Going to make my garden grow

“Their catalog is an encyclopedic romp through enough plant history to keep a garden geek awake at night well into planting season…”  The Houston Chronicle.

I had recently heard about Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.  And as luck would have it, we passed through Petaluma this past weekend. 

A visit is nice but what you really want is their awesome seed catalog/free at the store/a small charge for mailing one to you: RARESEEDS.COM

Click on arrow below for music your might remember:

Great ideas and and every imaginable seed for growing whatever/wherever you happen to live.  Paging through the pictures is, in itself, an experience.  Planting the packets would take it to another level. 

And if you’re in the area, stop by Risibisi for lunch.  The best minestrone soup either of us have ever had.

154 Petaluma Blvd. North
Petaluma, CA 94952
Call: 707-766-7600
Fax: 707-766-7610

Given the extraordinarily flavorful salads we've gathered from our garden this week, I could quite easily imagine becoming a full-fledged vegetarian. 

This is an Astounding Shift.  Truly a fresh perspective.  One worth considering. 

You might also enjoy: 

gardening with kids

wheel it anywhere gardens

launching a new look in the garden



Let your vacation begin

Join me for a walk through forty acres of tropical rainforest nestled near the ocean just eight and a half miles north of Hilo, HI.  If you're vacationing on the Kona coast and decide to take the two-hour trek to the other side of the island, call ahead for a weather report.  While it was overcast on all of my many visits, I’ve yet to encounter rain/I think I've been extraordinarily lucky.  Guidebooks warn of mosquitoes the size of small birds/again, I’ve never witnessed even one.  But bring mosquito repellent just in case. 

It's the Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Garden on The Big Island.  Unbelievable foliage and flowers.  The photos are completely natural/I did nothing to enhance my images in any way.  Nature/pretty phenomenal stuff.

Make your walk even better by clicking below to enjoy a little slack key guitar. 

And if you like the music, check out a few of my favorites.  Lovely listening at home, in the office or on the road.  Have a nice trip.

Oh, PS, if you think that I'm making a killing on Amazon links, think again.  I've made a grand total of...are you ready????  $7.50 so far this year/WOW.  YES! 

Know that my recommendations are, as always, just that/recommendations.  Not attempts to make a fortune.  Though that could be fun, couldn't it? 

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Expanding your summer repertoire

Bolani, the wonderful Afghani flatbread, is back in the blog.

For good reason.  Each time I serve it, I receive the same response:  Love the mix of textures, flavors, colors.  

My only addition has been edible flowers and/or herbs from our garden.  And, as much as I’ve shared this flaky pastry with friends and family, no one has tired of consuming new combinations. 

My current favorite:  Pumpkin Bolani topped with garlic mint cheese, sun-dried tomato hummus and finished off with sweet jalapeño jelly.

Thanks to Anne’s ingenuity, a thorough search of the site revealed that they do indeed ship across the country.  So what was originally found only in Bay Area Farmer’s Markets and Whole Foods can be enjoyed on both coasts and everywhere in between.  Shop and ship here:  http://www.bolaniandsauce.com/pgallery.php.

If you live on the SF Peninsula, enjoy generous samples each Sunday at the California Avenue Farmer’s Market, Palo Alto, CA.

Be sure to check out their website, http://www.bolaniandsauce.com/home.php, for additional recipes.   "Recipe" is too big a word for the little effort it takes to enjoy something so flavorful.

Bolani continues to be my top pick for a super fast/incredibly easy/definitely delicious appetizer or light meal. 

What about you?  What easy/fresh/flavorful ideas beyond Bolani do you have for simplifying summer meals and/or entertaining? 

You might also enjoy:  Sweet and Savory.

Thanks, Linda. Remarkable footage.

Something you probably thought was impossible:  Taking a 1906 streetcar ride in San Francisco! Filmed just four days before the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire that destroyed so much of SF, this footage had been shipped by train to New York for processing.

