Perigee Bookmarks

Some Words of Advice for Prince William and Kate Middleton on Their Special Day…

Posted by Maria Gagliano

All this talk about Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Royal Wedding made me realize that my own one-year wedding anniversary is just a week away. I don’t know how things work in the Royal Family, but around these middle-class parts, we write our own thank-you notes in appreciation of our guests’ thoughtfulness and good wishes. I can only wonder whether Will and Kate will be hand-writing their own cards, or if their royal situation allows them the luxury of a little help (based on this guest list, they have a lot of writing to do!).

Etiquette expert Emily Post says you have three months to send a thank-you note after a wedding gift is received. Whether they have help or plan to write notes themselves, I can only hope that Will and Kate don’t let their first year of marriage fly by as quickly as I did. Yes, 51 weeks after my wedding, I still have a solid stack of thank-you notes collecting dust on my desk. Every weekend I promise I’ll finish them and every weekend the layer of dust thickens. It’s not that I’m not thankful to everyone who came to our wedding. I felt so incredibly blessed and grateful! I can’t explain how the days and weeks and months (and year?!) pass. I’m more than a little embarrassed.

So, Will, Kate, in an effort to keep you from treading down the dark and unintentionally tasteless path that I did, I’m sending you some sage advice from our veteran etiquette expert, Rosalie Maggio. Her book, How to Say It, offers tips on what to say (and yes, how to say it) in any situation, from business letters to thank-you notes. Take her advice, and you’ll remain as classy as only a member of the royal family could be:

 

How to Say It When Writing Thank-You Notes:

• Describe in some detail what you are grateful for (not just “the lovely gift” or “the nice present”).
• Express your gratitude in an enthusiastic, appreciative way.
• Elaborate on your appreciation. Tell how useful or appropriate it is, how you plan to use it, where you have placed it, or how it enhanced your life, home, etc. Be specific about what pleased you.
• Close with one or two sentences unrelated to the object of your gratitude (expressing affection, promising to see the person soon, sending greetings to family members, saying something nice about the donor).

How NOT to Say It When Writing Thank-You Notes:

• Don’t dilute your thanks by including news, information, questions, and comments; save them for another time.
• When you receive duplicate gifts, don’t mention this to the givers.
• Don’t mention the amount of a monetary gift. Instead, speak of the giver’s kindness, generosity, or, perhaps, extravagance.
• “Never express more than you feel” is a good guideline, especially in thank-you letters, where we try to make up in verbiage what we lack in enthusiasm. A simple “thank you” is effective.

 

How to Say It by Rosalie Maggio

The Story Behind the Story: Great Gals

Posted by Maria Gagliano

As readers, we’re blind to the years of agonizing, self-doubt, false starts, and bursts of inspiration that truly make a book. We only get to see the polished, finished version: the meticulously copyedited, professionally printed aftermath of an author’s artistic journey.

This illustrated story by Summer Pierre shows us the seeds of thought that led her to creating her book Great Gals. Like so many talented artists, her creative process was, at times, as exciting as it was discouraging. All that matters is that you keep going.

 

Not Your Average Super Bowl Menu

Posted by Maria Gagliano

I’m not the sportiest of girls, but I love any excuse to sit around with friends and eat and drink for hours. Being married to a diehard Green Bay Packers fan means I’ve done a lot of that lately—so much, in fact, that I may actually consider myself a football fan. The Packers have done so well this year that we’ve found ourselves hosting football parties almost weekly. Each time we’ve defaulted to our neighborhood pizza joint, but this weekend I plan to spice things up a bit. It’s the Super Bowl, after all—the most important day of the year when the Green Bay Packers are involved.

So I’ve scoured Perigee’s copious library for the perfect offbeat Super Bowl menu. There’s something here for everyone: kids, gardeners, foodies, cocktail geeks, and even children’s book lovers. While it’s not the usual chicken wings and pizza, everything here is easy to make, and incredibly delicious. These recipes are so tasty, in fact, that they may rival the Packers for your guests’ undivided attention.

