Botany

Potato Harvest Calendar includes early potatoes, mid-season potatoes and late season potatoes also called main crop. The length of a potato’s growing season varies according to climate and variety. You can choose cultivars for each of three harvest periods. “First early potatoes”—grow rapidly, take little space, and are harvested early to midsummer when they are

Here is a vegetable and fruit planting guide for cooler regions for the month of May and a food garden checklist. In the United States, late frost is possible this month in all or part of the states in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, eastern Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains and Plains regions. These regions include the U.S.

Here is a vegetable and fruit planting guide for warm regions for the month of May and a food garden checklist. In the United States, rising temperatures and rain is probable in all or part of the states in the Gulf and South Atlantic Coasts, parts of the Pacific Southwest and Desert, and along the

Okra with tomatoes and garlic Okra is easily cooked and served. Okra has a rich, sweet earthy flavor. The flavor is similar to eggplant with hints of asparagus and artichoke.  The peak okra harvest season mid to late summer.  How to Choose Okra Select young, tender okra pods free of bruises. Okra pods should be

Rhubarb stewed with cream Rhubarb is sharp and pungent with a fresh spring taste. Fresh rhubarb sauce and pie season starts in early spring and runs nearly to the first day of summer. Often thought of as a fruit, rhubarb is a vegetable. In some regions, rhubarb is so much thought of as a dessert

The sky might be darkening, but there is still plenty to enjoy from the harvest. The first Mandarin oranges of the season are coming to market now. There are several varieties of Mandarin–some are sweet and some are tart. Members of the Mandarin orange family include clementine, dancy, satsuma and tangerine. Most of the Mandarins

It really does feel like the end of summer here in the Sonoma Valley this week. The weather has turned breezy and slightly cooler. At the farm market in the Sonoma town plaza this past Tuesday evening a sweater was in order once the sun dipped below the valley edge. Our growers still have a

Chickpea Chana Masala with rice and roti Chickpeas can be boiled, sauteed, roasted, and baked. They can be added to stews and turned into hummus. Chickpeas can be used in appetizers, mixed salads, and soups. The nutty flavor and creamy texture of the chickpea make it a robust and hearty addition to many dishes. The

Garden cress on scrambled eggs Cress is a common name for more than a dozen sharp, pungent, small-leafed greens that can be added to salads and sandwiches and soups and used as a base for roast beef or chicken. Cress brings a dash of hot and spicy to stir-fries and purées and can be finely

The subtle flavor and meaty texture of eggplant make it especially versatile in cooking. Perhaps that’s why eggplant is found in so many cuisines around the world. One of the strengths of eggplant is its ability to absorb the flavor of whatever it is cooked with and at the same time add a creamy bulkiness