Succulent Saturday: Outer Sunset / Golden Gate Park

I like taking walks through my old neighborhood, primarily because there are so many succulents all over the place. Today I spotted some gorgeous cacti in the Outer Sunset and not too far away I found a huge rogue aeonium cluster in Golden Gate Park. I'm sure it has to have been there for at least 10 years, it is h.u.g.e.

I like walking through Golden Gate Park, I always come across prehistoric-looking plants. There is an area along Middle Drive that has a ton of giant Cycads and fern-plants (think Jurassic Park) and I always feel like there are dinosaurs lurking behind me. Speaking of ferns and prehistoric plants, I have a hike planned in May--I'm visiting Jughandle State Reserve to see the Pygmy Forests! I don't know much about it yet, except that most of the trees are about 3-6 feet tall. I can't wait until it's May, I'm so excited to go on some more hikes and adventures!
I haven't done much hiking in the past month, mostly because I'm trying to submit my thesis and graduate on time. I'm trying to take small walks and hikes for now, but stay tuned, spring is here and everything is in bloom. Remember to go outside :)

Succulent Saturday

One thing I love about succulents is they seem to thrive on neglect. I still have some succulents at my parent's house and it's so nice to see that most of them still look pretty healthy.

In the Kitchen: Crispy Kale Chips

I have finally mastered the crispy kale chip thanks to my friend Carrie. I've made kale chips before but each batch resulted in a mix of crispy, wilted, or charred kale that has often left me disappointed and still hungry. I've learned that the trick to prepping the kale is to use a silicone basting brush and lightly paint olive oil (coconut oil works too!) onto the kale. After seasoning the leaves with vegan bacon salt from the Spice & Tea Exchange I baked them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. This is the third time I've made them and I have to say that the basting brush makes all the difference. Be warned: they disappear quickly, so make them in large batches (1-2 bunches should do)!

2012: Air Plants!

Just gave my air plants their first watering of the year. I find that soaking them for 15-20 minutes every two weeks works very well for them. They all seem happy and a couple of my tillandsias have made little pups!

my collection 

bath time

This one has a pup!

Succulent Saturday!

Today's planting:

Succulent Saturday!

My Backyard Sanctuary

My Thanksgiving weekend was spent in my backyard tending to my plants and succulents. In fact, Friday morning I spent the entire morning sitting in my backyard with a big cup of coffee. I'm not a big fan of Black Friday, but I did pick up some lovely succulents from Urban Bazaar to plant in my backyard. My vegetable garden is currently being picked away by rats, and last night they got to the last of my zucchinis. RIP. Since it's been too cold to plant any new veggies, I am bringing my succulents back out and I hope to plant all of them by the end of December. I'll keep everyone posted! Thanks for stopping by!

There is so much more to be done here!

My Flower Garden in Art