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Beef Jerky, adapted from The Lost Art of Real Cooking by Ken Alabala and Rosanna Nafziger

One can make extraordinary jerky using a simple smoking method. Any very lean beef will work fine. Partially freeze, or defrost the meat so it can be sliced thinly, across the grain, into four- or five-inch strips. Season these with a dry rub. My older son Ethan invented one made with judicious quantities of salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, and oregano, with a hint of chili flakes. A small bowlful was enough to season a five-pound roast. But season just as you would any piece of meat: not too heavily. Then place on a metal grate in a single layer in a smoker. I used two racks of meat, one on top of the other, separated with three rocks so the air could circulate. About one hour is enough to give the meat an intense smoky flavor. Then put the rack in the oven at 150 degrees for a few more hours to make sure they’re thoroughly dried.

One can also very easily skip the smoking part entirely and just dry the strips slowly. There is absolutely nothing to it, just forget about it in the oven for 6–10 hours at 150 degrees, or even overnight, until the meat is thoroughly dehydrated. I made a batch with venison this way, which turned out spectacular. For variety, try adjusting the seasonings. Although the basic Mexican-type rub makes sense, you can also do a Middle Eastern rub with sumac, oregano or za’atar and chili that is very interesting. Asian flavorings also go nicely: soy, ginger, a touch of brown sugar and garlic, but with a wet marinade, you will have to let the meat sit for a day or so and it will take longer to dry later, but it gives the meat an unctuous sheen. If you are truly adventurous, try to make pemmican, which is equal amounts of dried meat—venison is fine—pounded into a fine powder, then mixed with an equal part bear fat, and cranberries or other tart berry and store in a leather pouch until needed.

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  Marilla’s Zero-Alcohol Raspberry Cordial adapted from Turkish Delights & Treasure   Hunts: Delightful Treats and Games from Classic Children’s Books by Jane Brocket

This recipe is inspired by L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables

Makes approximately 4 cups

 3 cups fresh raspberries

1½ cups superfine sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Still or sparkling mineral water and ice, to serve

1. Check the raspberries to make sure none are moldy. Remove these and any bits of stalk and leaf.
2. Put the raspberries in a large pan. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and 3 cups water.
3. Place on a medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally so that the sugar does not stick.
4. Simmer gently for 5 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes.
6. Strain the liquid into a bowl. Press down gently on the fruit pulp in the sieve to extract color and flavor.
7. Leave to cool, then pour the cordial into glass bottles or a jug.
8. Store in the fridge and use within a couple of days.
9. Serve with still or sparkling mineral water and ice.

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American Whiskey Punch, adapted from Punch by David Wondrich

In a three-quart bowl, prepare an oleo-saccharum with 8 ounces white sugar and the peel of two lemons. Add 1½ ounces lemon juice and 8 ounces water and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add 12 ounces cask-strength rye or bourbon, stir again and add between 3 and 6 cups of cold water, to taste. A quart-sized block of ice or enough cubes or pieces of it to fill the bowl past halfway are an excellent addition.

 

Note:

More lemon juice is a fine addition: use up to 6 ounces, to taste. If you can’t get cask-strength whiskey, use 16 ounces of 100-proof or 18 ounces of 80-proof and dock the water by 4 or 6 ounces, accordingly. Yield: up to 9 cups.

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Bean Dip with a Kick, adapted from Growing at the Speed of Life by Graham Kerr

Bean dips are always popular at a party. This one can deliver quite a punch, depending on how you handle ¼ teaspoon measure of spices.

Serves 4

1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

¼ cup low-fat salad dressing, any variety

¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes, or to taste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 pound carrots cut into sticks or ready-peeled small carrots, or other cut-up veggies

In a blender, combine beans with salad dressing until smooth and creamy. Add hot pepper flakes according to your taste or split the mixture into mild and lethal heat. Serve as a dip for carrots or other cut-up vegetables.

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Potato Chips by Lisa Barnes, adapted from Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

This recipe was inspired by my son’s favorite book, The Greatest Potatoes by Penelope Stowell. In the story, U.S. tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt spans the globe trying to find the greatest potato dish. He is persnickety and ornery and turns his nose up to all, until he meets George Crum, fry cook at Cary Moon’s Lake House Restaurant in Saratoga Springs, and tastes his new invention, the potato chip. This is a bit of a variation on the book’s actual recipe, but I’m sure it will please any little persnickety gourmands in your house.

