by Roberta Bailey When I was just starting to garden in northern Maine, I would stop at a small, local greenhouse to ask the older woman who ran the operation about seedling problems or how to plant something. I no longer remember her name or much of what she looked like, but I vividly recall
By Roberta Bailey Sales in the seed trade were up 30 to 80 percent this spring. The growth was attributed to the increased interest in eating more locally grown food. People are getting closer to their food sources, whether from farmers’ markets and farm stands or a community supported agriculture share, or from locally grown,
New potatoes are featured in a Maine Nicoise Salad, which includes other CSA fare: fresh lettuce, marinated yellow beans, cherry tomatoes, eggs and tiny boiled Maine shrimp – all decorated with a few nasturtium flowers. Cheryl Wixson photo. by Cheryl Wixson As cool spring nights give way to longer, warmer days, my taste buds anticipate
Sorrel can grow large and ragged over the summer, and goes to seed. Cut it back in August to produce succulent, young growth again the fall. Protect the plants with a cold frame or other cover and you’ll be able to harvest these tangy leaves well into the fall. English photo. By Jean Ann
Tomatillos are prized for their sharp, clean taste and, once cooked, for their thick sauciness. They are used in salads, desserts, soups, sauces, and stews. Illustration from The Principles of Vegetable Gardening, by L.H. Bailey, MacMillan, London, 1901. By Roberta Bailey Each year I seem to get excited about a different fruit or vegetable. Last
Illustration by Toki Oshima. By Roberta Bailey When I first came to Maine, I lived in northwest Washington County, close to the Aroostook County border. As in all rural Maine towns, you drive at least a half hour to an hour to get anywhere other than your local gas station/convenience store, which also serves as
Toki Oshima drawing By Jean Ann Pollard What’s so round, so firm, so – strangely hairy? If you’ve never seen celeriac, you couldn’t guess. The literature has few references to it – at least in America. It’s a root vegetable that’s been around for about 4000 years, but its lack of publicity wouldn’t tell you
Toki Oshima drawing They look and smell pretty in the garden, attract bees, and add color and inspiration to your cooking. So why don’t we use more of them? By Ellie MacDougall Soon after I began to grow vegetables, I realized that flowers have a place in the same garden. In fact, I don’t have
By Roberta Bailey This summer I trialed 10 varieties of green soybeans for a local seed company. I planted and labeled each variety carefully, then took notes at various stages of development. The crowning event was the edamame (green soybean) taste-off. I steamed each variety separately, then shelled them into individual bowls. All of them
Shad bushes bloom at Acadia National Park when the shad are running up Maine’s rivers. Art by Jean Ann Pollard. By Jean Ann Pollard Each spring when the shad bushes bloom – those beautiful white-flowered shrubs that are the first to blossom (like snow on bare branches) – my grandmother, who was a coast woman,
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