When Words are not Enough

How do you say thank you?  I mean, when you really mean it.  When you feel gratitude with every heartbeat.  When you are so full of it that it spills over your eyelashes and renders you incapable of truly explaining what it means to you.  When the giver, maybe, doesn't even realize the depth of what they have given you.  I am not completely sure, but I imagine it has to have something to do with being the best caretaker of that gift.  Of being able to recall what that gift meant to you on the day it was given even as time passes -6 months from now, 12 months from now, 2 years from now- and acting accordingly.  Treasuring it as you do the ones that gave it.  Over the past several weeks, I have been the recipient of many gifts.  Truth is, they weren't necessarily intended as gifts for me, but it felt like it to me none-the-less.  Some bore gifts of time and knowledge.  Others bore gifts of plants, hoses and fertilizer.  Many others reminded me to laugh along the way.  Mostly, I received the gift of friendship.  And out of that friendship, the new bonds formed and the old bonds strengthened in clay and biodynamic planting mix, came something incredible, inconceivable and truly good.  Here it is:

2 raised beds, 3 in ground beds at the new Spruill Art Gallery Garden

So, thank you!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  Even though it is not 100% finished yet and there is still work to be done.  I want to take a moment to say thank you for not chalking it up to a lost cause and walking away when so little money was raised.  Thank you for finding a way around the obstacles.  Thank you for your faith in this garden and your trust in me.  Thank you for making this fun.  And, thank you for being my champion.  I will honor your gifts by putting my heart and soul into our new mutual friend, The Spruill Art Gallery Garden with harvests of tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, and sweet potatoes which will be donated to feed the hungry.  It's many gifts that keep on giving!

Spruill Gallery Garden - Help, Do, Teach

This is the method my Grandmother used to teach my Mom how to prepare a Thanksgiving feast.  When the time came, my Mom used it to teach my sister and I.  First, you help someone else prepare one.  Next, you're on the hook to create the meal, from start to finish, with help from Mom, of course.  Finally, you teach someone else how to do it because it reinforces what you've learned and you are not likely to forget what you've taught.

This method can also be applied to gardening.  The Spruill Gallery Garden is a great opportunity to learn how to garden.  And, it is an equally great opportunity for you veteran gardeners out there to teach someone else what you know about gardening.  There will be folks out there at all levels.  The funny thing about gardening is you can be helping, doing and teaching all at the same time!  There is always something new to be learned.  So, come on out and join the fun!

This is a call for volunteers!  

Installation is scheduled for early May.  There is much to do before then.  

Come for as long or as little as you can.  Just come!
As a bonus, those who volunteer will get first dibs on the old cinder blocks that will be removed from the old beds.  They will be given away for FREE!  These blocks are great to use as a stable base to raise a rain barrel off the ground, to border a garden or create a green wall, to build a firepit or compost bin or even to elevate a bee hive.  I have even seen one crafty person turn a cinder block into an attractive bird house.

Work Day Schedule:

Prep Day - Monday, April 25th, 9 am - 1 pm
Prep Day - Friday, April 29th, 9 am - 1 pm
Prep Day - Saturday, April 30th, 12 noon - 4 pm

Location:

4681 Ashford Dunwoody Road
Atlanta, Georgia 30338

Please email me at shawnbard@gmail.com if you are able to help or if you have any questions!

Accidents Happen, Beauty Results

I adore Biokovo Geranium.  In truth, I love all the hardy geraniums.  But, there is something about the quiet beauty of Biokovo.  I mean, look at this:

It reminds me of attentive little girls in tutus just waiting to dance.  I have this all around, here and there.  It divides easily and spreads readily.

This spring, I noticed some had spread from a large patch I have around my strawberry bed over to a Kim's Knee High Echinacea.  And, this is the result:

 

Dainty little blossoms dancing below a hot pink sun.  

Spruill Gallery gets a garden.

It's April 1st, is this tomfoolery?  No, it is not!  And, I could not be more excited!

Read about it here and here.  Pattie Baker and Bob Lundsten, along with Spruill Art Gallery's Hope Cohn, are the think tank behind this great idea.

Beginning right now, right this very second, I am leading an initiative to launch and run the planned vegetable garden at the Spruill Gallery in Dunwoody, GA.  And, I need your help!  There are so many ideas flowing, it is hard to know where to start.

Oh, wait.  I know.  We need to start with the basics.  We need bodies and we need money.

We need to raise at least $3000 during the month of April, or this garden will not happen.

Please, if Spruill has done good things for you, for your kids, for your families, over the years (yes, I am talking to you, remember that time our kids did camp together at Spruill? Or the jewelery making class you took?), now is your chance to give back to Spruill.  This is a unique opportunity to do something new and innovative in our community.  It's art.  It's food.  It's green.  It's happening NOW.  And, you can be a part of it.

Donate by sending a check to: Spruill Gallery, 4681 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody, GA 30338. Be sure to write in the subject line that it is for the garden. (A Paypal option should be live in about a week.)

The garden is scheduled to be installed May 2.  An art opening for an installation titled Architecture in the Garden is scheduled for June 2.

The FULL File: Bon Voyage, Baby Vidalia Onions!

Last week, my husband made a trip north to take care of his Mom.  She is recovering from surgery to repair a broken femur- the result of a skiing accident.  Not good.  I mean the broken femur, not the visit.  The visit was very good.  At any rate, I wanted to send my husband off with a full belly.  The way to a man's heart and all that.  Well, my man happens to have a thing for onions.  And, I just happen to have onions, sweet onions, in the garden just begging to be used.  I guess that makes us a match made in heaven the garden.