Makes 20 to 30 chips per potato; 4 to 6 servings

Organic russet potatoes (12 ounces each)

Salt, to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil and grease foil.

1. Using a mandoline set on 1/8 inch, the long edge of a box grater, or a sharp knife, cut potatoes evenly into paper-thin slices. Place potato slices in a large bowl and cover with cold water and let soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and rinse until water runs clear.
2. Dry potato slices by spinning in a salad spinner. Kids love to help with this step. Place potato slices in a single layer on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, turning carefully with tongs about every 7 minutes. As the chips brown remove from baking sheet, one by one, until the batch is complete and crunchy. Sprinkle with salt (if using).

Unleashing Your Inner Great Gal

Posted by Maria Gagliano

If you'd have told me when I was nineteen that I'd one day work on a book with Ani DiFranco and Lucille Ball on the cover, I wouldn't have believed you. It would have just sounded way too cool. I was in love with both ladies growing up, and even though they couldn't be more different, they are (were) both driven by a daring spunk that helped them reach unbelievable heights as artists. The same can be said for Cyndi Lauper, Betsey Johnson, and Joan Jett—all role models of mine growing up, each more fearless and kick-ass than the next.

So you could imagine my glee when I started working on Summer Pierre's Great Gals with fellow editor Meg Leder. Yes, Ani and Lucille are both on the cover, but there’s so much more between the pages (including my other aforementioned heroes).

Much like The Artist in the Office, Summer’s first book, Great Gals is loaded with inspiring prompts, quotes, and ideas to help readers create their own great life. But at the book’s core are profiles of dozens of amazing women throughout history—from Emily Dickinson and Alice Walker to Frida Kahlo and Julia Child. Brief bios show us just how real these ladies were. They made mistakes, were constantly rejected, got late starts, defied all odds, and never took ‘no’ for an answer. And because of that, they were able to do it all.

At the risk of sounding corny, I’m going to share a secret: I printed out the first page of Great Gals and taped it to my office wall. I read it whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed, uninspired, and ready to quit. It recharges my spirits every time. I also read it each morning, and it never fails to punctuate every part of my day.

I decided to share that brief burst of inspiration with you here. Feel free to print it out and post it on your own wall, if you’re so inclined. At the end of a long, busy year, it may provide just the oomph you need to launch into a kick-ass 2011.

     Great Gals

Some Books Begin in the Most Curious Ways

Posted by Maria Gagliano

About 95% of the time, our books begin as proposals from literary agents. Agents get to know us as editors, our lists, our likes and dislikes, and send in projects based on that knowledge. But sometimes—every now and then—book ideas creep up in the most peculiar ways.

Back in 2006, I lived in a shoebox-sized apartment in the East Village. It was the apartment of every city gal’s dreams: edgy neighborhood, only one flight up, laundry and sushi nearby, amazing rent, and an even better roommate. It had everything you’d expect from a quintessential NYC apartment, city wildlife included. It started out with a few roaches. Fine. We could deal with that. We even saw little mice here and there. Still nothing we couldn’t handle. We were city girls, after all. We could manage anything, right?  

Right. That is, until the other creature showed up—the crawly thing that laughed in my tough-girl face and turned me into a squealy mess. There I was, sitting on my mini couch on a quiet Monday, when a giant, hairy, leggy beast scurried across the room. It went over my shoes, straight into the closet. That was not a mouse, I thought. Or a roach. It wasn’t even a spider—it was way too quick and spindly. Were there many other options for city pests? My shock morphed into a scream that brought my roommate running.

“WHAT’S THAT BUG!?!?” was all I could choke out. She dutifully looked around, following my frantic pointing to the closet, but it was gone. Its movement was so fluid and ghostly, there was no hope in finding it.

I was left alone with my horror, wondering how I could ever find out what that bug was. I couldn’t even Google it; I didn’t know what it was called, and my descriptions of “leggy” and “creepy” were getting me nowhere. Eventually, in my frustration, I just Googled “what’s that bug.” Bingo.

