mothers day in the garden.

gardening barefoot in between the downpours + bouts of sun. hope you all had a lovely mother's day.

getting ready for spring.

{scrubbing down my dirty pots.}

all of this sunshine has me very excited to get out in the garden. this year i am taking time to properly clean my collection of pots. can't wait to fill these guys up!

perfect summer lunch

perfect summer lunch, originally uploaded by i heart napa.

i love that something so easy + simple can turn out to be one of the most delicious of lunches.

hope you all are enjoying your garden as much as i am mine.

a weekend must: {napa home + garden show}

yeah! the 18th annual napa home + garden show starts this friday, may 16th.

the show features over 600 exhibits with the latest ideas + technology in home improvement, remodeling, gardening, landscaping + outdoor living.

for anyone who is currently updating their home or who wants to get ideas for a future project this show truly has a wealth of information. now, i realize that most all information is easily accessible online, however when it comes to purchasing products for your home (which usually also come with a super large price tag), i feel it is so important to be able to see + play with the products you are considering to buy...+ in my opinion it is equally important to take any opportunity to meet + talk with the vendors face to face. you really can get a good sense of their enthusiasm with regards to their products + hopefully figure out whether or not you want to work with them. speaking from past experiences...having a positive working relationship with the company that is riping out your windows, flooring, etc is a must!

last year i was fortunate enough to have found window world - the window company who i ultimately hired to upgrade my house with energy efficient windows. they are the best! not only were their windows amazing + prices the lowest offered, their customer service rocks. i would actually have paid a little more for their windows just to deal with contractors like these. {side note: i did not get a discount to mention them...even my friend/client used + loved them too} please go + say hi.

oh + who doesn't love free products?! remember bring an extra bag for all the little goodies. + lastly, i also recommend that you bring a list of measurements for whatever it is you are upgrading. i will come in handy.

napa home + garden show
friday . may 16 noon to 7 pm
saturday . may 17 : 10 am to 7 pm
sunday . may 18: 10 am to 6 pm

napa valley expo fairgrounds
silverado trail + 3rd street in napa

admission:
adults - $7
children under 12 - free
seniors day on friday {62 + over} $4

a weekend must: {kitchens in the vineyards} april 26 2008

11th annual kitchens in the vineyards {goes green}

saturday april 26 2008

rain or shine i highly recommend spending this saturday afternoon attending the 11th annual kitchens in the vineyards home tour. it truly is such a special experience! this year five stunning homes in saint helena + calistoga will open their doors to the public from 9.30 am until 4.30 pm. if you are anything like me + dream about peaking inside the finest + most exclusive homes of the napa valley, than this rare opportunity is not to be missed.

each home will be styled by local noted designers + florists. as well as feature cooking demonstrations + tastings, courtesy of well-known napa valley chefs + caterers. please click here for detailed information on the chefs + local authors who will be on tour signing copies of their newest books. on a side note...i have to say that several years back i had the most delicious chilled english pea soup during a tour of a garden on lodi lane. i believe it was by the chef at angele, who i just noticed is listed as a featured chef on this tour! very excited.

what is even more exciting is that this year each home on the tour will feature "green" components - including european antiques, recycled materials, the use of solar energy + organic gardens. one of the tour homes will be styled by the new spruce style in saint helena, which specializes in sustainable home design. + adding to the “green” theme, each guest will receive a "green" gift of a reusable goody bag from whole foods market.

please click here for more details on the estates that will be on the tour.

proceeds from kitchens in the vineyards will benefit music in the vineyards, a non-profit chamber music festival held each august at wineries in the napa valley. this year's 3 week festival will take place from august 6th until the 24th. click here for more information.

tickets for saturday's tour are $65 + can be ordered by calling 707.258.5559 or email: mitv at sonic dot net. the tickets will be available at the will call desk located at the napa valley college upper campus in st. helena {1088 college avenue . st. helena . ca . 94574}.

+ for you last minute planners - tickets can also be purchased the day of the event at the same will call desk for $75 {the desk will be open from 9.00 am until 2.00 pm}.

cheers!

ps...please make sure when purchasing your tickets you check with them regarding parking as several of the estates will be accessible via shuttle.

garden {forni brown welsh gardens}

happy april fools day!

i thought i would start my first post of april with my most favorite thing about the valley in april. i am super excited because for one month a year (april if you have not already guessed) forni-brown-welsh gardens in calistoga is open to the public for it's annual spring plant sale. they are by far the highlight of my spring. well, that and the blooming cherry blossoms scattered around the valley.

for all of you who do not know about forni-brown gardens (or who do know + have not visited) - please, trust me when i say, you need to go + pay them a visit! they are wholesale growers famous for their lettuces + organic produce...selling to the top restaurants in the region throughout the year. they offer an abundance of unusual varieties of heirloom tomatoes, peppers, melons, cucumbers as well as many other annual summer vegetables, edible flowers, herbs + more (click here for their list of veggies). their prices are also unbeatable - $2.50 for 4" containers + $2.50 for a packet of seeds.

my staple favorites are (but not limited to):

tomatoes: early girl, hillbilly (couldn't resist it for the name alone), cherokee purple
melon: charentais
pepper: ancho poblano (perfect for chili rellenos), jalapeno
cucumber: lemon cucumber

for more information, please visit this new york times article + jim white's write up on his website http://www.ilovenapa.com/.

they are open to the public every thursday, friday, saturday and sunday from 8:30 am until 3:30 pm for the month of april.

forni brown welsh gardens - 1214 pine street (cross street is cedar), calistoga 707.942.6123

ps - although it is hard to not go opening weekend, i recommend waiting until later on in the month to purchase your plants. just to make sure we are past frost.

spring is springing!

i love spring! actually i love the beginning of every season, but especially love spring. after months of clouds, rain + eating wholesome, rich + fattening winter stews, i am overjoyed with just the thought of being out in my garden! + i can just taste those fresh, sun warmed heirloom tomatoes! however, last weekend was a bit bitter sweet - as it always is the first weekend i spend clearing + cleaning up my yard. happy to be outside in the warm sun, but saddened because i know what is a head of me - dead, soggy, messy + bug infested debris...not to mention the over abundance of weeds + clovers that have been living large all winter long (if only my roses were as hardy as these weeds)!! with that said, i got down to work without much complaint because, after all, it was a beautiful day in the valley.

this year i was blessed with finding baby salamanders, lizards, too many bugs to count + actually saved a bird from the tummy of my naughty cat uday (yes, her sister is qusay and they earned those names).

so after two days of hard labor i was ready to start planting. off to van windens i went...they always have the most selective variety of plants + supplies. i especially appreciate their efforts to educate their clients on eco friendly alternative fertilizers +pest/disease/weed control. their staff is friendly, knowledgeable + patient. year after i year i tend to let my excitement get the better of me + have a tendency to purchase everything + anything that tickles my fancy. ultimately, leaving me looking dazed + confused in my front lawn - mapping and re-mapping the placement of each new plant - forgetting any rules of symmetry (sorry mom), giving up half way through + sadly killing several of the plants that did not get blessed with finding a home. this craziness has been my way into the world of gardening that started 7 years ago (a year after i purchased this house + killed everything in the garden - yes, water is key). but this year i was better - perhaps it has to do with the massive budget i am on - or perhaps it has to do with the efforts i am making to not be so wasteful. either way, each and every plant found a home and the garden looks like SPRING!