This easy homemade Roma Tomato Soup is made with garden fresh roma tomatoes, vegetable broth, and heavy cream. It’s so creamy and fresh, you’ll never want to buy canned soup again!

Transplanting tomato seedlings may seem daunting to some, but it is a relatively simple 10-step process that can be easily mastered with the help of this guide.

Ever wondered what the difference is between raised beds vs. in-ground garden beds? And what will work best for your garden? Read more

This recipe is everything you want in a jelly–it’s sweet, savory, cooks quickly and doesn’t have a fussy ingredient list. You’ll be grabbing jars of this to use at breakfast, lunch, or dinner because apple and sage jelly is an easy way to serve meats, vegetables, glazes, gravies or sandwiches with some flare!

The unsung hero of the cutting garden!

Martha Stewart’s move to Bedford, New York, an upscale hamlet in Westchester County, took place over a period of several years while her new property underwent major renovations. She purchased two contiguous lots (totaling 153-acres) in 2000 and, since then, has been gradually restoring and rebuilding, making new additions and refurbishing existing structures. Once called Sycamore Farms, Martha’s property was first settled in 1784 and is known locally, today, as Cantitoe Corners. (Cantitoe was the wife of an Indian chief named Katonah who lived in the region in the 1700s.) Its previous owner, Ruth Sharpe, was an eccentric millionaire who died in 1999 at the age of 95. When her family decided to sell the property, Martha knew it was where she wanted to be. Martha’s new home is more like a small village, with a series of houses and out-buildings dotting the expansive grounds: perfect for her plans to create what she calls "a new kind of farm". Martha resides in the 1925 farm house (the Winter House), shown above – a three-story abode fronted by a long porch and dormer windows on the third level. Adjacent to the farm house is the property's original structure: a 1770 Colonial house, known as the Summer House, which is where Ms. Sharpe lived. There is also a nearby tenant’s cottage, where her daughter, Alexis, lives with her children when she is visiting. The property also contains a guest house, known as the Maple Avenue House, and a contemporary house deeper on the property. You will see photos of these below. (All photos are from TheMarthaBlog.com.) With expansive fields and swaying sycamore trees, the property is one of the finest in the region, adjacent to the home of fashion designer Ralph Lauren. Westchester County was once famous for its Republicanism and old money. Today, however, the attitude here is decidedly casual and laid back, home to a roster of celebrities, including Richard Gere, Ryan Reynolds and wife Blake Lively, and Glenn Close. Traditional roots are still intact, however. The 1939 clock tower at Sutton Corners, for instance, is wound by hand each week by the neighbors. Many of the wealthy landowners are farmers, too, tending to their land and livestock in dirty dungarees. Old money still lives on, though: Francis Kellogg still lives in his family’s 18th Century house at Mill Pond, and Robert F. Kennedy lives there with his family, tending to the region’s pollution control and water sanitation regulations. Martha, who adores new projects, snapped up Cantitoe Farm when it went up for sale and she immediately wrote a mission statement for the property, a manifesto of dreams, as it were, outlining all of her desires and plans for what she hopes will be her main residence from now on. Borrowing design and homestead philosophies from the Shaker communities in New York and Maine, Martha envisioned a farm of unparalleled practicality and style. “I want to have a new kind of house, a smart house,” she told Vanity Fair in 2005. “This is going to be the future. That’s what I’m trying to do here.” Memrie Lewis, a long-time friend of Martha’s, elaborated on Martha’s dreams in the same Vanity Fair feature. “She’s creating a magical place,” says Memrie. “Her concept is that it’s going to be a self-sufficient American farm. You never have to leave your land. She tried to do that at Turkey Hill, but it was just too small. This is the dream she’s had for a long time: to have everything you need to eat or drink – vegetables, milk, eggs, fruit, everything you can think of – right there in those acres.” Martha is already quite close to achieving this dream. In 2001 she hired famed architect Allan Greenberg to co-design many of the new building plans, including new garages, stables, greenhouses and barns, as well as converting a tractor garage into an entertaining room off the kitchen, which are both joined to the