There it was: www.WhatsThatBug.com, a mecca for curious and creeped-out bug witnesses. People write in with pictures of mysterious bugs they’d found, and the patient “Bugman” identifies them, usually with an interesting tidbit about the species. Turns out, my nightmare bug was a house centipede, and they’re actually beneficial since they eat cockroaches and other pests. I’ve seen countless more since that first encounter, and each time I’m reminded of my shameful first impression. Poor, misunderstood house centipede!

I became addicted to www.WhatsThatBug.com. The Bugman’s identifications never disappointed, and his archives were so vast that you could keep reading for hours. That got me thinking…wouldn’t a quirky, gee-I-never-knew-that book about bugs be cool? Not an identification guide, but an offbeat look at the beautiful side of bugs. I’d certainly buy it.

So I dropped the Bugman an email, introduced myself as an editor at Perigee, and asked if he’d ever thought of writing a book. Turns out, he had. He just needed to get his ideas together. He’d already been in touch with an agent—she and I even knew each other! So together, we urged Daniel to get his book proposal together. I’m so glad he did: The Curious World of Bugs went on sale last month, and it’s as fascinating, surprising, and charming as you’d expect from our favorite lone Bugman.

 

 The Curious World of Bugs by Daniel Marlos

How to Use Silence

Posted by Maria Gagliano

 

Today marks the on-sale date of 27 Powers of Persuasion by Chris St. Hilaire. It’s a handy guide that will help you convince anyone of anything—whether it’s your spouse or a boardroom of executives. As I flip through my desk copy, I’m reminded of how Chris’s advice is applicable in just about any situation. A perfect example is Power #20: Learn How to Use Silence. It’s amazing to realize how such a simple thing can have such an impact; and a little alarming to think of how many times we’ve all been swayed by silence (and not in our favor).

 

Seeing as how it’s also the Tuesday after Labor Day—meaning back to work and back to school for many of us—the timing is perfect for a little advice on how to make the most of our hard work. Here is one of Chris’s twenty-seven powers. Use it with confidence, and be amazed by how far you’ll go.

 

POWER #20: Learn How to Use Silence

 

Excerpted from 27 Powers of Persuasion by Chris St. Hilaire with Lynette Padwa

 

All the great communication experts use silence to persuade. Salespeople, journalists, and politicians are especially good at it. In fact, there’s an excellent chance you have already experienced silence as a sales tool. Ever buy a car at a dealership? The typical scenario is that you’ve selected the car and now you’re seated across the desk from the salesman. He waits. You make an offer, trying to sound as macho and confident as you can. He listens to your offer, shakes his head a little, frowns slightly, and says nothing. The minutes tick by until you finally blurt out something like, “I could maybe go a little bit higher.” It’s the classic negotiator’s ploy: the first one to speak loses. Unless you’re a skilled negotiator yourself, you have little chance of waiting him out, because the silence becomes unbearable. He has just used silence to persuade you to raise your own offer.

 

Reporters use silence to draw information from interview subjects. They’ll smile, nod, go “Mm-hmmm” a lot, and if the other person stops talking, they’ll nod again and say nothing for a few more seconds until the interviewee feels compelled to start talking again. Veteran journalist Bob Dotson has described how he uses silence to get the most memorable quotes: “People nearly always answer questions in three parts. First they tell you what they think you’ve asked. Then, they explain in more detail. If you don’t jump right in with another question, if you let the silence between you build, they figure you don’t yet understand and make an extra effort to explain their thoughts more concisely. Often, they make their point more passionately and precisely the third time.” *

   

When I’m conducting focus groups, I do a version of the same thing. I keep asking, “Why?” in order to get to the core beliefs of the participants, and if people don’t answer, I don’t speak until they do. In a business setting, you can use Dotson’s strategy by asking a question and waiting long enough to hear all three parts of the answer, perhaps nudging the person along with a “Hmmm, ” or “Really?” and then staying quiet.

   

As a political consultant, I frequently coach my clients on when not to respond to a reporter’s questions. Politicians love to talk, so this is a crucial survival skill they need to develop. “They can’t print it out of context if you never say it in the first place,” I tell them. Tolerating a reporter’s silence also helps the politician figure out how good a journalist he or she is dealing with, because the best reporters can wait out anyone, no matter how rich, famous, or powerful.

