Gratitude Gourmet

11/09/2025

11/09/2025

🌳 Think twice before calling that old oak tree “just a tree.”

Ecologists like Doug Tallamy discovered something incredible one single native oak can support hundreds of caterpillar species (some studies say up to 900!). That means one tree is literally feeding the birds, the bees, and half your backyard ecosystem.

It’s not just shade or scenery it’s a living city. Every leaf, branch, and bit of bark is buzzing with life.

Plant an oak, and you’re not just planting a tree you’re planting a whole world. 🌿🦋

11/08/2025

Plastic is everywhere in daily life in the United States, from synthetic fabrics to toys to disposable utensils, straws and bags. While plastic is cheap for the average consumer, its impacts cost Americans $436 billion to $1.1 trillion per year—and that’s likely an underestimate, according to a ...

11/07/2025

Let's appreciate the hard work that makes the fall harvest possible.

11/07/2025

11/07/2025

October through February is the best time to plant perennials and shrubs in Santa Clara County.

Consider planting for bees 🐝

To get the largest diversity of bees coming to your garden, use a mixture of different colors, heights and shapes of flowers.

Some excellent flowers to grow include Blanket Flower (Gaillardia), California Buckwheat, Oregano and Marjoram (allow the herbs to flower).

Some bees are generalists, meaning that they'll go for any flower out there (bumblebees, sweatbees, and honey bees). And then we have the specialist bees, such as the squash bees, Mallow bees and sunflower bees who tend to only pollinate certain flowers. So by incorporating a diversity of plants in your pollinator garden, you can also accommodate a larger diversity of bee species!

We know that native plants are an awesome addition to pollinator gardens (because they are well-adapted to our climate, and evolved with the native pollinators of the region). But you don’t have to avoid non-native plants altogether. When native plants are no longer blooming during summer, the bees still need pollen and nectar.

Remember that it’s important to have plants that bloom early and that bloom late in the season too. Most of us have things in our gardens that bloom in midsummer, but bees need flowers in late winter (when bumblebees are just getting started) and early fall too (when native bee are getting ready to overwinter). Bonus: you’ll have beautiful blooms to enjoy for a longer season.

Stay away from plants that don’t have pollen sources (some sunflowers are bred to not have pollen) or those that have complicated features (such as lots of double petals) which make it difficult for bees to access the nectar.

And of course, keep these plants safe for pollinators, and don’t spray pesticides.

https://www.pollinator.org/PDFs/Guides/CalifCoastalChaparralrx6FINAL.pdf

Photo: various native bees on flowers collage

11/07/2025

Be “boring” with your health. Then repeat what works.

Nutrition, movement, sleep, stress management, and connection form the foundation of your biology. They are not optional; they are the inputs your body uses to regulate every system that keeps you alive and thriving.

When these pillars are strong, health stops being something you chase—it becomes something you sustain. You have the energy to create, connect, and live fully.

Start with your foundation. Because when you master the basics, everything else begins to change.

11/07/2025

Back in the early 1960s, scientists made a fascinating discovery: People living in Roseto, Pennsylvania, were half as likely to die from a heart attack as folks from the neighboring town of Bangor.1 Yet Roseto and Bangor were just 1.