Fresh greens have arrived! Get your containers done now before the soil freezes. Enjoy mulled cider and cookies while you shop.
Click here for more information.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Alain Roby to sign New Pastry Book!
Alain Roby's new cookbook
Geneva, Ill. — Acclaimed pastry chef Alain Roby will sign copies of his new cookbook, American Classics: Casual and Elegant Desserts, Dec. 4 and 5 in Geneva. The book signing will be from 1 to 4 p.m. both days at Past Basket, a kitchen design studio, 200 S. Third St.
Alain Roby is a very good friend of Craig & mine and a wonderful person. We are fortunate to know him, Esther his wife, and to have both of his son's work at The PURE Gardener.... not to mention how lucky we are to have had the pleasure to eat so many of his and Esther's excellent food! Congratulations on your new book Alain.
Thank you for the book. We can only hope to make such delicious desserts as you.
Love,
Craig & Annette
A Geneva resident, Roby is senior corporate pastry chef for Hyatt Hotels and a Certified Master Chef of Pastry and Sugar Artistry. Just in time for holiday entertaining, the book features some of Roby’s beloved recipes such as Key Lime Pie with Chocolate Cookie Crust and Chocolate Mousse Truffle with Sea Salt and Olive Oil.
“I love to come up with new ideas with classic desserts with unusual taste, still using favorite ingredients, which gives the dessert a surprising twist,” Roby said.
The book was written for the average cook. Roby provides simple-to-execute recipes and easy instructions, along with an elegant way to present the final product.
“I wanted for everyone to be able to create wonderful desserts to please friends and family, without spending too much time in the kitchen or spending too much money for a lot of ingredients,” Roby said.
Past Basket designed the kitchen in Roby's Geneva home, and that kitchen is the backdrop for the photo on his book jacket.
Roby recently participated in the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival in Orlando, Fla., where he signed copies of the cookbook. A portion of book proceeds will benefit Tiny Hearts Foundation, an organization that assists children affected by birth defects of the heart.
About Alian Roby
Roby has worked at Hyatt Regency Chicago for more than 19 years. His current duties include overseeing the Pastry Division for all Hyatt Hotels and resorts.
He studied culinary arts in Paris from the world famous Pastry Chef Gaston Lenotre. In addition, he has traveled the world, working in London, Tokyo and New York before settling in Chicago. He also served as the Private Pastry Chef to the Shah of Iran and was the Private Pastry Chef for the Admiral of the Joan of Arc, the flagship of the French Navy.
Roby has won more than 20 prestigious culinary awards, including The Grand Prize Gold Medal of Paris offered by the French First Minister and the Best of Show by the National Restaurant Association Culinary Salon 1988, in Chicago.
Roby’s work has been featured in a number of publications, including Food & Wine, Gourmet, Pastry Art & Design and Chocolatier. His television appearances include The Learning Channel and Food Network's “Extreme Pastry” and “Sugar Rush” shows.
Roby also has appeared on three Food Network Specials —“Unwrapped with Mark Summers,” “Mystery Birthday Cakes,” and “The World’s Tallest Sugar Building.”
Roby is the only pastry chef to hold three titles in the Guinness Book of World Records: World’s Tallest Cooked Sugar Building, World’s Tallest Chocolate Sculpture and World’s Tallest Chocolate Christmas Tree.
A Geneva resident, Roby is senior corporate pastry chef for Hyatt Hotels and a Certified Master Chef of Pastry and Sugar Artistry. Just in time for holiday entertaining, the book features some of Roby’s beloved recipes such as Key Lime Pie with Chocolate Cookie Crust and Chocolate Mousse Truffle with Sea Salt and Olive Oil.
“I love to come up with new ideas with classic desserts with unusual taste, still using favorite ingredients, which gives the dessert a surprising twist,” Roby said.
The book was written for the average cook. Roby provides simple-to-execute recipes and easy instructions, along with an elegant way to present the final product.
“I wanted for everyone to be able to create wonderful desserts to please friends and family, without spending too much time in the kitchen or spending too much money for a lot of ingredients,” Roby said.