   

Experienced politicians are also skilled at using silence. Thanks to YouTube, you can watch them in action. Observe the way Bill Clinton pauses and ponders his reply in order to make a reporter feel as if he has just asked an unexpected, thought-provoking question. (Do you really think there are many questions Clinton doesn’t anticipate?) You can use the same technique when making a presentation to a group. If you know what the objections are likely to be and have already developed answers for them, the strategy is simple. Listen to the objection, wait a few beats, ponder it, and then say, “So you’re saying that if we do X, Y could be the result. Good point.” Wait another beat or two. “What if we handled it like this?” You have recognized the person’s reality, boosted his or her ego, and dealt with the objection.

   

Silence is useful in other ways too. If someone is dominating a discussion, let the person finish a sentence, then wait a few moments before you respond. It puts you back in control. (No matter how you feel about the people in the room, always let them finish their sentences. If you cut them off, it will seem as if you don’t care about what they have to say or haven’t been listening. Since the ultimate goal is to soothe egos and unify the room, you don’t want to insult anyone.)

   

Once you’re aware of the power of silence, you will see how often it can be used to your advantage. If someone attacks you or your idea, simply let the person’s words hang in the air for a few moments before you respond. Silence always feels longer to the person who is speaking, so that person will already be squirming a little by the time you talk. If you’re making a sales call, rather than bombarding the customer with every detail, leave plenty of spaces for the customer to fill in with a comment or question. That’s what gets the customer invested in the process. Finally, being comfortable with silence signals that you’re comfortable with yourself. Whether you’re walking down a hall with a colleague or flying across the country with him, he will be calmed and reassured by comfortable silence. It’s a lot easier to live with than nonstop chatter.

   

The other side of understanding silence is knowing how to interpret it. Every so often I’ll wrap up a presentation and the only sound will be the hum of the air conditioner. I’ll say, “Judging by the silence, I must have covered this topic brilliantly,” which usually gets a laugh. The natural tendency is to panic and assume that your audience hasn’t understood the presentation or hasn’t liked it, or that you have somehow failed. That’s not how you want to feel when you’re trying to persuade a group. Where does the truth lie? It could be that they didn’t understand you, that they don’t agree with you, or that you actually did cover it brilliantly. Don’t assume that the silence is a bad sign and don’t take it personally.

   

It seems to be a human inclination to confuse silence with intelligence or wisdom. I learned that the hard way. Silence is such a powerful force that I once hired a man who was relatively mute during his job interview. He conversed a little bit, he looked presentable, and he smiled and nodded knowingly to all my comments, so I assumed he was intelligent. I found out later he was nodding because he didn’t have a clue what I was talking about.

   

I’ve thought about that interview many times, because if anyone should have been alert to the possibilities of silence, it was me. Yet because of my ego—he nodded and smiled and generally boosted mine—I forgot to actually listen to him. The experience reminded me that whenever I’m not sure what to say, I should probably keep quiet. People will assume I’m intelligent unless I prove them wrong.

 

_____

*Bob Dotson, “Better Writing at the Speed of Spot News, ” www.rtnda.org.

 

 

27 Powers of Persuasion

Dutch Baby Dinner

Posted by Maria Gagliano

 

I’d never heard of a Dutch Baby before reading about it in The Lost Art of Real Cooking. It’s a delightful cross between a pancake and an omelet of sorts: A little eggy, a little floury, and perfect with any toppings.

 

After making one last night I imagined how great it would be for a houseful of breakfast guests. Or even better, a houseful of kids.  Rosanna describes how she used to make this as a child on Saturday mornings, devouring it in one sitting with a friend.  That got me thinking: How nice would it be to make this my signature breakfast recipe for tiny guests?

 

I started imagining my little niece Sofia (only one week old, but she’ll eat solids soon enough) coming over for breakfast, asking if I can make that buttery pancake thing that’s so good with Nutella. I wouldn’t mind being associated with the magical smell of melted chocolate and butter. In fact, I think I’d prefer it…

 

It’s another one of the simpler recipes in the book, but so rewarding, especially when you don’t know what to expect. And since I didn’t know what to expect, I made it for dinner before realizing Dutch Babies are so quintessentially breakfast. Even still, there’s nothing wrong with breakfast for dinner. Here’s Rosanna’s take on a Dutch Baby:

 

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Melt a stick of butter in a large cast-iron skillet.