Here's a terrific opportunity to enjoy some time-travel. The film was taken from a streetcar traveling down Market Street.  You can clearly see the clock tower at the Embarcadero Wharf/still standing. The quality and detail is great, so be sure to view it full screen.

The footage was originally thought to be from 1905 until David Kiehn with the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum determined exactly when it was shot.  New York trade papers announced the film, the streets were wet from recent heavy rainfall and shadows indicated time of year.  Weather conditions exist on historical records.  Additionally, the cars were registered so he could determine who the owners were and when the plates were issued.

According to Wikipedia, traffic signal lights were not invented until 1912 and not common for some years later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=NINOxRxze9k 

Father's Day Fun!

Quite a day

Quite a wonderful day. 

And I think we’re on to something.  After Judi, Jan and Susan left, I began experimenting with leftovers from our time together.  Spreadable goat cheese, purple basil, miscellaneous edible flowers.  

Then, for some reason, all my pictures disappeared.  Last time that I "delete originals" after importing them.  Not good.

It was a spontaneous “Come at 4:30 to brainstorm ideas for Father’s Day and beyond.”

We began picking and eating fresh things from the boxes and mixing them with what little I had on hand (Bolani, goat cheese, a few ready-made sauces). 

Judi rolled a piece of arugula around the goat cheese.  And it went from there. 

Not only were the ideas that were generated ones that I definitely/ultimately want to implement (go horizontal with fabric to define an intimate eating space) but sharing time together laughing in the newly formed, not quite completed, garden, was simply terrific.   Thank you, good friends.

Let’s do that again.  And again.  Soon, OK? 

Next time, I’ll give advance warning so that perhaps you, too, will join us! 

And, Anne, I loved our time together both walking this morning and tonight after your Big Tournament. 

Much love and safe travels to you, wonderful person/mom/soon-to-be grandmother.

You HAVE to be kidding

Not a sport that I'll be taking up in the near future.  Clearly a talented/strong survivor showing what's possible. 

Click here to see "Monkey Mind" at work in very unconventional ways.

Lots of pieces to place in the puzzle of life today. 

I hope you find this video as amazing as I did.  WHOA. 

Thanks, Susan W!

Take a look at  www.unitedstatesoffood.com

Creative business and source for gift ideas.   They educate, promote home gardens and healthy eating and even have a literary component.

WIA garden update

OK, I know some of you were a little skeptical about my wheel-it-anywhere, moveable feast.  But take a look now.  Little yellow squashes almost ready to harvest/much farther along than those planted earlier in our beds.  Bees buzzing around the licorice basil.  Nasturtiums nodding in the wind.  Exceedingly happy marigolds/a fun addition to salads or beverages/see below.

It's not too late to enjoy this edible/educational/green and growing concept.  And, more importantly, to share it with your child and/or grandchild.  Or simply with yourself.

Just pick up a bag or two of potting soil.  Position plants into holes that you've poked in the plastic.  Plant strawberries down one side.  Herbs down the other.  A tomato on top and a squash of some sort.  Basil to compliment the tomatoes.  Nasturtiums to accent the dish. 

Here's to you, amazing miniature garden on a wagon. 

Trust me, this little garden is well worth the small amount of effort it takes to construct it. 

You'll be delighted you did.

Update on Tuesday, June 15, 2010 at 7:16AM by Lois

BEFORE.  Just a few weeks ago! 

Everything under the sun

Except that which sits under the shade cloth. 

Fun/sometimes funky/definitely friendly/very informative.  What could be better?  You may have heard about their collection of roses. What you may not know is that they stock all the traditional annuals and perennials as well as an abundance of other plants that you might not find at most other garden centers.

Crank up your volume.  Then click left and listen to Jack Johnson while viewing.  I'll eventually figure out how to merge music with info/until then, enjoy.

It's Regan's Nursery on Decoto Road in Fremont, CA.  Just a few minutes from Menlo Park/Palo Alto via the Dumbarton Bridge. 

Take a short ride to find:  Some pretty sensational succulents.  Numerous heirloom vegetables. Interesting and often unusual herbs.  Lots of labels featuring educational bits of info and/or fun facts.

