THEY'RE VERY pretty scattered over a salad or floating on the surface of a chilled spring soup. But edible flowers are moving beyond their role as go-to garnish for junior-league luncheons. Chefs are turning to them as much for their distinctive flavors and textures as for their good looks. At Manresa, in Los Gatos, Calif., chef-owner David Kinch features them on almost every plate. "I use flowers for color, aroma and their starburst of flavor," he said. "For instance, a radish flower tastes of radish—but it's so tiny, so surprising."

Pansy Crepes With Pansy Syrup

Makes: 12 crepes and 2 cups syrup

Combine 1½ cups milk, ½ cup water, 1 tablespoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons melted butter, ½ cup buckwheat flour, ¾ cup all-purpose flour and 3 eggs in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate batter at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

Meanwhile, in a pot over medium heat, simmer 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Place 1 cup fresh pansies in a nonreactive bowl and pour hot syrup over top. Let stand at least 30 minutes. Strain syrup and discard flowers.

Bring batter to room temperature and stir to combine. Set 1 cup fresh pansies by the stove. In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, melt 1 pat butter. Remove skillet from heat and pour in ¼ cup batter, swirling to distribute. Return skillet to heat. After 1 minute, sprinkle a few pansies over batter. Loosen edges of crepe, flip and cook 30 seconds more. Repeat with remaining batter and more butter as needed. Serve crepes with syrup.

Our barn’s metal roof is our supply of water for the entire farm

Visitors to the farm are usually surprised to learn that we water the entire garden and landscape with reclaimed rain water. Our system, which collects and stores rainwater from our barn’s metal roof, provides 100% of our annual watering needs. The best part, it was extremely easy to install, and can be inexpensively adapted to almost any home, shed or roof with a gutter.

We spent the past week hooking our tanks back up from winter storage – and within 24 hours – we had just over 150 gallons stored from a single rain. It’s been over a year now since we first completed the rain collection system – and I honestly don’t know how we survived without it.

It gives us access to free water, and with our two plastic tote tanks, can collect as much as 550 gallons from a single downpour. And that’s only using rain from the back portion of the roof! This spring, we will add a third tank fed by the front gutter – increasing our storage to just shy of 900 total gallons – enough to handle our watering needs for nearly two months of complete drought.

How it works:

Through a simple in-line diverter – the rainwater is carried to our main capture tank

The system collects rain water from a simple adapter made to fit our existing barn’s gutter. The barn has a standard gabled metal roof measuring 13 wide’ x 32′ long on each side. A 32′ section of guttering runs along the bottom of each side of the metal roof, slanted slightly to carry all of the water to the eastern side of the barn. From there, both sides empty into standard downspouts.

The front downspout (not used currently), runs down and out to the field for normal drainage. On the back downspout however, we installed a simple 2-way in-line diverter (See Picture). When the metal lever is slid to the left, rain water is diverted into a 275 gallon storage tank located below the downspout. When all tanks are full, the switch can be slid back for normal drainage.

This is from one single rain last week – about 125 gallons

From the main storage tank, we pump and fill a second 275 gallon tank installed above our garden. With that, we can water all of our plants quickly, using gravity and a standard garden hose connected to the tank.

To increase capacity and mobility, we are adding a second diverter to the front gutter this year. That will fill a 3rd tank mounted on wheels – giving us the ability to pull water anywhere it’s needed with our tractor. That will be a huge time saver when it comes time to water the newly planted grapevines and fruit trees on the hill this year.

Here is a look at the system’s components and cost:

The water then empties into our main storage tank

Totes: $40 each We found ours for $40 each after searching on Craigslist. You can also check with local food plants that may receive their raw materials in them. One word of caution – make sure you know what was originally in your tanks and that it is safe. Our tanks were used to hold maple syrup and molasses – simple food products that can be cleaned out and re-used. You will want to avoid using tanks that held harsh chemicals. Most tanks come with a 6″ threaded cap on top, and a 2″ threaded outlet valve at the bottom. You can convert the bottom 2″ valve to accept a standard garden hose with a few adapters found at your local hardware store.

Diverter Switch : $15 You can find standard gutter diverters at your local home improvement store for about $15 – they install in minutes with rivets or screws.

