Author Archives: Chrystal

Late last fall I noticed papaver somniferum seeds in the West Coast Seeds catalogue, which they refer to as “giganthemums”. The seed packets show an enormous pink flower and describe the blossoms as the size of a baseball. I must … Continue reading →

  In my last blog I mentioned that there is a wasp nest in my garden compost. Yesterday the husband once again proved his handiness/heroism. Armed with only a pitchfork, a can of raid and a motorcycle helmet, he dug … Continue reading →

Short version:  It seems odd to be doing an annual recap in September, but that’s how I’m rolling this year. 2019 was a great year for apples, lettuce, tomatoes, garlic raspberries, zucchinis, zucchini flowers, fava and green beans. I neglected … Continue reading →

Short version: I think spring is finally here. A rabbit was hanging out in our garden. Blueberries in the back, changes to the front, and a sauna. Longer version: My last blog post (in January) was definitely not prophetic. I … Continue reading →

The short version: It’s a mild winter here in Vancouver and I’ve already planted my fava beans. I’ve given up valuable gardening space for a passion project. The long version: The mild winter and the recent sunshine pulled me outdoors … Continue reading →

Before my first trip to Spain in 2010, I bought a Spanish language CD to help my sons and I to learn a bit of the language. The CD consisted of minimal dialogue (similar to a recitative) and a series … Continue reading →

Summer brings so many wonderful things and I’ve tried to appreciate them all: the wind in the leaves, the flowers, the sound of the birds, and all my people. With several weeks of summer left, it may be premature to award prizes, … Continue reading →

This year I was enticed by photos of multicolour Easter egg radishes in the West Coast Seeds catalogue and recipe inspiration from my favourite cookbook. I read the seed planting instructions carefully, and did a first sow mid-February, then again … Continue reading →

I rely on a month-by-month birthday calendar that hangs on the wall in my office. When google’s artificial non-intelligence kept multiplying birthday reminders, I stopped using my electronic calendar for this task. Perhaps a function of my advancing age, I … Continue reading →

Today I harvested the first bouquet of kale this year. I roasted the kale Melissa Clark style, at 450 degrees with lots of olive oil and tossed it with a Melissa Clark-inspired yogurt-garlic-lemon juice dressing. Topped with toasted walnuts, half … Continue reading →