Search results for 'garden'

{garden fresh strawberries}

10 Jun

aren’t these just the most beautiful strawberries you’ve ever seen?!

and i promise you, they taste better than they look, if you can imagine 😉

by the way, which background do you like better?! comment below…

fun food facts :

strawberries contain more vitamin c than oranges. they are also high in antioxidants and are super easy to grow! they self-seed and make a fun little patch to pick from. they are the only fruit with seeds on the outside. some strawberries contain over 200 seeds! they have a short season, so continuous harvesting is necessary for optimum enjoyment. also, to maintain the sweet flavour, strawberries are better served at room temperature.

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

{garden update – volume 2}

7 Jun

this update is a little late… so much has been going on at the garden! we had a lot of rain here, and so the plants are growing and thriving so well!

i typically plant seasonally. so i started with my cool season crops like radishes, peas, beets, spinach, kale, arugula, and lettuce… most of which i have harvested lately. i also harvested the garlic and onions that i adopted from last year. the peas are starting to produce fruit which is exciting, and the lettuce is still thriving and i planted more this week. i started planting my summer crops – cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, squash, and more lettuce. i also planted flowers this year, which is kind of new for me – nasturtiums, calendula, and coneflower.

here is a progress report on what my overall garden plot looks like. i currently have a lot of seeds in the ground, and i take some pride in having beautiful soil and very little to no weeds. i am so excited to continue to watch the growth and progress! 🙂

do you have a garden? what are you growing?

          
Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

{garden update}

30 Apr

the weather here in Maryland has been so confusing for the last two months. i think we even had a frost last week! however, i do believe we are finally hitting that spring stride… and i’m so ready!

i’ve been steadily getting my garden ready, also! currently, i have lots of sprouts coming up, hooray! i also have a lot of weeds, boo! but i’m holding off on doing too much weeding just yet so i make sure not to pull any sprouts. typically i don’t have any weeds and i take pride in that… but i’ll just have to be patient for now. 😉

here are some pics to show the progress. {if you follow me on instagram, you’ve probably already seen these… and if you don’t, please do – here.}

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

{new garden season!}

15 Feb

hey y’all!

it’s a bit early in the year for such things, but this area in the northeast offered some nice weather this past weekend, so i was eager to get outside and get my hands in the dirt! as you know, there isn’t much that makes me feel happier than being in nature – and especially, being in a garden!!!

#farmeraudrey

it pleases me to say – that i finally found a community garden that is only about 15 minutes from where i currently live. i am so excited about it! i was also pleasantly surprised to discover that the plot i adopted is about 3 times the size of the last one i took care of in north carolina! this gives me so many ideas on what to plant, and i am feeling so grateful!!!

please stay tuned… as there will be more updates to come… but for now, here’s a brief overview of the work i did this past saturday when the temperatures were in the high 50s!

before…

during…

after…

the person who took care of this plot last season planted lots of beautiful garlic and onions… which apparently are mine now! and although i am very grateful to have them, i will have to figure out what to do with some of the crops since ultimately i will need to have access to the foundation before it’s time to harvest them…

also – i feel like it doesn’t look like i did much {haha}… and i still have a lot of work to do… but i was there for about 3 hours and i was able to clear out a lot of weeds, etc… i also brought a souvenir home, in the form of a slight rash on my arms from all of the random things i was pulling out of the ground and off the fence line, in my attempt to start prepping the soil {haha!} but fret not, my body and skin are just fine now… that said – next time, i ought to consider and/or be more conscious about wearing longer sleeves… sometimes i just get right into the thick of things, without thinking much… 😉

are you prepping for a garden this year? please comment and share what you plan on growing and any tips you may have! i love to hear from and talk with fellow gardeners! ❤

also – please follow me on instagram for more updates!

