Do you grow food in your yard? Have you thought of the benefits but assumed you didn't have enough space or the right equipment? Today I want to share with you a few ways you can tuck edible plants in where ever you live.
Whether you live in an apartment, mobile home, suburban or city lot or even if you have a large lot but not a lot of time or energy, you can grow food.
If 2020 taught us anything it was that it is important to take ownership and responsibility for as much of our needs as we physically and financially can.
First let's chat a little about a few of the benefits.
Now let's talk about the equipment and space requirements.
As we get older we may become less able to lift and bend so you can either grow on a picnic or small table or purchase or have built a taller raised bed that will lessen the need to kneel and bend.
Shop Lemon Lane Cottage on Etsy here.
For as long as I can remember I've been making things with my hands. You name the craft, I have most likely tried my hand at it.
That is why it thrills me to be able to offer to you whatever is currently coming out of my craft studio, herb garden or kitchen to help you live a beautiful, natural life.
My offerings vary by season, so check back often. But if there's something your interested in, let me know and we can arrange a custom order.
To keep up with what I'm working on be sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel and Instagram Account as I post daily there. Also, so we don't lose touch, I invite you to subscribe to my newsletter as well.
xo, Patty
It has been such a mild winter here in Southern California that our summer baring apple tree decided to bloom and produce a winter crop. It was a small harvest and the apples didn't quite reach their normal size for eating fresh but they were delicious just the same. The question then became, what do we do with the harvest.
Why make easy apple turnovers, of course!
I took advantage of a weekend with my six year old grandson and enlisted his help in making hand pies. Baking always takes on an adventurous spirit when you add in a small child. I love having kids in the kitchen now that I'm a grandma. It wasn't always the case when my plate was full and the children were mine.
I think one of the perks of being a grandmother as opposed to a mother, is the intentional time you can spend with your grandchildren.
You have time to slow down and use each encounter as a time to teach and share life lessons, whether that’s how to do things with your hands or how to process things with your heart.
It’s a well earned and appreciated perk for sure.
I thought about all this as I spent time with Jon this weekend. As he mixed the apples with sugar and cinnamon and rolled out the dough, what was he taking in? What did he see in me that would serve him well in the future? What did he learn as we made our apple turnovers, besides how to use a fork to crimp them shut?
The amazing thing is that none of this has to be formal or planned out. As grandmothers this privilege is part of our right of passage. Our lives well-lived equip us for the challenge. We need only be aware, be mindful and be thankful for the opportunity to do our part.
Oh, and a little flour flying in the kitchen never hurts!
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I love this recipe because it allows you to use whatever fruit is in season and freezes well especially if there are only two of you in the house. I even used the leftover apple mixture to make some apple butter.
Welcome to Lemon Lane Cottage. There is no denying that the world we live in is unpredictable and sometimes down right scary. Things are certainly different from when I was growing up. Although it can be hard and challenging, change in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing.
While there are some things I am holding onto firmly such as my core beliefs, my faith and caring for my home and family, I am learning to embrace, question, challenge and find common ground whenever possible, with the world we live in. The Word tells us to permeate and show the love of Christ to all we encounter. Now is not the time to retreat into a bubble (a holy huddle) nor to assimilate (surrender our core beliefs to fit in) to those things that go against the Word of God, but to be salt and light. People are in desperate need of gentleness, kindness and compassion no matter what their ideologies are. I know that I am, too.
What does that look like for me?
It means returning to a simple life by learning old skills like baking bread, growing food, caring for our small menagerie of animals and establishing our cottage potager garden and sharing our abundance anyway we can.
All the while reflecting with gratitude on the beauty and blessings all around us and encouraging you to do the same.
Bottom line, after living most of my life trying to keep up with everything and everyone it seems I am finally at a place where I am ready to slow down and live a more purposeful life.
Being content, set apart, learning old fashioned skills, creating beauty in my home and garden, discovering natural wellness and raising chickens are all a part of it. But so is remembering old fashioned neighborly habits of kindness and sharing. And who is our neighbor? These days not only is it our physical neighbors but those we meet in our towns, grocery store, airport and on our daily journey plus all we encounter online as well.
Thanks for joining me as I cultivate a simpler life.
xo, Patty
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