Westchester Mom's Little Backyard Farm to Table

I'm a busy mom with two kids, who loves to garden and loves to cook. I recently earned my Masters with an advanced certificate in Education for Sustainability. My blog explores gardening in the Northeast, and what foods to grow to incorporate into seasonal dishes. Eating locally is central to sustainable living, and it doesn't get more local than your backyard.

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Justin Timberlake Boston Garden July 19th, 2014

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Jaw dropped.

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Alcea Nigra aka "black holly hock." There is something so majestic about the darkness of this black variety. They are such a statement in the garden. As more blossom, I just might have to post another pic.

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Summer container gardening along the patio--stocked with nature's mosquito repellents: scented geranium, lemongrass, mint, and basil. They grow all summer long and you never run out of it. Never buy those toxic bug sprays!

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Clematis comes in so many varieties. A perennial must have in New York. Give clematis a couple of years to get established. This one is over 10 years old.

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Westchester has never smelled better. Lilacs perfume the air we breathe in early June. This beauty is just outside a screened door, and the wind carries this intoxicating scent into my kitchen. I will shear off a branch or two for a vase indoors. This is the Miss Kim lilac. It is a hardy shrub here in New York. I have cut this one back many times and it still towers over me. Give it space to grow.

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The garden becomes the magical land of Dr. Suess when your Giant Globe Allium pops. Each bulb costs $20 minimally, and you really need at least 5 to make a statement in your garden. Buy them in July after they have bloomed for better prices. Plant them this fall for a wonderful Spring surprise.

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Spinach salad with organic strawberries and crumbled goat cheese. Chopped chives from the garden are going to give my salad a nice zing. And a sweet balsamic always compliments strawberries. The flowering spring chives are the centerpiece. Food should not only be tasty, it should be beautiful. Next stop will be summer’s edible flowers: nasturtiums!

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Let Us Eat Local.

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Columbine comes in different colors, but what I love about columbine is how they reseed and spread when they are in a good spot. They sure can take the summer heat as well.

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Peonies are bursting everywhere in Westchester County. Cut several to enjoy indoors in a vase. I love to watch them unfold from those beautiful spheres.

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Chives. They come back every year bigger and better. A must for making everything from your omelettes to your sauces to grilled fish dishes better. Try using chives in your summer salsas as an onion substitute until your garden onions are ready.