It was raining recently when Susan and I were there pretending to be in England.  We loaded up on herbs guaranteed to boost brain power (gotu kola).  She apparently has a slew of very smart snails in her garden.  Back to restock what they quickly consumed.

There's not much shade, so come prepared.  And hold on to your hat.  If it’s windy on our side of the bay, it’ll be much windier there. 

I think you'll enjoy, as I always do, their awe-inspiring array of plants.  If this info piques your interest, plan to spend at least an hour wandering around Regan's well-organized five acres.  Clear your trunk just in case you locate a few new finds to bring home.

I make the short trip on a regular basis.  See you there one day? 

Bay Area friends...other than the following nurseries: Redwood City, Ladera, Portola Valley, Half Moon Bay (another top pick), Los Altos, Summer Winds (Palo Alto), Roger Reynolds (Atherton), Wegmans (Redwood City)...where else do you go/what other nurseries do you enjoy? 

I'm thinking that Annie's Annuals could be a great adventure.  Want to go one day?  I'm game. 

www.regannursery.com

4268 Decoto Road
Fremont, CA 94555-3204
(510) 797-3222

Update on Sunday, June 13, 2010 at 9:33AM by Lois

Summer Winds is stocked with some wildly colorful tomato cages, pots and travel-anywhere wheeled gardens as well as plants of all kinds.

725 San Antonio Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 493-5136

Store Hours
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM

725 San Antonio Rd.
Palo Alto,CA 94303
(650) 493-5136

May your weekend be filled with memorable moments

Unbelievable.

Thanks, friends

As you may have noted, I've been publishing Cheater Posts this week. 

Here's why: I'm spending time trying to figure out what to do with twenty-five years of FP material.  As you might imagine, there are a LOT of good ideas.  All instantly useable/accessible.  You may not know that.  But trust me.  And thousands of other terrific mothers.

Summer is almost here.  I'd love to share ideas that could be helpful for today's moms and grandmoms/what do we call ourselves these days?  Hopefully not that.

Thanks for your patience.  I finally figured out how to merge music with pictures today.  It's a little "ghetto," as they say, but it works.  Now to determine how to input info.  Or not.  I'll be asking your opinion in upcoming days. 

I ONLY WISH I COULD BLOG ABOUT TODAY.  OMGOSH.  COMPLETE CRAZINESS.  And goodness. 

Carry on, dear friends. 

And because I want to leave you with something useful.  Here it is.  We absolutely loved this idea:  Filling your water element/bird bath with seed instead of water. 

What fun watching moms feeding babies. 

Will send a picture of Tina, the turkey, scarfing down as much as she could when discovering this new element.

Too, too wonderful

Thanks, Mimi, for some breathing space

Switch the frogs to the opposite side within 2 minutes.

(this is a 2nd grade computer test in China) (REINICIAR = RESET)

Is this actually possible?  Report back.  I was not successful.  Were you?  I hope so.

Launching a New Look in the Garden

Apparently, the little things in life please me a lot. 

Friday’s goal was to organize the vegetable garden in such a way that I could easily identify herbs, various salad greens and vegetables.  And not poison people.  I wanted to have accurate information accessible for those who visit and hope to transplant ideas into their gardens. 

Purchasing pre-printed stakes for, let's say, oregano used to be simple.  But today there are so many varieties of each herb that generic labels don't define the distinctions. 

Wooden stakes fade and break.  Same with plastic. 

My handwriting is OK but I can never judge the length of a word and often run off the edge. 

Enter Avery® 5660 Easy Peel Clear Mailing Labels.

Pick a fun font/I used Gigi, enter your data, stick it on a plant label such as this

and you’re good to go. 

Finally I used my Rotary Trimmer to cut labels to fit.  Scissors obviously work just fine.

A day without death is a good one. 

So far, so good. 

I think you're safe to come for dinner. 

Just let me know when.

