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Meet Randi

Urban gardening is my jam. I’m Randi, California girl who obsessively gardens to grow food and flowers around my urban home. Seasonal, simple living is what inspires me~ I hope it will inspire you too. Join me in crafting a life and home connected to the garden Read More>>>>

For Growers & Gardeners from High Mowing Organic Seeds

Meet Ispahan. This is the rose that is most fascin

Meet Ispahan. This is the rose that is most fascinating to me at the moment. I purchased 'ispahan' last year as a way to learn and connect to the traditional process of making rosewater. For centuries, the finest rosewater in the world was made from damask roses like 'Ispahan' (named for the city of Isafan in Iran). Truly, making rosewater from the petals of Ispahan has been the highlight of my Summer so far, but you can make rosewater from any fragrant rose petals. 🌹 A full rosewater tutorial is now LIVE on my blog, and it's the closest you'll get to real rosewater using basic kitchen supplies.

Some growing notes 🌿This rose might not be the best choice for a small garden, as Ispahan is a once-blooming rose. In fact, it's my first once-blooming rose, and I frankly don't know how to care for it. When it comes to pruning, once bloomers are different, so I'm learning. Currently, I have it trimmed very weird and it grew six feet tall with rose clusters mostly at the very top.

Some rose forums have said that Ispahan will not bloom long in areas with extremely hot Summers, so I guess time will tell. For me personally, this is what I do. I try things. I observe. I share. It's worth it for me to experience this amazing rose with an unmatched fragrance and history.

#rosegarden
#rosewater
#oldroses

To the rose, basking in the French sun one June da

To the rose, basking in the French sun one June day, jasmine perfume wafting on a breeze to my nostrils.
....

We have all been there. Visiting someplace new, a cute plant catches your eye, and you have to have it. Yes?

More often than not, these plants don't have labels so we have to figure out what they are for ourselves. Well, this is my plant.

This rose was in a lovely neighborhood in Giverny, France. It seemed like a large shrub, and smelled of jasmine. I'd love to have one. Any rose enthusiasts want to help me out?

Tell me about "the one that got away" or a plant you bought because you saw it on a trip ⬇️😆

Freezing tomatoes is super simple and no blanching

Freezing tomatoes is super simple and no blanching is required! Please keep in mind that frozen tomatoes will defrost into a texture that is best suited for cooking---think soups, sauces, and stews---as opposed to a fresh texture. But, the taste is still incredible! The meals you see here were all made with frozen tomatoes. Here's how I do it:

🍅Wash and dry your tomatoes
🍅Remove the green stem parts
🍅Pack the tomatoes as a single layer into a freezer safe bag
🍅Press out all the air you can and seal. Freeze.
🍅Make sure to label your bag with the date
🍅the tomato skins will slip right off as the frozen tomatoes defrost. Easy peel!

As we head into Summer, I hope you'll sign up for my newsletter where I share helpful tips like this so your lovely homegrown food doesn't go to waste. If you'd like more details, head over to my blog (search "freeze tomatoes"). Also, does yellow tomato soup bother you? It doesnt bother me. In fact, it tastes just like red tomato soup 🥣, but I've heard many people say they only like red tomatoes. I find that interesting.

#homegrownfood #gardentotablerecipes #preserving #heirloomtomatoes

Scenes from Chino Hills State Park in mid-June. Sp

Scenes from Chino Hills State Park in mid-June. Spoiler: it was hot 🥵. Also, rattlesnakes are out my friends!

I haven't gotten around to identifying everything quite yet. There were some familiar things, like the native milkweed, along with some plants I haven't seen before. Do you see the one that looks like gaura (bee blossom)? There was a large spot of that! Not sure what it is.

The pale pink godetia (clarkia bottae) stopped me in my tracks as it was the most romantic drift of flowers to stumble upon.

One of the coolest sights was a pale swallowtail drinking from a muddy spot. Pale swallowtails are different than tiger swallowtails (which are more common in my garden). They are huge! PS: we passed a spot with TONS of snails clinging to sticks and posts (last photo)🐌. Anyone know what's going on????!!!

Why did carnations fall "out of style"? Personally

Why did carnations fall "out of style"? Personally, I have a growing obsession with carnations and feel like you need to grow them too.

This weekend we cleared more of our old raised beds out of the backyard, which meant I had to move a large Chabaud La France carnation plant that I started from seed two years ago. Before moving the plant, I cut off most of the flowers because they would not survive transplanting anyway.

Do you like the smell of cloves? These carnations smell just like that. You wouldn't believe the heavenly, spicy, clove and allspice fragrance that drifts off of these babies. I'd grow them purely for the fragrance, but Chaubad La France also has edible petals and is a tender perennial here in zone 10.

Enjoy your week my friends. I'll be over here stopping to sniff this vase every chance I get.

#carnations #homegrownflowers #backyardflowers #flowerfarming

Mid June appreciation post 💗. Are you drying an

Mid June appreciation post 💗. Are you drying anything from the garden? If you dry little bundles throughout the Summer, you might be surprised by how much you'll have accumulated by Fall and Winter.

If you want more info, I have the following articles on the blog that might help:

💐How to Grow, Harvest, and Dry Culinary Lavender
💐Grow Your Own Everlastings
💐Summer Annuals For a Cut Flower Garden
💐Why I Plant and Grow Yarrow

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