New! Persimmon date-walnut tea bread uses super-ripe fruit
New! Brussels sprouts-apple slaw with pomegranate, pistachios and Meyer lemon dressing
Classic! These thumbprints are a twist on a traditional favorite
New! When ripe, the fruit is more juicy, floral than tart
New! Bakery-style mandarin muffins with raisins
New! Premade crust, herbed soft cheese can speed up the prep work
New! Persimmon-raisin scones with fresh Fuyu persimmon
New! Autumn spices and mix-ins boost the fall vibe
New! Spiced pumpkin pancakes make use of favorite fall flavors
New! Dijon, horseradish and more provide the kick
Recipe: Apple almond coffee cake with streusel topping
New! A hint of ginger is optional but delicious
New! Maple sautéed apples make a great topping for waffles, pound cake and more
New! Toasted coconut, mustard seeds and nuts provide crunch
New! End-of-summer squash in a side dish or appetizer
New! A cobbler perfect for a seasonal transition
New! Very Berry Syrup mixes strawberries, blueberries, blackberries -- or whatever you have
New! Lemon verbena shortbread, lavender lemonade from the Herb Team
New! Shopska salad makes most of ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumber
New! Summery bread delicious for brunch or dinner
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Garden Checklist for week of Jan. 5
Take advantage of this break between storm systems to give your garden some much-needed TLC.
* Prune, prune, prune. Now is the time to cut back most deciduous trees and shrubs. The exceptions are spring-flowering shrubs such as lilacs.
* Now is the time to prune fruit trees. (The exceptions are apricot and cherry trees, which are susceptible to a fungus that causes dieback. Save them until summer.) Clean up leaves and debris around the trees to prevent the spread of disease.
* Prune roses, even if they’re still trying to bloom. Strip off any remaining leaves, so the bush will be able to put out new growth in early spring.
* Clean up leaves and debris around your newly pruned roses and shrubs. Put down fresh mulch or bark to keep roots cozy.
* Apply horticultural oil to fruit trees soon after a rain to control scale, mites and aphids. Oils need 24 hours of dry weather after application to be effective.
* This is also the time to spray a copper-based fungicide to peach and nectarine trees to fight leaf curl. (The safest effective fungicides available for backyard trees are copper soap -- aka copper octanoate -- or copper ammonium, a fixed copper fungicide. Apply either of these copper products with 1% horticultural oil to increase effectiveness.)
* When forced bulbs sprout, move them to a cool, bright window. Give them a quarter turn each day so the stems will grow straight.
* Browse through seed catalogs and start making plans for spring and summer.
* Divide daylilies, Shasta daisies and other perennials.
* Cut back and divide chrysanthemums.
* Plant bare-root roses, trees and shrubs.
* Transplant pansies, violas, calendulas, English daisies, snapdragons and fairy primroses.
* In the vegetable garden, plant fava beans, head lettuce, mustard, onion sets, radicchio and radishes.
* Plant bare-root asparagus and root divisions of rhubarb.
* In the bulb department, plant callas, anemones, ranuculous and gladiolus for bloom from late spring into summer.
* Plant blooming azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons. If you’re shopping for these beautiful landscape plants, you can now find them in full flower at local nurseries.
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