Their Basil; My Basil

We took a field trip to the rooftop gardens and apiary on the Royal Fairmont Hotel, Toronto. We passed guarding stone lions on the ground floor to reach the Fairmont's basil. At our place, you trip over the garden house to get to the herbs. Still. Basil is basil. My basil plants grow happily in pots but keel over and die when I plant them the ground. I have no idea why.

Sewing Frenzy

Last week I noticed this woman at a dry cleaning shop on Yonge. I'm her evil sewing twin. An order for wooldebeasts just came in, so I've been stitching like crazy. New plush beasts are under construction for Freedom Clothing Collective on Bloor St. in Toronto.

Before and After the Zucchini Harvest

What better place to add vegetables than to a cake? A chocolate one, no less.

Yesterday we celebrated a belated birthday for a friend. Sunday's harvest from the Young Urban Farmers was still fresh on the counter, so I shredded a zucchini into the batter.

The entire cake disappeared down various throats within hours. I told the kids about the zucchini during their final bites.

Harnessing the Power of Literary Heroines

I'm in the throes of editing my novel now, to be launched in the spring of 2011 with Great Plains Publications in their teen fiction series.

To help me edit, I stitched up Anne of Green Gables. She's been whispering all sorts of wise and encouraging thoughts in my ear as I work through the chapters.

Ann-with-an-e has a rather Mona Lisa-esque, enigmatic smile, don't you think?

Squash Leaves Dominate Veggie Garden

If Adam returned to the Garden of Eden, I wouldn't recommend a fig leaf. One of these squash leaves would cover him up like boxer shorts.

Actually, these monster leaves are hiding lettuce plants in their cool shade. Maybe you can spot the nasturtium too. I grew up in rural Ontario, where no one needed space-saving tricks. This lettuce-under-the-squash-leaf trick is my new favourite. It came from Elaine of the Young Urban Farmers.

A Comfort Doll

On the sidewalk last year, my neighbour told me about comfort dolls--small dolls you make and send to ICROSS in B.C. The organization sends the dolls as packaging for donated medical supplies and also for gifts for kids in countries ravaged my war and poverty.

Most dolls are knitted. I wanted to make a doll, but knitting makes me so sleepy and frustrated because the job never seems to end. So I designed a pattern for a sewn, hand-embroidered doll. This girlie is made from upcycled, wool sweaters and Ecofill. I made about half a dozen. Time to kiss this baby goodbye.

First Harvest: Garlic Scapes

If I waited a week, these garlic tips would have burst out in purple flowers. Instead, I snipped them, chopped them, and whirred them in the blender with olive oil and parmesan. Presto pesto. The scapes tasted milder than full-fledged bulb garlic.

Thanks to Farmer Elaine (Young Urban Farmers) for the tips on dealing with scapes. Dinner was yum, and now our garlic plants can work harder to beam energy to the bulbs in the ground instead of those perky but useless flowers.