Eating on the edge

As the weather warmed, our arugula began to bolt.  Rather than tossing it in the trash/adding it to the compost/chucking it in the chicken coop, I stripped off all the incredibly minuscule leaves.  Why I chose to tackle that tedious task remains a mystery.  But my work was later rewarded when everyone inhaled the exceptional, flavor-filled salad. 

The flowered stalks still seemed happy so I placed a bunch in my favorite vase where they stayed fresh for a several more days. 

Don’t you love it when life takes these surprising and tasty turns?

The same was true of edible pansies/violas/johnny jump ups that we planted in the vegetable garden for use in salads.  Rather than compost what had begun to mildew, I recycled a bunch in a bowl filled with water.  

Hmmmmm.  I'm beginning to wonder what else might be rescued from Death's Doorstep.

Off to forage.

Check out what Sanjay has to say

One more reason to grow your own:

If you're eating non-organic celery today, you may be ingesting 67 pesticides with it, according to a new report from the Environmental Working Group.

The group, a nonprofit focused on public health, scoured nearly 100,000 produce pesticide reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine what fruits and vegetables we eat have the highest, and lowest, amounts of chemical residue.

Most alarming are the fruits and vegetables dubbed the "Dirty Dozen," which contain 47 to 67 pesticides per serving. These foods are believed to be most susceptible because they have soft skin that tends to absorb more pesticides.

"It's critical people know what they are consuming," the Environmental Working Group's Amy Rosenthal said. "The list is based on pesticide tests conducted after the produce was washed with USDA high-power pressure water system. The numbers reflect the closest thing to what consumers are buying at the store."

Special report: Toxic America

The group suggests limiting consumption of pesticides by purchasing organic for the 12 fruits and vegetables.

"You can reduce your exposure to pesticides by up to 80 percent by buying the organic version of the Dirty Dozen," Rosenthal said.

The Dirty Dozen

Celery

Peaches

Strawberries

Apples

Domestic blueberries

Nectarines

Sweet bell peppers

Spinach, kale and collard greens

Cherries

Potatoes

Imported grapes

Lettuce

Not all non-organic fruits and vegetables have a high pesticide level. Some produce has a strong outer layer that provides a defense against pesticide contamination. The group found a number of non-organic fruits and vegetables dubbed the "Clean 15" that contained little to no pesticides.

The Clean 15

Onions

Avocados

Sweet corn

Pineapples

Mango

Sweet peas

Asparagus

Kiwi fruit

Cabbage

Eggplant

Cantaloupe

Watermelon

Grapefruit

Sweet potatoes

Sweet onions

Best of all, no negative side effects!

What could possibly . . .

• lower blood pressure
• reduce stress hormones
• increase muscle flexion
• boost immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells
• trigger the release of endorphins
• enhance one's sense of well-being

It's a deceptively simple yet incredibly powerful and potentially life-changing form of exercise that anybody can do, anytime, anywhere. 

When do we start?   

Memorial Day with moms in mind

Thanks, Robyn. 

WHY GOD MADE MOMS
Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

 Why did God make mothers?

• She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
• Mostly to clean the house.  

What ingredients are mothers made of?

• God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
• They had to get their start from men's bones.  
• Then they mostly use string, I think.

How did God make mothers?

• He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
• He just used bigger parts.
• Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
• God made my mom just like he made me.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom? 

• We're related.
• God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mom’s like me.

 What kind of a little girl was your mom?

• My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
• I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
• They say she used to be nice.

   What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?

• His last name.
• She had to know his background.  Like is he a crook?  Does he get drunk on beer?
• Does he make at least $800 a year?  Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?

• My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world.  And my mom eats a lot
• She got too old to do anything else with him.
• My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?

• Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
• Mom. You can tell by room inspection.  She sees the stuff under the bed.
• I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?

• Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
• Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
• Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you gotto ask if you want to sleep over at your friend’s house.
• Moms have magic; they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?

• Mothers don't do spare time.
• To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?

• On the inside she's already perfect.  Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
• Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

 If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?

• She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean.  I'd get rid of that.
• I'd make my mom smarter.  Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me.
• I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.