Chicago Flower and Garden Show

With the winter seeming to drag on forever in Chicago, I decided to take a break from the cold and visit the Chicago Flower and Garden show at Navy Pier.  I guess a lot of other people had the same idea because it was packed.  Spring can't come soon enough!

My favorite displays were the tablescapes and victory gardens.  But everything was really well done and really got me excited for spring gardening.  One entire end of the exhibit hall was for vendors.  I didn't spend too much time there since I only had a limited time, but I did get my boots shined for free by a very nice man.  So I'd call that a win.

More gardens

I've been busy visiting gardens in my own backyard lately and I wanted to share some of the pictures.  I've lived near some of these places for years and have never gone before.  Hopefully this will inspire you to check out parks and gardens near where you live.

First up is Cantigny Park in Wheaton Illinois.  This place is really amazing.  It has huge gardens, a golf course and two museums.

One of the museums is military history so there are tanks from all eras lined up outside.  I thought this one was particularly cool.

The McCormick Museum

The Idea Garden

Dragon topiary in the Idea Garden

Boots used as planters.  I am so stealing this idea!

The Idea Garden again...can you tell it was my favorite?

Plants planted in a tic-tac-toe shape.  So clever!

Another idea I'm stealing for next year.  Its a 'Pesto Container'.  It has garlic, basil, parsley and oregano all planted in one planter.  What a great way to use space.

The Rose Garden

I also took a trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden a couple weeks ago.  There is so much to see here and I only saw a small portion.  I'll be going back for sure!

There were helpful signs like this everywhere

Butternut squash growing on trellis.  Same idea that I picked up (and promptly forgot about) on the Rick Bayless garden tour.  I am definitely doing this next year.

We happened to be there on a day that The Food Network Magazine sponsored the cooking demo.  So we all got this free tote bag full of coupons and samples.  Score!  We also learned how to make gnocchi which I plan on doing sometime this Fall.

Its not called Big Sky Country for nothing

Seriously, look how gorgeous this is!

Before heading down to Yellowstone I spent a day in Bozeman Montana and visited the Museum of the Rockies.  I had primarily wanted to go because it had a huge collection of dinosaurs and I'm a huge dino geek.  When I got there though I was interested to see a homestead site complete with garden!

Poppies!  I'm not even remotely a country girl but this makes me want to build a split-rail fence and grow a whole field of wild flowers.

Here is a better view of the vegetable garden.  They clearly take really good care of it.  I didn't see one weed.  And the straw paths were pristine even with all the museum visitors tromping through all day.  I spent quite a while just walking through the garden which prompted my boyfriend to remark "I spend a lot more time in gardens since meeting you".  Guilty!

I love how mad these chickens look.  Like "Back off lady.  We can't be bothered with you and your silly camera".

I don't have these kinds of problems

I recently got back from my trip to Yellowstone National Park and it was absolutely amazing.  I had no idea that the park would be so beautiful.  I took over 600 pictures (all with my iPhone camera...love that thing!)  so I'm currently in the process of going through them all.  

Here are a couple to start with...

At first when I saw this planter, I thought "Oh cute, they made a little covered wagon". 

But then I saw that all the flowers had these wire covers on them.  Are they in flower jail?  It all became clear when I turned a corner and saw this herd of Elk!

This is definitely not a problem that I have on my balcony!

Other Garden Pictures

Sorry posting has been very light this month.  Its a combo of being busy with other things and my garden wilting and generally looking sickly as a result of the incredibly hot, dry summer we have been having in Illinois.  I'm off on vacation to Yellowstone tomorrow, but will be back to cooking and crafting once I get home.  In the meantime, enjoy some pictures of other people's gardens.


Starved Rock State Park
I went to Starved Rock a couple weeks ago and stumbled across this little garden.  I think it is probably used as a kitchen garden since it was right next to the restaurant.  I like the cute little signs identifying the plants.

Hyatt Lodge
I recently attended a wedding at the Hyatt Lodge on the McDonald's Campus in Oakbrook Illinois.  Yes, THAT McDonald's...the property in Oakbrook is home to Hamburger University where McDonald's management is trained.  It might seem like a weird place for a wedding, but the property was really beautiful and I couldn't resist taking pictures of the flowers in the outdoor courtyard area.

Farmer's Market Number 2

What a difference a couple weeks make!  Last Saturday I went to the farmer's market again and it was so different that the first time I went.  For one thing it was packed!  And all the stands were completely bursting with all different kinds of fresh fruits and veggies.


My strategy for navigating the farmer's market is I try to stay away from the huge stands because they are usually the most crowded and the people selling the produce are too busy to talk.  I like to search out the smaller stands.


It was one of the smaller stands where I found these gorgeous cherries.

They were so sweet and juicy and didn't last long before I ate them all.


I also found these...

They are garlic scapes.  Garlic scapes are the top part of the garlic plant and are usually cut off as the plant is growing.  But now they are becoming popular for cooking.  Its one of those ingredients that I've been seeing popping up lately in food magazines and cookbooks so I was excited to try cooking with them myself.  So I decided to make a quiche.

Garlic Scape Quiche

Pie crust (either homemade or store bought)
5 garlic scapes chopped
1 tablespoon chopped chives
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 cup shredded cheese (I used a 5 cheese Italian blend)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  


Saute chopped scapes in a little olive oil until they start to soften up a little.  Set aside to cool slightly.


Place pie crust in pie pan and prick bottom and sides with a fork.  This is called 'docking' and lets the steam escape so the crust doesn't puff up.  Bake crust for 15 min.


In the meantime, make the filling.  Mix eggs, cream, chives, salt, pepper and paprika together.  Spread cheese and scapes over prebaked crust and pour filling over the top.  Bake for another 30-40 minutes.  Since it is technically like a custard, I like to pull my quiche while the center is still slightly wobbly.  This insures I never end up with rubbery eggs.  Let the quiche rest for 15-20 min before serving.