I can become a little obsessed with choosing the right dishes, linens and glassware for my table, but I am more interested in the quality of the food that goes onto those dishes. And although I am not a “chef” mom by nature, when the kids are home I am even more conscious of our food choices.
We have tried to raise Charlotte and Will to be environmentally aware, proactive, and health conscious. So the last thing I want to feed their healthy, growing bodies and brains is pesticides. My robin is worried about her babies, too.
The Environmental Working Group has identified the fruits and vegetables which contain the greatest amounts and numbers of pesticides, which cannot be removed from the food by washing!
click for more info
This year the most contaminated foods are:
apples – celery – strawberries – peaches
spinach – nectarines – grapes – bell peppers
potatoes – blueberries – lettuce – kale
I try to buy organic whenever it is available. I view the extra cost as an investment in my family’s health.
Well, my beautiful pink tree overhanging the deck is blooming,
and soon the branches overhead will begin to shower the pink petals onto the table and deck
(actually it is more of a STORM!!).
(actually it is more of a STORM!!).
But for now it provides a very scenic spot for a spring lunch. And … both of the kids are HOME
(yippee!)
so I am enjoying setting a pretty and healthy table for them.
My tulips aren’t blooming yet, so Mr. Fun came to the rescue with these pretty pink tulips which I placed in a cabbage style watering can.
Thank you Mr. Fun! 🙂
Thank you Mr. Fun! 🙂
Do you love it?
I found it in a favorite shop on Cape Cod.
I added some cherry blossoms from an old tree in our yard. I fought with the landscaper over that tree! He tried to cut it down.
Greatly annoyed, he plucked it from the ground with a backhoe (one of those big machines) and plopped in it a hole, where it has thrived for several years, home to several bird nests and many bees.
Dragonflies need protection from pesticides, too.
A few are resting on the napkins.
A few are resting on the napkins.
The table linens have delicate drawings of fruits and veggies
for meal idea inspiration.
for meal idea inspiration.
~~~
Even produce which is not on the “dirtiest” list is still safer to buy when it is organic.
(If you can’t find organic, it’s ok to buy pewter, like these little artichokes!)
Remember, “organic” does not mean “pesticide-free” unless the label says “100% organic.”
The rules are complex but getting better.
Do you have a furry brown helper when you cook?
Today’s lunch starts with fruit ~~
~~ organic strawberries and blueberries.
Quiche with organic spinach ~~
~~ organic peppers, kale, carrots, lettuces and tomatoes ~~
~~ and organic peach and strawberry smoothies ~~ ~~ YUM ~~!
Everything is devoured.
Just looking at this makes me feel like I’m a GOOD mom!
For Earth Day, I am doing something good for the EARTH and my EARTHLINGS.
Eat healthy, be healthy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am joining The Good Earth — Let’s Dish Party at Cuisine Kathleen
so you may also be interested in a previous post (click here) of my Rice China Dishes from the home of Pearl S. Buck, author of The Good Earth.
I am also joining the excellent parties at
Between Naps on the Porch
for Tablescape Thursday
and
How Sweet the Sound
for Pink Saturday
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I would love to know — do you try to buy organic?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happy Earth Day!
Linda 🙂
Oh Linda, this is such a perfect post.
Well done – in every way possible.
Wow, you are a truly awesome Earthling Momma!
Beautiful Earth Day table, Linda.
We try to buy organic, too. Not only healthier, but it tastes just like food tasted when we were kids. Wonderful!
This is such a pretty table, Linda! You have such a good eye for all the things that make up an interesting and fun tablescape. Your dishes are lovely and your menu even more so. Delicious!
In the winter I am lucky to have a grocery store that sells 100% organic produce and in the summer I have several farmer’s markets that I go to. I love to cook so it’s important to me to use the best ingredients I can find.
Thank you for a wonderful and informative post!
XO,
Janie
Such a beautiful table! I just love your tablecloth and dishes and how cute is that cabbage watering can?! GORGEOUS!!
Thank You for sharing and have a wonderful evening!
Aledia @ Plum Perfect
What a beautiful setting and table!! I adore your watering can, too.
What a beautiful treat in so many ways. You are a gifted and talented woman.
A very pretty table and a very pretty spot for a lunch.
Pat
Spring is my favorite season and you have brought it out nicely!
