Roses are perhaps the most beloved of ornamental garden plants. Easy-to-grow hybrid roses such as the popular Knock Out rose has made it possible for even beginning gardeners to enjoy roses… Read More

I like lofty goals. For a long time, one of those lofty goals was switching to plant-based meals. I am not vegan, but I just wanted to eat like one more often. Since the new year, I gave it… Read More

Chia seed pudding with my favorite toppings If, every once in a while, you realize you’re in a breakfast rut or, worse yet, you don’t even eat breakfast (gasp!), you need this. I… Read More

Years ago, I would have raised a skeptical eyebrow at the thought of eating vegan cheese. I’ve always been a purist when it comes to food. Even as a kid, I would request the real butte… Read More

I’m grateful for this garden that grows food and joy! The temperatures are even colder in Philadelphia right now than in Alaska! Being cooped up inside this first week of 2018 has been… Read More

Gro-low sumac along the fence People who know I’m a gardener are usually surprised when they find out that autumn, not summer, is my favorite season. Sure, spring brings new life and s… Read More

When I dutifully asked Mr. President what he wanted for his recent birthday, I already knew his answer. His answer has been the same every single year I’ve know him: except for his mi… Read More

Pizza Camp book cover Mr. President and I prefer staycations over vacations and homemade dinners over meals out. But, Philadelphia has such a wonderful food scene, so how can we make sure we… Read More

Cherokee Trail of Tears dried beans Every year at this time as I walk through my overgrown vegetable garden, I question my sanity. My spring self gets overzealous about planting ti… Read More

This essential oil blend smells good enough to eat. I have a love-hate relationship with DIY beauty products. After my extreme experiment of making nearly everything I put on my skin with la… Read More

Honeybees love moonflowers as much as I do. When I go on vacation, I usually return home with fewer than a dozen photos. It’s not that I don’t like photos, it’s that in the… Read More

Could this be “the one”? Do you know how to choose a home that really suits you? Is it a feeling you get or is it a matter of simple requirements that must be met? Years ago, my… Read More

How do I know when spring has sprung? Some of my personal tell-tale signs include: not being OK with the unacceptable appearance of my feet, rushing to do basically everything outside even… Read More

Our three oils, set up for a taste test A great book can change your life or at least part of it. I recently read (and reviewed!) a book like that called Real Food, Fake Food by Larry O… Read More

Tonight, the temperature here is going down to 7 degrees. Seven. For us here in eastern Pennsylvania, that’s unusually cold even in the dead of winter. Everyone’s face gets all… Read More

I have often said my life would be easier if I wasn’t informed about food and if I didn’t care deeply about eating good, honest, sustainable and humanely raised food. There is no… Read More

As in years’ past, the leaves on my garden eggplants look like Swiss cheese this October. Once again they are the unfortunate victims of flea beetles I simply didn’t take t… Read More

Infusing oil with pure vanilla beans If I could hold my head up high and proudly look you square in the eyes, you’d see that my skin is looking great. I’m slightly ashamed to tel… Read More

This is that magical time of year for food when all things come together to produce an embarrassment of riches, a “stupid first world problem.” In the Tomato Envy garden, t… Read More

Someone reminded me the other day that although it’s September and photos of other peoples’ kids heading off to school with their new backpacks flood my Facebook feed, it’… Read More

How amazingly pretty are these little orange flowers? The sunny good looks of  these edible calendula flowers belie their very serious benefits for dry, damaged skin. When you… Read More

I love how our yard looks in fall! I have mixed feelings about late summer. I wait all winter for spring because I love getting my hands in the soil and harvesting the first fresh food of th… Read More

Do you know people who consider zucchini bread to be almost as good as eating the vegetable itself? I do. I know people that use this sweet bread as a way to disguise zucchini so their… Read More

Maybe it’s because my garden’s tomato harvest hasn’t yet begun to overwhelm me or maybe it’s my tendency to hoard food for winter, but when I saw the recipe in Bon A… Read More

