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Jennifer McDonald

Mark your calendar

September 8, 2010

Do you have any plans for this Saturday, September 11? If not, plan to be at the 4th annual Heritage Harvest Festival, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the West Lawn at Monticello. Organized by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation and by the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, this celebration of local [...]

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Stocking up

August 25, 2010

As I mentioned last week, I’ve been busy filling my freezer for the fall and winter. Actually, it’s not just for the cold months — school starts today and my husband’s and my work schedules kick back up from their easier summer schedules, so life in general gets busier for our family. Having lots of [...]

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Late August bounty

August 19, 2010

My garden is going gangbusters this month.  But then again, isn’t everyone’s?  Like Susan’s garden, I have tomatoes coming out of my ears, but I’m not complaining.  Instead, I’m whipping up quick batches of tomato sauce and freezing them for the cold months. I planted a number of varieties of tomatoes last May — including [...]

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Edamame season

July 20, 2010

Back in the early spring, I planted edamame. A LOT of edamame, in fact — a pound of seeds, which took up 25% of the space in my garden and even then I still had to find other places to plant.  I ended up putting extra seeds in every available nook and cranny, including around [...]

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A local 4th of July feast

June 29, 2010

It’s hard to believe that the 4th of July is this weekend. Where did June go? Continuing our theme of eating local foods for the holidays, here are my thoughts on a locally-sourced Independence Day cookout: For the main dish, I personally am partial to burgers and will get the beef from Wolf Creek Farm [...]

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Plan now for the fall

June 24, 2010

Even though it’s hot as heck outside and you’re not yet sick to death of zucchini, if you want cool weather veggies, you need to start planning now, as most of your fall garden needs to be started in June and July.  Plants like lettuces, broccoli, cauliflower, endive, kale, spinach, carrots, beets, and chard are [...]

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Getting the kids on board

June 22, 2010

One thing that is a challenge for a lot of parents is getting their children to eat vegetables and try new foods and generally eat healthier. It’s the rare child that does not prefer Oreos over blueberries, so getting kids to make good choices can be a challenge. Here in my house, the resident children [...]

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My favorite herb — basil

June 17, 2010

One of the great things about gardening is having an herb garden just a few steps from my back door.  I have a dedicated area that is 4′ x 10′ where I grow all the standards — rosemary, oregano, thyme, chives, sage, and more. What you don’t see on that list is basil.  I actually [...]

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Local Flavors

June 15, 2010

I’ve mentioned here before that we here in my family are big fans of farmers’ markets.  Even though we have a good-sized garden just steps from our back door, we still like to head downtown on our bikes every Saturday and see what our local farmers have for us that week.  We invariably pick up [...]

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Berry easy

June 8, 2010

With berry season upon us, now is the perfect opportunity to preserve some of the bounty for the cold months.  The easiest way to do this is by freezing. Freezing is simple, simple, simple.  Wash the berries and let them dry.  Put them on a baking sheet and stick them in the freezer.  Later on, [...]

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