<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893631297200587738</id><updated>2011-11-27T15:18:05.464-08:00</updated><category term='perennial vegetables'/><category term='perennial vegetable gardening'/><category term='perennial vegetable'/><title type='text'>Perennial Vegetables</title><subtitle type='html'>Information on the growing and maintenance of popular perennial vegetables</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>M. M. Day</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14862972400133928814</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgT8IdcqadI/AAAAAAAAACY/9uFzSlEx-E4/S220/me.jpg'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>15</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893631297200587738.post-7179991011989402685</id><published>2010-09-08T15:20:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2010-11-26T11:49:19.839-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Top Five Perennial Vegetables for the Home Gardener</title><content type='html'>Growing &lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"&gt;perennial vegetables&lt;/span&gt; can be an extremely rewarding experience for the home gardener.  Once planted, perennial vegetables will usually thrive for years to come with only minimal effort needed from the gardener to maintain them.   Perennial vegetables are something no vegetable garden should not be without.  Here are five very popular and generally easy-to-grow perennial vegetables:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/05/perennial-vegetable-profile-asparagus.html"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Asparagus&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.  Asparagus is one of the best know perennial vegetables to gardeners.  Once a patch has been established (usually takes two to three years), it will produce succulent spears for decades to come.  There are many varieties to choose from -  be it purple heirloom varieties, or one of the new, and very prolific male hybrid cultivars.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/05/perennial-vegetable-profile-rhubarb.html"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Rhubarb&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.  Next to asparagus, rhubarb is one of the most popular perennial vegetables grown.  Better suited for regions that have cold winters, as the plant needs temperatures below 40 degrees during the winter in order to grow well during the following spring.  Many varieties of rhubarb are also available, both red and green spear varieties.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rumex_acetosa_cultivar_01.jpg"&gt;Sorrel&lt;/a&gt;. Sorrel is a wonderful salad green, and is also popular in soups and some sauces.  It will be one of the first crops you harvest each spring, once established, and is best eaten when young (older sorrel leaves are high in oxalic acid).   It is rarely found in grocery stores, which is all the more reason to grow it in your garden!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JlmartichokeS.jpg"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JlmartichokeS.jpg"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Sunchokes (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Helianthus tuberosus&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.  Sunchokes are known by many names, including Jerusalem artichoke, sunroot, and earth apple.  Similar to potatoes, in that they are a perennial tuber.  They can be prepared in many ways that potatoes are also prepared, although they they have a distinct, nutty flavor to them.  However, when growing they resemble sunflowers and are a quite beautiful addition to have in your vegetable garden (&lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sunroot_flowers.jpg"&gt;photo of sunchoke flowers&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Artichoke_Cynara_cardunculus_Head_2000px.jpg"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Artichokes&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.  Artichokes are a perennial vegetable that are best grown in warmer climates (zone 7 or above), although there are some gardeners who live in zones as cold as zone five that manage to perennialize them (or grow them as annuals, instead).  Anyone who has ever tasted an artichoke heart will know what a joy these perennial vegetables are to have in your garden.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;In my next article, I will be looking at five more exotic varieties of perennial vegetables that many home gardeners may never have heard about but may want to try to growing in their vegetable garden.  For even more information about growing and selecting perennial vegetables for your home garden, please return to the &lt;a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/"&gt;Perennial Vegetables Home Page&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3893631297200587738-7179991011989402685?l=perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/7179991011989402685'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/7179991011989402685'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/06/top-five-perennial-vegetables-for-home.html' title='Top Five Perennial Vegetables for the Home Gardener'/><author><name>M. M. Day</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14862972400133928814</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgT8IdcqadI/AAAAAAAAACY/9uFzSlEx-E4/S220/me.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893631297200587738.post-3954927316691527465</id><published>2009-08-01T08:42:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-08-01T08:59:19.996-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Perennial Vegetable Profile: Walking Onions</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SnRl7AgajPI/AAAAAAAAAGk/iWouez1MQ4o/s1600-h/Egyptiant.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SnRl7AgajPI/AAAAAAAAAGk/iWouez1MQ4o/s200/Egyptiant.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365025120527748338" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Walking onions&lt;/span&gt;, also known as &lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;tree onions, Egyptian onions and top-setting onions&lt;/span&gt;, are a prolific and easy to grow perennial vegetable suitable for a wide range of climate zones (can be grown in United States Climate Zones Three to Nine).  In fact, the biggest problem you are likely to have with walking onions is that they are so prolific you might have trouble controlling them!  They are sometimes called topsetting onions because onion bulbs form at the top of the plant instead of at the base as with regular onion species.  As the onion bulbs grow in size, however, they begin to weigh down the stalk, and eventually some of the bulbs may touch the ground and develop roots to form a new plant.  Hence the name "walking onions" - and these plants may very well walk across your entire garden! (It is probably for this reason that their Latin name is &lt;span style="white-space: nowrap;"&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;b&gt;Allium proliferum&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Walking onions are probably easiest obtained from a fellow gardener (search the vegetable discussion forums if you don't have a neighbor or friend) although there are some garden supply houses that offer them for sale as well.  