Weekend Entertaining

I  LOVE this image via My Sparrow from a Style Me Pretty wedding. 

Happy Weekend!

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Swiss Chard; Edible landscaping at its finest!

There are so many choices available when picking out plants for our landscapes and gardens, but usually the 'stuff we eat' is relegated to a special 'vegetable garden' area. Why not mix it up? We use annuals in our landscape beds for simple visual interest, so why not annual (or perennial) vegetables as well? A great beginners vegetable to integrate into the garden is Swiss chard. It thrives in sun or nearly full shade, has pretty and colorful stems, and with care lasts all year in moderate climates.

Here in Texas, mine seems to be hardiest in an area with morning shade and afternoon sun (although I suspect the reverse would be even better!) The partial tree cover protected it from our very cold and icy winter, and the cover from the full summer sun helps it stay fresh, crisp, and less likely to bolt during the hottest months. It grows to reach about 16-20 inches in height, so it is perfect in a perennial bed for thick, green texture between tall and shorter flowers.

Without a doubt, spring and fall are when chard really shines. I plant mine in the fall, and in areas of full exposure, cover it during hard freezes and ice storms with a loose 1 inch layer of straw. Floating row covers would be ideal, but we haven't quite completed that project yet.

Even a light dusting of snow doesn't seem to bother it...

Some folks eat this mineral rich green raw, but I like mine sauteed with garlic. Lucky me; it peaks just when the garlic is ready to harvest! When the timing is just right, the potatoes, carrots and onions are ready as well, making the perfect combination for a lentil stew. Nothing could be healthier or heartier for fueling more early summer garden work!

Viva la chard!

LENTIL STEW:

3 or so cups dried lentils

chopped carrots

chopped onion (about the size of a tennis ball)

2-3 smooshed cloves of garlic. More if you love garlic

2-3 spring potatoes in pretty large chunks

Toss all of the above together in a pan with enough water to submerge about an inch

Add salt and pepper, bring to a slow boil for about 30 minutes. Toss a cup of chopped chard leaves and stems in and cook about 15 more minutes. I like a little dried basil and hot pepper in mine:)

Perfect when the nights are still cool and you are exhausted from garden chores! xo

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old oar make-over

Now that the warmer weather is here my mind is starting to think about summer decor.

I have been seeing lots of painted oars in the catalogs this season

image from Pottery Barn

Completely Coastal has a post on decorating with oars

During my treasure hunting I am always on the lookout for old wooden oars.  Sometimes I luck out and discover them  in wonderful condition - all they need is a good cleaning and they look great.

other times this is what I get

I do not let the condition discourage me. 

Giving the oars a "make-over" is fun, creative and cheap.

Here are the steps in giving your old oars that are in poor condition a re-do

1. wipe them down and sand the rough edges ( I use one of those sanding sponge blocks )

2. if there are any large cracks you can fill them with wood filler

3.  give the oar a quick coat of paint - I use what ever I have left over

4. have fun taping off the sections that you want to add stripes and paint using fun summer colors

4. you can add a number or a letter with a stencil if you want

5.  when you are finished and the paint is dry - take your sand paper or sanding sponge and distress the oar

I like to really give the oars a good distressing to make them look like they have been sitting in a boat yard for years

this project is fast and fun

image from Coastal Living

Have a safe and Happy Memorial Day weekend, Lori

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