
Renee's Garden Gifts

Cucumbers
Everyone loves condiments and pickles to add flavor and spice to meals, and homemade jars of condiments in beautiful jewel tones are satisfying to both give and receive. For cucumber pickles, plan early to trellis your pickling cukes up short supports. This way they'll grow straight and clean and the fruits will color up evenly. My favorite varieties are versatile "Garden Oasis" and slim "Chelsea Prize." Pick them small and young before they get seedy for best flavor. Cucumbers need consistent moisture and rich fertile soil to grow well and have sweet flavor and crisp texture. Plant 3 or 4 hills so you'll have big harvests to process. Other good pickling vegetables include green beans, baby carrots, button onions, pac choi, kohlrabi, jalapeno chiles, and sugar snap peas. All are delicious when flavored with garlic and aromatic herbs like dill, tarragon, basil, or thyme in a good all purpose vinegar brine. If you like cucumbers, check out my Ginger-Lime Cucumber Chips recipe!
Tomatoes
Lavender
Harvest the stems in small bunches and tie them snugly together with string or rubber bands. Hang the bunches upside down to air dry for about a week in a dry place with good air circulation out of sunlight. Once dry, you can re-tie the bunches with pretty ribbon and wrap them in lavender tissue paper for gift giving. Their wonderful perfume and soft color will be much appreciated! To make sachets, rub the lavender florets off the stems with your fingers over a sheet, then collect in a bucket. Fill little muslin bags and tie with satin ribbons. Or buy lacy baby socks, stuff loosely with lavender florets and close with a few stitches under the cuff. Lavender sachets are delightful when tucked into the linen closet to softly scent sheets and towels or help protect and freshen wool sweaters.
Chiles![]() |
Renee's Garden Seed To create Renee's gifts from the garden, add these plants to your garden:
To purchase these and other
Try these great recipes from Renee's cookbooks: Green Bean Pate with Basil |
Tomatoes
Lavender
Harvest the stems in small bunches and tie them snugly together with string or rubber bands. Hang the bunches upside down to air dry for about a week in a dry place with good air circulation out of sunlight. Once dry, you can re-tie the bunches with pretty ribbon and wrap them in lavender tissue paper for gift giving. Their wonderful perfume and soft color will be much appreciated! To make sachets, rub the lavender florets off the stems with your fingers over a sheet, then collect in a bucket. Fill little muslin bags and tie with satin ribbons. Or buy lacy baby socks, stuff loosely with lavender florets and close with a few stitches under the cuff. Lavender sachets are delightful when tucked into the linen closet to softly scent sheets and towels or help protect and freshen wool sweaters.
Chiles![]() |
Renee's Garden Seed To create Renee's gifts from the garden, add these plants to your garden:
To purchase these and other
Try these great recipes from Renee's cookbooks: Green Bean Pate with Basil |