Verde Farm

The first  harvest from the fields at Melissa's latest project, Verde Farm!!! We are still in process of organic certification, but are using only methods and inputs approved for USDA organic production. We will have lettuce next week, and more in coming weeks.

 

How is your winter harvest? It's not too late to plant radishes--most are read to harvest in just 4 to 6 weeks. And the leaves are edible, too. They are a little coarse, so they are best cooked.

 

 

Greening your recipes

Why is this cream of crab soup so green?

Melissa and I have included recipes in Organic Methods for Vegetable Gardening in Florida to help gardeners figure out what to do with unusual vegetables and also how to incorporate your "harvest-of-the-day" into your cooking. My cream of crab soup is a perfect example of incorporating a winter harvest into a recipe--that's why it's green and not white. The recipe is included in in my post Modified Recipe with Edibles from the Garden.

Our book is still in the top 10 for southern garden books almost a year later.

Ginny Stibolt

Harvest of the day

Christmas harvest gathered on 12/23/13 in Ginny's yard.

The rains are coming, so it was time to harvest some of our Christmas dinner. 
- Sugar snap peas: the young ones will be steamed with butter, while the older pods will be used in the pesto dip.
- Purple and orange carrots will be cut in thin diagonal slices for dipping in the pesto, while the rest of them will be steamed with butter.
- Lime basil, curly parsley, garlic chives, and oregano will be used in the pesto dip.

We hope you are eating from your garden this winter.  If not, now's the time to get started! 

Still in the top 10 six months later

We are pleased to point out that "Organic Methods for Vegetable Gardening in Florida" is regularly in the top ten on Amazon for southern garden books. Fall is the best time to start your edibles in Florida, which is why our three planting calendars for north, central, and south Florida regions start in September, not January.

A book review from Amazon.com

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Source of Info for Florida Gardeners April 15, 2013

By MrsH

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Very excited to find a book about Florida specific organic gardening. The soil in Florida is so varied and the temps so high in summer is great to find a source that walks one through those obstacles. The book list planting times and methods for the various Florida regions as well as telling you what not to bother with in the garden.

I'm finding it a fabulous source of information.

I'm updating my review since I've now had the book for several months. Poor book is so dog-eared from me dragging it outside and reading and re-reading. I can not say enough good things about how helpful this book has been. If you live in Florida and you want to garden this will be your go to guide. 

 

 

#1 on Amazon for Southern Garden Books

It happened this morning. Our book is #1 in Southern Garden Books on amazon.com

Be sure to check out all of our appearances to visit with us.

Our only joint or dual appearance will be on May 5th at the Gray Mockingbird Community Garden in Lake Worth Florida in Palm Beach County.  See you then!

Another Excellent Review

Jenny Huston Crowley, a member of the Tallahassee Writers' Association, wrote a thorough review of our book on Tallahassee.com.

If you enjoy the pleasure of working the soil in our sun-blessed state, tending and watching plants grow, and then harvesting a bounty of fresh produce to eat and to share, you’ll want to read Ginny Stibolt and Melissa Contreras’ new book, Organic Methods for Vegetable Gardening in Florida.

We hope that our book will inspire you to grow more of your own vegetables. Once you get started, it's just like printing money and your fresh veggies are sooo much better for you than ones that have been sitting around for days and days.

So, go and grow!

"Edible South Florida" review

A book review in Edible South Florida's Winter 2013 issue featured the book on page 14. with great tips from Melissa.