29 July 2013

A Peek: Our Kitchen Garden

With things as hectic as they've been lately, I've been truly cherishing my time in our garden.

{We created our garden with the help of my friend Danylo, owner of Organic Edible Gardens www.oegardens.com who we worked with to design & install the entire thing.}
 
 It's the first thing I do when I wake up (ok, after kids and putting out fires) and walking through it, weeding, snipping things here and there just makes me feel at peace. 

We found an old potting table and it's made planting, cutting and washing so much easier.  Having a place to stash everything has made such a difference and I now can't imagine the garden without it:



The garden's full of flowers right now, including limelight hydrangeas, echinacea and English roses.  I've been loving cutting them and bringing in fresh bouquets.

 
 
 The Asian cucumbers are possibly our favorite thing in the garden right now.  This one is over a foot and a half long and I even plucked it a little early!--

 
They're so good we can eat them plain!!

There's something about bringing things inside from the outside that I just can't get enough of.  We cook with herbs from the garden almost every night and have just been getting to enjoy the tomaters!!!


 
The boys fight over who gets to actually pick everything.  I'm looking forward to when all of the plants are producing fruit so "picking" is a little more peaceful ;)
 
Here's one of my favorite most recent meals from the garden:
 
 
Eating from our garden makes me so incredibly happy!!!  The boys love to help out and this weekend we put together our own little invention (which I'm sure has probably been invented before)- "pestodillas:"
 
 
Here's the Recipe:
 

-We took fresh baked whole wheat tortillas (whole foods' fresh baking, not ours ;) and layered them with pesto from the garden, shredded parmesan cheese, fresh spinach, garden tomatoes and a wheat tortilla with garlic butter on one side.  (Oh sooooo bad but so good!!! Will try without the garlic butter next time to be good ;) ;) 
-We microwaved them for a minute and were in love!!
 
I hope you get the chance to try it = Heaven.
 
 
Anyway, I'm off for another crazy day, but I hope you enjoyed this peek into our garden.  We're photographing our house next week and there's still so much that needs to be done...   Curtains & artwork need to go up (and be framed!!) , hardware needs to be installed, things need to be painted, bedding and pillows are being made, and we have a couple more small construction projects to finish up with.  So many things need to fall in place in order for next week to happen and I'm really feeling the pressure.  We're photographing it as early as we are because I want to have the photos happen when everything is in full bloom around here, which is now.  This morning I woke up sort of just wishing I could give up though. :/   (I think that's mostly because I'm tired & sick and it's Monday ;) ;) 

I think I need to take one more little walk through the garden this morning. 
Have a good one!!

For info on Organic Edible Gardens & their services, visit here. 


ps- If you missed my last post, our new distance decorating service - PARCEL- is finally available!!!  We've had an overwhelming response to the service (which is available on a first-come, first-serve basis) and I can't thank you all enough for spreading the word and for your support!! 
If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.  If you are interested in PARCEL please mention it in your inquiry.

13 comments:

  1. Lauren,

    The kitchen garden looks fabulous! What a wonderful family project.

    I am sure that everything will come together, it always does...even if it is as the photographers are walking in the door.

    Good luck! Remember it is all good and next week you will be so excited you will not even remember the stress.

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  2. Your garden looks wonderful Lauren and what a wonderful place to teach your boys about healthy eating.

    Stop stressing out about the photographers coming you know they're going to move things about and "fix" things so it looks finished.

    I hope you feel better and relax, take a deep breath and relax!

    XXX
    Debra~

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  3. My kids (now 30 & 33) so enjoyed the garden when they were your children's age. They learned that gardening was work but extremely rewarding!

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  4. Lauren- Your garden looks wonderful! Those cukes look delicious, and how great for your boys to eat those fresh veggies!

    The photoshoot sounds exciting! I should "pretend" there is a photoshoot next week at my house so I would finish up projects - it has to be an incredible motivator!

    Loretta

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  5. I would like to pick flowers from my garden and bring them inside to make arrangements. So far, I've planted pink knock-out roses and they look great. What other flowers would you recommend that are hardy and make for a great arrangement? Thanks, Irina.

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  6. Lauren,

    How custom will the parcel packages be? Will the same look be going out to multiple clients? To they take into consideration specific design needs of the client?

    Do the furniture suggestions in the parcel packages include items that are easily and affordably shipped?

    Are the parcel packages for rooms that just need to be decorated, or do they also include rooms and spaces that are being planned for future building and take into account floors windows etc?

    PS) No worries about answering the questions right away. I know you're busy and I can wait for a future blog post to read more about this new service.

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  7. Garden looks great. I really admire the things you do for and with family in spite of your busy schedule .

    Asha.

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  8. Hi Contemplating Cadie- thanks so much for your questions:

    See answers below :)

    Q: How custom will the parcel packages be?
    A: Completely custom. They are designs tailored to our individual clients.

    Q:Will the same look be going out to multiple clients?
    A: No. We believe everyone's style is unique & personal so each design is brand new for each individual client.

    Q: To they take into consideration specific design needs of the client?
    A: Yes. We work with parcel clients in the same way that we work with our traditional clients in creating specific, tailored solutions.

    Q: Do the furniture suggestions in the parcel packages include items that are easily and affordably shipped?
    A: Yes! :)

    Q: Are the parcel packages for rooms that just need to be decorated, or do they also include rooms and spaces that are being planned for future building and take into account floors windows etc?
    A: Either; it depends upon your needs and which type of package you purchase.

    Thanks so much & feel free to send us more questions!!
    xoxo,
    lauren

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  9. Hang in there, Lauren! I'm sure it will all come together beautifully. Your garden is beyond charming. I am hoping that soon - after professional photos - we might get to take a closer look indoors. Fingers crossed!

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  10. Thank you for the information. I have spent the past five years slowly creating a home I absolutely love. Strangers routinely stop by and ask for a tour, or cruise by craning their necks to get a peek. I can't imagine leaving this place, but we might have the opportunity to sell and build a house on our farm here in Texas. (We live in town now.) If we do, things will happen quickly, and I'm not excited about making rushed and uniformed decisions. I told my husband just this morning that my biggest fear is building new, and then regretting leaving the home we have now.

    Your Parcel service might be just the help I need. I will certainly keep it in mind, and get back to you with further questions.

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  11. I'm so jealous of all those fresh veggies! I wish I had a green thumb!

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  12. I am truly thankful to the holder of this web page who has shared this great paragraph at this time.

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  13. I love this idea! So old fashioned and new- because it is nurturing! We may be moving to a house soon and now that we are in Florida, tropical fruits are calling:)

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I love hearing from you- thank you for taking the time to write!! :)

*If you have a specific question, I'll try to answer it in the comments section so be sure to check back! If you're looking at an older post, email me directly. Thanks!
~Lauren