I have many other private gardening and homesteading classes scheduled for Local Garden Clubs and Master Gardeners as well. If you are interested in having me speak, I am taking reservations for next winter and spring now. Please email me at michellenbruhn@gmail.com if you’re interested.

You can also see a full list of my class topics HERE.

2026 Public Gardening Classes + Events Calendar

Jan 10^th 9am-1pm
WBL Farmers Market
at the WBL High School Details Here

Feb 4^th 6-8pm
DIY Herbal Salve Making Class  
at Anchor Coffee House Register HERE

Feb 9^th 6:30-8pm
Companion Planting
at Mendota Heights Garden Club
(No Registration needed, at the Historic Du Puis House)

Feb 14^th  9am-1pm
WBL Winter Farmers Market
at the WBL High School Details Here

Feb 17^th 6-8pm
Companion Planting for the Home Gardener
Mahtomedi District Center
Mahtomedi Garden Club Register HERE

Feb 27^th 1 – 2pm
Companion Planting
on the Green Thumb Stage at the Minneapolis Home + Garden Show

Feb 28^th   1 – 2pm
Companion Planting
on the Green Thumb Stage at the Minneapolis Home + Garden Show

March 3^rd 1-2pm
Herb Gardening
at the Hudson Garden Club at the Phipps Center
RSVP with kswisherhhgc@gmail.com

March 4th
Seed Starting
on Twin Cities Live

March 18^th 6:30-8pm
Vegetable Garden Planning
at Anchor Coffee House Register HERE

April 8^th   6:30-8pm
DIY Grow Your Own Salad Bowl Class
at Anchor Coffee House Register HERE

May 18^th   6-8pm
Vegetable Garden Design
at the Lakeville Area Garden Club

Dig In,
Michelle

The post Forks in the Dirt Gardening Classes + Event List appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

Seed Saving is something that has made me a better gardener in so many ways. It requires us to be more aware of how our plants are progressing through the season. It makes you see more than just the ‘product’ you’re growing—you see the plant as a self-sustaining entity. It can reproduce itself! For all these reasons and more, seed saving connects you to your garden in new and beautiful ways.

Did you know that saving annual flower seeds is a simple and cost-saving skill to master in your garden? It doesn’t require any special equipment and gives you another ‘harvest’ from your gardens.

Saving seeds is another way gardening helps us work closer with nature. And we need to really pay attention to nature as she moves through the seasons in order to save the best seeds. And being ‘in the moment’ in our gardens is one of things that brings us the most joy, isn’t it!?

So, I’m sharing my favorite annual flower seeds to save. The flowers listed also make amazing companion plants in any vegetable garden, along with adding color to the beautiful bouquets I get to bring inside all season…

More on these flowers as companion plants HERE.

Basics to Successful Seed Saving

• Start with the right seeds– grow open pollinated or heirloom varieties that will come back true to type. Saving seeds from hybrid plants will most likely not grow into the same plants (or flower/fruit) that they came from. More information on which are viable seeds to save HERE.
• Save seeds from the healthiest plants- Only save seeds from plants and fruits/veggies with traits you want to bring back (earlier, bigger, color, etc.).
• Mark specific blooms– as colors may fade before you can collect seed.
• Collect Seeds on dry days– wet seeds can mold when brought inside.
• Be patient– Saving seeds is mostly intuitive, but researching the specific seed maturity time of plants will help you gather the best seed.

Saving the best seeds means you’ll have the best luck germinating them next season.

My Favorite + Easiest Annual Flowers to Save Seeds

From the well-loved marigolds and zinnias to nasturtium and calendula and so many more, let’s see what flowers you can bring back to your garden for FREE next year!

Since all the flowers listed bloom continually, you can deadhead AND leave a few to fully mature into seeds throughout the season.

Calendula

These are also known as pot marigold and come in many shades and varieties. These seeds look like little aliens and very unlikely to sprout—but these beauties are easy to harvest and require very little cleaning. Waiting until the seed heads are fully brown and dried on the plant is key. They should basically fall off into your hands or collecting bowl.

Since these flowers bloom continually, you can deadhead—or leave a few to fully mature into seeds throughout the season.

*If you’re growing a few different varieties of calendula, note that they do cross-pollinate, which means that eventually you’ll have your own variety.

Seeds viable for 3–6 years

Check out my post on how to make calendula salve.

Cosmos

I love the way these blow in the summer breeze and add such a variety of color to the vegetable garden and border. I find most of the varieties are hybrids, but sensation, radiance and candy stripe have all grown well from home saved seeds for me. Wait for the flower heads to dry completely on the plant, then rub between fingers into a bucket. The seeds will fall off, and look like little curved pine needles. Then blow away the extra fluff (chaff).

Seed viable for 3–5 years

Marigold

Oh, the marigold, is there any flower that is either loved or hated as intensely? I am a lover, for so many reasons. True marigolds are from the Tagetes family, and they offer a wide array of colors and sizes. I prefer the French marigolds for the full-sized blooms and large (3’x3’) plant size and lemon or tangerine gem for the smaller flowers and (1’x1’) plant size.

These seeds will dry on the plant and stay encapsulated in the involucre—how cool is that word—and that function!? So, they really stay all together until weather and time wear the papery seed package away—it falls to the soil and is ready to grow again. But we get to play with these and pull them out of their packaging.

Marigold seeds look like two-toned needles. We’re looking for seeds that are darker/black on the bottom and a straw color on the top. If the seeds aren’t fully mature, they’ll still be lighter in color at the base.

Larger seeds from larger french marigold flowers, tiny seeds from the gem series!

Seeds viable for 1–3 years

Nasturtium

These cascading beauties seem to save their seeds until the end of the season. Seeds form in groups of 2–3 and are attached well to the stem. They are tasty as immature green seeds and make a fun alternative to capers.

But these seeds need to ripen fully and fall off on their own to have the best germination rates. So my practice is to wait until mid-September, then start lifting the mass of blooms and vines up off the ground and picking up the fallen seeds. They look like dried up, wrinkly little brains (as my schoolyard garden kids call out year after year). Make sure these are fully dry before sealing them up.

Seeds viable for 2–5 years

Poppies

Snap Dragons

Tithonia

Tithonia (aka Mexican Sunflower) is one of those plants that impresses me every year. They often grow 6–7 feet tall and produce so many large branches laden with blooms that the bees and butterflies love late in the season. These are another flower that do best when the seeds are left to dry fully on the plant.

