Blog Posts Across Kitchen Gardeners

Introduction to Summitry

This from Raj Patel's 'Stuffed and Starved' page http://stuffedandstarved.org/drupal/node/360 I have pasted the text (apologies to Raj) The excellent ETC Group has just come up with a fine bit of social science that cuts through the guff of the recent FAO Food Summit in Rome. As part of their 'translator' series, in which they parse the meaning of UN documents for the general public, they've come out with their latest report, Another "Failure-as-usual" Food Summit. Alongside the fine analysis… Continue

Posted by John Walker on July 2, 2008 at 10:59am — No Comments

A garden at last.

After many years of prorastinating I have started my kitchen garden in the yard. It is small but I hope to still harvest some produce that the family can enjoy from time to time. I've planted mostly easy to grow crops and will see how it goes. Next year I will start to get a little more ambitious. Continue

Posted by Sean on July 1, 2008 at 12:44pm — No Comments

Say it ain't so!

I have copied this from the commondreams website via the Grauniad/Observer here is the original link http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/29/food.agriculture Home-Grown Veg Ruined by Toxic Fertiliser by Caroline Davies Gardeners have been warned not to eat home-grown vegetables contaminated by a powerful new herbicide that is destroying gardens and allotments across the UK.0629 03 1 The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has been inundated with calls from concerned gardeners who hav… Continue

Posted by John Walker on June 30, 2008 at 9:30am — 2 Comments

London's Gardens: Allotments for the People

Today on NPR's Morning edition, there was this segment on allotments. This link may work http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91805611 Sad the price paid for a footpath Also check out the contrary articles in the grauniad For meat http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,,2286173,00.html Against meat http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,,2286172,00.html The three articles say a lot about the debate. release the hounds.. oops not an appropriate metaphor for… Continue

Posted by John Walker on June 26, 2008 at 8:28am — 3 Comments

My Dog, I'm a maroon!

Dear All. A while ago I posted a forum talking about quertiles, part of the milpa system in Mexico. Two days ago I took the book out of the library again and to my embarrassment say that it was quelites. Many apologies for my dyslexia and to my Spanish speaking friends who wondered what the *&^$ I was talking about. Anyway quelites are weeds, such as amaranth, purslane and lamb's quarters that are used as spring greens and as a weed cover. Very interesting to see the beneficial effects of po… Continue

Posted by John Walker on June 25, 2008 at 9:47am — 2 Comments

Protein paradox

I came across this phrase reading Paul Roberts' book "The End of Food" and it stimulated a few firing of synapses in remote regions of my brain. This is my interpretation of the paradox. We need a certain amount of protein in our diet to develop properly during childhood and to keep healthy throughout our lives. However we are not clear just how much protein is needed. What is also unclear is what are the relative benefits of animal vs plant proteins. Animal proteins are known as complete prote… Continue

Posted by John Walker on June 20, 2008 at 1:20pm — 10 Comments

My Tomato Obsession

You will find few people who would argue that a store bought tomato is better than a home grown or farm stand tomato. When I was a kid we always had tomatoes growing in our little veggie patch. They graced our table at every meal from July to September. Maybe that's why I am… Continue

Posted by Shannon on June 19, 2008 at 12:24pm — No Comments

Winter is upon us in new Zealand-June 08

Well winter has finally cast its net over Auckland. We have had alot of rain, with some wonderful crisp fine days. Today for example was around 16Deg Celsius with an overnight of 6 Deg. Now the Vege garden is doing ok...not the beautiful view I had a few months ago. I have Parsnip, Brocoli, Kale, Lettuce underway for winter dinners. I have been pleased with my sheltered garden as it is not vunerable to frost............so far. I’m planning to plant a lot of garlic this weekend. Also I think I ma… Continue

Posted by David Millar on June 19, 2008 at 2:58am — No Comments

My Cretan diet

As a doctor with a strong interest in nutrition, I follow research work done on the Cretan diet with great interest. As a gardener, though, I'm interested in it for quite different reasons: I need to use up a helluva lot of green stuff. It's almost inconceivable to me how much leafy stuff is out there right now. I neaten up the garden and pick a three gallon pail of greens, and the next day things look a little shaggy again, and two or three days later I'm back where I started. Yesterday, out of… Continue

Posted by Heather Wood on June 16, 2008 at 2:00pm — 7 Comments

Why Bother with a Kitchen Garden?