main house by a walk-through servery. Martha constructed a large garage and converted an old barn into a building for special projects: it contains a blogging room and a homekeeping studio on the main floor and a gym on the second floor. What never came to fruition, however, was a 4,500 square foot house in the center of the adjacent farm field. Preliminary sketches showed a two-story structure with banks of small-pane windows, similar in style to Shaker architecture, at the end of a long pathway surrounded by wildflowers and hostas. According to an article in the New York Times about the property, Allan Greenberg says Martha envisioned three enormous rooms inside this building (each approximately 30' x 50') for entertaining large groups. The plans, however, were never carried out. The houses that were already on the lot at the time of purchase have been completely rebuilt on their existing foundations. Martha reconfigured the layout of the Winter House to face backwards, so that its front porch looked out over the acreage rather than the road. The exteriors of the houses were done with hand-cut clapboard siding, stained gray. In fact, the entire palette of the property is gray – Bedford Gray, which became a popular paint color sold through her Martha Stewart Living paint line at the Home Depot. The color was based on an old piece of Italian stationery that Martha had in her collection. Gray stone stables, gray fencing, gray equipment buildings and gray barns dot the landscape. The interiors have also been re-worked using shades of gray. The main kitchen in the Winter House is comprised of dyed-gray sycamore veneer cabinetry with gray lacquer trim. The cabinets and shelving were designed by architect Beth Weinstein and built by Bjork Carle Woodworking in Brooklyn. The white and gray floor was cut from stone taken from the Gordon Bunshaft house Martha once owned on Long Island. The overall effect is of serenity and monochromatic harmony. To see the interiors of the Winter House, click here. Outdoors, she has had four miles of carriage roadways built on the property and she imported 100-year-old white cedar paddock fencing from Canada to create grazing paddocks for her five Friesen horses, also from Canada: a farm called Witteveen. Courtyards on the property are paved with cobblestones that once lined the streets of Elizabeth, New Jersey (Martha's home state) and were originally used as ballast on old wooden cargo ships. There are more than 45,000 daffodil bulbs planted along the rock walls that line the property (45 different varieties) and thousands of new trees have been planted since her arrival, including lilac, pin-oak and linden allées. Japanese maple groves and a pinetum were also planted. There is a peony garden boasting 200 different plants and a 'boxwood room' next to the Summer House. In spring 2007, the host of Animal Planet's Backyard Habitat, Dave Mizejewski, designated Martha's Bedford property as a Certified Wildlife Habitat with the National Wildlife Federation. Martha encourages birds, owls and bats on the property by setting up bird houses in the woods. Enjoy the photographs of Martha's farm, below: Martha in the stables with her horses and donkeys, all from Canada. The stables were designed and built by Allan Greenberg's firm with interiors designed and built by a British company called Loddon. Martha's Friesen horses grazing outdoors. To keep their coats shiny and black, Martha rarely lets them out during the height of sunny summer days, since sunlight can turn their coats a reddish hue. Early mornings and evenings are the times you'll most likely see the horses outside. The entrance to the stables. The stone used to build the stables was quarried in Vermont. The greenhouse where Martha keeps her collection of tropical plants was designed and built by Allan Greenberg's firm, based on the designs of Crystal Palace, a large cast-iron and plate-glass Victorian greenhouse built in Hyde Park, London. Martha inside the greenhouse. Behind the greenhouse is the enormous vegetable garden. Today, the garden has been converted to Martha's cutting garden and the vegetable garden has moved closer to the chicken coops. Martha displays her tropical plants during the summer months in the sunken garden, which connects the main Winter House to the Summer House. The entrance to the Summer House. The tenant cottage in the spring. The contemporary house on the property. It is the only building that Martha has not yet renovated. The formal parterre, leading up to the porch of the Winter House.

Are you trying to redesign your outdoor space with limited fund? Check out our inexpensive raised garden bed ideas for new inspiration!