I snip just below the base of the flowers and drop directly into a brown paper bag. If you plan on handling these at all consider gloves as they are sharp! Shake the bag to help release the seeds from the heads. The seeds are gray to black and triangular, with a rough ‘crown’ on their wide end..

Viable for 2–4 years

Zinnia

With zinnias you can have your bouquet and save seeds too! As long as the flowers are in full bloom when you cut them, you can enjoy them as cut flowers and then as they fade, remove from water, rinse and hang to dry—and still have great germination rates. I actually find this works better than leaving the flower heads in the garden to mature, because so many birds pick at the flowers and seed heads.

Gently tug from the base of the blooms to separate seeds. I usually hold the flowers upside down for this. You can keep the petals intact or break off depending on your preference. The seeds are flat arrow-shaped seeds, usually dark gray.

They won’t always bloom true to color, but tend to stay in the same shades, shapes and sizes from what I have saved and regrown.

Viable for 3–5 years

Learn all about Saving Veggie Garden Seeds HERE!

Storing Seeds

Make sure seeds are 100% dry before storing in either paper envelopes or an air tight container. I opt for paper envelopes and keep them inside a loose metal tin, in a cool and dry part of my home.

With each flower seed saved you’re adding to the story and resiliency of your garden, and saving money too!

What flower seeds do you want to save first?

Dig into Seed Saving,

Michelle

The post Seed Saving: Annual Flowers appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

I’ve also had the joy of being interviewed by over a dozen podcast hosts (you’ll see some of their names below).

There’s something soothing about listening to others who’ve ‘been there and done that’. I love listening as I work with my hands or out on walks. If you’re not a podcast listener, I have to say (even as a lover of the written word) you are missing out!

Listen to podcasts where my coauthor Stephanie and I are interviewed about our book, Small-Scale Homesteading HERE, scroll about ½ way down for the list of links.

The following podcasts have given me inspiration, new ideas and company as I go about my days. While these are mostly gardening focused, I figured I’d share all my favorite podcasts… in a general order of how many episodes I’ve listened to over the years.

My Favorite Garden Podcasts

*Note – these either link to a main website or the Spotify podcast page as I did this from my desktop computer*

The Joe Gardener Show
Joe Lamp’l is a legend and for good reason, he’s interviewed so many experts, plus talks in depth about how he grows great gardens- I absolutely love geeking out on gardening with him!

The BEET – The Epic Gardening Daily Podcast
Kevin Espiritu of EPIC Gardening doles out short frequent podcasts where he interviews experts and riffs on questions asked by gardeners in these short, easy to binge episodes.

Cultivating Place
Jennifer Jewell’s delightful deep-dive program focused on conservation, natural history and gardening. She interviews enchanting guests that make this seasoned gardener question the how and why and think about gardening in new ways!

Plants Always Win
Plants Always Win busts myths and digs deep for curious and ecologically conscious home gardeners. When it comes to the dirt on gardening, context is everything. That’s why horticulture technician Sean Patchett and author and garden communicator Erin Alladin launched Plants Always Win: to get to the root of garden myths, to bring nuance to thorny issues, and to answer listener questions with evergreen advice. 

The Gardenangelists
Dee Nash of RedDirtRamblings and Carol Michel of IndyGardener come together to talk “Flower, Veggies and all the Best Dirt” every week. They’re both garden authors, speakers garden coaches and know how convert anyone into the gardening life.

Beginners Garden Podcast
Jill McSheehey guides listeners through both interviews and personal experience. She’s got great garden tips, resources and ideas for home gardeners. She is in the south but lots of her advice is applicable everywhere.

Food Garden Life Show
New co-hosts Steven Biggs and Donna Balzer took over from the father-daughter duo from Canada. They keep it real and do both interviews with experts and deep dives into how they grow, especially growing food that shouldn’t be able to grow as far north as they are.

Growing Joy with Maria
Focused on the indoor plant lover, Maria interviews all shades of plant lovers, while letting plants nurture us in return.

The Good Dirt is hosted by the mother daughter duo of Mary & Emma and focuses on sustainable lifestyle from the soil on up. I appreciate listening to their relationship as much as the topics covered.

Well Loved Plant Podcasts

In Defense of Plants
Matt Candeias offers up his true love of plants in these shows that take deeper dives into specific topics about plants – not necessarily on how to grow them better, but about reverence for them.

Let’s Argue About Plants
The editors of Fine Gardening bring this fun, informative podcast tackles all things gardening. You’ll listen to the insights (and polite arguments) and hear from today’s leading horticultural minds.

My Favorite Non-Garden Podcasts

On Being with Krista Tippet
“Wisdom to replenish and orient in a tender, tumultuous time to be alive.
Spiritual inquiry, science, social healing, and poetry. Conversations to live by.”

Coffee with the Chicken Ladies is hosted by best friends Holly & Christie is all about chickens. I love how they break up their podcast into segments including interviews, breed deep dives and product reviews.

Good Together The Brightly brand’s podcast on eco-friendly sustainable living

Suggestions from Readers like You

The Grow Guide A newer grower, Maggie Wysocki teams up with master grower Dave Hanson to chat on all those questions that new gardeners have, but with a deep dive. They’re in Manitoba so this is especially for my northern gardeners.

Pioneering Today is hosted by Melissa K Norris and homesteading focused.

Foodie Pharmacology , hosted by ethnobotanist, Dr. Cassandra Quave, this looks at food topics through a scientific lens.

Audio Books I Adore

Have you heard of Libro.fm? it’s a way to listen to audio books that supports local book stores! It’s my new favorite way to sidestep amazon/audible.

My favorite audio books so far…

Wendell Berry’s The Unsettling of America read by Nick Offerman
Braiding Sweetgrass read by Author Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Story of More read by author Hope Jahren

I hope these garden podcasts and audio books help us all dream of doing better with the plants, earth and time that we have.

So, what’s your favorite podcast? Please share here or on one of my social media sites because as you can tell- I’d love to listen…
Let’s continue the chat on Instagram or Facebook!

Dig In,
Michelle

The post Best of Garden Podcasts appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

You’ve probably heard it’s best to harvest from your garden in the morning. Maybe you’ve also heard not to harvest from your garden when wet… These can seem contradictory especially on damp, dewy mornings. But there’s more behind the ‘not wet and not wilted’ reasoning.

I’m sharing some best practices to harvest lots of delicious and nutritious food to make your garden healthier and more productive.

Why Not When Wet?

We should generally hold off harvesting from our gardens until plants are dried off because when we open a wound on a plant from harvesting by cutting or breaking off we’re leaving an entrance on the plant for diseases.

