I have been gathering a lot of great stuff that I’ve been just bursting to write about, but that doesn’t really fit Global Mama, so I have made the jump and launched a second blog, called Lolalina. Lolalina is all about finding your Sweet Life ~ I will be talking about decor, personal style, travel, weddings & celebrations, creativity, small business, and things that bring us joy. If any of those topics sound interesting to you, I really hope that you will come visit me at Lolalina and say hello! It would mean a lot. And don’t worry, you will still find me blogging here at Global Mama each week as well

Check it out: Lolalina ~ Find your sweet life

{image: Laura Gaskill}

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A note on special ingredients: I prefer using ricotta salata, which is very mild – but if you can’t find it, feta or soft goat cheese will work as well. If you don’t have fresh peas, use frozen & just zap them in the microwave for a minute before you throw them in.

p.s. – The recipe is an image, so feel free to drag/copy it to your desktop for future reference Enjoy!

{images: Laura Gaskill}

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Hello dear friends! I realize that I haven’t posted much lately, and I hope you don’t think I’ve abandoned you I have been having a very busy few weeks with family visiting, as well as a new project that I have been working on (I’ll fill you in on that soon). I’ll be back in a few moments with a nice, fresh spring recipe…

{image: Laura Gaskill}

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“Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to have to explain things to them always and forever.”

~ from The Little Prince

Print by Tummy Mountain

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Image © Olivia Locher

Later this year, a selection of the photographs will be published in a book, and become part of a traveling exhibition on female adolescence. Girls interested in participating can email the founder of the project to get a disposable camera in the mail. The girl whose work is chosen as the cover image for the book will receive $1,000!

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Happy weekend, everyone!

{beautiful tulip photo from Straussy1}

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{Michael Devine’s garden, photo from Country Living}

If you are planning your first garden as I am, it can be all too easy to get carried away by the literally thousands of varieties of plants in those glossy garden catalogues, and the rows and rows of gorgeousness at your local nursery. But working within the framework of a potager garden, you can keep it small and beautiful. Let’s take a look at the basic elements that go into creating a French kitchen garden…

Choosing a Site – You will certainly want to choose a location that gets plenty of sun, but also keep in mind that part of the appeal of the potager garden is its proximity to the kitchen!

Garden Design – Measure out your space and then sketch out a few rough design ideas on paper. Think about how many beds you would like to have, where the pathways should go, and if you want to leave room around the edges or in the center for anything else (birdbath? strawberry pots? fruit trees?).

Raised Beds – I am a big fan of raised beds: they give your plants better drainage, they don’t strain your back while weeding, and they are the perfect solution if you have very poor soil. A raised bed should be no wider than 4-5 feet, so that you can easily reach the center of the bed from either side. Just about anything can be used to build a raised bed; I found a few good tutorials here, here, and here.

{Plan for a Potager Garden, photo from Country Living}

Plant Selection – A potager garden typically includes a mix of vegetables, herbs, flowers, and climbing plants, all mixed within each bed to add to the visual appeal. The beds tend to be quite full of plants – no neat rows, here! Try planting chamomile, thyme, and ground creeping plants below taller vegetables to keep weeds at bay. Sunset has a wonderful plant finder that lets you search by climate zone, type of plant (herb, veggie, flower, etc.), sun and water requirements, and even height and spread.

The Second Season – Another typical feature of the potager garden is the second planting – done in mid-to late summer in the East and Midwest, or from August-October in the West, these plants are meant to be harvested when the leaves are still delicate and small. Some good choices for a second harvest include radishes, lettuces, spinach, and chard.

Small Space Variations – Even if you do not have a yard, you can still keep the spirit of the potager garden on a patio, terrace, balcony, deck, or even in a few sunny windowboxes. Look for smaller varieties of vegetables that won’t feel cramped in containers, and plant a few nice big pots of mixed herbs and flowers. Just being able to snip a few fresh herbs to add to an omelet and cut a posie of flowers to set on the table can make life a little sweeter.

{Lovely Example of a Kitchen Garden, photo from Vegetable Gardener}

I hope this has inspired you to think about your garden in a new way! Feel free to share your gardening tips in the comments section, or share your gardening plans, wishes, or desires for this year.

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I was reminded of my Jimmie’s Secret Gate when I saw this post from Australian blogger Loobylu describing the fantastic gate she just installed in the fence between her yard and the neighbors (pictured above) – so now all the kids from both households can run amok to their heart’s content! Gateways can be pretty magical, don’t you think?

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Founder Jim Denevan with Biseat Horning & Aubrey Schatz, UCSC Farm & Garden

For the past 10 years, Denevan and his crew have been traveling North America, setting up their famous long tables in rustic barns, cornfields, gardens and secret sea caves, beside rivers and in the shelter of mountains. Each event is unique and the 150 or so seats sell out fast – even with tickets going for around $200 per person. It is a hefty price, but I know that I personally would rather forgo dinners out for a while to be able to save up for a memorable experience like this – quality over quantity! The evening begins with guests sipping wine and taking a tour of the farm before settling into a five course dinner alongside the farmers who grew the food. Lets have a peek at a few farm dinners past…

The Long Table: Munson Farms, Boulder CO (left) and Queens Farm, NY (right)

The Long Table: In a Secret Sea Cave, coastal California

The Food!

If you are interested in attending a farm dinner, check out the 2009 Season Schedule – and do it soon because most of the May and June events have already sold out! Good friends and good food in the open air – that’s what life is all about, as far as I’m concerned. I would love to attend one of the dinners in August, either in Providence (since I do live there!) or Vermont (because it’s so pretty ) maybe I’ll see you there…

All photos in this story © Outstanding in the Field

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