20 Sizzling US Barbecue Blogs

by Thomas on February 5, 2010

The US are mad about barbecue

The US is the home of barbecue

We had some excellent feedback on last week’s post ‘37 Great Gardening Blogs‘, so we’ve decided to put together another collection, this time with a more specific theme – barbecues.

Those long summer nights might seem a long way away right now, but there’s no harm in getting a few pointers in advance from the people in the know.

Here’s a list of 20 brilliant barbecue blogs from the US:

1. Patio Daddio BBQ – Musings of barbecue, cooking and life – served hot, fresh and saucy by John Dawson, an active member of the Kansas City Barbeque Society.

2. All Things BarbecueRod & Sheri Gray began competing in BBQ competitions back in 2001 They cater, teach, and promote barbeque as America’s cuisine and this is their amazing blog.

3. BBQ Blog – Learn about anything and everything to do with barbecues from the ‘BBQ Guy’ himself, Brian Pearcy; writer of more than 725 articles about bbq cooking and winner of numerous awards for his famous spice rubs.

4. Slap Yo Daddy BBQ Blog – The online journal of a two-person competition BBQ team from Diamond Bar, California. A great blog about people who really love barbecue.

5. I QUE – Stories about experimental cooking and another blogger who hits the BBQ competition trail.

6. Nibble Me This – Blogger Chris admits that he’s had no culinary training at all. He just loves to barbecue! This fantastic blog is jam-packed with all kinds of clever tips and delicious recipes.

7. Full Custom Gospel BBQA blog dedicated to praising those that have mastered the art of barbecue, visiting and reviewing restaurants throughout Texas. You’ll also find some useful tips about what makes good BBQ.

8. Fat Johnny’s Front Porch – Blogger Johnny invites you to ‘pull up a chair and sit yerself in the shade fer a spell’ as he tells you about his life in Topeka, Kansas, which involves grilling all kinds of delicious food over charcoals.

9. Carolina Sauce Company – The Carolina Sauce Company wants to put an end to boring food by offering the best zesty, full-flavored and fiery barbecue sauces from North Carolina. This is their blog all about their authentic sauces.

10. Q Haven BBQ BlogTed Lorson’s stories from the world of competition BBQ. A superb blog from a dedicated barbecue enthusiast.

11. LiveFireFood explored in areas of traditional barbecuing and grilling. An inventive BBQ blog with lots of stunning photography on show.

12. BigMista’s BBQ Blog – Keep up to date with the goings on of barbecue vendors and husband-and-wife team, Neil and Phyllis Strawder. There’s some great stories to read about and even the odd bit of advice shared.

13. You Gonna Eat That? – Professor Salt, who is part of the ‘Four Q’ Barbecue team, shares his thoughts on food and all things barbecue.

14. Soul Fusion KitchenRecipes, cooking tips and much more from barbecue enthusiast Sylvie. Some really good stuff on this blog and definitely worth a read.

15. Only BBQ Ribs – A blog dedicated entirely to reviewing BBQ restaurants on their pork spare ribs. If you’re thinking of grilling your own, you’ll pick up some valuable pointers on this useful little blog.

16. Sizzle on the Grill – Barbecue expert CB shares his wealth of grilling knowledge with the world and if you’ve got a specific question, you can even ask  him directly. A brilliant blog and an excellent read.

17. Don O.’s Texas BBQ Blog – Don loves barbecue and always wanted to spend some vacation time sampling the best BBQ joints in Texas. A few years ago, he (along with his friend Scott) started doing just that and have been doing it every year since. This blog shares the stories behind their “Calories and Cholesterol Tours”.

18. Man Up: Tales of Texas BBQ – Texas is the home of great barbecue and the author of this excellent blog covers the whole state, sharing all kinds of BBQ related tales.

19. Barbecue Grills PlusThe goal of this superb blog, authored by Oregon-based Thom Richards, is to discover and pass on really simple BBQ recipes.

20. BBQ Illuminati – A humorous take on the world of competition barbecue from cooking team ‘R2-BQ’.

We’d be interested to hear from you if you know of any UK based barbecue blogs. Or alternatively, if you think there’s a glaring omission from our list of US blogs, please do get in touch. We can be contacted directly via the contact form.

