GRDN for gifts

I like this little shop so much that I try to stay away from it. It's very hard leave empty handed and times are tight. But I was looking for pretty seeds to send with Christmas and holiday cards and was hoping that Susanne Kongoy, GRDN's owner and a lady with an eye for creative beauty, had stocked some. She had! And exactly what I was looking for, too: Hudson Valley Seed Library seeds, gorgeously packaged. In one fell swoop one's purchase supports local artists - who design the covers - and local seed. And nobody sells seed at this time of winter. Gr. So silly: They make perfect small gifts and stocking stuffers, and in spring when they go into the soil they are the proverbial gift that goes on giving. How green can you be?

Stoically, I ignored the other things I wanted, including the tempting book below,  but caved when I spotted an Ottolenghi vegetable cookbook. I don't like the layout and design of the previous book, and never bought it, but this looked gorgeous. Yes, I could have bought it on Amazon. But buying it here, from a real human who has curated a small collection that seems to appeal immediately, and from a beautiful store, is far more satisfying. And e-books are really useful if you are commuting or have a long plane ride but nothing beats the feel of a well made book in your hands. It is an object. And I like objects.

There are nice objects in GRDN, on Hoyt Street. If you can,  pop in.

There are my seeds.