by Jan Cashman Growing your own food in your own garden means chemical-free, fresher, tastier vegetables and fruits. Many gardeners, not only here in the Gallatin Valley, but all over the country, are realizing this. Garlic is a plant that gardeners can easily grow in our arid mountain climate; it originated in the mountains of … Read more
by Jan Cashman During our 30 years of vegetable gardening in the Gallatin Valley, we have learned a few tricks to picking and preserving our fruits and vegetables. Some we learned by trial and error; others friends and other gardeners have shared. If you are getting started with vegetable gardening, maybe these hints will help … Read more
by Jan Cashman We enjoy all the vegetables in our garden, but we especially love the sweet corn and tomatoes we grow. In August we gorge ourselves on BLT’s with sweet corn, a meal we eat every day we can when the corn and tomatoes are ripe. Those who live in Iowa might say we … Read more
Vegetable gardening can be fun and rewarding, but also challenging in our area of Montana. The challenges to gardening–from rocky soil, insects, pests in general, and frosts that can occur on June 15 or August 15– are outweighed by the fun and rewards of raising delicious, nutritious food ourselves. I love using my dried herbs … Read more
By Jan Cashman With the increased interest in gardening, especially vegetable gardening, we are also seeing an increased interest in growing in raised beds. Our seminars on raised bed gardening always draw crowds. Local climate and soils make raised beds a great way to garden here. Why a raised bed? The soil in a raised … Read more
by Jan Cashman What can save you money on your grocery bills and make you fitter, mentally and physically? Want an activity in which the whole family can participate? How can you get your grade school child to put down his computer game and eat his vegetables? Want to reconnect with nature and learn more … Read more
by Jan Cashman Along with blondes and mothers-in-law, zucchini are the butt of many jokes. “Plant zucchini only if you have lots of friends.” “Bet you can’t grow just one.” “Lock your car doors in August to prevent your neighbors from putting their extra zucchinis on your back seat.” And the oh-so-true, Murphy’s law statement, … Read more
by Jan Cashman Growing up in Minnesota, my mother had me scrounging for wild asparagus behind our house near the railroad tracks, a duty I didn’t mind because asparagus was one of the few vegetables I liked as a child. All this wild asparagus in the Midwest might make you think that it is native … Read more