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37 Great Gardening Blogs

by Thomas on January 27, 2010

Sunflower

Dobbies - Sharing amazing gardening blogs

Dobbies love telling people about the amazing gardening blogs we find. Take a look at our Gardening Blogs section to see the brilliant sites we’ve already discovered.

But there’s still thousands of gardening blogs we’ve yet to read, so we’ll continue to highlight the best ones we come across.

Here’s a list of 37 we’ve recently found:

1. A Way to Garden – Visit what the New York Times describes as ‘the best gardening blog they’ve ever seen’, written by former Martha Stewart Living editor Margaret Roach.

2. Helen’s Blog – Musings, tips and gardening advice from Helen Yemm, former television presenter turned lecturer and columnist for the Daily Telegraph’s Saturday Gardening Supplement.

3. Victoria’s Backyard – Voted ‘Best UK Blog’ at the Blotanical Awards and quite simply a must-read for all gardeners.

4. GardenHistoryGirl – A fantastic blog all about garden history. The author herself has a degree on the subject and the articles added are of the very highest standard.

5. We’re Going to Need a Bigger Pot – Written by a full-time lecturer in biology and a part-time PhD student in vertebrate palaeontology.  These two passions were combined in a garden containing largely plants that existed in the Mesozoic era. This is a blog about that garden’s story.

6. May Dreams Gardens – Eccentric US horticulturist Carol blogs about the goings on in her Zone 5 garden in Arizona.

7. Each Little World – The author of this excellent little blog describes herself as an artist by training, a journalist by trade and a gardener by choice.

8. Bay Area Tendrils Garden Travel – US-based blogger, sharing thoughts and pictures of the beautiful gardens in their local area.

9. BG Garden Blog – Author Bren enjoys spending extra time growing, caring and taking photos of life in the garden. She shares all in this excellent blog.

10. Go Away, I’m Gardening! – A fascinating blog, written by a Texas-based gardener and focusing mainly on native and adapted plants from the area.

11. Carrots and Kids – Although this blog isn’t exclusively about gardening, it’s thoroughly entertaining and offers good insights into maintaining a vegetable allotment.

12. Greentapestry – Gardening galore on this blog. From visiting public gardens to working in her greenhouse, this retired teacher loves to share her horticultural experiences.

13. Lost in Landscape – Musings of an artist, loosed in a San Diego garden. Lots of excellent photography and a great read.

14. North Coast Gardening – Superb blog from a landscaper based in the redwoods of Northern California.

15. Allotment Heaven – A popular online diary about the goings-on in a Hampshire-based allotment.

16. Gwirrel’s Garden – Author Liz gardens organically and where possible gardens for nature with most, if not all plants being brought in to attract wildlife. Lots of photography and very interesting indeed.

17. The Good Life – Share the journey as Leeds-based gardener Jo attempts growing edibles on her allotment.

18. Name That Plant – Brilliant blog from a landscape designer, writer and photographer living in the Pacific Northwest.

19. InterLeafings – US gardener Laura has had a lifelong love affair with plants, gardens and all the creatures in them. This is her blog.

20. Welsh Hills Again – A blog about the goings on in two acres of land in the Welsh countryside and a great read.

21. Veg Plot – The journal of a keen gardener and proud allotment owner.

22. Frugilegus – Describes itself as ‘a little chronicle of my adventures with mud and things that grow’, which doesn’t do this lovely blog justice.

23. BLISS – The interesting blog of a dutch based writer, garden & interior designer and translator. Some posts are actually written in two lanuguages.

24. Idaho Small Goat Garden – The online journal of an Idaho-based farm, which always has lots of interesting tales to share.

25. Gardening While Intoxicated – Elizabeth Licata is an avid Buffalo-based gardener, who also blogs for Garden Rant. This is her personal blog, which is jam-packed with green fingered goodness.

26. Take it Outside – The blog of US-based landscape design expert Mike Brown. A great mix of funny stories and great insights.

27. Kitchen Garden – Another UK-based allotment addict and another excellent blog. Well worth a read.

28. Prairie Rose’s Garden -Rose admits that she’s a late bloomer when it comes to gardening, but now she’s retired, she fully intends to make up for lost time. All of her adventures are recorded on this fantastic blog.

