Pansies, peanuts, pears and pots. Oh and eggs!

 I love this time of year when I no longer have to depend on store bought flowers. Making little bouquets from the garden to scatter about around the house brings me joy.

I will now always grow kohlrabi in my planters each spring. I love it's beautiful, purple ribbed, upright leaf amongst pansies and trailing vines. And what a fun surprise to look down to find it's hidden, bright purple bulb.

I have always wanted to grow peanuts and am trying them this year in a container. They prefer a light well drained soil so I thought they may do well in a pot. These guys won't be ready until September. 

I have been unhappy with my window box plantings over the last few years. I have tried many different varieties of plants (many of which prefer sun) with disappointing results. This year I decided to keep it simple and plant a few tried and true shade lovers, begonias, licorice vine and Tradescantia.  Everything seems very happy in it's shady spot.

 Our dwarf Bartlet pear tree is one happy camper this year. Last season it did not produce a single fruit. This year there are over 50 pears!

 

I like to incorporate at least one perennial into each of my pots. Since they come back every year, it saves a bit of money on annuals and if they outgrow the pot into the garden they go!  This pot got a purple leaf Heuchera (Coral Bells). I love how it looks paired with the licorice vine, purple sweet potato vine, begonia and pansies. It gives a little height to the arrangement.

After a very long winter of no eggs our girls are laying daily. Since I eat an omelette almost every morning and my sage is in full bloom,  I can't wait to try Annabelle's recipe.

gift idea: basket of garden cheer!

i love giving gifts. simply put, it's my favorite way to love.

 i also really love giving gifts that are homemade, meaningful & fit within our budget. on my personal blog, i share several ideas for creating thoughtful, unique gifts that are affordable. today's gift idea is no exception! it cost us nothing but a little bit of our time.

walking through our garden, i began to think about our friends who just moved to town. you see, we have moved a lot. i know what it feels like to be completely exhausted, broke, unable to find the pans to cook dinner & instead just order pizza. 

sometimes you just need a bit of cheer to get you through the mountains of boxes. 

gathering bits from the garden, i set out to make a basket of cheer. 

i found a berry basket in our pantry & filled it with fresh cucumbers from the garden. 

i gathered a bouquet of flowers & placed them in a mason jar with a little fabric bow. we collected colorful eggs from the coop & put them in a recycled egg carton.

off to our dear friends & new neighbors with a basket of garden cheer, we went! 

what kind of goodies do you pull together from your garden for dear friends, new neighbors & family?

- natalie

Soaking wet

This morning the soil was very wet from the heavy rain we had yesterday and last night. This week we've been cleaning up the garden and planting 

some broccoli, kale, chards, and leeks.  I didn't prepare any seeds inside this year. I also just threw in some seeds for beets, nasturtium, cosmos, and zinnias. I still need to get some seeds to plant arugula.

Today is nice I was able to enjoy my lounge chair with a fresh drink enjoying the black tulips, so elegant.

I am so ready for the summer. 

Anything exciting in your gardens ?

The mint is so prolific! We planted along the neighbors wall and the brick path. It doesn't need much to grow and is very invasive so we manage to contain it and it's still a lot of mint. There is no such thing as too much mint...

I couldn't resist sharing the picture of the dogwood blooming. We planted it on the neighbors sidewalk 

( it's a vacant lot so no one minded ) and this year is the first year it's blooming. We hope it will be big enough when they start to build a house so no one will dig it up. 

The harvest of the day, some greens for my lunch with a little viola and eggs from our beautiful ladies. 

I will shortly present you our 6 chickens.

The taste of pesto in my mouth the basil will be planted very soon.

the perfect spring lunch

as i was walking the garden yesterday i realized how hungry i was and how much food there was to be eaten right in my own back yard. the chives are blooming and caught my eye. in i went for a pair of scissors for a snipping.

next i headed to the chicken coop to find a few eggs. i thanked our hen

and then grabbed a basket and cut some salad greens.

then off to find some strawberries for dessert.



the perfect spring lunch.

and how satisfying to know that it came from just a few steps away.


soft scrambled eggs with ricotta and chives

4 large eggs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese (room temperature)
2 slices whole grain bread or whole grain baguette slices, lightly toasted and buttered
whole chives (optional)

whisk eggs, chopped chives, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium bowl until well blended. melt butter in skillet over medium heat. add eggs and stir until eggs are almost cooked but still runny in parts. remove from heat. add ricotta and stir just until incorporated.
arrange toasts or baguette slices on plate. spoon scrambled eggs atop toasts. sprinkle with more salt and pepper. garnish with whole chives.