Rose Cottage

 In this recent video , Sachiaki Takamiya talks about different ways we can protect our gut health, which in turn enhances our general health.  Picked garlic, cilantro, Miso, Kim chi, tofu Many of these concepts are familiar and  ones I already incorporate into my life.  Living on the West Coast, I have enjoyed rice, Miso and yes, tofu for decades.  Moderate movement - ideal if it's both enjoyable and not overly strenuous.  Last year i discovered the Japanese morning exercises in comments on another health thread.   Doing movement that exercises arms and legs for 6-10 minutes early in the day 'turns on' our lymph flow - increasing the benefits of movement throughout the day! I also enjoy Qigong, Breema, gardening, walking and dance, and encourage other folks to find movement they enjoy! Sleep and stress - as Sachiaki mentions, getting adequate sleep is so helpful for general health. And keep manageable stress at a minimum - slow down! One tip f...

 Winter is prime time for garden planning, and savoring the bounty in seed catalogs with a warm cuppa is a cozy way to cheer up cold grey days! In a recent post, a favorite gardener and chef in Wales, Gaz Oakley, remin ds us to consider flavor, and include heritage varieties!  Black cap raspberries   In my garden journal (Poteger Devotional) from 2006, I added this quote,  "For too long vegetable gardening has been obsessed with shape and SIZE.  Better that care be lavished from tilth to table on growing tasty food whose beauty is a bi-product to be relished." Montague Don, the Sensuous gardener. In a later chapter, he comments that there was a shift to growing for size and quantity when men took on a larger role, as there's  'an inbuilt relationship between Horticulture and gastronomy when the person(s) cooking/ preparing the food is involved!' Field peas, pansy,  chickweed, broad beans still fresh and green after the freeze In traditional cultures ar...

  As the fall cool weather and rains arrive, the tea camellia are in bloom - I never tire of seeing their pretty white flowers, and am excited to get the larger plants in the ground and growing on.  In Southern Yunnan province in China, there are wild tea trees  600 to 1800 years old, and 15 meters tall! My last tea camellia, at 15, was about 5×5'  Camellia sinensis, Sochi  And - here in the N, is time to plant garlic! My favorite garlic method (zone 8b, so fall planted, hardneck garlic): Forgotten garlic clump Look for some clumps you missed during harvest (since I plant mine in various beds, I usually miss some!) Ease them out of the earth Gently tease their roots apart Poke holes around the garden, drop in the bulb, add compost or soil, and top with a layer of leaves. Strawberry planter with garlic starts   One clump (seperated) went between plants in the cedar strawberry planter, the second into a long planter with more strawberries, and the last into t...

 This weekend, my son-in law assembled my new Greenhouse, with help from my daughter!  Matt, Nadya and Greenhouse I was excited to find this one for a good price (plus free shipping and $100 discount!) in early fall, and this winter my tender plants will have protection without taking up space on Matt's workbench in the garage! We moved around 70 pots last fall, and I jotted down garden dreams  ... I thought of a polytunnel, so happy to *finally* have a greenhouse!!  4x4" Base I suggested we site it between the fence and shed on the SE side of the back garden for warmth and protection from the elements.  Matt laid gravel and put down a frame of 4×4s, to which he'll attach the little structure for more stability. Zander helped distribute the gravel! Matt began assembling the frame and panels yesterday morning while we were at church and listening to stories from Hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.   The delegates are visiting from J...

 Several years ago, my friend Nikki invited me over for a  tea party , both teaching me how to process the leaves, and sharing cups of her beautiful tea and simple snacks.  After tea, went out to pick another flush from her 9 shrubs, and she sent me home with a basket of fresh leaves, which I augmented with leaves from my own tea camellia, making a batch at home the following day.  Camellia sinensis Sochi Nikki and I both grow the variety from Sochi Russia, which is on the Black Sea, and the "most Northern tea," which is very aromatic and frost Hardy. Sochi is especially suited to  our PNW zone 8b gardens.   While the flowers are small (about the size of a strawberry flower!) Sochi's leaves are about the size of those on our common ornamental Camellias.  The flowers can also be used for a light and fragrant tea, which i first tasted at the Dao of Tea in Portland.  Tea camellia in center of the Tea Garden High in antioxidants, especially catec...

 Our Edible landscape festival mid May was a lovely, well attended event, and we gave away most of the 3000+ starts we brought! It was Hot - I was so glad we had an event tent Edible Landscaping booth   A few weeks before, we weeded our beds along Alpine, and covered each with compost from EL founder, Ramsey McPhillips. He also had a booth at the festival, and was giving out coffee sacks with some of his black gold - I was tickled to take one home for my own poteger.  Garden gold - compost We volunteers took home our own curated caches of starts, and I planted some of mine in a galvanized trough I'd picked up from the feed store. I also got a Rosemary and several raspberry starts, which were donated by a local nursery.  We intend to set up a new raspberry patch in the back garden, so this gives us a start.  Salad garden and herbs in pots This week I headed back to the Tea Garden I'm tending on Alpine with a couple of watering cans - and it's growing beautifully...

 And - the new induction cooktop is set into the countertop and hooked up, cabinet and drawerpulls are on! Thank you, builder Jorge and our electrician, Duane - it's looking much more complete!   Kitchen corner I love the clean lines and ease of function.  Drawers are on order for the space to the left of the sink, and I can restock the art cart! Using the induction hob is a learning curve - one of my first efforts was Rhubarb sauce with one stem of rhubarb, a handful of dried apples, some frozen blueberries,  a teaspoon of honey, some cinnamon, mint and a dash of sea salt!  Rhubarb sauce Enjoyed it with coconut milk yogurt on the back porch! This quick and easy recipe came from a gal cooking in the shed on her allotment. With the induction cooker, it's good to prep ingredients before turning the element on! (I did step outside for the mint sprig)  Both the wok and my cast iron frying pans have very soothe surfaces, and I just got some burner mats (saf...