Just a block away

I work for a non-profit farming organization whose main mission is to connect communities through food, farms and education. I thoroughly enjoy working with young people and getting them excited about growing their own food.

One of the projects I became involved in a few years back was to create an after-school garden club and school garden at the local elementary school just a block away from my house. The idea was that students and their families would take turns tending the garden throughout the summer months but as we all know life gets busy. And with that, each summer I usually find myself (happily) taking care of the garden instead.

Since we walk by the garden several times a day my girls and I had noticed recently that things were getting a bit swallowed up by weeds and there was much to be harvested (there were cukes actually sticking out of the fence!). And so we grabbed our tools and baskets and got busy today. Our hard work paid off and we were rewarded with quite an abundance of cucumbers and swiss chard and Norah was thrilled to find the first ripe tomato!

We plan to make pickles this week and will save a few jars to bring back to garden club in the fall to share with the students.

With only part sun conditions in our own garden it's such a treat (and very convenient) to have a sunny prolific garden plot just a block away!

"Navette" of lavender

The lavender is in full bloom it's time to harvest it.

I want to share with you a way to keep your lavender and use it in your dresser or wardrobe to perfume your clothes. 

In France we call it "navettes de lavande".

This is what you'll need. 

Scissors 

4 feet of 5 mm colored ribbon ( it is generous but better have more than not enough ) 

Freshly cut lavender ( you can't use dried lavender the stem would break )

A little patience

The one I will make here is with 18 lavender stems. You will need an even amount of stems that paired would make an odd number.  For example, 18 stems = 9 pairs of 2.

  

You can also make them a lot bigger as long as it is still a multiple of 2, which paired make an odd number. 

Example 22, 26, 30 ...

You need to take the leaves of the stem and keep only the top flowers

Form a tight bouquet where the flowers starts.

Just at the bottom of the flowers you tight your ribbon and make a knot.

Then you gently fold the stem over the flowers to create a cage, sort of.

Be very gentle it could break the stem when you do it. 

Then you take your ribbon ( the tiny part from the knot should stay inside the "cage") 

And you start to weave the ribbon through the stems- 2 by 2. two stems over, 2 stems under, repeat.

Try to have the beginning pretty tight.

Here is how it should look.

Keep going until the flowers are encased. Make a knot.

And there is your "navette" of lavender 

ready to hang it in your wardrobe or you can also have it in decoration in a room.

Let me know how it goes !

full baskets & full hearts

first, i'm rather giddy to announce that registration is open for our canning & preserving workshop! we're offering a series of "freckled hen farmhouse ec" workshops to inspire, share knowledge & cultivate the home. 

if you're in the northwest arkansas area, we would love to have you join us! if you're anywhere really, we would love to have you. our little pocket of mountains & rolling hills really is the best kept secret. 

in other news, i dug this wire basket out of a trash pile at an estate sale this past weekend. it has accompanied me to the garden most evenings this week. 

it's that time of year again. that time when we say see ya later to the grocery store & eat only from the garden. it's that time when we fill up baskets of garden beauties for gifting to neighbors & dear friends.

flowers as unique as snowflakes & pink skies at sunset.

the garden is oh so beautiful this time of year. full baskets & full hearts define this time of year.

- natalie

unusual planters

when I was in my early 20s, I discovered the most WONDERFUL book.  I just loved Garden Junk.  I found it so inspiring, because I like old things that tell a story, I've always had more ideas than cash, and, well, maybe I am just a *smidge* tacky.  In the best possible way.  I still have my copy of Garden Junk, and I've taken to planting things in unusual containers. 

At my front porch, I've replaced the chipping terracotta pots beside my steps with new and old galvanized tubs from the farm supply store (for the new tubs) and the thrift/junk stores, or if I'm lucky, from the side of the road!

 

We're supposed to get some rain this evening, so I brought my asparagus fern/calibrichoa planter, a beat up, rusted out galvalized 2 gallon bucket down to catch some rain.  Over spring break I stayed at a friend's farm in Louisiana and found this clay drain pipe (marked with a Hattiesburg, MS industrial pottery stamp), outside a barn the family planned to tear down.  It came home with me.  I planted it (and the old dutch klompen) with chartreuse creeping jenny.

 

I have what is now a large collection of klompen- hung outside my front door, on my chicken coop, in the front porch, and this, my newest pair, is hung right at the front steps.  I planted it with this sedum that thrives no matter what.  Several years ago I tried planting my west-facing back door klompen with a lovely succulent collection, but the heat and my poor watering killed them all.

I saved my favorite garden junk container for last.  This kettle belonged to my husband's grandmother.  I grabbed it from the basement of house she lived in right before we sold it, not sure what I'd do with it, but it spoke to me and I didn't want to trash it.  When we built a picket fence around our front yard I punched the bottom full of holes and nailed it into a fence post.  In the winter I plant pansies in it, and the sedum is happy in the summer.  I'd love it if I could get some sedum to trail out of the spout, but so far, I haven't had luck.  I don't know what Gary thinks (or the neighbors, frankly, but as the other post is a 10 foot tall bottle tree. . . .), but it makes me happy to see it there every day!

What whimsical containers do you use in your garden? I hope you're having fun with your garden this summer!

Sundays

We cherish Sundays in our home.  It's the only day of the week we're able to spend the entire day together as a family.  We relish these days, and yesterday was no exception.  Our day was full of family time, church, naps, yummy food from the garden, playtime and so much more.  We feasted on fresh picked raspberries for breakfast, homemade bread and strawberry jam from the garden for lunch; veggies sandwiches and a big salad with homegrown kale, lettuce, sugar snap peas, carrots and broccoli for dinner; and fresh brownies with homemade strawberry ice-cream for dessert.

Sundays are certainly days we look forward to all week long.

Summer in the garden

The summer is definitely here. It’s a very humid hot day here in Philadelphia.

I look at the garden and everything has grown so much, now is the time where I enjoy being outside and tend to every plant and tree we have. Lucky me this year ( for now ) we have very little mosquitoes. Usually  they are so many and they love me ( unfortunately )

I like this time of the year when things are maturing and some of them are already done.

We are adding a few things here and there but mostly it is weeding and adjusting the space for everyone to grow nicely.

And enjoy what the garden gives us as food.

I dried some oregano, my husband made some basil pesto.

Today, let me give you a tour of the garden.

Hope you are enjoying the summer !

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