They are very easy to grow (pretty much propagating on their own), but with the first bulbs you plant be sure to make sure you have adequate space for them to spread.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Traditionally walking onions were pickled in the fall for winter use, and this is still a wonderful way to use them.  You can also, however, use them as a substitute for regular onions - although because of their small size it will take several walking onions to replace one regular sized bulb onion (but given their prolific habit, this shouldn't be a problem once they are well established).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;Photo Courtesy of Dave's Garden on &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Egyptian_Tree_Onion,_Walking_Onion,_Topset_Onion_%28Allium_cepa_var._proliferum%29.jpg"&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3893631297200587738-3954927316691527465?l=perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/3954927316691527465'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/3954927316691527465'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/08/perennial-vegetable-profile-walking.html' title='Perennial Vegetable Profile: Walking Onions'/><author><name>M. M. Day</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14862972400133928814</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgT8IdcqadI/AAAAAAAAACY/9uFzSlEx-E4/S220/me.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SnRl7AgajPI/AAAAAAAAAGk/iWouez1MQ4o/s72-c/Egyptiant.jpg' height='72' width='72'/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893631297200587738.post-2704609166282019722</id><published>2009-07-29T14:29:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-07-29T22:21:15.463-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Five Unique Perennial Vegetables for Home Gardeners</title><content type='html'>In a previous post, "&lt;a href="http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/06/top-five-perennial-vegetables-for-home.html"&gt;Five Top Perennial Vegetables for Home Gardeners&lt;/a&gt;," I discussed five very popular perennial vegetables: asparagus, rhubarb, sorrel, sunchokes (or Jerusalem artichokes) and artichokes.  In this article, I will discuss five more perennial vegetables that are grown far less frequently, but worthy of every gardener's interest as well.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/06/perennial-vegetable-profile-seakale.html"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Seakale&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.  Sea kale (Crambe maritima) is a &lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"&gt;perennial vegetable&lt;/span&gt; suitable for zones six through nine.  Also known by the name Silver Kale and Scurvy Grass, seakale is actually not a form of kale, but instead belongs to the cabbage family.  It grows wild in the coastal areas of Europe, and became well known in the United States during the 19th century due to the writings of Thomas Jefferson, who often praised the plant.  It is often eaten blanched, but is more nutritious (and just as delicious, I believe) if eaten unblanched.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Allium_fistulosum_bulbifera0.jpg"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Walking Onions&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (also known as tree onions, topset onions and Egyptian onions). I once was lucky enough to inherit a garden full of walking onions which grew so prolifically year after year that I soon came to see them as a weed.  These small but strong tasting onions are a delight for onion lovers to grow.  When growing they look like they are upside down, as the onion bulbs actually form at the top of the plant.  The weight of these bulbs will eventually cause the stem to bend down to the ground, where they will take root and soon the plants will "walk" across your garden.  They are suitable for a wide range of climate zones (3-10), and are one of the easiest perennial vegetables to grow.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cynaracardunculus.jpg"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Cardoon&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.  Also known as artichoke thistle, the cardoon belongs to the same family as the artichoke but has a different growing habit.  It is also a perennial vegetable, suitable to warmer regions, and both the flower buds and the stems can be eaten (the stems are traditionally served battered and fried during St. Joeseph's day in New Orleans).  In addition, the stems are a source of vegetable rennet which one can use to make vegetarian cheese - yet another remarkable feature of this unique perennial vegetable.  Gardeners may want to grow the spineless varieties, however, in order to avoid being stuck by the hard to see spines that are found on many varieties.  Cardoons are a perennial vegetable that require a lot of space to grow and time - typically they take five months of frost free weather until harvest time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sechium_edule_dsc07767.jpg"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Chayote&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.  Whenever I visit Mexico, one of the things I most look forward to is eating steamed chayote while shopping in a local farmer's market.  Chayote is a perennial vegetable in warmer climates.  It is sometimes called a "vegetable pear", as the shape of this perennial vegetable is distinctly pear like, although it's growth habit is quite different.  Chayotes grow from a vine which will run rampant and produce dozens of chayotes under the correct growing conditions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tetragonia3.JPG"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;New Zealand Spinach&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.  New Zealand Spinach is a perennial vegetable in warm climates, but it is worth growing even as an annual in cold climates since it will provide a green similar to spinach during warm months, and will not bolt like spinach will during the heat.  Insects also rarely bother this plant, an added bonus.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;For more suggestions and advice on how to grow perennial vegetables, including more perennial vegetable profiles, please return to the &lt;a href="http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Perennial Vegetables Home Page&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3893631297200587738-2704609166282019722?l=perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/2704609166282019722'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/2704609166282019722'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/06/five-unique-perennial-vegetables-for.html' title='Five Unique Perennial Vegetables for Home Gardeners'/><author><name>M. M. Day</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14862972400133928814</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgT8IdcqadI/AAAAAAAAACY/9uFzSlEx-E4/S220/me.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893631297200587738.post-3489023684833140656</id><published>2009-07-13T15:39:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-08-01T08:42:30.060-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Perennial Vegetable Profile: Artichokes</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/Slu7_DZLqpI/AAAAAAAAAGU/1sfmuv3cywc/s1600-h/globeartichoke.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/Slu7_DZLqpI/AAAAAAAAAGU/1sfmuv3cywc/s200/globeartichoke.