 

In a separate bowl, whisk together four room-temperature eggs, one cup of all-purpose flour, one cup of milk, and a half cup of sugar. I used brown sugar and sprinkled the baby with cinnamon after taking it out of the oven, per Rosanna’s brilliant suggestion.

 

Pour the batter into the melted butter and pop it in the over for something like 20 to 25 minutes. Set the table and put out maple syrup, honey, marmalades, and yogurt.

 

This is an ideal excuse for smearing obscene amounts of Nutella on your dinner. I can’t think of a better Wednesday night meal.

 

Make sure you eat it right out of the oven, at its peak of fluffy perfection.

 

 

 

 

 

The Lost Art of Real Cooking publishes on July 6.

The Lost Art of Kneading Cabbage

Posted by Maria Gagliano

 

As an editor, I’m pretty lucky. I work on books that teach me things I never realized I wanted to know. In fact, this blog’s tag line (useful, useless, curious, creative) epitomizes my list. One day I’m learning about brewing beer (The Naked Pint), the next I’m reading about the origins of nursery rhymes (Pop Goes the Weasel). Turn to the next manuscript and I’m getting tips on effective persuasion (27 Powers of Persuasion); after that I’m up to my watch strap in salty cabbage.

 

Yes, salty cabbage. A finished copy of The Lost Art of Real Cooking by Ken Albala and Rosanna Nafziger hit my desk last week, and since then I’ve been kneading, brining, baking, and curing my way through the book. The obsession started when the proposal hit my desk last year. Of all things I never realized I wanted to know, cooking from scratch hit a particular nerve.

 

I remember reading their recipe for handmade pasta, something I’d never considered making on my own, let alone on a weeknight for myself and my three roommates. But something happens when you read these recipes. Something that snaps you out of that computer-monitor daze, that feeling that your city kitchen is too cramped, your work schedule too demanding, your refrigerator too sparse to produce anything remotely rewarding. You just want to get in the kitchen.

 

Maybe it’s because Ken and Rosanna give us recipes as they once were: simple, but not necessarily easy or convenient. And that’s okay, because there’s something about making pasta the way your grandparents (or great-grandparents?) did, even if it means getting a little flour on the floor. Waiting a month for cabbage to ferment into sauerkraut suddenly doesn’t sound like a big deal. It’s slow, but it’s the way life used to be before gadgets, frozen dinners, and treadmills. It just feels right.

 

The pickle recipes really got me. I’m obsessed with all things cured, brined, and fermented. As a child, I’d sneak pickles and olives from the fridge whenever I could. I still do. And yet, it never dawned on me that I could make these things.

 

Last night I tried their sauerkraut recipe, which is insanely easy. So easy, in fact, that I recall querying the authors when editing the manuscript. “You just cut the cabbage, pour salt over it, knead it, and set it aside?” I asked. “Don’t you add water? Where do you get the brine? Sounds like something’s missing. Please revisit.”

 

But I was wrong. It’s seriously that easy. It’s so easy that I’ve now deemed the counter space behind my sink the “fermentation corner.” I want happy bacteria turning vegetables into pickles at all times. Let me tell you, this is addictive.

 

Here are my escapades in sauerkraut making (with help from Ken on the recipe steps):

 

1. Take a few cabbages and cut them into quarter-inch strips.

 

2. Throw the strips into a bowl with two tablespoons of kosher salt.

 

3. Knead the heck out of it. I had my doubts, but after about five minutes the salt starts to draw water out of the cabbage, making its own brine.

 

I started with so much cabbage I didn’t think it would fit in the crock. It broke down so much that it only filled it halfway (check out this before-and-after).

 

4. Transfer the cabbage to a crock or jar and weigh it down with a plate or ceramic jar lid so everything is submerged. Let it sit.

 

This will take about three or four weeks to ferment in a cool cellar. If you keep it on a kitchen counter at room temperature it will work much faster. Just keep an eye on it and skim any mold off the top should it form. Taste it often. When you like it, it’s ready.

 

 

 

 

The Lost Art of Real Cooking by Ken Albala and Rosanna Nafziger publishes on July 6^th.

February: Spring is just around the corner. Really.

