#growmoremagic

A big old borage plant fell over. Luckily there are lots of self seedlings around to take its place, so I’m enjoying the beauty of this plant up close for a while. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Gardens are a bit of a microcosm of life really. Never quite perfect, always changing, living & dying, and just when you think everything is perfect, over topples a borage plant. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Accept it, do what you can and then make the best of it! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Cocktails with borage flowers are in order, I think 💙 . . . . . . #borage #edibleflowers #seasonalfood #gardenbounty #livesustainably #takethetime #gardenfresh #freshfromthegarden #thekitchn #thesunsetkitchen #growmoremagic #frommygarden #theartofslowliving #makemoments #eatmoremagic #welivetoexplore #inspiremyinstagram #huffposttaste #thatauthenticfeeling #seekthesimplicity #liveunscripted #bhgflowers #verilymoment #sunsetmagazine #lifeandthyme #gardendesignmag #gardendesign #sustainableliving #sustainablegarden #growiteatit (at Los Angeles, California)

Looks like something pretty delicious, right? Well, it is but don’t eat it - this is beeswax, almost ready to use for a lotion recipe I’m trying out 🐝 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It’s a combination of wax from my hive and that from my amazing bee mentor, Gary’s, hives. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I can’t even begin to say how satisfying it is to create your own beauty and cleaning products! These days, I make my own makeup remover wipes that get composted when used and my own tooth powder, that I can customize with all kinds of amazing ingredients - next will be a lemon verbena flavored one, given the bounty of leaves in the garden. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Toothpaste, wipes, glass cleaner &,now hopefully, lotion or lip salve: less packaging, less transportation, more local ingredients, less plastic, less ingredients to wonder about, less trash, and finally, the sheer please of making something you use every day. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’ve always been a bit of a mad scientist, mixing up potions and recipes using essential oils, flowers, herbs, so this is absolutely the natural progression and it feels good! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Anybody else have some great concoctions to share?! . . . . #livesustainably #beeswax #backyardbeekeeper #environmentallyfriendly #weneedbees #nobeesnofood #homemadebeauty #growmoremagic #frommygarden #gardenideas #beeswaxproducts #makemoments #gardenherbs #beelover #welivetoexplore #thatauthenticfeeling #liveauthentic #feedyoursoull #sunsetmagazine #lifeandthyme #naturallifestyle #sustainableapld #gardendesignmag #sustainableliving #whpclassic #realsimple #sustainablegarden #rshome #bhghome #livemoremagic ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ (at Weeds Garden & Interior Design)

Two flowers I can never resist - Nigella and Safflower. Both edible, by the way. Thanks #marvistafarmersmarket for allowing me to feed my addiction 💙💚💛🧡🧡💛💚💙 . . . . . #flowerlife #nigellasativa #safflower #edibleflowers #livesustainably #localflowers #edibleflower #nigelladamascena #gardenfresh #loveinamist #freshfromthefarm #farmersmarketfresh #blossombeauty #growmoremagic #farmersmarketflowers #farmersmarketfun #bloominglovely #flowersmakemehappy #livemoremagic #farmersmarketfresh #thatauthenticfeeling #foodandflowers #sunsetmagazine #lifeandthyme #bhgflowers #gardendesignmag #sustainableliving #sustainablegarden #freshisbest (at Weeds Garden & Interior Design)

Again, repeat after me: My low water garden does not have to be a desert!! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Another lovely garden from the #apld Garden Tour, this one by @wildgardensla. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This sustainable garden incorporates rain-harvesting dry river beds and all kinds of fabulous plants, including but certainly not limited to, salvias Clevelandii & gregii, Verbena bonariensis, Prostanthera ovalifolia or Mint Bush (stop and smell this always), Euphorbia martinii & friends, Cranesbill geranium Johnson’s Blue (see bee pic) and the water thrifty lgroundcover Fragaria chiloensis or Beach strawberry (other bee pic with white flower). . . . . . #landscapedesign #growmoremagic #livemoremagic #sustainabledesign #gardendesign #gardenstyle #outdoorliving #outdoorspace #gardeninspo #sustainablegarden #nativeplants #lobotany #gardenideas #gardenlove #sunsetmag #dwell #sunsetplants #gardendesignmag #takeamoment #liveauthentically #verilymoment #iamapld #ariverrunsthroughitapld #thatauthenticfeeling #nothingsordinary #sustainableapld #watershedgardens #cnps (at Sherman Oaks, California)

I think this one hits #wellfedcreative ‘s brief for this week, organic shapes, and last week’s -rain! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Salvia leucantha flower. I’m pretty sure there’s nothing more organic in shape and nature than plants, and here, repeated in the droplet itself too💕 . . . . . #flowerart #growmoremagic #livemoremagic #beautyinnature #raindrop #liveauthentically #landscapedesigns #landscapedesigner #landscapedesignbuild #droughttolerantplants #climateappropriateplants #droughttolerantgarden #lowwatergarden #sustainablegarden #droughtfriendlyplants #lowwaterplants #frommygarden #waterwisegardening #waterwisegarden #purpleflowersmakemehappy #gardendesignmag #flowerporn #flowergram #lowwaterhighstyle #sunsetmag #seekthesimplicity #marvistagarden #verilymoment #gardenflowers (at Los Angeles, California)