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358082873604418194" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Artichokes (globe artichokes) &lt;em&gt;(Cynara scolymus&lt;/em&gt;) are a wonderful perennial vegetable and a real treat to eat.  Marinated and cooked artichoke hearts are wonderful in salads, on pizza and more, and the base of the leaves are delicious eaten dipped in butter (or mayonnaise).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you are fortunate enough to live in climate Zones 8 or 9, you can easily grown artichokes as a perennial vegetable in your garden.  Just one well established plant can give you dozens of artichokes each year.  If you live in a slightly colder region (Zone 6 or 7) you can try overwintering artichokes as well - if you protect them well from the cold using leaves and baskets they may be able to survive in perennials in your garden as well.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Colder regions can also grow them as annuals from transplants - which, given how delicious they are, are well worth the effort even if they will only survive for one growing season.   You will need at least 100 frost-free days, however, in order to be able to grow them from transplants.  If you are planning to grow Artichokes from transplants, start them indoors in February and expose them to some cold (but not freezing) weather in March to trick them into thinking they are entering into their second year of growth when they are transplanted outdoors in April.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Artichokes are heavy feeders, so add some compost to the hole when you are planting them, and also make sure they receive plenty of water during the growing season.    Plants can quite large and should be at least four feet apart from each other when you plant them.  If you are growing your artichokes as perennials, they will need to be divided every few years.  You should have no problems finding friends and neighbors willing to take the extra divisions off your hands!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are many varieties of artichokes to try.  "Green Globe" is good for those attempting to overwinter them in colder regions.  Those living in warmer areas might want to try some of the more interesting varieties, such as ‘Violetto’, an Italian variety that produces purple, slightly elongated heads.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For more information on perennial vegetable varieties, please return to the &lt;a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/"&gt;Perennial Vegetables&lt;/a&gt; Homepage.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3893631297200587738-3489023684833140656?l=perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/3489023684833140656'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/3489023684833140656'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/07/perennial-vegetable-profile-artichokes.html' title='Perennial Vegetable Profile: Artichokes'/><author><name>M. M. Day</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14862972400133928814</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgT8IdcqadI/AAAAAAAAACY/9uFzSlEx-E4/S220/me.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/Slu7_DZLqpI/AAAAAAAAAGU/1sfmuv3cywc/s72-c/globeartichoke.jpg' height='72' width='72'/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893631297200587738.post-8831704573684858667</id><published>2009-06-21T21:04:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-06-22T06:41:55.289-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Perennial Vegetable Profile: Sorrel</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/Sj8FC5eH4qI/AAAAAAAAAGM/0UH6Kb59BNQ/s1600-h/sorrel.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 162px; height: 140px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/Sj8FC5eH4qI/AAAAAAAAAGM/0UH6Kb59BNQ/s200/sorrel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350000429684482722" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Sorrel (also called French Sorrel and Spinach Dock) is one of the easiest &lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;perennial vegetables&lt;/span&gt; that you can grow in your garden.  It is extremely cold hardy, to USDA Zone Three.   Once established in your garden, it will likely be the first vegetable you harvest each year.  Some call the taste of the leaves lemony, while others say they taste similar to sour wild strawberries.  The leaves are wonderful in salads, and they make an excellent springtime soup when pureed (see recipe below).  Sorrel is also an important ingredient in many fish and sauce recipes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To grow sorrel in your garden, you should plant this perennial vegetable in early spring.  As it grows, you can eat the thinnings.  The plant will also regrow from being cut.  Once fully grown, it can reach up to three feet in height.  When it starts to send up flower stalks the leaves will become very bitter, so you should try to eat your fill before then.  You will need to divide the plants every few years.  Sorrel makes a wonderful gift for friends and family who garden!  If you are looking for a good variety, try "Mammoth Lyon."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Simple Sorrel Soup Recipe&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ingredients:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Two cups of fresh cut sorrel leaves&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Two cups of diced potatoes&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Two tablespoons of oil, preferably olive oil&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;One cup of heavy cream&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Approximately six cups of water&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;Instructions:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wash the sorrel, remove and discard the stems.  Heat the oil in a large pot, then add the sorrel leaves and the diced potatoes.  Stir until the leaves have wilted, and then add the water.  Simmer the soup until the potatoes are soft (probably about fifteen minutes).  Then puree the soup in a blender or with a hand held mixer.  Return to the pot, at the cream and salt and pepper to taste.&lt;span style="font-family:Arial,Arial,Helvetica;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;(Photo courtesy of &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rumex_acetosa_cultivar_01.jpg"&gt;Burchik&lt;/a&gt; at wikipedia).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3893631297200587738-8831704573684858667?l=perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/8831704573684858667'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/8831704573684858667'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/06/perennial-vegetable-profile-sorrel.html' title='Perennial Vegetable Profile: Sorrel'/><author><name>M. M. Day</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14862972400133928814</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgT8IdcqadI/AAAAAAAAACY/9uFzSlEx-E4/S220/me.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/Sj8FC5eH4qI/AAAAAAAAAGM/0UH6Kb59BNQ/s72-c/sorrel.jpg' height='72' width='72'/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893631297200587738.post-5009934684826976939</id><published>2009-06-06T16:07:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-06-06T16:07:00.323-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Perennial Vegetable Profile: Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes)</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/Simqmw5hukI/AAAAAAAAAFE/fC2GKqOAVnY/s1600-h/800px-Sunroot_flowers.