Category: Gardening

  • Another Post About Kale

    The internet doesn’t need more kale recipes. I almost didn’t post this for that very reason, but then my husband reminded me the internet wouldn’t exist without unnecessary and redundant information. And I’m not posting kale recipes because it’s trendy. I’m posting kale recipes because it’s all I grew this summer so it’s all we…

  • Summer 2013

    This summer has gone somewhere, though I’m not entirely sure where. I can tell by my hands that I’ve been working. A few of my fingertips are so cut and calloused that my fingerprint swirls seem to be changing direction, accommodating these new scars. There are burns on my knuckles and even a stretch of…

  • Garden in Bloom

    This is the first year we haven’t turned to my in-law’s established yard to thin their perennials and cart them back to our in-progress yard. Mostly it’s because 17 inches of snow fell in Illinois when we headed over for our annual spring visit this year, but our yard is also finally filling in a…

  • Towards the Sun

    Lately I’ve been feeling down about the state of farming in America. And down is an understatement. Our reliance on big agriculture, lack of crop diversity, our acceptance and support of GMOs (check out the recently signed Farmer’s Assurance Act) and the disappearing bees and butterflies all make me feel pretty helpless. Normally this would…

  • Coffee Sack Window Box Liner

    A few years ago we tried to make our tiny garage look less like an afterthought and more like part of our yard. I made curtains, hung terracotta pots and planted flowers in a window box with a coconut fiber liner. Then the squirrels promptly took over. They churned up the soil and all the…

  • Nourish

    Lately I’ve been thinking about nourishment in all its forms. This summer, like always, we started a garden with good intentions. We planted seeds inside on a cold spring morning and watched them grow until we transplanted our tomatoes and peppers to their outside containers, waiting for August so that we could be rewarded. As…

  • How Does Your Garden Grow?

    It’s the Fourth of July Weekend and it is hot out. It’s humid, sticky and still. Luckily there is reprieve to be found in our shaded backyard. Of all the places to spend time in our home during summer, I choose the front porch. But when the front porch is too hot to bear, I…

  • Knowing our Food

    Driving past an elementary school in my neighborhood this evening I saw raised garden beds filled with corn, tomatoes, peppers and greens of every kind. These beds were spread throughout the playground, butting up to the monkey bars and swing sets. The gardens and play equipment seemed to be the perfect intermingling of entertainment and…

  • Watching our Garden Grow

    As I watch our garden grow I’m getting more and more excited to eat that first batch of vegetables straight from the earth. I’ve nibbled on some cress and a tiny lettuce leaf here and there, but so far we haven’t harvested anything. We always plant a little late and so the abundant salads we…

  • With Our Hands

    Friday night we enjoyed a quick getaway to French Lick and West Baden, IN with our friends. Since the mid 1800s this area has been known for its mineral springs and their restorative healing powers. Luxurious resorts were built up around the springs and the hotels there hosted such notables as Al Capone and Diamond…