The Goodness of the Garden . . . All the Year Round September 2026
I live in Kentucky where humid heat loves to make itself at home in July and August. This year it extended its stay into September and drained my energy until I awoke at the beginning of this week to 60 degrees. So I started the week with a mile-and-a-half walk, followed by two hours of working in the garden, all before the temperature reached 74 degrees. I felt the energy flowing and the front flower gardens look better for it.
The Goodness of the Garden . . . All the Year Round July 2026
This is that time of year when everything we’re bringing in from the garden can overpower the kitchen. Our refrigerator is so full of cabbage, corn, squash, cucumbers, carrots and beets that we have to beware of pushing something fresh to the back where the fortress of colorful produce will shield it from out sight. After all the hard work in the garden, and the work the plant put in to grow into its full beauty, I don’t want to neglect it!
The Goodness of the Garden . . . All the Year Round May 2026
Being a gardener means being a continuous learner. I’ve been gardening now for thirty years or so, mostly using the trial and error method. This year I’m wishing I had kept better notes about which soil I used and where we were in the moon cycle when I planted tomato seeds to grow inside until it was warm enough to take the seedlings out.
The Goodness of the Garden . . . All the Year Round March 2026
I’ve been giddy about spring arriving early in Kentucky. The first crocuses bloomed in my yard in February, followed by the snow drops and the daffodils. Now the purple finches have returned to the bird feeder and they ate a quarter of the seed in a month. I checked the yard and found henbit and bluets (above), sure signs that more growth is to come. Yesterday I cut hyacinths to bring their sweet smell to my desk.
The Goodness of the Garden . . . All the Year Round January 2026
These days my cooking philosophy is to get creative with what I have in my kitchen. I started the new year with loaded potato soup, courtesy of the bounteous crop of potatoes that survived last year’s drought.
The Goodness of the Garden . . . All the Year Round November 2025
Gardening feeds my body and soul. That’s why it’s difficult to put the garden to bed at the end of the season. A couple of weeks ago, I walked around fallen walnuts in the yard to cut all of my chard, kale and beet greens, thinking that was it for this year. But it rained again, it didn’t frost and I ended up with another deeply green batch.
The Goodness of the Garden . . . All the Year Round September 2025
I don’t remember when I first tried sun-dried tomatoes, but I instantly loved them. I’ve never been a fan of fresh tomatoes; the texture and acidity don’t agree with me. But when tomatoes are dried, the flavor is concentrated into a delectable bite.
The Goodness of the Garden . . . All the Year Round July 2025
I joke that we’re going to start a fruit of the month club. The later part of May yielded strawberries. All of June was devoted to blueberry picking. July is looking like a sea of blackberries.
The Goodness of the Garden . . . All the Year Round May 2025
I went for a walk in the rain this afternoon. It wasn’t exactly intentional. I often take a walk during lunch to get outside and breathe deeply of the day. The sparse clouds encouraged me to carry my umbrella just in case. Approximately two-thirds of the way through my walk, just in case arrived.
The Goodness of the Garden . . . All the Year Round March 2025
It’s that time of year when I look in the freezer every week to see what’s in there that I need to use. During the rich garden harvest days of summer and fall, we freeze some of our produce, or what we get from friends, to use during the off-season.