Garden Greens and Goodies

When we were in Korea, I was very inspired of how Koreans doesn't waste any piece of land.  They utilize every inch of it for flowers and vegetables.  They even plant  veggies under the bridge!  So when we came back here, I started planting vegetables.  We started a very small plot first then  this year, I decided to expnd it by  tilling the  side of our yard and make it into a vegetable garden as well. 

Our neighbor gave us some kohlrabi last year and I turned it into achara (a filipino delicacy of picklong papaya).  Instead of using papaya, I used the kohlrabi and hubby got addicted to it that he  asked me if we could plant kohlrabi this year.  So that's the ones you see on the top photo.  I put  containers in the middle because there is a PVC pipe there that I don't want to  bust.

 I have been saving hubby's  coffee containers and he thought I was nuts of  saving them but I have a plan to use them as planters lol.  I love it's color and it makes a perfect boarder to  the  garden bed  beside our porch.  I just put some holes at the bottom of it, add some soil, and planted some marigolds in it.

I have four eggplants this year,  They are now blooming and I can't wait to pick the fruits.  We love eating  eggplant omelet so this would be perfect.

Here's the kohlrabi after  a couple of weks of planting them.

The tomatoes are now blooming too and I harvested 7 kohlrabi already and pickled them.  

 Some people like this  for their salad  which I would probably like too but when you turn them into achara, it tastes so much better.

 As you can see, it looks a lot thicker  now compared to the first picture I posted above.  I love  making my own sauce  so I love having lots of tomatoes to can. Ever since I  started  grwoing my own veggies, I haven't ought any sphagetti sauce from the store.  I have been using my  canned sauce.

 My flowers are so much thicker this year.  That's propbaby because we have been getting rain a lot even this month.

 My husband wants to tear down our fence but  I told him not to because I love the privacy and my plant is also protected from deer.

I mean who wouldn't like fresh spinach and kale to cook?  This is my first time growing kale and  love how it is a low maintenance green but very healthy.  Two years ago, I never give kale a  glance at the store but I read an article about its health benefits  so I tried it and thought  we could get used to the taste and we did. I like it because  when you cok it, it doesn't get saggy or slimy.  

This is the orginaly garden that we have started.  I planted my leafy vegetable in it.  Last year, I had tons of carrots but this year, the surprise frost killed  most of it including the beans.  I had to  re-olant  another batch of beans because only two  beans survived during the frost.

I picked some of the beans yesterday to entice my daughter to eat.  She was running a fever and usually she won't eat when she is sick but  I told her that I got her some green beans and sure enough, she ate!  Freshly picked green beans  taste so much better than store bought, that's for sure.  If you don't have  a space to put a garden,  try  container gardening.  

Today, my daughter  wants some garden salad so I picked some lettuce and   harvest some kale since it is getting thick again.  I have given away a bag or two of this kale to a friend and it just keep growing.

I was excited to see that our blackberry are already  ripening up.  These would be ready next week.

I am planning to buy a blueberry tree this year, maybe I could grow it too.  We love  all kinds of berries so it would be nice to have them in my backyard.

Container Gardening for Herbs and Flowers

Our back porch is very small.  Its size can only accommodate a swing  and the grill so  there's nothing you can really do to make it look nice except put some cute stuff that would add colors and character.  I used chipped mugs, old  shoes, empty water bottles, and some   colorful cute containers that I bought from Dollar Tree.

 My husband's mug   has a small chip when it clanked on another mug in the sink.  Instead of throwing it, I saved it and put marigold in it.

 This container  contains dill and morning glory.  These photos were taken last week so the actual plants are now blooming.  Did you know that the  traditional use for dill is  to soothe carminative stomach and use as an  insomnia reliever?

 This is my pot of cilantro or coriander, another herb that I recently love to incorporate into my cooking.  I bought the pack of seeds at the Dollar Tree as well for 25 cents.  Cilantro is good to toss with  stir fries and  also good to put in  guacamole.

 This is a thyme.  This herb is not only good in cooking but it is also  used  in many ways.  I read an article that thyme  was used by Ancient Egyptian for their embalming practices and Ancient Greeks used it as incense.  Some research in the UK found out that thyme solution can cure acne.

 I bought this trio planters at Kmart last year.  It's perfect for growing herbs in the kitchen.  MY parsley is not  doing really good but it's okay, I already have a handful from these babies and used it for cooking.  Parsley is very versatile, you can  add this for  almost every dish that you cook, at least I do.

 Last year, I had a thick oregano plant in my garden, I accidentally pulled  them out.  Luckily, there was one who came back so I put it in this container.  When I was still in the Philippines, we used  oregano as herbal medicine and not for cooking.  Coming here in America, I was surprised that it used for cooking lol.Then again, I  rarely cook when I was still there so I didn't know. Oregano is a good antioxidant.

