Blog
Platter Salads
By Patti Bess, author of Vegetarian Barbecue Where’s your favorite platter? It’s perfect for late summer entertaining when the markets are full of delicious, fresh produce and your garden is overflowing. A platter salad easily turns the abundance of summer into a successful meal. Ingredients for a platter salad Following the principle that foods in season generally taste good together, a platter salad is a collection of compatible vegetables cooked when necessary — but mostly not — and...
read moreDianne Benson, famed garden author and fashion designer, joins the H. Potter Knowledge blog as a monthly Guest Author
by Charlotte Germane, Editor of the H. Potter Knowledge blog 2010-2011 Dianne B. and Hamptons style Dianne Benson took her design flair from her Dianne B. clothing stores in Manhattan and transplanted it to her first garden in the Hamptons 20 years ago. The novice gardener’s dramatic and highly personal planting style was quickly noted in the beach towns of Long Island, and reached an international audience with the publication of her cult classic book, DIRT: The Lowdown on Growing a Garden with Style....
read moreGazpacho Rose
By Patti Bess, author of Vegetarian Barbecue This Gazpacho Is So Easy Don’t let your guests in on the secret! It’s also a great way to use up some of those juicy tomatoes from the garden. Most gazpacho recipes have lots of chunky summer vegetables in them. This one is blended and is great for young “picky” eaters. My children always liked blended soups—they couldn’t actually see the vegetables. In fact, many times I would blend a portion of every soup so I could honestly say, “No honey, you don’t have to eat the...
read moreTwo Sassy Salsas for Outdoor Entertaining
By Patti Bess When it comes to people-pleasers, salsas are the life of the party. And not just tomato salsas these days–try some with fresh bell peppers too. Salsas are combinations of finely chopped fruit or vegetables and usually a little chopped onion; all enlivened with a bit of chile and fresh lime juice or vinegar. That pleasing burst of flavor comes partly from the contrast between sweet and spicy. It’s the surprise complexity of flavors that gives salsa its potency and popularity. Freshly made salsa delivers the kind of flavor...
read moreSummer Care of Terrariums
By Tovah Martin, author of The New Terrarium It’s summertime and nature is calling. But you might not be able to answer the call of the wild as often as you’d like. Stuck inside? Trapped in an office cubicle? Got the rainy day blues? No problem. Just grow a terrarium and nature will always be right by your side. Summer is custom-made for creating terrariums There are plenty of opportunities to get outside and collect nature’s treasures for terrarium accents. When you’re on hikes, when you’re working in the garden – keep...
read moreRed, White and Blue-Black Eggplant on the Grill
By Patti Bess The Fourth of July traditionally starts a summer of grilling extravaganzas. Summer dinners on the deck mean good times, good friends, and great food! Grilling is the perfect way to prepare meats, but there are so many other foods that benefit from that intriguing smoky flavor, like eggplant, mushrooms, and many vegetables. Most of us use our grills primarily for one cooking function—hot and fast grilling (direct heat). Did you know that your grill can also be used for roasting (indirect heat)? Your grill is a versatile...
read moreYou Oughta Frittata
By Patti Bess Frittatas are the Italian version of the French omelet, or more like a quiche without a crust. So many things can be stirred into frittatas—sautéed onions, roasted peppers, mushrooms, or sliced potatoes–but I like wilted greens best. Right now in my garden the chard is at its finest. It practically glows. I’ve picked bunches of chard that squeak with vitality. ‘Bright Lights’ or rainbow chard is the newer variety that I really like. Its multi-colored stems are often smaller and more tender than the big...
read moreSwiss Chard Stars in Edible Container Gardens
By Charlotte Germane, Editor, H. Potter Knowledge blog 2010-2011 Whether you want to grow healthy food or you’re on a color-in-the-garden kick, the rainbow possibilities of chard will make you happy. One of the glamour vegetables for edible container gardens, Swiss chard has it all—form, color and nutrients. You can see how handsome it looks massed in the copper Grand Urn. Confession: I got carried away and the plants are a bit too close together, inhibiting your view of the glorious, multi-colored stems of ‘Bright...
read moreHow NOT to Buy a Garden Trellis
By Charlotte Germane, Editor H. Potter Knowledge blog 2010-2011 How NOT to buy garden trellises 1. Wake up the day before your outdoor summer party. 2. Sit down with a cup of coffee and write out your shopping list of party supplies. Don’t include a garden trellis. 3. Get dressed, and choose the smallest car available for your shopping trip. 4. Buy refrigerated food, chilled drinks, and bags of ice for your party, and load them in your car. 5. Notice that it’s getting pretty hot outside. 6. Drive past a colorful display of...
read morePlanting a Glass Cloche
By Tovah Martin, author of The New Terrarium There’s something about a glass cloche All terrariums exude a sense of charm, it’s true. But there’s something about a glass cloche (also known as a bell jar) that’s particularly compelling. As with all terrariums, the venue need not be confined to plants – you could display just about anything within a cloche. But there’s something whimsical, wonderful, romantic and mysterious about a living, growing plant clapped under a glass lid. Short history of the glass cloche Cloches were...
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