Gardening

Foraging for Garlic Mustard and How to Use It

May 5, 2020 by Sylvia Rose 9 Comments

Garlic mustard is an invasive species that was brought over to North America by European settlers at the turn of the 19th century. Foraging for garlic mustard not only helps the native plant species in affected areas, but it’s fun to play with culinary-wise, too!

WHAT’S GARLIC MUSTARD?

If you’re new to foraging, garlic mustard is an invasive plant species that was introduced to North America at the turn of the 19th century.

The European settlers valued it for its medicinal and culinary properties.

Today, it’s seen as a weed and for conservationists, one that’s threatening native species.

In forests, garlic mustard is starving native plant species by robbing them of the soil fungi they need to thrive.

This is why conservationists are starting to encourage people to pick this plant.

Some other names that it goes by include Penny Hedge, Poor Man’s Mustard, and Garlic Root.

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What I’m Planting in My Victory Garden

April 7, 2020 by Sylvia Rose Leave a Comment

It’s finally happening. Victory Gardens are making a resurgence. Here’s a peek at what I’ll be growing in my second year of victory gardening. Will you be digging for victory, too?

what I'm planting Swiss chard for victory garden

MY LITTLE VICTORY GARDEN

In February 2020, I wrote about why victory gardens should make a comeback.

While I view self-sufficiency as a virtue, when you grow your own food, you’re connecting with your food, getting exercise, and declining to support industrial farming practices.

I had a feeling a victory garden resurgence was coming, but I didn’t know that it would be so soon or that it would be sparked by an illness.

2019 was my real first year of gardening, so naturally, I made a bunch of mistakes.

Still, I wanted to expand the garden, which is precisely what I did. My patch is more than double the size for the growing season ahead.

In true victory garden style, the goal is to make my land as productive as I possibly can.

To augment garden yields, I’ll also be growing with containers and converting one of my flower beds into a lettuce bed.

Ready to see what I’m planting?

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12 Garden Lessons from the First Growing Year

March 3, 2020 by Sylvia Rose 1 Comment

There are so many gardening lessons to be learned. Here are twelve of the biggest takeaways from my first year of outdoor gardening.

12 GARDEN LESSONS I LEARNED THE HARD WAY

Before we begin, I want to say that I spent a decade dreaming about having a big garden. My mother liked keeping a sizable garden and I loved working in it as a teenager.

For as long as I daydreamed about working the earth, I kept a container garden on just about every apartment balcony I had. I mostly grew herbs.

My basil would always die and squirrels would rob me blind whenever an heirloom tomato started to ripen.

When I finally had the opportunity to have a real vegetable patch and herb bed, this is what I learned.

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Victory Garden Revivalism

February 11, 2020 by Sylvia Rose 8 Comments

As food prices continue to soar and industrial farming practices continue to impoverish the soil and its produce, more and more folks are going back in time. The 1940’s victory garden is making a comeback, only this time, we’re facing a different war: the war on our health and food supply.

If you’re unfamiliar with what a victory garden is, we’re going to rewind to the 1940s.

The world was at war and every household had to deal with strict rationing.

While I’m sure many grumbled about this, many were eager to do their part to contribute to the war effort, doing everything they could to help on the homefront.

To supplement rations, and to also help reduce the cost of the produce that had to be purchased to feed the troops, the victory garden was born.

“Digging for victory” was the name of the game, and governments encouraged citizens to participate. There were educational handbooks, pamphlets and videos sharing tips on what to plant and how to grow and preserve food.

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How to Grow Your Own Sprouts at Home

June 21, 2019 by Sylvia Rose 1 Comment

Growing your own sprouts at home is a reward all on its own. Learn everything you need to know about sprouting these nutrient-rich shoots right on your kitchen counter!

Believe it or not, sprouts used to be a treat for me.

I grew up in a small town, so finding alfalfa sprouts in the local grocery stores wasn’t an easy task.

I always appreciated them when my mom was able to get her hands on a little plastic container, but I never really gave them much thought.

When I was living near Montreal’s Jean-Talon Market (a magical place) sprouts became a regular thing, but I wish I had known then just how simple it really is to grow your own…

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Wild Violets and 5 Things to do with them

June 7, 2019 by Sylvia Rose 3 Comments

Roses are red, violets are blue, do you have a lot of violets and not know what to do? There are a surprising number of things you can do with these pretty purple flowers, so read on!

WILD VIOLETS IN BLOOM

Wild violets were the last thing I was expecting to find in my backyard when winter melted away into spring.

It was late September when I purchased my home. All there was to see out back was a dwindling garden patch with the last stragglers of a tomato harvest.

It was December when I moved in, and by then there was a thick blanket of snow on the ground. Winter passed by me, and as it started warming up, I was eager to see what I had to work with.

Finally, the snow melted and the drab brown lawn turned emerald. One day, I looked outside and was delighted to see hundreds of wild violets coming into bloom.

RELATED: Wild Dandelion Salad Recipe

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