I recently had Nick Sakovich come to visit the herb and vegetable gardens we put in earlier this year here at the Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua. Like a lot of new gardeners, I didn’t grow up farming so felt I needed some advice on what I was doing right and wrong (mostly wrong) and couldn’t have found a better person than Nick, who was the farm adviser for the University of California in Orange, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and ran their master gardener program. Now retired, Nick lives on the Big Island where he gardens on three acres and writes a column for the Hilo Tribune. He came out with his wife for a three night stay, where we filled them with good food in exchange for his help with the garden.

Mostly Nick’s advice centered on the theme of bringing what we’re doing back to the science -- that if you have a scientific foundation for what you’re doing, you’ll be in much better shape.

Here, specifically, are a few of the areas we concentrated on:

The Soil. It’s important to analyze the soil you’re working with so you know what nutrients you’re lacking and therefore what kind of fertilizer you should be using. A specific test for plant pathogenic nematodes can also be performed. Or you can just pull up some susceptible plants like tomatoes and look for knotted or galled roots. The damage is obvious. I’m pretty sure we’re dealing with a lot of root knot nematodes. If you do have them, there are some things to do to manage them; namely plant non-host varieties and species in the infected areas. In regions with warm climates -- lots of sunshine -- soil sterilization is an option. Certain marigold species also help in reducing nematode populations. (Click "read more" for whole article)

Ever wonder what it would be like to chuck it all and move to an organic farm on Kauai? Well, Lee Roversi did just that and, because she did, you can try it out yourself by staying in one of the two bed-and-breakfast cottages at her North Country Farms on the north shore of Kauai. This is not your traditional bed-and-breakfast. Personally, when I hear bed-and-breakfast, I think of an over-designed Victorian where it feels like you've moved in with the in-laws. I know this isn't fair as I've visited any number of really cool and different bed-and-breakfasts but, let's face it, that's the usual rep. At North Country Farms, you instead stay in two wooden guest houses that are completely self-contained and include a welcome basket filled with goodies to enjoy at your leisure instead of a formal breakfast where you’re expected to make chit chat with strangers. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that if you’re into it. Really.)

Amaranth definitely falls into that category. It’s a versatile, ancient grain, but its less-famous leaves are edible too. However, unlike radish greens and carrot tops, eating them raw can be a challenge. Its pleasant, grassy flavor quickly turns into a chalky, bitter aftertaste that feels like it’s camping in the back of your throat the rest of the day.

I recently received a beautiful bunch of dark purple amaranth leaves from Harmony Valley Farm in Viroqua, Wisconsin, and put them right to work in my sauté pan with some fresh yukina savoy greens (which add a tasty mustard component), creating the base for this delicious, rustic, garden-heavy frittata. (Click "read more" for recipe.)