Fungal and bacterial diseases (blight, powdery mildew, rust, etc.) multiply while the leaves are wet. So, the chance of them getting directly into a wound is greater with a wet plant as well. This timing also makes it harder for the plant to fend off the diseases in general.

When it rains, any ‘germs’ a plant has on its surface are captured in rain drops. If a gardener were to go through while the plants are wet, the ‘germy’ water from one plant is shared with neighboring plants as the gardener brushes the leaves and moves from one plant to the next.

Even though I love walking through a garden right after it rains (it feels so lush and primal doesn’t it!?) I try to remember to stay in the wide paths and not touch plants to minimize the spread of diseases.

When leaves are wet, their pores become much more open to their surroundings. A plant’s roots and leaves will take up the most water in the morning.  Later in the heat of the day, the water-absorbing pores on the leaves tend to close up as a way to retain the moisture they have. This closing of the pores can make plants LOOK like they need water later in the afternoon, but it’s just the plant’s biology taking care of itself and holding onto water from the inside out.  That’s why middle-of-the-day-watering is pretty much a waste of time and resources. You’re likely watering a plant that doesn’t need it and can’t really absorb it. Plus the heat will evaporate most of the water anyways. Remember, even water under the surface of soil turns to gas as it heats up. Another reason to mulch your gardens.

*Note – you may still want to water seeds and tiny seedlings in the middle of the day to keep that thin layer of soil where the plant is active sufficiently damp. Consider mulching shallow rooted plants as well.

Avoid Harvesting from your Garden When Dry

Herbs are easy to grow, but do best when harvested during that not wet but not yet wilted stage. One exception to is if you’re just grabbing a handful to make Infused water. Herbs are at their best flavor when no extra water is present on any leaves. But also, you don’t want them heated up by the sun as this causes the plant’s essential oils to vaporize. You can generally tell when it’s too late in the day to harvest an herb if you can smell it before you get to the plants. All the oils you want to capture are already floating in the air.

Read my blog for detailed information on Harvesting, Preserving and Using Herbs

Harvesting Tips

Think about the produce you’re picking. The thinner the skin the higher the respiration rate. We don’t usually think of plants as breathing but they’re continually respirating which is why food will eventually rot.

In general food with thicker skin (Winter Squash) respirate at a slower rate and can stay ‘shelf stable’ for months.

*Pick berries only when dry. Berries in particular have incredibly thin skin and a high respiration rate. Berries picked in the rain will retain this moisture and start to rapidly mold.

*Clean snips between harvests. Using the same snips or knife to harvest at this time might also spread those same disease around. I try to always have some rubbing alcohol around (extra hand sanitizer works too) to spray and wipe down blades between pruning.

*Dunk in water. You can submerge + store cucumbers, celery and heads of lettuce/greens in clean water for an hour or so post harvest to help keep moisture content.

*Have a clean, smooth container ready. Bruising, or puncturing skin of just harvested veggies can be easily avoided.

*A few plants should be harvested while still wet– lettuce greens, and sweet corn.

Tomatoes-

Not only are tomatoes more susceptible to diseases if picked after a rain, but they also tend to split/crack open after a large rain event. So, if you’ve got some ‘almost ripe’ tomatoes hanging on the vine- go ahead and pick them before that big storm rolls in. They can finish ripening inside. There’s nothing wrong with picking a tomato in the afternoon – especially if you’re going to eat it right away. Remember the thinner skin of tomatoes though, they’ve lost some of their water content from the heat of the day. But I think this can make their flavor even more intense- sun warmed tomatoes for the win!

Beans–

Bacterial Bean Blight- causes light green or yellow spots to form on bean leaves. The blight eventually kills the leaf and weakens the plant, which may stop producing or die all together. The disease is more readily spread when you disturb wet plants during harvest. It is best to avoid picking beans from wet plants if they are still producing. 

Cucumbers and Zucchini-

Pick them often and on the small side, the seeds will be smaller and the skin thinner on most varieties the earlier you pick them. Using a snips to cut cucumbers from the vine and a sharp (clean) knife to cut zucchini and summer squash off the vine will keep you from damaging the plant. These are known to get powdery mildew which can be spread by splashing water.

I hope this help you with harvesting from your garden and growing happier healthier plants!

Dig In!
Michelle

The post Harvesting from Your Garden appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

We love growing cucumbers! But there are many differences, so let’s do a cucumber comparison.

They’re a favorite of the vegetable garden and one of the homegrown treats my kids most impatiently look forward to munching fresh off the vine—as well as sliced (with ranch)—then fermented and pickled all winter long.

Needless to say, we grow a lot of cucumbers!

*This post includes affiliate links*

There are different cucumber varieties including slicing, English (burpless), pickling, and then you can get into the specialty varieties that have been saved for their unique characters for centuries. These specialty varieties have a special place in my heart.

Planting Basics

In general, cucumbers prefer 5–8 hours of sunlight a day, and can benefit from a little afternoon shade. They do best with good drainage in slightly acidic yet fertile soil.

This is one of those plants that gardeners debate over whether to start indoors or direct sow. If you do start indoors, wait until just 2–4 weeks before the last frost dates, as these plants grow quickly. If direct seeding into the garden, wait until the soil is around 70°F for best germination. I love my Soil Thermometer. Adding floating row cover can help raise the soil temps at that time of year.

In general, cucumbers produce best in a mild temperature range, with soil at least 70°F and 75–85°F air temperatures. They kind of shut down flowering below 50°F and over 95°F. I’ve also had great results heavily mulching or planting another ground cover/companion crop at the base to keep roots in the happy temperature zone. Deep watering is key.

Space out individual cucumber plants 8–12 inches apart. They love to climb, so plan to grow where a trellis makes sense.

Common Problems Growing Cucumbers

If you’re seeing more leaves than fruits, I will suggest you stay away from a typical all-purpose fertilizer here and focus on using a fertilizer with a higher phosphorus number. Phosphorus is the middle number in the N-P-K ratio.

Cucumbers do require pollinators, so if you’re short on bees, you may be short on fruit. You can hand pollinate in a few different ways. Female flowers will have a slight bulge at the base while male flowers have no bulge.

1. Take a male flower and touch central flower stalk (the anther) to a female flower center (the stigma).
2. Take a little paint brush and go from male flower pollen to female flower center to hand pollinate.

