Time to Tear Up the Lawn Again
I think the Victory Garden Revival started last spring. Americans were going to tear up their lawns and plant vegetables in new home gardens in record numbers. I am not …
A Peachy Peachy Weekend
When I lived in Austin, I thought that the best peaches in Texas came from the Hill Country. Then I moved to Houston and tasted Cooper’s Farm peaches and peaches …
Fish Camp Gazpacho
It was a long way to a grocery store and I had a lot of homegrown tomatoes and cukes. That’s when I discovered that Bloody Mary mix makes a pretty …
Purple Pico
When Chef Alan Lazarus loaded me up with his homegrown tomatoes, he gave me a couple of purple Brandywine heirlooms. I used one of them along with some purple onions …
Tomatoes Coming Out of Our Ears
Alan Lazarus, the executive chef and co-owner of Vespaio and Enoteca Vespaio on South Congress Avenue in Austin, had 20-some pounds of tomatoes sitting on his kitchen table when I …
Only Two Things Money Can't Buy…
Today I picked three pounds of tomatoes and one okra pod out of the thicket that my garden has become. And all day I have been singing the old Guy …
Mayhaw Time in the Thicket
Mayhaw season is here and if you want to buy some, go visit Bill Jackson. He has a bunch in the freezer. The Jackson fruit farm is on the edge …
Houston Restaurant Community Gardens?
Leaders of the Houston restaurant community are exploring the idea of buying vacant lots in the Fifth Ward and turning them into organic gardens. At a recent meeting, the group …
If I Only Had A Brain
After I pulled out the snow pea bush, there was a little more room in the organic garden in my backyard. I planted some tiny okra and melon seedlings, but …
Garden Geeks
Instead of going to the farmer’s market this weekend, why not volunteer at a community garden? You get to pitch in, pull weeds, and get your hand’s dirty–and then you …