I am excited to share that The National Garden Bureau has chosen the allium as the bulb of the year! They pick one annual, one perennial, one bulb crop and one…

Enjoy garden fresh basil with this easy homemade basil pesto recipe. Taking only a few minutes to prepare this recipe can be consumed immediately or preserved to be enjoyed at a later date. Also, do not forget to give the other pesto options found in this blog a try!

Eaten straight from the jar or mixed with mayo this crunchy pickled cabbage slaw uses minimal (and inexpensive) ingredients to great a beautiful and tasty garnish for soups, salads, toppings, and more!

Lilacs are one of spring's most beautiful, fragrant blooms. But what to plant with it?? Let's find the best companion plants for lilacs...

'No Dig’ gardening, the ingenious, increasingly popular method pioneered by Englishman Charles Dowding, lets you make the most of your vegetable garden—without spending all your time weeding.

Without a shadow of a doubt, my favorite way to preserve sweet peppers for the year is in olive oil. The process for achieving this is quite simple, and the outcome is delicious.

Catmint, or Walker's Low, is one of the EASIEST plants to grow! Learn what are some good companion plants for catmint in this article...

I’m thrilled to finally share about one of my most...

Easy instructions on how to freeze bok choy without it turning mushy. This no blanching method is great for keeping bok choy crisp for stir fries and soups.

We put the call out for the best spots to see the iconic Jacarandas in South East Queensland in all their blooming glory and these are some of the best.

Tips for crisp pickles can be found here to prevent soft pickles. Get crunchy pickles naturally by using these very simple steps prior to canning pickles.

Raspberry jalapeno jam is for the individual who will enjoy the combination of sweet and spicy. Serve this delightful treat with a good cheese and homemade crackers.

When I was a little girl, I helped my parents work the fields of their small farm. Lunchtime was always a treat when Mother picked fresh vegetables from the garden and simmered them in her big soup pot. We loved making this delicious recipe. —Ethel Ledbetter, Canton, North Carolina

If you aren't already canning blueberry pie filling-darlin' you need to fix that! This recipe has only six ingredients, doesn't require a pressure canner, and will give you limitless options for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Frogs and toads are wonderful for your garden. They eat lots of insects such as mosquitoes, slugs and beetles. So, build a few frog habitats in the garden for natural pest control today.

This easy homemade Roma Tomato Soup is made with garden fresh roma tomatoes, vegetable broth, and heavy cream. It’s so creamy and fresh, you’ll never want to buy canned soup again!

The 18th of June was a very sad day for us at our home, as it marked the passing of a beloved heroine and inspirational figure, Ms. Tasha Tudor. Though famous as a children's book illustrator and author, I loved the books that Tovah Martin wrote about her lifestyle, and the beautiful pictures by Richard Brown. What a lovely, inspiring, gentle life, and what wit and wisdom she displayed! Although we never met her personally, we sense a great loss, knowing that her candle has gone out. Certainly Heaven has a new star, and will be made brighter for it. Goodbye, dear friend!

Starting a vegetable garden such as a Victory Garden of the past will ensure you have fresh vegetables. We needed to get started right away, so we decided to build some raised garden beds with reclaimed wood from pallets. Growing your vegetables is both healthy and delicious, but what to grow? We started by planning

Here's a beginner-friendly guide on how to start planting tomato seeds easily at home. Tomato plants are one of the easiest to grow and I'll show you how!

This little shed has come a long way this last week. We were grateful to have this shed on the property when we bought the cabin, but it was in pretty bad shape. Here is a picture of the before. When we bought this cabin 3 years ago, every single thing was this color green. … THE CABIN SHED – BEFORE & AFTER Read More »

My favorite sweet little pickles. Recipe from the BBB.

Turn your tomato skins into tomato powder by baking them in the oven or food dehydrator and then grinding into a powder. This is great no waste recipe that every gardener needs to make!

Gutter gardening is ideal for those who seek to maximize their garden space. A container garden, or vertical herb garden, is appealing to many renters.

Learn how to make the BEST Glazed Zucchini Bread! Dressed in a sweet and citrusy lemon glaze, this ultra-moist and flavorful quick bread is delicious for breakfast, lunch, or dessert.