Pest info below from the University of Minnesota Extension website

• Pests:
  Striped cucumber beetles damage plants by eating leaves as well as flowers, stems, and fruit. They may also contribute to bacterial wilt.
• Spotted cucumber beetles migrate to Minnesota every year, and once here they feed on all above-ground parts of the plant.
• During periods of hot, dry weather, spider mites can feed on leaves, giving them a bleached or bronzed appearance.

Photo below includes:
Top Middle: 3 little pickle bush cucumbers, Upper Right: 1 Poona Kheera
Middle: 3 large Telegraph Improved, Bottom: 1 Armenian
1 tiny mini-muncher below and 1 above 3 Dragon’s Eggs

A Cucumber Comparison of Varieties I’ve Grown

Armenian (Cucumis melo)

50–75 Days, Heirloom + Open Pollinated, 12–24” fruits

Burpless, crunchy flesh, lots of seeds (but soft and edible + easy to scoop out if desired), on the sweeter side. Skins range from pale green to striped, with Painted Serpent a variety with pronounced stripes. Still produces well in hot weather.
–Seed Savers Exchange

Chicago Pickling Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)

50-60 Days, Heirloom + Open Pollinated, 2” gherkins, 4” slicers.

Classic pickling cucumber since 1888! Dark green skin with spines. Long season of production, especially if fruits are taken when still small. Resistant to scab and cucumber mosaic virus.
Experimental Farm Network (offering a “Dual Purpose Grex” this year)

Dragon’s Egg (Cucumis sativus)

50–70 Days, Heirloom + Open Pollinated, 3–4” ovals, from Croatia.

These really do look like eggs! Thin skins, VERY prolific (especially if well-mulched) early producers, mild flavor. Seeds do get tough if left on the vine too long. My kids eat them like apples in the garden. Best eaten within a few days. Not the best for pickling—but makes great cucumber lemonade!

Lemon Cucumbers
(Cucumis sativus)

60–70 days, Heirloom, + Open Pollinated, 2.5”–3.5” round yellow skin.

A specialty variety with strikingly bright yellow skin, with many spines. Crisp white flesh, lots of seeds. Never bitter burpless variety. Not my favorite as the spines are hard to remove and the seeds get tough before the fruits get fully yellow.
–Territorial Seed Company

Marketmore 76
(Cucumis sativus)

65 Days, Open Pollinated, 8–9” fruits

Classic slicing cucumber with dark green bumpy skin and good flavor. These can get long fast; expect to peel skin if over 10” long. Once it starts producing it goes strong. Resistant to powdery mildew.
–High Mowing Organic Seeds

Pickle Bush

50–55 Days, 4” paler green fruits on a 2’ long vine

This is my favorite space-saving variety for growing in containers. Early yielding, lots of fruits (they grow in pairs—so cute!) at once, so you could pickle a few jars from just two plants. I’ve only grown the Burpee seeds for this.
–Burpee

Poona Kheera (Cucumis sativus)

50 Days, Heirloom, + Open Pollinated, 4–6” blunt ended fruits

The Indian cucumber that looks like a potato—these go from yellow-green to full-on russet colored as they mature! These weird-looking fruits are a new family favorite, super crisp (almost apple-ish) white flesh, almost salty not sweet—but also never bitter.
–High Mowing Organic Seeds

Mini Muncher F1

55–60 days, Hybrid, 3–4” long fruits

These are similar to the fancy little cucumbers you find in the store. Basically seedless when picked under 4” with a barely there skin. Sets fruit in cooler temps, and keeps on producing late into the season. These resisted powdery mildew the longest of my cucumbers last season too!
–Territorial Seed Company

Telegraph Improved

60 Days, Heirloom, 10–18” fruits, English slicer

Burpless, and mild overall, thin and shiny skinned with soft seeds. These plants will grow up to 8 feet, so get a sturdy trellis! These will also set fruit without pollination as they were developed back in the 1800s for greenhouse growers but have been a home gardener favorite ever since.
–Botanical Interests

Cucamelon (Melothria Scabra)

70 days, Heirloom and Open Pollinated, 1” fruits

Grown as much for the novelty as anything else, the mini-watermelon-looking fruits have a crisp, sour-lemon flavor and are the cutest things coming out of the garden in August. One plant can easily take over a trellis, as they climb over 8 feet even in our shorter Minnesota growing season. Start these indoors as they are slow to germinate and get growing. We mostly eat them fresh, and area  fun addition to fruit salads.
–Botanical Interests

And since I always love trying something new, I’m trialing Suyo Long this summer. Follow along for my results…

Eating (and Drinking) All Those Cucumbers!

We do eat a lot of cucumbers sitting in the garden or—if they make it inside—simply sliced, in salads, or fermented as pickles…

And since I discovered Cucumber Lemonade we never let any cucumbers go to waste! Just peel, scoop seeds if tough, and puree, then strain out pulp if desired, add fresh-squeezed lemon juice, some honey, and sip away!

We also just found Freezer Pickles thanks to Crystal’s book, Freeze Fresh. This is such an easy way to use up those one or two extra cucumbers—so now I’m never worried about growing too many cucumbers!

Has this cucumber comparison inspired you to try growing cucumbers this season?

Dig In!
-Michelle

The post Cucumber Comparison appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

I think my deep love for beets may be in part because it was one of those vegetables my mother NEVER cooked. So, I got to discover it all on my own and there’s something simply endearing about that, isn’t there? Their flavor and nutritional powers are pretty good reasons to love them as well…

Variety Matters!

I also love beets because you can use the entire plant, literally roots to shoots. I admit it took me a few years to fully board the ‘beet green’ bandwagon- but I am quite comfy now not giving up my seat now!

The rest of my family grew to love beet greens as a substitute for half the greens in their salads last summer. They even preferred it to spinach as the season wore on… we’ve also been enjoying frozen beet greens this winter.

But the beetroot is still up for debate with most of them.

One HUGE step forward was growing Burpee’s Golden from Seed Saver’s Exchange and most recently, Territorial Seed Company’s “Avalanche” white beets. I don’t mind the ‘earthy’ flavor of beets at all, in fact I adore that flavor palette, but the rest of my family was a hard pass.

First off, homegrown beets (like all veggies) just taste better than store bought, so that’s one step closer. But the Golden and White varieties have truly decreased some of that flavor profile. This also corresponds to the greens (hence eating it like spinach). While there are beets grown specifically for their greens, I find the greens of the regular varieties we grow just as tasty.

