Mossy Living

06/29/2024

Thanks to this handsome fella, I am all set up for Art in the Garden. I would love to see you here!

06/19/2024

When you try to beat the heat by working early and your kitty just wants to play.

Also, last year I popped onion bulbs in my strawberry beds, because: 1. I had some “extra.”2. I thought they might repel unwanted visitors chewing on my berries. Let them overwinter. Not making any scientific claims here, but I am picking ripe berries and they are 95% perfect. Think I am going to keep up the experiment.

06/13/2024

Garlic scape pesto: it’s how I store my scapes (cut your own off of hard neck garlic in your garden or purchase at a farmers’ market). I don’t have an abundance of basil yet, so I used a mixture of oregano, basil, and sage (probably a 10:4:1 ratio). Recipes for this kind of thing are flexible, but I kept track of how I prepared this batch and it’s delicious. Storing in 1 cup portions in the freezer for winter pasta dishes.

Recipe:
150 grams garlic scapes
40 grams walnuts
45 grams grated parmesan
1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups mixed herbs (oregano, basil, sage)
Pinch salt
Few grinds pepper

I make mine in my Vitamix blender. Simple!

06/11/2024

Are you a person who appreciates the simple things, but struggles to slow down for them? Me too! If you have a garden, might I encourage you to grow chamomile?

I grow a Polish variety called “zloty lan” and it is a prolific self-seeder, which means I don’t have to replant every year! Yesterday I knew I needed to take time to harvest and as I sat on the ground and pinched those flowers off one by one my breathing slowed down and my thoughts turned to prayer. After I had the flowers I needed to fill my freeze dryer, I cut bunches of stems for vases. I love the wild happy look of chamomile as a cut flower! This harvest will provide so many cups of calming tea and I am planning to tincture some for digestive bitters.

Do you know the story of “Miss Rumphius” spreading lupine seeds everywhere she goes to make the world a better place? I would love to do that with chamomile!

06/08/2024

All set up at EFree this morning (in Ga***rd). The friendliest people are here selling books, crafts, snacks, etc. Stop in the gym and check it out! Here’s my friend, Natalie, selling her fun goodies!

06/04/2024

This is my husband’s favorite candle. I would describe it as water meets woods, which makes a lot of sense for a guy who loves being outside in Northern Michigan. And maybe it really does capture the wild & free spirit of Tom and Huck. . . what middle-aged man doesn’t fondly reminisce about their boyish shenanigans?

My top picks for candles with a masculine vibe:

Huckleberry Finn
Sherlock Holmes
Tolkien
Narnia

Father’s Day is coming! Come snag one for your guy this Saturday at the EFree gym in Ga***rd, 9-3. 😉

05/31/2024

I will have candles, herbal teas, and accessories, as well as some books/curriculum, for offer at this sale. Even if you don’t homeschool, there will be crafts and baked goods, so stop by and check it out!

05/30/2024

05/24/2024

Flower Friday. A walk around the yard and down the driveway yielded these blooms: lilac, snowball viburnum, meadow sage, allium, wild chokecherry. Some planted; some foraged. Plenty left for the pollinators!

05/17/2024

The ticks are flourishing and the mosquitoes are swarming, so I needed to mix up some bug spray this morning. I like to use hydrosols as my base. Here are two recipes I made, with about 2% essential oil.

Mosquito repellent:
90 mL catnip hydrosol
5mL solubol (dispersant)
5 drops peppermint eo
15 drops eucalyptus eo
10 drops patchouli eo
20 drops cedarwood eo
10 drops citronella eo
5 drops lemongrass eo

Tick repellent:
90 mL rose geranium hydrosol
5mL solubol (dispersant)
10 drops geranium eo
5 drops rosemary eo
10 drops cedarwood eo
5 drops eucalyptus eo
5 drops lavender eo
5 drops peppermint eo

*Shake bottle before each use.

I have made lots of different versions over the years - plenty of essential oils repel insects, so experiment with what you have!

05/16/2024

Just returned from a fascinating talk on Hemingway and his time in Northern Michigan. What a candle that would make!

05/10/2024

All set up and ready for all the book/candle/tea lovers at INCH this weekend!

05/03/2024

Can we call this “Flower Friday?” To be honest, last year was the first year that I grew a large amount of flowers. I was always limited on space (and time!) and focused on veggies instead. I also didn’t have a lot of cash to spend on cut flowers, although I would occasionally buy them at the farmer’s market. Now that I grow them, I hope that my home is always full of fresh, seasonal flowers. They’re good for the soul.

Especially in the spring. You too can experience this delight by putting some bulbs in the ground in the fall as a gift to your future self (easiest gardening thing you will ever do, I promise!). I bought some fancy bulbs and some cheap bulbs and I love every single flower.

05/03/2024

Delivered herbal teas (including “serendipitea” - a special lemony blend I make for Serendipity Farms) AND the full line of candles off at The Farmer’s Table restaurant in Wolverine this morning. If you haven’t eaten there yet, I highly recommend! They serve the meat Wendy raises at her Animal Welfare certified farm down the road and they also feature lots of local treats. I ran into Cathy from Bragg Family Farms dropping off her incredible baked goods. I love the community of farmers, makers, artists, and bakers!

