My Everchanging Garden

Gardening That Grows With Me

Welcome to my garden blog

I love to garden. I also love to experiment. Throw the two together and you have my everchanging garden.

In 2004 we purchased a little over 2 acres in the country in Southern Ontario. My garden has taken many twists and turns since then and I have made many discoveries along the way. My blog is a simple record of how our garden landscape has changed over the years. I also post our family recipes, something I can refer to easily and share among family and friends.

I post here for my own garden record. It’s my garden journal and bullet journal of to-do lists and goals. If you manage to stumble upon a page or two, I hope you enjoy a little of what is here.

Latest from the Blog

Rigatoni with Italian Sausage

Category: Let's Talk Recipes

This is a quick pasta made mostly with pantry items. INGREDIENTS 3-4 Italian sausage, casings removed 3 heads roasted garlic small can cannelloni beans 1/2 cup whole black olives, halved small jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped 2 tablespoons olive bruschetta spinach rigatoni pecorino romano DIRECTIONS roast garlic heads ahead of time and remove… Read more »

Chocolate Roasted Salted Macadamia Nut Cookies

Category: Let's Talk Recipes

Costco sells dry roasted sea salt macadamia nuts that are divine. They taste fantastic in these chocolate macadamia nut cookies. I also don’t like white chocolate so I used milk chocolate chips instead. INGREDIENTS 2 cups flour 2/3 cup cocoa powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup butter,… Read more »

Asparagus Soup

Category: Let's Talk Recipes

This soup has a strong asparagus taste seasoned just right with parmesan. The parmesan adds a salty taste, so be careful when seasoning early. This is a small recipe perfect for 2 people with left overs, but it can be doubled. While it can be frozen, I find cheese soups do not reheat well after… Read more »

Fruit or Apple Crisp

Category: Let's Talk Recipes

“Lot’s of crunchy topping on this apple crisp.” Update: The recipe below was my original large batch crisp. To make a smaller batch I use the same 1-2-4 ratio. One part butter, two parts brown sugar, 4 parts oats. So for example 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 cup oats. I often skip… Read more »

Beet Salad with Capers, Pepitas & Balsamic Vinaigrette

Category: Let's Talk Recipes

A bright, tangy side dish that pairs beautifully with rich meats like wagyu steak. Make the vinaigrette early so you can marinade the beets in the fridge for a couple of hours.  This is enough for two with a little left over dressing for the next day. Balsamic–Shallot Vinaigrette: 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp… Read more »

Mixed Greens, Pear, Walnut and Goat Cheese Salad

Category: Let's Talk Recipes

This salad went well with pesto-herbed pork tenderloin but would be good with any Tuscan style meal. Salad Mixed greens blend 1 ripe pear, thinly sliced 2-3 tablespoons toasted walnut pieces 2-3 tablespoons goat cheese Mix greens with dressing. Just before serving slice pear and add with toasted walnuts and chunks of goat cheese. Mix… Read more »

Pesto Ricotta & Mushroom-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic-Pear Salad

Category: Let's Talk Recipes

I’ve been experimenting with my new steam oven, particularly the convection humid setting which seems to be my favourite way to put together a weeknight meal so far. The meat and potatoes or vegetables can be cooked in one shallow glass pan. I like stuffing pork tenderloin so put together this combination for dinner. The… Read more »

Embracing Early Spring Planters

Category: Let's Talk Gardening

spring planters on the kitchen patio

For years, I’ve skipped the whole early spring planting ritual. You know the one—those cheerful little violas, pansies, daffodils, and primulas that brave the inconsistent temperatures of March and early April. My reasoning was based mostly on being practical: Our temperatures don’t reliably stay above freezing until mid-April I thought why go through all that… Read more »