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

{foodie/foto/flashback friday – spring/garden fever}

9 Mar

seriously, though… is it time to garden, yet?! i am so eager to get out and play in the dirt!

i definitely want to grow some {organic} cabbage again this year!

here’s a little flashback friday for ya : to that ONE i grew last year and turned into delicious sauerkraut!

hope you have a great weekend!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

{saturdays in the garden : volume seven}

8 Jul

just a little update on the garden… my posts are not in “real time,” as it were… i’m several weeks behind in keeping up with what’s going on, currently.

for example, most of what you see in the following fotos, has been pulled from my plot. we are straight up in the heat of summer here in NC, and my tomatoes are just about all that remain. i pulled up all my broccoli, because i didn’t get it in the ground soon enough and it never formed a head. i harvested one beautiful cabbage that i’m currently making sauerkraut with. my cilantro is done… as is my dill and basil, but i planted more of both. i pulled my kale and planted arugula in its place. and my cucumbers are on their last limb, but i must’ve harvested around 200 of them this season. i have pickles for days! 😉

july will be focused on tomatoes. then in mid august, i will plant more cabbage and cucumbers and perhaps try again for more peas later in the month or toward september. i really enjoy making {and eating} sauerkraut, so i intend to plant a lot more cabbage for fall.

meanwhile, here are some pics of what late may/june were like in my plot :

so pretty and ALIVE!

still fascinated by pea tendrils… and i made lots of pesto with my basil!

oh kale, yeah!

harvest!

my beautiful cabbage! Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

{a make-up blog : saturdays in the garden – volume six}

29 May

things are moving along quickly in the garden!! i actually harvested lots of kale this week and my dill is turning into a forrest! cilantro will only be here for a little while longer, and my peas are producing but will also begin to dwindle as the heat increases. i should be able to harvest some cucumbers next week. which means next month, i’ll be making some delicious pickles!! so so so excited about that!

on a community level, we have been donating over 15 pounds of collard greens each week and lots of radishes are going to donation, as well. our beans are starting to blossom, and the blueberries are coming in nicely. we also have tons of healthy tomato plants growing. june and july are the exciting months for gardening, as everything really starts to produce… i just love it.

and since i have fallen behind a little bit on updating on the garden, i am putting these fotos in gallery form, so i can squeeze them all into this post 🙂

{click on any photo to enlarge and scroll through gallery}

 

 

a {sort of} pano of my plot…

from left to right, counter-clockwise-ish :

jalapeños {hidden, back row} basil {back row}, peas {along left trellis}, lacinato kale, tomatoes {middle}, cilantro, celery, more tomatoes {middle}, cabbage, more kale {middle}, romanesco, more tomatoes, {middle}, cucumbers {along right trellis}, and dill.

i kind of planted in a zig-zag pattern…

i also squeezed in a few spinach plants throughout, but i’m not sure how they’ll fare.

thanks for following along!

how is your garden looking??! 🙂

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

{saturdays in the garden – volumes four & five}

13 May

i have been slightly slacking with updates on the garden. i have so many fotos to share, that i’m lumping {2} volumes together 🙂

a couple weeks ago, we had some eagle scouts come help in the garden. it was fun to see the boys get so excited about digging and planting.

 

as we prepped some of the community beds, we found some sweet potatoes! the boys were super excited about this part of the day! they collected probably 3 dozen or so, and i overheard one of them saying, “we are going to donate these!” – so charming. 🙂

i personally got so excited about this little frog i found under one of the tarps… i moved him away from the garden and let him go on his way…

planting beans!

planted okra in these plots…

radishes are so rewarding because they grow so fast!

we also planted some green onions and swiss chard…

i love it when someone brings coffee!

our garden leader shared some honey from last years harvest!! nom nom Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

{saturdays in the garden – volume three}

15 Apr

things are moving along nicely at the community garden…

it’s so rewarding to interact with other people who are just as passionate as i am about gardening. having us all come together and work as a team to prep the beds and tend to the crops is just such a marvelous reality. it’s something i really wish that every single person on the planet could and would experience.

last week, we had some eagle scouts come and help work in the garden. it was quite fun seeing their excitement as they helped move tarps and logs and plant seeds. we uncovered some potatoes from last season and the boys were very eager to collect them all and “donate them” – which was so endearing.

i am forever grateful to be a part of this community garden and it pleases my soul so tremendously to engage in it all. my cucumbers, along with other plants, are sprouting and the peas are growing quite nicely… i can’t wait to share those fotos next week!

in the meantime, here are some fotos of recent days at the garden… i hope you enjoy.

