Preparing for Hurricane Irene - Tips to secure your urban garden

Here's some helpful tips for securing your plants, and a recipe for fried green tomatoes, from Red Rose & Lavender, a Brooklyn-based flower shop:


Keeping your plants safe during the storm

In case you haven't heard, There is a hurricane coming. I just wanted to send out a note to everyone with some helpful tips in keeping your plants safe.

Secure your plants.

For those of you with balconies, it may be a good idea to put your lighter plants and plastic furniture inside. With 50 to 100mph winds, anything light that that is left on a balcony will be blown away. Don't worry about the plants that are in big heavy pots, if you have trouble moving them then they are probably fine. Put everything as close to the building as you can. The same rules apply to roof top gardens as well.

Remove the covers from your gazebos and take down any umbrellas and store in a safe place. Remove any window boxes that are hanging on railings and put them inside or on the ground.

Take down any hanging baskets and put them inside.

Stake and tie plants in your garden. Try to secure your plants as best as you can but remember that they may not survive the storm. Take the time to harvest any vegetables that are ripe. Harvest any tomatoes that are close to maturity. Pick the large green ones too and see the recipe below for Fried Green Tomatoes.

Don't forget to cut some flowers and bring them inside. Chances are they won't be so nice after Irene rolls through. Flowers will make even the dreariest day cheery.

If you have any garden ornaments, plastic lawn furniture, chimes, empty pots, garden tools, ect.. outside, secure them and take them inside. They will be blown away.

Time for fried green tomatoes!

Here's my mother's recipe. Use firm green tomatoes that arn't too ripe or they will be mushy.

1. Slice the tomato into thick 1/4" to 1/2" slices.

2. Dip in an egg wash (1 egg beaten with some milk)

3. Dredge in flour that is seasoned with salt, pepper and paprika.

4. Fry in an iron skillet using bacon fat on medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side or until browned.

Sprinkle a little kosher or flake salt on top and serve warm on a sandwich, or on a plate, doesn't matter, they are tasty. Sometimes she would sprinkle Old Bay and a little vinegar on them, but then again almost everything we ate had a little Old Bay and vinegar on it.