NEST BY MARDI
CONTAINER GARDENER DESIGNER
01 Meet Mardi
Have the incredible fortune of walking into a wonderful secret garden in Napa Valley where every inch of garden paints a picture of life memories. Second generation California ranchers daughter, a love of family, design, and the outdoors coupled with being a restaurateur and vintage antique collector have molded Mardi’s garden into a ‘must-see’ experience to those who are wanting instant character for their own entryways or patios.
Gardener and container gardening expert Mardi Schma delights in sharing her art by customizing and creating meaningful spaces through the plants she now grows and sells from her garden. Nest by Mardi offers you a rare opportunity of having a talented garden designer help you create statement entryways or alluring patio garden containers – sophisticated and simple or bold and whimsical.
Stand apart from the normal nursery visit and let designer Mardi help in planting containers and guiding you in selecting from her growing plants out of her garden. Walk with her through her garden, commission her to design your pots, drop off your container,
or choose from her collection of antiques or upscale pots, then
let Mardi plant and design for you. Nest by Mardi is an easy way for you to provide that enduring first impression in your own home.
02 Welcome to my Garden Store!
I specialize in designing beautiful customized Entryway Pots and Outdoor Container Gardens, utilizing unique hard-to-find plants directly from my garden to yours.
Come to my Garden Store and choose plants that will be perfect for your own pots or commission me to hand-select, design, pot, and prepare for easy pickup.
03 Container and Garden Portfolio
04 Garden Recipes
Mardi's Swiss Chard Quiche
You can use any leftover cows' milk cheese to make this quiche.
Yield: makes About One 10" Quiche
For the Crust
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1 1⁄2 cups flour
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1⁄2 cup cornstarch
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1⁄2 tsp. salt
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8 tbsp. cold butter, cut into pieces
For the Filling
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1 tbsp. butter
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1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
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12 oz. assorted cows' milk cheeses, softer cheeses cut into chunks, harder cheeses grated
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6 eggs
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1⁄2 cup milk
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2 lb. swiss chard, stems and ribs removed, leaves blanced, drained, and finely chopped
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1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
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Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
1. For the crust: Combine flour, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or 2 table knives, work the butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal flecked with pea-size pieces of butter, then rub butter pieces into flour mixture with your fingers. Add up to 6 tbsp. ice water, 1 tbsp. at a time, mixing until a rough dough forms. Knead dough in the bowl until it just comes together, then shape into a ball. Flatten dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 400º. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 14" round. Ease pastry into a 2" deep 10" round loose-bottom tart pan and crimp edges. Prick dough all over with a fork, line with parchment paper, and add pie weights or dried beans. Bake until crust is set and edges begin to color, 30-35 minutes. Remove parchment paper and weights and continue to bake crust until lightly browned, about 5 minutes more. Remove crust from oven and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 375º.
3. For the filling: Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Put cheeses into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add eggs and milk and pulse until blended. Transfer to bowl with onions. Add chard, thyme, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste and mix well.
4. Pour filling into crust and bake until set, 40-45 minutes. Serve quiche at room temperature.
My Favorite Radish Cucumber Salad
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients
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2 cups plain Greek yogurt
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1 cup sour cream
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1 tsp. pink or kosher salt, or salt to taste
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1/2 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
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1 tbsp. a white vinegar of your choice
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1 cucumber, sliced
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7 - 10 radishes
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1⁄4 cup thinly sliced scallion (2-3 small scallions)
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I love thin sweet red onion sliced for color and flavor addition
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2 tbsp. finely chopped dill
Instructions
Thinly slice the cucumbers and radishes and place in a large bowl.
Blend yogurt and sour cream with a teaspoon salt, the vinegar, black pepper, then add the scallion and dill.
Add your sauce to the radishes and cucumbers (not seeded) and toss lightly with red onion if you like! Can keep overnight but best to serve your guests when fresh as the appearance is always nicer.
Kumquat-Glazed Cornish Game Hens with Bacon
Ingredients
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4 (1 - 1/2-lb.) Cornish game hens
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Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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16 sprigs rosemary
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16 sprigs thyme
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Butchers' string, for tying
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8 oz. slab bacon, cut into 1" pieces, about 1/2" thick
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3 tbsp. butter
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6 cloves garlic, unpeeled and smashed
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3-4 small red onions, cut into 1" wedges
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3 tbsp. olive oil
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1 large shallot, minced
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2 cups fresh orange juice
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kumquats > 8 oz. or whatever you want to pick and use > slice them 1/4 thick and pull out seeds
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1⁄2 cup honey
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1⁄2 tsp. smoked or sweet paprika
Instructions
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Heat oven to 450°. Season cavities and outsides of hens with salt and pepper; stuff rosemary and thyme and /or spinach or swiss chard, into cavities and tie legs together using butchers' string.
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Heat bacon and 1 tbsp. butter in a 12" skillet over medium; cook until bacon is slightly crisp, 18–20 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a roasting pan.
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Add garlic, onions, salt, and pepper to skillet and toss in fat; add to roasting pan.
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Add oil to skillet and, working in batches, cook hens, turning as needed, until browned, 10–12 minutes; set hens breast-side up in roasting pan.
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Add shallot to skillet; cook until soft, 3–4 minutes. Add juice; cook until slightly reduced, 3–4 minutes. Stir in kumquats, honey, paprika, salt, and pepper; simmer until thickened, 12–15 minutes. Stir in remaining butter. Brush half the sauce over hens; keep remaining sauce warm. Roast hens, basting often with pan juices, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°, about 45 minutes. Transfer hens, bacon, garlic, and onions to a serving platter; spoon remaining sauce over the top.
05 Visit my Garden Store
Tel: (707) 228-8118
Garden Store, Container Designing & Antiques
Garden Store by appointment only
Napa Valley, CA 94559