 

things are growing!! radishes and lettuce…

kale and peppers…

tools!

laying mulch around the blueberry bushes…

looks so good!

transplanting raspberries…

i can’t wait to get my paws on some of those!!

fig trees! oh my, i’m excited about these, too!!!

happy bees!

side note : would you believe i got stung AGAIN!? this time – right on my nose! – i was shocked. the garden leader thinks it may have been my sunscreen, so i switched to an unscented version. let’s hope that helps! if you follow me on instagram, you saw the story. annoyingly hilarious.  Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

{saturdays in the garden – volume two}

8 Apr

some updates on my community garden…

 

my uncle helped me make repurpose some materials and make these trellises for my peas and cucumbers. last year, thanks to a good friend, i learned a lot about vertical gardening… particularly, how it helps in maximizing space. since my plot is only 4 x 8, i was adamant about making sure to get the most food i could growing in there.

in particular, peas and cucumbers. they were the most fun to grow last year, and i had quite the bounty. not to mention the taste – so fresh and delicious!

i do love my garden!

another shot of my plot and trellises…

🙂 Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

{saturdays in the garden – volume one}

25 Mar

do you love gardening as much as i do?!

i recently discovered that gardening is one of my most favourite things ever!

last summer, i participated in a community garden when i still lived in denver. unfortunately, i wasn’t able to blog about it due to crazy scheduling conflicts and lack of good computer/internet access. thankfully, that has all changed as of late.

this year, i am fortunate to again have found a community garden to participate in… and it’s right up the street from my house! my plot this year is only half the size of the one i had last year, but i am still super thankful and i can still grow a ton of food in this 4 x 8 plot. last year, i didn’t exactly know what i was doing, and i kind of over-planted. a lot of my neighbours jokingly called my plot the “cucumber farm” because i literally had to give away about half my harvest due to having such an abundance! {which was obviously a good thing, overall!}

this year, i am planting similar items, just not as much of it. i am eager to share the pictures and the experience as i go along, so i will be posting about it on saturdays.

and without further ado, here are some fotos from the journey thus far. i hope you enjoy… and please do leave comments if you wish, as i love to discuss gardening just about as much as i enjoy discussing and sharing fotography.

 

here’s what i’m planting this year…

last year, i made lots of pickles and tomato sauce with my harvest. this year, i’m planting romanesco, which i’ve never grown but as you may know, i’m in love with!

our community has an herb garden, and the mint is already coming up, and {of course} taking over!

there is also a blueberry patch, which i’m so excited about!

lots of little critters make this garden their home, as well…

we also keep bees, which makes me sooooo happy!

getting the garden ready for the season…

laying fresh compost, clay, and manure…

pulling weeds and admiring the kale…

that’s my plot! Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

{“a single rose can be my garden… a single friend, my world.”}

11 Nov

rosesarered-1rosesarered-3

-led buscaglia

❤

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

{travel tuesday} — a little garden in the big apple

25 Sep

what i loved about living in the lower east side of manhattan was that all i had to do to “get out” and feel like i left the city was take a short walk. within a few blocks i would stumble onto things like this – little treasures.  a cute little park in a big apple city like new york.  a place of serenity in the concrete jungle.  i just love it.

this little park was somewhere along 17th street, most likely in alphabet city, where i found a lot of little hidden parks…

this was hanging along the fence…

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

{happy 12th birthday to food and foto dot com!}

22 Mar

it’s my blog’s birthday today! 😀

WOOHOO!

it’s hard to believe that it’s been 12 years since i started this cute little blog and created my website!

it’s been such a fun journey and i have thoroughly enjoyed this artistic and expressive playground. not only do i relish in taking fotographs and eating delicious food, and rambling about random things, but i very much also delight in writing about said things and sharing it with all of you!

if you are new here – WELCOME! and thank you for stopping by!

here’s a little something i wrote 12 years ago about myself… so funny to look back at that time in my life. i remember exactly where i was sitting when i very first sat down and decided to create this space on the internet. a space to express myself, to share my passion for food and fotography, and to explore my storytelling in a personal way.

i pour a lot of my heart and soul into this space and what i love most about it is that i can be as creative as i want in how and what i share. i also feel like this blog holds me accountable in a way… as in, helps me set aside time to be creative. i don’t have a lot of social media and although i do try to maintain it, this blog and website has been and will continue to be my main focus. it’s personal. it feels different. 

