My First Substack!

by Rosemary Loveall June 19, 2025

After 6 months of gentle prodding from my fellow gardeners and substackers Alexis Koefoed (Alexis’s Substack ) and Stefani Bittner ( Homestead Design Collective ), I have decided to jump in and join the world of substack. For all of you on my email list who have received my emails and newsletters over the years, you won’t see any difference, except I am hoping you will get more newsletters, in a more timely manner, and more updates on what’s happening at the nursery and maybe some videos and more photos around the nursery. As with all technology, there will be a learning curve for me, and I am a slow learner, so don’t expect all the bells and whistles at the beginning. But I am excited to share all the beauty of the gardens and all of the fun antics of the donkeys, chickens, cats and dogs as we enjoy living with them at our farm.

Dexter and Noodle welcome well behaved pups on leashes to the farm Wednesday - Sunday 9 am - 5 pm

Summer will go quickly, and soon we will be back to doing classes for late summer and fall classes. Two fun weekday classes we are doing will be in Lafayette at Stefani Bittner’s private garden.

The artichoke arrangement from Stefani’s second book, *Harvest: Unexpected Projects with 47 Extraordinary Garden Plants* (Ten Speed Press)

CLASSES & EVENTS

Stefani, Alexis, and I have added two new summer classes focused on preserving the garden harvest. In August, we’ll host a hands-on Pickle Party in Stefani’s garden—harvesting, pickling, and tasting as we go, plus exploring dehydration and simple syrup techniques. Then in September, it’s all about tomatoes: canning, making jam and ice cream, and sharing our go-to marinara recipe for pizza. If you’re in the SF Bay Area, we’d love to have you join us!

August 5: Summer Preserving Pickle Party 🥒- Lafayette, CA. Join Rose Loveall (Morningsun Herb Farm), (Soul Food Farm), and Stefani Bittner (Homestead Design Collective) for a hands-on pickling workshop in the garden! We’ll cover quick pickling, traditional preserving, dehydration, and simple syrups—using fresh summer produce straight from the garden.

September 3: Summer Harvest Celebration, Tomato Preserving Party 🍅 - Lafayette, CA. Celebrate peak tomato season with us in the garden! Join Rose (Morningsun Herb Farm), Alexis (Soul Food Farm), and Stefani Bittner (Homestead Design Collective) for a hands-on workshop where we’ll make tomato jam, tomato basil ice cream, and preserved tomatoes by canning. We’ll also whip up a fresh tomato sauce, then head outside to bake pizzas and enjoy the harvest together. Come for the preserving tips, stay for the homemade pizza under the summer sky!

Stay tuned for more news from the world of Morningsun Herb Farm!