Small Farm Revolution

CSA share, pickles and garlic

2011-07-18T22:21:00.002-04:00

Another week has gone by! I'm afraid that the Summer is going by too quickly. I am trying to savor it as much as possible. This week's CSA share is below:

Summer squash, zucchini, carrots, potatoes, beets, fennel, cabbage, one beautiful heirloom tomato (first one!), four green and one purple pepper, two yellow onions, two head of garlic

Some people were worried about the last post when I said I was starting to get a little overwhelmed with the volume of veggies. No worries! Almost all of the veggies we get are eaten, "put up" or shared with others. If there is any waste, it goes into the compost. (I like to think of it as recycling).

Speaking of "putting up" or preserving vegetables, I tried my hand at two different pickles this past weekend. Our cucumbers are going crazy and we still have some garlic scapes leftover from a little while ago. I decided to make refrigerator pickles with the cucumber and lacto fermented garlic scapes. I don't have a photo of the pickles yet, they are sitting in the fridge waiting for lids, so I will get around to that this week. Here are the scapes:

I made three jars full and I can't wait to taste them in about a week! I think I mentioned the blog where I got this recipe in my last post. Here it is! I pretty much followed the recipe, except I didn't have any whey so I used more salt. I changed the spices to what I had on hand: fennel seeds, yellow mustard seeds and black peppercorns. Smaller Footprint was cutting back their dill. Isaac mentioned that I wanted to make pickles so they gave him the dill flower heads to take home. They are the best! So I added probably two tablespoons of dill as well.

Here is the recipe for the refrigerator pickles. It was not hard at all. Notice that I haven't delved into any actual canning...I'm taking baby steps. I'm looking forward to eating lots of homemade pickles this summer!

I ordered this so I can get my sauerkraut on, hopefully soon. Of course, I will report back.

While I was at work on Saturday, Isaac harvested all of our garlic. If I remember correctly we have about 40 heads total. Some of this we are going to save and plant in the Fall for next year's crop. But honestly, this should (along with the garlic we get from our 2 CSAs) last us all year, until next season. You know when it is ready when the greens start to brown or if you know the growing time, that would be your indicator as well. All you do is pull them out of the ground. Shake the dirt off the bulbs, you will want to make sure most of the dirt is off. Then you want to let the garlic cure outside in a shady well ventilated area for a few days. This will allow them to dry out and will keep longer. When you bring your garlic inside, store it in a cool dry place. Here are some photos from the harvest.

bundled and hanging outside

garlic looks nice in black and white

On a final note, the greens are starting to dwindle as the summer crops start thriving. As a last hurrah until they start coming in again in the fall, I experimented and made a greens (chard and kale) pie with feta, walnuts and lemon slices. I use this recipe for the dough. I doubled it so I could make the (poorly formed) lattice on top and I used all butter. I really liked the slices of lemon. They really mellowed as they roasted in the oven. I'm being lazy and not posting the recipe here. If you would like one, please let me know. It's one of those things where I made it up as a went along, but I think I could point you in the right direction.

That is all for now! We are going to Michigan in a couple of weeks to visit Isaac's family. The plan is to obtain as many blueberries that will fit in the car. (We look forward to this all year!)
Stay tuned!

CSA Week 7

2011-07-10T12:53:00.000-04:00

This is getting ridiculous. We are getting quite overwhelmed with vegetables. I am on a mission to get a lot cooked or preserved this week to give our poor overstuffed refrigerator a break. We are up to three heads of cabbage and way too many zucchini to count, especially now that ours in the garden are coming in. I made a chocolate zucchini cake, but that barely put a dent in the supply. I think I am going to make a few loaves of "regular" zucchini cake and send some to the farm with Isaac.
Here is what we got from Hazelfield Farm this week:

Swiss Chard, green beans, cabbage, green peppers, yellow onions, zucchini and zephyr squash, new potatoes, carrots, beets, fennel, and garlic.

I'm planning on making vegetarian stuffed peppers, something kind of like this, but probably with rice instead of couscous. I'm also going to roast all of the carrots we have and cook down all the greens (kale, chard and beet greens).

We made mini goat burgers last night with tzatziki sauce to go with them. Isaac got some ground goat meat from a neighboring farm in Yellow Springs. We invited some friends over and had a little barbecue. Delicious!

As I was looking up quick pickling recipes for the remaining scapes, I came across the blog cook.eat.think. She has a recipe for lacto-fermented scapes which I think I will try. She also shares her CSA share for the week and is also linking to other blogs sharing their CSA baskets. If you are curious about what other people get in different regions of the US, click here and here!

On a farming note. Check out the article "Illegal Food is better for you" from the blog Instead of the Dishes. The article discusses Polyface Farm s and the farmer/owner Joel Salatin. He discusses many of the food regulations in the country that are contradictory to what is actually healthy for humans. One quote I will take from the blog in which they took from his discussion: “Opt out and do it. We vote three times a day on the legacy that we will leave our grandchildren, one bite at a time.” I can't stress this enough, we need to take a direct interest in our food, how it is grown/produced and supporting the small farms that make it possible. This matter needs to be dealt with on a local level, not in big government. Take a look!

CSA and Garden Update

2011-07-06T10:45:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a nice Independence Day! The holiday has thrown me a little off schedule, but here I am-better late than never.

I first want to send a little shout-out to a new reader, Nazneen. She was nice enough to mention one of my blog posts in her blog Coffee and Crumpets. Her blog post is about visiting her local farmer's market and shared the lovely vegetables that she purchased and her intentions for them. Take a look!

Speaking of Farmer's Markets, I am back with photos of the CSA shares from Hazelfield Farm and Smaller Footprint.

Above: left to right

Garlic, summer squash (zephyr and zucchini), sweet peppers, new potatoes, green beans, onions, basil, beets, cabbage, kale, carrots, lettuce-phew!

Smaller Footprint: leaf lettuce, green beans, broccoli, zucchini, kohlrabi, kale, swiss chard-not shown: wild blackberries, a couple tomatoes and eggs

Of course the lettuce is devoted to salads. I also added some chopped carrots, onions and kohlrabi to the salads. Kohlrabi is in the cabbage family. It has a mild taste but is crunchy and fresh tasting in a salad.

During our cooking extravaganza we have the day before Isaac goes back to the farm, I kind of made something up that turned out pretty good. I found a recipe online, but I couldn't find it when it was time to cook, so I tried to go from memory.

Mashed Potato and Zucchini Cakes

You will need to make a batch of mashed potatoes. Make them however you usually like to. We just boil potatoes, skin on, until tender, then drain. I throw in a lot of butter, sour cream and half and half and mash it all up with the potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. I made about 2-3 cups worth.

As the potatoes are cooling, grate two medium sized zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Either wrap them in a clean towel, or place in a fine mesh strainer and squeeze out as much water as you can. Once you do this, add to the potatoes and mix. Add one or two eggs, depending on the size you have, I used one duck egg. Mash to all together so the egg is combined. This will hold the cake together better as they cook. Add salt and pepper and any herbs you like. We used lemon thyme.

On a large plate, place breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan cheese. Form the potato mixture into approximately 2" wide patties and dredge in the breadcrumbs on both sides.

In a large skillet heat about 1" of oil in the pan. When the oil is hot, fry the patties until golden brown on both sides. Remove from pan, drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

I am thinking about making sauerkraut with the cabbages that are accumulating in the refrigerator. I need to find a large crock to do so. If I do, I certainly will report back!

The garden is doing relatively well. We mulched and weeded quite a bit last week, but there is always more to do.

Above: Looking at the yard from the back.
Right: The large garden is doing well. The giant green in the back are Jerusalem Artichokes. They will bloom a pretty yellow sunflower-like bloom very soon. We need to dig up a lot of them as they spread quickly.

A portion of the front part of the largest raised bed. Clary Sage blooms flank chamomile (German and Roman), California Poppies (see other photo), white poppies and amaranth (not yet blooming)

One of our Elderberries is blooming, we didn't expect any blooms this year as they are new transplants, so this is exciting!

Some peas have escaped the jaws of the rabbits that hope about in the garden frequently.

Zucchini is coming in! If I knew what I was doing, I would stuff those blooms. Maybe someday...

I added some more photos to our Flickr page. Take a look!

CSA and National Day of Action

2011-06-28T10:35:00.000-04:00

Well, Isaac put away the veggies too quickly on Sunday for me to get a photograph and then I was too lazy to pull them all out of the fridge again. So, here is this week's list: One head of lettuce, one cabbage, one head of broccoli, zucchini, beets, new potatoes, carrots, a bulb of fennel, and green onions. I am doing this from memory, so I may have missed something, but I think that is it.

Isaac and I had a cooking marathon on Sunday, we made him a lot of food to take to Yellow Springs such as egg salad, cole slaw and Five Spice Beet Soup. The soup was very easy, we cut up the beets as the recipe describes and roasted them with olive oil in a covered casserole dish in the oven at 375 for about an hour. We decided to add some mushrooms for more flavor so we reconstituted some dried chanterelles in red wine for about an hour. We got two beautiful red onions from Smaller Footprint so I sauted them in some olive oil. I added the beets, the mushrooms and the ginger and the vegetable broth to the pan and let it all simmer. We didn't have pre-blended Chinese five-spice, so I "Googled" the ingredients and found that we pretty much had all the whole spices. So I ground those up in a mortar and pestle and threw them into the pan. We didn't have any celery but we do have lovage, so I tossed in a small handful of the leaves at the end. Lovage is similar is taste to celery but a bit stronger. We use the stalks like celery sometimes as well in tuna and egg salad. After all the ingredients simmered for about 10 minutes, I used an immersion blender to smooth everything together. I love this thing; it is much easier than moving hot liquid into a blender or food processor, but if you don't have one, you can use the others. I ended eating the soup cold with a dollop of sour cream, it was very good. I was pretty aggressive with the spice, but I think I would still add more if I made it again. If you don't like beets, you may still like this soup, the "earthiness" of the beets and the rich texture is muted by the other ingredients. Plus it is a beautiful reddish color.

