Gritz & Gravy Family Farm

07/03/2026

As long as I can remember, fireworks have always felt like they were celebrating my birthday too. Tonight, on the eve of another trip around the sun, I stood in our backyard while Josh finished watering the garden, soaking in the quiet, the sunset, and our own little fireworks show in the distance.

It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t extravagant. But somehow it felt like the universe wrapped up the perfect birthday gift just for me.

My heart is full. I’m incredibly thankful and grateful for this beautiful life, for simple moments like these, and for the people I get to share them with.

Here’s to another year of growing, blooming, loving deeply, and embracing whatever adventures this next chapter brings. 💛🌱🎇

Happy Birthday to me. 🥰🎂 ~ Mona ❤️

07/02/2026

🌿 Garden therapy is the best therapy. 🌿

Every day I’ve been heading out to the garden, picking fresh zucchini, yellow squash, and basil, then bringing it straight to the skillet for lunch. Today’s skillet got even better with dried garlic, homemade goat butter from a sweet neighbor (thank you! ❤️), and I’m thinking about adding a scrambled egg for a little extra protein.

There’s something incredibly satisfying about eating food you grew yourself. It tastes better, it’s packed with nutrients, and it reminds me to slow down and appreciate the simple things.

Sometimes the healthiest meals aren’t fancy—they’re fresh, homemade, and shared with a little kindness from the people around you.

💚 Garden-fresh lunch, grateful heart, and all the summer vibes.

What’s growing in your garden this summer? 🌱🥒💛

07/02/2026

Before you reach for anything, look at what you're actually looking at. Seven of the most common caterpillars in American gardens and yards — and the butterfly or moth each one becomes. 🌿

Seven transformations to recognize:

Black Swallowtail — the green caterpillar with bold black bands and yellow-orange spots on your dill, parsley, or fennel. Leave it. The adult is one of the most striking butterflies in the country.

Mourning Cloak — black with red spots and branched spines, often found on willow, elm, and cottonwood. One of the longest-lived butterflies in North America — adults overwinter and emerge in late winter.

Red Admiral — spiny dark caterpillar on stinging nettles or false nettle. The adult's orange-red wing bands are unmistakable.

American Lady — bristly dark caterpillar often found on pearly everlasting and pussytoes. The adult has distinctive eyespots on the hindwing underside.

Milbert's Tortoiseshell — black and spiny with yellow side spots, found on stinging nettles. Northern species, vivid orange and dark wings.

Cloudless Sulphur — smooth bright green, nearly invisible on its host. Becomes one of the most vivid large yellow butterflies in the US — common from the Great Plains to the Atlantic coast.

Tomato hornworm — the large green caterpillar with diagonal white stripes and a curved rear horn. It becomes the Five-spotted Hawkmoth — a substantial moth with pink and grey patterning and a wingspan approaching five inches. 🌱

Every caterpillar is a future pollinator. Observe before you react.

06/12/2026

06/10/2026

Feels so good:)