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/Simqmw5hukI/AAAAAAAAAFE/fC2GKqOAVnY/s200/800px-Sunroot_flowers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343990015789742658" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Sunchokes or Jerusalem Artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus), are one of the most beautiful &lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;perennial vegetables&lt;/span&gt; one can have growing in your garden.  Belonging to the sunflower family, the plant produces nutty tubers that to some are reminiscent of the taste of artichokes.  Native to the Americas, native Americans called them sun roots and introduced them to the European colonists who relied on them as a staple during the early colonial period.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sun chokes grow from tubers, similar to potatoes, but they produce sunflowers from these tubers as well (inedible) that can grow up to twelve feet in height, depending on the variety (there are over 200 varieties available).  They are well adapted to almost any soil type except very heavy clay soil, but prefer a slightly alkaline soil. Sunchoke tubers are planted three to four inches under ground in the spring, and then harvested in the fall and early winter.  These are a prolific perennial vegetable, and tubers left in the ground will reseed and spread the following year.  In fact, they are so prolific in some areas they are considered something of a pest as they can be difficult to get rid of once they have established themselves in an area.  Bees and butterflies do love the plant, which is an added bonus.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sunchokes can be eaten raw in salads, used in stir-fry's sliced like water chestnuts, or treated like potatoes (baked, steamed or mashed).  They have a slightly sweet nutty flavor, which some claim is improved by a day or two of refrigeration after harvest.  They are suitable to grow in zones 4-8, and the tubers are widely available online.  Some type 2 diabetics rely on the unique inulin produced by this perennial vegetable to help manage their diabetes as well.  And in Germany, Jerusalem Artichokes are used to make a liquor called Topinambur.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You can find some great recipes using Jerusalem Artichokes &lt;a href="http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blv71.htm"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.  If you are interested in purchasing the tubers online, there are many sources to choose from, but &lt;a href="http://www.jungseed.com/dp3.asp?c=165&amp;amp;sku=04524"&gt;Jungseed&lt;/a&gt; is a reliable source to buy them from.  Even better, try to get some tubers from a friend who is already growing them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For even more information and articles about perennial vegetables, please return to the &lt;a href="http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Perennial Vegetables Home Page&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3893631297200587738-5009934684826976939?l=perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/5009934684826976939'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/5009934684826976939'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/06/perennial-vegetable-profile-jerusalem.html' title='Perennial Vegetable Profile: Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes)'/><author><name>M. M. Day</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14862972400133928814</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgT8IdcqadI/AAAAAAAAACY/9uFzSlEx-E4/S220/me.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/Simqmw5hukI/AAAAAAAAAFE/fC2GKqOAVnY/s72-c/800px-Sunroot_flowers.jpg' height='72' width='72'/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893631297200587738.post-2213117958183047281</id><published>2009-06-04T21:26:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2009-06-05T14:57:21.296-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Perennial Vegetable Profile: Seakale</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SiiemfQg-LI/AAAAAAAAAE0/gn2yaDh_iFI/s1600-h/seakale.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SiiemfQg-LI/AAAAAAAAAE0/gn2yaDh_iFI/s200/seakale.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343695341938079922" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Seakale (Crambe maritima) is an unique &lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"&gt;perennial vegetable&lt;/span&gt; that is not grown nearly enough in the United States, Canada or elsewhere.  Also known as Sea Kale, Silver Kale and Scurvy Grass, seakale does not actually belong to the kale family, but instead is member of the cabbage family of plants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As the name suggests, this is a plant native to coastal areas of Europe, where it grows wild from the North Atlantic to the Black Sea.  It became well known in the United States due to Thomas Jefferson, who praised it in his Garden Book of 1809 and frequently grew it in his own gardens.  However, seakale is grown very rarely in the United States and Canada (although well suited to the climate).  It is, however, quite popular in certain regions of Europe, including England and France.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One reason that seakale is probably not grown as much as it should be in the United States and Canada, is that it has a reputation for being labor intensive.  This is because traditionally the plant was blanched, using pots, baskets and similar containers.  But blanching this perennial vegetable is not necessary, and unblanched it is actually more nutritious to eat.  It can be cooked and served in the manner of most cooking greens, and makes an excellent dish on its own sauted with some garlic in olive oil.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Although it may be a challenge to find cuttings of this perennial vegetable in the United States and Canada, once acquired it is easy to propagate.  It should not, however, be confused with the seakale beet, which is a completely different plant. You may be able to find Seakale cuttings online at &lt;a href="http://www.forestfarm.com/product.php?id=1473"&gt;Forest Farm&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.heronswood.com/perennials_crambe/crambe-maritima-purple-blush-form/"&gt;Heronswood&lt;/a&gt;, but if you are unable to find root cuttings of this perennial vegetable it can be grown by seed as well.  You may be able to find the seeds from an online heirloom seed vendors, such as &lt;a href="http://www.bountifulgardens.org/"&gt;Bountiful Gardens&lt;/a&gt;.  Growing from seed, however, will take nearly two years before harvest, whereas with root cuttings you may be able to harvest the first year after planting.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For more information and descriptions of perennial vegetables such as seakale, please return to the &lt;a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/"&gt;Perennial Vegetables Home Page&lt;/a&gt;.  Thank you for visiting!