The Cultivator

Salmon, Onions, and Videos

The CobraHead Newsletter

February 2015

Hello, Friends of CobraHead,

Austin winters can be tricky for growing fruit trees. While I enjoy the mild winters, without a sustained stretch of cold weather, the peach tree doesn't become completely dormant. The tree is now in full bloom, but temperatures will dip back to freezing tomorrow and throughout the week. There's not much I can do other than wait and see how severe the cold snap is and whether or not the tree loses its blossoms.

Last week I planted several mixes of mustard greens, and the seeds have already sprouted. I've also harvested volunteer cilantro that emerged in a corner of the garden. I should have already planted sugar snap peas, but they are going in next.

In this issue Judy shares a recipe for Mashed Potato Salmon Pie and Noel explains his onion seed starting method. We also have new videos highlighting ways to use the CobraHead tools effectively.

What's the first seed that you are going to plant this year? Drop me a line at [email protected].

Happy gardening,

Geoff

Mashed Potato and
Salmon Pie

Here's a hearty dish from Judy using the onion and potato harvest:

See the Recipe Here.

Copra Onion Seedlings

Starting Onions Indoors

We are hoping to duplicate last years great onion harvest, plus do better with our leeks. Here's how we get started.

Using the CobraHead Weeder and Cultivator and CobraHead Long Handle

We've got some new CobraHead videos showing the tools in action. Above is one video and here is a link to a post showing them all

If you like our newsletter and our products or if you have some suggestions, we'd love to hear from you.

If you have gardening friends or if you know potential gardeners who might be interested in CobraHead and what we have to say about gardening and eating, please to them.

It is the mission of CobraHead to help people grow their own food and to provide exceptional products and services to all gardeners. We try hard to "walk the walk" when it comes to issues of sustainability and in deciding what is best for ourselves and the environment as we grow our little company. We've chosen to make our tools locally, here in Wisconsin, and we think that bigger is not necessarily better. Gardening might just be earth's great hope, and in any case it's a great hobby.

Thank you,

Noel, Judy, Geoff and Anneliese
The CobraHead Team

In This Issue

Mashed Potato and Salmon Pie

Starting Onions Indoors

New CobraHead Videos

Philadelphia Flower Show

Judy and I are off to the Philadelphia Flower Show this week where we have been vending exhibitors in the Marketplace of the show since 2007. For those of you unfamiliar with the show, it is easily the largest horticultural event in North America and is considered a world class tourist event. The show is the primary revenue source for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. About 250,000 people will visit the 10 acres of exhibits over 10 days from February 28th through March 8th.

The show has been a good revenue source for us as vendors, but more importantly, it has put our CobraHead brand in front of thousands of gardeners including many leading horticulturalists and garden communicators. So we get the bonus of major publicity and a true return on our investment in terms of cash sales that pay for our being there.

The downside to the show is that it is one grueling event. Show hours are very long, it's a 900 mile drive to get there, and it really takes a physical toll on the both of us. We keep saying each year is going to be our last, but it is a ritual we've got down. We are looking forward to having another good show, and it really is a spectacular event if you have any interest in flowers or gardening. If you are attending, please look us up in booth 1030.

While I normally like to let people know how bad the winter is here in Wisconsin, we are really getting off lucky compared to most of the people east and south of us. We've had our share of brutal cold, but so far, no blizzards, ice storms, or other nasty stuff that has made this winter one to remember. I'm hoping that when we return from Philly, spring will start to make its appearance and I can get back into the garden once again.

I've got my onions started, as we indicate in a post here, and on our return, I'll be starting tomatoes, peppers, brassicas and more. I love to grow food and I'm planning for another good year. I've always been a gardener and I'm glad to see the world is now realizing how important small scale gardening is to the health of both humanity and the planet. So join us in growing. There's no better food than what you grow yourself.

We'd like to remind all our readers that we love to grow our own food and to help others do the same. We post articles about food growing and cooking with home grown food on our website blog, and we almost always have a discussion or several going on about food and growing on our Facebook page. You can help us spread the word by forwarding this newsletter to a friend and if you have any gardening questions, drop us a note. If we can't help you we'll find someone who can.

Thanks for reading our newsletter.

Noel and the CobraHead Team

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