tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842Sun, 16 Jun 2013 02:41:54 +0000spice bushShaggy Manekids gardeningboletespeoniesjellytransplantinghome brewfood preservation rainy day activitieschanterelleshopnisscarpenter beesSamaria GorgewineNovemberchicken of the woodschestnutsplant protectioncity gardeninghikingCretefragranceProspect ParkGreek catsOmalosAgia RoumeliMeyer lemonshen of the woodsdominoesoyster mushroomsMiliaLoutrocontractorbad gardeningblended gardentarget shootingCydonia oblongaBrooklynclematismarmaladeFoley SquareChicken FootrosesKyralettucespring greenskitchen gardenPhiladelphiapawpawacornsBlewitslaccariamushroomsMount VernonHoney mushroomsfetacutting gardenwatercresswild mushroomsGreek foodPortesChaniawild foodscontainersCoprinus comatusconstructionfall gardenapple wineAfrican violetsSan Franciscospicebushquinceflower showsforagingrooftop gardeningDown & DirtyWhat's a little dirt between friends?http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/noreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)Blogger278125http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/DownDirtyhttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-8081758791390926089Fri, 14 Jun 2013 22:26:00 +00002013-06-14T18:28:15.997-04:00philosophical musings I have lived my whole adult life in NYC.  My whole working life.  Mostly it's been a good match.  I like the pace of the place and as some of you may know, I'm wound pretty tight.  In NYC most people are, so I fit right in.  But sometimes I feel like I'm waiting for something, some next thing.  I'm keeping up, treading water, passing through, but to what...I don't know. We've been in Santa http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/zR0KNc33GBI/philosophical-musings.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)7<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/zR0KNc33GBI" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2013/06/philosophical-musings.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-7001859570297695296Sun, 02 Jun 2013 00:19:00 +00002013-06-01T20:20:47.458-04:00first swim of the season Michael went in first. Mark went in next. The water made me gasp, but oh!  So good. Not really summer. But summer nonetheless. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/TsgRSYhTdKg/first-swim-of-season.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/TsgRSYhTdKg" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2013/06/first-swim-of-season.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-8147507956172405768Mon, 27 May 2013 02:00:00 +00002013-05-29T19:04:51.215-04:00marvelous milkweed...crop # 1If I could only eat one wild edible plant it would be milkweed. (So glad no one makes me choose.) It's a superstar; not only beautiful to look at in the garden, but delicious in many ways.  The shoots come first, tastier than the finest green beans.  Next come the florets, unopened flower buds that look a lot like broccoli but taste a whole lot better.  The fully opened flowers, laden with http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/XcBefvg2X4E/marvelous-milkweedcrop-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/XcBefvg2X4E" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2013/05/marvelous-milkweedcrop-1.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-724807464514137463Sun, 19 May 2013 14:46:00 +00002013-05-19T11:03:34.876-04:00battle of the limoncellos No, it isn't art.  It's a limoncello smackdown. In January I posted about my new citrus zester and how easy it made peeling a batch of Meyer lemons for limoncello.  A week later I started batch # 2 (forgot to photograph, sorry!): a lazy-man's limoncello using the whole fruit.  This weekend I did a blind taste test with the statistically dubious number of two tasters (Michael & me). The http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/RfL1bYwN3_Y/battle-of-limoncellos.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)4<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/RfL1bYwN3_Y" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2013/05/battle-of-limoncellos.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-8425608061083322028Thu, 16 May 2013 00:45:00 +00002013-05-16T08:42:54.856-04:00a mug of mugwortOne of the great things about the foraging community is the generosity of spirit found in fellow foragers.  Last month Leda & I had a lovely dinner with Tama Matsuoka Wong, author of Foraged Flavor, a book I highly recommend.  Tama forages for several NYC restaurants, including ACME, where we had an eclectic, delicious meal. Last weekend I tried her recipe for mugwort soup.  I made a few changeshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/t-GuUw_wctQ/a-mug-of-mugwort.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/t-GuUw_wctQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2013/05/a-mug-of-mugwort.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-1366569579719292626Mon, 13 May 2013 13:24:00 +00002013-05-18T08:03:17.060-04:00This drink needs a name! After a long day selling many books and seducing unsuspecting strangers with foraged foods, we returned home and created a new cocktail.  It was a group effort.  I made the sweet fern (Comptonia peregrina) infused rum last summer.  Michael suggested a splash of seltzer and a cube of ice, Mark poured a drop or two of St. Germaine, and I added some home preserved sour cherries in syrup. Now http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/3zN1LoQTFkw/this-drink-needs-name.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)6<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/3zN1LoQTFkw" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2013/05/this-drink-needs-name.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-99531169640557957Thu, 09 May 2013 02:15:00 +00002013-05-08T22:17:00.374-04:00roasted hosta shoots wrapped in prosciutto with garlic mustard pesto I'm thinking a photo is definitely worth a thousand words in THIS instance.  But in case you'd like some instructions on how to make the pesto: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/-9fdezJylJk/roasted-hosta-shoots-wrapped-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)5<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/-9fdezJylJk" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2013/05/roasted-hosta-shoots-wrapped-in.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-2559732001969029661Fri, 03 May 2013 20:41:00 +00002013-05-03T16:41:51.752-04:00ramps, schmamps...go pick some wild garlicI'm starting something new and you're the first to know:  I hereby resolve to produce one video per week.  (I usually work well under pressure...we'll see how it goes.) Here's a short video on foraging for wild garlic.  I know ramps are all the rage, but they're also endangered and often over harvested, while wild garlic (aka field garlic, aka Allium vineale) is considered an unwelcome weed by http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/7PdgcLm9ttM/ramps-schmampsgo-pick-some-wild-garlic.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)7<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/7PdgcLm9ttM" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2013/05/ramps-schmampsgo-pick-some-wild-garlic.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-6349571330738752659Sun, 28 Apr 2013 13:40:00 +00002013-04-29T13:41:33.457-04:00Nettle Malfatti (homage to Connie) Last month I was in the Bay Area and one of the best things I ate (besides the raw oysters and local champagne) was a foraged dish Cayce and I made together.  Back when my publisher was looking for people to write jacket blurbs for my new book, she contacted Connie Green, author of The Wild Table.  Connie mentioned that she thought I must have been influenced by her book.  I'd never even readhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/1vmHknYz7TY/nettle-malfatti-homage-to-connie.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/1vmHknYz7TY" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2013/04/nettle-malfatti-homage-to-connie.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-2384169504600050556Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:25:00 +00002013-04-21T20:25:55.742-04:00Posi OuingeWe arrived @ Ojo Caliente at about 11 and walked up to Posi Ouinge, overlooking the Ojo River.  The path winds through chamisa and sage, cholla and prickly pear. An unexcavated pueblo, potsherds are everywhere.  To take one would be a crime, with or without a law to say so.  But I understand why some people form collections.  I wouldn't do it, but I think it's a form of tribute.  In a way. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/68r_Fnen314/posi-ouinge.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/68r_Fnen314" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2013/04/posi-ouinge.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-8266538711509809485Sat, 16 Mar 2013 16:34:00 +00002013-03-17T20:48:00.785-04:00Wild Ginger Snaps & Spice Bush SnickerdoodlesAt the Philly Flower Show I offered everyone who bought my book a few cookies, made from some of the foraged ingredients I'd talked about on stage.  I wouldn't call it a bribe exactly, but people lined up to have their books signed, and many asked if the recipes were included in the book.  (photo courtesy of Ellen Spector Platt) Alas, they are not.  Both are recent developments, conceived http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/kl-0SC1viGI/wild-ginger-snaps-spice-bush.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)4<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/kl-0SC1viGI" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2013/03/wild-ginger-snaps-spice-bush.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-7910005800655240498Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:40:00 +00002013-03-05T09:03:38.691-05:00Backyard Foraging...hot off the press!It's been a long time coming but the wait is over!  I'm finally in possession of my new book, Backyard Foraging: 65 Familiar Plants You Didn't Know You Could Eat.  And this afternoon I head south to the Philadelphia Flower Show where I'll give my first presentation on the subject tomorrow (3/5 @ 11:30 am), hopefully to a room full of interested gardeners and cooks. I finished writing the bookhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/tjtRPhTO9jM/its-been-long-time-coming-but-wait-is.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)4<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/tjtRPhTO9jM" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2013/03/its-been-long-time-coming-but-wait-is.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-1351148180795919296Sat, 02 Mar 2013 15:38:00 +00002013-03-02T15:48:40.080-05:00the Bronx blooms again The NYBG Orchid Show opens today, and I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview on Thursday morning.  I enjoyed it more than usual, for two reasons.  This year the orchids are displayed more naturally, without the flashy, extravagant hardscape we've seen in years past.  The interior landscape has an elegant flow, relying more on the beauty of the plants themselves than on the splash of http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/vK2Qael-AqE/the-bronx-blooms-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/vK2Qael-AqE" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2013/03/the-bronx-blooms-again.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-4653117658993698438Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:21:00 +00002013-02-11T15:47:45.194-05:00Cymbidium: antidote to a blizzard Braving the snowy roads was worthwhile, if only because of the blooms waiting inside.  I feel a special happiness when I get a Cymbidium to rebloom. It's not hard once you nail down the rules, but it took me a while to figure it out. 1)  Move it outside in summer, into dappled light. 2)  Leave it out till the last possible minute, just before frost. 3)  Bring it into a lightly http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/FK6XtVIudzo/cymbidium-antidote-to-blizzard.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)6<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/FK6XtVIudzo" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2013/02/cymbidium-antidote-to-blizzard.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-3916707235956494818Sat, 26 Jan 2013 12:31:00 +00002013-01-27T07:55:21.473-05:00limoncello, or lemons: the first way When you have so many Meyer lemons...deciding what to do with them can be a challenge. Last week I found a bottle of limoncello I'd given my mother, tucked in the back of her freezer.  Voila. Meyer lemon project #1. This little tool has already earned its keep.  How did I live so long without a citrus zester? 4 cups vodka the peels of 10 Meyer lemons, all white pith http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/ekwnSBQobf4/lemons-first-way.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)4<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/ekwnSBQobf4" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2013/01/lemons-first-way.