good 'n planty

Check out these clever labels and green recipes for homemade cleaning supplies at The Worsted Witch. [via].

Use up those easter eggs:

  Found this tasty-looking sandwich over at 101cookbooks.

My egg salad never turns out "just right" so I'll definitely refer to this recipe next time I make it.

Also:

"...If you wanted to go that route, a remix of this sandwich where you broil some thinly sliced gruyere cheese onto your toast, top with the egg salad mixture, sprinkle with the fried shallots, and serve open-faced would likely be delicious." 

Yes, please.  

I checked with the tenant who previously used this garden bed and she said she won't be using it- so this weekend I gathered some tools at my parents and got to work. The bed was very overgrown, it hadn't been used in several years- there are shrub stumps at each end of the bed and their roots tangle through every square inch of the soil. I dug up nearly half the bed and removed the roots, but the stumps will require some assistance and bigger tools. I had a much bigger amount of dead plant matter than I counted on- certainly more than will fit into my hyundai accent, so I will probably have to borrow my dad's truck to take everything to the Bethlehem composting center- and bring some compost back with me.

 This is a great solution for me because I don't know how large of a compost pile my landlord will let me have- so this way, it's at least still being composted and according to Pam, the compost at this place is pretty good.

So here are my "before" shots. It can only get better, right?

It looks so tiny here! I'd say the bed is about 5'x12'... but I'll have to measure. 

I spent some time taking pictures at my parents house/farm/garden last week, and although the garden is not in it's prime, it is still alive with character as my mom has a knack for creating charming spaces.

I thought I'd share a few of the things I found wandering around, cool ideas to add some visual interest to your garden.

sculptural concrete structures: 

salvaged architectural elements:

and two of my favorite features: this brick inlay my mom did by hand, complete with mossy overgrowth, and these porcelain birds meant for a Christmas tree, instead adorning a shrub.

Happy First Day of Spring!

                                                           sniff a daffodil

                                                              hear a robin

                                                                eat a peep

                                                   feel a patch of moss

                                 notice the buds on tree branches.