Serve it with a big pile of mashed potatoes!
I did this recipe for Easter Sunday (I know not traditional) but it was very very good! Next time I might go a little lighter on the rosemary and maybe try it out with the red wine. Oh and I forgot the black pepper which in my option would make it better even if my wife disagrees!
So… yeah, a garden. This last year I didn't do anything but let the weeds grow. Probably a mistake but things just weren't happening, not evening conditioning the soil. Speaking of which I need to bring the soil ph down a few points (like from 8.5 to 6) and add a bit of fertilizer. Anyway, the following is what I'm thinking about for this year, could change, may get scraped all together. Guess we'll see.
Stooling or a Stool Bed is used for propagating rootstocks.
This is a good way of using up failed grafted rootstocks from the previous year. If you do a lot of grafting it may be worth setting up a stool bed. The method is shown below.
At the end of this time, Oct-Nov, the stools can be dug out. The rooted shoots can be broken or cut off, and planted elsewhere. The larger ones may be graftable after the winter; the smaller ones have to be left until they're big enough. The stool is replanted carefully. It should send up a cluster of new shoots in the following year,when the process can be repeated.
If you set up a bed, the stools need to be about a foot apart in each row, and the rows about a yard apart.
Note that some rootstocks may have protection under law: individuals intending to propagate rootstocks for commercial purposes should check the regulations for their own country.
ND / Diversity website
A saved draft from 2017, not sure where I coppied the info from but here it is.
Well, it's the first week of January second week in February and going along with the traditions a new year brings it's time to begin planning the garden. Now isn't typically when I start planning, the anticipation usually kicks in around november shortly after pulling up everything dead and frozen from the ground. I don't know why or that I can help it, the anxiety just builds until I'm waiting eagerly by the door for the post to deliver the first of the spring seed and plant catalogues. I guess my biggest worry is what am I going to plant, because the sooner I know the more prepared I can be for when I need to start planting. And honestly I'm already running behind.
Okay so I got an idea/list of things I want in my garden this year (I finally did that last month,) but I'm really struggling with getting anything done. Not necessarily the garden idea part but just the getting up, get going and get things planted/started part; You know, the important doing it part. Anyhow, here we are and it's mid February and I'm running even more behind. Onions and garlic should have been started last fall, or onion seeds indoors in January because they can take at least a month to sprout and be ready for planting out early spring. As for the tomatoes I've had the most luck starting them about now, which isn't bad except getting the "planting shelf" ready feels like an uphill battle and I'm already exhausted just by looking at it.
I'm slowly coming to the realization that maybe just sitting down in the fall and planning it all out would be better. The energy is there and it's not like I don't have a good variety of seeds to choose from (i.e. I don't need to wait for the "New!" seed catalogues.) Then I can have a post actually ready for the new year and update it if needed.
Anyway, here's my list/plan, hopefully something kicks in and I can get it done. Wish me luck.
This is a thick hearty stew with a lovely flavor and texture. But I felt some improvements could be made with the technique. And it was missing something, I did leave the wine out so that may have been it. I however did not get a chance to remake it so I will be revisiting it next winter to update things.
I pinned this recipe from Alton Brown a few years ago and just this year got around to making. The two changes I made are, first using cannellini beans which are also known as white kidney beans, and as always I used a homemade chicken broth. I have to say it is a great soup but I probably should have stayed with the red kidney beans (in the original recipe) as the two varieties do have a different flavor.
