March Equinox

Allium (Onion) Flower In My Kitchen.

Happy First Day Of Spring!!!

XOXO

Yvette

Tiger In A Jar

It's tax time.

If you are like me, you have spent some hours sitting on the floor,

surrounded by bits of paper, and maybe tears are imminent...

Here is my suggestion...

It's Saturday.

It's gorgeous out.

(Whether it's snowing or sleeting or raining or if you're like me,

living in Los Angeles, where a huge rainstorm just happened,

and now the sun is shining, the air is clear and sharp,

and it's all puffy white clouds and spring is clearly on its way,

there is gorgeousness to be found.)

Put those piles (neatly) aside and invite some friends over...

If you can get outside,

try making this in your fire pit and just let it all go.

If you can't get outside,

just watch this incredible video by TIGER IN A JAR, and be transported...

XOXO

Yvette

Today's Harvest

xoxo

yvette

Season(ing)

I've been seeing this around the web for the past few days and figured I'd put it up here as it's really nice looking as well as very informative. Aside from the obvious meaning for the gardener, they're also helpful for non-gardeners that like to keep their diet tied to the seasons. There are also similar charts for fruits and herbs. Prints are available for sale by the creators at their web site: Chasing Delicious

Sorry it has taken over a year to post, life has a way of interceding.

First Zucchini...

Three zucchini plants. Not one, or a slightly unreasonable two, but three. And they're all starting...here comes summer, and the first thing, on a lazy Sunday (it's really Monday but since it's Memorial Day we can call it Sunday.2), is to bake some bread (BTW this bread freezes great, don't forget to remind me of that in August when all my neighbors are shuttering their windows and hiding when we show up with more squash to pawn on them)!

Carl Goh's Zucchini Bread,
adapted from Beard on Bread Cookbook By James Beard

3 eggs (or combination Egg Beaters and egg)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cups vegetable oil (or you can use 1/2 cup plus 1/2 c. applesauce)
2 cups coarsely grated raw zucchini grated on the big
holes of grater, or processor blade.)If it's a big
zucchini, scoop out the seeds before grating.
3 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg, pinch of cloves and allspice
1 c. coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
(optional: handful of chocolate chips)

Grease well and flour two 9 inch loaf pans.
Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices - set aside.
Beat eggs till light and foamy, stir in sugar, vanilla, applesauce and
oil, mixing well. Add dry ingredients gradually while still stirring to
combine. Add zucchini, mix well, then nuts. Pour into pans.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until a tester comes out clean. Cool on rack about 15 minutes, then remove from pan and continue to cool until room temperature. Wrap securely. Serve sliced, spread with cream cheese.




XOXO
Peace On Earth, please...

Yvette

Another Amazing Happening At The Garden Tour This Weekend!

I met Laura a few months ago at a quarterly meeting of a progressive entrepreneurial group I am a part of. I love her organization, and we are so excited that she has agreed to come to the Garden Tour this Saturday, April 30, to speak about her work with creating edible schoolyard gardens in LA. She will be in our yard at 1pm to answer all of your questions and queries and let you know about her amazing work!

Los Angeles Garden Project was created in Autumn 2010 and our mission is to unite, inspire and empower Angelenos to build and nurture edible gardens in our schools and communities. Through our membership and volunteer program we will come together to teach and learn from each other in the garden. How to construct our gardens properly; how to grow our fruits, vegetables and herbs correctly; how to prepare our harvests deliciously; how to teach our children and community in these gardens, and to share in all the other inspirations the garden provides.

We will host monthly meetings in gardens throughout the city to come together to exchange ideas and effectively address recurring issues that the community may face as they start, revive, nurture and/or run an edible garden. We will have an online calendar that will be constantly updated with volunteer opportunities, workshops and meetings for members to attend. We will host a daily blog that will share events, photos, gardening tips, recipes and any other related material. We will produce a quarterly newsletter that will feature articles that are relevant, interesting and entertaining for our members. We aim to foster relationships with local and national corporate entities to partner on providing product and funds needed for our edible gardens.

Please visit our website for more information or contact Laura Villasenor at laura@lagardenproject.org. We look forward to coming together for each other as we teach and learn just how easy, fun, delicious, cost-effective and healthy it is to grow and eat our own fresh, locally grown, sustainable fruits, vegetables and herbs!

XOXO
Yvette

Garden Tour Raffle!!!

I just got some great news from Timber Press, who has published Ivette Soler's new book, The Edible Front Yard (I have to say that despite the fact that our garden is featured in the book, and I am obviously VERY excited and admittedly biased, it is a really really really great read, with beautiful images to boot)...

We get to raffle TWO copies of the book at the Garden Tour! Yep, all you have to do is stop by and put your name/info in the bowl, and, if you are picked, a book will be shipped to you straight from the publisher next week!!! How cool is that? I love the folks at Timber Press - they have been so supportive of this blog, and of all of our efforts, and on top of that were so excited to participate in this very special garden tour. My hat is off to you, with an extra special thanks to Emma Alpaugh, who is so lovely that her smile came all the way through the phone this morning!

I will see you on April 30...GOOD LUCK!!!

XOXO
Yvette