in 12 years i have been fortunate to have over 1800 of you wonderful readers subscribe to my blog and take the time to read and engage… and for that i humbly want to express my GRATITUDE. especially to those of you who have been with me the entire time… from the start… encouraging me, supporting me, being my personal cheerleaders! THANK YOU! my hardcore fan, ANT – you know who you are! thank you for your unwavering dedication to supporting me and for your amazing friendship! i wouldn’t be here without you.

this year i am focusing a lot on maintaining food and foto dot com in a more consistent fashion. when i first started, i was blogging up to 5 times a week – whew! and for a little while, i wasn’t blogging at all. now, i believe i have found a healthy balance. my life has taken many twists and turns in 12 years. you’ve seen me living in a tiny house ,traveling to new york, cooking yummy things, drinking yummy things, growing yummy things, and writing about all kinds of things like astrology and the moon… and of course, my kitty. sometimes i’ll look through my old posts and i think to myself, “wow, did i really just say all that on the internet?!” haha. but most of the time i laugh at myself and realize that in 12 years, a lot is bound to change… this blog, the world, life, ME…

{then and now} – wow!

and some things haven’t changed… i am a creature of habit and my “look” and “style” and overall marketing within this space is something i have not wavered from… i put a lot of thought and attention-to-detail into my blog, my business cards, the food i cook, my greeting cards, my art, and everything that is food and foto dot com – the aesthetics, the representation, the feel – all of it! this blog is an extension of WHO I AM… much of which is consistent, reliable, and faithful… and some of which, is ever-changing, ever-growing, and ever-impermanent. and i celebrate all of that! 😀

so i’ve learned to have patience and grace and appreciation with myself over the years…and mostly – have a little fun!

and i hope you have a little fun while you’re here – click on some things, learn some things, teach me some things, share some things… and remember to keep it seriously simple!

AND! this is still hands down one of my favourite fotos of all time :

also – this one is a classic :

{it’s true!}

❤ ❤ ❤

nom nom click click!

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

{seasonal eating : braised cabbage}

7 Aug

it’s that time of year again – HARVEST SEASON!

it seems like everything is producing right now! in my garden, i have lots of herbs as well as tomatoes and cucumbers, which are slow-growing but i’m ok with that…

and at the farmers’ markets, the selections are vast! corn, peaches, berries, melons, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, squash, garlic… and cabbage! {and the list goes on!}

i am fascinated by the insides of vegetables… especially cabbage! isn’t it just so cool?! the way they grow and form… all those layers and intricate patterns… just so cool!! divine design. 😀

this particular cabbage was so tender!

i chopped up the cabbage, then added it to a super hot cast iron pan with a little bacon fat and diced vidalia onions. after searing for a couple of minutes, i added some water to the pan and covered it to let the liquid absorb and steam slightly… about 6 minutes, stirring once or twice.

{p.s. – how cute is my little pot handle cover – it’s a kitty!}

finally, i served it up with a filet of fish and… nom nom! 🙂

do you like cabbage? what are some of your favourite ways to prepare it?

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

{spring is springing… again!}

16 May

i was recently having a discussion with a dear friend the other day about rebirth and resurrection and cycles of life, etc. and i was thinking about how gardening is one of the most fascinating things for me because plants go through all of the cycles… birth through death and then rebirth… it’s fascinating and marvelous to witness. springtime is so incredible because we get to be renewed with LIFE again… each and every time.

it has been a simply marvelous spring season here in maryland! we have had lots of rain lately, so everything looks so lush and green and vibrant! i just can’t help but pause to admire all the beautiful blooms up and down the streets and in peoples yards and gardens! i snapped a few fotos with the iphone, and here are some images of the beautiful flowers i’ve been seeing lately on my nature walks… 🙂

{don’t forget to stop and smell the flowers!}

i am so excited for the next round of blooms! 🙂 ❤ 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

{they call me sally salad}

20 Feb

every time there’s a party or gathering and i need to bring a dish, i almost always bring the salad. my family lovingly refers to me as “sally salad” for that reason. i pretty much eat a salad just about every day, even in the winter.

and this is that time of year where we all promise to “eat better” or “eat less” …

{how’s that working out for you? it’s not working for me – haha!}

i made this particular salad way back at the end of harvest season last year… it’s loaded with lots of garden veggies like two different kinds of homegrown lettuce, tender baby kale, shaved brussel sprouts, flavourful celery leaves, gently bitter radicchio, teeny tomatoes, my famous pickling cucumbers, and i think i even threw in some fresh corn… nom nom!