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="text-decoration: underline;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sea" title="Black Sea"&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3893631297200587738-2213117958183047281?l=perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/2213117958183047281'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/2213117958183047281'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/06/perennial-vegetable-profile-seakale.html' title='Perennial Vegetable Profile: Seakale'/><author><name>M. M. Day</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14862972400133928814</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgT8IdcqadI/AAAAAAAAACY/9uFzSlEx-E4/S220/me.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SiiemfQg-LI/AAAAAAAAAE0/gn2yaDh_iFI/s72-c/seakale.jpg' height='72' width='72'/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893631297200587738.post-5917746066882484776</id><published>2009-05-30T16:00:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2009-06-03T15:44:06.592-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Are There Really Only Two Perennial Vegetables?</title><content type='html'>Recently, many posters online have been perpetuating a myth about &lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;perennial vegetables&lt;/span&gt;: that there are only two perennial vegetables in existence.  A quick google search for perennial vegetables will produce numerous examples of websites and blogs claiming there are only two perennial vegetable. (For easy examples of this myth in action, visit &lt;a href="http://www.butlerwebs.com/jokes/brainteasers2.htm"&gt;Wikipedia's Brain Teasers&lt;/a&gt; [third question and answer] or &lt;a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071025062651AAAWCfZ"&gt;Yahoo Answers)&lt;/a&gt;.  The two perennial vegetables these posters are claiming are the only perennial vegetables, by the way, are &lt;a href="http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/05/perennial-vegetable-profile-asparagus.html"&gt;asparagus&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/05/perennial-vegetable-profile-rhubarb.html"&gt;rhubarb&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is, as my English husband would say, a bunch of rubbish.  Vegetable rubbish, no less. Although it is true that asparagus and rhubarb are two of the more well known perennial vegetables, there are literally more than a hundred (at least) of different kinds of perennial vegetables you can grow.  In fact, Eric Toensmeier recently published &lt;a href="http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/04/recommended-book-on-perennial-vegetable.html"&gt;an entire book about perennial vegetables&lt;/a&gt;, and in it he lists over a hundred different types of perennial vegetables you can grow.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Granted, the kind of perennial vegetables you can grow are largely determined by the climate zone you will be gardening in.  For example, rhubarb grows well in the Northern United States and Canada, but does very poorly in the southern regions.  Artichokes, on the other hand, need warmer weather to be perennialized, and do well in California but need to be treated as an annual in the northern United States and Canada.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In my next post, I'll discuss what I consider to be the &lt;a href="http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/06/top-five-perennial-vegetables-for-home.html"&gt;Top Five Perennial Vegetables for the Home Gardener&lt;/a&gt;.  But for some examples of perennial vegetables other than rhubarb and asparagus that the home gardener can grow: horseradish is a perennial vegetable, as are artichokes, &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorrel"&gt;sorrel&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardoon"&gt;cardoon&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke"&gt;sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes)&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seakale"&gt;seakale&lt;/a&gt;.  Even vegetables that are known to most gardeners in the United States, Canada and Europe as annuals, may be perennials in their native environments.  This is true of tomatoes and peppers, which when grown in a tropical climate can live for years (or, if brought indoors and placed in a sunny location, may be able to live through the winter even in colder regions).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So the next time someone tries to sell you on the idea that there are only two perennial vegetables, serve them some sunchokes with a laugh and a smile!  For even more information and advice about growing and selecting perennial vegetables, please visit the &lt;a href="http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/"&gt;Perennial Vegetables Home Page&lt;/a&gt;.  Thank you for visiting!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3893631297200587738-5917746066882484776?l=perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/5917746066882484776'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/5917746066882484776'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/05/are-there-really-only-two-perennial.html' title='Are There Really Only Two Perennial Vegetables?'/><author><name>M. M. Day</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14862972400133928814</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgT8IdcqadI/AAAAAAAAACY/9uFzSlEx-E4/S220/me.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893631297200587738.post-3110555028701172342</id><published>2009-05-29T16:16:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-05-29T16:43:05.141-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Perennial Vegetable Profile: Rhubarb</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SiBy1t7g-JI/AAAAAAAAAEU/5VbukAwSwlU/s1600-h/rhubarb.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SiBy1t7g-JI/AAAAAAAAAEU/5VbukAwSwlU/s200/rhubarb.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341395425249261714" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Rhubarb is possibly one of the must popular &lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;perennial vegetables&lt;/span&gt; grown by gardeners, although many may consider it more fruit-like than vegetable.  Rhubarb is known for its sweet side: It is delicious in Strawberry Rhubarb pie, rhubarb preserves, and some even make wine out of rhubarb.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable that grows best in cool regions.  Most varieties will need temperatures below 40 degrees (F) during the winter in order to grow the following year, and rhubarb will stop growing altogether once daily temperatures exceed 90 degree (F).  In the United States, the Northern Pacific Coast (Washington and Oregon states), Midwestern States (Michigan, Illinois) and Northeastern regions like Maine are excellent rhubarb states.  Rhubarb also grows well in much of Canada.  Southern U.S. gardeners may try growing rhubarb as an annual, but yields will never be spectacular.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rhubarb is a perennial vegetable that enjoys a rich soil, full of organic matter, and well drained.  When planting perennial vegetables like rhubarb, be sure to amend the soil with a lot of compost, and then top dress the plant with compost in subsequent years.  It's almost impossible to feed this plant too much (well aged) compost!