Garden is growing. Just a few days ago peas and peppers finally started to bloom. I remember last year by this time we had pea pods. Every year is different and though the blooming season has just started it appears we have a promising season ahead of us. Peas are covered with flowers and we hope to harvest first peppers at the end of June. We pulled out the first carrot, it was thin and quite tiny but it was orange and tasted great. Sweet and juicy.
I painted my old flower pots brown, I’ve planted herbs that we bought at a local nursery. I don’t grow herbs from seeds, it is so much easier just to get them at the store, they have a great variety at local store plus I’m always looking for something new to try. This yeas I have 2 varieties of oregano, barbeque rosemary, curry, 3 varieties of basil, marjoram, curly and flat parsley, chives(I’ve had those for years, they come up every year) and also dill. I love dill. This is my first year growing marjoram and curry, I use lots of marjoram in Goulash or Crispy Potato Pancakes. Curry, though I don’t use it too often I really love the flavor and having it so close by the grill I’m sure I’ll find a use for it.
I’m growing geranium plants year. They are especially popular in alpine regions in Europe, where despite cool climate they flourish into show-stopping displays on balconies. I remember traveling with my parents we’d admire how beautiful they looked. Not sure if I’ll be able to replicate what I remember as a kid but I’m going to try.
I planted Marigold flowers between tomato plants. If you didn’t know marigold is a natural aphid repellent, it contains pyrethrin, a natural insecticide. I’ve been using marigolds for years, not only they help with insects but yellow flowers also create a beautiful display. Marigolds are pretty hardy, plants tolerate heat and some drought. Another natural aphid repellent is also Geranium.
Broccoli is doing great, we should be harvesting first heads very soon.
With last year’s abundant crop of cucumbers we’ve decided to plant only few plants this year. I still have pickled cucumbers from last season so I don’t really need that many cucumbers. I love the small variety, crispy and without too many seeds.
Parsley is my number one herb, next in line is basil .I love using herbs.
Scallions, onion and carrots gave me a backache last weekend. I spent 90 minutes picking weeds out of them. At this stage it is important to pick the weeds so they don’t suffocate the plant. Later on it won’t be as crucial but now it is.
It is always very exciting to see first flowers, you feel happy about your work and it also reminds you that you are so close to the harvest, and few days later a all the rows were in bloom. Pea pod will come really soon. I love snow peas with olive oil and little garlic, quickly sautéed on the grill .
Peppers are also in bloom, maybe by the end June we’ll have some peppers.
I will be showing you how to make pretty Flower Cookie Bouquet decorated with Wafer Butterflies. Spring is here! And it finally feels like it is here to stick around. It is not going anywhere. Trees are showing off their tiny leaves and many of them are covered with blooming flowers, too. Gloomy winter days…
You could say I’m an appleholic (is that even a word? probably not.ehm) I add apples to pretty much everything I cook, bake or create( Have you tried necklace from apple seeds? I found them be extremaly fashionable in 90’s- my high school years). Back to eating apples. My morning yogurt has chunks of apples…
We have owls reside outside of our back yard and once in a while we are lucky to see one of them, cruising above, probably hunting for food. One time we were sitting on the porch and an huge owl landed on the lawn, it has never happened before, it was so…
I have a friend with dairy allergy and so when I was asked to bake a few desserts for his wedding this past Summer I knew I had to make something that he could eat. I turned to the classic : Chocolate Chip Cookies. Dairy free version is super baker friendly, using basic…
For those of you who are not familiar with Mehndi Designs you can read about them more here , and to see what Henna looks like before it’s used as a dye check out this site. Actually I only used henna to color my hair, it was a bit messy having the green…
I call them Curly African Daisies as they stand behind the creation of this fondant flower. I first made them 2 years ago, I don’t make them too often so when the opportunity struck I finally took some pictures of the process and today I’m going share with you how to make fondant African Daisies,…