See Ya Next Year!

Posted by Alexis Tirado

Hi everyone,

Our lovely radio blog is taking holiday break. We'll be back with new posts about crafting, cooking, pets, and more goodies on January 5! In the meantime, tune into Martha Stewart Living Radio on Sirius 112 and XM 157. If you don't have satellite radio, sign up for a free three-day subscription here.

Don't forget to join our Facebook group and follow us on Twitter , too! 

Happy holidays and 2009!

Alexis (rocking the furry antlers on the right. The guy next to me is my dear friend Ryan).

A Christmas Wish from Andrew and Tony

Andrew and I run around a lot on our job. We visit lots of gardens, nurseries, locations, go on shoots with call times before sunrise and work 16-18 hour days during the growing season. We're juggling schedules, going to meetings, reviewing and preping and moving and adding and pulling our hair out and loving it all in spite of it all.

We see a lot all year long so when it comes to this time of year, we truly value being able to close our eyes, take a breath, savor the quiet and feel the gratitude for time spent at home with our loved ones. Being with them is what matters most to us and feeds us, fills us up, makes who we are, inspires us to be more.

We hope you, too, will take this time to take it all in and also take a break with those who mean the most to you. It seems like it's always about the 'stuff' when really, it's just about sitting still and appreciating the thing you actually have, each other.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from us both. Thanks for listening.

Fruit and Vegetable Challenge: For the Holidays

Posted by Lisa Mantineo

The holiday season brings together friends, family, and endless amounts of delicious food. It's the perfect time of year for freshly baked cookies, juicy roasts, and, of course, fruits and veggies! This week's Fruit and Vegetable Challenge includes delicious dishes we can enjoy as sides or starters for any of our holiday meals.

For new listeners: If you're interested in making your meals a little healthier by using more fruits and vegetables, then you might want to sign up for our Fruit and Vegetable Challenge. The goal of the program is to incorporate more produce into your busy schedule. If you want more info on the challenge, read our first post about it.

Don't forget: Keep track of the amount of servings you are eating throughout the week and simply email us Thursday night with the fruits and vegetables you've consumed and the number of servings per day.

Asian Chicken and Cabbage Salad
Green Salad with Carrot-Cumin Dressing
Lentil Curry

SEE MORE RECIPES FROM PREVIOUS FRUIT AND VEGGIE CHALLENGES:

Winter Garden Chores

Posted by Dionne Victor

Even though the weather outside may be frightful (in some areas), delight in the season by sticking to gardening. On Tuesday's "Homegrown," Tony and Andrew counted down 15 ways for gardeners to stay in the gardening spirit, even if they're going through a dormant season.

1) Don't forget to feed the birds. Birds are a great addition to a garden, but you need a way to draw them in. Why not try by installing a platform bird feeder?

2) Even though your garden may be dormant, it's high time to start thinking about what you're going to plant for the spring.  And while it's cold outside, why not cozy up with some nice garden catalogs and start shopping for ideas and ordering something new for the spring growing season. Go here for our list of seed catalogs.

3) It's time to stop being an analog gardener in a digital world.  Join the revolution and start with your own online garden journal.  Start slowly with what makes you happy.  If you've discovered that after years and years of trying, you've finally got a great tomato crop, upload a picture of it.  Or if you have any gardening blunders, let the people know, too.  There's more than one way to grow, and sometimes it starts with journaling.

One of 15 things...

Posted by Tony Bielaczyc

...to do this winter.

On today's show, Andrew and I were going over a list of things to do this winter 'in' the garden. Cleaning tools might actually not be done out in a cutting bed, however, it is something you can tackle now to make gardening during the busy season that much more pleasant.

If you're anything like us, your pruners are something akin to your right hand. And like most right (or left) hands, they cry out for a bit of pampering, if not some basic care, from time to time. The pruning tool version of a manicure is replacing dull and worn blades. Gemplers is a tool supply source that carries a very impressive list of brands. You can find replacement blades for your ARS or Felco pruning tools here.

If you have any wooden handled tools like spades, rakes, brooms, trowels, or wheelbarrows that need a little TLC, here's a simple way to spruce them up.

Start by lightly sanding the handles with a medium grade sandpaper, like #80. A wooden handle can develop surface splinters over time, so this step will knock back and smooth out any hidden and potentially surprising snags. This will also remove any flaking sealants that originally came on the tool.

Follow up with an application of equal parts boiled linseed oil and turpentine. Make your mix in a cleaned jar with a re-sealable lid, like a peanut butter jar, for long term storage. Linseed oil is a water repellant and wood preservative. The big drawback with linseed oil is the drying time, which can take weeks. That's where the turpentine comes in. 'Turp' is a solvent that binds with the oil and cuts the dry time. Just remember to apply thin coats. A 1" sponge brush works great. Apply a layer and let set, even overnight, then do another. 3 applications should do. Thinly applied layers dry faster, seal better and makes the handle look almost new. If you want the final 'Martha' touch, gently buff with superfine steel wool as a last step. After all, looking good ain't half bad.

If handles are really splintered, try binding them up with hockey tape, bike handle tape or tennis racket wrap, to extend the life of the tool and cushion your grip.