29. Rus in Urbis – Stories about trying to live a country-life in London and a very good read.

30. Shedworking – The only daily updated guide to the lifestyles of shedworkers and those who work in shedlike atmospheres.

31. The Balcony Garden – Award winning blog about container gardening from author Sue Swift.

32. The Bike Garden – The enthralling online diary of a Texas based gardener and the adventures he encounters.

33. The Garden Monkey – A lighthearted blog about the funnier side of gardening.

34. The Inelegant Gardener – Another blisteringly funny and well-written blog about the ups and downs of gardening in the UK.

35. The Manic Gardener – An organic gardening blog by a ‘wannabe Westerner, a city girl in search of greener pastures’. Packed full of great articles and well worth a visit.

36. This is My Patch – Join Louise on her adventure as she attempts to recreate Eden in her own back garden in West Sussex.

37. Tiny Farm Blog – A blog about organic micro-farming in Ontario Canada. A great read and always interesting subject matter.

We love telling the world about gardening blogs, so if you know of one that we should feature, please feel free to contact us and let us know.

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Gardening Blog of the Week – Greenfingers Guides

January 22, 2010

Lucy Summers is an award-winning garden designer and Greenfingers Guides is the name of both her blog and the excellent series of horticultural books she produces.
Although the blog is still very much in it’s infancy, it’s certainly worth paying Greenfingers a visit as there’s already some excellent articles to read, such as a mini-guide to [...]

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Brands We Love: Desser

January 12, 2010

Rattan Furniture
Desser rattan furniture is widely regarded as some of the best wicker furniture money can buy and many of their pieces are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
Often used as conservatory or patio furniture, Desser’s products have become synonymous with quality, durability and excellent value.
Dobbies are proud to stock a wide selection of [...]

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Gardening Blog of the Week – Matthew Appleby’s Gardening Blog

January 5, 2010

Matthew Appleby’s Gardening Blog is a thoroughly entertaining read, which always generates great interest amongst the gardening community.
Writing for Horticultural Week, Matthew certainly takes a lighthearted approach to his articles, which he describes as “offering an insider’s view of the world of horticulture”.
Sometimes controversial, always witty and often painfully honest with his frank opinions, Matthew [...]

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Gardening Blog of the Week – Tiny Farm Blog

January 1, 2010

The Tiny Farm Blog is a daily photo journal recording the happenings on a small organic farm in Ontario Canada.
Starting back in 2002 with very little experience and a tiny farm, the author of the blog now runs his vegetable plot full-time and has moved to a much larger farm. It’s quite a story and [...]

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Gardening Blog of the Week – The Galloping Gardener

December 20, 2009

The Galloping Gardener gallops to public gardens up and down the country, sharing thoughts, ideas and pictures to help you get the most out of a horticultural day out.
This fantastic journal of some of the most beautiful gardens in Britain is hugely popular and has a large, dedicated community of gardeners regularly chipping in with [...]

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Dobbies Gardening Blog Roundup

December 18, 2009

We love reading gardening blogs at Dobbies, as you might have been able to tell from our Gardening Blogs We Love and Gardening Blog of the Week posts.
Here’s a roundup of what’s being blogged about by some of favourite gardening bloggers.
shirls gardenwatch
shirls gardenwatch has long been one of our favourite blogs and the effort that [...]

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A Concise History of the Christmas Wreath

December 15, 2009

Much like the Christmas tree and the turkey dinner, hanging a wreath has become a festive tradition in many homes.
But where does this originate from and why do we hang wreaths on our walls and front doors at Christmas?

Origins
The Greek god of life and health, Apollo, is often depicted wearing a head wreath and because [...]

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Green Santa Visits Dobbies

December 10, 2009

Dobbies, Edinburgh welcomed a very special visitor yesterday, to help encourage customers to think green this Christmas.

Santa Claus himself flew in from the North Pole, to explain the importance of buying real Christmas trees from a Garden Centre like Dobbies, which source their trees from sustainable plantations.
In a brief speech, Santa declared: “Ho Ho [...]

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