Growing Beets

Like any vegetable, the flavors will reflect that soil that nurtured it- so making sure the soil is rich with humus and well-draining. They also like phosphorus, so for those of in Minnesota, where we typically have lots of phosphorus in the soil- this is good news. They tend to be a little picky with their pH, doing best between 6.5-7, a pretty small window. Besides making sure to water well so they don’t get tough, the other tip is to make sure you thin early and give them lots of space! I also like starting these really early. I direct sow the majority of my beet crop once the soil reaches 40F. But will also start a few in a winter sowing jug to get a jump start. More on winter sowing HERE.

Harvesting Beets

I usually just harvest as I need as they do hold well in the early summer and later fall. You can also harvest the “beet greens” the leaves similar to a cut and come again lettuce, taking the outer leaves as they mature. Always make sure to leave enough leaves to keep the roots happy. I use fresh beet greens just like spinach, and the baby leaves are every bit as tasty as any other green.  

Most beets can be taken a little earlier than their typical 50-60 days to maturity. While they don’t appear to change much, if they stay in the ground too long after their 60 days to maturity, they will get woody.

Eat Yer Beets!

I really enjoy raw shredded beets on salads, along with the more traditional roasted and sliced options. Grilling them the night before when we’re already using the grill (or oven if winter) makes it so much easier to incorporate these veggies into meals.

I’ll also give one more shout out to the Beet Greens

I also adore Beet Kvass. This is a fermented beet juice that is slightly salty and tangy and tastes like the winter to me. It can be an acquired taste, but I have definitely acquired it, and actually crave it in the depths of winter…

Beet Kvass Recipe

2 to 3 large beets, scrubbed but skins on.
Chop into ½-1 inch cubes.
Add beets, 1 tsp salt and cover with water in a glass jar or crock, making sure to dissolve salt.
Screw on lid tight and keep away from direct light.
Check daily (or more often) to mix and to release any build up of gas. I ferment for 3-4 days.
Strain off the fermented juice and enjoy.

I often eat the beets after draining too, and my chickens go BONKERS for them, although I do rinse off any excess salt before giving them to my hens.

Chef in the HOUSE

Another favorite way to eat them is in Chef Matt’s Beet Risotto! I’ve made his recipe a few different ways and loved them all. This is a versatile recipe that is delicious with different varieties of beets, from the blood red, to the golden and whites!

With my Avalanche White Beets, I shredded and added to the risotto right at the end, as shown in one of Chef Matt’s notes on the recipe below. But pink and red rice is fun, delicious and fitting for Valentine’s celebrations too! Remember, Food is Fun!

Chef Matt

Chef Matt is a stellar chef and local food aficionado (along with being my good friend)! He teaches online cooking classes via “Chef’s House”, prepares weekly “pick up’ meals and caters events large and small. You may also recognize him from the Cider table at our White Bear Lake Winter Farmers Markets…

If want to support a local small business and learn to cook local food at the same time, he’s your guy! Chef Matt is down to earth and explains things thoroughly- but also has a great sense of humor that makes the classes fun- and you’ll love eating the results!

Link to Chef Matt’s Online Cooking Classes

Beet Risotto Recipe

Ingredients                 Amount

Arborio Rice                          1.5 cups
Beets                                    2 or 3 each 
Yellow Onion                        1 medium Onion 
Garlic                                      3 Cloves
Chicken Stock       2 Quarts +
Oil, Vegetable or Olive    Varies
Salt and Pepper                   To taste
Parmesan Cheese              To taste
Butter to finish the dish and for the puree

Steps for Roasting Squash

1. Place whole, washed beets in a roasting dish.
2. I like to add fresh herbs, onion, garlic, apple or orange to the roasting pan, leave in large pieces.
3. All pieces will be tossed in Oil and Salt, pepper, and add ¼ cup of water.
4. Cover with Tinfoil.
5. Place in a 400 degree oven until fork tender and browned. Do not worry if the bottom of the pieces gets dark, it will add to the flavor.
6. Peel beets once they are still warm.

Steps for Beet Puree

1. Place warm beets into the blender.
2. Season with Salt, Pepper
3. Add ¼ cup warm water
4. Add 1 tablespoon of butter
5. Purée until smooth, if more liquid is needed use warm water

Steps for cooking main recipe

1. Get water or Stock heating up in a separate pot.
2. Cook onions and garlic in oil over medium heat. We do not want to get too much color on them, just sweat them to soften up.
3. Add rice and coat in the oil.
4. Cook rice till it starts to look translucent, or “pearlized”.
5. Once rice is looking clear, we will begin adding the liquid.
6. Risotto is about stirring the rice to get the starch to release and thicken the rice.
7. We will keep stirring and once the liquid is just about reduced and gone, we will add another ladle full.
8. Repeat stirring and adding liquid until Rice is al dente and a slightly thickened “sauce” is in the pan.
9. To finish, we will add some of the beet puree, Parmesan cheese, butter, and season with salt and pepper.
10. Garnish with sautéed beet greens if they are in good shape.

Recipe Notes

You could also grate the beets and then sauté them quickly with the onions and garlic and then let them soften up as you are stirring the rice and adding liquid. *This is my favorite way to use my white Avalanche beets!

Another nice beet dish is to use regular rice, cook it, cool it, add the cooked beets and any other veggies you want. I usually make a flavored mayo to use as a dressing.

THANK YOU CHEF MATT!

Deep Beet Love

Because my love of beets runs deep, I wanted to share one more way I enjoy eating them – home made beet chips! These are easiest in a dehydrator, but can be done in an oven (just watch them closely so they don’t burn). I’ve got them pictured plain with just a marigold microgreen (they are deliciously lemony) so you can see the chip- but I usually eat them with a smear of goat cheese and micros!

I really hope Chef matt and I have inspired you to both grow and cook more with beets!

Let us know what you think below!

Cheers to Digging into beets,
Michelle

The post Beet Love appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

It is perfectly absurd to search for a beginning or an end to this cycle; is it when the seeds start forming, when I harvest my saved seed out of the garden, as I store it over winter, or when I plant it next spring that is “the beginning”? Is it when the food emerges, when its ripe, when I harvest, when I eat it, or when I compost the excess that is “the ending”? 

Taking into consideration the piles of compost, continuously added to by our hens, and all the other intertwined inputs and harvests from our little backyard homestead garden- I’m proud to announce that I can I find neither beginning nor end… instead I find a naturally flowing cycle that swallows its own tail year after year. A process without any one formula, rather a myriad of methods and infinite accomplishments along its way.