For dinner we grilled some fresh sausage and some thick slices of zuchinni that were marinated in olive oil. So simple and delicious!

I have to get on my soapbox for a moment once again, so please bear with me. As many people know the federal budget is in deliberation in the Senate right now. The Senate is proposing to cut "$1 billion for fiscal year 2012 to the Conservation Stewardship Program, the Environmental Quality Incentive Program and the Wetlands Reserve Program. These cuts will require USDA to break contracts with farmers who have committed to conservation practices and they are disproportionate to other spending cuts"

Please call your Senators today! Here are some talking points.

Now, I know we can expect the government to fix all of our agriculture problems. I am a big supporter of grass roots support, where the people make choices about their food and support their local farms. However, a lot of local farms rely on some sort of government program and we can't let the government undervalue the importance of sustainable, small and local farms. I understand that this country is in a financial crisis, but there are other ways to make sure that the budget is balanced without taking steps backward when it come to sustainable agriculture.

Stepping off soap box.
Thanks for letting me add that! I will be back with more photos soon. I'm planning on taking some pictures of the garden for an update. We will also be taking a trip to look at more land this weekend, so I hope to have an update on that as well.

CSA Week 4 and Butter!

2011-06-20T22:31:00.002-04:00

Our CSA bag is getting heavier each week. The fare is changing from Spring to Summer vegetables. This week's share includes: one head of red leaf lettuce, a bunch of kale, a quart of new potatoes, snap peas, broccoli, two heads of green garlic, beets, a head of cabbage, carrots, green onions and one zucchini. I roasted the new potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper. They are yummy just like that but you could add sour cream for dipping to make it even more fabulous. I'm planning on making cole slaw with the cabbage and the carrots that seem to be multiplying in the fridge. I like to make a similar dressing to the creamy one I mentioned in a previous post. I want it to be a little creamier than the dressing, so I may add a little sour cream to the mayo and yogurt. I love cole slaw the best when it is fresh and crunchy.

We bought duck eggs last week and I am going to try them in pancakes tomorrow morning. Apparently, duck eggs are good for baking, making cakes extra fluffy and moist, pancakes included. I may try making some cupcakes later this week so I can share them with Isaac this weekend. Also, they will probably make it into my now becoming, weekly frittata. Here is more information about duck eggs for you to consider until my next post.

Tonight I was feeling a tiny bit ambitious. I have had two pints of heavy cream kicking around in the refrigerator for quite a while now-past their "expiration" dates even. We have a friend who makes his own butter so I count him as inspiration. For additional information, I use the book Self Sufficiency for the 21st Century by Dick and James Strawbridge. It is a very interesting book with many different instructions to help you become more self-sufficeint-from making butter to farming to collecting and filtering rain water to making your own composting toilet. (yay!) The section on making butter was very easy to follow with lots of photos explaining the details of making butter from cream. One thing I didn't realize is that I did myself a favor by letting the cream sour a little as you want that characteristic for making butter. In the book, they don't really explain why so I found out more information. I must admit that the cream I used was not grass fed or organic, it was ultra pasteurized heavy cream that I bought while it was on sale in the late winter. I plan on using more local and grass fed cream in the future, but you don't have to, the cream I used worked just fine.

I used a stand mixer, but you can use hand beaters, or even just shake it in the container in which it comes. I added the cream to the mixing bowl and turned it on medium high. I let it beat until the cream broke down into little butter clumps and the buttermilk began to separate from the butter. I drained the buttermilk, added a little cool water and beat until the butter began to come together. I strained more butter milk and turned the butter out onto a wooden cutting board. I then added more water and began to mix and knead it with the spatula. This is called "washing" the butter. You are removing the remaining buttermilk. When the water runs clear (about three series of kneading the butter and draining the buttermilk) add salt to the butter (the book recommends 2% of its weight, but I just threw some in there).

Kneading the butter

I then added chopped fresh herbs to the butter and incorporated it all together.

A combo of parsley, thyme and sage

I then rolled it up in waxed paper and put it in the freezer to firm it up a bit. I made another batch with lemon balm, lemon verbena and lemon zest. I plan on using the buttermilk in the pancakes and the lemony herb butter on top when they are ready to eat. I don't have a fancy butter mold, but maybe I'll come across one someday!

CSA Week 3

2011-06-13T21:08:00.000-04:00

We had a busy weekend so this is the first chance I have to do our weekly CSA update. It still looks like spring in the CSA share: two heads of lettuce; one red, one romaine; three small heads of broccoli, a large bag of those peas that I am loving, green onions, carrots, fennel (yum!) and apple mint (super yum).

We also get a share from Smaller Footprint, but I didn't take a photo of that for the week. It is pretty similar except for the addition of radishes, swiss chard, and strawberries!

I went to the farm on Friday and helped out for the day. One of the tasks was to pick strawberries for CSA shares. After competing with spiky thistle, very tall grass and one angry bird squawking at us the whole time, we got to take home some literal fruits of our labor. Tart and sweet. They didn't last long enough for me to consider what to do with them. We just ate them as is.

I made a frittata with spinach, garlic scapes, green onions and feta cheese last week. Fritattas are easy to make and easy to take to work for lunch. I'm planning on making another one tomorrow morning using the broccoli, onions, scapes and swiss chard. I don't use a recipe, I just cook the vegetables first, remove from the pan, add the eggs (about 6) whipped with a little bit of cream to the pan, let them set in the pan and then add the cooked veggies and cheese. Put under the broiler for a few minutes until set. I'll try to take a photo of my creation tomorrow. Here is an inspiring recipe for those who would rather have one.
I haven't forgotten about the fava beans! I will make something with them soon.

Isaac and I are in the process of looking for our own little piece of land; 6-12 acres to be exact. If anyone has any leads, or has a friend of a friend etc., please let us know!

CSA Week 2/Farmer's Markets

2011-06-05T16:55:00.000-04:00

This is the first week that the Hyde Park Farmer's Market is on Hyde Park Square. This creates an increased visibility for the market, more space for everyone to walk around, more shade as the square had many lovely well established trees and possibly more traffic to the stores that flank the square if they are open on Sundays.
We don't live in Hyde Park, so why do we go to this Farmer's Market versus others? It really is mainly because Hazelfield Farm sells there and that is where we pick-up our CSA every week. We have met other farmers that we like and buy from every week. The market is on a Sunday, so that helps too as I work on some Saturdays. There are plenty of other Farmer's Markets to visit in the city and I would like to try to go to others sometime this summer. Here is a list of just a few.
Not just a Farmer's Market but definitely worth mentioning: Findlay Market. The busiest day is on Saturday and there is a whole wing devoted to local farmers during the growing season. There is also meat vendors, bakeries, cheese shops etc.
Anderson: Saturday's 9:00-1:00
Loveland: Tuesday's 3:00-7:00
Sayler Park: Tuesday's 4:00-7:00
Wyoming Farmer's Market: Tuesday's 3:00-7:00
Northside: Wednesday's 4:00-7:30
College Hill: Thursday's 3:00-6:30
Cheviot: Friday's 3:00-7:00
Here is a link to even more!
What/Where is your favorite farmer's market?

We are beginning to experience first hand how much work goes into bringing food to market. 10-12 hour days are the norm for a farmer during the growing season. There is constantly something that needs attention, whether it is mulching to keep the weeds down, or chopping weeds; preparing beds, feeding animals, sowing seeds or planting seedlings and much more. This doesn't even include harvest days. All of those portioned out pints of peas, or bunches of radishes were most likely be done by the farmer or their family. All of this and then they still have to go to market and sell the product. Then finally they will get paid for their work. Vegetables at the grocery store may be slightly less expensive, but most of it comes from large farms with large machinery and cheap migrant labor to help. Even then, those farmers don't make a lot of money based on the amount of work they put into the crops. What I'm trying to say is that if you go to the farmer's market, know that most likely the money you hand the farmers goes into his or her pocket to take care of their farm and family. This is the essence of a local economy that is waning in the time of large corporations. Don't think for a second that a lot of farming isn't part of a large corporation. If you have ever heard of Monsanto, Cargill, Conagra-to name a few- these are agri-businesses that are pushing small family farms out of business. By supporting local farmers, and other businesses you are investing in your community and getting fresh, healthy food in the process. By local I mean a 100 to 200 mile radius of where you live. Some people would even say buying American is akin to buying local.
Ok, I will step off my soapbox, in a moment. It is not my mission to preach to people I don't want anyone to feel bad that they are not doing anything that I mention. I just feel the need to let you know my viewpoint, where I am coming from. I am not an economist, I don't have statistics or fancy charts to back up my opinions. I am just trying to communicate what makes sense to me. I encourage discussion, so please do not hesitate to ask questions and continue the dialogue. Everyone has a different perspective there is no one right answer for everyone. Not everyone can have a garden, not everyone has access to farmer's markets, however, there is no denying that Americans need to eat more fresh food. We are all creative and thoughtful human beings and it is important to discuss how we can try to create a healthier life for ourselves, our children and future generations.