I recently worked for Ann Cooper in the Berkeley Public Schools in the Nutrition Services Department. Why bother? Because, "Half of all the Hispanic and African-American kids born in 2000 and one-third of Caucasian kids will have diabetes in their lifetime, many before they graduate college," Cooper says, citing U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics. "It's all because of what we are feeding them," she says. "It's all preventable." If she had one wish, Cooper says, it would b… Continue

Posted by Barbara Ann on June 8, 2008 at 11:40am — 2 Comments

The Union of Concerned Scientists Offers Some Great Updates, check it out...

FEED - June 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents Green Cuisine: Local, organic salad greens on the menu in Michigan USDA to stop collecting data on pesticide use High food prices hurt conservation efforts Major international report touts sustainable farming Two great new websites on food and climate change 1. Green Cuisine: Local, organic salad greens on the menu in Michigan Green Cuisine, our regular feature highlighting partnerships b… Continue

Posted by Barbara Ann on June 4, 2008 at 6:56am — 1 Comment

The very start

we are having our fencing done which badly needs replacing to be fair. It all started with three huge conifers at the bottom of the garden. They have now had the chop and we have a very nice man called Steve who has a little digger, bless him, who's going to clear the ground for us. In place of the conifers we are running a strip of cement 10' wide and 28' long across the bottom of the garden, putting a huge shed 18x8 , greenhouse 8x6 , 2xwater butts and 1xcomposter on the concrete base. to t… Continue

Posted by Martin on June 1, 2008 at 4:30pm — 1 Comment

Gardening 101 Field Trip

Just a reminder that today, Sunday, we are meeting at 2:00 at The Learning Garden for our first field trip. Call me if you are unsure of how to get there - phone number is on your handouts from class. I won't be reliably at a computer for the rest of the day. david Continue

Posted by David King on June 1, 2008 at 10:57am — No Comments

Water Saving Plants Bibliography

California Native Plants for the Garden, Bornstein, Carol et al ©2005 Cachuma Press, Of all the books here, this is the one that illustrates a drought tolerant beautiful garden. Not only does it show the plants in their glory, but there are suggestions on how to use them with authority. The lists at the back of the book are worth the price of admission alone. California Native Trees and Shrubs, Lenz, Lee W. et al ©1981 Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden (out of print, but can be fo… Continue

Posted by David King on June 1, 2008 at 10:54am — No Comments

Notes on Drought Tolerant Plants

NOTE: No plant is drought tolerant when young! Areas (Generally) From Which We Get Drought Tolerant Plants Parts of Australia’s west and south coast California Natives and the American Southwest Other desert species Parts of coastal Chile Mediterranean Areas Part of South Africa Characteristics of Leaves for Drought Tolerance: Hirsute (somewhat hairy) Whiteness or grayness Thickness Leathery Waxy High oil content Small size Needle-like leaves Water storing leaves (succule… Continue

Posted by David King on June 1, 2008 at 10:50am — No Comments

More Books for Edible Gardening

Edible Flowers, From Garden to Palate, Barash, Cathy Wilkinson, © 1995 Fulcrum Publishing, This is the only really comprehensive book on growing edible flowers – it’s a fascinating cuisine we have largely lost through neglect. Have an adventure and a nasturtium for dinner! Heirloom Vegetables, Stickland, Sue, © 1998 Fireside Books, A wonderful introduction to heirloom vegetables and how and why to grow them! A fabulous read for all prospective vegetable gardeners. Sunset Weste… Continue

Posted by David King on June 1, 2008 at 10:35am — No Comments

Edible Gardens Bibliography I

Designing and Maintaining your Edible Landscape Naturally, Kourick, Robert © 1986, Metamorphic Press, Santa Rosa, CA Probably the bible for this kind of garden. I own a first printing and a quick check shows that Amazon has it new for $33.46 (Permanent Publications; March 30, 2005), so it’s still a winner, after all these years. Designing the New Kitchen Garden, Bartley, Jennifer © 2006, Timber Press, Portland, OR Lots of wonderful ideas and source material for a good many daydrea… Continue

Posted by David King on June 1, 2008 at 10:32am — No Comments

My Friend Bernard

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I visited my friend Bernard the other day and was forced to try a couple of his wines.

The first was his 2007 AOC Bergerac Rosé. Of course, this wine was still very young at only a few months old but rosé is best drunk young. This one was a very

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Posted by Ian on May 31, 2008 at 6:30pm — 2 Comments

5/16/08 Country Club Farmers Market

This variety of peaches is the earliest to ripen.

