Imagine Childhood : Magic & Memories That Last a Lifetime

... knowing green: garden boxes and ratatouille

After several days of waiting out the rain and wind, we finally got our opportunity to get the garden boxes in the ground and filled with dirt, which left me with just one thing to do...

... get our lovely culinary and secret gardens planted! I haven't had a proper garden for a few years now, and I had forgotten just how much fun it is to play in the dirt.  Before I knew it, I had spent two hours laying out the plan and an putting the seeds in the ground.

I even went around finding old bits of rock that had been left from a landscaping project to create a fairy path through the secret garden.

And when it came to the veggie garden, and I couldn't help but dream about all the wonderful meals I will soon be able to make from the delicious vegetables...

... like fresh and bright summer ratatouille. Traditional ratatouille does call for eggplant, but what I do love about this dish is its flexibility. Basically it can work with whatever vegetables you have on hand, and luckily most of them can be found in my new culinary garden.

Here's my recipe for a fresh summer ratatouille:

4 cloves garlic chopped finely

1 large yellow onion

2 bell peppers

2 small zucchini

2 small squash

1-1 1/2 cups green beans

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes

1 lemon

3 Tbs chopped basil

1-2 tsp chopped lemon thyme

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

*White wine or dry vermouth to taste (optional)

Start by chopping everything up roughly into same size pieces. Then saute the garlic and onion in a little butter and olive oil. Once the onions become translucent add start adding the veggies  by order of cooking time, so bell peppers, then beans, then zucchini and squash and tomatoes at the very end. Leaving a few minutes in between each layer of veggies. Once all the veggies are in I add all the herbs and seasoning along with the lemon juice and cook for a few more minutes. Then take a bite, see if you like it and adjust from there. The beauty of this dish is it simplicity and flexibility, so have fun with it, use what you have, and if you are missing something, no worries!

What is also great is that many of the vegetables can be easily chopped with a butter knife or child safe knife, so kids can participate in the entire process, from seed to plant to harvest to meal.

Happy cooking!

~Jordan

P.S. Don't forget to enter out current book giveaway: Le Petit Prince!

*Last time in Nature: Seed to Plant

... nature walk: berkshire, england

This week's lovely nature walk comes to us all the way from Berkshire, England.  There Dean and his family explored the forests, hiked beautiful trails and even found an old boat!  Thank you Dean for sharing this great trip!

If you would like to contribute to our weekly Nature Walk series, you can learn more about submitting photos here, or you can also visit our Nature Walk Group Pool on Flickr to add your adventures to the collection.

Thanks again Dean for sharing!

P.S. Don't forget to enter out current book giveaway: Le Petit Prince!

*Last time in Nature Walks: Tillamook, Oregon

... mini secret garden

Secret gardens aren't always lush walled in wonderlands you can walk through.  Sometimes they're just a little forgotten corner of the yard...

... tended and re-planted...

... with homes...

... and benches...

... for fairies that might find their way in.

There is no garden too small to become a wonderland.  From a small corner of the yard like this one, to a pot on a windowsill, miniature secret gardens can pop up anywhere.

Happy Gardening!

~ Sarah

P.S. Don't forget to enter out current book giveaway: Le Petit Prince!

*Last time in Crafts and Activities: City Planning Garden Markers

... tell me a story: le petit prince

I remember the way it sounded rolling off my mother's tongue, like something wise and mystical, only mentioned in hushed, reverent tones... "le petit prince" she would repeat in a french accent so I could try to say it too. It was one of those moments when everything was perfect and bathed in the warm golden glow of childhood memories. My mother would then tell me the story of how le petite prince was the first book she learned to read in French, and  maybe someday I would too, but until then the English version would suffice.

I would spend hours on the soft, floral living room couch turning through the pages of our very old hard cover version, taking care not to damage the already worn through binding. This book was obviously well loved long before I ever came along.

Each time I opened it, the book and my imagination became one, and from page to page I was right there on the asteroid cleaning out volcano's, tending to the persnickety rose and fretting over the baobabs; desert sand dunes shifted in the winds, and scientists looked out into space with wonder. To this day, no book has ever done the same for me.

That book and I formed a bond that has lasted my whole life. From book reports, to dioramas, to lonely days when the world just doesn't make sense, le petit prince has always been there. Most importantly though, le petit prince always brings me back to that place of warmth and wonder, of childhood and imagination, and for that I am forever grateful.

So in the spirit of that lovely memory I would like to share this wonderful story with you!

For a chance to win a copy of le petit prince,  simply leave a comment on this post by Wednesday June 1st. The winner will be chosen by random number and announced Thursday June 2nd.

Good Luck!

And the winner is  Holly who said:

"This looks like a wonderful story. I love finding new books."

Thanks for participating everyone!

~ Jordan

*Last time in Books and Stories: The Unexpected

 

... barn stories: baby bunnies

There is something about this year's baby wild hares, they seem to look you right in the eye with a confidence that I have never witnessed before.

Their faces are squarer, eyes seem larger, ears bigger. I know this is all genetics and I never get too close, that's what my camera lens is for, but they are different this year.

Their mom's are always near trying to fend off predators, magpies and hawks. They teach them to go to ground when the prairie dogs sound off the alarm with their barking.

A few days ago a magpie did pick up a baby hare and was flying away with it. The baby hare was crying out for help with a sound that would touch any mom's heart. Mama hare was chasing after both the full length of a field, to my amazement the robins came to the rescue attacking the magpie until it dropped the wild baby hare. I am happy to let you know mama and baby found their way back to their hole and are both doing well!

Life on the farm is full of comings and goings, in the beginning it was hard to understand... but I have since learned that nature knows best even when my heart does not comprehend...

~ Deb

*Last time in Barn Stories: Surprise Visit