That being said; we all like to “take stock” every so often. The end of the calendar year, as the garden lays sleeping and frozen under the snow here in Minnesota seems a fitting time as ever. So, I’m taking a look back on this year of growing with you to share what I gleaned from my gardens. Or rather, what lessons my garden unearthed for me. I’ve added links to previous posts at the end of most topics, as it seems the lessons I learned this year are also perennial. But as with gardening- the roots grow deeper and the harvests increase with each passing year. I hope you can take a few of these ideas and let them inspire you to grow and harvest more (veggies, sustainability, peace) from your gardens this upcoming season. Let’s Dig In!

Grow Lights are Worth It

Without grow lights my northern garden simply would not produce the food (looking at you tomatoes + peppers) I look forward to starting from seed every year. If I purchased all the crops I grow as plants rather than seed my garden would not be profitable. Grow lights are an investment, but being able to start plants indoors is a game changer that any gardener who has taken the leap will attest to. If you want to start a garden from seeds, and you live in a cold growing zone like I do- these help produce happy healthy plants!
Seed Starting 101
Seed Catalog and Company Overview

Extend Your Growing Season

Growing under any kind of cover can bring both earlier and later harvesting. Extending your growing season by a few weeks on each end may not seem like a lot, but in my zone 4 garden in Minnesota every week counts. Some guides give us as little as 115 growing days. If you’re planting with the seasons, I’d say more like 140, and adding a low tunnel or cold frame can easily take you to 200 growing days- if you plant cold tolerant veggies.

Just Keep Planting

Being able to start the majority of your garden from seeds allows you to try so many new varieties. And you can stagger those plantings (called succession planting) to keep eating fresh from the garden all season long. Being able to replant a garden bed two to three times makes your gardens so much more productive!
Succession Planting to Extend Your Harvests

Good Garden Layout

Being able to get your garden out of your head and down on paper is a game changer. Taking the time to do this step, and redo it a few times- saves time and frustration later in the season. Being able to dream in plants and meals in the depths of winter makes the frozen months easier too. It will 100% add to your harvests and overall joy in the garden come summer and who isn’t looking for that!
Garden Design Class

Know Your Farmer

I can’t come close to growing it all, nor do I want to try on this city lot. So, I heartily rely on my local farmers. Building relationships with the people who grow my food is one of the best things I’ve ever done for my garden. It allows me to not worry about trying to grow enough sweet corn to feed my family- a truly daunting undertaking to being with. Instead, I know a few farmers who grow amazing sweet corn, that I purchase to can and freeze. This frees up my garden space for things that I can grow well.
Winter Farmers Market
Farmers Market Shopping Tips + Tricks

Compost

The simple, completely natural act of composting is an impactful way to up your garden game. There are so many ways to compost, and not many ways for it to go wrong. Nature knows what to do when you put a bunch of organic matter together, I promise. Keeping veggie and yard waste out of landfills is so simple and you get garden gold out of the deal. This was the first blog I ever wrote, so be gentle if you read this one, but the information is still sound!
Composting Basics

No Dig Works Wonders

I grew my first real front yard garden this year and it pushed me out of my comfort zone in a few ways. And I was greatly rewarded in new friendships, more food, and a new understanding of the power of sheet composting. In the last few years I have added many new garden beds and edible landscape space with both sheet composting, hugelkultur and lasagna gardening techniques. It is the way I plan on continuing because it is easier and grows amazing food!
Building a No Till (Lasagna) Garden

Add More Flowers

Adding flowers and more bio diversity in general is also called Companion Planting. Planning for more diversity, with veggies, flowers, annuals and perennials will bring in the pollinators and give your garden the natural defenses to fend off attacks from many common garden problems- from insects to diseases.
Companion Planting Flowers for Veggie Gardens

Add More Fruit

I will always add more fruit! From ground covers, bushes, canes, trees and vines the diversity of fruit is every bit as exciting as the varieties of vegetables.

This was my first season getting a grape harvest and being able to snack on sun ripened grapes while in the garden was a new high for my whole family. I’m focusing more and more on perennials in my garden and loving the returns!

Keep Saving Seed

Saving seeds, and adding plants that are open pollinated, is a key to keeping me engaged on my garden journey. Knowing I am growing food AND seed still gives me those garden superpower vibes. Knowing what, how and when to save seed is a gift that I love to share. If you are new to the seed saving game, it starts with buying seeds that can be saved in the future…
Seed Saving Starts Now

Suburban Homesteading

In roughly 450 square feet of garden space in the 2021 gardens we grew a total of 543 pounds of homegrown goodness! *I forgot to weigh some of my potatoes* – but, this gives you a pretty darn good idea of what can be grown in roughly 550 square feet of garden space. On a larger scale farmers often anticipate about 0.5 pounds of produce per square foot.

We also tapped and processed over 6 quarts of maple syrup and brought in over 600 eggs from our little city lot. Not to mention the foraged foods we enjoyed.

I’m glad there will never be a way to quantify the bird songs heard, the butterflies watched or the underground microorganisms multiplied. But I do know it was a very good year in the garden and I can’t wait to see what the next one brings.

Now is a great time to dream and plan, I hope this helps you find some direction for your dreams. Cheers to each of you- and all my best wishes for a joyful and meaningful 2022!

Keep Digging in!
Michelle

The post Lessons from the Garden appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

Planting cover crop seed is an easy and effective way to practice good soil health on any scale. There are a few tips and tricks for having the best luck for home gardeners. Timing and seed selection are key!

General Benefits of Planting a Cover Crop

• Better Water Retention – soil with root mass holds more water
• Less Weeding – soil that is covered keeps weed seeds from germinating
• Reduced Disease – soil life diversity increases disease resistance
• Less splash up – having a physical barrier between the soil and plants reduces pathogens from infecting plants

What Is a Cover Crop?

Cover crops are plants, usually grasses or legumes in vegetable gardens that are grown to benefit the soil rather than for harvest. Planted during off-seasons or between cash crops, they prevent erosion, suppress weeds, manage pests, and increase soil fertility. They act as a protective, living mulch, improving soil structure and organic matter.

There are many different ways of cover cropping, from holding a field for a full year, or part of spring or over the winter. Because I succession plant so much of my garden space (from early spring to late fall), I don’t leave much of my soil bare at any one time. But one of the reasons I have incorporated cover crops is how easy it is to sow the seeds after harvesting a late summer crop.

There are many different benefits of planting cover crops in the garden. One is to build up organic matter in the soil. Another is using legumes to add nitrogen to the soil. A final reason is to help break up compacted heavy soil with plants that have think roots. If left to rot they create wonderful space in the soil for nutrient and water transfer. I see cover cropping as another way of Companion Planting for your garden.

