I wanted more hot peppers in my Sunnyvale garden this year and I got them: Yellow habanero peppers; Red Savina peppers; thai peppers; and ghost peppers. Now I am trying a fermented hot sauce. If you have ever had Tabasco or Sriracha, then you have had fermented hot sauce. Fermenting is not difficult and it is safe. Lacto-fermentation is the …

Nutsedge, often referred to as nut grass, is a common weed in landscapes and gardens in the Central Coast valleys, including Sunnyvale. The plant thrives in waterlogged soil and its presence often indicates poor drainage (particularly an issue with clay soils), too frequent irrigation or leaky sprinklers. Once established, nutsedge will tolerate normal irrigation conditions or drought, making it even …

So I have a lot of ghost peppers and am always looking for uses. This Beet hot sauce combines roasted red beets and red onions for sweetness, red wine vinegar for tartness and preservation, red bell pepper for mildness and redundant redness, and of course ghost peppers. I only used 2 peppers in this edition. For more info on growing …

Cotyledon is a genus of 10 species of perennial shrubby leaf and stem succulents with numerous varieties and cultivars. Mostly from Southern Africa, they also occur throughout the drier parts of Africa as far north as the Arabian peninsula. This particular cotyledon is growing in a succulent sampler pot only 4 inches deep. Members of the genus are shrublets, generally …

I don’t remember ever eating a rhubarb dessert in my life. But the idea was always intriging…A celery like vegetable with a tart taste often paired with sweet fruit like strawberry. A few years ago I purchased a plant as a novelty. I grow it in a large pot since I have limited ground area. Our rhubarb plant finally got …

Some creature is eating my tomatoes between sunset and 7 AM. It could be an early bird squirrel but I don’t think so. That leaves raccoons and rats. Recently I read about an organic deterrent so I gave it a try. Mice and rats seem to avoid chiles. I mixed ground habanero chile peppers, vinegar, water, oil, and soap. I …

  DOLCE DE BERGAMO The versatile sweet Dolce De Bergamo chile pepper can be utilized in both fresh and cooked applications. Its thin skin and flesh make it ideal for preparing blistered, fried in olive oil and served with sea salt as a finger food. In my version, after frying the peppers, I grilled some sourdough bread and served with …

For twenty-five years I drove every summer up to Seattle for a bicycle vacation. And every year I would pass the road signs to Oregon Gardens. This year I visited them. They are 20 miles off the interstate in the small town of Silverton. You travel on scenic country roads to get there. The Oregon Gardens is similar to Butchart …

Crocosmia are red-to-orange glad-like flowers for the summer. Crosomia is a South African version of a gladiola. The genus name is derived from the Greek words krokos, meaning “saffron”, and osme, meaning “odor” – from the dried leaves emitting a strong smell like that of saffron (a spice derived from Crocus – another genus belonging to the Iridaceae) – when …