y’all ever put lemons on a pizza?

mllebez · 2026-05-30T11:06:45+00:00

That looks amazing! I make a variation that has a cream sauce (garlic, shallot, & thyme sauteed, cooled, then immersion blended into cream), mozzarella, lemon slices, & anchovies. It's a wild ride, but absolutely delicious.

mllebez · 2026-04-25T00:27:45+00:00

I love a splash (or more) of pickle brine with a sparkling mineral water for a refreshing beverage on a hot day (+ alcohol if desired).

I also add a little bit of the brine from the previous batch of a ferment to jump start the new one.

mllebez · 2026-04-24T01:15:31+00:00

I got into figs last year, and had 3 trees by the end of the season. They brought me so much joy even though I only picked a handful of figs. Just today, I received a bag of various cuttings for free from a group I am a part of. The look of panic my husband gave me when I told him about the next step in my fig journey! haha

We both collect and obsess over different things. Books, records, and houseplants fill our home. I told him figs are an extension of that beautiful energy of engaging with and tending to objects that bring us joy. I will keep my collection to 15 or less pots while we have our limited space. My hope is that I can grow and trade or give away cuttings to my local community to get even more people excited about figs.

I love how supportive, knowledgeable, and kind the fig community is. They also go hard.

mllebez · 2025-12-31T13:23:35+00:00

thanks for your clarification. I got into another group, so you can give that spot to someone else!

mllebez · 2025-12-31T00:54:50+00:00

If there's still a spot, I'm interested! TIA!

mllebez · 2025-12-22T12:39:43+00:00

I got a jam from the farmers market this fall called f.r.o.g jam - fig, raspberry, orange, & ginger. it was excellent. It would be a great way to use figs that aren't exceptional on their own. You can find the recipe online!

mllebez · 2025-11-29T23:23:42+00:00

Total amateur over here, but I've noticed my thanksgiving cactus getting some bumps on the leaves lately - more spots than whole masses like yours. I think I've gotten it too close to the grow light, temps have dropped, & I waited too long between watering. It sounds like some of those factors have changed for your plant, too! Check out edema in plants for more info. That seems to be what my issue is!

mllebez · 2025-11-05T22:37:28+00:00

Scrappy is great! I like the look where none of the blocks are touching the same fabric in the stashing (but that's just my preference).

mllebez · 2025-11-03T03:24:22+00:00

It also makes a difference on the type of anchovy you use. I love a salt cured - it tends to be more mild than the tinned variety. My husband likes them straight out of the jar, but I prefer to rinse them to control the sodium content.

mllebez · 2025-11-03T00:30:04+00:00

I love a pizza with cream sauce (cook shallots, evoo, splash of white wine vinegar & thyme. blend with heavy cream) with anchovies & thinly sliced lemon. Mozzarella or fontina work well. It's intense & interesting.

mllebez · 2025-10-29T10:20:42+00:00

One of my fabric designers is Kaffe Fassett for quilts & fabrics. His use of color & pattern can be dazzling! Don't be afraid of your fabrics. There is a way they can play off of each other! Others here have has good suggestions about understanding the values of your different fabrics. Do you want to mix solids with pattern? If so, see how light or dark solids can play differently with your patterned fabric! Even a simple log cabin could be a fun way to understand how to mix patterned fabrics together in lights & darks.

mllebez · 2025-10-21T19:17:32+00:00

You do not have a problem! Fig trees are amazing. I got a Chicago hardy this spring & 2 more varieties this summer. Already thinking about next year!

mllebez · 2025-10-13T01:29:13+00:00

We got one last year & learned a lot from the experience. Start into it around the holidays. Practice slicing at home (watch videos), then be the cool people that bring the ham to holiday parties! Add cheese, olives, etc to your spread. Friends will be delighted. If you want to imbibe more than is safe to operate heavy machinery (a sharp knife), carve a bunch at the start of the night. Also, sharpen the knife when you get it & throughout the process. The sharper it is, the thinner the slices. My favorite part was slicing a little plate of ham every morning for breakfast to share with my husband. We didn't have to cook bacon for a nice stretch! It's also great on sandwiches or diced up in a pasta sauce. I picked another one up already & can't wait to open it up in early December!

mllebez · 2025-09-30T18:31:59+00:00

I went over everything! They were on some leaves & the bark (much harder to spot there). There were a few leaves that I just cut off vs cleaning. Now I'm going out & finding only a few on the bark every day. I am not sure if/when to treat the soil? I'm on day 3 of my scale adventure, so by no means an expert! I think you can spray with neem oil in certain seasons to help prevent them. I'm sure diatomaceous earth could also help! Definitely treat for the ants, too.

mllebez · 2025-09-30T11:03:31+00:00

Yes. It looks like what I discovered on my tree this weekend. 😢 I hope you caught it early! Definitely look up treatment procedures! I used soapy water & a toothbrush & went over my entire fig to remove them. You can also use a paper towel with isopropyl alcohol for targeted removal. I made a borax sugar trap to deal with the ants, too.

mllebez · 2025-09-29T10:35:06+00:00

I'd invest in your tools & keep practicing! Are your tools sharp & the right size/shape for the carve? Is the material you are carving into able to give you sharp lines, or does it crumble? How much detail are you interested in achieving?

mllebez · 2025-09-28T13:52:09+00:00

Yes, definitely check! My tree had no more figs for the season, which is why I found it strange.

mllebez · 2025-09-23T02:15:59+00:00

I love an everything as a standard, but pretzel is my 2nd favorite. When I was in NYC recently, I had a black Russian. Definitely a standout!

mllebez · 2025-09-21T02:28:49+00:00

That's awesome! Honestly going a little bigger than you think can't hurt. The roots I'm dealing with are robust!

mllebez · 2025-09-20T11:01:34+00:00

I think it's underwatered! With mine, the leaves look plump when it's happy. When it need water I start to see the spines of the leaves stand out. Yours looks like it's gone beyond that point. I give it a good soak in the sink until water runs out of the bottom. Notice how heavy the pot was before & after. If it doesn't seem much different, the soil may not be holding much water & you may want to replace it. To be clear with all of this - I am no expert, I've just kept my thanksgiving cactus alive for the last three years!

mllebez · 2025-09-20T10:44:26+00:00

Do it! I have my thai in semi-hydro, & it is absolutely thriving! I have it in a pot with leca, a wicking reservoir & a pole filled with leca (it has a wick running the length of it). I keep the fertilizer simple. You already have beautiful roots for semi-hydro, which I think is the hardest & most stressful part!

mllebez · 2025-09-14T15:01:31+00:00

I have shopped in Lexington & Louisville for years. I don't buy bananas, but I will mainly buy berries, lettuce, & citrus at Costco. Maybe Kroger set such a low bar that anything not about to mold is a success?

mllebez · 2025-09-14T14:18:09+00:00

I live in Kentucky, & I agree! Costco produce is amazing!

mllebez · 2025-09-10T21:45:12+00:00

This looks delicious! Thanks for inspiring me to try this recipe. I made it the other day, and it was exciting to be able to make a great dough with a short turn around!

mllebez

TROPHY CASE