The approach of summer in Florida has telltale signs including afternoon rains, high humidity levels and pesky little Lovebugs that fly into our hair, stick to the grills of our cars, and generate exclamations of ‘Yuck, it’s Lovebug season already?!?’ Those little pests are also harbingers for fishermen who know that when they show up,…
garden fresh
Rosemary & Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Rosemary is a beautiful, fragrant herb known for remembrance and friendship. It’s also a source of iron, calcium and B-6, and even has ancient healing roots for ailments like muscle aches, memory loss and hair loss. This stuff has it all! Because it thrives in a sunny climate and loves rain (we’ve been having a…
Rosemary-Garlic-Lemon Marinated Veggies
My garden is thriving, thanks to milder temps in Florida this time of year. It has been an eventful few months, including lots of work prepping beds, composting, planting, staking, weeding and watering, while suffering a few tragedies due to record-cold temps (the squash gave up and the bunching onions, well, they bit the dust),…
3 Uses for Chives
Years ago I read a wonderful book by Julia Cameron called The Artist’s Way, a self-paced workshop of sorts, with lots of thoughtful exercises and writing assignments, all designed to unlock inner creativity. Julia’s theory is that once you do that, you can apply creative thinking to all facets of your life. I live with a…
Lime, Honey & Rosemary Popcorn
When I was a kid my mom made popcorn in her pressure cooker pan (without the valve, of course) on the stovetop, and that pan always made a perfect batch. Today, I still like to cook it at home — finished with just a simple dusting of salt (or none at all, for that matter)….
Zucchini Pancakes with Blistered Tomatoes & Basil
Zucchini is being grown right now at local farms like Geraldson Community Farm and Honeyside Farms, so you should be able to find it at the farmer’s market, but it’s also available year-round from growing zones outside of Florida. This squash is great because it can be used in a variety of dishes like bread,…
Roasted Beet & Basil Salad
Late last Fall, my husband and I built our first raised beds for our new garden. Let me just say that we are NOT experienced gardeners, and whatever knowledge I retained from my childhood vegetable gardening in New England is pretty much irrelevant when it comes to Florida gardening. . .But as Canadian farmer Brian…