All I needed was a great recipe that would highlight the onions.  Enter, Quick-fix Southern: Homemade Hospitality in 30 Minutes or Less, and the Baby Vidalia Frittata.  Wouldn't you know it!  The onions growing in that photo just happen to be Yellow Granex Onions.  If the folks at Botanical Interests are to be believed, then this type of onion is approved by the Georgia Agricultural Commission for use by farmers growing the famous Vidalia Onions.  I planted some seeds last fall and had been waiting for them to be big, plump bulbs so I could yank them out of the earth and do something fun with them.  But, according to Rebecca Lang, the cookbook author, there was no reason to keep waiting.  She says, "Once I see the baby onions in the store, I use them in every recipe I can...  ...the onions are tender and delightful."  That was all the convincing I needed to commence yanking.  The fact that my husband also loves sharp Cheddar cheese was an added bonus.  And there you have it.  That is how the frittata and cornbread became my husband's bon voyage meal.

Fresh-picked onions and parsley

Baby Vidalia Frittata
Serves 6
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 baby Vidalia onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
8 large eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup pre-shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

• Move the oven rack to a position about 5 inches from the broiler. Heat the broiler.
• Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof, nonstick 10-inch skillet over medium heat. I used my trusty cast iron skillet.  Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring often, for 6 minutes or until soft. Arrange the onions evenly over the bottom of the skillet.
• Combine the eggs, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour over the onions. Cook, uncovered, over low heat for 9 minutes.  The center of the frittata will still be wet.
• Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the frittata and broil until the cheese is melted and the eggs are cooked, about 1 minute.
• Sprinkle with the parsley before serving.

Note:  While this recipe says it serves 6, it does not.  My husband and I each ate a healthy portion.  So, we'll just say this serves 3-4 for dinner-sized portions.  When I make this again, I will add additional fresh veggies like asparagus, broccoli, peppers, etc. 

The onions, ready to get cookin'!

Chopped onions and eggs.

Sauteing the onions in olive oil.

Eggs have just been added.

Next up, broiler.

Out of the broiler and ready to be dressed.

All done.  Let's eat!

Delicious!

For anybody who is interested in this cookbook or Rebecca Lang, you can see her demonstrate a few of her recipes at Whole Foods, Johns Creek, on April 26th.  It costs $49 and includes a copy of her cookbook.

Here's a bit more info:
  
Quick Fix Southern: Homemade Hospitality in 30 Minutes or Less
Tuesday, April 26th

6:30 to 8:30pm $49 Demonstration

Y’all come and get it! Tonight’s class features recipes from Rebecca’s new cookbook, Quick-Fix Southern: Homemade Hospitality in 30 Minutes or Less. Mouthwatering meals can be prepared in a jiffy, thanks to Rebecca Lang’s tasty recipes that defy the notion that Southern cooking is a time-consuming endeavor. In addition to being quick without sacrificing flavor, each recipe is inviting, simple to make, and user-friendly – even for novice chefs. Rebecca, a popular cooking instructor, sprinkles in expert cooking tips and tidbits of Southern history, providing added spice to this evening’s class. Students will also be invited to join in and make “Rebecca’s Quick Icebox Pickles” to take home. A copy of Rebecca’s new cookbook is included in the price of the class.  MENU: Pickled Okra & Ham Wheels; Ribeyes with Bourbon Pecan Butter; Asparagus Bundles with Bacon; and Lazy Girl Berry Cobbler.

You can register for this event by clicking -->here<--.

GREAT Events: Container Gardening and Home Depot/GiGi's Cupcakes/Master Gardeners Events

Two great gardening events coming up this weekend in the area:

Urban Gardening Program Presents: Vegetable Gardening in Small Spaces

There is no need to have a yard or farm to grow your own veggies.  Grab a container and soil, and start growing!  Learn everything you need to know about growing and harvesting your own food on a patio or back porch.  View the PDF of the event -->here<--.

Speaker: Sarah Brodd, Program Educator, UGA Cooperative Extension in Dekalb County
When: Saturday, April 2nd @ 11 AM
Where:  Brookhaven Library, 1242 N. Druid Hills Road, Atlanta, GA 30319
Contact: Brookhaven Library, 404-848-7140

Home Depot and GiGi's Cupcakes teams up with Fulton County Master Gardeners

Stop by your local Home Depot this Saturday and ask Master Gardeners your gardening and landscape questions.  This is a free event sponsored by GiGi's Cupcakes.  Yum!

When: Saturday, April 2nd, 10 AM - 2 PM
Where: Home Depot, 6400 Peachtree-Dunwoody Road, Atlanta, GA 30328 (next to Costco)
Contact: Cyndee Lucia, Home Depot, Horticulturist, 770-804-8065

Blooming Bulbs

People, this weather is amazing. I have to keep reminding myself that it is not even March. I am afraid to jinx it, but it sure feels like spring has sprung. Normally, we would have a few more weeks of chilly weather left. But, don't let the fact that the beautiful weather has already begun prevent you from taking advantage of this almost-free, kid-friendly event at the Dekalb County Horticulture Extension. Even if you have enjoyed seeing the daffodils blooming outside as much as I have, it doesn't mean they should be limited to outdoors! Bulbs would be just as pretty blooming in your home!

Blooming Bulbs

Bring your own container or pot and we'll supply the bulbs. It's still chilly outside, but bring a touch of spring indoors by forcing your own bulbs to bloom.

When: Saturday, March 5, 2011
@10 AM

Where: Main Extension Office Kitchen
4380 Memorial Drive,
Decatur, GA 30032

Contact: Sarah Brodd, smiths@uga.edu, 404-298-4080

*Class is open to adults and children
*There is an $8 materials fee
*Limited number of spaces, so call or email beforehand