Foraging Florals!

Flowers can be expensive! If you don’t want to buy them and you also don’t garden much…here are some tips!

  1. Forage in your own yard. Use the seasons. Each time of year offers gorgeous foliage from trees and shrubs in particular. Colors and textures are always changing.

  2. Collect from a friend of family member who gives permission (they may not know the value of what they have!)

  3. Find flowers in public spaces like the side of roads. I love collecting Queen Anne’s Lace when I drive around town.

  4. Sometimes a business owner won’t mind if you clip from their spring trees. Make sure to ask and specify you don’t need much.

  5. If you must buy flowers, invest in focal point blooms that are hard to find for free (like roses, peonies, etc). Then forage for filler (leaves, branches, wild flowers) to compliment those larger blooms.

  6. Search second hand stores for vessels to put the floral in.

It’s amazing how many beautiful things you can find for free. No matter how tempting it is to steal gorgeous peonies from someone’s yard…don’t. Trust me, the guilt will get to you when you sleep at night ;)

xo jenni

Cheddar Omelet w/ Thyme

Here is a quick and easy recipe inspired by Julia Child. I’ve been enjoying watching the new show on HBO Max as well as the new documentary on Amazon. Julia seemed to have knack for using whatever she had to create beauty…however simple. There is a great scene where she uses a hot plate in her first television appearance, rather than a fancy stove. This is not her actual recipe, but rather one that I like to use for my kids that reminds me of her style. So insert your best Julia Child voice in your head while you read this…and enjoy :)

RECIPE

Makes 2 omelets

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 tsp butter (or however much you prefer)

1 tbs whole milk or preferred milk substitute (you can also omit)

1/2 tsp sage

1-2 tsp thyme

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

dash of salt and pepper

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of choice)

Directions:

Whisk together the eggs, milk, sage, salt and pepper, very fast, in a small mixing bowl. Then heat a small skillet, pan or omelet pan with low heat on the stove…once somewhat heated (a minute or so) melt some of the butter in the pan (save some for the second omelet). Slowly pour a thin layer (like a crepe) of the egg mix into the pan, making sure to cover the whole pan surface. Sprinkle some of the thyme on the eggs (save some for when you flip it, as well as the second omelet). Turn up the heat slowly as you shimmy the pan back and forth, until you get to medium heat. You will see the egg start to bubble, continue to shimmy the pan. When you can see that the eggs seems cooked and stable at the bottom, flip the egg with a spatula (or use the pan to flip it if you feel fancy). Continue to shimmy the pan back and forth while you sprinkle the remaining thyme. Once the omelet seems cooked through, add half of the cheddar cheese (save the rest for the second omelet). Then fold the omelet in half, take out of the pan, allow cheese to melt inside for about a minute. Then serve or cover in foil until the second omelet is ready to be plated.

This recipe pairs nicely with fresh berries, bacon and coffee.

XO

Modern Ikebana

Ikebana is a Japanese artform of arranging flowers as art…like a floral sculpture. The idea is to convey a feeling and the natural way a plant would grow in nature. Historically, a poem would often be attached to a blossom branch to convey admiration for another person. The practice expanded from there.

A Kenzan is used to secure flowers so they may stand on end, organically. What is a Kenzan? it’s a flower “frog” (the term we use in the West). A frog is a heavy metal base that has needles sticking up on it’s top. You can then secure stems by pushing them down on the needles. A flower frog is helpful for all flower arranging, but absolutely necessary for Ikebana.

Jenni