A look at how we use a string trellis system in our garden to guide indeterminate tomato plants upward. Plus, what is the difference between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes, why it matters, and companion planting. This week is planting week. The last frost date happened this week. The rain has stopped. I can see the sun. The stars are aligning, and it’s time to get these seedlings in the ground. The first to hit the dirt were lettuce seeds, which went directly in the dirt, but after... more

‘Tis the season for pears, and Jessica from GoodCheapEats and Life as MOM is here to give you a few great ideas of what to make with them. I’m taking some time this week to get caught up on work, get my manuscript off to my editor and whatnot. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that Kjell was referred to Mayo Clinic, and we’ll be headed there next month. Thanks so much for all your kind thoughts and prayers. Jessica graciously offered to step in while I get caught up,... more

It’s the last week in the Eat Well, Spend Less series, and I can’t believe how fast it flew by. This week is all about the shopping experience and how and where we shop to keep the grocery budget under control. Living in the Midwest poses a few challenges as you start thinking about grocery shopping. The first and probably most prominent challenge is that of local food availability during the winter months. These definite seasonal shifts also lead to seasonal shopping differences... more

When I considered what I would plant in my garden in the spring after Ole had finished placing each and every rock around the bed, I really just picked things that I liked. I didn’t do much planning or thoughtful introspection. I knew I wanted a kitchen garden, a potager, and already had my herbs in pots. I went to the farmer’s market, looked around, found a few things I knew I wanted like everbearing strawberries and tomatoes, picked out a few more items and then I just went for it.... more

It’s summer in Minnesota, and that can mean many things to many people.  For me, it’s not really summer until the road side stands pop up offering cucumbers, melons, potatoes and, of course, sweet corn.  Now, it can’t be just any kind of sweet corn.  You see, I grew up spoiled.  My Uncle Duane had a farm in Southern Minnesota where he raised beef cattle, soybeans and sweet corn, and when the corn was ripe, he’d call my dad and we’d grab a stack of paper bags, head... more

Have you tried to buy salt lately? The aisle has been overrun by grinders, Mediterranean sea salt, Celtic salt, pink Himalayan salt, kosher salt, the familiar iodized and many others. Cooking shows and recipe books specify “kosher salt” and “sea salt,” and there are even restaurants focused around one specific type of salt. How do you know which salt to use when in your everyday cooking? We typically have three varieties of salt in our house for cooking purposes: iodized... more

We eat a lot of avocados.  I like them.  In case you hadn’t noticed. Avocados are a lot like mushrooms. People either hate them or they love them, and then there’s a group that just has never tried them because they were never introduced to them when they were sitting around their dinner table at night in third grade. I urge you to give them a try. They’re good for you. Avocados are wonderful sources of B vitamins, fiber, folate and potassium, which can help lower blood pressure.... more