Past Basket designed the kitchen in Roby's Geneva home, and that kitchen is the backdrop for the photo on his book jacket.
Roby recently participated in the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival in Orlando, Fla., where he signed copies of the cookbook. A portion of book proceeds will benefit Tiny Hearts Foundation, an organization that assists children affected by birth defects of the heart.
About Alian Roby
Roby has worked at Hyatt Regency Chicago for more than 19 years. His current duties include overseeing the Pastry Division for all Hyatt Hotels and resorts.
He studied culinary arts in Paris from the world famous Pastry Chef Gaston Lenotre. In addition, he has traveled the world, working in London, Tokyo and New York before settling in Chicago. He also served as the Private Pastry Chef to the Shah of Iran and was the Private Pastry Chef for the Admiral of the Joan of Arc, the flagship of the French Navy.
Roby has won more than 20 prestigious culinary awards, including The Grand Prize Gold Medal of Paris offered by the French First Minister and the Best of Show by the National Restaurant Association Culinary Salon 1988, in Chicago.
Roby’s work has been featured in a number of publications, including Food & Wine, Gourmet, Pastry Art & Design and Chocolatier. His television appearances include The Learning Channel and Food Network's “Extreme Pastry” and “Sugar Rush” shows.
Roby also has appeared on three Food Network Specials —“Unwrapped with Mark Summers,” “Mystery Birthday Cakes,” and “The World’s Tallest Sugar Building.”
Roby is the only pastry chef to hold three titles in the Guinness Book of World Records: World’s Tallest Cooked Sugar Building, World’s Tallest Chocolate Sculpture and World’s Tallest Chocolate Christmas Tree.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Garlic & Composting- It's Not Rocket Science!
Craig and I have two compost bins and a handy kitchen composter that we use to collect our kitchen scraps. We just planted our garlic and shallots. We added excellent compost from our bins and now need to cover with straw.
Everything you need for the above projects is available for purchase at The PURE Gardener.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Jumbo Amaryllis Bulbs & Paperwhites Now Available in Our Online Store!
Paperwhites 5/ $5.99
Now Available at The PURE Gardener~ Jumbo Amaryllis Bulbs & Paperwhites! Hand chosen by Craig and myself. We chose only the best that our customers have come to expect. Please check back often as we continue to update our online store with excellent products hand chosen for you.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
eGeneva Magazine October Issue
click on photo to enlarge
Now Buy Edible & Ornamental Alliums online at The PURE Gardener!
We are pleased to get our online store off the ground with Edible & Ornamental Alliums! We sell only the best and freshest quality hand chosen by us! We will be updating our online store regularly- so check back often!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
KC Kane County Magazine Autumn/ Winter 2009
Click on photo to enlarge
Click on photo to enlarge
Craig and I are excited to be featured in the Fall/ Winter 2009 KC Magazine. It is the first edition of what I think is an great magazine! The topic is "Go Green!" You can pick a copy up at our shop.
* There is a typo. We do not have a shop in St. Charles. Maybe a premonition?
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Edible and Ornamental Alliums
***Available at The PURE Gardener NOW!
Hand selected varieties of ornamental alliums, red, yellow, & white onion bulbs, garlic, and shallots, Father Dom's Duck Doo, blood meal, and bales of straw. ***
Fall is upon us and while most of you are putting your gardens to rest for the long winter, Craig and I are preparing ours for our annual planting of alliums. Alliums come in all shapes and sizes. While I believe that they are all beautiful ornamentals, they can easily be divided into two categories: Edible and non- edible. Edible alliums include onions, shallots, and garlic. And within that are many many varieties. The non- edible varieties are loved for their beautiful yet strange flower heads.
But there is something that may not be known about all alliums and that is that they are mostly disease and insect resistant as well as insect, rabbit, and deer repellents. Alliums are good companion plants to roses, lettuce, carrots, beets, parsnips and members of the cabbage family, repelling such pests as aphids, Japanese beetles ( YES, YOU HEARD THAT RIGHT! ) and carrot flies.
We add new plantings of ornamental alliums each year. I like to plant little clusters around existing plants. Not only are they beautiful, but they deter, rabbits, chipmunks, aphids and the dreaded Japanese beetles!