{happy holidays and happy new year!}

5 Jan

greetings!

happy holidays and happy new year! {also – happy mercury retrograde for all you astrology fans out there!}

i hope you all are doing well! also, i wanted to welcome my new readers to this tiny little space on the world wide web. thank you for taking time to subscribe and follow along – i truly hope you enjoy the time you spend here at food and foto dot com.

as a personal goal, i am working to post new blogs at least once or twice a month… but ideally, my aim is to post once a week. as usual, you can expect the topics to include all things food and foto related – as well as the great outdoors, cool people and places, occasional astrology jargon, and general musings/ramblings from yours truly.

for example : 

even though our temps have been in the mid 50s all week, this morning i was thinking about the weather and how i really never liked winter… this became particularly true when i lived in the high country in colorado and worked at 12,000 feet elevation {brrrr!}. i don’t enjoy the cold, although i do know that some people really do! the winter season is just not my favourite. however, i have recently learned to embrace each season for different reasons.

as humans, we are just as much a part of nature as nature itself. i sometimes feel we have really lost that connection and we often forget that we, too, have seasons. whether it be the “aging” process, or a relationship, or a job, or relocating/moving, or any other variables in life, we all go through seasons. and i believe that the winter season is a time to relax, reflect, and regain strength for spring. it’s a time to hibernate and go within, and most importantly – a time to REST!

personally, i {now} enjoy the downtime that winter has to offer more than I ever did in the past. of course – a lot has changed in my life which has offered me new perspective on this time of year… but nevertheless, i have certainly learned to embrace this season in a different way. plus, {in true introvert form} i enjoy working on a lot of puzzles this time of year – one of my favourite hobbies. 😉

also, i am not really big on “resolutions” – but i did make a short list of things i want to do more of this year. that includes :

  • practice my piano/keyboard
  • learn how to use {and use!} my sewing machine
  • spend less time on social media and more time on my blog
  • grow a vegetable and flower garden closer to my home
  • get back into my exercise routine
  • volunteer somewhere in my local community
  • welcome more ways to sell my greeting cards

do you have any resolutions or goals this year?

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

{eating seasonally : the awesome artichoke}

28 Jun

as many of you probably know, i prefer to eat seasonally… it gives me things to look forward to, and it’s also good for the body. now that we are in the prime of summer, i am switching up my diet to include things that are currently in season. which is exciting because my garden is poppin’ right now and i’ll soon have more seasonal produce to enjoy {and share!}

the flip side of eating seasonal is letting go of some of the foods that stop producing as the months progress. for example – peas, arugula, radishes, asparagus, and in the case of this blog – artichokes.

i just love love love artichokes and i do miss them when they are not in season… but i also do get my fill of them during the spring and early summer months. i like to serve them with an aioli or melted butter… nom nom!

aren’t they just so interesting looking? i love vegetable guts, and i have always been fascinated by the insides of certain veggies like artichokes, cabbage, lettuce, etc.

look at that color! and that devine design! ❤

 

 

{praying mantis hatching}

20 Jun

i thought this would be a good post to celebrate the summer solstice! 😀

i have always been somewhat obsessed with the praying mantis. for as long as i can remember, i just thought they were so cool, and when i was a kid i used to look for them everywhere i would go! i saw one giving itself a bath one time and it was just about the most amazing thing ever. until i saw THIS! something i have had on my “bucket list” for a while…

backtrack a bit – when i lived in north carolina, a friend of mine found a praying mantis pod {aka ootheca} and saved it for me. i, of course, totally freaked out about it and immediately went to read about how to care for it… then i took a bunch of photos of it and eventually put in my garden…

i did not get to see that one hatch at that time, but this year… i totally made up for it. i found at least a dozen of these in my garden earlier this year. and in late spring, they all began to hatch… and all of these baby praying mantids started to emerge!

IT WAS SO COOL!!!

fun facts :

baby praying mantids are called nymphs. they hatch by the dozens {or sometimes hundreds} a while after the mama creates her ootheca pod {which tranlates to “a place to keep.”} praying mantids are so good for the garden! they are beneficial predatory insects… which basically means they prey the harmful insects which would otherwise harm or eat plants! and i just totally adore them!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

← Previous Entries