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you are starting a new patch of rhubarb, you should plant your rhubarb roots in early spring.  It is advised not to pick any stalks during the first year of growth, to allow the plant to put its energy into developing a good root structure instead.  Space the perennial vegetable roots at least two feet apart, and as much as three feet is advised.  Remove any flower stalks that form later in the season (again, to promote root development).  You should also divide the plant into many separate rhubarb plants after four or five seasons of growth, in order to keep the patch from becoming crowded and thriving.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You should also be aware that only the stalks are edible.  Rhubarb leaves are poisonous and should not be fed to livestock or humans.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For even more tips and advice on growing perennial vegetables like rhubarb, please return to the &lt;a href="http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/"&gt;Perennial Vegetables Home Page&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3893631297200587738-3110555028701172342?l=perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/3110555028701172342'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/3110555028701172342'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/05/perennial-vegetable-profile-rhubarb.html' title='Perennial Vegetable Profile: Rhubarb'/><author><name>M. M. Day</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14862972400133928814</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgT8IdcqadI/AAAAAAAAACY/9uFzSlEx-E4/S220/me.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SiBy1t7g-JI/AAAAAAAAAEU/5VbukAwSwlU/s72-c/rhubarb.jpg' height='72' width='72'/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893631297200587738.post-3739951809983112626</id><published>2009-05-08T15:19:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2009-05-08T15:52:04.504-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='perennial vegetables'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='perennial vegetable gardening'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='perennial vegetable'/><title type='text'>Finding Space for Perennial Vegetables in Your Garden</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgS018aV5mI/AAAAAAAAACM/gKAXZoIlhSg/s1600-h/globeartichoke.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgS018aV5mI/AAAAAAAAACM/gKAXZoIlhSg/s200/globeartichoke.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333586697556190818" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;There are many wonderful perennial vegetables that gardeners can grow, but perennial vegetables also require quite a bit of forethought and planning before putting them in the ground.   Since most perennial vegetables will occupy a space for ten or fifteen years (and perhaps even longer), there are several factors to consider, and preparations that should be done, before planting them in their new home:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"&gt;Location&lt;/span&gt; - Since perennial vegetables will be occupying the same garden space for years to come, you should seriously consider how they fit into your garden plan.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Many gardeners prefer to locate perennial vegetables such as asparagus towards the back of their garden, where they will be somewhat out of the way after their harvest is over, and their plots less likely to be trod during the growing season.  However, I personally enjoy putting the prettier perennial vegetables, like rhubarb, front and center.  If the perennial vegetable is a variety you need to harvest over a long period of time, you may want to put it in a location that is easy to access as well.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"&gt;Future Propagation and Transplants&lt;/span&gt; - Perennials such as rhubarb can be divided and the divisions can then be transplanted, so that one plant over the years will yield many other.  When selecting a location you should also decide if you want to keep these transplants (or gift them to others) and if so, where you will put them.  Although one rhubarb plant does not take up much space, half a dozen will need a considerable garden block designated for your future rhubarb garden.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"&gt;Soil Preparation&lt;/span&gt; - Since you will not be rotating a perennial vegetable crop, it is very important that the soil in the area you are planting is well prepared. The soil should be rich, well drained, and not lacking in any needed nutrients. Be sure to dig in plenty of compost and any other needed soil amendments in before you set your perennial vegetable transplants into the ground.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By taking the time to carefully plan your perennial vegetable garden, you should literally reap the benefits for years to come.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;Image: &lt;a href="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/"&gt;FreeDigitalPhotos.net&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3893631297200587738-3739951809983112626?l=perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/3739951809983112626'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/3739951809983112626'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/05/finding-space-for-perennial-vegetables.html' title='Finding Space for Perennial Vegetables in Your Garden'/><author><name>M. M. Day</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14862972400133928814</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgT8IdcqadI/AAAAAAAAACY/9uFzSlEx-E4/S220/me.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgS018aV5mI/AAAAAAAAACM/gKAXZoIlhSg/s72-c/globeartichoke.jpg' height='72' width='72'/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893631297200587738.post-5552159549284840838</id><published>2009-05-05T21:02:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-05-05T21:26:21.980-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Perennial Vegetable Recipe: Asparagus</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgEOphULgmI/AAAAAAAAAB0/yJRtoh8bGyo/s1600-h/asparagus2.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 100px; height: 75px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgEOphULgmI/AAAAAAAAAB0/yJRtoh8bGyo/s200/asparagus2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332559540263813730" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;In my previous post, I profiled the asparagus plant - one of the easiest perennial vegetable species for the home gardener to grow.  But since then, I've had readers ask about preparing asparagus and it seems that there are many perennial gardeners out there in need of some good asparagus recipes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To help, I've decided to publish my favorite way to cook asparagus below.  This is a simple, easy to make and quick recipe - takes only about 10 minutes from start to finish!  It is best made with fresh asparagus cut from your patch immediately before cooking, although if you are like me, store bought asparagus is better than no asparagus at all.