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Savoring life in the Berkshires

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Highlights: How Does Your Garden Grow?

Published on April 10, 2011 By Emily. Updated on April 10, 2011

Spring.  Almost time to start my container garden.  Last year we met with mixed success: our bell pepper plant yield two or three peppers, the jalapeno a half-dozen or so.  The oregano threatened to take over its pot and the chives did fine, but both the dill and the basil were really scrawny.

last year’s attempt

On $5 Dinners, Erin listed her 5 favorite online gardening resources.  I should probably do some research before I do any buying.

Julie has a great tutorial about starting a garden from seed.  My only attempt at starting from seed last year ended in utter failure, so I’m planning on going the seedling route.   Maybe I’ll try starting from seed next year!

I love this hanging gutter container garden from Apartment Therapy.  I don’t think it’d really work for our second floor deck, but if we ever have a patio, I might have to try it out.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the different gardening tools available.  This article from the Washington Post proposes that you can do a lot with just your hand, a stride and a rake. Nevertheless, I think these fun products for container gardens are pretty tempting;  I already own the elephant watering can!

Ree Drummond shared what she’s planting in her garden this year.

Green Your Way has some idea about planning your garden layout and creating a vegetable garden in any space.

So where’s our container garden going this year?  I definitely want to do tomatoes, though what variety I haven’t yet determined.  Herbs are in our future as well.  I’m also going to have a successful basil plant if it’s the only thing I do.  I’m not sure what other herbs I want to do though.  Other than that, I’m not really sure where to take our planters.  The CSA membership will facilitate a lot of my need for produce, so its difficult to determine what’s worth doing myself.  I’d also like to spend some more time on our deck, so maybe some flowers in flower boxes are in order?

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Filed Under: links Tagged With: gardening, Highlights

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Comments

  1. Rachel (Olalliberry) says

    April 11, 2011 at 2:24 pm

    I’m still deciding on whether/what to garden this year. I moved into a small apartment with poor window placement (so no indoor veggies), and a decent sized balcony that faces east. I know I can’t do tomatoes or basil or anything that requires a lot of light, but I might do some other herbs (parsley, chives, thyme).

    The book The Bountiful Container has been really helpful for me. I will definitely check out some of the links you shared!

    • Emily says

      April 11, 2011 at 5:51 pm

      Our balcony doesn’t get a ton of sun either, but I’m pretty sure my basil’s problem was that I didn’t pay much attention to it. I didn’t really think about putting anything in the windows-we have really wide window sills and that might work!
      I’ll try to see if I can check out that book.
      Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!

  2. Stina says

    April 12, 2011 at 9:25 am

    One of my goals in life is to have a successful garden one day, but since I’m pretty sure I could kill a cacutus, I think that might be a pretty lofty goal.

    I attempted to grow raspberries and zuchini last year with zero success. I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to try and take a stab at it again this year.

    • Emily says

      April 12, 2011 at 5:15 pm

      Hi Stina! The oregano and chives pretty well took care of themselves, so maybe you should start there? I think attempting gardening is pretty inexpensive, so maybe it’d be worth a try?

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Emily
New on the blog: a 2 week menu plan featuring the New on the blog: a 2 week menu plan featuring the vegetables from our CSA share at @mightyfoodfarm. Link in my profile.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
We finally made it to the @berkshiremtdist tasting We finally made it to the @berkshiremtdist tasting room in Sheffield today after years of talking about it. The indoor and outdoor atmosphere was lovely and we took advantage of the complimentary tasting to try some of the products we haven't had before. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area and enjoy distilleries.
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#BerkshireMountainDistillers #igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #DrinkLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #SheffieldMA
On Friday we headed to Springfield for an appointm On Friday we headed to Springfield for an appointment and made a day of it by visiting @forestparkzoo afterwards. For us, the Zoo in Forest Park's size, layout and number of animals (over 225 exotic and native animal residents) is the perfect size for our 2 and 5 year old kids. We went in the afternoon, when day camps were wrapping up and it wasn't busy overall. We were able to easily view all of the exhibits and let our children move at their own pace without interfering with other people. Despite the heat, the animals were pretty active and it was a joy to see my kids spot, identify and appreciate them.
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#ZooInForestPark #SpringfieldMA #igers413 #WesternMass #WesternMassachusetts
Brian and I had lunch at the @firehousecafebistro Brian and I had lunch at the @firehousecafebistro in Adams today. We enjoyed falafel bites, cocktails, papas bravas, and a buttermilk chicken sandwich. All of the food was really delicious and the service was excellent, despite very limited staffing. The patio seating was fun for people watching and enjoying the sunshine. I highly recommend the Firehouse Cafe and Bistro if you're looking for a more upscale lunch or dinner in the northern Berkshires.
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#igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #AdamsMA #FirehouseCafeAndBistro
It's blueberry season in the Berkshires! My favori It's blueberry season in the Berkshires! My favorite girl and I headed to @mountainviewfarm413 this week to pick ours, as is our tradition. We had a great morning resulting in 7 pounds of berries. Some blueberries will be frozen and others turned into muffins, but most of them will be eaten just the way they are. The season is short, enjoy it while you can. @whitneysfarmmarket and @seconddropfarm are doing picky-your-own as well. 🫐
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 #igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #blueberries #BlueberryPicking #MountainViewFarm #LanesboroughMA
We're back from vacation and back to picking up ou We're back from vacation and back to picking up our weekly share of @mightyfoodfarm produce. My latest menu plan using these vegetables is live on the blog, link in my profile.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
Tomato season is my favorite season. If there is t Tomato season is my favorite season. If there is the opportunity to eat something that features a combination of tomato, mozzarella and basil, chances are good that I'm ordering it. Yesterday I needed to make a dish to share for a church gathering so I put together this incredibly simple pasta salad. I hope it's useful to you during this time of summer heat and summer gatherings.

RECIPE:
1 lb pasta (I used bowties) 
7 oz fresh mozzarella
1 pint grape tomatoes 
30-50 fresh basil leaves 
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste 

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and place in a large bowl. 
2. Prep the other ingredients: cut the mozzarella cheese in bite size pieces if needed, quarter the grape tomatoes, finely cut the basil with scissors or a knife.
3. Add the quartered tomatoes, mozzarella and basil to the pasta. Drizzle the olive oil into the bowl and miX well.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Enjoy!

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#igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies #caprese #CapresePastaSalad #PotluckFood #SummerFood
I could watch birds on the beach all day long. We' I could watch birds on the beach all day long.
We're wrapping up our time in Wilmington, North Carolina with lots of time at Wrightsville Beach. The ocean never ceases to impress.
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#WilmingtonNC #WrightsvilleBeach #BeachBirds #Beach #Sandpiper #NorthCarolina
This @smittenkitchen Zucchini and Ricotta Galette This @smittenkitchen Zucchini and Ricotta Galette is one of my favorite summer recipes. The crust is perfectly flaky and the mix of squash and cheese is delicious. I always use summer squash and my husband, who does not typically like summer squash, loves this galette. Though it takes a bit of planning ahead - the crust dough needs to rest in the fridge for an hour and the squash needs to be salted for 30 minutes, the recipe is straightforward and the final produce always impresses. I expect it will make another appearance on my table before the fall.
Link in my stories.
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 #EatSeasonal  #SmittenKitchen #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies  #ZucchiniAndRicottaGalette #SummerSquash #galette #BakingFromScratch
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