Flowers, Vegetables and Charaka Saris

Years ago my husband started planting flowers.

He said it was so he could make lovely bouquets for me.

So –

I then started planting vegetables

AND,

told him it was so HE could make tasty dishes for me!

That is how we started our gardening journeys.

Over the years –

(I feel) he has become very good at flower gardening.

Meanwhile, I continue to ‘figure things out’ in my vegetable garden,

And I still know nothing about flower gardening.

That may explain why -

the other day when I volunteered to water his flowers,

and he came outside to see how things were going,

he was able to ask with a smirk, “why are you watering those weeds??”

I was happy to hand him the water hose and head back to my vegetable garden where I know what my beloved okra, tomato and cucumber plants look like!

It has been a busy few days getting the gardens ready for the summer.

Finally things seem to be set and I celebrated with a Sari Day !

The Sari for this week is a Handloom Charaka Sari.

Charaka is a woman run multi-purpose co-operative society situated in the Western Ghats of Southern India. The society’s principles are based on Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy to lead a simple life, which can be seen reflected in these saris simple designs and motifs.

Over the years the co-operative has become known for the work it has done in the field of natural dyeing. Indigo, Pomegranate, Myrobalan, Areca Nut Juice, Jackwood and other natural materials are used to dye the yarns used to weave the saris. The materials come from locally available products and no harmful chemicals are used in the entire process, thus making it environmentally friendly.

Furthermore, the water used in the dyeing process is treated and reused to water plants.

I will think about this sari now anytime I am watering my plants this season.

… now if only I remember not to water any weeds or accidentally pull out any flowers in the process!

Until next week ….

Love, Sari Sunday

This Week’s Tips and Tricks

A simple trick that I have learned rather recently – when purchasing a sari ask the vendor if the sari would look nice without removing the blouse piece. If so, this allows the sari to be a bit wider so that you can make more pleats while draping the sari!

Sources:

The Sari

This week’s sari was purchased from Authentic

Artisans Weaves. They are on both Instagram and FaceBook. Customer Service is wonderful! They answer questions in a timely manner and are very friendly.

Sometimes the sari you purchase is freshly woven after you place the order – if so, they even send you pictures or small videos during the weaving process of your sari being made …which is super neat to see!

Special Mention

This fun necklace! I got it from Funcre8tions (www.funcre8tions.com). They have a super fun collection of jewelry, bags and clothing!