Hello, I’m Geraldine! Welcome to our family’s budding farmette.
Just this past year, my husband, two littles, and my mother moved from the suburbs to 3 sloped acres located in the peaceful New Jersey countryside (yes, there is such a thing!) We fly fish and look out for blue herons along a beautiful river that winds through our small, bucolic town. Sometimes we pile the kids into a bike trailer and ride along an old rail trail down the block. All summer long, we eat juicy peaches from a nearby orchard. Surrounded by nature, it feels like a vacation every day.
Eat
In our family kitchen, I love to cook with ingredients that are as local as possible. I let the seasons set the tone for most of our meals. In fall and winter this might look like cozy lentil soup or a hearty butternut squash chili. In the spring and summer it might mean a bright sugar snap pea pasta or jersey heirloom tomatoes sliced thick with good olive oil. I’m excited to share my scratch recipes with you in the hopes that they bring joy and nourishment to your own family tables.
Grow
Whenever I am not making homemade meals, you can find me bringing my garden dreams to fruition in our new plot of land. This year we are cultivating a cut flower garden and building a box garden to protect our veggies. The deer pressure here is real! We are also planning out ways to offer the bounty of beautiful flowers and the harvest with our surrounding communities.
Nest
Our home is a fairly new build, and so we have been slowly layering in character and charm. Luckily, ‘me time’ often consists of combing through local thrift shops and estate sales for vintage treasures and storied objects to fill our home. Join us as we tackle some DIY home projects, and find tips and inspiration for your own well-loved interiors.
Where there is good food, beautiful blooms, and a cozy home to be found — and loved ones to share it all with — there is always a lovely day (cue Bill Withers here, now…)
Fun Facts
My husband, Jerome, and I are both 1st generation Filipino-Americans. Our parents left their lives behind in the Philippines in search of limitless opportunities here to live out our own dreams. Filipinos love to welcome company to the table, and you can often hear us say ‘Kain na tayo’, which means ‘Let’s eat!’
I grew up just outside of New York City, and although we only had a small plot of backyard space, my mom grew so many flowers on it. Colorful zinnias, prickly roses, and showy coneflowers are forever stamped in my brain. You can say her green thumb rubbed off on me!
During my sophomore year in college, I studied abroad in Paris. It was then when I fell in love with food and traveling. I studied art history and architecture, and spent my days happily filling my belly with French cheeses, baguettes, and wine. Paris, you ruined me forever.
Music is the food for my soul. I love to sing and I often make believe I am Lea Salonga belting out every tune from Miss Saigon. I have dabbled in many things musical, including piano playing, songwriting, and musical theater. Guitar playing, you are next.
After college, I worked in the NYC fashion industry, helping to run a showroom and working on fashion shoots. Five years later, I completely switched gears and became a teacher. For over a decade now, I have been working in education. I have been so grateful to serve families and work towards providing a high quality education for all children, regardless of their zip code.
Jerome takes most of the pictures that you see on this blog. He’s the bee’s knees. We got married in Hawaii, and it is our happy place.
I’m so glad you stopped by!
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