LInda, this is a beautiful table and your post is so appropriate for Earth Day. We try to buy organic too, and definitely wash our produce. Thanks for the helpful list. I’m sharing this with the “chef”. Your kids are lucky to have a mom that sets a gorgeous table and cares about the quality of the food on the plate. Love the cherry tree blooms, the dishes, the dragonfly details, and the linens, but that water can is too cute for words. Great find! ~ sarah
Oh, my gosh….perfect setting for the Good Earth theme! And a great way of life! I wish the government would recognize the importance of pesticide-free fruits & veggies and that grocery stores could make them available at a price that everyone could afford. It would be making an investment in the overall health of our nation. Everything is just beautiful, and I applaud you for standing your ground with that landscaper! It would have been a crime to just eliminate that tree with such beautiful blossoms for no apparent reason!
Linda~ Let me count the ways I love this:
1)Your beautiful setting with that dappled sunlight!
2)Your gorgeous pink blooms ready to shower your table & deck!
3)Your cabbage teapot…*sigh*
4)Your furry brown helper 🙂
5)Your veggie linens (I have the napkins only)
Happy Earth Day!
Thanks for all the info about organic. My niece is really getting into all that healthy eating for her little ones too. Something to think about! Your table is so pretty with the green and white. I had a Chinese cherry at my old house and as beautfiful as those fluffy blossoms are they wound up everywhere even inside our cars!
Robin
Robin Flies South
I do buy organic as much as possible. Sometimes in my market, though, the apples in particular are rather unappetizing. I just peel them, but my husband eats the skins which I keep telling him is not a good thing!
Your table, the tree, the tulips and especially those linens — all of it sooooo pretty1
I love eating fresh foods as much as possible. Your table is just lovely and those tulips in the can are beautiful. Great job, thanks for sharing.
This is beautiful. Your meal looks delicious. I buy as much organic as I can, especially produce. Your doggie is too cute. xo
What a fabulous reminder that we are what we eat. Your meal looks scrumptious and the table is exquisite. Love love the tablecloth and the dishes.. the watering can aka vase is fabulous. the blossoms look great with the tulips.. Happy Earth Day. xo marlis
A place to relax and enjoy! Your ideas about organic are so true. The cherry blossoms and tulips are gorgeous in the cabbage watering can. I am glad you saved the tree. The menu looks so delicious and great for Spring! Have a special time in your lovely setting! Pam
Hi Linda,
Your setting looking through your cherry tree is breathtaking! LOVE IT!!! I SO WANT one of those cabbage watering cans! That looks so beautiful filled with the flowers.
Happy Earth day to you,
BIG HUGS,
Donna
I loved your wonderful tablescape for Earth Day, Linda, and all the interesting information about pesticides, but the thing that really impressed me was your gorgeous cherry tree’s branches full of blossoms cascading over your deck like a beautiful umbrella! What a wondrous sight to see!
Yes, I do try to buy 100 % organic produce as much as possible and I always wash my fruit and vegetables well. The more I see exposes about the food industry the more I want to become vegetarian.
Linda, Thanks for that very wise reminder to watch what we buy! Your table is so so pretty as we were peeking through the blossoms! I LOVE your unique water can, especially with all the pink blooms!
What a lovely lunch! I guess my invitation got lost in the mail!
Yvonne
Linda, this is beautiful! I am so impressed you are eating outdoors already! Your tree is beautiful, glad you kept it. I wish the blooms lasted longer.
I love the setting, the place mat and charger are so pretty.
Lunch looks good too. I am not on the organic band wagon, I would if it was more affordable. I do wash everything well, and hope for the best. There are no guarantees. I don’t drink wine though, if there are added sulfates it is not organic.
I do think it is important to limit the amount of sugar in children’s diets, and the amount of alcohol in adults!
Love the shots showing your pretty tree! Looks like a beautiful day on the deck sharing an amazing meal-enjoy:@)
I belong to a CSA, and receive an organic basket of veggies from June through October. And of course I have a furry helper 🙂 The table linens are lovely, and I especially like the delicate drawings. That cabbage watering can is wonderful too. Glad you were able to keep that beautiful tree!