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-7466362970442951186Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:14:00 +00002013-01-22T19:41:55.609-05:00E. B. Sayles Henry, Mack, John, Tom, Caroline, Perry, Seth, Ted, Helen, and Julia.  My grandmother was Helen.  Her brother, Edwin Booth, was always called Ted.  Uncle Ted died in 1977, but I remember a few things about him.  He wrote books.  He was an archeologist.  He lived in an apartment with a swamp cooler in downtown Tucson.  Last fall's GWA symposium got me thinking about my great uncle Ted, who had http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/JH9myeaNY9g/e-b-sayles.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/JH9myeaNY9g" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2013/01/e-b-sayles.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-4387645866028172346Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:15:00 +00002013-01-16T09:18:40.716-05:00anniversary I miss my boy. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/0a2uKueef3s/anniversary.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/0a2uKueef3s" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2013/01/anniversary.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-22917057303187760Tue, 08 Jan 2013 02:10:00 +00002013-01-07T21:12:43.037-05:00down from the mountains"This is how you cross country ski," said Jim & Rita.  "Here is where we will live." "This is what we will do." "Look around." http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/u6DD_KQH1Fs/down-from-mountains.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)5<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/u6DD_KQH1Fs" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2013/01/down-from-mountains.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-735916189962731901Sun, 30 Dec 2012 15:36:00 +00002013-01-07T17:41:10.813-05:00going radio silent The sky in Santa Fe this morning is uncharacteristically gray.  I can't see a speck of blue through the clouds and I'm pretty sure that means more snow is coming.  Which is fine with us because we're heading out on a winter adventure. Tomorrow we drive north to Chama, where Rita and Jim will teach us to cross country ski.  Then we move on to the Spruce Hole Yurt for three days of clean snow, http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/0Ly0yuqIWgo/the-sky-in-santa-fe-this-morning-is.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/0Ly0yuqIWgo" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2012/12/the-sky-in-santa-fe-this-morning-is.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-7637754244593846344Sun, 23 Dec 2012 22:26:00 +00002012-12-23T17:38:51.484-05:00walk with me I love to walk.  I walk a lot.  When I have to get someplace in the city, I walk.  But after a few days in NH (where I tend to just hop in the car) I needed to get outside, get moving, get chilly.  So I took a walk. I began with a purpose.  There's a reliable oyster-mushroom-producing-tree about a mile from my parents' house. En route, I noticed other edibles.  Some still available, http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/AihFAuJ8e7Y/walk-with-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)5<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/AihFAuJ8e7Y" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2012/12/walk-with-me.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-8350035189972735749Sun, 16 Dec 2012 17:59:00 +00002012-12-17T14:00:03.360-05:00wining Before the feijoa can be jugged, the blueberry must be bottled. That's not a world wide wine rule, but I have a limited supply of one-gallon jugs so I'm frequently forced to juggle batches of wine at various stages of readiness.  I started both feijoa and elderberry last weekend, and the feijoa was ready to be jugged this morning.  (The elderberry needs another week in the primary.)http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/4yby2jfgaIY/wining.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)2<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/4yby2jfgaIY" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2012/12/wining.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-9125913752023297633Fri, 14 Dec 2012 20:26:00 +00002012-12-14T17:37:27.917-05:00attention must be paid  Who me? I'm not doing anything. Just looking out the window. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/D1y2gAZwNVg/attention-must-be-paid_14.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/D1y2gAZwNVg" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2012/12/attention-must-be-paid_14.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-606691486332058284Thu, 22 Nov 2012 03:55:00 +00002012-11-21T22:55:32.947-05:00Eric Doll was only 19. We will remember him as the smart, talented, funny, generous kid that he was and we will miss him very much. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/LV4A1tsRCsw/eric-doll.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/LV4A1tsRCsw" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2012/11/eric-doll.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-8953688928457939004Tue, 13 Nov 2012 22:20:00 +00002012-11-13T17:29:07.305-05:00What to do? If you're lucky, you have friends that get you.  I am lucky.  This time last year Cayce and I foraged in the Bay Area and I fell in love with bay nuts   and feijoa. This year, feeling sorry for myself as I recuperate from knee surgery, I was brought out of my funk when a fragrant box arrived on my doorstep.  I knew right away there were feijoa inside. Their perfume is http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/2hC4RQ_BB_M/what-to-do.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/2hC4RQ_BB_M" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2012/11/what-to-do.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613900352373458842.post-774769673725358996Sun, 04 Nov 2012 14:56:00 +00002012-11-05T16:15:24.481-05:00this feels normalThe spruce has been chainsawed into almost manageable pieces.  The power is on.  We have internet access and a full tank of gas. In other words, we are pretty much back to normal. In deference to the very long lines at local gas stations, we stayed close to home this weekend.  And that means playing in the kitchen.  At the bottom of the freezer (in which every item remained entirely frozen!), I http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DownDirty/~3/diy8N8wLQ6Q/this-feels-normal.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Ellen Zachos)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DownDirty/~4/diy8N8wLQ6Q" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.downanddirtygardening.com/2012/11/this-feels-normal.html