These artichok… Continue

Posted by Ashley on May 27, 2008 at 5:14pm — No Comments

5/25/08 Downtown Farmers Market

These strawberries and oranges sure were tastey.

It is now aspar… Continue

Posted by Ashley on May 27, 2008 at 4:55pm — No Comments

A fertile time

There's a wonderful freshness about my garden right now; it's lush and green and producing like crazy, and the maladies of fierce heat and tall weeds haven't set in yet. Perfect! It's a healthy young child of a garden, and the inevitable adolescence to come is easily forgotten. For me, this is the Year of the Potato. Potatoes aren't supposed to grow well in our area, because our alkaline soil reduces yields and gives them scab. Since plants can be contrary, potatoes have decided to flourish in m… Continue

Posted by Heather Wood on May 22, 2008 at 3:57pm — 1 Comment

new garden

Our new garden is in and we will be planting it this weekend. We still have the chance of frost. We are about one to two weeks behind in our plan. My tomato plants are not growing. I do not know what I'm doing wrong. I will have to buy plants rather than use these seedlings. I'm so sad. Continue

Posted by Steve MacDowall on May 22, 2008 at 4:19am — 1 Comment

On Self-Control in the Garden

This year marks the first year in over seven years (since the birth of my oldest daughter) that I've had the time free, and hands free, long enough to REALLY spend time out in the garden. In fact, it's only been in the last two, that I've had a garden at this house at all. My youngest is about to turn four, and has a personality that allows her to follow along and help in the garden, or to entertain herself in the vicinity for reasonably lengthy periods of time. Maybe it's the product of being a… Continue

Posted by Kristin W. on May 21, 2008 at 4:30pm — No Comments

community garden

We made the coolest raised bed gardens last Saturday. I'll post pics soon. Continue

Posted by Tandee on May 20, 2008 at 10:37am — No Comments

My Own Blog

If you would like to read my own blog posts, please go to Cool Earth Topics Continue

Posted by Cool Earth Gal on May 19, 2008 at 9:44pm — No Comments

Talk About It... the Power of School Gardens

So, I've been asked to give a talk on The Power of School Gardens for an event in Los Angeles in June. Hundreds of schools recently received garden grants from the state of California. Isn't that amazing?? At a time when California schools are losing funding and are cutting back on all extras... those few extras that were left after all the previous cuts. And, even this grant cycle was cut short before the allotted funds were gone... But the funds already awarded are protected and so new school… Continue

Posted by Carola on May 19, 2008 at 12:30pm — 3 Comments

FOOD GROWING BLOGGERS GET TOGETHERS

Some weeks ago the idea of a kind of international food growing bloggers get together was mooted. It was a kinda fun thing that grew out of various conversations by some blog writers, Patrick in Amsterdam, Kate in Adelaide and myself Well things have been quietly going on in the backstreets of the towns and countries around the world and I’m pleased to report that there are now Food Growing Bloggers Get Togethers planned for the next few years. They kick off this year with events on August 24.… Continue

Posted by Ian on May 16, 2008 at 4:40pm — 1 Comment

Regarding Donating to Help In Burma

I have been getting a lot of comments from people about what is being said on the news regarding donating to the tragedy in Burma. This is a first hand report from a family member about the situation. They know what they are doing and are honest and direct reporters. There are ways to help the people in Burma.... May 12, 2008 Dear All, I know you are hearing a lot on the news about what isn’t going well here in terms of delivery of assistance to cyclone survivors. You’re hearing about supply… Continue

Posted by HellaD on May 13, 2008 at 3:05am — No Comments

Growing Vegetables on City Rooftops

[Cross posted at European Tribune, Daily Kos, and Corrente in slightly different versions.] Crazy?

Maybe, but we're doing it. At the end of this post is a guide full of relevan… Continue

Posted by Bruce F on May 12, 2008 at 3:08pm — No Comments

through a veil of righteousness

Lately I've been thinking about how people use morality and ethics as tools against other people, and how this applies to gardening and eating. Taking it as a given that we all want to live as morally and ethically as possible, and do the best we can most of the time, how do we manage to irritate each other so frequently about exactly these issues? My own failings in this line were brought home to me rather sharply this spring when a longtime friend asked me what we had eaten for Easter dinner.… Continue

Posted by Heather Wood on May 9, 2008 at 5:27pm — 5 Comments

Reflections on times past

I used to sit in a pub with a few friends and the conversation would eventually get around to gardening. At the time I was probably the only one out of the five or six of us who regularly met who didn’t grow food. You know the reasons, I was too busy, I worked long hours, I had a large garden which already took a lot of maintenance. So there we were, usually in a real ale pub, five fairly conscientious veggie growers and me. Every so often someone would claim they had grown the biggest potato,… Continue

Posted by Ian on May 8, 2008 at 3:39pm — 4 Comments

Waiting......