What a lovely table! Thanks for spreading the word about the “dirty dozen” I try to avoid them and buy organic. My husband and I also built 4 more raised beds so we can grow our own veggies without pesticides and artificial fertilizers. We have a CSA right around the corner from us and will purchase organic produce from them, as well. My post about our raised beds is the one before the tablescape I linked up at BNOTP.
Lovely table and perfect for Earth Day. The only thing I truly stick to when it’s organic is milk.
– The Tablescaper
LOVED your table, menu and the setting. The dappled sunlight was so pretty. Thank you for your informative post. We try our best to be organic, sometimes it’s not so easy.
What a beautiful table. I especially love your dragonflies and linens! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I have followed you back 🙂
First of all, I am so happy you rescued that tree! What a lovely sight it must be every spring. Your table is so gorgeous. That watering can would have been a must-have for me too. I love your linens. I have been doing more reading about organic. How very sad that the very food that is so good for us has all these chemicals. We are spending more time at the farmer’s markets and learning more. Glad for your tips. Lovely, lovely table.
Hi Linda, I wholeheartly support your decision to buy 100% organic as much as possible. I am so excited that Farmer’s Market season is about to start in earnest. I love your table and your healthy choices. I especially love that shot through your gorgeous cherry tree! Dianne
What a truly beautiful table. Organic is so healthy. The cabbage watering can is eye catching, especially with the Tulips. Love the Cherry tree….the pink blossoms are stunning.
Great post for Earth Day, Linda! I try to buy as many things as I can at the farmers market, to not only support them, but pesticide free vegetables.
Beautiful table…I think our napkin rings are cousins!
Your tree is stunning with so many blossoms.
What an enchanting table. I just wanted to pull up a chair and wrap one of those beautiful throws around me as the day cooled off! Your floral is just beautiful and the blossoms are soooo pretty. We try to grow what we can but really it is very little. Wish I could grow year round!
I forgot to say that I usually shoot either with my Canon G11 (now they sell the G12) a high end point and shoot or my Canon D40 with various lenses usually the 85 mm and lately the 24-105. These were with the G11. It often performs better inside that the more expensive camera.
Hi Linda! Sorry, I don’t try to buy organic but I think it’s wonderful that you do. I especially like that you focus on it even more when your kids are home. My son who went to chef school prefers organic. He doesn’t live at home so I’m not sure how much organic he buys but he drops hints while at home. I love your setting, it quite beautiful. I love the backdrop of the cherry blossoms but I also really love everything you chose for your setting. The napkins and napkin rings are my favorite. Very pretty!
Oh my goodness! What a lovely setting. I swear, you could put out plain white paper plates and it would look beautiful.
Such a wonder tablescape. I love the splashes of pink.
Linda, Your table is beautiful. I love the cherry blossoms and the pink tulips. I love how you talked about eating healthy. You are absolutely spot-on about purchasing organic whenever possible. Health is precious and not to be taken for granted.
Blessings, Beth
Oh Linda, your table al fresco is just gorgeous, lovely, happy and inviting! I so would love to eat there, in the gorgeous table with you! Love all the organic, I buy as much as I can also. I also recycle around 8-9 years, it’s been around here at our town. Thank you for your wonderful comments, I so appreciate it big time! Have a blessed weekend.
FABBY
This looks beautiful AND delicious! I love your tulip arrangement.
Linda – I don’t know where to begin. I do try to buy organic, although here in the Midwest is difficult to do that in the winter months, but there’s no question that it’s so much better for us! We love freshly pressed juices – apple, strawberry, watermelon – and I feel more confident when the fruit we juice is organic. Your table is sooooo lovely! Just the tableau is absolutely gorgeous! The placement of the table beneath the flowering tree is perfect! I love how you’ve emphasized the pink, one of my favorite colors. I am now lusting for that tablecloth and napkins and the delightful salt and pepper shakers! And that pink pashmina, too!
Your table and your setting are both beautiful. And very earth proud!! I try to buy organic, but it does get expensive ($7 for a half pint of blueberries!). And I am not feeding children. I shop at Hannaford (do you have them in CT?). They feature local farmers in the growing season and have a good organic selection and natural products department. Love that store!! We don’t have any of the famous stores like Whole Foods. Great post!
I so love your table. The shades of green and pink look absolutely beautiful. The photo through the tree branches is perfect. But I also love the one with your dog!! Too cute.
