Yes!!! I am finally back on Etsy...

greenrubydesigns.etsy.com

Have fun taking a look at the new items on my shop... I will keep adding more items throughout the week!

Over the knee boots...

Can't wait to get me a pair of these fabulous over the knee boots this fall...

 From top to bottom:

1. Joie Twiggy

2. Jessica Simpson Clancey

3. Via Spiga Nevin

Tomato Bread Salad | Healthy and Green Living

I found this wonderful recipe via Care2 and I absolutely love it. It's wonderful way to use all those recently harvested tomatoes!

Tomato Bread Salad Healthy and Green Living: "Tomato Bread Salad
Serves 6-8
4 large ripe tomatoes
1 whole grain baguette, or 3 cups bread
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup fresh squeezed tomato juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3-4 tablespoons golden balsamic or red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Ume Plum vinegar or 1 teaspoon sea salt

1. Cut or tear the baguette into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl.
2. Slice each tomato in half. Gently squeeze the juice into a bowl or measuring cup.
(The operative word here is “gently”, and I suggest you wear a full apron to avoid damaging your favorite T-shirt).
You don’t have to squeeze them dry, just enough for at least a half cup of juice.
3. Strain the liquid from the seeds and set aside. Discard the seeds.
4. Combine the juice from the tomatoes with the oil, vinegar, and ume plum vinegar (or salt).
5. Chop the tomatoes into bite size pieces and add to the bowl with the onion, basil and parsley.
6. Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss well, making sure to coat the bread cubes with the liquid. Let sit a few minutes, tossing from time to time to let the flavors absorb"

Small Printable Boxes...

These cute little patterned boxes are perfect for weddings, showers, or just about any occasion. I found this free pattern via Packagetech. Click here to download yours for free, and get creative with it!

Harvesting Tips...

Here are some great tips I found on when and how to harvest some popular summer vegetables. For more information go to Care2 website

• Beans (snap): Pick before you can see the seeds bulging. They should snap in two easily and because they can get tough quickly, check them daily.


• Corn (sweet): Harvest sweet corn when the silks are dry/brown and the kernels are plump and tender. The kernels should exude a milky substance when pricked. You can check a few ears for maturity by opening them at the top of the ear and pressing a few kernels with your thumbnail and looking for this milky juice.


• Cucumbers: Make sure to harvest them early, before the seeds become about 1/2 inch in size although seed size does vary by variety. Generally, most varieties will be 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter and five to eight inches long. Over-ripe cucumbers can be bitter or stringy so make sure to check them daily. They should be firm and smooth.


• Peppers (sweet): Harvest when fruits are firm and full size. If red peppers are desired, leave on plant until they are red in color.


• Summer Squash - Always harvest when the fruit is young and tender because the smaller the squash is when you pick it, the better it will taste. Cut all fruit off and never lift squash by the stem. You want to cut it before it gets about eight inches long when the skin is still soft (when skin can be easily broken by a fingernail) and before seeds ripen. Letting it get too big will also slow down production of tender new fruit.


• Tomatoes - While each variety varies, in general, the best time to pick your tomatoes is when the fruit is evenly red and the end is still firm and not soft. Try to pull them from the vine by gently twisting them. Leave the fruit on the plant to ripen as long as possible unless you are having trouble with pests to give yourself a longer season

Lee's Asian Salad

This salad is delicious! I found it in Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP

1 small clove of garlic, peeled and finely grated

one 1"-piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon light agave nectar

1/2 teaspoon spicy sesame oil (or more or less to taste)

freshly ground black pepper

coarse salt

2 cups finely shredded Napa cabbage

2 cups finely shredded green cabbage

1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin matchsticks

4 scallions, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Whisk the garlic, ginger and rice wine vinegar together in a bowl and let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes. This is a good time to cut up your vegetables if you haven’t already. Whisk the soy sauce, agave and sesame oil into the vinegar mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper. Combine the cabbages, carrot, pepper and scallions together in a large bowl and toss with the dressing at the last minute, sprinkling the seeds on top.

"Alternative" - Organic Cotton

I love this online store! They offer some wonderful basics for your everyday wardrobe. This line is made out of organic cotton and recycled polyester... And their prices are very reasonable. Check them out here.