Spring Awakening

I love Spring! The days are getting longer. The sunshine feels warmer. Everywhere I look I am surrounded by life. It's a time of newness and rebirth. I feel re-energized and alive being outside. Today, I took some time to appreciate and capture what early Spring looks like in my garden. Enjoy! Dormant plants awaken. My …

Spring Soil Amendments

Here is what I'm working on in my garden now - spring soil amendments! It's been fairly warm in Fresno (mid 70s). My roses are blooming, trees are budding, and I can comfortably wear a t-shirt outside. So, although we are weeks away from the Spring Equinox, let's just say Spring has sprung here in …

The Lifecycle of a Sunflower

I can't think of anything quite as fascinating to watch grow as sunflowers. From seed to flower and back to seed again, the entire life cycle of this summer flower is not only beautiful but also serves many important purposes. As a gardener, I love sunflowers because they are easy to grow, attract beneficial insects, …

Easy Chicken Tomatillo Tacos

What's "Taco Tuesday" without a post about tacos!?! I've had tacos on the brain quite a bit lately due to my 4 year old's new favorite book Dragon's Love Tacos. I think we've read this story about 100 times and every time we do it makes me want a taco. Anyways, this week I found myself …

5 Things I Learned Growing Corn

This year I found myself with extra room in the garden to plant whatever my heart  desired. I've always wanted to try my hand at growing corn, but never had the space or the right seeds. Corn is one of the most commonly grown GMO crops in our country, which makes finding truly GMO-free seeds …

Summer Garden Insects

It's about time I wrote a post about one of my favorite things to photograph in the garden - insects. Yes, flowers are beautiful and vegetables colorful... but insects tend to make a particularly interesting photo. Although they can be hard to photograph, because they are on a micro scale and move, if you get …

Strawberry Tree Jam

December is here and so is the season of homemade jams and jellies! I normally spend a fair amount of this month over a hot stove, coaxing marmalade into jelling, and cursing as I burn myself on my canning equipment. (If you are a fellow canner, you will understand my plight.) Anyhoo - This month I decided …

To Rake or Not to Rake? – The Benefits of Leaf Litter

Every Fall, nature adorns our trees and shrubs with festive color. The changing scenery practically invokes feelings of warmth and a desire to drink hot apple cider. Or in my case, visit a pumpkin patch - where this year I found an awesome old tractor... Once the color-glory is over and the leaves begin to blanket the ground, it …