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home, garden, life

Category Archives: mission

the glory of harvest

29 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by home, garden, life in Back Yard Birds, blessings, Bluebirds, environment, farmer's market, garden, Lifestyle, mission, Poetry, season, summer, sustainable lifestyle

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blessings, Central Virginia, harvest, jam, summer

This time of year there is a subtle shift…the sun is in a different location.
Gardeners spend so much time planning for spring, that summer slips right in.
Time for harvest, time for county fairs, time for blissful naps in the hammock.

time to crack the jam cookbooks

time to crack the jam cookbooks

This morning as I guided my little wheelbarrow around the gardens
before the sun rose,
before the dew dried,
I noticed how swollen the grapes;
how fragrant the lambs ear as I trimmed off spent blossoms,
how quiet the landscape before bees awaken.
The gentle burble of the Bluebird’s call,
the racking squawk of Mary Mockingbird,
and how different from the low coo of the Robin;
I catch myself thinking of fall!
And harvest!
And bounty!
And preserves!

plump local plums ready for jam

plump local plums ready for jam

the path to righteousness

the path to righteousness

local, just picked blackberries called for immediate attention on Sunday

local, just picked blackberries called for immediate attention on Sunday

whirling divine

whirling divine

the last five cups went into this blackberry cobbler

the last five cups went into this blackberry cobbler

Swallowtail Cottage is filled with heavenly aromas
as the process begins…

freshly capped jars ready for market

freshly capped jars ready for market

plum jam ready for lables

plum jam ready for labels

a dosing dove sits just outside my kitchen door, perhaps enjoying the aromas

a dozing dove sits just outside my kitchen door, perhaps enjoying the aromas

peaches, nectarines, and plums, oh my!

peaches, nectarines, and plums, oh my!

same beekeeper, just left jar is summer honey and right jar is spring honey.

same beekeeper; the jar on the left is summer honey and the jar on the right is spring honey. Either way divine!

Sending blessings for a wonderful harvest season.

Copyright © 2013 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

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embrace this day

11 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by home, garden, life in farmer's market, garden, healthy food, home, life, Lifestyle, mission, Monarch butterflies, photography, quick recipes, sustainable lifestyle, Virginia

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farmer's market, harvest, healthy meals, Ichi Ke Jiro persimmon, Monarch butterflies, October, photography, quick meals, vegetarian, Virginia

I feel giddy, as if I were in love for the first time.

I am beguiled by October. Yes, the month of October is a time to celebrate—and feel the flush of Mother Nature’s boundless beauty. I embrace her, crave her, and revel in her. The planet shifts, shadows elongate, high humidity and biting insects depart, and temperatures top out at 70 degrees F— yes I am in love again.

At home, the garden is bursting with colors of fall. As many plants begin their decent into dormancy, others like this ‘Muhlenbergia capillaris’ explode with riotous hue. This is the only pink that I tolerate in my gardens, as this display epitomizes fall in my world — life is intoxicating!

Monarch season was extremely challenging this year, as the oleander aphid ravaged the host plants (tropical milkweed) forcing me to raise most monarch larvae indoors, multiplying my daily chores ten-fold. The monarch’s predatory wasp also took a high toll on the larvae, leaving dozens dead. However, ninety monarch beauties successfully emerged and flew from my terrace over the past month, hopefully to find safe haven in a warm climate, where they may overwinter. Nearly one-hundred others went Fed-Ex to southern states where they will live out their lives in a lush botanic gardens and educate visitors.

The farmer’s market is brimming with large, leafy vegetables, root crops, and loads of pumpkins. Therefore my daily lunch plate is full of steamed kale and red garnet sweet potatoes, splashed with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper and garnished with sliced almonds. Six minutes are all one needs to provide a healthy, farm fresh meal.

Another tasty mid-day meal came from the remaining bit of basil pesto left in the food processor following a massive harvest. I tossed in a peeled avocado, a splash of olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. After a brief spin, the fluffy dip was quickly consumed with crusty crackers.

A third fast meal came from a friend who dropped off assorted tomatoes, eggplant, and squash. I quickly sliced, diced, and cubed the lot, added fresh okra from the garden and voila! a beautiful medley of healthy goodness. A quick saute in olive oil, then covered and steamed until tender, a half tube of tomato paste, seasoned with sea salt and black pepper finished this dish! Topped with grated cheese and toasted breadcrumbs, made this a memorable, quick, healthy meal. Try it!

Remember the Ichi Ke Jiro persimmon blog from this spring? Well, twenty-five fruit formed, despite the July wind storm that claimed half of the tree, and they are amazing. Ever had one? The fruit is unlike native persimmons. One fills my hand, is eaten while hard, and has none of the tannic aftertaste of the native. In fact, this fruit tastes like a firm melon! What I do not eat, will be introduced at market this Saturday and boggle curious shoppers. Looking forward to the dialogue!

PS There is still nothing like a power snack of the hard-boiled egg. I always have some in the fridge, ready to peel when I need a boost. Better to have a snack like this on hand rather than eat a carb or a handful of chocolate!

Remember to roll your mouse over the images to read captions. Click on images if you wish to enlarge.

Copyright © 2012 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

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the thing about monarchs

22 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by home, garden, life in blessings, garden, mission, Monarch butterflies, Poetry

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Butterflies, Butterfly farming, Butterfly Waystation, Monarch, poetry

Today I released the last of twelve wild monarch butterflies. Each year I plant their host plant, tropical milkweed, in my registered Monarch Waystation where females lay their eggs. A few days later, I find the tiny larva, raise them indoors until large enough to place back in the garden, then monitor their growth, protect them from predators, then return them to the safety of the house, where they form their chrysalises.

outdoors the larvae are protected from predation with paint sleeves that are twist tied at the bottom. There larvae can grow and eat in safety. Paint sleeves are cheap at any paint store and can be washed and reused season after season.

