What Is Grafting? The seed from a Gala apple will produce an apple tree, but it will not produce a Gala apple tree. Likewise, the seed from a Honeygold apple will not produce a Honeygold apple tree. In other words, fruit trees cannot be reproduced “true” to the original cultivar from seed. They can only be reproduced by grafting. Grafting …

Spring in the Santa Cruz Mountains brings a rebirth of native flowers in the grasslands and wooded hills. In some areas, wildflowers are blooming more profusely as a result of the Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District’s resource conservation efforts, aimed to ensure long-term protection of natural and cultural resources on District preserves. Prescribed burns, like the one implemented at Russian …

This recipe for an elegant North African stew is a dish steeped in the flavors of North Africa. Chicken serves as the protein, bathed in a blend of North African spices — cinnamon and coriander, turmeric, ginger powder and cardamom — combined with saffron and a little stock. Preserved lemons and olives added at the end provide bite. Tagines are …

Apricots are suspectible to several diseases: Brown fungus rot, leaf curl, and bacterial canker. Brown rot is a fungus that appears as a water-soaked lesion on a fruit. This lesion spreads until the whole fruit shrivels up like a gray fuzzy mummy. If the fruit is not removed, the spores of the fungus will drop to the ground during the …

This trio of colored carrots are creamy white, bright orange, and a deep, dark purple with orange centers. All three are crisp, smooth and evenly cylindral, growing to 8 inches long for a colorful harvest of festive roots. Their flavor is reliably sweet with a nice crunchy texture and you’ll enjoy this mix over a long season. Cut all three …

Cold-hardy and resilient, kale is an easy member of the cabbage family to grow. You can set out plants quite early in spring as long as you protect the young plants from severe cold winds with a cover. They will grow steadily for months until the weather gets too warm. You’ll get a second chance to plant kale in the …

Bibb type lettuces are known for their ‘buttery’ taste and velvety texture, and small loosely formed heads. Relative to most other lettuce types, Bibbs are slightly more tolerant of heat. Even so, they are best planted early or late in the season in spring, away from the intense summer sun. They may be started indoors several weeks prior to the …

Pulgas Ridge is a small park, part of the Mid-Peninsula Open Space District, off of I-280 near Edgewood Road, just north of Edgewood County Park. There are about 6 miles of trails in the park with some great climbs and descents with amazing peninsula views. Most trails are single-track with a few paved road sections. The weather is usually mild. …

Happy New Years Day 2017! We had a a fair harvest of pomegranates this past year. For the Christmas Eve dinner party, we opened the last of the fruit and tossed some into the salad. What to do with the leftovers? The answer is Pomegranate syrup. The syrup is sweet and tart. Use the syrup for basting BBQ, flavoring dressings, …

Clarkia concinna is a species of wildflower in the Onagraceae (Evening Primrose) family known as Red Ribbons. It is endemic to California, where it can be found in the northern Coast Ranges from Santa Clara County to Humboldt County, and in the Sierra foothills. This is an annual plant with erect, herbaceous stems. The distinctive flowers have four looping sepals of …