One of my favorite things is seeing vintage items other folks found, so I wanted to share with you today some of my vintage finds, and where I found them – along with prices! As an avowed cheapskate, I’m always so curious about what people paid for vintage things, as there’s such a range …
Purslane is a weed, and grows like a weed, meaning that we have a ton of it in our garden starting in early June. I love it, but the rest of my family, to put it mildly, does not. So most of my purslane prep involves quick and easy purslane salads or lunches that I can make quickly for myself.
In the next year or so, we’re re-doing our kitchen. This has me hunting for a backsplash to go behind our range, which is going to be giant at 56 inches wide.
We’re looking for clean, classic materials that will age well. Think British countryside home. No fake aging, no antique treatments, but materials that are tactile and will show their age, as they age, in a way that will fit in with the house. After much searching, this has left me with two primary candidates – encaustic cement tiles, or a soapstone slab.
We spend a lot of time outside. With two toddlers, chickens, edible gardens, flower gardens, trails and eight acres of property – things get M-E-S-S-Y. That’s why I am so grateful to have this mudroom/entryway in our home. This section of the house was added on in 2000, along with the garage, laundry room and master bedroom.
Two great things about Spring and Summer: artichokes and grilling. And artichokes + grilling = grilled artichokes, my absolute favorite way to prepare them. The nice thing about this recipe is that you can do it for a crowd, because you do 90% of the work ahead of time, and then just finish them off on the grill when you’re ready to serve. A great make-ahead item for a party! They may not be quick to make, but they are incredibly easy.
Why are the things I need always so much less beautiful than the things I want? Now that the flowers are blooming and veggies are established enough we can even start some early harvesting, there are certain practical things I need – but plenty of beautiful things I want…
I’d never had garlic scapes before we started growing garlic. A scape is a shoot the garlic sends up in late Spring that you can cut and eat without harming the development of the plant. It tastes like if garlic and onion had a baby (which means, obviously, delicious).
In 18th and 19th century America, it was not uncommon for homes to have custom murals painted on the walls. Unfortunately, we don’t have any original murals in our house, which has sent me searching for period-appropriate, yet modern, wallpaper that could duplicate the look. Finding this … is not easy.
We’ve had chickens for over a year now. Last year we bought six-week-old chickens from an online site, and this year we raised from day old chicks that arrived back in March. They’re a farm animal you can easily keep even in a suburban backyard, and, in my opinion, are one of the lowest maintenance animals you can have, period. Okay, maybe a Betta fish beats them, but does a Betta make eggs? I mean, probably, but I can tell you they don’t make eggs you’d want to eat.
Here’s what we’ve learned about this pros and cons of taking the plunge to have chickens.