We connect a standard garden hose to the tanks with a simple threaded adapter

Threaded Valve and Hose Adapter: $15 Your local plumbing or hardware store can hook you up with a simple threaded connection valve to convert the 2″ drain at the bottom of your tank to handle a regular garden hose. We also installed a ball valve ($10) on our tank for an extra shut off point.

A couple of final notes on collecting and using rainwater:

Keep It Dark: You will want to keep the water from getting direct sunlight to keep algae from growing in the stagnant water. Algae can only grow if there is light. If your tank is translucent like ours, you will want to cover it. We use a black covering like a grill cover to cover them up once the sun and algae become a problem. Not only does it dress it up, but it keeps the water and the flow line crystal clear. For the pictures here, we have the covers off to show the tanks.

Keep It Covered: No matter what system you use to store your water, you will want to keep closed. Water that sits is an open invitation to mosquito larvae . Our totes came with 6″ caps and lids on the top. We simply cut out the hole for the downspout, and then sealed the edge with some inexpensive foam.

Know What To Use The Water For: We only use our reclaimed water for watering plants or washing off equipment ,etc. Since we do not treat it in any way, we do not use it for drinking.

Check to make sure your allowed to collect rain water. Although it sounds crazy, in some states out west you are not allowed to collect rain water, as the water rights still belong to the state. So to be on the safe side, check with your local or state government to make sure it’s legal where you live.

the Best Outdoor Furniture

Stylish, low-maintenance furnishings for your backyard, porch, patio, or pool.

Richard Felber

Deck and Patio

Anchor your outdoor dining area with a sturdy table and chairs and it will feel all the more like an agreeable outdoor room. Look for a table that's large enough for your family plus a few drop-ins. Chairs should encourage lingering (extra pillows help).

Aluminum designs are a sensible choice for this heavy-use area―the metal is inherently rustproof and durable, says Cheminne Taylor-Smith, editor in chief of InFurniture, a trade magazine. "It's a lightweight, long-lasting, and hard-wearing material," she adds. It can stay out year-round, and requires little upkeep (just periodic washing with mild liquid soap). Look for pieces with rustproof hardware, seamless welds, and a UV-resistant powder-coat finish for insurance against oxidation, which can cause chalky streaks on unfinished aluminum. Here, three common types.

Tubular aluminum: A cost-conscious yet durable choice. Hollow tubing is cut and bent to form streamlined shapes.
Wrought aluminum: Similar to tubular aluminum but pricier, due to more workmanlike and durable welding.
Cast aluminum: Made by pouring molten aluminum into molds, this solid (and heavy) material retains fine design detail.

Read on for more stylish outdoor furniture picks, plus tips on how to keep your patio set sparkling all summer long.

Richard Felber

Porch

Home to summer activities like lolling and snoozing, the porch calls for furnishings you can really sink into. It also requires furniture that won't fall asleep on the job. Though partially covered, the porch is still exposed to the elements.

Wicker is the traditional choice, but it isn't immune to moisture or sun damage. "You have to either protect it or simply not care about it falling apart," says Becky B. Smith, editor in chief of Casual Living, an outdoor-furniture-and-accessories trade publication. Fortunately, there's an alternative: all-weather wicker, a synthetic (usually vinyl or resin) or coated natural woven material (treated with a protective finish) that are woven around an aluminum frame. It has UV resistance and an ability to weather the damp and the cold.

Look for pieces that are tightly woven. You shouldn't be able to see through the weave or poke your finger through it.
Most synthetic wickers can stay outside year-round without showing much wear. To clean, hose down with water and a mild soap.
The luxury of low-maintenance will cost you: Expect to pay no less than $200 for a good-quality chair.

Richard Felber

Pool

Pool furniture should be designed for easy repositioning so both sun lovers and shade seekers can find the right spot as the day progresses. Wheeled chaises are a smart pick because they can be rotated easily and silently.

As for fabrics, the best is solution-dyed acrylic, according to Steve Lida, a co-owner of Outdoor
fabrics.com. "It's inherently mildew- and fade-resistant," he says. Weather-treated polyester, a more economical alternative, is a solid runner-up. Opt for light-colored fabrics, which absorb less heat. The following textiles retain their good looks, no matter what the elements.

