oh how i love when you get to eat flowers!

today i got inspired at the temescal farmer's market when i saw some beautiful squash blossoms at happy boy farms. i've always wanted to make stuffed squash blossoms, but just felt like they were too complicated and hard for me.

so i just went for it and decided today was the day. the nice woman at the stand gave me the encouragement i needed. (it didn't hurt that the organic blossoms were 10 for $1.00!!)

i hopped over a few stalls and visited cowgirl creamery where i picked up some delicious fromage blanc to stuff them with.

the whole process was so simple. i washed the blossoms and allowed them to fully dry on a paper towel. then i stuffed each little blossom with about a spoonful of fromage blanc, while i heated some olive oil in a skillet (i didn't do a deep fry, but rather a pan fry). i prepared a batter using flour, water and seasalt.

i also roasted some padron peppers to go along with. these are my favorite summer find. simply delicious broiled with a lil olive oil and sea salt.

another happy boy find was the Piel de Sapos melon. mmm mmm mmm so sweet!!

DIY Indian weddings are possible.

I'm just back from two weeks in Findlay, Ohio, The place where my sister and I grew up. She got married there last week. I was asked to do the arrangements for the centerpieces as well as make the flower garlands that are used ceremoniously for the hindu wedding ceremony. It was a bit of a challenge to find local, organic flowers, but I did my best. I worked with a local florist and we were able to find some local options to mix in with the not-s0-local. My sister's good friends also grew some of the flowers and foraged locally for wildflowers to mix in as well.

Another important aspect of the ceremony is the Mandapam. This is the 4 postered structure that the ceremony takes place in. It is meant to represent the couples' first home. I constructed the mandapam from black bamboo and adorned it with the traditional mango leaves, banana plants, and handmade fabric vilva garlands.

I'm thinking I might get into the business of Handmade South Indian weddings, any takers?

Here are a few pics of the arrangements and the garlands!

Mum, carnation and rose garlands.

Goldenrod, Aster, Alstroemaria, Sunflowers and Red Roses. For the vases I collected old tin cans and wrapped then in hand stamped kraft paper with twine.

what's growing in findlay ohio

ornamental cabbages

yarrow

floriforous jasmine!

brightly colored coleus

these flowers will never fade

this week, we're preparing for my sister's wedding here in findlay, ohio. you might remember these pretty fabrics that i picked up in chennai earlier this year. well we are in full swing and have made 177 fabric flowers for all of the wedding guests as favors and festive adornments! there are roses, dahlias and poppies in an assortment of corsages, pins, and hair clips. i love the dahlias best.

the yellow accents and flower were dyed with turmeric!

enjoy!

Nectarine Sherbet

A few days ago I tried out this oh-so-simple nectarine sherbet recipe from my friend at Yummy Supper and it came out sooooo YUM!

I'm sure it can also be adapted for all the other stonefruits in season now!

Richmond Grows & Dyes!

The surprise of the day - Avocado pits!

Our cold turmeric dye bath

Participants preparing their samples using Shibori techniques

Showing the homemade Iron mordant

"How many of you love plants!?"

I am so happy after a successful workshop. The feeling of inspiring others with the colors of natures is so satisfying and enjoyable. Thank you to all the participants of Permacouture Institute's first Seeds to Sew workshop at the Richmond Public Library this Saturday. And huge thanks to Rebecca Newburn for organizing and starting the Seed Library there.

I'll be teaching another introductory natural dye workshop outdoors at the Berkeley Eco House on August 27th - Hope to see you there!

Fennel Dye

In preparation for tomorrow's workshop at Richmond Grows I started a fennel dye today. Yesterday as I was out and about picking up some rusty objects (post on that coming soon) when I saw a nice clump of fennel growing in the parking lot. After asking I harvested a bunch and brought it home with me.

Today I threw the leaves and flowers into a 5L glass jar and poured hot water over the leaves. I'll let this steep and stew overnight and tomorrow during the workshop we'll boil up the leaves with our fibers.

With so much fennel growing everywhere, this makes sense as a wonderful dye for our area. But, always be sure to ask the landowner before you go out with your clippers. Another very important point is that this plant, though introduced and invasive, is a very important habitat species. It is the host plant for the Anise Swallowtail butterfly. After checking in with the land-owner also be sure to avoid harvesting caterpillar eggs along with your dyestuff.

Seeds to Sew: Tagging Dye Plants at the Richmond Seed library

Last month, with the Permacouture Institute, we launched our "Seeds to Sew" project at the Richmond Grows Seed Library. Yesterday I went over to the library and got to use the nifty new stamp we made to tag seeds.

This logo indicates that a seed in the library has natural dye properties and encourages you to grow dye plants and begin creating beautiful colors from nature. There are helpful plant lists and natural dye recipes available at the library.

And on Saturday July 16th I'll be teaching an introductory workshop on getting started with natural dyes at the library from 1pm-3pm. You can sign up here

lichen/moss inspiration

flower buffet!

yesterday for my sister's bridal shower i decided to set up a "flower buffet" as fun favors for all of our guests. i stopped by gorgeous and green and selected an assortment of their organic, pesticide-free local flowers and foliage and then set them up by species to make a diverse display for guests to choose from! it was a great activity and i think people really enjoyed it! the flowers added color and decoration to the party and at the same time made floral favors for our 10 lovely ladies. as added floral value - we all went to brunch at flora before. enjoy!

berkeley eco-house

laundry to landscape system

nifty drinking fountain out in the garden

green roof, of mostly succulents

broccoli!

allium bud about to blossom. and delicate spider web to the left.

planting of the greywater system

straw bale demo/display window

we finally made it over to the berkeley eco-house (now that we live on the same block!). it is a wonderful demonstration house and garden brought to us by berkeley's ecology center. the house features a solar heater, solar panels, greywater system, rainwater catchment, and all the other "green fixings" indoors (because there are tenants, our tour was outdoors).

the garden is a thriving permaculture garden with lots of veggies, swales, a strawbale tool shed with living roof, greywater fed irrigation, and more.

i encourage all of you local folks to make a trip over to the eco house for one of their tours and workshops and support the ecology center by getting a membership!

garden for butterflies, birds, and bees

i was so happy to receive this picture of the native sidewalk garden we planted two and a half years ago on the corner of shotwell and 22nd street. the garden was built as a part of the mission greenbelt - a project dedicated to lifting up concrete and planting gardens in the mission district of san francisco.

we planted a selection of california native plants specifically selected to attract birds, butterflies and bees.

happy to see the garden thriving! plant more gardens people...

kew gardens - the mecca.

magical dusk in the rock garden

a good reminder of the plant parts from one of the oldest flowering plants, magnolia

floribundiforous!

inside the glass house

One of the beautiful Japanese maples

the oldest potted cycad in the world.

the tree walk - i had to come down when i realized i was afraid of heights! but it was beautiful!

the lightening around 6pm

i made sure we spent a day in kew gardens. it was a brillant masterpiece of landscaping, plant collections and a shrine to the early days of horticulture and botany, exploration and ethnobotany. here are some of my favorite shots - we took a break at the cafe for some afternoon tea and then headed back out for some of the most exquisite light.