Your Garden
Take a family picture in your garden while holding a copy of the book, and use the hashtag #OurGardenbook on Instagram. It will appear alongside the author's pictures below. Then, follow Andy @westsacurbangardener on Instagram to interact with the author’s garden. You might just see images from the book in real life.
Garden Blog
It’s Cold!
Well friends, it’s cold. Granted, those of you in more northerly latitudes are collectively playing a concerto on a collection of the world’s smallest violins. And you’re right, you’ve got it worse. But still, my little plants that I optimistically planted a few months ago are threatened by ol’ Jack Frost. Same with my citrus Read more about It’s Cold![…]
So long Garden Guru, and thanks for everything.
Hi folks, This is a tough post to write. I’ve put it off for months, but I wanted to record a small tribute to a truly lovely man. As I’ve mentioned previously, my father had been sick for over two years in the hospital. After a hard fight, he passed away in September. Not a Read more about So long Garden Guru, and thanks for everything.[…]
The post where I wax philosophical about my favorite summer sandwich
Many years ago, when I was young and athletic, a friend and I decided to embark on a journey whereby we would make the ultimate sandwich. And by young and athletic, it was really more “young” than athletic. But whatever. We saved our money and bought almost every deli meat, cheese, pickle, onion, slice of Read more about The post where I wax philosophical about my favorite summer sandwich[…]
Summer!
Ah summer! July is a time when the garden begins to kick into high gear. Tomatoes ripen, cucumbers are ready and already I have a squash that could double as a weapon in the event of a zombie apocalypse. My biggest experiment is growing a massive amount of Okinawan sweet potatoes in the same large Read more about Summer![…]
A Rind is a Terrible thing to Waste
A rind is a terrible thing to waste…and my thoughts on a different kind of pesto. My late grandfather used to wear a shirt that on one side read “Worms eat my garbage” and on the other it read “A rind is a terrible thing to waste.” Pretty cool, huh? Well, I always thought it Read more about A Rind is a Terrible thing to Waste[…]
Happy Spring
Just a quick post today to say Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it! And Happy Spring to just about everyone else in the northern hemisphere! While I’m at it–Happy Autumn to any dear readers in the southern hemisphere. Right. Basically–happiness wished from me to you whatevs. Anyhoo–it is Spring in these parts. Read more about Happy Spring[…]
Lemon curd, a goodbye and remembrance
Lemon curd is pretty much what you’d imagine sunshine to look and taste like. I’ve made it a number of times in a number of ways, but tonight’s recipe is something a little different. You see, my wife’s paternal grandmother, my grandmother-in-law, recently passed away after a long life living in Newcastle, England. Given the Read more about Lemon curd, a goodbye and remembrance[…]
Winter is coming…er is here now…
Before we get down to musings…. The updates are legion on the site. The resources section has new information on starting seeds, what to plant when, and a new guide to pickling developed by our friends at fix.com. Check it out! The events page has been updated to highlight school visits and my family’s most Read more about Winter is coming…er is here now…[…]
The Halloween when I almost punched a guy…and a recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds
The family and I had a great time celebrating some of the traditions of Halloween. These include trick-or-treating, watching a toddler in a bee costume melting down on a driveway because why not, carrying said toddler home to watch a PBS program so kid dressed as a ladybug could trick-or-treat some more, and carving pumpkins. Read more about The Halloween when I almost punched a guy…and a recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds[…]
The ultimate prank…
My Dad has always loved a good laugh. He is where I get my love of puns and “dad” jokes. Perhaps his greatest joke of all, though, was one that involved produce from the family garden. Sometime around 1987, the family sits down to dinner. Maybe it was meat loaf. Maybe it was baked chicken. Read more about The ultimate prank…[…]
Saucy Fried Green Tomato Sauce
Waste not, want not.– Old timey proverb Throwing away food is like stealing from the table of those who are poor and hungry. — Pope Francis. What do you mean you’re all done? You haven’t touched it! You can’t throw that away. No. Do not throw it in the sink. Do not throw it in Read more about Saucy Fried Green Tomato Sauce[…]
Interesting Stuff
Such a funny thing, this little book. Last weekend, Our Garden, and my family’s gardening related history, was the subject of a story in the Sacramento Bee by the excellent garden writer Debbie Arrington. Go ahead. Give it a read. I’ll wait. Pretty cool, huh? This book is by no means a runaway bestseller (yet!–Ha!), but those who have Read more about Interesting Stuff[…]
A Tribute to a Garden Dog
Social media tells me that last week featured a “National Dog Day.” Readers of “Our Garden” will know that the book heavily features a large, black dog named Snuffles. He even has a bean tepee named in his honor in the story, and spends most of his time playing with the kid and trying to Read more about A Tribute to a Garden Dog[…]
How does the garden grow? Well…
Quick “Our Garden” book update before we get to this week’s blog post. I’ve updated the events page to include a more detailed description of Steve and my appearance at the annual Scholarshare Children’s Book Festival. Check it out here for more information. I’ve also added a few more garden resources for both current and Read more about How does the garden grow? Well…[…]
A garden oddity…
Lots of people keep a bale of straw in their car’s trunk. Really…I’m sure of it… As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, sometimes gardeners get unfair reputations. “Not weird” is another example of this particular besmirchment. Having been a gardener since pretty much the moment of birth, I can tell you that gardeners are Read more about A garden oddity…[…]
“Welcome to the world” beans!
Do these beans mean anything to you? No? They mean something to me. These are “welcome to the world” beans that will be part of a meal we are taking to my brother Pat and sister-in-law Stephanie. They are getting said meal so they don’t have to think about cooking as much on account of having Read more about “Welcome to the world” beans![…]
Humility, as taught by the garden
Conventional wisdom dictates that you don’t plant a summer garden in the Sacramento region until at the earliest the third week of April. This is for a host of reasons. A late frost might crash the garden party and kill off your plants. The ground might not be warm enough at night for seedlings that are Read more about Humility, as taught by the garden[…]
A bit of Sacramento Gardening History
I never knew the garden of my youth was called the St. Francis Community Garden until recently. Few people know about it or remember it, but it was a part of the fabric of midtown Sacramento long before anyone had ever uttered the phrase “farm-to-fork.” Many remember the old Mandella garden that was shut down Read more about A bit of Sacramento Gardening History[…]
Life moves pretty fast…News on Book Events
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around for awhile, you could miss it.” –Ferris Bueller Such an interesting week from so many different areas of life. On the book front, we’ve firmed up our Northern California kickoff event at Time Tested Books in Sacramento for August 6. I could not be Read more about Life moves pretty fast…News on Book Events[…]
Guest Post on Mama Momtourage!
Hi folks–Today I’ve written a guest post for my friend Amanda’s website “Mama Momtourage!” Amanda and I were classmates at Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento, and her site is definitely worth checking out. She’s a great Mom, always stylish and has awesome ideas for having fun with your kiddos. And she’s a very kind person Read more about Guest Post on Mama Momtourage![…]