Cooking
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annuals, Books, Cookbooks, Cooking, Freezing Produce, Gourmet Garden, Herb Gardening, Preserving, Preserving Herbs, Storing Winter Vegetables, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Preserving the Harvest: Fresh-Frozen Herbs in Oil, Butter, Broth or Water…
Frozen Herb Cubes with Olive Oil: Photographs Copyright Michaela Medina – thegardenerseden.com At six o’clock this morning, I was rather annoyed to be awakened by a gang of squawking bluejays. But when I rose, I discovered a beautiful rainbow on the western horizon. Suddenly, I found myself feeling more than grateful for the wake-up call […]
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Cooking, Herb Gardening, Recipes, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Golden Days of Summer Gazpacho… Celebrate the Queen of August Gardens: Glorious, Sweet, Juicy Tomatoes…
Golden Days of Summer Gazpacho Oh, sweet, sweet tomato. All winter long, how I long for you; how I pine for your sun-ripened sweetness and juicy flesh. Oh how I worship your delicious flavor. And now, in the mid-August heat, I kneel at your humble earthen alter. With toes stretched out in warm, golden straw […]
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companion planting, Cooking, Cutting Garden, Ferncliff, Flower arrangements, Garden Rooms, Garlic, Herb Gardening, Honeybee Friendly Gardening, Indoor Table Arrangements, Kitchen, Organic Disease Control, organic gardening, Organic Insect Control, Planting Techniques, Potatoes, Secret Gardens, The Seasons, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
August Abundance: Notes from the Kitchen Garden…
My Summertime Kitchen Mid August is always a busy month in the kitchen garden. Abundant cucumbers, summer squash, beans, tomatoes, peppers, herbs and onions must be harvested and put up —frozen, dried, pickled and/or canned— at the peak of freshness. Late summer chores in the potager include watering —especially during this extended dry spell we […]
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Cooking, Recipes, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Spiced Zucchini Bread: Late Summer’s Sweet Garden Delight…
A Sweetly Scented Summer Kitchen – Zucchini Bread – Image â“’ Michaela at TGE This past week has been a really busy one for me. I’ve been working on a rush project: a garden design for a private residence with an upcoming wedding. The plant lists and orders were all due and placed on Friday, […]
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Cooking, Recipes, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Cool as a Cucumber: Tante Maria’s Gurkensalat & Summer Memories…
Tante Maria’s Gurkensalat – Photo â“’ Michaela at TGE Tante Maria (my aunt Maria) lives in the southernmost tip of Bavaria, in a small town near München (Munich) Germany. My mother comes from a very, very large family —all still living in Europe— and although I have many aunts, uncles and cousins, I will always […]
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companion planting, Cooking, Garden Maintenance, Gourmet Garden, Homemade Remedies: Anti-Fungal, Organic Disease Control, organic gardening, Organic Insect Control, Plant Science, Plant Spotlight, Recipes, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Sweet Summertime Risotto with Zucchini, Basil & Golden Peppers & Cultural Notes and Tips from the Kitchen Garden…
Summertime Risotto â“’ 2010 Michaela at TGE Endless summer. Between the deep green leaves in my kitchen garden, zucchini plants offer up their tender, young fruit and bell peppers glisten in the morning sun. Green and purple basil plants —pinched to form bushy mounds— brush my ankles, scenting the air as I walk along the […]
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Cooking, Ferncliff, Garden Maintenance, Gourmet Garden, Kitchen, Plant Spotlight, Recipes, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Some Like it Hot! Keep Things Cool & Enjoy Long, Slender Haricots Verts: Chilled Green Bean Salad with Feta…
Chilled Salad of Haricots Verts with Feta – Photo â“’ 2010 Michaela Medina The Long, Hot Summer. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Some Like It Hot. I don’t know about you but I just love a sultry summer, and we are sure getting one this year in the Northeast. Summertime humidity… It makes your […]
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Cooking, Garlic, Gourmet Garden, Herb Gardening, Kitchen, Recipes, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