Spring and summer bring a barrage of fleeting treats after long winters of eating mostly root vegetables and whatever I was able to squirrel away in my freezer or pantry from the previous s… Read More

Many of my truths and wants are in here! This is a post I’ve been wanting to write for months. I’ve had the ideas swirling around inside and I’ve been putting words to… Read More

In case you clicked through to this post only to discover what the heck a galette is, all you need to know is that it’s like a lazy man’s pie. And, almost everyone likes pie. A… Read More

We tore up our lawn to plant this! Walking Lucy the other day was an exercise in patience at a time when I had little. I was on the first week of my new job where I am very fortunate to work… Read More

Leaf miners are hungry and love my Swiss chard Maybe you’ve seen evidence of these dastardly garden pests on the once-perfect leaves of your spinach or chard. Leaf miners have all but… Read More

Here’s something many people would not consider a gift: I left my corporate job back in December and have not worked full-time since. I admit, I have thoroughly enjoyed the gift of no… Read More

My BIG THREE, used daily: coconut oil, olive oil, and organic ghee. I get great blog post ideas from readers, and because I respect your privacy, I will not say exactly who gave me the idea… Read More

The first time I tasted homegrown potatoes from our garden, I was hooked on their superior texture and flavor. Growing potatoes is great for many reasons, not least of which harvesting them… Read More

If you come here often, you might notice that some of my favorite foods are comfort foods, recipes that are the food equivalent of a warm blanket, cozy sweater or your softest pillows. Espe… Read More

The beginnings of my new herb garden and apiary When I start a new project, I sometimes get overwhelmed by all of the things I don’t know. It happened years ago when I started growing… Read More

People who are really into (insert obsession here) have a way of overcomplicating things or letting tradition and snobbery get into the way of good things. Is it high art or low art? I… Read More

My pretty “euphoric” lotion bars Mr. President says I bite off more than I can chew because I’m always getting into multiple new hobbies at once and looking for my next new… Read More

Tomato Envy garden in spring I knew about succession planting when I started the first Tomato Envy garden of 2014, but I wasn’t as motivated to practice it until the garden started bur… Read More

My garden in spring During the first summer in our current home, we invited a realtor friend over for a glass of wine outside, the same friend that had sold us our fixer-upper. Cathy saw for… Read More

One of the things that got me googly-eyed over Mr. President when we met is that he knows how to cook. One of our early dates was Thanksgiving. He cooked the entire meal from start to… Read More

What can be said for tomatoes in winter? Nothing good, really. When I think of winter tomatoes, I think of mealy, pink, flavorless wedges atop bland iceberg lettuce salads at crappy restaur… Read More

Winter, also known for me as the official season of dry skin and chapped lips, is finally here. The air outside is cold and dry and cranking up the heat in the house makes the… Read More

This past holiday season, Mr. President and I decided not to exchange gifts and instead, spring for a really good coffee maker. And a dog. We are now the proud parents of Princess Lucy… Read More

Recently when I served this warm lentil salad to Mr. President for dinner, he said, “If every salad was like this, I could totally be vegetarian!” That’s when I said… Read More

I am in the middle of a subtle shift in my life and priorities. Recently, I pondered whether frugality and the everyday decadence I love so much can co-exist. I am starting to feel certain t… Read More

Seasonal eating is one of the most important things you can do for your health, your wallet, and the environment. It simply means that your diet is composed of foods that are naturally avail… Read More

I’m a sucker for gardening books. Peruse my book collection, and you’ll find no shortage of garden inspiration, homesteading how-to, and landscape design primers. My garden infer… Read More

People are always asking me about my eating habits. Some of the recipes on Tomato Envy are quite decadent and even more so when they’re washed down with a couple glasses of wine or pre… Read More

This has been one persistent winter! Just when you think it might be over…BAM! Another 30-degree temperature swing and inch or two of snow. It happened again this past weekend, and we… Read More