About nine days later, they emerge into the magnificent Monarchs we readily recognize. When these beauties are fully dry and active, I release them back into the garden, where they nectar on the milkweed and phlox, gaining strength for their long migration.

feeding the larvae indoors for a few days before they pupate safely in the lettuce container. They will safely emerge in 14 days when they can be released to the wild.

feeding the larvae indoors for a few days before they pupate safely in the lettuce container. They will safely emerge in 14 days when they can be released to the wild.

Feeding larvae indoors when really tiny or when they are ready to pupate

Feeding larvae indoors when really tiny or when they are ready to pupate

black swallowtail ready for release. Fun to have it in my office for glamour shots first…

Over the past four years, I raised over one-thousand monarchs and dozens of black swallowtails and handfuls of Fritillaries and Red Spotted Purples.

Monarchs are endangered therefore I do my part to insure that those who find my garden prevail while they are here. Fewer than 1% of monarch eggs will survive in the wild without help. When I began this hobby, I had an excellent teacher, who to this day continues to answer questions, that to the novice bystander, would seem bizarre. Check out her website at www.socialbtrflies.com.

  • An excellent documentary to learn more is entitled In the Company of Wild Butterflies.
  • Learn more and help at www.monarchwatch.org
  • West Coast, USA residents may want to visit www.monarchbutterfly.org

This day is one of celebration, as 100% of my caterpillars emerged healthy. This day is also bittersweet, as I must bid my creatures farewell, never to know their ultimate fate. So fly strong and high mighty Monarchs. May gentle currents glide you to your winter home.

Butterfly Prayer

May you be happy and peaceful,

May you be healthy and strong.

May you be safe and protected from harm.

May you be at ease in your lives.

~ S. Laufer

Copyright © 2011 by Diane LaSauce all rights reserved

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welcome to home, garden, life ~ an introduction

08 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by home, garden, life in an introduction, environment, garden, home, life, Lifestyle, mission, photography, sustainable lifestyle, VCU

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Albemarle County, Central Virginia, garden, home, life, lifestyle, Virginia

the author at Monticello

Welcome to home, garden, life.

Permit me to introduce myself. I am Diane LaSauce, author of home, garden, life located in Central Virginia, USA. I am a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a BFA in interior design. For nearly a decade, I owned and operated a highly successful residential interior design firm located in Northern Virginia where I offered full-service, turnkey solutions to a diverse clientele. Currently residing in Western Albemarle County, I blog about the wonders and pitfalls of living, loving, and learning.

The mission of this blog is sustainability and education. My motto: “Respect the earth; Create memorable food”.

Diane’s passions extend deeply into writing and landscape photography where during 2011 her blog— home, garden, life — was born. Writing about a love of home, garden and life’s experiences, complemented by her photographs, this blog supports her mission of sharing, learning and a fundamental commitment to the environment.

dill in the summer garden ~ an important host plant for the black swallowtail butterfly

Twenty-five years ago, I became a Virginia Master Gardener and this knowledge proved invaluable when planning the gardens at my current residence. Once the existing palette was cleared of invasives and diseased plant material, the process of implementing organic methods and planting native, edible landscaping began. Each year since rewards me with bounty and beauty.

chocolate layer cake

However, in this climate one must remain vigilant. Gardening is an ongoing challenge, with plant success depending mostly on the whims of Mother Nature. To offset garden failures, I receive great joy and satisfaction by monitoring bluebirds, maintaining a Monarch Waystation, and witnessing the miracle of nature moment to moment.

Blogging allows a worldwide forum with a center for learning and sharing—and your feedback is important.
I will honor my mission by posting regularly to this site.
Please comment so I may know whether this blog accomplishes its purpose.
Thank you.

All content and photos throughout this entire blog are:

Copyright © 2011~ 2015 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

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Check out HGTV where two of my garden designs are featured…

I was featured on HGTVGardens.com!

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Essay Titles

  • Another blueberry spring
  • Spring garden projects
  • Chocolate Ginger Molasses wafers
  • Winter warmer when we pause
  • The twilight zone is real
  • Projects keep coming…
  • Feeling it
  • the journey continues
  • My food journey
  • Brownies, Keto Style
  • Keto almond crackers
  • If you are climbing the walls…
  • Three hours of sun
  • “this too shall pass”
  • there is no place like home…
  • the perfect Tiny House
  • Miracles everywhere
  • And so it goes…
  • Transform, transition, resilience
  • An Artist’s Way
  • Sunday’s monster project
  • Meanwhile
  • how fragile we are
  • what I learned about Keto
  • small steps
  • do no harm…
  • will this convince you?
  • Plastics…a soapbox tale
  • Let’s clean up our act
  • 2020…are we ready?
  • All I want for Christmas
  • Thanksgiving…remembering love
  • At last
  • Keto “potatoes”
  • When critters call
  • Keto bread revisited
  • My report on Keto
  • for the love of rock, II
  • give a gardener a cool summer day…
  • Oh July, July
  • Kale, the ultimate chip
  • gone Keto
  • she’s baaaack!
  • Perhaps missed
  • for the love of rock
  • the anatomy of a popover
  • the garden visitor
  • what blooms this week
  • porch envy
  • Summer in Virginia

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