in ‘jerusalem: a cookbook,’ a world of contrasts in every dish (a giveaway)

Join us for an exclusive conversation with the nation’s head gardener, Monty Don, recorded at BBC Gardeners’ World Live. Hosted by presenter and broadcaster, Nicki Chapman, the live audience listened in as Monty gives behind-the-scenes insight into filming Gardeners’ World TV. You can buy tickets for the next live show, BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair here.

In 2016 we saw the rise of many trends that we believe changed gardening for the better. A year characterised by an almost nostalgic longing for a rustic appearance, it pushed aside the colossal and over-the-top gardens in favour of more practical, cosy, and colour-rich spaces.

With their exotic looks, unique colors, and rarity, these Most Expensive Succulents in the World will appease all who wish to add a touch of luxury and rarity to their home.

With unsightly appearance and peculiar habits, this List of Ugliest Birds will surprise you to the core! However, do note that we have only outlined the bizarre features of these birds, which may, indeed, hold a certain appeal to many.

There are approximately 15 species of hellebores that are perennial, and the majority are native to southern and eastern Europe. Other common names for this plant are Christmas rose, and Lenten rose. Most of the hellebores readily available today are hybrid crosses of nine species giving us a wide variety of flowers in both their form and color. In addition, the variation of the leaf color and texture will add year-round interest in the garden.

Growing up, my father loved growing vegetables. He was proud of his produce, always sharing the harvest with friends and neighbors. He would even encourage compliments at the dinner table by saying, “those green beans are really good, aren’t they?” Of course, we quickly responded to the affirmative, lest the question would be posed again. But I must say, the beans were always good, along with the squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, and many other vegetables that came out of his garden.

Arbor Day is an opportunity to celebrate the trees that make your world better! While National Arbor Day is the last Friday in April, the first Friday in December (December 3, 2021) is South Carolina’s Arbor Day. The difference in dates is that trees in South Carolina are better able to get established when planted in the winter. According to the SC Forestry Commission, our planting season begins in December and ends in mid-March. To learn more about best practices for planting trees, see HGIC 1001, Planting Trees Correctly and HGIC, Plant a Tree.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 600 million people, or 1 out of every 10 people on the planet, contract a foodborne disease each year.

LET ME GUESS: You sometimes say, “I don’t have time for … “ even though you’re referring to something you really want to do. Where do the hours, days, weeks, garden seasons go? “And I Shall Have Some Peace There”—the book I call my dropout memoir, about walking away from my career to make time for things I’d postponed for decades—is now in what’s called “pre-sale,” a phenomenon deriving from successes like Harry Potter and iPads, so I’m going with the flow.

IMARCHED UP THE HILL and stuck my face in a stand of twig willows and dogwoods the other day, starved for some color in this relentlessly mud-toned non-winter. The world looked really bright and shiny through their gold and red twigs, and then I remembered the giant pussy willows (Salix chaenomeloides, cut and stuck in a vase, above) down by the road and went to pay them a visit as well. Time to sound another cry in favor of these easiest of plants–and offer a new source of an incredible variety of willows, in particular.

WHAT I HAVE ON MY HANDS HERE is an outright coup d’etat, with all control of the garden being wrested from me even as I sleep, I swear. Do weeds *ever* stop growing, ever take a coffee break, even, or whatever their weedy equivalent of that is? Thanks, Andre Jordan, for commiserating about this shared reality: weed uprisings everywhere.

‘WHAT GOES WITH WHAT?’ gardeners often ask, hungry for perfect perennial pairings, or the fodder of harmonious annual containers. Cooks putting together a menu are really asking what goes with what, too. In her latest reference-and-cookbook “Vegetable Literacy,” Deborah Madison asks—and answers—the question at multiple levels, including the intriguing taxonomic one, as in: Who’s a botanical cousin to whom (and how can that inform our cooking)? Get Madison’s recipe for one of my favorite pastas—with cauliflower and red pepper flakes—and maybe win one of two extra copies of this thoughtful work, just out this week, that I bought to share. Each chapter of this newest book by Madison, author of “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone,” is named for one of a dozen plant families—the carrot family, for sample, or Umbelliferae, with ingredients from cilantro to cumin, celery to fennel, parsley and parsnips and more.  We gardeners probably know the Brassicaceae (the cabbage family) and the Solanaceae (tomatoes and such) and of course the legumes or Fabaceae (peas and beans). But we don’t really talk about what cousins of sunflowers we eat (the family Asteraceae or Compositae), for instance.  (Jerusalem artichokes, lettuce, artichokes, tarragon, and chicories are examples.)