Soil Health Starts with Cover

It always helps me to know the WHY behind whatever I’m doing. You too?

Before I started planting cover crops years ago, I took a deep dive into soil health. Asking, “Why are we planting seeds in the fall when they won’t have time to mature?” The basic answer is soil health.

When bare soil is pounded by rain it compresses it making it harder for roots, worms, nutrients and even water to penetrate. When bare soil is baked by the sun, it dries and cracks. Any existing soil life moves deeper down under ground and the existing organic material becomes stagnant and lifeless.

Adding a mulch like straw or leaves keeps a protective barrier on top of the soil, preventing both compaction and drying. Green mulches will also decompose over time adding organic matter to the soil. This makes it even more inviting for more varieties of soil life.

If you decide growing a cover crop isn’t something you want to do, try adding a layer of organic mulch (leaves or straw) to that bare garden soil instead. Your soil will reward you the following year!

On a large scale, we can see carbon dioxide levels rise after farmland is harvested and tilled—and the soil is left bare for months. The levels above the same areas drop drastically once crops start growing again in the spring. If you want to be wowed at the power of plants to create carbon sinks, watch this time lapse video from NASA.

Planting Cover Crops for Soil Health

When we feed the soil we keep it alive.

Cover cropping is a way to grow your own mulch which feeds the soil in different ways from organic mulches. By choosing which seeds to plant, you can choose what to feed your soil. Most home gardeners are looking to add some nitrogen, some organic material, and maybe help with breaking up the soil a little with their cover crop.

 Oats + Peas + Radish: I find great results with a seed blend of oats, peas and radishes. Specifically, a blend with these three seeds called Nitro Max Mix from Albert Lea Seed has done well for me. 

The oats create a thick mat of mulch keeping weeds down the following spring (see the notes on allelopathy below). The peas add nitrogen and the radishes break up the soil. I also blend my own with organic seed from my local feed mill. Locally, I know that EggPlant Urban Farm Supply also carries cover crop seed.

Another winner for home gardeners is Buckwheat. This plant is easy to cut back—but should be cut before the seed heads form so it doesn’t re-seed. Buckwheat is usually planted in the spring before a later succession of heat loving crops like tomatoes, peppers or zucchini. You can both leave the cut stalks or work into the soil.

Crimson clover is a wonderful way to add nitrogen (it is a legume). It can also be used as a living mulch. This is a great choice for attracting lots of pollinators. But make sure to chop after blooming before seeds set, or you’ll be growing it forever

How I Cover Crop

In Minnesota, I most often plant cover crops in the fall. Right after I’ve harvested something that required more digging than my normal no till practices, like potatoes is typical. Since I’m already digging into the soil, it feels natural to plant something that will build back soil relationships. This is part pf practicing no till gardening even though I’m planting.

Plant these crops 5-6 weeks before a frost or freeze will kill them off.

That’s another reason I prefer an oat-based cover crop: they always winter-kill. This is often a concern for home gardeners thinking about cover crops. With plants that die with freezing temperatures you don’t have to worry about the cover crop self-seeding the next season.

Get Planting

Direct seed into soil that was recently harvested from. I usually plant out in mid-September. Water and let it grow.

I often use a wire covering over the freshly planted seed to keep pests from digging into the soil. In the spring you’ll find a nice mat of dead mulch on top of the soil as well as a thick root mass still intact under the soil. These roots have kept a whole host of soil microorganisms closer over winter. This soil life would have had nothing to feed on and left otherwise.

I tend to plant transplants or larger seeded crops into these areas to leave as much of the soil as possible undisturbed come spring.

If you do need to till in the cover crop, it is recommended to wait three to four weeks to plant. Tilling in the dead plant matter will alter the soil activity to the point where your new transplants or seeds won’t do well.

Allelopathy Explained

Allelopathy is another way to harness the power of cover crops. This is a process when a plant secretes growth inhibiting compounds from its roots. Even cucumbers excrete a growth prohibiting chemical via their roots. But most people use this chemical warfare to their advantage with crops left in the ground. Oats are a great example. As the oat straw decomposes, creating a wonderful mulch, its also leaving behind a residue (phenolic acid) that prohibits seed germination.

Living Mulches

A living mulch is anything that keeps down other plant growth just by growing itself. It is worth mentioning within cover cropping simply because it is another sustainable way to keep the ground covered while feeding the soil life. I’m a firm believer in planting Dutch white clover in my garden paths. I’ve had great success with bringing in even more pollinators by adding clover.

Now the clover is slowly taking over the old grass. It requires less mowing and is easier to weed out of edges of gardens compared to the old existing lawn. Living mulches can also be used to simply shade out other plants.

Bottom line is to keep your soil covered for happier plants and a better harvest. So, tell me, have you cover cropped or will you now? What other questions do you have about planting a cover crop in your home garden?

Dig In,
Michelle

The post Cover Crops for Soil Health: A Comprehensive Guide appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

Making garden beds this way works with nature’s existing cycles, creating healthy soil, less weeding and happier plants!

This process does NOT need to be created inside a box, just easier to keep layers tidy, I’ve success both in and out of boxes!

Build It and They Will Come!

The idea of setting up a garden bed like this is to let nature do the work for you. You’ll be helping nature create good soil by composting in place- and that requires things for the soil organisms to eat. By giving a diverse group of soil life things to feast on you can create a very active and healthy soil to plant into.

Building Better Soil

Soil biodiversity creates a more resilient garden. I like to equate good soil organisms with good gut health. We’ve likely all heard of pre- and pro- biotics; the helpers of digestion (and so much more). Soil organisms help break things down and make them available to plants in a similar fashion.

Everything from worms and beetles we can see, to bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes and actinomycetes (though I sure couldn’t tell you what those looked like!) have a specific job to do- and many work in relationship with vegetable plant roots to feed them. There is a whole world of info about the soil food web out there, and I suggest watching THIS by Dr. Elaine Ingham if you want to dig a little deeper.

BUT… the beauty of this process is that it works without you knowing soil biology! By layering the raw materials listed below the good guys will set up shop breaking down matter AND making it available to your plants in a few short months.

Helpful Garden Terms

No Dig Gardening: Leaving the soil as undisturbed as possible.

Sheet Composting VS Sheet Mulching:  Sheet Mulching is where you overlap cardboard and place mulch directly over it (like I did for my front yard garden). Sheet composting is another term for Lasagna gardening.

Hügelkultur: Using wood and other organic matter to warm and drive faster decomposition. (I think of this as Lasagna Gardening on steroids.)

the more you know

When to Build

You can start building a garden this way anytime, but Fall is a great time. You’ll have lots of yard waste to add to the boxes, plus letting the bed sit overwinter will give the layers time to decompose and release some of the nutrients to help feed plants next spring. In northern climates, like us in Minnesota, the freeze thaw cycle also helps break things down over winter.

The process can take up to six months- another reason why Fall is a great time to get started. And yes, it will continue to decompose over winter even in Minnesota. Remember this is a cold (or slow) compost process, not a hot one.

Remember to Practice No Dig Garden Clean Up Techniques every fall as well. Cut healthy, annual plants back at the soil level to leave roots in the ground. This will help feed soil life over winter.

Step by Step Bed Construction:

Choose a location for your new garden (veggies do best in full sun) then decide the dimensions and start laying down the layers!

• Mow: Mow grass as short as possible where you will be creating the garden bed. This step can also help define the edges and curves as garden beds should be easy to mow around!

• Fork: Using a small tined pitchfork or broad fork if you have one, gently push into the soil to create air holes and ‘space’. This invites worms and the larger organisms towards the surface.

• Compost: Lay a thin layer of compost under the cardboard to entice soil life up into the area.

• Cardboard: Lay solid cardboard (free of color printing or tape!) over space, making sure to overlap liberally. Overlapping too little can cause weeds to find light and sneak up. Collecting large sheets of cardboard from appliances, and friends that have recently moved can be a big help!

• Layer: Now we start adding all that organic matter which can be broken down into two main groups; carbon or nitrogen suppliers. Layering these invites decomposers to the garden party!

Layer By Layer

To me this is the fun part, finally getting to add the layers. Organic matter high in carbon is often referred to as “browns” and matter high in Nitrogen as “greens”. Thinking of Browns as drier and Greens as wetter helps keep them straight in my head. Sticking to around 2″ per layer helps the process along.

*This really is like composting in place- but without turning the soil ourselves we’re inviting the soil life to turn it for us, so thinner layers are key to success.*

More information on composting HERE!

Carbon Sources

Carbon rich materials include cardboard, newspaper, wood chips, sawdust and dry leaves (another reason to do sheet composting in the fall—you can put all those falling leaves to good use). It’s best to start with a nitrogen layer touching the cardboard to help break it down enough for the soil organisms to bust through.

Nitrogen Sources

Nitrogen rich materials include already composted horse or cow manure, fresh grass clippings, deadheaded flowers, fruit/vegetable scraps, used coffee grounds, and green leaves as well as alfalfa pellets and cottonseed meal.

I also use spent chicken bedding from our backyard flock and consider it a ‘pre-blended’ mix of carbon (straw) and chicken droppings (nitrogen).

Keep the ratio of carbon to nitrogen roughly 70/30 – 50/50. This is a forgiving process, and will eventually create compost regardless of exact proportions.

*The smaller the pieces you add to the layers, the faster it will decompose.*

Unlike traditional composting, during which weed seeds and disease organisms are killed as the pile heats up, this is a cold composting process and will not kill diseases or seeds.

Garden debris that contains weed seeds or diseased materials should be skipped when making a lasagna garden.

Ask me how I know

I’ve created very healthy soil in my new beds and increased my organic matter from 2.8% to 9.8% in two years with No Dig Gardening! Between 4-6% is considered adequate for most veggies. If you’re interested in doing a soil test the U of MN does their basic version for $17, that and lots more info on soil in my article HERE.

I’ve built my fair share of garden beds over the years, and really love the way no till garden beds produce and thrive! It’s also pretty amazing how with a little planning these beds use up yard ‘waste’ and cost virtually nothing!

For loads of great videos on how this can look in a garden check out the OG No Dig guru; Charles Dowding.

If you’re looking to expand your gardens for next season- think about starting now. Make it easy on yourself by layering on the goodness and letting nature do the work.

Dig In!
Michelle

The post No Dig Gardening + Hügelkultur: Layer a Lasagna Garden appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.

Garlic Lovers Unite!

I love a good two for one, and garlic delivers every time!

Garlic bulbs are used to flavor foods the world over, and one of the best kept secrets about garlic is the garlic scape!

Because of the way hardneck garlic grows there are two chances to harvest deliciousness. We all know about garlic cloves, technically the bulb, harvested in late summer. The beautiful single flower stalks that shoot up from the center around midsummer in my region, are a delicacy known as the garlic scape.

The garlic scape is slightly milder and somehow ‘brighter’ than the underground cloves. They can be eaten raw or cooked with the flavor changing drastically after heating. I enjoy eating them in a few different ways.

• A garlic scape pesto – recipe below.
• Grilling them with a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice- when they magically taste like asparagus.
• Fermenting for a spicy mid-winter snack- I use the basic 1 tbsp kosher salt in 2 cups water ratios.

They show up around midsummer in farmers markets, but the surest way to gather garlic scapes is to grow your own!

For ALL the Details on Planting Garlic, Read my Growing Great Garlic post.

Harvesting Garlic Scapes

Watch your garlic closely for timing your harvest. They shoot up from the top of the plants in June and start straight, then curl around themselves. Once the garlic scapes have curled around and you can see where a flower would eventually emerge from, it’s time to get snipping- or pulling. I snipped the scapes right where they come out of the stalk for years- but found that by SLOWLY and gently pulling, you can release the scape lower down, giving you access to more, and more tender scape goodness!

I prefer to take them on the early side, when they are softer and more tender eating. And I recommend the smaller ones for fermenting.

But if you get ‘tough’ or fiberous scapes, those are great for the pesto recipe below.

You can harvest them when you want, depending on your end goals… and a little nibble goes a long way if you’re unsure!

You will also want to snip off the flower tips and add to the compost as the buds can harbor bad bacteria if fermenting. Plus I just don’t dig the texture.

Garlic Scape Pesto Recipe

Ingredients:
1 Cup + of garlic scapes, chopped
½ Cup Basil
Juice ½ lemon
½ tsp+ salt
½ C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ Cup sunflower seeds or pine nuts
¼ C grated Parmesan / Parmigiano Reggiano  cheese 

Instructions:
Place scapes in food processor (or Ninja) and pulse to chop finely, add all ingredients but the olive oil and pulse until well-combined. Then drizzle in (or add in batches to Ninja) olive oil. Try to freeze half for a mid-winter burst of summer flavor! *If using raw seeds or nuts, toast before using.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy garlic scapes?

Dig in!

Michelle

The post Great Garlic Scapes appeared first on Forks in the Dirt.