By Will Bonsall While cabbage may lack the glamour of its chic relatives — broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts — it is an old ally which has nourished the people of northern Europe through good times and bad. It stores well to feed hungry bellies. I’m talking about true cabbage, not Chinese cabbage, which is
The author harvests ground cherries from under a V-shaped trellis, which allows the fruits to drop to the ground while supporting the foliage. Photo by Lisa Quatrale Ground cherries on the ground, ripe and ready for harvest. Photo by Lisa Quatrale When ground cherries turn from green to yellow-orange, they are ready to be removed
Ramps take advantage of the early spring sunlight to grow and store reserves in the root system before forest trees leaf out. Three-year-old ramp seedlings in seed flats. By Heather McCargo Ramps are a delicious wild edible food beloved by chefs and locavores. Also known as wild leeks (Allium tricoccum), they are a member of
Yacon. Photo by Will Bonsai By Will Bonsall Years ago in conversations with my Peruvian sister-in-law, I learned about many traditional foods she grew up eating that were not readily found in the United States – things like oca, mashua, ulluco, quinoa, chuño (freeze-dried bitter potatoes), nuñas (popping beans), yacon, etc. Some of them are
Farming Fiddleheads? Raspberries and Fiddleheads Grow Together in Camden Garden Fiddlehead croziers emerging in spring. English photo A fiddlehead fern in late spring, with fertile fronds from the previous year. English photo By David Fuller Agriculture/non-timber forest products professional, UMaine Cooperative Extension, Franklin County Ostrich ferns, an herbaceous perennial that can reach five feet in height, die
Photo 1. Pole and crossbars used to trellis beans, peas and cucumbers Photo 2. A spike inserted through two holes where crossbar ends overlap holds crossbars together. By Tom Vigue Photos by the author A number of common garden crops benefit greatly from trellising. Crops that do not directly contact the soil and that have vastly improved
Celeriac growing in a garden in mid-August. English photo Harvested celeriac. English photo By Jean English If you’ve had trouble growing good celery, maybe celeriac is the vegetable for you. This biennial, Apium graveolens var. rapaceum, is somewhat easier to grow than its fussier relative, celery; its edible part – a fleshy rootstock – adds
Will Bonsall holds a ‘Gigante’ storage kohlrabi. Photo by Yaicha Cowell-Sarofeen Summer kohlrabi varieties are much smaller than the storage types and should be eaten within a few days of harvest. English photo By Will Bonsall The so-called “cabbage family” – actually the species Brassica oleracea – has given us several botanical monstrosities we enjoy
By Eric Sideman, Ph.D. Sometimes it is better to be prepared for bad news then to be surprised by it. This chart prepares growers for some of the most common vegetable problems seen in Maine. It is based on the Bug Reporter, which used to be published by the University of Maine Extension Pest Management Office, and
Witlof chicory is easy to force in a bucket in the dark – and much less expensive homegrown than ordered at a restaurant. Photos by Will Bonsall. By Will Bonsall Exclusive restaurants call them “chicons” and will serve you a pair of half-heads doused in vinaigrette in exchange for your firstborn male child. Yet these
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