Moving on! This week's CSA varies a little bit from last week's.

Two heads of Red Leaf Lettuce, a bunch of green onions, swiss chard, carrots, garlic scapes, broccoli, snap peas (the sweetest I have ever eaten, I have to restrain myself or they will be gone in a day!), and fava beans. The lettuce is cleaned, dried, chopped and put in a bowl in the fridge with a damp paper towel over it. I cut up a carrot, radishes from Smaller Footprint, green onion and scapes. Add some walnuts, Craisins and Parmesan slivers and we had some delicious salad! I made a new salad dressing this week, sort of like a ranch, but better. I added the following ingredients into medium mason jar, largest quantity to smallest. I don't measure, so the amounts are approximate. You can change the ratios to make more or less.

1/2 c. whole milk yogurt

1/4 c. mayonnaise

1/4 c. olive oil

2 Tbl. white wine vinegar (or lemon juice)

1 Tbl. Dijon mustard

2 tsp. honey

1 large garlic clove finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Any fresh or dried herbs you like

( I added fresh oregano, apple mint, lemon and regular thyme)

Shake it up vigorously until emulsified. Enjoy!

I am still deciding what to do with the fava beans. We bought a whole chicken at the market today, so I'm thinking about making this. We have radishes, and the arugula in our garden is quite abundant, so that would use some of it up. Or maybe I will just do something simple like this subbing the creme fraiche with yogurt or sour cream. I want to use what I have on hand, not buy extra stuff for a recipe. I know this will not always be possible, but I'll do my best. I'm also thinking of a puree of some sort, like a hummus with the fava beans. I'll report back when I make up my mind.

Blooms!

2011-05-30T15:08:00.000-04:00

It's been almost two weeks since I have updated here. We've had so much rain and the kitchen remodeling is still in progress. Isaac hooked up the sink, so at least I can wash dishes again. We are hoping to have the shelves up and the hardware on the cabinets this weekend. We are waiting for one more piece of counter top to finish the other cabinet and then we can start moving all the kitchen stuff back in. After that we will add some peg board to the open wall and put up a back splash behind the sink.

Anyway, enough about the kitchen! Our CSA with Hazelfield Farm may start this weekend, but will most likely start next weekend. Because of all the rain the plants need some sunshine to continue growing. Once the CSA starts, I will photograph the veggies each week and hopefully have some recipes to share. Isaac brought home some lovely spinach and half a dozen eggs from Smaller Footprint.

I'm saving them so Isaac and I can eat them together this weekend, although I suspect he may come home with some more this weekend.
After the rain stopped, the garden started to bloom! Here are somethings that are just starting. I'm so excited to see some color! (Click on the photos to enlarge them if you like)

Sage

Irises

Pincushion

Bachelor Button

Vetch

Chamomile

Valerian

Thyme

Not blooming, but growing at a good clip is the garlic.

The main garden has a huge clump of Lemon Balm in the front.

The hops as usual are growing inches a day! They will soon cover the arbor.

So, that is just a mini update. I hope to have more cooking and vegetable updates soon.

First CSA pick-up

2011-05-30T13:22:00.002-04:00

After a two week delay due to the wet and cool weather, we were able to pick-up our first CSA basket at the Hyde Park Farmer's Market yesterday.

Included in this week's pick-up: Three different lettuces (buttercrunch, romaine, and red leaf); Green Onions, Broccoli, oregano, mint, radishes, garlic scapes and swiss chard. I wanted to weigh everything, but I couldn't find the kitchen scale as the kitchen is still not all the way put back together. I will start doing that next week, Isaac found it after I had used some of the veggies.
I made a giant salad last night to eat through the week with some of the lettuce Isaac brought home from the farm, the buttercrunch lettuce here, radishes and green onions. I will add walnuts, Craisins and chopped garlic scapes when we are ready to eat it.

This is what the scape looks like on one of our garlic plants. They grow on the hard-neck varieties of garlic. This will be the bloom and eventually seed of the plant if left on. They taste like garlic but much milder. You can leave the scape on if you want to save the seed, but removing it to eat will allow the plants energy to focus on growing a larger bulb. Here is more information!

I make my own salad dressing with lemon juice, olive oil, a crushed and chopped garlic clove, dijon mustard, honey, thyme and oregano and salt to taste. I make it in a mason jar and shake it until it is nice and emulsified.

Most of this CSA will be devoted to many salads which is fine with me because I don't think I will ever tire of eating salads. Now, cooked greens I can make me a little weary after a while, so I'm making Kale chips to share with family today. We have Tuscan Kale growing in our garden and Isaac brought home a curly variety from the farm.

I think I mentioned making Kale chips before. Isaac's sister turned me on to them. I highly recommend them to people who aren't sure if they like greens or are tired of cooking them the same way all the time. Try seasoning them with different spices. I'm making batches with salt, black pepper, and hot Hungarian paprika. Here is the recipe I'm using today.

Finished, with many more batches to go.

I am also making an asparagus salad with asparagus from the farm, green onions and radishes. It will be kind of like the recipe here, minus the mushrooms.

I hope everyone is having a pleasant Memorial Day! We are thankful to all of those who have sacrificed their lives for our country. I am happy that I get Isaac one extra day this week.

Getting the most out of your food

2011-05-19T10:39:00.009-04:00

My friend K, asks

"Do you have suggestions/comments for people like me with many mouths to feed on a small budget? Obviously, anything we can grow in our own yard is awesome but any tips you may have on where to shop or how to stretch a particular item (like using the chicken carcass) would be very helpful."

This is a very good question and I think most of us want to try and stretch our dollar and our food to its maximum potential. I am not a food storage or economics expert, so I have found some other resources to help us, along with what works for Iz and I, and some tips that just make sense.

First of all, if you want to try and incorporate more fresh produce, eggs, meat etc. from the farmer's market, that is great! You also don't have to break your budget doing so. Start small and see how it goes. For example, make it a goal to go to a farmer's market and budget to buy one thing. Whatever looks fresh and yummy to you, buy it and take it home. It will be fun to come up with a recipe for your item and you'll have invested minimum dollars and time in the process.

If you are past this point and know you want to incorporate the farmer's market into your grocery budget for the week, month (however you budget) you can go about this a few ways. Here is a blog post that shows one approach to budgeting for the farmer's market. There are some really good ideas that I agree with in this blog post. To summarize:

Make a list
Prioritize what is important to you. Are you willing to spend a little more on eggs or certain produce at the market that you can budget into your grocery list?; what can you simply not give up that you buy at the store? (whether it be a time saver that you would rip your hair out if you didn't have, or if you have a picky eater, for example)
Eat less meat
Find some fast/easy recipes that you can make ahead and freeze or put in the fridge. (see below to get started)
Try to grow your own herbs. This doesn't have to be fancy. You can start herbs from seed rather easily and for about the price of a one use "fresh" herb in the grocery store. Pick which ones you will likely use the most. I recommend basil, parsley, oregano, chives, and thyme as staples.
Don't waste. This can be hard! Just do your best. If your greens look wilt-y, just give them a quick saute in garlic and olive oil; if your tomatoes are a little overripe, cook them into a sauce. Also, save all of your vegetable trimmings in a freezer bag, keep them in the freezer until you have enough to make a stock. If you are a gardener, I would recommend setting up a compost bin or pile of you don't already have one.

Here is another good blog post with a list of how to maximize your time and budget at the farmer's market.
They mention going early or late. This is good since it won't be as crowded. Early is good because you get a better selection. Late is better because some farmers, rather than throw out unsold produce, or take it home with them where it may not last until the next week, might be willing to give you a two for one price, or even just give you some produce. I was talking to Isaac's cousin who's husband has a small farm in Michigan. She said that she will just give people extra tomatoes because she doesn't want to take them home and they couldn't possibly eat the leftovers before they go bad. This will be on a farmer by farmer basis, but if you develop a relationship with someone, it wouldn't hurt to ask.

If you are even more gung-ho about the farmer's market, I would suggest trying out a CSA. These are weekly baskets of produce that the farmer sets aside for you. You pay a fee in the winter (we pay ours in February) and then start picking up your basket at the designated time and place. You really get more for your money in this case. Our CSA, for a full share of produce (which you will start seeing when we start picking up this weekend) adds up to approximately $30.00 a week. If you buy a lot of produce "a la carte" at the farmer's market, you may save money by joining the CSA. The upfront fee can be large, so if you want to try it for a season, I suggest asking an interested friend or family member to share the cost with you. We did this for the first two years we participated in a CSA and it worked out rather well. You just need to have someone available to pick it up each week.
Local Harvest is a great website to learn more about CSAs in your area.

This post is getting rather long, and I will talk more about this in the future. But allow me to list some cookbooks and website that you can check out at the library or on your computer to get you started.

Time for Dinner: Strategies, Inspirations, and Recipes for Family Meals Every Night of the Week
This has some really nice time saving ideas for make ahead staples.

Everyday Food: great food fast from the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living
I own this book and use it regularly. There are minimal ingredients, easy prep and cooking. It is organized by season which is nice.

Joy of Cooking
I cannot live without this book. It is a handy reference for any type of recipe you will need in the kitchen.

Cook and Freeze: 150 Delicious Dishes to Serve Now and Later

Vegetable Harvest: vegetables at the center of the plate
I also love this book. It goes through vegetables by season. Simple but unique preparation.

