Salad and tomatoes drizzled with homemde vinaigrette

As the garden season heats up the leafy greens are growing.  If you are eating more luscious salads this summer you need some type of dressing for them.  A homemade vinaigrette is the perfect topping for your salads. Most store bought dressings are loaded with sugar and unwanted chemicals.  By making your own dressing you can create healthy, delicious options. All it takes are a few ingredients from your pantryRead More →

When I shared my tips for using vintage baskets, I suggested that you make a plant container out of them. I found a basket at a yard sale recently that I thought would make a great planter. So I wanted to walk you through the planting process for a wicker basket planter. This is a newer basket from the ’80s rather than the ’50s that I usually collect but theRead More →

Several bags of frozen vegetables ready for the freezer

It won’t be long before our gardens will be overflowing with produce.  Or we’ll be visiting the Farmer’s Market and find a great buy on corn.  The fruit trees will be laden with ripe fruit and the raspberries ripen all at once.  The abundance of fruits, vegetables and herbs during the summer is one of the blessings of living in an agricultural area. Once the harvest season starts you needRead More →

Slice of Rhubarb Crunch Cake on a plate with whipped cream and fork.

My rhubarb is ready for harvesting.  The stalks are a beautiful ruby red and they are perfect for baking.  So I thought it was time for another rhubarb recipe.  Rhubarb Crunch Cake is a wonderful dessert that we have been eating for many years.  It was given to me by a dear friend and I am so grateful to her every time we eat it. This moist cake can beRead More →

Daisies growing in the garden

Raise your hand if you like flowers. There’s something so special about growing flowers in your yard and garden. But if you can bring them inside, that’s even better. They offer not only something beautiful to look at, but they give off a lovely fragrance as well. A number of years ago, I began planting a cutting garden so I had flowers to bring inside without using my shrubs andRead More →

Roasted asparagus with garlic slices.

Ahhh Asparagus.  It’s such a wonderful spring vegetable.  Loaded with nutrients such as Vitamin K, C and folate, as well as potassium, fiber and phytochemicals.  This perennial plant shoots up in the spring for just a month or two and then it is gone for the year. It is easy to grow in your garden but it does take a dedicated area that cannot be planted with anything else.  IfRead More →

Herb garden sign with various pots of herbs

It’s time to get the herb garden growing.  I have plans for a creating a new Kitchen Garden this summer but it’s not going to be ready for this season.  So I’m planting herbs in my old bed one last time. Some of my herbs are perennials such as the sage, lemon balm and oregano.  Others need to be seeded directly or grown in containers and transplanted.  I use bothRead More →

Garden Shed in yard with area of dirt and missing tree.

This year we had to say goodbye to an old friend.  The huge tulip tree in our backyard died last year and we had to take it down.  We planted that tree the first year that we moved into our home 28 years ago.  It started as a twig and it grew into a beautiful but massive shade tree.  Our kids and family grew up under the shade of thatRead More →

Garden Markers in a bucket with a plant and birdhouse.

I live in an agricultural area and that means that when you drive outside of town you will see crops growing.  Many of them are easy to identify such as corn and wheat.  But oftentimes I will see some plant that I am not sure what it is.  Especially if it’s in the early stage of growth.  And inquiring minds want to know!  Sometimes the farmers will post labels alongRead More →

A slice of cake with Rhubarb sauce and whipped cream. A bowl of strawberries are served with it.

You can always tell that it’s spring when the rhubarb is growing. If you harvest it in small batches, you can oftentimes keep it growing into the summer. This way you can make it last for quite awhile. My rhubarb go-to recipes include Rhubarb Pie, Rhubarb Cake and Rhubarb Jam. Today, I’m sharing Rhubarb Sauce made 3 Ways. These are my favorite recipes for Rhubarb Sauce. The first is theRead More →