease watering and let bulbs rest for two months, at which point they’re ready to begin the forcing process once again.
Article from Martha Stewart
Photo Smithsonian Inst. Diane Shaw