There really isn't anything green in my garden. Oh, I'm exaggerating slightly- there are a couple of rhubarb shoots coming from the root I planted last week, and the mint, tarragon, and lavender are growing. But really, when I look at my garden right now all I see is dirt. Goo… Continue

Posted by Kristin W. on May 7, 2008 at 4:30pm — No Comments

Nettles: 1, Aphids: 0

I hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying so, but I think the nettle spray is holding down the aphids. It was drizzly and rainy here for almost a week, but I was spraying once or twice daily with nettle anyway. The aphids seem to be more or less under control on my mint. There are a few left, but the buds are developing fine, and the bugs are fewer in number. A huge accomplishment, if you ask me. Of cour… Continue

Posted by growbot on May 6, 2008 at 8:00am — No Comments

Inventory, 5/6/08

After a week or so of gray, drizzly, cold, overcast weather, we seem to be in the clear. The sun has returned, and the forecast nighttime low temperature for the next several nights is just above 50 degrees, so yesterday I planted tomatoes, eggplant and pepper. The plants were started from seed very early (February?!?!), and they all desperately needed space. I had to sacrifice some baby kale and spinach to make room for the new plants, but we will enjoy those in a salad this week. The strawber… Continue

Posted by growbot on May 6, 2008 at 7:30am — No Comments

5/03/08 Sunrise Farmers Market

Here Peg stands with her bunch of asparagus. Right now is a great time to purchase asparagus at the farmers market because it is in season.

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Posted by Ashley on May 3, 2008 at 7:42pm — No Comments

Gardening Class Schedule of Topics

Date Topic 01 May Soils and Soil Ecology 08 May The Beautiful Food Garden I 15 May The Beautiful Food Garden II 22 May Landscaping – Principles Design & The No Yard Yard 29 May Orchids, Greenhouses, and Sunporches 01 June Field Trip to The Learning Garden/ Propagation and Pruning 05 June Landscaping – Ornamental Plant Selection from Grass to Trees 12 June Roses 19 June Natural Pest Control/Maintenance 22 June Field Trip – California Natives/Drip Irrigation and Saving Water This schedule ca… Continue

Posted by David King on May 2, 2008 at 12:28am — 3 Comments

Soils and Soil Ecology

We know more about the movement of celestial bodies than about the soil underfoot. Leonardo da Vinci Soil Formation 1. Climate – including temperature and rainfall 2. Organisms – from the itty bitty (microscopic) to the biggies (macroscopic) 3. Topography – (the book calls relief) – land surface 4. Parent material – the original rock 5. Time – the factor that weathers us all. Components of Soil 50 % Water/air – in proportion to one another 45% Parent Material – underlying rock 5% Organic ma… Continue

Posted by David King on May 2, 2008 at 12:26am — No Comments

First garden meal of the season

Yay! We ate our first garden food last night: bok choy, lettuce, arugula, kale, radishes and pansies. All but the bok choy went into a salad, and the bok choy was cooked up with onions into a tasty side dish. The radishes were a little weak because of all the rain recently, but still crisp and refreshing.

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Posted by growbot on May 1, 2008 at 7:00pm — No Comments

burgeoning and foraging

We're moving into a season of exuberant growth, in which every time I turn around something has changed. The changes are clear in the slad bowl, which is now overflowing nearly every night and has some unusual occupants, like savoy tatsoi, a small wrinkly deep green asian leaf which, when coated with a little vinaigrette, looks like it was carved out of jade. Little foraged "shamrocks" of wood sorrel lend a tart lemony note, spinach and several kinds of lettuce give bulk and sweetness, and every… Continue

Posted by Heather Wood on April 29, 2008 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Well, I Tried.