Green chicken with mushrooms & herby dumplings coming up! This was partly driven by the fact that: 1. Had a chicken to cook 2. Inspiration on the dumpling part by a yummy post from @chefsallyjane 3. Ate way too much junk yesterday whilst out Christmas shopping 4. Needed to clean out both the garden and the fridge ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So I gathered everything green that I could from the veggie garden, including celery, rosemary, marjoram, sage, various greens and then found some farmers market mushrooms that I “dried” (read: left in a brown paper bag a little to long, but they were fricking expensive and perfectly fine, just rather dehydrated 😬) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So along with the chicken and the dumpling inspo, here goes..hopefully, recipe will follow 😉 . . . . . . #f52grams #growwhatyoueat #freshfromthegarden #thekitchn #growmoremagic #frommygarden #theartofslowliving #makemoments #heresmyfood #onmytable #eatmoremagic #welivetoexplore #inspiremyinstagram #huffposttaste #thatauthenticfeeling #seekthesimplicity #hocsupperclub #liveunscripted #verilymoment #sosavory #feedyoursoull #sunsetmag #livemoremagic #saveurmag #lifeandthyme #gardendesignmag #hautescuisines #whpclassic #bhgfood (at Los Angeles, California)

This is the result of all that chopping of fresh seasonal veggies & herbs for a winter soup in summer temperatures. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The veggie stars are leeks and celery, with just a little potato - I think you could actually do without the potato if you wanted to, but it does give a nice base. And dammit, use all of the celery and leeks, yes even the green bits and celery leaves. So. Much. Flavor. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The seasoning stars are a bit of garlic, some white pepper, a bit of fresh dill and dill pollen - yes, you read it right - pollen, not seed - that I got from @kandarianorganicfarms at my local farmer’s market. I added it throughout the cooking with a hit at the end. It adds a different and nuanced depth that you won’t get with fresh dill, almost lemony and bright. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The stars of the garnishes are some fresh lovage (perfect fresh celery note!) and a mystery herb that I found at @logansgardens. I’m going to have to identify this (somehow the plant tag was lost) because it’s lovely - looks a bit like cilantro but tastes nothing like. More of a cucumber-melon-parsley flavor 💚 And finally, dill flowers & chili pepper threads. The chili threads are fairly mild but give a nice smokiness and of course look super cool 😉 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ With the exception of the leeks and the chili threads, I grow or have grown all of these veggies and herbs. I don’t really plant potatoes these days as I don’t have so much space, and I’ve just never tried leeks - don’t think I could grow enough for my needs. As for the dill pollen, I’m afraid I don’t have the patience to try to harvest it, so I will guard my stash from the farmer’s market! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It’s quite amazing what you can grow in an backyard garden . . . . #farmersmarketfresh #freshfromthegarden #thekitchn #growmoremagic #frommygarden #theartofslowliving #makemoments #heresmyfood #onmytable #eatmoremagic #welivetoexplore #inspiremyinstagram #huffposttaste #thatauthenticfeeling #seekthesimplicity #hocsupperclub #liveunscripted #liveauthentic #verilymoment #sosavory #feedyoursoull #sunsetmag #livemoremagic #saveurmag #lifeandthyme #gardendesignmag #hautescuisines #whpclassic (at Los Angeles, California)

What to do with all that kale? I don’t know about you but it’s one of those foolproof things to grow in the garden and it just keeps on giving and giving and giving... So, when you’ve had it up to here with kale Caesars and sautéed kale, here’s something new. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I took a Melissa Clark recipe from #nytfood and gave it a new spin - Mediterranean Kale Labneh. It uses all the pantry staples that, if you cook, are probably there in your kitchen right now. The only thing you might need to find is the labneh. This is a very thick, creamy yogurt cheese, which available in almost any Middle Eastern store. If you happen to have some Greek style yogurt you could also strain that overnight in a strainer lined with cheesecloth and make your own (be careful though as you will lose some volume with the end product). In a pinch you could just use plain very thick yogurt, but your consistency will be thinner and not as luscious 😊 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Basically you sauté garlic, capers, anchovies & chili flakes in olive oil, add in chopped pecans and then kale, cooking til it’s softened but still a nice green. A squeeze of lemon, then add the cooled mixture to the labneh and top with some chopped parsley or lovage. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Serve with some good bread or veggies or anything you want really.. It could be a flatbread or pita - I had some roasted garlic sourdough, sliced into thick fingers & toasted and it was divine. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The recipe on the blog tomorrow - link in bio. 😋😋😋 . . . . . #f52grams #gardenfresh #freshfromthegarden #thekitchn #growmoremagic #frommygarden #theartofslowliving #makemoments #heresmyfood #onmytable #eatmoremagic #welivetoexplore #inspiremyinstagram #huffposttaste #thatauthenticfeeling #seekthesimplicity #liveyourroots #liveunscripted #liveauthentic #verilymoment #sosavory #feedyoursoull #sunsetmag #livemoremagic #saveurmag #lifeandthyme #gardendesignmag #hautescuisines #gloobyfood (at Los Angeles, California)