Have you seen this vegetable before?  The design is absolutely amazing.  I have never been a big broccoli or cauliflower supporter...cavolo just may change my mind...

On Thursday, we went to visit one of Lisa's favorite gardens, Villa Lante.  It is about a 40 minute drive from Otricoli.  To our surprise it was closed due to the heavy snow.  A crew was working to clear paths between the old hedges some of which were in danger of damage.  Unfortunately the main sculpture sustained major... ...see more

So it is still cold here in Otricoli....and now it is snowing - again!  A perfect time to harvest a lemon, right?  There are a couple of small lemon and orange trees in the glassed in room off of the kitchen, which allows for winter fruiting and a toasty place for the outdoor farm cats.  I tried to get all 4 in a photo but... ...see more

We arrived at 7:30am - luckily Tom picked us up at the airport (otherwise it would have been a long train ride out to Otricoli).  There was still plenty of snow on the fields as we drove the hour long ride to our short term home.  The views of farms and hilltop villages were plentiful...we could imagine the bountiful glory... ...see more

Well, I am off for an extended stay in Otricoli (Italy) - about an hour or so north of Rome.  I have left my houseplants in the hands of a friend who will be house sitting while I am away...although my friend is a capable individual, he is not exactly a green thumb - so I worry a bit.  The question is:  will my plants survive? ... ...see more

In mid January while making a Trader Joe's stop my father bought me a Jasmine plant.  Unfortunately, a day after I had brought it home all the blossoms became brown and the leaves dried up.  I brought the plant back to TJ's with no receipt and was immediately given a replacement, which is doing just fine weeks...

This week was the kickoff and visioning meeting for the rezoning for urban agriculture in Boston.  There was a long line to get into the meeting - it was packed - a good sign of things to come!
Mayor Menino stopped by for a short speech - he is behind urban agriculture 100% which is quite refreshing (not all mayors have the vision). ... ...see more

My very thoughtful neighbor gave me some holiday paperwhites.  She mentioned that she is not so fond of the smell...my father said the same thing...why is it that I don't mind it?  The three bulbs have grown about a foot and a half - they stretch upward with great strength and with a slight tilt toward my sunny living room... ...see more

The holidays came fast and furious this year.  I think that I have experienced enough hosting and partying over the past 30 days to cover me for the rest of 2012!  As the 12th day of Christmas has just passed, it is time to take down the tree.  Fortunately, Boston has a tree composting program - for my street/neighborhood... ...see more

In December, I began a trial service for a home pickup composting company called Bootstrap Compost.  They are a very agreeable outfit.  As I have very limited room in my urban kitchen for one of their recycled 5-gallon buckets, I asked if they would be interested in providing the service to our 70+ unit condo association (with... ...see more

After many failures of transitioning my garden herbs to my urban window sill, I finally have had some success.  Perhaps it is just my year...or perhaps it was the unseasonably warm New England weather.  All I know is that the parsley and rosemary are enjoying basking in the indoor city sunlight - though I am sure that close... ...see more

This is a quick posting....was at the Museum of Fine Arts this fall and caught the Japanese Garden looking quite colorful...a change from its usual green palette.

We were lucky to be the recipients of some donated trees on Arbor Day this year.  Fortunately the trees proved quite colorful during the fall...a nice mixture of orange and yellow - especially vibrant as the sun sets in the late afternoon.

Spent a good couple of hours cleaning up the garden...though the dahlias are still going - not sure how much longer that they'll last.  All of the veggies are finished - picked the last of the cherry tomatoes, eggplant, and hot peppers...and harvested some herbs too.  Thankfully the chives, sage, oregano, mint, and thyme will... ...see more

This is highly recommended - we had a great time at The Butterfly Place (Westford, MA).  Sorry for so many photos...we couldn't help ourselves!

"See New England butterflies and tropical species from all over the world. Walk along a winding pathway. Observe butterflies sipping from flowers, basking in ... ...see more