So glad that you fought for the cherry blossom tree…it’s magnificent and what a spectacular setting for a luncheon. The napkins are gorgeous, and your tablescape is beautiful…a lovely nod to Earth Day. Cherry Kay
Seriously Linda, this has to be one of the most outstanding tables ever! I am in awe of it’s beauty and the trees and centerpiece, oh my!
I love how you wrote so beautifully about our food supply too!
Great job, I love it all and I wish I had your beautiful collection on that table!
Hugs and on to read the previous post,
Cindy
What a beautiful tablescape, Linda. Beautiful flowering tree!…christine
I love the name of your blog!
What a beautiful porch setting and table. I wish it were warm enough here to eat outdoors now. We had some crazy, warm weather in March and now we’re cruelly back to normal, which today is rainy and chilly.
I try to buy organic whenever possible too. Thankfully, there are more and more options available.
I love the cherry tree blossoms!
Linda,
Love your table! I will be right over….just beautiful. Yes, I buy organic fruits and veggies when I can. A little expensive but worth it. I hope to grow a garden in a pot this year. Among all the other things I have taken on.
Thank you for sharing. I am glad you saved the cherry tree, it is beautiful!
Blessings My Friend,
Pretty table, great info. I love the watering can…the tulips look gorgeous! What a healthy lunch…no meat, no chips, no soda! My kind of meal. Thanks for visiting my blog 🙂
shawn
Hello Linda! I am so delighted to have you visit me over at my blog! Thank you so much for the sweet comment! I’m more especially you visited because now I can visit YOU! What a beautiful setting you’ve made for a luncheon! The pinks are gorgeous, and I especially loved the pewter pieces. You certainly put a lot of thought not only into the space you used, the dishes and pieces on the table, but the food!
I’m a new follower!!
Blessings, Doni
Linda, what a gorgeous setting! I’m so glad you kept the cherry tree…the blooms are so pretty with your tulips. Those are some lucky young’ins who dined at that beautiful table! Love the photo peeking through the flowers of the tree to the table…so beautiful! Love those napkin rings, too! 🙂
Clap. Clapping. Still clapping. Wonderful tablescape. Thanks for the reminder to buy organic veggies and fruit.
Joyce M
Thanks for your sweet comment. Your table is beautiful. I love your S&P shakers. This is one of the reasons I garden. So much healthier and tastes so good.
Stunning table in such a beautiful setting. I’d have to force myself to go in at day’s end. That watering can is really special.
Dreamy photos – a great post. TFS.
Enjoy the weekend.
hugs {brenda} xox
Happy PINK Saturday! What a very pretty tablescape, everything looks perfect for a Spring meal. Have a great weekend, Nan
Such a beautiful post, love your pinks, the tablecloth is outstanding and so is your tree. Love your creativity. Thanks for sharing and stopping by.
What a beautiful post and blog. I wish I could be sitting at that table right now. Just stunning…and I love the little bird looking things over!
Happy Pink Saturday! xo Tami
Love your pink this week. So pretty!
My PINK…, have a great weekend!
Beautiful tablescape, yes I do buy organic when I can. Happy Pink Saturday. ~Diane (I am #17)
Linda, they say that presentation is 90% of appeal but I must say I think you have a 100% presentation with your lovely table. The CT setting is perfect with the beautiful pink blossoms. And how lovely the pink throw is with the pink blossoms and pink tulips in the fun cabbage watering can. I love that you have a gorgeous four legged helper! Yes, I try to buy organic too. I feel fortunate that we have several farmers markets in the area and they are my favorite weekend stops for both food and flowers(the ones I don’t grow myself). Have a wonderful week!
What a beautiful place you have to sit and eat and enjoy the view! I love the cabbage teapot! I’m trying to eat healthier these days, too, more organic fruits and veggies. Thanks for your comment on my Kingwood Center post!
Hugs, Cindy
Oh, I am loving this table! Everything is so pretty and the food looks wonderful. Looks like a perfect place to sit down with a friend and chat and enjoy each others company!
I really love seeing table set up with beautiful dishes and this one is so special. I love the place where you set your table – very relaxing and refreshing aside from those blooming and pretty flowers around. Every details were captured perfectly so I think this is one of the best table I’ve seen far this week.
Have a nice day!
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