It’s Time for the Great Scape: Harvesting And Enjoying Flavorful Garlic Greens…
Scapes forming on hard neck garlic in my potager… Curious looking things aren’t they, the garlic scapes? In fact, whenever I look at them, I can’t help but think of ET. You do remember ET, don’t you? The friendly little alien flying around on a bicycle, trying to phone home? Of course you do. I […]
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Cookbooks, Cooking, Garlic, Plant Spotlight, Recipes, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Quickie Dinner? Fresh from the Garden? Penne with Oven-Roasted Broccoli…
Penne with Oven-Roasted Broccoli – Photo â“’ Michaela at TGE I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that I have been stalking the broccoli in my garden for more than two weeks. The weather in New England at this time of year is prone to wild mood swings -one minute it’s hot and humid […]
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Berries, Books, Children and Gardening, Cooking, Fruit for home gardens, Fun in the Garden, Garden projects for kids, Gourmet Garden, Kitchen, Perennial Close-Ups, Recipes, strawberries, The Seasons, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
The Strawberry Shortcake Facial – A (Mostly-True) Country Girl Story, Where Dallas, Dynasty and Falcon Crest Meet Fruit Mush. Plus, a Really Great Recipe for Strawberry Shortcake. I Swear…
Strawberry Shortcake with Homemade Butter Biscuits… I grew up in a strawberry patch. Yes, I mean that literally. My family grew and sold organic berries, and when I was a kid, my sister and I spent many hours in the strawberry fields picking and tending the crops. Once you’re a grownup, this sounds pretty idyllic. […]
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Cooking, Early Spring Garden Plants, Recipes, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Hello Heavenly Spring Harvest! Pizza with Arugula and Fresh Asparagus…
Pizza from scratch with fresh asparagus, tomatoes and goat cheese… Although it’s been nearly a decade since my last visit to Italy, I used to travel to Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast every summer. During that time, I fell in love with the simple peasant-style pizza, (no red sauce or gooey cheese), I found along […]
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Books, Celebrations, Cocktails, Cookbooks, Cooking, Cutting Garden, Early Spring Garden Plants, Ferncliff, Flower arrangements, flowering shrubs, Fresh Cut Flowers, Gourmet Garden, Herb Gardening, Indoor Table Arrangements, Recipes
Mother’s Day Brunch? Garden Fresh Ingredients & Ina Garten’s Chive Rissoto Cakes Help to Make it Special…
Do you love breakfast in bed? I sure do, and when I was growing up, sometimes my sister and I would serve it to our mom as an unexpected treat – especially on Mother’s Day. Part of what made it so special was the ritual of harvesting fresh flowers and herbs from the garden, and […]
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Cooking, Ferncliff, Ferns, Native North American Woodlands, Native Plants, Perennial Close-Ups, Perennials : Vermont, Plant Spotlight, Plants for shade, Plants for Texture, Recipes, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, The Seasons, Woodland plants
Well Fiddle-Dee-Dee: Unfurling Spring Pleasures in the Forest at Ferncliff…
Fiddlehead ferns unfurling in the Secret Garden – Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia pensylvanica) Lady fern ‘Lady in Red’ (Athyrium filix feminina), in my garden Oh yes, we are smack-dab-in-the-middle of fiddlehead season here in the Northeast; one of spring’s most delightful and ephemeral pleasures at my forest home in Vermont. Here on my ledgy site, Ostrich ferns, […]
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Books, Cookbooks, Cooking, Gourmet Garden, Kitchen, Recipes, Vegetable Gardening
A Coffee Break with Kick! Lee Bailey’s Sour Cream Corn Bread with Onions, Cheddar and Optional Hot Peppers…
Lee Bailey’s Sour Cream and Cheddar Corn Bread with Onions – Photo © 2010 Michaela at TGE Oochie, Owie, Yowie. Those are my  biceps, triceps and trapezoids speaking. They have been getting quite the workout. Gardening can be physically intense, and I work up a serious appetite raking, dragging debris and edging my client’s gardens. I also […]