Websites:
Food & Wine: Healthy Farmer's Market Recipes
Sunset Magazine: More Ways to Love produce from the farmer's market
Food Gawker: Just type in any ingredient and you will get a list of blog posts with beautiful ideas
Epicurious.com

What are your favorite websites or cook books?

Farmer's Market Visit

2011-05-15T16:54:00.002-04:00

Isaac and I made our first visit of the season to the Hyde Park Farmer's Market. This is the market where we will pick-up our CSA baskets from Hazelfield Farm, starting next week.

Top Chef was filming their 2011 Tour at the market today; there was a line all they way out to the sidewalk with people waiting to get into the filming tent. Since we are not big Top Chef viewers (I have no idea who any of the contestants are), Isaac and I made the rounds, visiting some of our favorite tents at the market. The season is still young, so there was not a ton of fresh produce yet, but we were able to pick-up some fresh asparagus, shitake mushrooms, eggs and a whole small chicken.

The eggs came from B & D Goats. As the name states, they also have a handful of goats and the milk is used to make soaps and lotions. Isaac and I talked to the owner, whom we have become friendly with over the past few years, and found out they just had a new goat born just recently. We mentioned that we are interested in visiting their farm as we are thinking about raising dairy goats in the future. She welcomed us to the farm whenever we wanted to come. Hopefully I will have more to report on that soon.

The chicken came from Eaton Farm. We have purchased many chickens from them in the past and are happy with the quality. We know that the chickens have good, healthy lives before they are processed for consumption. Of course, the chickens are smaller than those you find at the supermarket, but that is because they are not fed any hormones and are allowed to roam free-getting more exercise than those who are confined to a small pen. A small whole chicken is enough for a meal and we use the carcass for stock.

The mushrooms and asparagus came from Sheltowee Farm. They cultivate all the mushrooms they sell. Check out their website, there are lots of pictures of their process, it's pretty cool.

We also stopped at the La Terza Coffee booth. Isaac had a dark roast drip coffee and I had a latte. I didn't have a chance to take a photo until I was finished. It was very good, I think the fact that the beans are locally and freshly roasted certainly helps. I'm not a coffee connoisseur but I actually prefer La Terza to Starbucks. The taste is much more nuanced and flavorful than Starbucks, which I find to be a overpowering (burnt tasting) at times. Their store and roasting facility is actually not that far from our house, so when I get a creamy latte craving, I will try to make the effort and go to La Terza rather than the 'Bux.

All Gone! :(

I was FINALLY able to do some cooking in the kitchen. Everything is not back where it belongs, but I wanted to make Isaac some food to take back with him.

In progress

Herbed Egg casserole with spinach, onions, asparagus.

Lasagne with herb-y ricotta, home-made red sauce, and fresh mozzarella

(It rained [again!] today so the lighting in the house is not optimal for food pictures, but you get the idea)

The spinach, asparagus, herbs (oregano, thyme, sage, parsley) came from either a farm or our yard. I'm hoping someday that the cheese will be home-made too!

There was some steamed asparagus left over so we had it as a snack. They were so good, we ate them plain.

It Has Begun!

2011-05-01T22:21:00.000-04:00

It is finally time for Isaac to go to Yellow Springs and start his apprenticeship with Smaller Footprint Farm. This is bittersweet as I will miss him very much until I see him on the weekends. Despite missing Iz, I am really proud of him and happy that he is doing this!

We packed Iz up this morning, put his bike in the back of the truck and we were off. We met Doug, one of the farmers, and he introduced us to Al, the man with whom Isaac will be staying with while in Yellow Springs. Al is a very nice man who is a retired farmer. He is also a veteran host as he told us that he has had people from China, Russia and Africa to name a few stay with him in the past.

After we unloaded the bags, we followed Doug to the farm where he gave a tour.

The entrance:

View from the other side

Doug pointed out all of the beds that are growing vegetables for their CSA including, onions, Red Russian Kale, Kholrabi and Radishes to name a few. We also saw the green houses/hoop house with tomato and other seedlings.

We then had the pleasure to meet the newest additions to the farm:

Pigs!

And they sure live up to their name when the eat!

We then took a stroll over to the chickens. Here is one proud rooster!

The stylish coop.

See more chicken photos here.

I think Isaac is going to have a lot of fun even if working on the farm is going to be hard work!

After our tour of the farm, Iz and I decided to take a tour of the town. We have been to Yellow Springs before, but we wanted to spend as much of the day together. Besides, we had never been to the famous Young's Dairy. Every time we tell someone about Isaac working on a farm in Yellow Springs, they mention Young's. So off we went. We had some yummy ice cream.

And met some super cute goats!

Again, please click here to see more photos.

It has been a busy and emotional day and there are many more days to come. I think Isaac will post some entries in the future, I hope. We just have to make sure that he has access to wifi. Thanks to everyone who has been so great to us. We really appreciate all of your support and encouragement!

Catching Up&Weeds

2011-04-24T17:07:00.003-04:00

It's been raining cats and dogs here this April. It has literally put a damper on our outside activity so far this month. Isaac only has one more week at home and we are scrambling to finish some home projects before he leaves. We are currently in the middle of a medium sized kitchen remodel which has also kept us from the yard. Despite all of this, we have had a little garden activity.

A lot of our two year old parsley did really well over the winter, we were able to dig under the snow and clip off a few sprigs of fresh parsley which was nice during this past bitter winter. However, this parsley is biennial, which means that it during the second year it will flower, set seed and die. Parsley is a very nutritious herb and easy to grow. It is a great staple if you have limited garden or container space for your herb garden. Here is some nutritional information about parsley. Although the parsley we have is abundant (5 very large chunks) all of it is going to flower soon, so we are trying to use it up before then. Isaac removed three large plants and we made pesto with it. I LOVE pesto! Fresh basil pesto is my favorite, but I will eat it made with parsley, thyme and arugula to name a few. We don't really follow a recipe, just eyeball everything (that is how I make salad dressing too).
All you need it a food processor or blender. If you are really hardcore, like some people we know and admire, you can make this with a mortar and pestle.

Take a handful of your herb, in this case parsley. Place in your mixer of choice. Add 3-4 smashed cloves of garlic. (This can be more or less to taste, but for me garlic, next to the herb, is the most important flavor in pesto.) Next add 1/4 c. or so of nuts. We use walnuts because they are cheaper than pine nuts, but you can really use any kind of nut or seed. Add 1/4 c. of Parmesan cheese, either grated or in small chunks. Add a small amount of your oil of choice, we use olive, to the rest. Pulse the processor until the ingredients start to incorporate. Next add more olive oil until the ingredients start to blend finely and becomes a loose paste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add to pasta, sandwiches, veggies, bread etc.

We also had quite a bit of red Russian kale that overwintered nicely. It was starting to bolt so we pulled it up and made Kale chips!
I learned about this from Isaac's lovely sister. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Wash, dry and separate your kale. Spread on a baking sheet. Spray or drizzle olive oil onto the kale. Sprinkle with sea salt and any other seasonings that you like. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the kale shrinks and starts to crisp and lightly brown. Let cool and enjoy! These taste like or better than regular chips. They are light crispy and almost melt in your mouth. If you get kale at the farmer's market, your yard or even the store-give it a try! Here is a very nice blog post about kale chips. Here is a photo of some of our kale chips after they came out of the oven. Ignore the messy stove!

I suspect many of the plants are enjoying the warmer weather and copious rain. Including the "weeds". We don't weed in the garden per-se, only when the grass or trees or other somewhat large or invasive plants start growing where we want other stuff to grow. We treat the plants that volunteer in our garden as allies. Dandelions aerate the soil and bring up nutrients with their long tap roots and attract pollinators, clover fixes nitrogen and is food for the rabbits (instead of our veggies!), dead nettle is a nice ground cover as their roots grow mainly lightly along the top of the soil, they also attract bees and other beneficial insects. Here is a photo of all three hanging out in the garden.

So before you start spraying the RoundUp, spend hours on your hands and knees or call your local chemical lawn service. Remember that lots of these plants are beneficial to your soil, food for animals, attracts beneficial insects and look pretty as well! Here is another informative blog post on this matter.
I hope to be updating this much more often. This week will be busy for us, but I should have more time to blog once Isaac is settled and the kitchen is back together.
I'm sure I speak for everyone, I am so happy that it is getting warmer and greener everyday!

New Plants

2011-04-17T19:30:00.001-04:00

*Click on the Links for more information about the plants mentioned!*
Last post I showed you some new plants we bought from Companion Plants. We are slowly finding homes for them and others that have been waiting for attention for a little while.
One of the homes for several plants is the finished compost pile I shared with you in an earlier post. Here is the pile now:

It's hard to see, but there is a species (wild) rose: Rosa sancti-andreae (syn. R. villosa?) at the top of the pile. It will get rather large: 6ft tall and spread; and have small pink flowers. While this plant will be beautiful in its own right, we are also growing this for its hips that will emerge after the flowers fade. Rose hips are high in vitamin C among other things. Surrounding the rose are small clumps of Roman Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) that we are hoping will spread all around this pile. I think most people are familiar with Chamomile tea. Once the plants start blooming, you can collect the flowers and the leaves to make a soothing cup. Ideally, when the hips on the rose form, we can collect the hips and the chamomile to make an even more nutritional tea. The final plant in this arrangement, to the left and bottom of the pile, is Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum) that Iz collected from my most gracious parents who have too much of it. It likes moist and shady places and we hope that the shed next to it and the Paw Paw behind it will give it enough shade in the hot summer months.
Sweet Woodruff is used medicinally for stomach ailments as well as in culinary applications such as to flavor teas and juices. It is also used to flavor May Wine which is a punch made with Woodruff infused white wine, oranges, pineapple and sugar. This is only one example of May Wine as apparently there are other versions with different flavors. We are really looking forward to making herbal teas from the garden once again. There is nothing like gathering a bunch of fragrant herbs and making a nice iced tea with honey to drink on a hot summer evening. Perhaps that will be a blog topic in the near future!