I knew I'd never find the time to keep up a Blog and I was so right. How can a "retired" person be sooo busy? Well, at least what ever it is that keeps me so busy is usually garden related. Or, traveling... and even that is usually garden related. I have two things to say. One: It is so (expletive delete) HOT!!! In my little "suburb" of L.A., where the ocean breezes usually keep us about 10 degrees cooler than even Long Beach (where my school garden grows)... It is SO HOT. 96 degrees in APRIL?… Continue

Posted by Carola on April 28, 2008 at 5:27pm — No Comments

Gardening Tools

Just Starting Out or for Containers: 1. Trowel* 2. Hand fork 3. Machete* 4. Grape shears* 5. Gloves* 6. Watering device or can* 7. Pocket knife General Gardening: 1. Fork* 2. Shovel 3. Rake 4. Hoe 5. More gloves 6. Pruners* 7. Loppers Hard Gardening: 1. Mattock 2. Digging bar 3. Wheelbarrow 4. Even more gloves Rose Gardening: 1. Special gloves* 2. Thorn stripper 3. Folding saw* Seed Starting 1. Dibbers* 2. Screen 3. Labels 4. Pencil* 5. Planting stick* 6. R… Continue

Posted by David King on April 28, 2008 at 10:23am — No Comments

4/20/08 Farmers market under the freeway

Im not even a big fan of garlic but it just looked so good and fresh. Plus for just a 1.50 a bunch I was able to make a delicious garlic sauce at home.

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Posted by Ashley on April 27, 2008 at 7:23pm — No Comments

4/12/08 Country Club Farmers Market

It's always a good idea to purchase squash from the farmers market when possible, because they taste best when they are freshly picked and still somewhat small.

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Posted by Ashley on April 27, 2008 at 6:59pm — No Comments

Pest season has begun ...

... with aphids. Argh! Aphids!! Now that my plants are up and out of the ground, I knew the pests would arrive soon, and here they are. Of them all, I think aphids are the worst. Mostly because I have never successfully prevented or eliminated them. I usually struggle against them until the sad sight of my puckered, sorry blossoms overwhelms me and I pull up the victim plants, thinking at least I'll save the rest of the garden from invasion. Gah! This morning Adam commented on how well the mint… Continue

Posted by growbot on April 27, 2008 at 3:00pm — 2 Comments

4/26/08 Country Club Farmers Market

The farmer we bought these strawberries from was very nice. He even let us create our own flat; that way we could pick out the best strawberries there.

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Posted by Ashley on April 26, 2008 at 11:12pm — No Comments

tough love gardening

absent, as i've been pitterpattering about other things. got a couple of new cookbooks, including marion cunningham's version of the fannie farmer- it's just huge and got something about a little bit of everything. enormously helpful, in ways, but nothing will ever beat deborah madison's vegetarian cooking for everyone as far as sheer numbers of ways to prepare things. another thing i love about that book is that madison also takes it upon herself to educate the reader (inform, per… Continue

Posted by amy on April 25, 2008 at 12:30pm — No Comments

A General Gardening Bibliography

These are not textbooks – there will be no ‘required reading’ from them – but they are books most gardeners will find extremely helpful over the years. I recommend you put them on your shelf as they will answer most of your questions and give you new windows of opportunity for you and your garden. The books that follow are general garden books – usually each subject we will cover in class will have its own specific list of references. Do not feel obligated to buy each book, but if you are intere… Continue

Posted by David King on April 24, 2008 at 2:07pm — No Comments

Director's Journal: The Grape Grower

My backyard came with a grape vine. It was winter when I moved in, and I had no idea what type of grape it was. Canes were stretching their arms out and under it all I found an old gnarly trunk. Never having a grape vine before, I left it alone, figuring, if I was lucky, I’d get some grapes at the end of summer. Sure enough, some of the most delicious seedy Concord grapes emerged. My family ate them up. The 2 youngest complained of the seeds, but every… Continue

Posted by Cooking Up A Story on April 24, 2008 at 1:38pm — No Comments

Inventory, 4/21/08

Dear Blog, The garden is really starting to take off. It's all about greens. I love them, they're so easy. The Rocky Top lettuce mix (Baker Seeds) is looking really exciting, and it's been fun to watch the perennials pop up and take off. The strawberry is flowering in abundance, which is so completely exciting that it's impossible to describe. the edibles inventory: arugula chard; lucullus, rainbow + bright lights bok choy, white stem cress, pepper pansy violet kale; dwarf blue, squire +… Continue

Posted by growbot on April 21, 2008 at 6:16pm — No Comments

poaching

Late-spring flowers are in bloom in my area, and the lilac, wisteria, and mahonia fragrances follow me on my walks. The other night I went out for a walk in the full moon (the "pink moon" according to my lunar-phase calendar, whatever that means), and passed an exquisite spill of wisteria over a wall onto the sidewalk, pouring out perfume. Under some dark influence I stole two racemes of bloom and hurried home to see what could be done with them. I was already aware that the flowers are not pois… Continue

