Chatting with Farmer Fred

I had the opportunity to talk with Farmer Fred Hoffman this morning, not once but twice! First on his "Garden Show" on KFBK and then again on "Get Growing with Farmer Fred" on KSTE. We talked first about my new book, California Month-by-Month Gardening: What to Do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden All Year, and on the second show we talked about California Fruit & Vegetable Gardening: Plant, Grow, and Eat the Best Edibles for California Garden.

Here's the link for the podcast of the first show. My segment starts around 22:40.

And here's the link for the podcast of the second show. My segment  here starts around 20:45.

Thanks, Fred! It was a fun chat!

Here Are the Winners of the Gardener's Supply Company Giveaway!

Hope you had fun checking out the website for Gardener's Supply Company. The lucky winners--yes, there are actually 5 winners for this giveaway!--who will each receive a set of the LED pinecone lights are: Anonymous (commenter #3), Jennifer57, bluebird23, kansas_krystal, and Katrina. I'll contact each of the winners via email to arrange for shipment of the prize.

If you're still Christmas shopping, you can get free shipping on orders over $50 at Gardener's Supply Company if you place your order by midnight tomorrow night. They have lots of items that make great last-minute gifts for gardeners and garden-lovers.

Goodreads Members: Enter to Win a Free Copy of California Month-by-Month Gardening

If you're a member of Goodreads, you can enter now to win a free copy of my new book, California Month-by-Month Gardening: What to Do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden All Year! You have until December 29th to enter. Two copies will be given away. Don't wait--enter now!

While you're at it, you can follow my Goodreads Author page to keep up on any events I'll be speaking at or radio shows I'll be on. (Hint: The first radio show is coming up this weekend!)

Welcoming a New Affiliate Sponsor and a Giveaway! Deadline Extended!

One of the cool things about having a garden blog is the opportunity to join the affiliate networks of some of the garden-related businesses that I really like. High on that list of companies is Gardener's Supply Company, a mail-order business that specializes in items for the garden as well as garden-y goodies for indoors.

I could go crazy ordering from GSC's wide range of merchandise. Want to know what's on my Christmas wish list? How about any of these canning supplies? Or a mason bee house? In another month I'm going to be wishing I had some of these great seed-starting accessories. And I'm definitely in need of a new pair of gardening gloves--the problem would be choosing which kind to get!

Click on any of the GSC ads in the sidebar at the right and have fun shopping for the garden-lovers in your life, as well as for yourself! And just to get you in the mood, GSC is giving you a chance to win a set of beautiful LED mercury-glass pinecone lights for your holiday decorations--or anytime decoration! The string of 10 lights is powered by 3 AAA batteries and casts a beautiful golden glow. The lights are intended for indoor use, but I used them* on a small tree on my front porch where it will be sheltered from the rain (and I sealed the battery pack in plastic for extra protection).

To enter the drawing, just go to the Gardener's Supply Company website and choose one item that would be on your Christmas wish list. Then come back here and leave a comment saying what you'd wish for--and don't forget to leave your email address! On noon (PDT) of Monday, December 15th, I'll randomly select one commenter who'll receive a free set of the pinecone lights (value: $29.95) from Gardener's Supply Company.

Update: I'm extending the deadline one more day! You have until Tuesday, December 16th at noon (PDT) to enter. Don't wait! 

THIS DRAWING IS NOW CLOSED.

 

Good luck!

* Gardener's Supply Company provided me with a free set of the pinecone lights as part of this promotion.

Welcome, December!

To celebrate the release of my new book, California Month-by-Month Gardening, and the long-awaited rains we're experiencing this week, I thought I'd post something from the book. Here's the introductory essay for the month of December:

 Close the year, but not the garden.

The advice you will most often hear at this time of year is about how to close the garden, implying that it's out of business or at least on hiatus. It's important, of course, to ready a garden for winter, cleaning and clearing out the dead or faded plants, covering furniture, turning off irrigation systems as the rains take over the job of watering.

But in much of California, winter never gets harsh enough to really shut down a garden. Instead the garden downshifts into neutral in December, like an engine that never turns off but idles quietly through the short days and long nights. Manzanitas and other natives burst into bloom, evergreens maintain their composure, and succulents soldier on, all cheered on by cool-season annuals in hot shades. Even in areas blanketed by snow, while the outdoor garden rests, the indoor garden moves to the fore as bulbs are forced into bloom and tender plants take up their winter residence indoors.

Gardens are not meant to be merely blue-sky endeavors. Enjoying the garden year-round should be our goal. To do that, we have to keep the gate open and the path clear so that the garden can beckon us in at every moment. Even on days that are too cold to linger outside, the garden can comfort and delight us from a window, reminding us that even on the shortest of days the rewards of a garden stretch out long before us.

So tear the last page off the calendar and make your final entries in your garden journal. Remember the sweetest-smelling blossoms, the most successful harvests, the most eye-catching plants. Note the new bed you planted that now flourishes below your window and the bare-root tree you planted last winter, now taller than you and bare of leaves once again. Take a picture to mark your progress. Then close the book on the year and take up your daydreams for next year's garden. But leave the garden open, always waiting for your footstep and the next plunge of your fingers into the soil.

 --from California Month-by-Month Gardening by Claire Splan

New Release Date for California Month by Month Gardening!

Good news! My publisher has moved up the release date on my next book, California Month by Month Gardening, to December 1st! That means there's plenty of time to get your copies in time for holiday giving.

I'm really excited about this new book! It addresses the concerns of gardeners throughout the state regarding what to plant, when to plant it, and how to grow it. The book helps you plan your garden, plant it, care for it, water it, feed it, and, when problems arise, trouble-shoot it. With hundreds of photos and plenty of step-by-step instructions, it's ideal for new and intermediate gardeners, but even experienced gardeners will find it useful as a means of managing their gardening time and tasks throughout the year.

You can pre-order copies from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or other online booksellers, or you can order a signed copy directly from me (and save $2 off the regular price).

To pre-order copies of California Month by Month Gardening (to be released December 1, 2014), click the Buy Now button:

Requested author inscription:

You can also order signed copies of my first book, California Fruit and Vegetable Gardening, directly from me (also at a discounted price). To order California Fruit and Vegetable Gardening, click the Buy Now button below:

Requested author inscription:

Canning Applesauce from the Last of the Apple Harvest

The last dozen or so apples from my Fuji apple tree found their way into some yummy applesauce today. I sort of ad-libbed the recipe this time, but the result was great.

Last night I washed, cored and quartered 12 to 14 apples and put them in my 6-quart crockpot with 1 cup of apple juice, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and 1 heaping teaspoon of cinnamon. I set it on Low and let it cook, covered, for 12 hours. This morning I turned off the heat and ran the cooked apple mixture through a food mill to remove the peels. (Don't peel the apples in advance--there's pectin in the peels that helps to thicken and flavor the applesauce.) The apple mixture was a little watery at that point so I put the apple mixture back in the crockpot, set it on High, and let it cook uncovered for another hour or so to thicken up. From this, I was able to get three and a half pints of canned applesauce.

I can't wait to try this applesauce alongside a pork chop or mixed into oatmeal. For just a couple hours of hands-on work, it will totally be worth it!