Since the taking of this photo Iz has added more to this bed: Lemon Verbena (Aloysia citriodora) (another delicious herb in tea or putting under the skin of roast chicken); Codonopsis (Codonopsis pilosula), Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria), and Meadowfoam (Limnanthes Douglasii)

In other plant news Iz planted the Goji Berries (Lycium chinese or barbarum). It is also known as Matrimony Vine. The folklore attached to this plant states that one must not plant this vine near the home as it may cause "marital discord".

This is Iz planting the Goji in one of the beds at the front of the house, and with my permission, near the house! While the folklore is charming, the best place we have for the Goji is near the house. We promised to move it if we start lashing out at each other for no reason. This is a vine and Iz added some stakes next to the plants to give them something to climb on.
I better end this now, we have more additions but I will leave that for later! I shall leave you with a little honeybee that was visiting our tulips. Bzzz Bzzz!

Road Trip: Companion Plants

2011-04-10T10:25:00.002-04:00

Iz and I took a trip to Athens, Ohio this week to visit a nursery where Iz has bought a lot of our plants. We drove three hours to visit Companion Plants buy a flat of plants and then drove home! The drive through South East Ohio is beautiful, changing from flat farmland to rolling pastures to dense pine forests. There is really no major interstate that goes from Cincinnati to Athens, so there is plenty of scenery.

We have met the owner of Companion Plants before at and herb festival, but Iz took a moment to reintroduce himself and chat. The owner is so nice and knowledgeable! We took our time to browse, they offer around 600 different plants, and started to accumulate a nice stash of plants.

Click the images to see what we purchased.

Here is Isaac browsing in a small section of the greenhouse. Look at the eucalyptus tree!

There were some really cute terra cotta plant tags for sale but I abstained from buying any.

We didn't manage to plant everything when we got home, but we found a home for the Kentucky Colonial Mint. Isaac divided the plant into three to give it more opportunity to spread around the bed.

I can't wait to use it in tea and other yummy summer drinks!

Even though it was a short road trip, we had a great time!

Cover Cropping It

2011-04-01T21:35:00.001-04:00

Since my last post was about working with your soil to get it healthy and nutritious, I thought I would continue on the theme and talk about growing cover crops. Generally this is done after your last harvest of whatever you have grown for the season or if you are planning on leaving a plot empty for a season or two. This publication will give you a lot of specific information on choosing which plants to grow and all the benefits or growing cover crops and green manure.

I found a few good passages to put here to give you a better idea of what I am talking about.

"Green manuring" involves the soil incorporation of any field or forage crop while green or soon after flowering, for the purpose of soil improvement. A cover crop is any crop grown to provide soil cover, regardless of whether it is later incorporated. Cover crops are grown primarily to prevent soil erosion by wind and water. Cover crops and green manures can be annual, biennial, or perennial herbaceous plants grown in a pure or mixed stand during all or part of the year. In addition to providing ground cover and, in the case of a legume, fixing nitrogen, they also help suppress weeds and reduce insect pests and diseases. When cover crops are planted to reduce nutrient leaching following a main crop, they are often termed "catch crops."

A major benefit obtained from green manures is the addition of organic matter to the soil.

Cover crops will also aid in fixing nitrogen into the soil. provide a healthy ecosystem for beneficial bacterial and aerate the soil.

Iz and I chose to add some winter cover crops to our large raised bed last fall. We sowed seeds for winter rye, red and white clover, dandelion and alfalfa. Since this was the first year for this raised bed, which is sitting on top of plain old Ohio clay soil, we wanted to try and break up the soil beneath the bed and encourage the worms and other nutrients to travel up into it.

It looks a mess but will be incorporated into the soil as it decomposes

A winter cover crop is planted in late summer or fall to provide soil cover during the winter. Often a legume is chosen for the added benefit of nitrogen fixation. In northern states, the plant selected needs to possess enough cold tolerance to survive hard winters. Hairy vetch and rye are among the few selections that meet this need. (From the ATTRA Publication)

We turned over the plants two weekends ago and found that the plants did a good job and rooting deep and providing some organic matter to build the soil as it decomposes.

Look at the tap root and root system of this red clover!

The nice thing about having dandelions in the mix is that you can eat the greens and dry the root for tea instead of turning them into the soil. They just might be the first edible crop you harvest from your spring garden! Enjoy!

Start with the soil

2011-03-20T13:24:00.000-04:00

Spring is officially here! Iz and I took advantage of the warmer weather and the break in rain showers to clean up the yard and prepare some beds for sowing seeds. We have three compost piles at the end of the main garden that we started in the fall last year. Basically we just throw all kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, egg shells, some paper (think cardboard coffee sleeves), and a bunch of leaves from the fall into the piles and turned them a couple of times over the season. This is a very informal way of composting, but this is an ideal way to compost for us for a few reasons.

The piles are pretty close to the back door so we just throw the scraps in the pile as our compost bowl fills up.

By composting in the garden, you are keeping all the good bacteria, worms, other bugs etc. that have been living in the compost piles in the garden-creating a more cohesive ecosystem. You are encouraging multiple generations of organisms to live in the soil of your garden.

This helps build the soil naturally, allowing for less tilling, and more nutrients to stay in the soil. If you are in an area where you have heavy clay soil, like we do, I think you will understand the desire to make a more "fluffy" or less dense soil for your plants.

I am not saying that everyone should compost like this, this is still an experiment for us and is working...so far. If you want to know more, we suggest the following books: Start with the Soil by Grace Gershuny and One Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka. I think I will devote a later post to a few more books that have been wonderful references for us.

There is some good stuff under the straw!

After checking out the soil, Iz started sowing a few seeds: Diakon Radish, Chicory and Mustard Greens. All of these are happy to germinate in the cool soil. As I am writing this, I am thinking of other ideas for later posts. I will talk about where we get our seeds why we like seed banks such as Seed Savers and J.L. Hudson over commercial brands such as Burpee. In addition, as things go to seed, I will show how to save seeds from your plants so you don't have to buy any the next year!

Take a look at some photos below. Some of this stuff may seem boring to some people, but once you get a whiff of nice fresh soil, you will be hooked!

Sowing Poppies in the Spring. They like to germinate in the cool earth and bloom when it is warmer.

Daikon Radish from Baker Creek

Directions

Iz preparing a spot for the Daikson radishes, mustard greens and chicory. All are good to sow in the very early Spring.

Breaking up the soil lightly

Tiny seeds will grow into large plants!

Diakon Radish Seeds

Chickory Seeds


After sowing, give the soil a little pat to tamp the seeds in.

After the seeds are in the ground, make sure you keep the soil moist as they germinate. In the Spring it is nice because we usually get a decent amount of rain. Just keep an eye on the soil and water appropriately. Of course I will update with photos when they come up!

Organized

2011-03-15T22:59:00.001-04:00

I organized all our photos of the garden in Flickr for easier viewing! Enjoy!

Changes are coming

2011-03-15T19:19:00.001-04:00

Year One Seed Starting

Over the past three years, my husband and I have become very interested in living closer to the land, living simpler-more cretive and fullfilling lives. This started when we moved into I's childhood home and promptly began planning a garden. If you look back through this blog, I have a few entires where we go through starting seeds in the basement and if you check out our Flickr page you will see what we have been up to the past few years.

Year One Garden-just finished

We are also in our third year of investing in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share through Hazelfield Farm in Kentucky. It has been so enjoyable to be able to pick up a bag-full of fresh produce grown locally and sustainably by the same people we interact with on a weekly basis at the farmer's market. We enjoy the challenge of using what is available, creating less waste and becoming more self-sufficient. Iz has begun to realize that horticulture, gardening, sustainable agriculture (whatever you want to call it) is indeed a passion of his. We have discussed the idea of buying property and turning it into our dream permiculture farm and have begun looking at property in ernest. Taking a step further, Iz began to look at farming interships and apprenticeships. We realized that if this was going to happen, Iz would have to leave his current job and commit 100% to his passion. Through luck, devine intervention or whatever you want to call it, Smaller Footprint Farm contacted Iz and asked if he would be interested in applying for their internship in Yellow Springs, OH. We thought, why not check it out? After a few agonizing weeks-debating back and forth-weighing the pros and cons, a visit to the farm and an interview, Iz was offered an apprenticeship with them. By this time we had discussed the subject to death and were ready to take the plunge. Iz accepted the offer this weekendand turned in his letter of resignation at work today.

Some seedlings from last year

It is still a little scary to think about living with one income, being away from home etc. but this is something that we both believe in and believe that it will all work out. The education Iz will get during this apprenticeship will be invaluable. It will indeed be an interesting year and we are looking forward to the challenges. I thought I would take this opportunity to use this blog to talk about our experiences and about sustainable agriculture, small farms, plants and beyond. I hope to visit the farm often to take lots of photographs and report back here.
We are still getting a full-share CSA with Hazelfield Farm this year and we will still have plans for a full garden at home as well. I hope to be able to talk about what we are doing with all of the beautiful produce and how to preserve the surplus.