Today marks the on-sale date of Talking Dirt: The Dirt Diva’s Down-to-Earth Guide to Organic Gardening. The timing couldn’t be better, given that most of us gardeners are just about sick of the winter doldrums and dying to get some dirt back under our fingernails.

 

As Annie’s editor, I had the privilege of using this book in manuscript form while starting my first garden. It was late May last year and I had just moved into my ground floor apartment, with its little patch of earth out the back door. I was bright-eyed and ready to grow my own food, by God, if it was the last thing I did. “What could go wrong?” I thought. So I went to the Home Depot, got two six-packs of tomato seedlings, a sixer of cucumber seedlings, and an assortment of other vegetables that I’d dreamed of growing by the bucketload. “I’ll have so many vegetables,” I thought, “I’ll start visiting friends with bowls of tomatoes, copious cucumbers, bags and bags of peppers, and they’ll all start to know me as the garden girl. The dream continued to build as I planted, watered, composted, and visited my little darlings in the backyard every day after work.

 

Fast forward two months. Poor Annie, hard at work on her manuscript, stumbled into the unsolicited job of becoming my garden mentor. Everything I needed to know was in the manuscript draft I already had, but still, I was a new mom (so to speak), scared for my poor cucumbers and tomatoes, all of which had developed a layer of mold on their leaves from the unseasonable rain. The horror!  But Annie, kind, kind Master Gardener that she is, walked me through it. She reminded me of the advice I’d already read in the manuscript, held my hand (via email, from San Francisco to my little pad in Brooklyn), and through the bleary-eyed haze of my panic, helped me harvest my first batch of veggies (and many more followed).

 

I—and my garden—am in a much better place now, thanks entirely to Annie. It’s February, and while it’s too early to put shovel to ground here in New York, there’s plenty we gardeners can do to plan for the months ahead. This week, in honor of Talking Dirt’s launch, Annie is offering Perigee Bookmarks readers some tips for winter garden preparations. Listen to this Dirt Diva. She knows her stuff!

   

--Maria Gagliano

 

 

Posted by Author Annie Spiegelman

 

In February, here in California where I live, we’ve had a few happy moments where we can actually sense that spring is almost here. Yesterday the Magnolia tree in my front yard popped into its spectacular bloom. In a few short weeks, gardening season will officially begin. Yippeee! That's when you'll want to prune back many perennials and divide any plants you want more of or to share with friends. Unfortunately, in late winter/early spring, while you're busy smelling the fresh air and new hope in your garden, this is also the most important time to pull weeds so they don't set seed.  (Sorry to rain on your parade.)   

    Home gardeners are more interested than ever in learning how to grow their own food in an economical, healthy and safe way. If you're going to grow food, be ready to be a doting parent because growing vegetables can be a bit challenging. Erratic weather and pests like to come around and try to make you a failure of a farmer. In late February and early March here in California, we can plant broccoli, kale, sweet peas, lettuces, spinach, beets and chard straight into the ground. (Wait until April or when nighttime temperatures heat up a bit more before planting tomatoes.)

     In colder climates, you'll have to be patient and wait till the snow melts off of your herb garden. Enjoy your time indoors perusing garden catalogues and planning your spring garden. You can sow seeds indoors or in a greenhouse now to plant in the ground after the last frost. (To check frost dates in your area, go to www.farmersalmanac.com.)

The Magnolia tree in my front yard is just
beginning to bloom -- Spring is almost here!

     Wherever you live, before planting vegetables or fruit, find an area that receives 6 to 8 hours of sun. (Leafy vegetables can be happy with less sunlight, 4 to 6 hours.) Then weed the area like mad! Next add a layer of compost. Stop purchasing chemical fertilizers. That's like feeding junk food to your plants. They'll grow unnaturally large but be depleted of true nutrients and be prone to a disease or a pest infestation.  Then you'll want to go buy pesticides. We all need to get off that vicious “fertilizer-pesticide” cycle before we contaminate more land and water, and all end up in the wacky shack!

    Your new mantra should be “compost, compost, compost.” Compost will slowly feed your plants and retain water as well. A thin layer of mulch (leaves, straw) on top of that will keep your crops warm in the early spring and cool in the summer.

     

    Good luck, sweet kumquats.

 

 

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