By Vanessa Richins

A treat as a child was okra breaded with cornmeal and fried. Yum!

It’s also an integral part of one of my favorite soups – gumbo.

I don’t think it’s grown enough in home gardens.

It’s true that sometimes okra can be a bit…slimy. However, as I found out from this article, evidently all you need to do is add a small bit of vinegar while cooking to make that go away. Who knew?

I was surprised to learn in my research that warm-season okra (Hibiscus esculentus or Abelmoschus esculentus) is related to hollyhocks, hibiscus and cotton.

Although this vegetable is most commonly grown in the Southern United States, it’s certainly not limited to that area. They need Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

As I proudly proclaimed to everyone, I’m a garden geek.

There are so many cool facts you can learn about the plant world that are quite surprising.

I think it makes gardening itself much more fun.

One of my favorite facts:

What do broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale and kohlrabi have in common?

They are all the same species.

How can that be possible, you ask? All of these plants are too similar, as far as genetics go, to be sorted out into their own species.

Botanists sort out all the different plants according to how closely they are related. It starts with the Kingdom (which includes all plants) and gets more specific, down to the individual plant level of the Species. The levels of classification for these vegetables are all:

• Kingdom (Plantae)
• Phylum (Magnoliophyta)
• Class (Magnoliopsida) Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

Whenever my dad went out for doughnuts for breakfast, he would bring me a blueberry muffin.

It’s no secret that these bite size beauties are one of my favorite fruits.

With the right soil, you can grow your own blueberries too.

A key factor in growing blueberries is acidic soil. You should test your soil before attempting to grow them. The soil needs to have a pH between 4.5-5.2. If your soil is in that range, congratulations! You are ready to grow blueberries. Otherwise, you will need to amend your soil to bring it to that pH range.

Contact your local extension office for suggestions of amendments appropriate for your area. Common additives include aluminum sulfate, iron sulfate, sulfur and spaghnum peat moss.

Next, you’ll need to Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

When I think of growing up in California, one of my fondest memories were the beach parties.

One trick that we did (before the ocean became too polluted) was to take a metal trash can filled with sea water and roast corn over a fire.

The salty water made the corn taste absolutely delicious.

The only way it could have been better was if the corn had been homegrown in someone’s garden. The corn sold in stores can’t hold a candle to corn that was picked in your garden a few minutes before cooking. You can also have fun and grow your own popcorn.

As long as you have room for at least Read the rest of this entry »

By Vanessa Richins

Roger Doiron is at it again.

As you may know, he developed the “Eat the View” campaign that helped bring a vegetable garden to the White House.

He worked tirelessly to promote the cause and inspire people to start their own victory gardens.

After the ground for the White House garden was broken, he suggested that supporters of the cause turn their attention towards their own state government buildings. Several governors have already started their own gardens or are pledging to do so. Edible gardens are popping up at state and city government buildings.

Now he is declaring that this July 4th should be “Food Independence Day.” Participants should show their support by growing their own food and buying local as much as possible for this day.

As the Facebook petition says, people should :

1. Use the momentum Read the rest of this entry »