Harvest Hearth

06/02/2024

🍫🍒🌻

05/25/2024

One of my favorite flowers and snacks! (The seeds that is)
Although I have tried the young buds prepared like artichokes and its not half bad!
🌻🌻🌻

05/13/2024

I stayed making this candy all last summer!

My watermelon are sprouted up and I can't wait to make more batches of this SUPER sour deliciousness.

I suck at writing down recipes, but I can tell you I literally used the entire watermelon.

So however much juice you get from yours is how much you gotta use😅🤷🏾‍♀️

I used a 1/2 cup of organic cane sugar and enough malic/citric acid to make me go 🤤🤤🤤😖

For the sour sugar mixture, I really tested my limits... and it was glorious. So do what feels right, just don't burn off your tastebuds 😅

I think 2 cups of sugar to 1/2 cup of malic/citric acid (combined) might be close. But consult your own tongue🤗

04/09/2024

Have you heard of the alcohol intermediary method for making herbal infusions?

So far I've used it to make Hibiscus, Cilantro and Ginger infused oils!

Hibiscus oil is packed with antioxidants, and is associated with health benfits such as promoting weight loss, boosting liver function, and lowering blood pressure. Its also great for hair and skin.

Cilantro oil is also high in antioxidants and is great for ridding the body of toxins, due to its chelating properties. Studies also show that its natural sedative qualities can help to relieve anxiety and restlessness. Other benefits include reduced blood sugar levels, UTI prevention, skin soothing and so much more. (seriously, look it up)

Ginger...do I really have to list all the health benfits of ginger? You know its good medicine by now right?😆 Ginger Do It ALL!

As always, consult your healthcare team before trying any new herbal supplements.

04/08/2024

Let's make some tinctures...

In the morning

04/07/2024

You can still be cute and get dirty in the garden!

I call these nails "green gold" lol herbal medicine inspired (so you cant see the tincture stains...turmeric ya know?) My last set were ombre black tips. Dirt inspired 😅

I may have some fun when the chicks and ducklings hatch!🪶

04/06/2024

This stuff is all over the yard! Gotta pull it up before those flower heads appear.

Stinknet is an invasive w**d that can crowd out native plants and becomes a fire hazard in summer. Right now, it's spreading in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties.

Learn what you can do to stop its spread at https://extension.arizona.edu/stinknet-invasion?publication=20240405&utm_campaign=University+of+Arizona+Cooperative+Extension&utm_content=Stinknet+is+an+invasive+w&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.

Stinknet is sometimes called globe chamomile and is a member of the sunflower family and can grow more than 2 feet tall. It has carrot-like leaves and spherical yellow flower heads that have many tiny flowers. If you crush the leaves, it has a pungent, turpentine-like smell.

It's adapted to a wide variety of habitats including back yards, around desert fivers, urban sidewalk cracks and many other places. It grows through the winter and usually flowers between February and June.

Be careful when you remove stinknet, especially when it becomes dried out and full of seeds. Bag the w**d carefully to contain the seeds. Clean shoes, clothing and equipment that has come in contact with the plant.

04/04/2024

Things are happening, the kids and I are excited!

7 more days until quail lockdown && fingers crossed we see some definitive developement on those muscovy eggs.

03/27/2024

Stay tuned to see what goes in here!
🥚🥚🥚🍳🍳🍳
I can't wait to see the look on the kids' faces.
😁😁😁

03/24/2024

Nature based playground ideas! I can't wait until we have the resources to create these kinds of spaces for the kids in our communities.

I have so many clippings and screenshots of inspiration!

03/23/2024

This is resistance and resiliance!

A new garden being planted in Gaza, Palestine (2024)

“I cleared the rubble from Israeli airstrikes, tilled the soil, and planted seeds. This is our home, our land. Everything will return more beautiful than before.”

03/22/2024

Look, I hate aphids just as much as the next gardener.

So, when I saw this infestation on my artichoke and cardoon, I immediately reached for my arsenal of organic sprays and powders. I'd completely doused a whole leaf, before I spotted this little predator.

I quickly realized that he wasn't alone. Baby Ladybugs were EVERYWHERE. There was even a Lacewing getting in on the action. Was this truly an aphid infestation, or was it actually an all you can eat beneficial insect buffet?

I said all of that, to say this. We have to remember to uphold the delicate balance of nature. We have a responsibility to all of the creatures under our care and under our leaves.

I'll not be spraying areas of my garden that are currently hosting beneficials. Unless a plant is completely overwhelmed and visibly suffering, I'm content to leave things to the natural order.

03/21/2024

She had only two questions about this strange thing I put in her hands...

One: Can I eat it? Two: Is it washed?

🤣 Yes to both my little garden bug!

02/28/2024

From what I'm reading in the comments, it seems to come down to funding, permits and community involvement to maintain the gardens.

Building community gardens and local food sources shouldn't be a complicated bureaucratic process.

One of my goals for Harvest Hearth is to eventually re-structure as a non profit. This will allow for greater grant opporunities and funding.

The motivation and desire is already there. If we build it, I believe the community will come.

02/28/2024

🖤

We are inseparable from nature. We are nature.

Pictured: a drawing of a pea seedling and a neuron

02/22/2024

By taking the reigns and creating our own food systems! By realizing our collective power and the power of knowledge sharing. Mark my words, one day we'll have community gardens and farmers markets on EVERY corner like those coffee chains. When we build our own tables, we can make sure there's enough room for everyone to sit and eat!

02/22/2024

Chrysanthemums taller than me!

02/20/2024

Purple Kimchi!

Definitely the prettiest batch I've ever made.
The dark purple leaves are Miss Hong Napa and the bright almost fuschia leaves are Merlot Napa!

I used my old batch of kimchi for stew then dehydrated the rest to use as a seasoning.
I'll definitely be growing these varieties again.

02/14/2024

We're ready for fruiting!

02/13/2024

Today in my class (Exploring Consciousness) for our assignment, we were asked to write about what motivates us. That's always been an easy question for me to answer. I had actually JUST written about this very topic for a grant that I applied for.

Wanna read?

"I'm highly motivated by happiness. I'm on a constant pursuit to find true happiness for myself and to help others achieve the same. The story behind my business stems from the idea that happiness can be found in simplicity and nothing is simpler that the idea that food makes people happy. My business is truly built on the idea of mutual aid and community support. Nothing would make me happier than knowing that I was making a difference in helping people achieve food sovereignty. I want to create community gardens and farmers markets that feed and nourish communities. I want to teach people how to grow and preserve their own foods. The goal of Harvest Hearth is to work towards eliminating food insecurity. I want to help make healthy food options and meals easily accessible to community members in need. I also want to create meaningful third spaces for people to congregate and participate in the local food movement. I want to create a beacon of education and hope that piques community interest in mutualism."

Its really that simple. It can really be this simple!

Pic of my happy little garden helper.

02/11/2024

Don't mind me, I'm just day dreaming about the Earth home I want to build😌
Anyone else gone down the Cob self build rabbit hole?

I'm thinking Earth bag, Straw bale combo!
These houses are beautiful and so unique.

02/11/2024

Here we go! This is where it starts!