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Simple But Exquisite Asparagus&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;You will need:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;One to two pounds of freshly harvested (or store bought, if not in season) asparagus spears&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A few tablespoons of quality extra virgin olive oil&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;A few tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;1 teaspoon of freshly grated lemon zest (and additional lemon juice for added flavor)&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Salt&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Freshly ground black pepper&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;span style="font-style: italic;"&gt;Directions:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;Clean and trim the asparagus spears and cut into smaller lengths - about two inches - using a diagonal cut&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and then add the asparagus.  Boil for two minutes, then drain.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Toss the still hot asparagus spears in a bowl with the extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest and then season to taste with salt and pepper.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;I hope you enjoy this asparagus recipe as much as I do.  Happy perennial vegetable gardening!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3893631297200587738-5552159549284840838?l=perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/5552159549284840838'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/5552159549284840838'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/05/perennial-vegetable-recipe-asparagus.html' title='Perennial Vegetable Recipe: Asparagus'/><author><name>M. M. Day</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14862972400133928814</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgT8IdcqadI/AAAAAAAAACY/9uFzSlEx-E4/S220/me.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgEOphULgmI/AAAAAAAAAB0/yJRtoh8bGyo/s72-c/asparagus2.jpg' height='72' width='72'/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893631297200587738.post-2786470531876504081</id><published>2009-05-02T11:10:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2009-05-02T15:49:10.552-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='perennial vegetables'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='perennial vegetable gardening'/><title type='text'>Perennial Vegetable Profile: Asparagus</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SfyRhSkj0uI/AAAAAAAAAAY/_ZpU0LY5v7g/s1600-h/1-1204019023FA3p.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 62px; height: 94px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SfyRhSkj0uI/AAAAAAAAAAY/_ZpU0LY5v7g/s320/1-1204019023FA3p.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331296060006716130" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Asparagus may be one of the most popular perennial vegetables for home gardeners.  Long lived, an asparagus patch can easily live in excess of fifteen years, producing delicious stems year after year.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you are thinking about growing asparagus, you should put a lot of thought into site selection and preparation, as once the plants are in the ground, making changes and putting amendments into the soil can be difficult, and detrimental to the plants growth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"&gt;Site Selection:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;First of all, asparagus is a perennial vegetable that needs an area with good drainage.  Waterlogged sites will lead to root rot, destroying your plants.  Also, asparagus grows best if the soil pH level is between 6.5-7.5, and will do poorly in the pH is any less than 6.  Finally, dig in any soil amendments and fertilizer to a depth of at least six inches before you plant.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Since this is going to be a permanent patch, you will want to think about where the best location will be for your asparagus.  Many gardeners prefer to locate their perennial vegetable patches toward the back of the garden, where they don't have to worry about stepping on plants while tending to their annual vegetable varieties.  Do make sure the plants receive plenty of sun.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"&gt;Plant Selection:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Generally it is best to start with healthy one-year old crowns.  Many gardeners prefer to select the newer all male hybrid varieties since they have spectacular yields and are often disease resistant as well.  Plant after the soil has warmed to at least fifty degrees.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You should plant your asparagus crowns in furrows, five to six inches deep and about eighteen inches apart.  Adding a phosphorous source to the trench immediately before adding the crowns can help improve future yields.  Cover the crowns with soil up to the original soil level.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"&gt;Growing and Harvesting&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is important that you do not harvest any spears during the first year of growth, so the plant can put its energy into producing quality, healthy plants that will be vigorous in future years.  During the second year, you should keep your harvesting minimal as well, only selecting well developed, thick spears to harvest.  From the third year on, though, you should harvest the asparagus to your hearts delight! &lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3893631297200587738-2786470531876504081?l=perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/2786470531876504081'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/2786470531876504081'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/05/perennial-vegetable-profile-asparagus.html' title='Perennial Vegetable Profile: Asparagus'/><author><name>M. M. Day</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14862972400133928814</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgT8IdcqadI/AAAAAAAAACY/9uFzSlEx-E4/S220/me.jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SfyRhSkj0uI/AAAAAAAAAAY/_ZpU0LY5v7g/s72-c/1-1204019023FA3p.jpg' height='72' width='72'/></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893631297200587738.post-2432476041210170451</id><published>2009-04-23T07:24:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-04-29T07:19:55.177-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Recommended Book on Perennial Vegetable Gardening</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;Book Review&lt;/span&gt;: &lt;span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"&gt;Perennial Vegetables&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=gardeperenpla-20&amp;amp;o=1&amp;amp;p=8&amp;amp;l=as1&amp;amp;asins=1931498407&amp;amp;fc1=000000&amp;amp;IS2=1&amp;amp;lt1=_blank&amp;amp;m=amazon&amp;amp;lc1=0000FF&amp;amp;bc1=FFFFFF&amp;amp;bg1=FFFFFF&amp;amp;f=ifr&amp;amp;npa=1" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In &lt;u&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight:bold;"&gt;Perennial Vegetables&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/u&gt;, Eric Toensmeier discusses over a hundred different varieties of vegetables with a perennial growing habit and important perennial vegetable cultivation techniques, including site selection and preparation. Toensmeier provides detailed information about the growing habit of both popular perennial vegetable varieties, such as rhubarb, artichoke and asparagus, as well as lesser known varieties that gardeners may want to experiment with, including Sea Beets and Air Potatoes.