Author Archives: myediblebackyard
More Cold Weather Plants
I like bringing in dried plants to enjoy indoors, but I also enjoy them in their natural habitat. Here’s what I found around the neighborhood today. This milkweed won’t look like this for long, so I’m glad I got a glimpse … Continue reading
Flowers for Winter
Just because winter is on the way, it doesn’t mean that the season for enjoying flowers is over. So many plants are as beautiful and interesting dried as they are when freshly picked. Zinnias are very easy to dry. I cut one … Continue reading
A Profusion of Apples
It seems there’s been a bumper crop of apples this year. I see them everywhere I go — along roadsides, in people’s yards, peeking out of wood edges — trees dripping with apples and piles of fallen fruit at their … Continue reading
Overabundance
I’ve gleaned quite a few treasures from our neighborhood garden dump over the summer. I am amazed at the still-good things people dump there. My edible finds this summer have included two perfectly good and still-growing basil plants from which I’ve made … Continue reading
Corn Pancakes
This week’s CSA basket consisted largely of corn on the cob and tomatoes. I could have made a nice, tomato-y vegetable soup (there were also a few carrots, green peppers, and some kale in the basket), but I already have a … Continue reading
More Adventures With Crabapples
This week’s crabapple experiment: crabapple sauce. It came out pretty good. It takes a bit more cooking time and water than regular applesauce, but otherwise the process is the same. Also, you’ll probably want to add more sugar to the … Continue reading
Summer Vegetable Soup
This is the soup for the throw-whatever-you-have-on-hand-into-the-pot cook (like me). You can pretty much use whatever vegetables you have around, and it’s a great way to enjoy the late August abundance of your garden or CSA basket. It’s turned out quite tasty every time … Continue reading
Adventures with Crabapples
Every spring, the crabapple trees that line the streets of this neighborhood burst into spectacular pink and white bloom. This is how the tree behind our house looked last May. It turns out the trees have other uses aside from the … Continue reading
Sharecropping
This afternoon I went for a walk to pick wildflowers. On my way home, flowers in hand, I was stopped by a neighbor as she was pulling out of her driveway. “Do you like hydrangeas?” she asked. When I replied that I did, … Continue reading
Who owns the berries?
In the neighborhood where I live, no individual resident owns any land. We own only our houses. The land around them, including the flowerbeds, open areas, and woods, belong to the homeowners association. The only outside thing a resident owns is the … Continue reading
My Edible Backyard 