Blithe Bazaar

Flower and I had so much fun at Makers Market, that we are returning to Center Studio, on Saturday, December 7th, for the 4th Annual Blithe Bazaar. It’ll be some of the same stuff we had at Makers Market, and some new items as well. My hot pads went like hot cakes last time (ha!). So if you missed out on my oven mitt and potholder…

Renewing Strawberry Beds

Since strawberries send out runners that create new plants, thinning and/or trimming down your strawberry plants every few years, will help increase yields and reduce the spread of diseases. I did this a couple of years ago for the first time, when I noticed a decline in production. The next year, I got more strawberries than I ever had before.…

Radio Silence- Where I’ve been…

I haven’t posted for a couple of weeks and some of you may have wondered where I’ve been. If you have been reading this blog for a while, you may have read a post or two about my mom. I gotta admit, it’s been a crazy couple of years, with my mom getting sick and going into a nursing home,…

Canning Season 2013

  I realize that food can be preserved throughout the year, when it’s in season, but I feel like because of the way I can (I only can things I grow) and the things I like to can, I end up having a “canning season”. It usually runs from late Summer through early Fall. My canning season ends when I…

My Studio

As I gear up for Fall and Winter weather, I have been spending less time in the garden and more time in my studio. Mostly I’ve just been cleaning it lately, since it was kind of a disaster from a Summer full of just throwing stuff in there and then running outside. My studio hasn’t been this clean in a…

Peeling Tomatoes

I just harvested the last of my tomatoes for the year, so it’s tomato sauce canning time! Since tomatoes ripen at different times, I freeze my tomatoes as they ripen, so that (hopefully) by the end of the season, I will have enough to make sauce. This year, I ended up with two full gallon bags of frozen Roma tomatoes…

Schoolhouse Craft Fall Conference 2013 Recap

After attending Schoolhouse Craft‘s Blogger’s Summer Camp back in June, I immediately signed up for their two-day Fall Conference, before I even knew what classes were going to be offered. The price was right and I figured if it was going to be similar to Blogger’s Summer Camp, but longer and with the same kind of people, it would be yet another opportunity…

Pesto Eggs

A lot of the things I cook are interpretations of meals I’ve had in restaurants and have recreated at home. Inspired by a breakfast I had at the Streamliner Diner in Bainbridge Island, WA, my version of their Green Eggs and Cheese Scramble, I just call Pesto Eggs. This time of year is perfect for making pesto eggs, as my…

Swiss Chard Ravioli

I’ve been cooking up a storm lately, since there is so much good stuff in my garden to be harvested and eaten. I always plant way too much Swiss chard, so I have to get creative with how to use it up. My favorite way to cook most types of greens is to braise them. Homemade pasta is delicious made with farm…

August Cook the Books: Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones- Balsamic Strawberry Ice Cream

Okay, so I lied. I said I was going to experiment with other non-dairy milks and I didn’t. I did make more ice cream from Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones: 90 Recipes for Making Your Own Ice Cream and Frozen Treats from Bi-Rite Creamery for this month’s Cook the Book’s cookbook challenge. I made the balsamic strawberry ice cream on page 138. Since I…