Choosing a gift for twins is easy, right? Matching outfits, of course! As a mom of boy girl twins, I do love coordinating outfits. But, maybe I wouldn’t if they were identical. Some parents prefer to encourage their twins’ individuality from the beginning, or would rather not have their closets overflowing with double outfits! If …
Thanksgiving is easily one of my absolute favorite holidays of the year. I love to cook, but I’m afraid my Thanksgiving cooking resume is quite underwhelming. What do I make for thanksgiving each year? Usually, just one thing: a strawberry banana jello salad.
I live in the high desert of California. Everything dries out here–very quickly–even if you don’t want it to. Food, skin, grass and plants, you name it. So I admit that for me, drying herbs is usually not too complicated. But besides just drying, there are plenty of different ways to save your fresh herbs. …
Welcome to my special November series topic–twins! Today we finish off my crazy twin birth story with part two, their unique delivery (find part one here ).
Have you tasted a delicious fall persimmon yet this year? Or are you a bit confused by them like I was at first? I remember the first time I ever saw the strange reddish-orange fruit, in a basket in my Grandma Lucy’s RV during our traditional November family beach trip. At first I thought they …
“…I Just have a black thumb when it comes to growing things!” To be honest, I don’t often really believe this statement when I hear it from someone. Or rather, I don’t believe that it’s an unchangeable fact! Sure, I believe you’ve accidentally killed some plants. Haven’t we all? But I also believe that with …
Looking for a highly nutritious vegetable that is great for all growers, no matter how much space or growing experience you have? Swiss chard is a versatile, pretty, and easy-to-grow vegetable that is a great option for beginners. It has great health value and can easily be grown in pots, even if sunlight is too …
Are you wondering what to do with all the tomatoes piled on your counter? (What a great problem to have!) This is the perfect chance to blanch, peel, and preserve them for all your tomato recipes…. and you don’t even need “Little House on the Prairie” skills to do it. All you need is a …
How to Blanch Tomatoes for Freezing, Canning, or Cooking Read More »
For the most part, my memories of gardening as a kid are vague. There are a few specific ones—like that my mom’s favorite tomato varieties at the time were called Early Girl and Better Boy ( I thought it was funny that the plants were “boys” and “girls”). With our wild mountain property, she always cautioned me to keep an eye and ear out for snakes. I remember our corn harvests were a little underwhelming. But aside from that I couldn’t tell you much about our little plot and what we grew on it. Tomatoes were the main thing I appreciated, since I didn’t like squash til I was older and we never grew peppers.
Yet, clearly the garden had an effect on me.
From an early age I would declare “yard work” my favorite family chore, and I loved biology in school. I am still a big fan of fruits and veggies to this day, even many that I did not like in those days. And as I’m sure you can guess from this blog, the garden is still my happy place—where magic happens daily and the cares of the world disappear into the calm silence of growing things.
Spring planting is often filled with hope and excitement, visions of a bountiful harvest and plans for what you will do with all of your extra garden produce. But does summer have you feeling discouraged as you wait for a harvest that is slow or nonexistent?
There’s nothing like a good tomato cream sauce… especially if you can’t have cream! The secret ingredient may surprise you, but whether you pair it with veggies, pasta, or bread, this rich and creamy dairy-free tomato cream sauce will not disappoint!
This fresh & authentic-tasting easy blender salsa is always a hit with company! It’s so easy, it’s hardly worth calling a recipe, but it’s good nonetheless! (I admit, I rarely stick to recipes anyway.) It may be cheating a bit, but the good news is that it’s only 3 ingredients , and your friends will …
My great grandparents were gardeners, too. They had a lovely big garden in the Midwest where my Mom grew up, and she still swears they grew the best corn she ever tasted. She remembers how she and her siblings would be sent out to pick some for dinner and hurry it straight in to the …
Bush beans are a tasty and productive addition to your garden, but the main downside is leaning down to pick them day after day. This DIY elevated planter from a recycled table is just one clever (and cheap) solution of many to solve that problem!
How do you choose a fertilizer? Did you know that different types of plants have different fertilizer needs? And that those needs can be different at different times in their life cycle? Don’t worry though, I’ll help you sort out what you need in a few steps.
Grilled squash is such an easy summer side dish and a quick recipe to use zucchini and summer squash from your garden. All you need is your barbeque grill.