Entries by Lee Reich

MOUSEY THREATS AND SOLUTIONS

Mice are clawing their ways in to where they can find food and lodging. Good for them but not for our plants, and us.  Read about the various mousey threats and some ideas about how to avoid problems — in my latest blog post:

BUSH RESCUE

Whoaaa! I almost rammed my foot on the brakes to save a plant from being butchered, and more! But I decided to drive on because . . . well, read my latest blog post to see why I almost stopped for plant rescue and why I decided it was, sort of, okay.

STUFFED

Grow turkey stuffing. Make turkey stuffing. Stuff yourself. I only address the first, with suggestions from trees on down. Read about all this in my latest blog post, here:

ONE OF THE GREATEST APPLES

Esopus Spitzenberg is a very old, very delectable, apple that, though it originated a mere stone’s throw from my farmden, was Thomas Jefferson’s favorite. Also a favorite of mine. More of the Spitz story in my latest blog post, here:

THREE BEAUTIFUL QUINCES

If you’ve been intrigued by fruits ripening on quince bushes that were a riot of salmon red flowers in spring, don’t take bite. They’re rock hard and astringent, although with enough cooking and sweetening can be made edible. Much tastier is the true quince which . . . but I’m divulging too much. To know the plants and see the photos, check out my latest blog post here:

FEAR NOT, COMPOST MAKER

Don’t let anyone scare you away from making compost. Read what I have to say about directives such as “don’t add disease plants to your compost pile” and other compost lore. Composting is for everyone. Read here:

WHY NOT PLANT

I like planting trees and shrubs this time of year. This time of year!! Yup, planting now is good for plants — and me — for a number of reasons. I list these reasons, plus a couple of caveats in my latest blog post:

TIGER NUTS

Grow chufa, aka tiger nuts, earth almonds, and zulu nuts, to take you back to your primal roots. Despite its long history of cultivation, today’s chufa is pretty much the same nutty, sweet chufa eaten thousands of years ago! Learn more about chufa in my latest blog post:

IT’S RED BUT IS IT “DELICIOUS?”

Over 150 years ago, a nursery offered a prize for the best-tasting apple. What variety won? Red Delicious, submitted under another name but then deemed to have earned at the name  “Delicious.” What happened (tastewise)? Read about it — guess where? — in my latest blog post: