cultivating a sustainable life
This fall weather really seems to make my family crave comfort foods, and I can’t imagine anything more comforting than a steaming dish of creamy pasta. This recipe for orzo (a rice-shaped pasta) really fits the bill and is my kids’ current favorite meal. I …
I made a batch of calendula salve recently with some of the flowers from my garden. It’s a wonderful thing to have around the house – helps to heal cuts, sun and windburn, eczema, fungal infections, and many other types of owies. The flowers look …
I was out at my aunt’s place on Tuesday following my grandmother’s funeral, and she was kind enough to load me up with pears from her tree before I left for home. I’d been wanting to make some of our favorite pear/apple butter while the …
We’re going to be at a concert tonight, so I’m doing a midday post. Well, I think the fall weather has officially arrived. It started pouring last night and has been raining ever since – my silly coastal kids were so happy that they were …
I harvested my onions recently and am pleasantly surprised by how well they turned out. I experimented with growing them from seed this year, which I’d never done before, and I have to admit that I was pretty skeptical while I was transplanting those piddly …
Late summer usually means an overabundance of summer squash for gardeners – namely, zucchini. I am no exception, especially when they get to be the size of this beauty. So, what to do with your bounty? I’ve got a few suggestions. The first is to …
Blackberry bushes are one of the most invasive plants that we have around here. Any untended space is quickly overrun with these opportunistic brambles – but you won’t hear me complaining! As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing that beats the flavour of a fully …
Have I mentioned lately how much I’d like to get out of the city? Vancouver is extremely safe as cities go, but as I sit here typing, there is a plain clothes police officer sitting in my tomato patch doing surveillance on (I’m assuming) one …
I recently finished reading Well Preserved: A Jam Making Hymnal (on Tammie’s recommendation). It’s a lovely book, and I’ve been itching to try out some new recipes ever since. Having just picked up some gorgeous peaches and blueberries at the market on the weekend, I …