Solution-dyed acrylic: This fabric resists UV rays, moisture, mildew, and staining. It has the look and feel of indoor fabric and is machine washable and bleachable. It's often sold under the brand names Sunbrella and Outdura.
Polyester: A quick-drying, affordable choice. It lacks the UV resistance of solution-dyed acrylic, so look for options that come with UV-protective coatings. Spot-clean only.
Woven mesh: Used in "sling" furniture, these vinyl-coated polyester yarns won't stretch out, are mildew-resistant, and can be hosed down. One brand name to look for is Textaline.

Kokedama, which means moss ball, is a style of Japanese bonsai that takes presentational aesthetics outside the box—literally. Kokedama are made by transferring your plant out of its pot and into a ball of soil held together with moss and string.
String gardens take this tradition a step further by suspending these little green worlds in the air. They're a great way to bring the outdoors inside of your—dare I say—teeny, tiny apartment, where surfaces are reserved for your collection of Jerzy Kosinski novels and your laptop, but definitely not more plants.

String gardens are simple, fun to make, and really…tie the room together. Last week as part of the Last Weekend festival held in upstate New York, Wilder Quarterly's Taylor Patterson, who runs the floral and garden design studio Fox Fodder Farm, led a workshop on how to create these unique plant sculptures. She's shared these same steps with us, below.

WHAT YOU NEED

1. Plants! Preferably shade-loving ones with small root bases. Ferns, begonias, and even orchids are ideal for string gardens, but most plants should happily thrive provided there's enough sunlight.

2. A 7:3 ratio peat moss and bonsai soil (Akedama). Mix the peat moss and the bonsai soil together, adding water when necessary, until it is a clay-like consistency.

3. Sphagnum moss soaked in water. Sphagnum moss is important because it holds water like a sponge and guarantees that the roots of your little Kokedama will stay moist.

4. Cotton thread.

5. Sheet moss. You are welcome to forage for your own, but I recommend buying bags of pre-picked sheet moss where available. Moss takes ages to grow, so it's best to leave it in its natural habitat, on those rocks by the river.

6. Twine or string (natural and biodegradable).

DIRECTIONS Step 1
Knock the soil from the roots. It's easier to do this when the soil is a bit dry—not rock hard, just dry. Be careful not to disturb the roots too much, as you might have to tug them apart if they have wrapped around themselves in the pot. If so, just gently scrunch them like you would when replanting and slowly massage the soil until it begins to loosen up.

Step 2
Once you've managed to free the roots from the majority of the soil, give them a quick dip in room-temperature water.

Step 3
Take your sphagnum moss, enough to wrap around the roots, and squeeze out the excess water. Wrap the moss around the roots and tie together with cotton thread. The thread will eventually disintegrate and the roots will spread through the moss and into the soil.

Step 4
Take your bonsai and peat moss mixture and shape it into a ball about the size of a grapefruit. Small grapefruit for smaller plants and a larger grapefruit for larger plants. Don't be afraid to use your better judgement when it comes to this step since it can be a bit tricky.

Step 5
Once you've shaped the soil mixture into the appropriate sized ball, break it in half and sandwich the roots between the two halves, reshaping the sphere around the roots. (If the soil doesn't want to hold shape, just add more to bind it.)

Step 6
Cover the ball with your sheep moss. Be sure to have your twine or string nearby. As you wrap the sheet moss, secure it with the twine to keep it all from falling apart. Continue to wrap with the string or twine until the ball feels secure. Don't forget to consider the string that your garden will be hanging from when wrapping!

Step 7
Pick a spot and hang it.

MAINTENANCE
To keep these guys alive, soak them for 10-15 minutes in water once a week (ferns twice). Fill a bucket with about 2 cups of water, place the string garden in the bucket and wait for it to absorb all of the water. Let the garden drain in a sink until water stops dripping before changing.

We’ve all got some sort of idea of how our dream home might look. Some of us have just got to have a pool, while others want clever modern design, sustainability, or integration with natural elements. No matter what it is that makes your dream home unique, here are a few examples of homes where people have been able to realize some of their greatest home design fantasies. [Read more...]