Sweet Cherry Pickles: Flavorful Tickles
I must confess, I get a very big kick out of an official moniker bestowed upon me each year, or at least for as...
To Karin With Love
When I first met Karin, she was not in the room. I stood in her kitchen with my realtor, getting to know the woman...
A Garden Fountain That Whispers Water
As a card-carrying Aquarian (a.k.a. the water bearer), I take my garden fountain seriously, always fine-tuning and perfecting its placement and performance for both the...
Growing Peach Trees in the Pacific Northwest: It’s the Pits
Growing peach trees in the maritime Pacific Northwest is the pits. There I said it, because for thirteen long, relatively futile and fruitless years,...
Bulb Auger: Easy Way to Plant Bulbs
If my garden were a banquet table, I would concede that sometimes I bite off more than I can chew. I dine and garden...
How to Make Pie Dough Shine
Pie is my spirit animal. Okay, that's a bit much, how about pie is a smile on my plate. (Hmmm, me thinks I'm trying...
Ordering Bareroot Trees: What to Expect
Mail-Order Trees: Who Would Have Thunk?
Ordering bareroot trees is to Tom as ordering books is to Oprah. I love trees, especially unusual fruit trees, sometimes forgotten...
Making Sense of 60
I remember the day my second grade teacher (and my not-so-secret crush) Miss Hilliard introduced the class to a real-life story problem. Her beguiling southern lilt...
French Coconut Pie: Heaven in a Crust
I'm a loyal pie guy. If you're a pie or tart recipe and you do me right—that is, bake up nicely, remain flakey, speak...
Boxing Day and Leftover Love
My friend Amy wrote, "Ah, December 26, my favorite holiday of the year." It made me chuckle, but also confirmed a truth about what...
