May
23
Question: What do potatoes look like when they grow? Answer: The answer is in the pictures here. Whenever you are growing something for the first time, it’s fun learning how each plant grows. This is my first year growing potatoes. I haven’t seen them grow before, so I didn’t know exactly what to expect to …
Apr
25
Gardening can be a great rewarding experience. One of the most rewarding experiences is growing your own peas. Peas fresh picked from the garden have a sweet flavor you will never find in a grocery store. I like to grow shelling, sugar snap, and snow peas. But growing them doesn’t come without it’s challenges and …
Aug
21
Question: When to Plant Broccoli for the Fall? Answer: RIGHT NOW! If you wish to grow broccoli for a fall crop, you need to be planting those seeds in the ground in the month of August at the latest. I planted my broccoli this month and I live in Michigan. Broccoli grows well in the …
Jul
22
Question: What eats bush bean plants? Answer: I know Japanese beetles like to eat bean leaves. They ate my mom’s pole bean leaves into nothing last year. If they eat the pole bean leaves, I imagine they will do the same with bush beans. Traps do not work on them as it just attracts them …
Jul
10
Question: Are blue lake green beans good for freezing? Answer: Absolutely! I have heard they are one of the best beans for freezing. I haven’t done it myself before, because I never grown enough beans where I couldn’t eat them all fresh (hopefully this year will change that!). I would recommend blanching them before freezing. …
Jul
08
Question: What is a good recipe for wando peas? Answer: Wando peas are a variety of shelling peas (peas that you must remove from the shell before eating). You can use them as you would in any recipe calling for peas. I think to enjoy their fresh flavor it’s best to just keep it simple. …
Jul
07
Question: How do I stop broccoli from bolting? Answer: It is not the warm air temperature that causes broccoli to bolt (or flower). It is the warm soil. Add mulch and keep your broccoli well watered (check an inch down into the soil for moisture level), can help keep your plant going longer. I also …
Jul
07
Question: How do I know that my broccoli has bolted? Answer: Growing broccoli in the warm weather is not easy. If your broccoli begins to produce yellow flowers you may be in trouble, but not all hope is lost. If your broccoli variety produces side shoots and most do, then you can just cut off …
Welcome to my blog! My name is Eric. I live in Saline, Michigan with my wife (Donna) and two daughters, Hannah (3 1/2) and Autumn (1). I started this blog in October 2009 to share my culinary experiences from making my own food from scratch to what I find at farmer's markets and grocery stores.
