Old-Fashioned Strawberry Jam It’s strawberry season and the kitchen counter is filled with canning jars, sugar, and berries. I gave up making jam with pectin long ago. My jam takes a little longer to boil, but the natural pectin in the fruit, along with the added pectin in the lemon zest produces a reliably thick, chunky […]
Hygge in the Garden
Five Ways to Find Hygge in the Garden Coming home to the garden after a week of travel was not the homecoming I had anticipated. Instead, I felt stressed. There was simply too much to do. But wait! I remembered that my garden was my sanctuary, the place I go to de-stress and relax. Over […]
Booktopia
In May, I attended a Booktopia event at our local Northshire Bookstore, featuring eight talented authors who graciously talked about sources of inspiration and read excerpts from their new books. The event left me spellbound by all the authors, the readers who attended, and the range of stories. Needless to say, I stocked up on my summer […]
Heirloom Apples
Every fall, heirloom apples drop to the ground from a tree that was planted in my backyard 100 years ago. Each spring it blooms magnificently, followed by tart green apples that make a hearty applesauce, simmered with a bit of cinnamon. It’s not a named variety, and I’ve noticed other similar heirloom apple trees in the neighborhood, most likely […]
Permaculture Garden
What is Permaculture? It’s for the long term. Permaculture design emphasizes patterns that function with the existing landscape to allow all species to thrive. The result can often be surprising. Often gardeners select specimen plants as a focal point, yet in permaculture, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Selecting plants to […]
Pesto Spiral Rolls
Last fall, I made several batches of sweet pesto for the freezer with the idea that it would stretch the summer season into the winter months. But eating seasonally means enjoying winter foods: roasted vegetables, ginger carrot soup, spicy applesauce. Before I start my new garden season, it’s time to clean out the freezer which […]
Better Homes and Gardens. March Issue
If you are looking at the March issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, check out page 118 to see an article about my kitchen garden. Titled: Green Giant. Here is a link to a pdf: March 2017. Better Home and Gardens Magazine Article: Green Giant. And a short excerpt… I Get Inspired By: Talking to other gardeners […]
