Category Archives: Spinach

Dead or Alive?

Posted on October 18, 2012 by

The sharp blade slices through the skin, flesh and vascular tissues with ease.    Pressure in the vascular system collapses.   Almost immediately senescence – a genetically regulated process which leads to the death of cells and organs – begins.  Individual cells … Continue reading →

Posted in Apples, Beets, Broccoli, Carrots, Cooking and Eating, Eggplant, Green Beans, Kale, Lettuce, Parsley, Peaches, Spinach, Urban Agriculture and Food Policy | 3 Comments

Awesome

Posted on August 2, 2012 by

In the world of ornamental horticulture, perhaps because of the pervasive influence of our British cousins, etiquette demands a certain reticence when discussing one’s own garden.   Pausing with guests before a spectacularly rare and difficult Tricyrtis, one might be allowed … Continue reading →

Posted in Asian Pears, Berries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Chard, Fruit, Grapes, Malabar Spinach, Nectarines, Peaches, Photos, Strawberries, Tomatoes | 1 Comment

Après le déluge

Posted on September 1, 2011 by

Plants on rooftop gardens are far more exposed to the elements than their ground-level cousins.   With Hurricane Irene heading directly for lower Manhattan, it was alarming to hear the experts explain that 75 mph winds at ground level translated to … Continue reading →

Posted in Design, Failures, Malabar Spinach, Nectarines, Peaches, Photos, Roses, Structure, The Visionaire, Tomatoes, Weather | 4 Comments

Cold Frame Success

Posted on April 14, 2011 by

Although the cold frame was installed late (see previous post) and the first sowings of lettuce and spinach in January failed (see previous post), by late February my harvest of winter greens began in earnest.  A salad from March 1: … Continue reading →

Posted in Cold Frame, Greens, Lettuce, Spinach, Weather | Leave a comment

Cold Frame!

Posted on January 11, 2011 by

The cold frame arrived on December 20.  It is a thing of beauty, although a far cry from the traditional country cold frame, which usually consists of an old window propped up against a south wall, and a rough wooden box … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction Progress, Design, Failures, Lettuce, Photos, Spinach, Weather | 1 Comment

Autumn Harvest

Posted on October 28, 2010 by

The roof-top garden continues to produce copious quantities of tomatoes, carrots, Malabar spinach, Erba Stella, parsley, peppers, beets and greens.  The late season lettuces and spinach are gaining size, and the first broccoli florette of the fall crop has made its appearance.   A … Continue reading →

Posted in Broccoli, Greens, Lettuce, Malabar Spinach, Photos, Spinach, Tomatoes | Leave a comment

Columbus Day Rooftop Garden Dinner

Posted on October 11, 2010 by

Perhaps it is climate change, or perhaps the normal vagaries of the weather.  But October 11 featured a 76 degree afternoon, and at 5:30 six guests gathered for the final al fresco roof top garden dinner of the season.  The … Continue reading →

Posted in Apples, Basil, Beets, Chefs, Cooking and Eating, European Pears, Greens, Herbs, Lettuce, Malabar Spinach, Meals and Menus, Pears, Potatoes, Root Vegetables, Spinach, Tomatoes, Vegetables | 2 Comments

Malabar spinach

Posted on September 27, 2010 by

Basella alba, or Malabar spinach (also Phooi leaf, Red vine spinach, Creeping spinach, Climbing spinach) is a perennial vine from the tropics.  It grew in the summer of 2010 up a south facing screen, and was the picture of health, … Continue reading →

Posted in Greens, Malabar Spinach, Spinach, Vegetables | Leave a comment

September 21, 2010 — Breakfast

Posted on September 27, 2010 by

21 September 2010 — Breakfast  As Michael Polan reminds us, humans are nearly unique in the animal kingdom in having to ask themselves the question, “What shall I eat?”   I have taken the approach, at least at breakfast, in letting … Continue reading →

Posted in Cooking and Eating, Green Beans, Malabar Spinach, Meals and Menus, Raspberries, Spinach, Tomatoes | 1 Comment

June 29, 2010 — Breakfast

Posted on September 27, 2010 by

6/29/10 Breakfast. Bumber crop of parsley.  Sauted parsley in a tiny bit of canola oil, and then added fresh picked spinach.  Spinach is starting to shoot, but many leaves remain around the edges of the plant.  Paler than the young … Continue reading →

Posted in Blueberries, Cooking and Eating, Herbs, Meals and Menus, Parsley, Spinach | Leave a comment