Largest Raised Bed we made last year

This is still all very new and exciting! I hope I will have a lot of information and ideas to pass along as this spring and summer progress. Of course, I will be posting photos of our garden as it grows this year. I love to see the transition of empty beds to a profusion of flowers and vegetables! I am also going to try and reorganized our Flickr page into collections and sets that are relevant to eachother-probably one for each year for the garden at the house. Since this is the third year, we have a lot of photographs and perhaps they can be of better use if more organized.

Stay Tuned! Izzy & Lizzy

Wanted

2011-03-11T12:49:00.001-05:00

DSC_0002, originally uploaded by etoilee.

More Hamilton

Duke Watching the Birds

2011-03-11T12:48:00.003-05:00

DSC_0092, originally uploaded by etoilee.

His favorite thing in the Winter.

To The Sky

2011-03-11T12:48:00.001-05:00

DSC_0125, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Ault Park

homefurniture

2011-03-11T12:47:00.001-05:00

homefurniture, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Downtown Hamilton, OH

Sprawl

2011-03-11T12:46:00.001-05:00

DSC_0145, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Drive-By shooting

Ciabatta

2011-03-11T12:38:00.001-05:00

DSC_0180, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Delicious and home made by a friend.

Burned

2011-03-11T12:37:00.001-05:00

DSC_0149, originally uploaded by etoilee.

I saw several buildings completely burned this winter.

Gutted

2011-03-11T12:35:00.001-05:00

DSC_0207, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Deselecting 2

2011-03-11T12:34:00.001-05:00

DSC_0092, originally uploaded by etoilee.

deselecting-tough job but has to be done

Deselected

2011-03-11T12:33:00.001-05:00

DSC_0133, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Some seedlings have to make way for others.

Factory Road

2011-01-16T23:14:00.001-05:00

DSC_0010, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Factory

2011-01-16T23:13:00.001-05:00

DSC_0026, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Scorched

2011-01-16T23:12:00.001-05:00

DSC_0027, originally uploaded by etoilee.

I hope the family that lived here are ok.

Alley

2011-01-16T23:11:00.001-05:00

DSC_0047, originally uploaded by etoilee.

DSC_0068

2011-01-16T23:10:00.001-05:00

DSC_0068, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Spices

2011-01-16T23:09:00.003-05:00

DSC_0073, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Dragon

2011-01-16T23:09:00.001-05:00

DSC_0074, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Fancy Dragon guarding Jungle Jim's

Doll Houses

2011-01-16T23:08:00.003-05:00

DSC_0077, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Photo a Day way overdue

2011-01-16T23:08:00.001-05:00

DSC_0082, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Uploading some photos from recent trips. Way overdue!

MRH Holiday Giveaway Week 3

2010-12-15T13:36:00.002-05:00

Check it out!

Feeling the love!

2010-12-09T22:42:00.000-05:00

I just listed a new print today in my Etsy store and it is already featured in an Etsy Treasury! How lovely! :)

xo,
Lizzy

Mountain Rose Herbs Giveaway! take 2!

2010-12-08T22:22:00.000-05:00

Week two of Mountain Rose Herbs giveaway of fabulous products!
Check it out!

Included in another Etsy Treasury!

2010-12-07T15:08:00.002-05:00

Take a look!

Mountain Rose Herbs Giveaway!

2010-12-01T21:28:00.000-05:00

I love Mountain Rose Herbs. They have everything I need to make my own bath products and teas. They are having a giveaway on their blog. Check it out!

DSC_0126

2010-12-01T11:32:00.001-05:00

DSC_0126, originally uploaded by etoilee.

We went to the Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens this past weekend. I had a little fun with the lights and my camera.

Featured in another Etsy Treaury!

2010-10-28T21:26:00.001-04:00

How nice! Another Etsy member has included a print in their treasury! Thank you!

xo,
Lizzy

More Etsy Treasuries

2010-10-26T10:35:00.001-04:00

Here are two more treasuries I created! I love it!

Ruffles!

Paris Je T'aime

Can't get enough!
xo,
Lizzy
P.S. I found out that the Bees! Treasury was on the front page of Etsy, but I missed it! Still exciting nonetheless.

Photo a Day

2010-10-24T15:49:00.001-04:00

DSC_0775, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Photo a Day

2010-10-24T15:48:00.001-04:00

DSC_0840, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Photo a Day

2010-10-24T15:47:00.003-04:00

DSC_0828, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Photo a Day

2010-10-24T15:47:00.001-04:00

DSC_0786, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Some of my favorite things on Etsy

2010-10-24T09:00:00.001-04:00

Since I was recently featured in an Etsy member's treasury, I thought I would do the same for others! Check them out and spread the love!

Rustic Beauty

Bees!

xo,

Lizzy

Exciting!

2010-10-22T12:24:00.000-04:00

This week keeps getting better when it comes to photography. I just found out that I won honorable mention in a portrait contest. It's better than nothing! I have entered in competitions before with no result at all. So I will take my little victories. :)

Link

My image is the last one.
xo,
Lizzy

Featured!

2010-10-21T22:21:00.002-04:00

How exciting! I just found out that a photograph is featured in an Etsy treasury! Very flattered and thankful! <3

More Etsy!

2010-10-21T22:06:00.002-04:00

More photographs listed in my Etsy store! <3

Delicious Autumn Apple

2010-10-17T16:47:00.002-04:00

DSC_0591, originally uploaded by etoilee.

xo,
Lizzy

Aloe

2010-10-17T16:46:00.002-04:00

DSC_0606, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Soothing and healing

Duke session

2010-10-17T16:45:00.000-04:00

I'm loving my sweet man today..... <3

Photo a Day Comeback!

2010-10-17T16:38:00.001-04:00

DSC_0631, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Update!

Getting it together!

2010-10-01T15:06:00.000-04:00

Hooray! After a long hiatus, I've added some of my prints and some hand made necklaces to my Etsy store. Take a look!

Xo,

Praying Mantis Friend

2010-09-14T16:58:00.002-04:00

DSC_0462, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Little Praying Mantis hanging out in the lemongrass.

Decaying Melon

2010-09-14T16:57:00.001-04:00

DSC_0506, originally uploaded by etoilee.

This little guy didn't quite make it to the table.

Ubiquitous Summer Church festivals

2010-09-14T16:56:00.001-04:00

DSC_0533, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Cleared for take-off

2010-09-14T16:55:00.001-04:00

DSC_0542, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Monarch and Cup Plant

2010-09-14T16:54:00.001-04:00

DSC_0548, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Photo a day entry. Loving the monarchs visiting the yard.

Photo a day Catch up

2010-09-14T16:52:00.001-04:00

DSC_0525, originally uploaded by etoilee.

Just catching up on my negelected photo a day. I have been taking pictures, just not posting in a timely manner!

Photo a Day

2010-07-18T19:10:00.000-04:00

Looks like I'm going to have to try photo a week. Have some to catch up. Haven't had a moment to post until today. I was inspired by some of the amaranth growing in the garden today. xo

Phew!

Photo a Day and Garden Update

2010-07-11T15:52:00.001-04:00

Here are a few to make up for lost time...

Check out our Flickr page for updated photos of the garden. We are starting to get more tomatoes which is exciting. The peas are there but we are waiting for more of them to grow before picking. We have melons but they are smallish still and need to ripen. The beans have finished. We cleared out the plants and will probably plant a cover crop there. We harvested the garlic (as you can see above) and the potatoes. In their former bed we have planted cover crops: comfrey, borage, yarrow, bee's friend, fenugreek and sea kale. Now is the time to start thinking about a second harvest so I think some more greens are going to go in as well as some carrots and maybe a few other things!

Photo a Day

2010-07-08T11:22:00.000-04:00

8 July 2010

Photo a Day

2010-07-06T10:48:00.000-04:00

Skipped the 4th, oops! Posting one from yesterday. Working on one for today...

5 July 2010

Photo a Day

2010-07-03T22:59:00.001-04:00

3 July 2010

Photo a Day

2010-07-02T16:47:00.001-04:00

2 July 2010

Castor Bean Leaves
ricinus zanzibariensis

Photo a Day

2010-07-01T22:31:00.001-04:00

1 July 2010

Photo a Day

2010-06-30T22:09:00.001-04:00

30 June 2010 Curry Plant Bloom

Photo a Day

2010-06-29T20:54:00.002-04:00

Of course when I say that I am going to post a photo everyday, I leave the camera at my sister-in-law's so I'm already a little behind. Here is today's, plus one extra.

29 June 2010 Cosmo

26 June 2010

Garden etc.

2010-06-26T11:42:00.001-04:00

The largest raised bed is flourishing. The cosmos, amaranth, night scented stock, chamomile and poppies are all blooming.

Catching up on some favorites from the past few months.

Carousel at St. Joe Michigan

Domaine Berrien Cellars

Headless Hebe's pitcher

Beach at the Outer Banks

I'm thinking of a new project to get myself a little more focused. I'm going to try and take at least one photo a day and post it here. I'm trying to do better at editing my work and hopefully this will help! I'm trying to find new subject matter too and by taking the camera everywhere with me, I may find myself inspired in random moments.

Happy Summer!

2010-06-21T22:58:00.000-04:00

The garden is well on it's way this first day of summer. We have all but one raised bed filled with plants! We've already harvested the Royalty Purple Pod and Empress green beans, and lots of herbs (made the first pesto of the season tonight!). The tomatoes are green, I cannot wait for them to ripen. The cone flower, cosmos, prairie coreopsis, rubeckia, monarda, vitex and one sunflower are blooming.