 I used  my kids old boots as planters.  I inserted an empty bottle inside , put  some soil and plant some marigold in it.

I love the colorful  containers, my dull  porch has now colors and I like it.

Below is basil.  This herb is also very versatile.  You can  add it to your pesto, salad, fish, pizza, and many more.  And oh, for those who love to make cocktails, basil is a great  addition if you want a nice twist.  

 If you love petunias like I do, you can save the seeds and just grow your own.

It seems like  nothing is in there but that's my rosemary growing.   They are now a little bit taller.  Rosemary is  widely use in Italian cuisine.  I love it in grilled chicken.  

I found these cute  stuff at Dollar Tree as well.   

Sometimes, all you need are little containers and you can grow  the  herbs that you like.  

Travel Deals On The European Mainland

If you're in the mood to do some traveling, it may be that the European continent is the place you have in mind. If the prospect of visiting great cities such as Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Rome, or Amsterdam is causing you sleepless nights, it's time to satisfy your craving for travel, once and for all. 

The advent of the Internet has placed all the information in the world at your service. You can use this amazing resource to plan a trip around the globe to any location that you desire. If the great city of Amsterdam is on your travel menu, you can plan your trip and lock in your reservations within the space of a half hour - if that.

Searching For Great Deals Has Never Been More Easy

Searching for hotels in Amsterdam has never been easier, cheaper, or more convenient. In the old days, if you desired to tour the European continent, you'd be forced to pore through all manner of cheap and tawdry looking brochures, never knowing if the information in them was current. Perhaps you'd prefer to spend an additional number of hours leafing through the Yellow Pages, dialing number after number, only to spend an even longer amount of time haggling with bored and distracted travel agents. 

Photo isn't mine

Great Deals, Directly At Your Finger Tips

Luckily, those days are now a thing of the past. There's no more worrying over whether the information you have in front of you is out of date. A quick click of the mouse will bring up a website that is either there or has long since been taken down, and the mystery is solved within seconds, leaving you free to pursue your next lead. The Internet brings the news of the world to your finger tips. No great deal goes undiscovered!

Have You Ever Heard Of Hipmunk?

Sooner or later, you're bound to hear about a fantastic new website that seems to have cornered the market on first class travel deals. The site is called Hipmunk, and millions of people all across the world are raving about the top notch service and excellent, money saving deals that are always on offer there. If you're looking for the latest, most up to date, information on airline tickets, hotel reservations, and combination deals, Hipmunk is the place you need to check out today.

It's Amazingly Easy To Find A First Class Deal

A click of the mouse will bring you on to the official Hipmunk company website. Another click or two will allow you to browse around the site in search of your ideal vacation location. As soon as you've found it, a few more clicks will bring up dozens of choices with regard to your airline ticket and hotel room. You can navigate around the site to find the deal that works best for your needs. Once you've found it, just lock it in with another quick click of the mouse, and you're done.

Learn What Hipmunk Can Do For You

It's amazing how simple it all is. The entire process lasts a few minutes at the most. There has never been a better time to tour the great European continent, taking in great cities like Amsterdam at a leisurely and relaxed pace. Just log on to Hipmunk today to see what the company can do for you.

Memorial Day Gardening Project #FlagDay

During the Memorial Day, I decided to do a project in our front yard.  I woke up very early and started   expanding the  garden  bed in front of our house.  The creeping phlox is taking over the space for  the  day lilies so I  enlarged it.

 When my kids woke up, they jumped in and started helping me.  We put mulch  in top of the garden netting so the weeds will have a hard time  coming  up.  

 We bought the mulch on sale, 5 bags for $10  was a steal so we tooc the oppotunity.  I used all the fives and still not enough.  We went back later that day at Lower's to get some more mulch but they ran out of the stock, ugh.  We should have bought ten bags  but the space of our CRV's  trunk can only accumulate  5 bags.  I think I will have to wait till there's a sale again for mulch before  I buy again.  They are  expensive, almost 5 bucks a bag.

 I still have to do the other  side of our driveway but  I will leave it for now, I don't want to hinder the blooming stage of the day lilies.

 I am very pleased of how it turned out.  Mulch and rocks can really enhance the look of ones yard.

I am sure that the day lilies appreciated it too since they can breath  freely now without the creeping phlox crawling  in them.  

I hope that the creeping phlox would  grow longer   so it can hide  the  aging look of our concrete wall.  I love it when it blooms in Spring.

We also bought a new flag and my husband  took down the old one and  displayed the new one.

The kids displayed the little flags on our  porch railing.  The price  of flag is getting expensive!

June 14 is  a Flag Day so this is a timely post.

The day lilies are now blooming, it adds color in our front yard.

Shadow Shots

This is the other side that I still need to work on.  I think I will do this next year or before  the end of Fall.  I hope I could snag some  good deals on materials that I need again.