05/01/2024

I dropped off some candles at North Star Gardens in Ga***rd this morning, so feel free to stop and smell the roses in The Secret Garden candle (I am sure they will have real roses there soon!).

If you have a kiddo in school, these would make an amazing gift for Teacher Appreciation Week (May 6-10). A local PTO ordered some for their staff and I hope they love them!

04/26/2024

All puffed sleeves make me think of Anne.

04/25/2024

Daffodils are such a happy flower, but they are also toxic. . . and a natural deterrent for moles, so planting them around the drip edge of a fruit tree can help prevent root damage. I also love that you can harvest the entire stem and flower without affecting future years' blooms (unlike tulips). Just harvest the stem and let the leaves die back completely before you mow. I have always been a tulip girl, but daffodils are stealing a piece of my heart. 💚

04/24/2024

Flower lovers: I am posting photos of the dried flower wreaths that I made from flowers I grew last year. They will each have a number. If you want to claim one, comment "sold." This will be Ga***rd area meet up, as I am not able to ship them. They are generally around 20" across, but some are larger. If you need specific measurement, let me know. Cost is $48.00 per wreath. They would make lovely Mother's Day gifts!

04/22/2024

I want to share my love for the Beatrix Potter candle. It smells like a vegetable garden, mostly tomato leaf with a dash of herbs, and it is the perfect kitchen candle. I made an asparagus quiche this morning whilst my candle was burning and the combined fragrance was divine. (Also, notice how clean this wax burns. You can easily clean out and reuse your jar!)

I have a soft spot for Potter's stories, as they were early favorites of my children. . . offering a combination of whimsy and grit that you don't often find in modern children's books. And the illustrations are beyond enchanting! Do you have a favorite tale?

*The candles inspired by books are $18 each. I am working on placing them in a few retail locations and will let you know when they are available in local shops!

04/18/2024

I didn't expect to get interest in purchasing so quickly, but here is a list of candles that I have available. Feel free to message me about purchasing. I intended to do a very soft launch, but I have candles, so if you want them, I will get them to you. 🥰

04/17/2024

HI! New business name, but same person behind this space (Katie Noeske), and boy am I excited to share some of the projects I have been working on. Mossy Living is an ode to the slow life and a desire to delight in the simple things.

My big winter project was creating a line of soy candles inspired by classic literature (15 books so far!). I love these so much and will be sharing all the options soon, so I hope you stay tuned. . . WITH MUCH LOVE ~ Kate.

08/07/2021

Cake. Calendula. Viola. Holy Basil. Borage. Lemon Balm. No artificial colors or flavors.

08/04/2021

Facts: • My kitchen is crowded and counter space is coveted. • The potatoes Hannah Marie Branigan made in her Ninja air fryer were so good that I gave up said counter space to a big ol’ Ninja Foodi, and I am trying to use it every chance I get. • I don’t like canning and I do things to avoid it. • Roasted tomatoes are delicious and freeze well but require the oven to be on for hours which doesn’t seem very energy efficient for small batches. • SO: I roasted these babies in the Ninja for 20 minutes and they are beautiful! • Wanna try? Paste tomatoes (these are San Marzanos) sliced in half, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper, and fresh oregano (you can try out other herbs too!) @ 390 degrees on air roast setting for 20 minutes. I think a little more time might increase the sweet carmelized effect, so I am going to experiment. But seriously the easiest way to use these beauties, in my humble opinion!!

07/18/2021

Dinner fixin’s. Thinking Mac & Cheese with basil, oregano, zucchini, and shrimp with a salad on the side (lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and parsley). Anyone using their garden produce or farmers’ market haul tonight?

07/17/2021

He’s such a handsome little roo!

07/13/2021

Morning garden vibes.

07/10/2021

If I could only grow one thing, I would choose herbs, hands down. If I could encourage other people to grow one thing, also herbs. 😉 Easy to grow and packed with flavor and nutrition, it’s easy to understand why. Making myself a little tisane (also know as an herbal infusion or tea) with herbs I just plucked from the garden. Sage is soothing for the throat (I have sinus drainage happening, ugh), lemon balm is delicious and calming, and calendula is good for digestion (plus flower petals in tea is just pretty, which matters too). What herbs do you love to grow?

06/23/2021

I love my little greenhouse so much - we have tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers coming right along! And after the cucumber jungle last year, I am vigilantly pruning the cukes - it will be fun to see how they produce!

06/22/2021

Herbs for chickens. The temps have dropped in N MI and I have been making warm herbal infusions for the chicks, who are two weeks old and outside in the brooder tractor. This “tea” has astragalus and oregano for immune boosting and anti-bacterial actions, and thyme, for anti-fungal action. I have a copy of .fewell “The Homesteader’s Natural Chicken Keeping Handbook” and what a fantastic resource it is for me right now.

06/11/2021

Chickens are chillin’ this fine June morning.