Much more has been uploaded to our Flickr page.

TV Turnoff Week

2010-05-03T20:49:00.000-04:00

The official TV Turnoff Week, April 19-25, has passed. If you missed it, why not make this week to turn off your TV and enjoy an activity outside, read a book you've been putting off, cook and elaborate dinner...just have fun! See what this mom did during her break from television.

http://blog.bellalunatoys.com/2010/tv-turnoff-week.html

Garden Update-way past due!

2010-05-02T17:44:00.000-04:00

April went by way to quickly, and we are trying to keep up with the garden. That is my excuse for not keeping current here! We are making progress but due to some family priorities and some long days at work, we don't have everything in the ground that needs to be there. It is raining today, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to catch up.

Large Raised bed about a month ago...

...and now!

It doesn't look like tooo much progress however, there are many flower seedlings about 2" tall sprouting in the middle areas. We moved some Peonies into the back right corner and lemongrass in the front right.

We have already harvested about a dozen "Cincinnati Market" Radishes. I made them into a yummy salad. On the far right are more radishes waiting for harvest, beets in the middle. In the second batch kale and mustard greens are bursting and waiting for picking. Various flowers coming up in small troughs in front.

Brussel Sprouts on the left, beets in the middle, and where the radishes were harvested, new seeds were planted and they are now sprouting.

Our first harvest of the season. Last year it was lettuce, but it isn't quite ready yet this year.

We also welcomed new family members. About two pounds of earthworms. They will live in the basement where we will feed them kitchen scraps (no dairy or meat!) on a weekly basis. In about 3 to 4 months, we will have worm castings for fertilizer in the garden. We went to a vermicomposting class at Glenwood Gardens and came home with worms in two tubs filled with leaves, newspaper and a cultivator. I will make sure to keep that process up to date.

The broccoli is getting bigger in the garden. The melons, beans and sunflowers have sprouted. Tomatoes and peppers are in the garden, raised beds and containers. We are moving along nicely but much more to do.
Current blooms:

Bachelor Buttons

Valerian

Sweet Rocket

And kitties! Scarlett went out on a leash. I think she liked it. We live near a busy street and lots of dogs. I wanted to see if the kitties could enjoy the outdoors with us so we are trying the harness and leash. We'll see what happens.

xo,

Polyvore Fun

2010-05-02T16:55:00.000-04:00

I joined Polyvore a few months ago and have had fun making up outfits and playing with ideas. Here is a recent one. It is enjoyable to "window shop" and create an ensemble where money is no object!

Nouveau by etoilee featuring Nicole Miller dresses

Items in this set:
Nicole Miller teal georgette strapless draped gown, $395
Nicole Miller teal georgette strapless draped gown, $395
Emmy flat leather sandals, $195
Birdcage fine-crystal bag, $5,595
Kenneth Jay Lane Gold-plated leaf cuff, $60

Driving

2010-04-01T21:05:00.000-04:00

We took a drive after a long day in the garden. I was having fun in the passenger seat. More on our Flickr Page.

We stopped at a park. The magnolias are in bloom and smell wonderful!

My husband and a pal napping on the way back from MI. More about that trip soon!

Seedling Updates and more

2010-03-19T19:21:00.000-04:00

I wanted to update sooner but time has slipped away from me yet again. Much has happened over the last 2.5 weeks. The seeds we sowed inside have sprouted and look quite nice so far. The weather has improved greatly so we have been able to put the seedling trays outside to harden off (in other words, getting the little guys used to the great outdoors). We have also been moving out the less hardy plants we overwintered inside. Only during the sunny warm parts of the day though, we have to ease them back into direct sunlight lest they get scorched. The same goes for the seedlings, we place the seed trays in a somewhat sheltered area outside where they get a little bit of direct sun but not too much. We will do this over the next couple of weeks and put some of the plants outside permanently after that. I plan on having the broccoli in the ground by the last week of March.

Here are some photos of our "babies"!

Left photo is all the vegetables: tomatoes, eggplants, broccoli etc. Right photo lots of herbs including thyme...

I also started a few little containers of lettuce, radishes, beets and spinach.

We bought a wine box from Jungle Jim's for about $5.00-in it are the beet, spinach and radish seeds. The trough container has two varieties of lettuce: Rouge d'Hiver, Forellenschuss. I think we are going to get a few more wine boxes for either vegetables or flowers. I put chicken wire over the containers to keep out the digging critters.
Both containers have potting soil, compost and a little bit of organic fertilizer. (I'm using the term organic loosely here)
I want to touch a little on fertilizer as there are many commercial varieties on the market. We don't use much or very many types-we are trying to use compost, cover crops and crop rotation to nourish the soil but some benefit can come from using a fertilizer.
Here is some advice from Start with the Soil by Grace Gershuny. These are only general examples and there may be some exceptions. We are not experts so I urge everyone to do a little reading on their own to get more information.

Look at the guaranteed analysis (NPK analysis) Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium. It will tell you the percentage of soluble elements available in the fertilizer
Choose an NPK rating no higher than 10 for any element.
Anything higher than 10 are probably standard chemical fertilizers that use: urea, monoammonium phosphate, muriate of potash
Some bags of fertilizer will not have ingredients so understanding the NPK analysis is helpful

In addition to getting the vegetables ready, we've had some blooming flowers emerge!

Purple Crocus and Yellow Daffodils are some classics. Here the crocus are nestled next to our lemon thyme.

Blooming Witch Hazel

We bought a blooming hellebore plant last week. We need to get it in another container but I wanted to get some photos before it stopped blooming. So pretty!

We are going to start constructing some raised beds very soon, so I will be updating that as we progress. I'm so glad spring it here!

Seed Starting Part II

2010-03-07T22:46:00.000-05:00

The actual seed starting has begun! We have several varieties of peppers and tomatoes, eggplant and a Romanesco Broccoli. We also started many many herbs.

If you are new to growing plants from seed here is how we do it.

First you will need a place that is dedicated specifically to seed starting. Here is our set up from last year.

We have hung fluorescent shop lights from our basement drop ceiling and outfitted the units with 40 watt 2200 lumen bulbs. 2200 is good for starting seeds but not for keeping full sun plants alive for a long term period. Ideally you get them started and move them into a larger pot or in the ground in the space where they will do best.

Some seeds need warmth to germinate, some do not. Some do not need light either. Make sure to read about what plants you are growing so you know what combination of light, heat, etc. needed. In this example we are starting vegetables-broccoli, eggplant, tomatoes and peppers. They all need light and warmth.

I already discussed light but for warmth we use seedling heat mats. You can find them at any hardware store that sells seed starting kits. If you have a warm area in your house that may work as well, but make sure the seedlings are getting enough light or they will get leggy. We like to use the artificial light and heat mats for consistency and you can start a lot of things in one place.

You will also need a medium into which you will place the seeds. We use two different types. The first are spongy plugs the other are jiffy pots with seed starting mix. There are also peat pellets available in most hardware stores and those are fine too.

With the plugs, you will need to soak them in water first and then place them into cell pack trays. From there you just place the seeds into the holes in the center of the plugs. Make sure that the seeds are in contact with the growing medium or they may not germinate since the roots have nothing on which to latch.

With the seed starting mix and jiffy pots, you will need to moisten the mix with water and distribute into the pots. You then can place the seeds into the pots.

Place the trays in the condition needed for the seeds to germinate and place a cover over the tray to help keep the soil moist. It is very important for the seeds to stay moist in order to germinate and stay alive. We mist the trays with water in a spray bottle daily.

We keep a chart of where each seed is planted since many seedlings look similar until their true leaves begin to form.
There is a little extra set up and initial investment but if you plan on starting seeds every year you won't have to buy everything each time. Just make sure to sterilize your trays and other seed starting tools before reuse.

I will be updating the seedlings as they grow-it is a very satisfying project to see plants grow from a tiny seed to a full size plant!

Seed Starting

2010-03-05T16:31:00.000-05:00

We are starting to sort out seeds so they can be started in a somewhat organized manner. Some need longer times to germinate, some need different methods, some we can just direct sow (in the ground) after the chance for a frost has passed. I anticipate starting some lettuce, other greens, and radishes outside in a week or two, they will need some protection but I think they should be ok. I plan on taking more pictures as we go through the process of starting seeds indoors. We are going to start tomatoes, eggplant and peppers for sure-very soon. Along with lots of herbs and other flowers and interesting shrubs and trees.

For now, here is where we begin!

Winter colors

2010-02-15T12:07:00.000-05:00

Despite my yearning for Spring, I really do find the colors of Winter inspiring. The gray and white of the snow and clouds, the dusky blue to brilliant crisp azure sky, the stark brown tree branches.

Good stuff from Etsy:

belleandboo

I own these prints and love them. So cute.

Stone Me

I love the colors and the fact that the only alteration made is a hole drilled so one can make them into something wearable.

MudPieNC
I'm always on the lookout for interesting mugs and I like anything with bird prints so, naturally this is appealing to me.

I would love to get outside and take some more photographs, but I must wait for the snowstorm that is currently raging to subside! Perhaps my husband and I can go out tomorrow for my birthday!

