Category: A Blog Article on

Newcomers in the Garden in 2016: A Boom or a Bust?

By Anne-Marie Miller. Every year I try to add some newcomers (things I have never grown before) to the garden. In 2016, some were a boom and some were a bust. Find out which ones you might like to add to your garden this spring. I always like to disclose my location up front when I write an article like this because I have often been so excited about something after reading an article, just to find out that the author gardens in Oregon or California.

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Building a Community Compost?

By Melissa Miller. One great (and smelly) thing we do at my farm is our community compost. The farm is located right in the middle of our nation’s capitol, downtown Washington, D.C. It is about ½ acre and produces approximately 500 lbs of fresh produce a year, all of which goes directly back into the community.

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Featured Farmer: Tim Diebel from Taproot Garden

Our farmstead – Taproot Garden – is a 10-acre parcel. Those acres include 4 acres of woodland, 3 acres of native prairie which we reestablished 3 years ago with the help of the DNR and the Fish and Wildlife Service, a quarter-acre garden, a quarter-acre chicken yard (home to 30 laying hens), plus house, barn, small greenhouse, labyrinth and yard.

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The Lowdown on Solar Ovens

By Mary Munoz. This article was written in response to a  question from Traci K: “Months ago I did quite a bit of research on the various solar ovens, but was discouraged by so many reviews from people complaining of the chemical or plastic taste to the food. I decided to hold off on buying one for a while, hoping the issue would be resolved. Was this ever a problem with your Sun Oven?”

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Tales from Beekeeping: My Expectations vs. the Reality

By Anne-Marie Miller. It has almost been a full year that I have been a beekeeper. It has been a fun and fascinating adventure. Painful and scary at times, but many adventures in life are like that, I have found. Looking back, my idea of what it would be like to be a beekeeper turned out to be a lot different than the actual realities of managing a hive.

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The Creation of a Community Garden

By Anne-Marie Miller. I would like to take you, with my words, to a special place. At first glance it might not seem special to you. Just a bit of land nestled by a house of prayer, with a creek running through the back of the property. It has a small wire fence of sorts enclosing small measured plots. Is this a place for the dead to rest, you ask?

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Be a Plant Diversity Superhero: Tips and Tricks for Saving Seeds

At one time, seed saving was a necessity. Gardeners and farmers carefully selected and stored the best seeds from their harvests, ensuring they had seed for planting in subsequent years. The knowledge of pollination, purity, harvesting and storage of seeds was all part of survival and learned within the family and community.

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RECIPE: Apple Pie Jam

By Guest Blogger Connie Sumberg. Apple Pie Jam is a low-sugar or low-honey cooked jam made with Pomona’s Pectin. Pomona’s Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener.

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