Cinnamon raisin pecan bread made with teff flour and other good things Right now, my kitchen smells of good things like cinnamon, raisins, flour, olive oil and yeast. It smells like home. I'm tired of bad, gluten free bread, so I am now making some of my own bread weekly.  After it cools, I slice and freeze it for my morning toast.  Morning toast and hot tea are among life's greatest, everyday pleasures. Two loaves of bread are rising in the oven as they bake, without the standard extra rise normally done for yeast breads.  This is a new concept for me, and it's the process used by Jennifer Katzinger who owns the Flying Apron bakery in Seattle, WA.  I include the location info and link for you lucky folks who live there or will be visiting soon.  There are times when I wish I lived in Seattle, and not...

Kelly, a frequent commenter, wrote: "I shouldn’t wish my life away but I can hardly wait for spring!" Like a smooth stone in the pocket of my favorite gardening jacket, I carried her heartfelt expression with me all week as I went about my everyday chores of home and hearth. After much reflection, I don't believe gardeners wish their lives away.  Instead, they manage their time during winter like a mini-gardening sabbatical with photos of gardens past, books, blogs, magazines and catalogs, while they wait for spring. In our dreams, spring is a magical place, a fabled Shangri-La,  where breezes are ever gentle, and no mistakes have yet been made.  Tempted by seed and plant catalogs, their photos and descriptions transport us from an icy landscape to a place where sweet peas bloom, and lettuce never bolts before we tire of it. This year, the weather throughout much of North...

Thanks for writing! A reader, Molly, wrote me the sweetest email, and because I thought her questions reflected others I'd received, I thought I'd answer them here.  Her email is below: Good day. I'm moving to Blanchard, OK this spring and need a crash course in red dirt gardening! I'm an avid gardener currently living in SE Minnesota, home to beautiful black soil. I've gardened in Omaha, NE and Des Moines, IA too, over the past 20 years. I've always worked with zones 4-5, so am used to being very limited in my choices. I need to become informed about soil prep and plant selection asap, as I chomp at the bit to get to my new place and start to work there. The place we are buying is outside Blanchard. It is a dream place of 5 acres on a rolling hill and with many oak trees. The soil...

Icy lamb's ear Tired of hearing about cold and snow?  Me too. Instead, let us speak of times past, particularly of summer, when the garden posed for one giant beauty shot, and my 'Carefree Beauty' rose was at her peak. Imagine. Through the arbor gate You step outside, the screen door slapping at your heels, and a wall of heat hits you like a thunderclap.  Stop for a moment, gather your thoughts, and gaze upon the garden in all its summer glory.  Watch as dragonflies dance in the sky to a song only they can hear. Suddenly, standing tall behind the split-rail fence, a pink rose catches your eye and in the early morning haze, it, like the summer heat, takes your breath away.  Stately canes are covered in blossoms, the blooms a clear, pure pink un-muddied by blue undertones. Rosa 'Carefree Beauty'  Pay no attention to the red hoe...