I had a rare long weekend off to shop and discover. The weather was gorgeous so I stuck to the outdoor walking malls. I am seeing a lot of succulents probably because they are so easy to care for and require little water. Here are some photos of a smashing garden I saw.
While in Santa Ana over the weekend, I saw an ingenious and charming way to display succulents. I am totally stealing this idea for decorating the garden.
Another idea is to use clay chimneys. These gardeners simply dropped plastic pots (the kind the plants come in from the nursery) in the top and, voila!
Finally, the classic concrete planter is alwys a winner. All three of these planters mixed together are going to look fantastic! I am starting this weekend.
I bought these bottle and mercury glass ornaments at Create and Barrel the day after Christmas. I have been waiting for these hearty ornaments to go on sale because they are prefect for decorating an outdoor tree and you need a lot of them to make a statement. I tied a red ribbon to the acacia tree in front and poked the hangers through the ribbon. The morning sun catches them and makes me happy.
This is the time of year I get ready for next Christmas. With everything on sale, I stock up and keep decorating for the next two weeks. Then, when December comes next year I know exactly what to do and decorating takes a fraction of the time. I even take a picture of my favorite ideas and store a print-out in the boxes of holiday decorations.
I hope you have been enjoying this special time of year. My family had a wonderful Christmas and we are looking forward to a great 2012. I hope you are too!
oxoSarah
Happy Halloween!
I whipped up a curried sweet potato soup this morning in between getting ready for work. I decided to go as Medusa since I love Greek Mythology, so here I am stirring my cauldron with “snakes” in my hair.
I made this soup for my neighbor who just got out of the hospital after emergency surgery. I omitted the curry flavors in case she prefers not to have the extra flavor. This is still a great soup without the curry, but if your a fan of Indian spice combinations, go for it!
Here’s the recipe:
Simple Curried* Sweet Potato Soup
1-1/2T Olive oil
1-2/3C chopped onion
1 large clove garlic
1T fresh ginger
1t cumin*
1/2t ground coriander*
1/4t cardamom*
1/4t tumeric*
1/8t hot pepper flakes*
2-1/2lbs sweet potatoes
6C. low sodium chicken or veggie stock
salt pepper to taste
(*curry spices may be omitted if you prefer)
Brown onions and garlic, About 7 minutes, in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Add ginger and curry spices, then stock. Peel and cut potatoes and cook until very soft or roast potatoes on grill for smokey flavor, then peel and add to soup. Puree with immersion bender and add salt and pepper to taste.
The key is an immersion blender. Transferring this hot meal to a regular blender is no fun at all.
Today is the first day of the Holidays ~ Enjoy!
Have you noticed that after a while a terra cotta planter will disintegrate before your eyes? I have lost many a favored pot to the ravages of water and minerals leaching through the walls of the vessel. To prevent this from happening, coat the inside with elastometric roof coating (found at Ace Hardware)~it creates a barrier between the wet soil and the porous terra cotta. A gallon is quite expensive (about $100), but it will last for a long time if all you’re doing is coating pots. It is worth the investment.
We have a wonderful garden and sometimes it grows faster than we expect. One day we think we have it all under control~the next there are dozens of veggie varieties ready to pick.
I quickly gather our bounty and start canning. For this label (pictured) I used the Cricut Expression and the Preserves cartridge.
These make great gifts and the savory ones are especially appreciated during the sweet-sweet Holidays. You needn’t have a garden to make great foodie gifts…Buy local, organic veggies and can for yourself or for gifts. You’ll be a star among your friends and family. Those of you in the cold parts of the country better get on it…soon your local farms will be shuttered for the winter.
Speaking of the Holidays~October is just around the corner and that means Halloween is almost here! I’ll be spending the entire month~starting October First~making fun stuff for my favorite Holiday. Tune in for great ideas leading up to a stellar party!
It took a long time to get these babies to grow, but am I glad I planted them. I pulled up this bunch to throw into the mix for dinner and they were superb! I know carrots are good for you and me, but I wanted to share a bit of knowledge from the smart guys over at Organic Facts. The health benefits of carrots include reduced cholesterol, prevention from heart attacks, warding off certain cancers and many others. Whew! I feel better already. So~get out there and get you some carrots!
If you want to read all the good stuff, go to Organic Facts page on carrots, here >>
Erik decided years ago he wanted to plant a veggie garden, but never had the time to invest. I have had run of the property with my flower beds, pots and xeriscape specimens for years, and finally this year he decided he wanted in on the fun.
The only patch of our yard left without something green growing in it (and with enough sun to make it usable) is the west side of the house, a 12×20 foot area. This was where we threw all the old lawn furniture, leftover construction materials, and empty flower pots. Luna the Chicken would roll around in the loose dirt on occasion just to take a bath. Other than that, it was pretty much the forgotten corner of the garden.
The first thing Erik did was to buy and read cover-to-cover The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible by Edward C. Smith. The first instruction was to dig down into the soil 6-10 inches then build a 12″ raised bed. With our hard soil, Erik had to go at it with a pick. It was not easy work. He ordered a few yards of sandy loam and filled his 6×14 foot raised bed. It was time to plant the seeds.
This was back in January. And while Phoenix weather is pretty much perfect that time of year we weren’t getting enough sun to grow the plants in a satisfactory time-frame. It’s now the end of May and finally we are enjoying my favorite of root vegetables, the Chioggia Beet. This tasty treat is sweet as sugar when roasted and absolutely superb when added to a salad.
This evening I wilted the greens and tossed them with the cooked beets and a dressing made with lemon zest and juice from our Meyer Lemon tree, as well as mint and parsley from the garden. It’s been a long five months waiting and watching these beauties grow, but it was worth it. The next crop should be ready in a few weeks. I can’t wait!
The Discovery Palette!