Posted by Heather Wood on April 21, 2008 at 10:30am — 1 Comment

Heart Shaped Kohlrabi

I planted Kohlrabi and forgot I'd done so. I planted in the same place romaine lettuce. One survived - and it grew into the shape of a heart. :-)

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Posted by Dorie on April 18, 2008 at 7:52pm — No Comments

snow is slowly going away

The snow has been melting slowly. It is now only 10% of the ground cover. The last few days it has been around 15 with sun > I expect it to all be gone by Sunday. No signs of my tomatoes breaking through yet, but its only been 5 days Continue

Posted by Steve MacDowall on April 18, 2008 at 4:02am — No Comments

Tomato seeds

I planted my tomato seeds on Sunday last; five varieties, all heirloom and organic. I’m hoping I’ll see something this weekend. I feel I’m two weeks late planting them.all Continue

Posted by Steve MacDowall on April 17, 2008 at 4:13pm — 1 Comment

Reflections on my garden

This is my first year growing vegetables and I’m discovering I’m not very good at it. I’m especially, not very good at raising seedlings. I sow tiny little seeds that I can hardly see and usually, for me, not a lot happens! The surface of whatever container I have used seems to get a bit disturbed but that’s all. After several months of this I have only just realised that the problem is mice eating the seeds and the new growth! I’m not very good with trees either. I planted some cypress to form… Continue

Posted by Ian on April 16, 2008 at 2:05pm — 3 Comments

4-6-08 Downtown Farmers Market Under the Bridge

The downtown farmers market opens at 8:00 and lasts till noon, and is located off of 6th and X street.

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Posted by Ashley on April 12, 2008 at 2:03pm — No Comments

Who'd be a tomato?

I can tell spring has arrived! My workshop, normally the bastion of wood and metal bashing operations has suddenly taken on a fine green shimmer as boxes of seedlings sit in the window gaining the sunlight but avoiding the late frosts that still catch me out every year. This year, tomatoes and some geraniums fell victim to a late unexpected and unannounced frost. My normally reliable weather forecast showed an overnight temperature of 4C(about 40F) but in the morning the thermometer showed -2C (… Continue

Posted by Ian on April 11, 2008 at 1:16am — No Comments

Record-Breaking 105 Fruit Trees Planted

In a historic planting day, Common Vision teamed up with members of Serna Village to plant a record-breaking 105 fruit trees! Serna Village is a thriving community that serves as long-term housing for families that have struggled with homelessness. With master gardeners, Village community members, and organizations like First Five of Sacramento, the day of planting and celebrati… Continue

Posted by Ashley on April 7, 2008 at 8:30am — No Comments

irritable about restaurants

Foodspeak circa 2008, American southwest The following terms represent the current restaurant fashion in our area: 1. Bronzed. Something must be bronzed in something else, ie duck bronzed in a cognac glaze or shallots bronzed in cassis. If bronzed in hot air alone, as in a hot oven or under a broiler, it is referred to as "gilded." Under no circumstances is it "browned." We didn't come to town on a load of turnips, after all. 2. Sustainably. This must be used early and often. It is important, ho… Continue

Posted by Heather Wood on April 4, 2008 at 2:09pm — 1 Comment

Oceans, play grounds or dump grounds?

Now that the weather has warmed up here in south west France I have gone back to taking a cup of coffee onto the terrace after breakfast and sitting for a few moments and enjoying the garden. This morning was no exception and donning my sunglasses, I settled into my favourite chair. I had only been there a minute or two when a pair of red squirrels emerged from the chestnut tree and played on the grass not 5m (15ft) from me. They seemed happy and totally oblivious to my presence and I enjoyed b… Continue

Posted by Ian on April 4, 2008 at 9:44am — No Comments

Dangerous thing when you start thinking

I have been quite ill over the past couple of weeks suffering from Vertigo. I don’t know what caused it although it now appears that it may have been a simple ear infection and more importantly I didn’t realise what it was. Many of my friends across the Internet have sympathised with me and my various ailments as I tried to pin down exactly what the problem was. I knew I was being sick, constantly and I knew I was getting dizzy, sometimes falling over as a result and I made all sorts of perfect… Continue

Posted by Ian on March 31, 2008 at 3:42pm — 1 Comment