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Bulbs, Celebrations, Cocktails, Cooking, Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Garden Paths, Gardening Inspiration, Gifts for Gardeners, Home, Recipes, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Gardens, Spring Blooming Bulbs, Spring Flowering Bulbs, The Seasons, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Mimosa Pour Moi? Oui, Oui, Oui. Sunday Afternoon Delights in the Early Spring Garden…
La Mimosa de Minneola de Michaela Could there possibly be a more lovely weekend for Easter Egg hunts, Sunday brunches, garden strolls and chilled mimosas? I think not. Here in New England the weather is simply spectacular, and swollen flower buds are bursting open to greet the glorious day. The pink bodnant viburnum ‘Dawn’ at […]
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Beneficial Animals and Insects, Berries, Birds, Blueberries - growing tips, Cooking, flowering shrubs, Fruit for home gardens, Garden Design, Garden Science, Gourmet Garden, Ground Covers, Honeybee Friendly Gardening, Late Autumn Garden, Native Plants, Naturalistic Garden Design, Organic Disease Control, organic gardening, Plant Science, Plant Spotlight, Planting Techniques, pruning, Recipes, shrubs, Shrubs for fall color, Shrubs for Winter Interest, Shrubs with Colorful Twigs/Stems, Vaccinium, Vegetable Gardening, Woody Plants
A Rhapsody in Blue: Selecting and Planting Vaccinium corymbosum, (Highbush Blueberry), Plus a Favorite Recipe for Blueberry-Lemon Bread…
A Rhapsody in Blue What would you say if I told you that I know of an amazing cold-hardy shrub, with creamy, bell-like spring flowers, glossy green leaves, brilliant fall foliage, colorful winter stems and an attractive, well-rounded form? Interested yet? It may come as a surprise that the shrub I am describing is none […]
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Celebrations, Cocktails, Cookbooks, Cooking, Herb Gardening, Recipes, Vernal Equinox
Is There a Cure for Spring Fever? How About a Flirty Little Cocktail to Celebrate the Vernal Equinox…
The Strawberry Flirt – A Spring-Fling Cocktail to Celebrate the Vernal Equinox Spring is a flirtatious season. A coquettish, unpredictable lover. We long for her, but she makes us wait. She takes her time, dropping hints; kissing flower buds with her pouty lips and sending promises on winged messengers. When she finally arrives she often […]
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Berries, Cooking, Recipes, Vaccinium, Vegetable Gardening
I Found My Thrill…
Blueberry Hill Hot Cakes with Syrup Some people never make a mess. Seriously. Have you noticed? Well, I don’t know about you, but those folks worry me. I mean, some of the best fun I’ve had in my life has involved mess. And I don’t mean a little mess. I mean a great, big, rip-roaring, […]
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Building, Cooking, Furniture, Home, Kitchen
Functional Art, Inspired by Nature: Many Thanks to Talented Ana White and Knock-Off Wood…
My new, home-built, farmhouse style work island, in my very own kitchen, (before finish oil) Want to know a secret? I stash glossy magazines under my bed. And sometimes, late at night, I pull them out and let my fantasies run wild. Do you do it too? You know the ones I mean. The naughty […]
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Artful Garden Objects, Birds, Black Plants, Cooking, Dark Plants, Garden Design, Gardening Inspiration, Herb Gardening, Organic Insect Control, Plant Spotlight, Purple and Maroon Foliage, Vegetable Gardening, Virginia Wyoming Pottery, Winter Garden
The Gothic Gourmet: Black Beauties and Dark Delights of the Potager…
Pasilla Bajio (the little raisin) – from White Flower Farm Imagine gleaming, glossy, black peppers, shiny as patent leather shoes. Picture dark red, tell-tale-heart tomatoes and ebony eggplant polished to a satiny patina. Now visualize amethyst hued basil, purple kohlrabi and blue-black cabbage. Intrigued? Welcome to the slightly sinister, and delightfully decadent world of gothic-gourmet […]
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Apples, Cookbooks, Cooking, Recipes
Apple Pancake Tart for Breakfast: The Simple Pleasures of Country Living…
Apple Pancake Tart for Breakfast, Brunch or Dessert. Platter by Aletha Soule… I adore cities: San Francisco; New Orleans; New York; Florence; Munich – in that order. I love urban energy, art, culture, food and people. But as much as I enjoy traveling, I am a homebody at heart. After a day spent struggling through […]
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