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Lifestyle Vibes
June is all about Edible Flowers
Summer Vibes at Ellen Cooks!
Here at Ellen Cooks, I’m always cooking up new ideas—and sometimes revisiting old favorites with a fresh twist! Now that summer is just around the corner (hello, sunshine! ☀️), I’m diving into crisp, refreshing salads and delicious frozen desserts to beat the heat and stay cool in the kitchen.
I’ve also been getting my hands a little dirty—garden dirty, that is! A couple of weeks ago, I stopped by our local garden store, a lovely family-run gem just down the road. They had the most beautiful selection of herbs, flowers, and leafy green goodness. Of course, I couldn’t resist bringing a few home! I picked out some vibrant herbs for containers on our kitchen balcony and added a few more to liven up the patio in our garden.
Stay tuned for fresh summer recipes featuring homegrown herbs and cooling treats perfect for those hot days ahead.
This is my happy place—our backyard, where the garden seems to grow with a mind of its own. A salmonberry bush has taken root naturally, now stretching up and getting ready to gift us with its bright, tangy berries. Just behind the hedge, wild blackberries are coming along too—and I’m already dreaming about the pie they’ll become.
Tucked in among the mugos, pines, and Japanese maple is a plant with a personality all its own: Houttuynia. Yes, it’s edible—the leaves have a bold, citrusy-herbal flavor that’s great in salads or stir-fries. But be warned! This plant doesn’t know how to stay in its lane. It’s beautiful, unusual, and just a little too eager to take over the garden. We’ve got it weaving into places it was definitely not invited. If you’re tempted, keep it in a pot!
It’s a wild little patch of edible chaos—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