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The book is well suited for growers in a variety of climate zones, and includes a section on design ideas to help with garden layout. Both beginning and advanced gardeners interested in learning more about the the growing of perennial vegetable varieties will find this book a valuable addition to their gardening library.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3893631297200587738-2432476041210170451?l=perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/2432476041210170451'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/2432476041210170451'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/04/recommended-book-on-perennial-vegetable.html' title='Recommended Book on Perennial Vegetable Gardening'/><author><name>M. M. Day</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14862972400133928814</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgT8IdcqadI/AAAAAAAAACY/9uFzSlEx-E4/S220/me.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893631297200587738.post-718569824780344474</id><published>2009-04-21T20:50:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-05-07T12:38:20.807-07:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='perennial vegetable gardening'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='perennial vegetable'/><title type='text'>Welcome to Perennial Vegetables</title><content type='html'>Perennial gardening is not just about flowers.  There are many wonderful &lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;perennial vegetable&lt;/span&gt; species that return year after year, and any perennial or vegetable gardener should seriously consider adding perennial vegetables to their garden repertoire. This website is devoted to providing useful information on perennial vegetable gardening.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the right hand column you will find links to a variety of articles written on perennial vegetables, as well as links to other perennial gardening pages.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To go to the main page of the perennial vegetable blog and read the most recent blog entry, please &lt;a href="http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com"&gt;click here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Happy gardening!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3893631297200587738-718569824780344474?l=perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/718569824780344474'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/718569824780344474'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/04/welcome-to-perennial-vegetables.html' title='Welcome to Perennial Vegetables'/><author><name>M. M. Day</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14862972400133928814</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgT8IdcqadI/AAAAAAAAACY/9uFzSlEx-E4/S220/me.jpg'/></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893631297200587738.post-8630015920204468320</id><published>2009-04-21T18:05:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2009-05-04T08:35:36.575-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Privacy Policy</title><content type='html'>&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;Privacy Policy for perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The privacy of our visitors to perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com is important to us. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;At perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com, we recognize that privacy of your personal information is important. Here is information on what types of personal information we receive and collect when you use and visit perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com, and how we safeguard your information. We never sell your personal information to third parties.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Log Files&lt;br /&gt;As with most other websites, we collect and use the data contained in log files. The information in the log files include your IP (internet protocol) address, your ISP (internet service provider, such as AOL or Shaw Cable), the browser you used to visit our site (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox), the time you visited our site and which pages you visited throughout our site. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Cookies and Web Beacons&lt;br /&gt;We do use cookies to store information, such as your personal preferences when you visit our site. This could include only showing you a popup once in your visit, or the ability to login to some of our features, such as forums.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;We also use third party advertisements on perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com to support our site. Some of these advertisers may use technology such as cookies and web beacons when they advertise on our site, which will also send these advertisers (such as Google through the Google AdSense program) information including your IP address, your ISP , the browser you used to visit our site, and in some cases, whether you have Flash installed. This is generally used for geotargeting purposes (showing New York real estate ads to someone in New York, for example) or showing certain ads based on specific sites visited (such as showing cooking ads to someone who frequents cooking sites).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on your site. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Google's use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to your users based on their visit to your sites and other sites on the Internet. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the &lt;a href="http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html"&gt;Google ad and content network privacy policy&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;You can chose to disable or selectively turn off our cookies or third-party cookies in your browser settings, or by managing preferences in programs such as Norton Internet Security. However, this can affect how you are able to interact with our site as well as other websites. This could include the inability to login to services or programs, such as logging into forums or accounts.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;AdSense Privacy Policy Provided by &lt;a href="http://www.blogger.com/%E2%80%9Dhttp://www.JenSense.com%E2%80%9D"&gt;JenSense&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;!--Session data--&gt;&lt;input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"&gt;&lt;div id="refHTML"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3893631297200587738-8630015920204468320?l=perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/8630015920204468320'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/3893631297200587738/posts/default/8630015920204468320'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://perennial-vegetables.blogspot.com/2009/04/privacy-policy.html' title='Privacy Policy'/><author><name>M. M. Day</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/14862972400133928814</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_i-2JmZiALB0/SgT8IdcqadI/AAAAAAAAACY/9uFzSlEx-E4/S220/me.jpg'/></author></entry></feed>
