This blog often focuses on eating local. However, if you aren’t comfortable gardening on your own or your yard is shady (or nonexistent) you can still grow your own food successfully. You just need to get involved with a community garden! The characteristics of community gardens are varied. Some of them allow you to rent a plot of land that…
One of the evergreen plants I see on my nature hikes lately is spotted wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata). Another of its common names, “pipsissewa”, apparently came from the Cree word “pipisisikewu.” Though the root was once used in root beer* recipes, this is a plant usually appreciated for its quiet beauty. The glossy green leaves with their center white stripe are…
This is one of my favorite things all year… and only 2 days left for early bird registration! Prices go up a little after February 12th at 5:00pm. The Organic Growers School spring conference is on March 6 & 7 this year. You can register here. If you live in any convenient distance from the University of North Carolina at…
I get excited about foods I’ve never grown before and for a few years now I’ve tried my hand at growing Hibiscus sabdariffa, which you may be familiar with as the “zinger” in Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger tea. H. sabdariffa is also known as tea hibiscus, red tea, Florida cranberry, roselle, and sorrel (unrelated to the leafy French sorrel). It…
Appalachian residents don’t usually think of citrus as a local food but if you have a sunny window or greenhouse to overwinter your plants, you can grow citrus indoors. Citrus require a moderate amount of maintenance to thrive but they can be very rewarding. The first thing to do is obtain some plants. If you are driving to Florida anytime…
Appalachian Feet’s Store is finally finished. I chose the cream of my books, thought-provoking movies, and useful green products (such as canning equipment, rain barrels, produce bags, and cloth napkins) that you can buy once and use for life. Click to enter store: Appalachian Feet Store If you have advice on a sustainable product or book that I left out,…
You may have noticed a tree in your neighborhood that rains dull green baseballs each fall. In most locations these heavy fruits are ignored by residents, unless a group of children utilizes them in a mock battle – or better yet – discovers the joys of walnut-stained body parts and clothing. Often my mother threw up her hands in despair…
If you’ve enjoyed passionfruit in exotic juice mixes or as a novel fruit from the produce section, you may be surprised at how easy it is to grow at home. The passionflower grown for commercial production is the South American species Passiflora edulis, but we have a local, native species that tastes just as good! Passiflora incarnata is not only…
If you don’t have room for sprawling melon plants to ramble across all the pathways in your garden, give trellising a try. Lightweight melons are perfect for trellising because they do not strain the stems of the plant as they dangle. Each melon is approximately a single serving size but because the smaller size requires less energy, the plant is…
Chances are there is a U-Pick berry farm near you just waiting for you to go enjoy it. Check the ASAP guide to see if there is a farm in your vicinity. Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and other U-Pick crops can usually be found within 45 minutes driving distance. Because fruits of this size are labor intensive to pick, many…
If you live in USDA zone 5 or warmer, you can grow figs. If you are in a colder area, the trick is to put your fig in a microclimate (next to the sunny wall of a building, beside a sheltered, blacktop driveway, etc.). You can also try pruning and wrapping your fig in the winter but if you selected…
Whether you buy them at a farm stand or grow them yourself, preserving peaches for the winter months is a satisfying endeavor. Freezing: Wash, pit, and peel ripe peaches. A boiling water dip can be used if the peaches do not peel easily on their own. To prevent discoloration, coat the peaches in a solution of 1/4 tsp crystalline ascorbic…