Still looking for more ways to burn off all that egg nog? Here are a couple of other good things to do for your tools during the off season. Ready, set, go to it!

Countin' em down...Homegrown Style

Posted by Tony Bielaczyc

Yes indeed, we are hurtling ever faster to the 25th. We don't want to make you feel rushed, but rather, inspired by our version of the '12 Days of Christmas'. The following is a list of ideas for gardeners on that list of yours.

"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..." a pear tree, or maybe a high bush blue berry, a fall fruiting raspberry, an antique variety of apple, a quince, kiwi or cranberry. If it is quality, bareroot fruits you want to stuff in a stocking, look here at Miller Nurseries, of Canandaigua, NY. Place you order now for early spring shipment and wrap that order form up with a bow. A lovely gift that will give for years.

Day 2-Turtle Doves are the gift of the day. Doves are in the pigeon family. Pigeons are ground feeding birds, meaning, for one thing, they don't like to light at a suspended feeder. A platform bird feeder is the preferred dinning space for ground feeding birds. Bird Feeders Unlimited is a place to start looking for one.

Up to #3; It's all about the hens, French laying hens, as the story goes. How about Mille Fleurs from Murray McMurray, well respected and simply a blast to visit online itself. Though this

Beautiful Flowers at a Price

Posted by Betsy Karetnick

Recently, I relearned a lesson in flower arranging that I wanted to share with you.

Some of you may know I run a small business arranging flowers and designing gardens. I love it!

One of my longtime clients recently hosted a party for her daughter and she wanted centerpieces to reflect the season.  I immediately thought of the antique hydrangeas I've used for fall that have been so perfect all season. I combine the antique hydrangeas with roses, mums, and fruit such as lady apples and tiny pears.  For larger parties I always offer a trial run for the flowers.  When I arrived to the party location I discovered they had picked purple as a theme color.

Not to worry,I told my client -- I can get purple hydrangeas. And I could, at a painful price!  The gorgeous purple hydrangeas in these arrangements flew halfway around the world before settling in New Jersey.  Many were wasted from the travel and too much chilling and warming.

So here I offer beautiful photos and some flower arranging tips:

1. Try to stick to what is seasonal and local.

2. Give newly purchased flowers a clean cut. Also give the flowers time to rehydrate in fresh water in your home before use.

3. If in doubt about how to arrange flowers, stick to several varieties in a single palette.

4. Look for sturdy flowers with longer-lasting blooms for a party.  Roses, hydrangeas, orchids, and all kinds of greens have great staying power.

P.S. Below are the flower arrangements I made for the party. My client was super happy. Do you have any flower arrangement photos to share with me? Email them!

Photos courtesy of The Portable Garden, Betsy's gardening company.

Keeping Your Live Christmas Tree Well Hydrated

Posted by Dionne Victor

Growing up my family always had an artificial tree, so I relished the times
when I visited my aunt and uncle who purchased a live tree each year.
There's just something about having a live, fresh cut tree; maybe it's the
smell or maybe it's just having something new each year. I believe it really
gets you in the mood for the Christmas, and a well-hydrated tree is even
better.

flickr

Keeping your tree hydrated not only keeps it fresh throughout the holiday
season and avoids early needle loss, it's also the first step in
preventing fires. This is in addition to keeping the tree away from open flames;
making sure electrical cords nearby aren't worn ; and unplugging your tree at
night. For those brave souls who love the tradition of buying a live tree
each year, try these tips for watering your tree.

Fruit and Vegetable Challenge: Snow-Day Dishes!

Posted by Lisa Mantineo

Right now, it's snowing in New York City! All I want to do is stay in tonight, watch a good flick, and eat comfort food. But comfort food tends to be high in calories, right?  In this weeks' Fruit and Vegetable Challenge we have recipes for soup, salad, and a side dish to savor when the weather gets cold! And you won't feel guilty if you eat these dishes!

For new listeners: If you're interested in making your meals a little healthier by using more fruits and vegetables, then you might want to sign up for our Fruit and Vegetable Challenge. The goal of the program is to incorporate more produce into your busy schedule. If you want more info on the challenge, read our first post about it.

Don't forget: keep track of the amount of servings you are eating throughout the week and simply email us Thursday night with the fruits and vegetables you've consumed and the number of servings per day.

Pumpkin and Pecorino Gratin

French Onion Soup

Shrimp and Grapefruit Spinach Salad

SEE MORE RECIPES FROM PREVIOUS FRUIT AND VEGGIE CHALLENGES:

Christmas Workshop: Mario Makes Pipe-Cleaner Ornaments!

Posted by Mario Bosquez

Martha Stewart's Christmas Workshop is a wonderful experience! For the past four weeks I have learned how to express holiday cheer in creative and affordable ways.

This week, the Workshop is focusing on interior decorations for your home. I decided to make the pipe-cleaner ornaments. They're surprisingly simple to make and easy on thei wallet, and it gave me an excuse to share photos of my parrots with friends and family. On the left is my stocking ornament and on the right is the Martha Stewart stocking ornament.