Gardening - grace grits and gardening

Simple Spring Decor

April 22, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Raise your hand if you thought spring would never arrive! I know, me too. In Dallas I’ve learned to really appreciate spring because summer brings challenges I’d rather not think about like trying to keep plants alive in blistering days of drought. But right now I’m celebrating cool nights and perfect days, days of front porches, a good book and a glass of white wine.

Okay I’m rambling, but I do have a point, and that point is how simple spring decorating can be. With only a few dollars (or zero dollars) you can transform your home from dull and uninspired to fresh and inviting using items around your house and plants growing in your garden.

Take a look at the centerpiece (below) I arranged for my dining room table. For five dollars, I purchased a bouquet of white gerber daisies at Trader Joe’s and created this natural look using Fostoria goblets (handed down from John’s Godmother) centered inside an antique picture frame layered over a plaid runner that covers my table almost year-round.

The next arrangement is so basic I almost didn’t include it—a crystal vase filled with budding branches. Take advantage of the many trees and shrubs in full bloom now. Forsythia, Redbud, Dogwood, Spirea, Azalea… Snip a few buds or branches from your own yard, alley or roadside. Or maybe your neighbor will share? Ask first of course.

The vintage glass basket (candy dish?) which belonged to my mother-in-law makes a sweet and aromatic arrangement of herbs and flowers from the garden. Only a few snips and it is filled. Keep it nearby in the kitchen, and you won’t forget to use your herbs when cooking supper.

Bring spring indoors by placing dogwood blooms in vintage drinking glasses. Clean, classic, timeless.

If you are a regular reader, you probably already know I have a love for dandelions. This casual looks is perfect for outdoor spring entertaining.

What are your favorite spring decorating ideas?

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]Sometimes not much is just enough. #Simple #spring #decor. [/tweetthis]

“Sometimes not much is just enough.”
― John O’Callaghan

Musical Pairing:

Joss Stone: The Simple Things

Lavender Blueberry Granola

April 9, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

I love granola, but buying it pre-made can make a dent in the pocketbook. I whipped up a batch of my own using Martha Stewart’s Blueberry Almond granola recipe for inspiration. I modified Martha’s ingredients, eliminating the vegetable oil and coconut and adding flax seed and lavender which I have growing in my back yard. (Lavender not flax seed…)

Lavender’s health benefits help aid in digestion plus this herb adds a light floral flavor to whatever you are baking—not overwhelming, just a fresh taste. (I try to throw herbs into all my dishes. The antioxidants are healing, so why not?)

I was pleasantly surprised at how quick and easy homemade granola is to make.

Lavender Blueberry Granola

Print Recipe

Ingredients Notes

Ingredients

2 cups old-fashioned oats I used Quaker
3/4 cup raw slivered almonds
1/4 cup flaxseed whole, not ground
1/4 cup local honey I use Zip Code honey from Texas Honeybee Guild
1 Tablespoon lavender buds chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup dried blueberries

Notes

Don't be afraid to experiment by substituting your favorite berries or nuts.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients except blueberries. Right about now you’ll be thinking wait, this looks strangely like that concoction she made a few months ago for Valentine birdseed feeders… I agree. It does. And although both are edible, this is much better tasting (for humans).

3. Fold in blueberries.

4. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

5. Bake 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Cool. Transfer to your preferred container for storage.

6. Serve with yogurt or ice cream, sprinkle on salads, add to rice pudding, or leave in a Mason jar beside the coffee pot and take a bite every time you walk into the kitchen.

Greek yogurt, lavender blueberry granola, drizzle of agave, sprinkle of bee pollen, sliced bananas

If you don’t have access to lavender, you can order organic culinary lavender from Hood River Lavender. My husband and I visited Hood River Lavender (Oregon) last summer. If you ever have the opportunity to spend time at a lavender farm, do it. As you might imagine, the air smells heavenly.

Hood River Lavender Farm, Oregon

Now I’m wondering…have you ever cooked with lavender?

granola in small Mason jars = great gift idea!

Grace Grits and Gardening

As rosemary is to the spirit, so lavender is to the soul. – Unknown

Backyard Chickens in Munger Place

March 27, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Meet Liam McGregor. Liam is the Chief Eggsecutive Officer of Munger Place Natural Egg Company. Only six blocks from my house (less really), Liam raises backyard chickens in Munger Place where he lives with his family and a menagerie of pets… A young Dr. Doolittle? Maybe so. One thing’s for sure, his chicken operation is impressive.

The garden is not half bad either.

What you see in the picture above is an off-the-grid ecosystem. The chickens not only provide eggs, but they produce rich manure fertilizer for the raised beds and serve as a natural exterminator by eating insects in the backyard compost and garden.

Liam became interested in chickens while attending preschool in College Station. Now at age thirteen, chickens are a big part of Liam’s life. Last December, he began selling eggs to Munger Place neighbors. His brood currently totals thirteen and includes several ancient breeds— Silkies, Rhode Island Reds, Frizzle, Polish and Barred Rocks.

According to Liam the most fun thing about keeping chickens is the chickens themselves. Each has her own language, he says of his all female chicken population. They “talk” to each other. And they have unique personalities just like people.

This is Princess, a beautiful white Silkie.

And the most difficult thing about being an egg entrepreneur? The time requirement. Liam (a busy seventh grader at William B. Travis) also plays violin and lacrosse, so my Mom helps out a lot, he says.

Eggs are harvested each morning and immediately washed and refrigerated. The chickens lay about 8 eggs a day. Liam’s customers are patient and willing to wait for fresh eggs. The rules of purchase are simple—leave an empty carton on Liam’s front porch with contact information, and arrangements will be made to deliver when the eggs are available. Eggs sell for $0.30/each, $1.80/half dozen or $3.60/dozen.

Proceeds go to the Liam Doesn’t Get An Allowance Fund.

Beautiful eggs, great variety.

Sounds like a great cause!

For additional information, email Liam or his mom at [email protected].

To read information on backyard chickens and the many benefits, click HERE.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Chickens aren’t background animals like fish or sheep or horses. Chickens are in-your-face animals. Chickens if you have them, come to bracket your days. The rooster hollers all morning, and then in the evening the hens have left you their mysterious gift of eggs. – Jeanne Marie Laskas

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Lavender Blueberry Granola

Ingredients

Notes

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.