Yearning for Spring

2010-01-24T11:43:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in my last post, this Winter-especially January has been devoid of color and sun. I'm yearning to see the little seedlings poking through the ground with promise of grand color and beauty in the Spring and Summer. I planted some white Anemones and pink Alliums in addition to the traditional Daffodils and Tulips that all should be the first thing to bloom in our garden in late winter and early spring. Since I can't enjoy them right now, I've been looking at catalogs for more spring bulbs to perhaps purchase for the next year. Here is what I've found most intriguing.

Anemone Lord Lieutenant
I love the color and the fact that the bloom time is in February-my birthday month and is amethyst in color-my birthstone. It would be like a little birthday present to myself!

How about some heirloom tulips? Yes, please!
DUC VAN TOL ROSE, 1700
These only grow 6 inches tall, but would be great as a small colorful accent in a bed with taller plants blooming at the same time.
Or maybe mixed with some crocus? NEGRO BOY, 1910
This unfortunately named Crocus is a wonderful deep indigo and would highlight the lovely pink in the small tulip.

This double tulip is very nice as well. I really like flowers with many petals and have a different look than what a "traditional" tulip looks like. PEACH BLOSSOM, 1890

Another beautiful late winter addition to the garden are Lenten roses or hellebores. Many of the colors have a "vintage" color to them-with muted pinks, creams, greens and purples.

I think that these would make lovely pressed flowers for cards or for framing like a botanical print.

I can't wait for Spring so I can take pictures and document everything!

Gloomy Day Inspirations and Birthday

2010-01-21T17:41:00.000-05:00

I'm home sick today and the weather outside is fitting for how I feel. It's cold, rainy and there hasn't been even a peek of sunshine for several days now. We are looking forward to the spring and getting back to the land but for now, I can only brighten up my day with planning for the many projects ahead, and herbal tea...even the kitties have decided to abandon their bird watching perch and nap the day away.

I like to buy a new dress, or have Isaac buy it for me as a present, for my birthday. I also want to buy a new bathing suit for a vacation in May. Window shopping has kept me a little occupied as well and I will list my narrowed down favorites.

Birthday dresses!

Anthropologie: Rising Vapor Dress. I love the ruffles!

Mod Cloth Blowing Bubbles Dress. So cute! It keeps going out of stock, so maybe I should snatch it up! A short-sleeved cardigan, a clutch and some cute shoes would be a great outfit for a wedding.

Fossil Virginia Dress

That's the narrowed down version. Some that I found and liked are out of stock. Oh well!

Bathing Suits!
I'm modest-so one pieces for moi.

JCrew Solid ruched bandeau tank

JCrew Jersey Lomellina® cabana tank

Jersey Lomellina® retro bandeau tank

You get the general idea!

Flowers I can wait to see in bloom.

Our peonies!

Bachelor Buttons

Lavender!

Books I'm Currently Browsing

2010-01-06T23:01:00.000-05:00

I work at a Library so I have many interesting books checked out on my library card. Sometimes I don't get around to reading or even looking at a book before I have to return it for the next person to read. So I'm trying to make a better effort to browse the various gardening, craft and art books. Here are a few of my recent favorites.

Imperishable Beauty: Art Nouveau Jewelry

The Cincinnati Art Museum is exhibiting the pieces from this collection of Art Nouveau jewelry. I hope to make it to the show before it closes on January 17th.

Here are a few that I like best.

Charles Desroisers Orchid Brooch, 1898-1901

Phillipe Wolfers "Dragonfly" pendant-brooch, 1904

Lucien Gaillard Necklace with bleeding hearts

I need to get a scanner so I can scan all my other favorites!

I'm also getting inspirations for more felting projects. The two books I'm looking at right now are:

Feltique: Techniques and Projects for Wet Felting, Needle Felting, Fulling, and Working with Commercial Felt

The ruffle necklace on the cover is quite cute. There are also felted fortune cookies which would make nice party favors or an alternative to a birthday card.

Felt jewelry : 25 pieces to make using a variety of simple felting techniques

There are many nice jewelry ideas in the book. The necklaces are quite bold and chunky which definitely makes a statement when you wear them.

The other publications that are in heavy reading rotation are seed catalogs! My husband and I are starting to order seeds for the upcoming season. A couple of our favorite places for seeds are: The Seed Savers Exchange and J.L. Hudson. I'm searching for the prettiest sunflowers and herbs that we aren't already growing. We want to make more teas and herbal creations from our garden. I also want to have more flowers for arraignments and drying for crafts this year, including globe amaranth, cone flowers,and cosmos. We grew an deep orange variety of Cosmos last year named Diablo Cosmos and they were beautiful. I saved a lot of the seeds and we are going to get more colors!

The veggie list is also in the works, which is for another post.

xoxo,

Spring Grove Cemetery

2009-12-17T02:10:00.000-05:00

It's really fun to set aside a day off work to trek around the city to take photographs. A couple of weekends ago, on quite a cold day, we decided it was time for such an excursion. If you haven't noticed, we like take photographs of plants. But, since it is December, there is not much in the way of blooms. So, we set off to the somewhat famous Spring Grove Cemetery. Now, some may find a stroll around a cemetery morbid. We on the other hand find it peaceful and serene. Spring Grove has many interesting architectural monuments, in addition to well planned landscapes.

So, among individuals exercising or visiting family and friends, we concentrated on monuments, scenic views and a little bit of water fowl.

Here are some fruits of our labor. More can be seen on our Flickr page and some prints are for sale at Etsy.
Enjoy!

Natural Products

2009-12-15T17:15:00.000-05:00

I think it is very important for everyone to be a little more conscious about synthetic chemicals and harmful cleaning and personal hygiene products. They not only pollute our water and soil, but our bodies as well. I've been trying to replace conventional household cleaners and personal products with more earth and body friendly ingredients.

One book that I turn to rather frequently is The Naturally Clean Home by Karyn Siegel-Maier. It is small and portable and has recipes for everything from laundry "detergent" to floor polish. I use the liquid laundry recipe and mix up the scents using essential oils and different scents of Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap. It is basically 2 parts Dr. Bronner's 1 part white vinegar and 1 part water and 15 drops of essential oils. I shake it up in an empty Dr. Bronner's bottle and squirt about a half a cup into the washer as it fills with water. My favorite scents are lavender and peppermint. There are other types of laundry applications as well, including a bleach alternative.

What is nice also nice about the book is that she explains basic properties of essential oils and which are best for specific applications. For example, Thyme is anti-bacterial, so it is great to use in the kitchen. You need to be a little careful around essential oils, however. Make sure to dilute them in water, vinegar or a carrier oil-especially if they are going to come in contact with your skin.

Another great cleaning product is baking soda. I buy big boxes at the grocery store and use it for lots of things. I have a glass-stove top and it is hard to get burned on food and grease off the glass. When I need to get it shiny clean, I sprinkle baking soda on top and squirt the juice of a whole lemon on top. I let it get all fizzy and let it sit for about a half an hour. Then I take a moistened scrubber and scrub scrub scrub! The cooked-on particles release easily. This also works inside the oven.

As far as bath and body products, my main go-to cleanser is Dr.Bronner's Magic Soaps. It's made of all organic and biodegradable products. My husband and I use it in the shower for hair and body. It does make hair a little tangl-y so I use the Citrus Hair conditioning rinse. I think it works very well and smells nice.

I have recently started to make other bath and body products such as a Dead Sea Salt Scrub. Take 2 cups of Dead Sea Salt or regular Sea Salt, 1/2 c of jojoba oil (I use organic) a tablespoon of Dr. Bronner's and 15 to 20 drops of your favorite essential oil. (I like lavender.) Just mix it all together and put it in a non-breakable container since you are going to be using it in the bath. I use it once a week to scrub away dead skin and the jojoba moisturizes nicely. You can use it before shaving too, just not after or it may irritate your skin! I am also working on a brown sugar scrub too. Yum!

One place I like to buy products such as essential oils and the Dead Sea salt is Mountain Rose Herbs. They have many organic products from essential oils to beeswax to teas. Give them a try!

I still have more tips up my sleeves, but I will save more for later! Every little change we make helps ourselves and our earth be healthier.

xo,

Inspirations

2009-12-12T17:26:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to keep a blog in order to keep my thoughts and inspirations organized and hopefully share them with others.

Ever since my dad showed me how to take pictures, develop the film and prints in a darkroom, I have been hooked on photography. With a somewhat recent purchase of a digital SLR-a Nikon D40 to be exact-my husband and I have been documenting our gardening progress as well as other scenic landscapes. You can see our photos on our Flickr page as well as purchase prints from my Etsy shop. I have other interesting items for sale there as well. This is a new endeavor for me, so it will be interesting to see how this works out.

I also love making things: jewelry, felted items, stationary etc. I will be posting inspirations and current projects here as well. I also make all of my own cleaning supplies and will share recipes here. I'm trying out making bath and body products too. I love Dr. Bronner's!

With Winter pretty much here, I hope to fill the next few non-gardening months with crafts, photography and even some gardening plans and seed starting projects.

So to start off I will list a few of my favorite things!

TAKEN IN PORTLAND, OR
I identify with self-taught (outsider art, naive, folk art) which includes for me graffiti. Some may find it disrespectful. However, I like how it blurs the lines of art, property and self expression.

Street Art A.K.A: Graffiti

Mail Art a la Ray Johnson

Art Nouveau anything! Especially posters and jewelry and Tiffany:

I like trying to use reusable or biodegradable craft supplies whenever possible, including hemp, wool and wood.

As this is only and introduction, I shall stop here. My husband (the Izzy portion of IzzyLizzy) will be adding his own ideas and inspirations here as well.

More later!

xo,