Garden Journal

10 Gifts for Gardeners Who Love to Cook
I'd like to preface this list by saying that I LOVE homemade gifts---jams/jellies, herb mixes, fresh baked cookies---you know what I mean. But, I also know that sometimes you prefer to buy a gift. Maybe you don't enjoy baking or crafting, or maybe you ran out of time....

DIY Dried Orange, Spice, and Everything Nice Garland
Who doesn't love a rustic, dried orange garland? While I typically make one to decorate for the holidays, who says you couldn't make one for any season or special event? This is my twist on the ever-popular dried orange garland, and can be customized using whatever...

3 Simple, Garden Inspired Centerpiece Ideas
Table centerpieces aren't just for fancy parties. Even just a simple posy from the garden can create the kind of inviting ambiance that gives any meal a boost. One of my favorite things is being able to run outside to the garden and clip something fresh for the table....

How to Start an Herb Garden
A lot of people ask me how to get started gardening. To be honest, one of the most rewarding and impactful ways to gain experience is to start an herb garden! There's nothing quite like dashing outside real quick to snip some fresh herbs for dinner. Herbs can be...

Orange & Rosemary Roasted Sweet Potato Casserole
As a kid I never liked sweet potato casserole at Thanksgiving. I was a textural eater, so the idea of anything "mushy" really bothered me. To this day, I have trouble eating food that has a mashed, dense texture---like bananas! Well, being a kid, I thought I just...

Growing Sweet Peas For Lovely Cut Flowers
Sweet pea flowers might look delicate, but they are some seriously strong and vigorous plants! This will be my fourth year growing sweet pea flowers successfully and I finally got the two most difficult parts down: germinating and timing. So, if you have ever been...

Stuffed Butternut Squash with Quinoa and Sausage
All of my favorite produce for the Fall season comes together for this delicious weeknight meal. Move over pumpkin spice, when the pomegranates start to ripen on our tree, that's when I really know Fall has arrived to Southern California. Just so you know, this...

Tips for Growing Carrots at Home
I'm happy to report carrots are one of the vegetables that I can direct sow and NOT have demolished by soil pests! Direct sowing in my garden tends to go more like this: sow seeds, wonderful little seedlings germinate, everything gets eaten by roly polies, earwigs, or...