Pie Pumpkins: 11 of the Best Varieties to Grow for Puree

Never underestimate the power of a little bit of year-round greenery. It can truly do wonders for walkways – and for your mind.When I lived in Oklahoma for two years, wintertime was difficult. There were few e

When you plant a crop like zucchini, it’s all about savoring the moment, and enjoying summer’s bounty. Growing winter squash on the other hand – that shows you’re thinking ahead.So, treat your future self to a feas

A certain family member of mine insists that only the tuberous root veggies with cream-colored flesh are real sweet potatoes. The orange things, she says, are yams.Friends, my dear family member is wrong. Just about

Foxgloves are one of my top five favorite flowers. There’s nothing quite like the sight of tall spikes packed with long, tubular, brightly colored blooms with speckled throats.The common foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, is the

I’ve never forgotten the joy of seeing tiny purple, white, and yellow ‘Johnny-jump-ups’ popping up through the soil in the springtime.We had a clump of pansies in

Lacking the sharpness of onion or the aromatic spice of garlic, the shallot somehow takes the best of both of those beloved alliums and blends them into one beautiful, sweet yet savory flavor.This unassuming bulb is used in a variety of cuisines around the world.

Pumpkins spur the imagination, from the 19th century idea of using them for jack-o’-lanterns to Cinderella and her spellbound pumpkin carriage.But along with folksy celebrations and fai

Homegrown celery, Apium graveolens, is delicious. It’s nothing like the stringy, tasteless stalks you buy in the grocery store. But did you know there are a number of different cultivars available?I wouldn’t blame someone for thinking that t

When I was a kid, my mom turned our front yard, in Reno, Nevada, into a garden. I remember walking through rows of tall corn stalks that felt like an enchanted forest.I tried growing corn last year, but I started

I first met arugula, Eruca sativa, when I made a spring panzanella salad several years ago. I’d never used the leafy green before, but I was hooked from the first peppery bite.And when I started shopping for seeds to grow my own,

Accidents happen. This is one of the universal truths of life, and it’s also true of pumpkins, my favorite fall fregetables.Take this scenario, for example:You’ve b

If you’re growing pumpkins in your garden, you may have seen white spots appearing on the leaves and vines.What’s up with that? It’s likely that your plants are i