August 2009 | Simple, Good and Tasty, page 4

Imperfectly Acceptable: The Lessons of a Wabi-Sabi Garden

Posted in Farms & Gardens on Mon, 08/03/2009 - 6:23am by Shari Danielson -

Image Credit: Maven Mama"According to Japanese legend, a young man named Sen no Rikyu sought to learn the elaborate set of customs known as the Way of Tea. He went to tea-master Takeeno Joo, who tested the younger man by asking him to tend the garden. Rikyu cleaned up debris and raked the ground until it was perfect, then scrutinized the immaculate garden. Before presenting his work to the master, he shook a cherry tree, causing a few flowers to spill randomly onto the ground.

Eating Local: A Trip to Riverbend Farm in Delano, MN

Posted in Farms & Gardens on Sun, 08/02/2009 - 6:49am by lee -

"Take these," Greg Reynolds says, handing me a handful of rubber bands and a clipper.

"Ah, uh, mmm…," I stammer.

"They’re for the arugula," he offers. Pull 'em out and clip 'em just below the crown. Then rubber band 'em two times around." Maybe Greg doesn’t realize who he’s talking to, or maybe, more likely, he's having fun at my expense.

Progress on Our Backyard Farm

Posted in Family & Home, Farms & Gardens on Sat, 08/01/2009 - 6:29am by lee -

I've written glowingly about the past about A Backyard Farm, a company started by Joan James and Coleen Gregor this summer to help people construct, start, and farm raised beds on their own yards (You can read my previous post on A Backyard Farm here), so I decided it's time to update you on our garden's progress, and our experience with Joan and Coleen. Here goes: