Potato salad with dill and scallions Potato salad is a summer classic—but it’s also a spring and fall and winter classic. Some like it moist and creamy. Some like it dry and crumbly. Some like it dressed in egg-rich mayonnaise. Some like it dressed in oil and vinegar. Some like it with sweet relish and
Broccoli soup Purée aromatic and sweet vegetables in a blender for a velvety soup or purée them by hand in the pot for a slightly chunky soup. Carrot soup, leek and potato soup, cauliflower soup, broccoli soup, winter squash soup: root vegetables and substantive bodied or flowered vegetables make thick, flavorful purée soups. Potatoes, carrots
Veal bones for white stock White stock is full bodied with little or no color—and, on its own,nearly neutral flavor. Use white stock to amplify the flavors of the foods added to it. Dried vegetable soups–black bean, white-navy bean, lima bean, kidney bean, whole and split pea, and lentil–are made with white stock. Reduce white
Avoid letting asparagus set seeds Protect perennial asparagus plants from cold temperature damage by mulching the asparagus bed with compost, aged manure, or straw before freezing weather or snow arrives. Asparagus crowns can produce tasty spears for 20 years or longer if given the right care and nutrients. The ferny stalks and branching growth of
Pears will grow almost everywhere apples grow and are nearly as cold tolerant. A standard pear tree requires about the same space as an apple tree and can be pruned to about 20 feet tall. Semi-dwarf pear trees grow to about 12 feet tall. There are two types of pears: European pears–with their classic pear
Dwarf apple tree Before you buy and plant an apple tree consider the following: ■ Space to grow and form of the tree. How much space do you have? This will determine the form of the tree you choose. ■ Size of tree and type of rootstock. What size tree will fit the space? The
Composting turns garden and kitchen waste into humus. Humus is Nature’s best fertilizer and soil conditioner. The process of decomposition that we call composting happens in nature as billions of microorganisms feed, grow, reproduce, and die as they recycle kitchen and garden waste. Compost will happen gradually over time. Set a pile of leaves or
Mustard greens have a peppery-bitter flavor—like mustard. They have long been a favorite American soul food and are used often in Indian cookery. Short cooking is the best way to preserve the flavor and texture of mustard greens. Overcooking will cause greens to become soft and mushy. Match mustard greens with bacon, cheddar cheese, corn
Dry or dried beans–also called shell beans–are beans grown to full maturity and left in their pods to dry before being shelled and stored for later use. Dried beans can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to a year or more. (These beans also can be harvested at the green, shelling stage–when
Jalapeno pepper Hot peppers are most easily grown from transplants. Grow hot chili peppers in the warmest, frost-free time of the year. Start hot pepper seed indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the date you intend to set peppers into the garden. Peppers can be seeded in the garden or transplanted out 2 to 3
