Mom’s Raspberry Rhubarb Pie

The first recipe that comes to mind is the raspberry rhubarb pie that I make with Mom’s pastry. So I just HAVE to include the pie crust recipe too. Mom used to make this recipe up often so that she had several pie crust “balls” in the freezer, ready for any occasion. Mom’s raspberry rhubarb pie was a favorite at the church potlucks and I used to excuse myself as I cut in line just to get a small piece before it was all gone. I believe that I learned Read More …

Gardening on the Upper Kuskokwim

Gardens Thrive in Hardiness Zone 1b Between the beginning of June and end of August, the village yards sport beautiful lawns, flower beds, hanging baskets, a variety of imported landscape trees and bushes, vegetable gardens and strawberry and raspberry patches. People in McGrath like the challenge of growing plants here in this layer of warm yet damp soil on top of permafrost. Micro-climates The local weather service is in the “downtown” area. Generally the temperatures that they announce run about 3 degrees warmer than the temperatures that we are recording Read More …

A Plant IS What It Eats

I like to read fiction. It was amazing to me that a book on plant nutrition was a ‘page turner’ for me. True, there were many very scientific terms used, but Jeff Lowenfels, in his book, Teaming with Nutrients, gives a layman’s rendition of these terms, making them understandable. There are also processes that I needed to go back to read over again in order to understand, but I did so eagerly. The unfolding explanations and the subsequent wonder of what actually is happening in the plant structure and around Read More …