Posts categorized as Plants

With all the rain this past week, I’ve been noticing little patches of amber, bright green, and silver blue spreading across tree branches, old fences, cement, and forgotten rocks. At first glance, they don’t look like much, just a bit of moss. But they’re not moss at all. They’re lichens, and the more I learned about them, the more amazed I was. Lichen isn’t a single plant. It isn’t a plant at all. It’s a remarkably complex partnership between a fungus and algae, sometimes with the help of tiny photosynthetic […]

Tendrils are silky, curling little strands reaching out from vines, searching for something to hold onto. Like all of us. The moment they touch a tomato cage, a trellis, a branch, or another plant nearby, they quietly begin wrapping themselves around it. Strengthening their plant, reaching for the sun. Many plants have splendid and mysterious tendrils. Peas, the Cucurbitaceae family (melons, pumpkins, squash), grapes, passion flowers, clematis, cup and saucer, Virginia creeper, and honeysuckle, to name a few. Plants aren’t just growing; they’re sensing, responding, adapting, just like us. It’s […]

Swimmy II lives a luxurious life in my living room, in a 10-gallon oasis. He enjoys moving freely and darting around between freshwater aquatic plants and the beautiful rockscape decor I collected on the beach at 91st. Swimmy II is royal, with rich hues of deep blue, maroon, and purple. He seems to sparkle as he glides about. Swimmy is a Betta. He shares his McMansion kindly with The Slippy Brothers. It’s a symbiotic relationship. Three nerite snails slowly chow down on algae and stray bits of tank sludge, keeping […]

April is staying true to its word, showering our land with the right amount of skywater to encourage vibrant greens and the early bloom of summer color. This weekend, the Beach 91st Street Community Garden held its season kick-off meeting, and I finally had the chance to touch the earth. Free compost from the Queens Botanical Garden (Queens Rep! Thank you!) was the afternoon task. I shoveled out the top three inches of soil from my garden plot and replaced it with rich compost. The scent of pure earth! I was amazed by how […]

I have a fig tree too, just like Fran, and every other Italian woman with a small piece of land in the tri-state area. But mine doesn’t have roots in Brooklyn. Honestly, I can’t remember where mine came from—I think Home Depot. But I’ve had the tree for about 15 years, though she’s more of a twig than a tree. She first lived in a container on a roof deck, a lifetime ago when I was in Ridgewood, Queens. When the move to Rockaway happened, she spent the next 10 years […]

Fran Honan has been contributing her writings to theglorifiedtomato.com for the past 13 years, and her stories have always resonated with me. I’m excited to share her peice with you. It expresses sentiments about giving, community, and food.”  – Paula A few weeks ago, on a cool night in the fading days of summer, our neighbor Augustin rang our doorbell with some of the season’s bounty. It was a white basket filled with green and purple figs, grown with love and care from him all season. I’ve been obsessed with figs since I […]

The cold is leaving us and the days are growing longer, it’s time to get the garden ready for spring. The first step is pruning. Living in an urban environment means our green spaces often need a little extra TLC. With a few tips and tricks, you can transform your overgrown small garden space into a flourishing oasis. Pruning trees and shrubs is essential for maintaining their health, promoting proper growth, and enhancing your garden’s aesthetic. Before you start hacking away at your precious plants, do your homework. Each species […]

So, you have more herbs growing in your garden than you know what to do with right? We can dry, store, and save for our winter soups but fresh is best. This may be the number one reason why we love to garden – seasonally harvested foods just taste superior. There are many ways to incorporate the vibrant flavors of herbs into our meals. Some take time though. This summer, I’ve been using herbs in a simple way. And that is the Sicilian way. The core of Italian cooking emphasizes […]

A young country girl named Susan fell in love with a sailor. When he had to leave for a long sea voyage, she promised to remain faithful and wait for his return. As time passed, Susan began to doubt his loyalty and her heart saddened. While standing in a meadow, she plucked the petals from a daisy, saying, “He loves me, he loves me not,” to determine whether her love would return. The daisy’s petals provided no answer. I spotted a patch of Black-Eyed Susans at Edgemere Farm last Sunday […]

Garden nerds unite! There are two spring plant sale events this weekend – The Beach 91st Street Community Garden is hosting a plant sale tomorrow, Saturday May 6, from 11am-2pm. On Sunday – the following day – head to Edgemere Farm for more plants of different varieties and music. Below are the details for both community happenings. B91 Garden Plant Sale – Saturday, May 6 from 11am-2pm For sale find veg starters and herbs – many varieties of tomatoes, sugar snap peas, cucumbers, soybeans, basil, sage, parsley and more. Add […]