We plant them among all of our flowers and tuck them in around every nook and cranny around our vegetables. In the Fall, we also give them full attention. One of our raised beds is dedicated to our heirloom varieties of garlic, one bed is for our California garlic, and one for a variety of onions and shallots- and this is all in our backyard in downtown Geneva, IL.
I use onions, garlic, and/ or shallots in almost every dish I make. And, knowing that they came out of my own back yard and were not sprayed with mildew or fungus inhibitors or irradiated like grocery store alliums are a plus for my family. The recipes are endless! Here is an excellent recipe for alliums found at Mother Earth News .
PLANTING ALLIUMS:
Ornamental alliums are planted like any other Fall bulb. Just follow directions included with purchase.
Edible alliums that are planted in the Fall are to be done as follows:
Prepare area to be planted with plenty of organic matter IE: Fall leaves, compost, etc. We like to use a combination of Father Dom's Duck Doo, Leaves, and compost that we made over the growing season in our backyard. The garlic, shallots, and onions should be planted with "points" up and a few inches under ground. We then sprinkle blood meal ( available at The PURE Gardener ) and cover with a few inches of straw ( available at The PURE Gardener ). NOW is the time to plant. We usually shoot for October 15th. That gives the alliums plenty of time to get roots atarted and shoot up a small shoot before the freeze sets in.
Craig and I have been growing alliums for years. If you need assistance or have any questions, stop by the shop and ask for either one of us. We will be glad to help you.
Hand selected varieties of ornamental alliums, red, yellow, & white onion bulbs, garlic, and shallots, Father Dom's Duck Doo, blood meal, and bales of straw. ***
Fall is upon us and while most of you are putting your gardens to rest for the long winter, Craig and I are preparing ours for our annual planting of alliums. Alliums come in all shapes and sizes. While I believe that they are all beautiful ornamentals, they can easily be divided into two categories: Edible and non- edible. Edible alliums include onions, shallots, and garlic. And within that are many many varieties. The non- edible varieties are loved for their beautiful yet strange flower heads.
But there is something that may not be known about all alliums and that is that they are mostly disease and insect resistant as well as insect, rabbit, and deer repellents. Alliums are good companion plants to roses, lettuce, carrots, beets, parsnips and members of the cabbage family, repelling such pests as aphids, Japanese beetles ( YES, YOU HEARD THAT RIGHT! ) and carrot flies.
We add new plantings of ornamental alliums each year. I like to plant little clusters around existing plants. Not only are they beautiful, but they deter, rabbits, chipmunks, aphids and the dreaded Japanese beetles!
We plant them among all of our flowers and tuck them in around every nook and cranny around our vegetables. In the Fall, we also give them full attention. One of our raised beds is dedicated to our heirloom varieties of garlic, one bed is for our California garlic, and one for a variety of onions and shallots- and this is all in our backyard in downtown Geneva, IL.
I use onions, garlic, and/ or shallots in almost every dish I make. And, knowing that they came out of my own back yard and were not sprayed with mildew or fungus inhibitors or irradiated like grocery store alliums are a plus for my family. The recipes are endless! Here is an excellent recipe for alliums found at Mother Earth News .
PLANTING ALLIUMS:Ornamental alliums are planted like any other Fall bulb. Just follow directions included with purchase.
Edible alliums that are planted in the Fall are to be done as follows:
Prepare area to be planted with plenty of organic matter IE: Fall leaves, compost, etc. We like to use a combination of Father Dom's Duck Doo, Leaves, and compost that we made over the growing season in our backyard. The garlic, shallots, and onions should be planted with "points" up and a few inches under ground. We then sprinkle blood meal ( available at The PURE Gardener ) and cover with a few inches of straw ( available at The PURE Gardener ). NOW is the time to plant. We usually shoot for October 15th. That gives the alliums plenty of time to get roots atarted and shoot up a small shoot before the freeze sets in.
Craig and I have been growing alliums for years. If you need assistance or have any questions, stop by the shop and ask for either one of us. We will be glad to help you.
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