Not such a bad combo, right?
These local raspberries were bought at my favorite store Metropolitan Market in upper Queen Anne.Yes, this store can be expensive but they also get great deals like these berries which incidentally were incredibly sweet! I don’t think I’d really ever had golden raspberries before – exactly as delicious as their red sisters!

Now living in Seattle a full year I definitely see the growing trend of flowers.
The order goes something like this: crocus, daffodil, tulips followed by irises followed by roses with hydrangea following close behind. Now that all the roses are out I make it my duty to smell them as we walk around the neighborhood. Funny how some smell amazing and others like nothing at all. Gavin, thanks for the beautiful bunch of hyndrangea and roses, it made the apartment very cozy!

I know, thats not right! but I think I’m almost caught up with everything so you’ll have to excuse me.
Anyhow, here it is, the most amazing freshly picked Arugula from Gavin’s sister Kimberly’s genius little garden where I cannot wait till her tomatoes start ripening (and peppers and cucumbers and everything else that she has planted in this apartment garden). This woman has a cozy green Seattle thumb and I am obviously hanging with the right crowd!

We are moving to Seattle! The packing has begun. We went to the grocery store to get some boxes.
This is what they gave us from the produce department.
Every box if from Washington!! Is that a sign, or what????

It’s time to talk Cozy Spring vegetables and lets start with peas. They are growing like mad, and sometimes in our own gardens (I didn’t plant that many plants so I had a very tiny harvest but this pea below is homegrown!)

We had our favorite vegetarians Deena and Zeke over for dinner the other night and I came across a couple of recipes that I had had for quite a while but never made. They couldn’t have been easier and the end result was beautiful and delicious!

I started out with a Pea Bruschetta as an appetizer using the fresh pea tendrils from my garden as a garnish. This could not be easier and is delicious! Here is a great recipe from Real Simple using frozen peas, mint and olive oil!

For the main course I did a pasta recipe I’d had for a long time and never made. So glad I finally tried it, its one of my new favorites!

LINGUINE WITH PEAS AND MINT
serves 2
1/4 pound sugar snap peas (I did mine without)
2 tbl. butter
1 large shallot minced
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
1/3 can chicken broth
1/4 pound plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded OR canned drained
1/3 cup whipping cream
3 tbl. chopped fresh mint
8 ounces linguine
2 tbl. fresh chopped parsley
fresh Parmesean (optional)

Cook sugar snap peas in medium pot of boiling salted water until tender crisp about 4 minutes. Drain, cool and slice lengthwise.

Melt butter in a heavy medium skillet over medium low heat. Add shallot and saute until tender. Add 1/3 cup fresh or frozen peas and chicken broth. Simmer until peas are tender about 3 minutes. Add sugar snap peas, tomatoes, cream and mint. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until liquid thickens slightly. about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile cook linguine until al dente. Ladle 1/4 pasta cooking liquid into small bowl and reserve. Drain linguine and transfer to a large bowl. Add sauce and parsley to pasta and toss. This with 1/4 reserved pasta water if necessary. Sprinkle with parmesean if desired.

This recipe is a definite keeper no matter the season! Bon appetit!

Just stick your nose in a smell – real tomatoes! What a wonderful smell (and taste) summertime is definitely here!

As seen this past Wednesday at the Santa Monica’s Farmer’s Market when I was rushing into a job which was right on the 3rd Street Promenade. I couldn’t resist taking a quick photo of these luscious cherries! In my mad dash I also saw strawberries, pussy willow and still lots of lilacs! Was extremely hard to tear myself away from this market and go into work!

Can’t wait for the real fruits of summer: peaches, nectarines, plums and blueberries!

When you don’t have much land for a garden you have to get creative. That’s where container gardening comes in.

Usually thought of as lots of traditional pots but I am loving the idea of “found” objects!

“Found” meaning objects you might have laying around the home or yard that are unique and could have a second life. If it can hold soil and have irrigation, it can become a planter that is both different and beautiful!

In this case I used some old baskets for my Mesclum and lettuce. Undoubtedly, I will have to thin these out and transfer to somewhere (?) but I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. I was wishing I had an old watering can or galvanized tub. What else would be beautiful? Any ideas?

I almost threw out an old wicker chair but thought “wait a minute, why not try this?”. I haven’t planted it yet so you’ll have to hold on to your horses for that one but if it does work, won’t that be kinda cool?

I was watching my favorite show Jamie At Home (Jamie Oliver of course) and saw he started seedlings in a bunch of cool emptied tomato “tins”. Be sure to punch some holes in the bottom of your vessel and you’re all set.

I guess the bottom line is to plant seeds! Or at least to start thinking and planning about planting seeds! Spring can’t come too soon!

Elizabeth and I were in Whole Foods last week waiting in line to check out and we just happened to skim though some magazine (wish I could remember which one!!!) when this seedling in an eggshell picture caught my eye. Their picture was in a beautiful blue shell and perfectly clean (as compared to mine aka the real thing!) but I thought what a cool idea!

Then when I actually did it I thought, what a great idea because now all I do is pop the entire shell into the ground and I don’t have to chance breaking the tiny roots of my beautiful little pea plants!

And how beautiful are these??? I also have zucchini started and after this coming Sunday’s scrambled eggs so who knows!

I found a new space on the property and created a vegetable planting bed using a railroad tie that I found and some leftover bricks in the garage. The soil is being supplemented by what I have dug out from under the orange tree. It is dark and rich – probably from years of natural composting!

Pictures and updates on this new bed. I’m sorry all you Snowbirds but it is Spring in Los Angeles! More gardening in unusual containers to come….

“A collective in which we all get to enjoy some of what everyone grows in exchange for contributing what we don’t want or won’t use ourselves. Then no food is wasted and we all get a variety of fresh local produce to eat for free.”

No waste, a no brainer, right? How many times have you driven by a neighborhood avocado tree and wished you could get out and take a couple of the hundreds of fruits that you know will never get eaten? Well now people with these extras can contribute to Hynden’s project and receive a bag of goodies delivered right to their door!. Sharing made simple!
By the way, it’s all for free if you contribute or volunteer to bag or deliver. Check out all the details on the website for more info.

Our fearless leader Hynden. Amazing energy!

So organized! The list above all volunteer’s bags on what goodies they will be receiving.

APPLES!

BASIL AND TONS OF OTHER HERBS TOO (SAGE, THYME, PARSLEY ETC.)

PERSIMMONS AND LEMONS

TOMATOES AND POMEGRANATES

New member Ellen baked at over 30 loaves of absolutely delicious Pumpkin bread! wow, what a treat!

GROUP SHOT! Hard workers included: Julie, Marge, Mariah, Monica (head of the San Gabriel Valley chapter) and Hynden:

MASCOT BOO: A fabulous Greyhound racer (who incidentally ate all Hynden’s pumpkin bread which is why he looks so content!)

Thanks again Hynden and everybody! I look forward to doing it again!

Hynden says: no plastic bags, eat off the tree!!!!!!!!!

And of course, since it is my most favorite season I have to do everything possible to get into the mood! Which means taking advantage of the beautiful produce Fall has to offer and using it instead of flowers are decor. On my dining room table I have a vintage bowl full of persimmons and they are gorgeous!

I also love big bowls of artichokes or baby eggplants, peppers, chestnuts, the possibilities are endless! And you can always eat them in the end!

Today I bought pumpkins and will continue to add as it gets closer to Halloween. You can never get enough!

Coming up: some new Fall inspired recipes!