Recent content by Phaedra

My daily life is still simple, around the garden and cafe. Some food I made recently Daily lunch set British scone, homemade cream (browned butter + mascapone) and earl grey strawberry jam Almond Tart with Plum and Sour Cherries Tomato and wild garlic toast Tiramisu - Mixed Berries...

Guess what I am doing this while? I put a small greenhouse in front of the cafe, and made it into a small plant stand - kind of honest shop, you pay what you think proper. So, all the volunteer plants, perennials that need to be lifted every few years, and extra seedlings - they will travel to...

Dear Bay, I miss you and all the lovely TEG neighbors as well. Time really flies. The café will turn two this May, and I can hardly believe it. One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is this: since the café is a bit like a home office, when there are no customers, instead of staying in...

I wish you will enjoy this like I did.

The weather remains lovely, so I clean up some beds in a west-facing area, and transplanted a few Sprouting broccoli to pots. Simple lunch - homemade bread and veggie soup The early blommers The good weather will remain for a while, and it's like a gift from spring. Refilled the beds...

Bay, I’m so sorry to hear about Sheba. That must have been such a shock. She had you there with her in the end. That means a lot. Losing a good farm dog like that leaves a huge hole. From the way you wrote about her, it’s clear she had a good life and was very loved. And dealing with the hernia...

After such a long winter, today is the first day that we have more than 10 hours sunlight! The planters on the window sills were reloaded. Bagels baked Walked with dogs I finally made small herb pillows - dried herbs and flowers from last year. A lovely brunch for myself (2 off-days)...

Yes, I transplant them as early as I reasonably can. This first batch usually handles a bit of late frost just fine. Keeping them indoors for too long actually creates more problems — pests, excess moisture, and that constant need to manage everything. A few years ago, I sowed very early and...

The first sowing (veggies) is done :) Peas for shoots, broad beans, lettuce, small brassica, Japanese crown daisy (for leaves) Tomorrow, i will sow seeds for cut flower patches.

We have snow today, outside is white world again :P But I start cleaning greenhouse. The mini greenhouse inside greenhouse is ready now for sowing.

i am on leave these two weeks, and the weather is still cold, so....i usually get up at 10am XD We visited some friends yesterday and went home late, the first thing I did today after getting up is making new bread, feel good at home.

I have 9 days off now, so let's celebrate with some nice bagels! The filling is blueberry and pear compote. It's so wonderful to enjoy fresh bagel with cream cheese! Time to plan what to sow this and next week. After a few hours of working, the first batch warriors are chosen. :lol: Hens...

I did. Last year, part of my vegetable growing (especially leafy greens for salad and herbs, as they don't need so much direct sunlight) shifted from the main garden to the front yard (in front of cafe). It's very interesting decision, and customers see what's on their plate are just within...

New thread, new chapter, happy to be back. I might not be a disciplined gardener like before. Winter is still in full swing, and this is NichiNichi’s second winter. This year I decided to take a small gamble and stay open as usual—but January brought heavy storms, which meant nearly a full...

Every winter, I seem to restart my sewing practice from Level 1 🤣 Alright, honestly speaking, that’s part of the fun? With homegrown catnip, I’ve made a few simple, handmade catnip pillows for the gift wall in the café.