After seeing Vegucated, the vegan documentary that shows the underside of our country's meat and dairy industry, I was highly motivated to find organic milk products from truly trustworthy suppliers. Many of our organic dairy manufacturers like Horizon and Organic Valley still utilize confined feedlot techniques and, without going in to details, they don't treat their cows very well. I wanted control over my dairy ASAP.

I did ... << MORE >>

Growing new varieties each season keeps the garden interesting. Since we focus on heirlooms and open pollinated varieties here at Gardenerd, our choices are not new, but rather newly discovered. After a slight seed debacle last year where we grew seeds from an (unnamed) seed company that purchased Romanesco seeds from an untrustworthy supplier, resulting in Romanesco that looked nothing like Romanesco, we tried again this year with guaranteed seed.

What ... << MORE >>

The latest post from Mar Vista's Bounty Hunter is live and ready for your perusal. Feast your eyes on some great legumes and find out how to cook them with a delicious recipe or two:

Sun Coast Farms has its Finger on the Pulse (of Beans, that is) 
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Paneer is an Indian cheese that could be considered the gateway cheese to cheese making. It's so easy and uses readily available ingredients, so if you are interested in trying cheese making, here's a good one to start with.

This recipe comes from an old Indian cookbook I picked up in a discount bookstore about 15 years ago called Step by Step Indian Vegetarian Cooking by Louise Steele. It has some great ... << MORE >>

Growing up, my parents had orange trees and stone fruit trees that I swear were planted in unamended clay soil and were never - ever - fertilized. They thrived. My three citrus trees, on the other hand, which were planted with good drainage, plenty of compost and lots of care, are sad, sad, and more sad. What gives?

Our top New Years' Resolution was to figure out what was wrong with our ... << MORE >>

One of the wonderful and often surprising things about being a blogger is that every once in a while companies send you free stuff. They hope that you'll review their product and spread the word. Let it be known, if it isn't already, that I never promote things that I don't completely believe in, and I don't get paid to wax rhapsodic about them.

That said, I was delighted to find ... << MORE >>

It's January, and one might assume that tomato seed-saving should have happened in ...oh...September, but when one puts a couple of tomatoes in a Snaplock container in the refrigerator, way in the back, and is afraid to attempt to save the seeds for the first time, January is a good time to get over the fear. Thus we begin our adventure in saving tomato seeds.

It presents itself as a task ... << MORE >>

Most New Year's Resolutions are hard to keep, but these make you feel good and get you to the Market each week:

New Year's Resolutions from the Farmers' Market
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The Gardenerd Blog recently received a Liebster Award from friend and Grow BioIntensive educator, Dan Royer-Miller. What's a Liebster award?  It's basically the equivalent of Follow Friday on Twitter, where you give a plug to your five favorite blogs and bestow them with this logo:


In return I am paying it forward to four other blogs (and one back to Dan) by giving a Liebster Award to the following blogs I love:
... << MORE >>

The latest post from the weekly Mar Vista Farmers' Market wrap up is here. Learn all about Franny Bakes, a brand new vegan and vegetarian confections booth at the market. You'll be in heaven whether you eat meat or not.

Franny Bakes Up Sweet Treats at the Farmers' Market
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It's magical to come home after a vacation to find that the garden has not taken any time off. We get used to looking at our gardens everyday, so we don't notice the changes as much as when we take a break and return to find a bumper crop waiting to be harvested.

That's exactly what happened last month when we took a trip to Europe. We came home to beets, kale, lettuces, Swiss chard and more. In ... << MORE >>

A question came in to Ask Gardenerd this week:

"Hi, I've just harvested my garlic and it's ok but a little small. Any tips to get it fatter. John, ps Love your site"

Thanks for writing in John, and I'm glad you like the website. Since your email address seems to be in Australia, it makes sense that you would be harvesting garlic right now.

I have my own answers to growing big garlic, ... << MORE >>

A question came in to Ask Gardenerd this week:

"Could you please help me understand how to trim my 4’ tall asparagus patch that was planted in the fall? Does it need to turn completely brown? How low do I trim it?"

Great question, and the answer can be confusing, because there are two schools of thought on the matter. Many gardeners, including those at Peaceful ... << MORE >>

After last week's Tip of the Week on beets, it got me thinking about red velvet cake. Where did it come from? How was it made before the introduction of Red #40?  A quick search revealed that prior to the availability of more alkaline "Dutch processed cocoa", bakers could count on the reaction between cocoa and acidic ingredients like vinegar or buttermilk to create a red tinge to the ... << MORE >>

The latest post from Mar Vista's Bounty Hunter is ready for your perusal. Find some hidden gems in the local artisan scene (with websites included for those farther away) for great gifts this holiday season:

Gift Ideas from the Mar Vista Farmers' Market
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This one's for Angelinos. If you're in the mood to watch a few soul-inspiring films and do some eco-conscious holiday shopping, be sure to check out the Third Annual Los Angeles Film Premiere next Thursday night, December 8th, from 7-10 p.m.

Green Living Project has partnered with Green Drinks and Green ... << MORE >>

It might seem odd to go to Europe to celebrate an American holiday, but when your American relatives live there, Thanksgiving must travel.

One of the benefits of traveling to other countries at different times of the year is getting the chance to see foreign vegetables and fruits of the season. We visited Umbria, Italy in May of this year and found some beautiful offerings there. Our visit to Rome this November offered even more.


Campo dei Fiori's ... << MORE >>

Got a sweet tooth?  These French macarons fit the bill. See what's new at the Mar Vista Farmers' Market:

France Meets Mar Vista with Local Macarons
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One of the benefits of participating in the Westside Produce Exchange is that, while you never know what you're going to get, you can usually count on something new and unusual. This month's Exchange featured Jerusalem Artichokes.

The participants stood in a cluster, staring down at these knobby roots (tubers actually) wondering 1) what are they? and 2) what do we do with them?  The answers that followed were as colorful as the questions.

4 ... << MORE >>

It's time to start thinking about the future, and whether that's the upcoming holiday season or next year's garden, Gardenerd is here to motivate you. What better way to start the ball rolling than a tour through the new 2012 Spring/Summer Seed Collection?

Each year we select our favorite heirloom varieties, or coveted heirlooms that we've been dying to grow. We choose a trusted seed source that takes the Safe Seed Pledge and promotes bio-diversity by offering heirloom and open pollinated varieties that you can grow, save and plant again year after year. ... << MORE >>