Seed catalogs can help make gardening fun, even in failure, and even when you aren’t gardening. They offer educational dreams where reality falls short, inspiring ambition and hope, however unrealistic, with colorful, flattering depictions of robust plants. To the successful gardener, seed catalogs are indispensable.
Winter
The Unsung Union
I made it surprisingly far through life without thinking deeply about onions. It took an acid trip in college, during which I watched my friend Wayne fry an onion that had been cut in half. We watched transfixed as it slowly melted in the pan. I could feel it was a profound moment, but it would be years before I understood.
Christmas Sweater
Download: word.doc here | Image file here | Return to Editor’s Lounge Winter came early this year, but the Belarusian farmers at the winter market didn’t seem to mind. They hadn’t brought much, as their cucumbers and tomatoes were long gone, but they were beaming. They had beets. And as…
Turkey Bone Soup, with noodles
Thanksgiving marks the start of the holidays, and a parallel season of enhanced leftovers consumption. It can be a freewheeling, chaotic time, when pieces of feasts and roast beasts are combined and reheated. But amid improvisations like refried mashed potatoes and microwaved kale salad, the most sacred act of leftovers season remains constant: bird bone soup.
Pomegranate Season’s Greetings
As holiday talk builds to a festive pitch, and the cold darkness moves to embrace you, don’t sleep on pomegranate season. It’s on, and ready to sneak back into your life.