12 Best (and Pretty) Companion Plantings to Control Pests

Organic or not organic? ... Whether you grown organic or semi organic you will always face the question of what do do about pests?  They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and that is particularly true with growing a garden. 



Plant the right Companion Plants and reduce pests Automatically

 

Certain plants when planted as companions create natural

6 Steps for a DIY Home Seed Germination Test

Before you go to all the work to plant Heirloom Seeds you have purchased or plant the seeds you collected from your garden this do this easy test to make sure your seeds are good.  In general as long as your seeds are properly stored, they can remain viable with a high germination rate for years. It is important however, before you sow your seeds , to know how healthy and viable they really are.

Some New Greens from the Farmers Market...Quinoa and Ammaranth

Last week at my local Farmer's Market, I picked up some greens I've never cooked with before, quinoa and amaranth.  The farmer I purchased them from informed me that they would be great added to salads and also could be cooked up like any other green.  I washed them up, broke off their stems at the intersection with the leaf and tossed them in a pan.  Evaluation:  delicious!!



Sesame Greens

5-Minute Farmers Market Summer Cucumbers

I'm loving cucumbers right now.  We've had them every other night for the last few weeks.  And ... I have a confession to make.  I serve them the exact same way each time.  It's fast, it's easy, it's delicious.  Why mess with perfection?

Here's what I do:


 5-minute Summer Cucumbers








2 small summer cucumbers from the garden or farmer's market
olive oil
champagne vinegar
pink

Peppers from the Farmer's Market

Jimmy Nardellos at the local Farmer's Market









This past month we've been really enjoying the skinny mild red peppers called Jimmy Nardellos that have been showing up at our local farmer's market.



Slim Red and Mild




They are perfect for the summer BBQ season.  We just coat them in a little olive oil, sea salt and ground black pepper ... and onto the grill they go!



Long, slender

Zucchini Like Crazy - Load up at the Farmers Market

Farmers Market at Lake Tahoe, Right on the Lake!

It's zucchini season and the tables at my local farmers markets were laden with it this week.  If you're growing it in your garden, you're probably ready for some good zucchini recipes to help you deal with the surplus.



Fresh Summer Squash--Ready for Easy Cookin'


My husband loves zucchini and all the summer squashes.  He's often begging

Think Italian with the late summer harvest: eggplant...tomatoes...basil

Picked up a couple of eggplants from the farmer's market yesterday
along with the usual armload of summer tomatoes and basil.  There's a
reason the Italians combine these flavors together.  Not only do they
taste wonderful with each other, but they all come to harvest at the
same time, making them a summer farmer's market natural.






 





 I also picked up this gorgeous torpedo