400 LIFE April 2019

400 LIFE APRIL 2019

Home matters Experts weigh-in on what it takes to create a perfect space

One woman’s guide to organize, declutter A place for unique decor from local artists

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from the editor At the moment, I am in DIY/home improvement purgatory. Our family sold our home in February, a wonderfully bittersweet moment for our little tribe of four (well, five, if you count the dog.) It was the only home my wife and I had lived in together, and during our 10 years there we welcomed two boys, two dogs (RIP, Chase) and a host of projects. We renovated the kitchen and two bathrooms, reconfigured the dryer vent, replaced floors, repaired ceilings, landscaped, and rolled on a sea’s-worth of paint. But now it is someone else’s to enjoy. In the meantime, we have found our next house, but it isn’t available to move into until late May. We are biding our time with the in-laws (save your jokes; they are amazing people!)

But it has left me with no DIY projects. Instead, I’ll just have to live vicariously through the stories in this April issue of 400 Life magazine. I’ll just have to admire the work and workshop of Jason Bents, a military science instructor at the University of North Georgia who also provides woodworking tutorials to thousands on the internet. I’ll just have to marvel with envy at how professional organizer Beth Smith can turn a maelstrom of a closet into de-cluttered harmony. I wish I could use the tips from the Forsyth County Master Gardeners on starting a garden or had a reason to stop in to The Gibson Co., for some curious sundry for our new home.

I hope they, and our other stories in this issue, provide you with the inspiration to take advantage of the arrival of Spring with a project to enhance wherever it is you call home. For me, just reading them will have to do for now.

— Brian Paglia

inside

contributors Publisher Stephanie Woody Editor BRIAN PAGLIA Production Manager TRACIE PIKE Staff Writers Alexander popp KELLY WHITMIRE Advertising director nathan schutter Advertising deborah darnell STEPHANIE MCCABE

Declutter your space Beth Smith helps clients with organization. PAGE 22

400 SPACES Remodel featuring Custom Design Kitchens.

PAGE 4

UNIQUE DECOR The Gibson Co. gives local artists a home. PAGE 8 WOODWORKING One man’s journey, how to do it yourself. PAGE 14 400 FACES Heather Zamonis rebrands interior design firm. PAGE 20

Photographer BEN HENDREN Special contributor JENNIFER COLOSIMO

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April 2019 | 400 LIFE | 3

400 spaces

Kitchen remodel

Featuring Custom Design Kitchens

Ronnie DeThomas recently renovated his kitchen with the help of Custom Design Kitchens out of Buford. The finished product is above. Below, the kitchen before the renovation.

Sophisticatedly practical Couple’s kitchen transforms into sleek, modern space Story by Brian Paglia | Photos courtesy Custom Design Kitchens

Ronnie DeThomas has lived in his Buford home for 15 years, and in that time he has renovated almost every space — basement, bedrooms, bathrooms — infusing each one with a modern look.

The final piece of the design puzzle was the kitchen. Dark mahogany cabinetry and black countertops cast a drab environment. DeThomas later added a small square island for more cooking space, but it competed for real estate with the space’s original L-shaped island.

Transforming that space became a collaborative family effort. There was DeThomas, a developer of shopping centers, and his wife, but also DeThomas’ aunt, an ex-interior designer, and uncle, who were staying at the home while in between their own residences. DeThomas also pulled in contractor Joe Wallo, whom he had worked with on other projects, 4 | 400 LIFE

| April 2019

and Custom Design Kitchens out of Buford. Together, they conceived of a plan to create a space equal parts sophisticated and practical.

Interestingly, DeThomas chose to go even darker with the cabinets, from the dark mahogany to simple mission-style cabinets with panel doors and drawers painted in flat black. They exchanged ornamental hardware for sleek bars and knobs, and the incongruous square and L-shaped islands were replaced by a single rectangular island with storage space built in all around below.

“We didn’t have near enough storage,” DeThomas said. “The design of the new cabinets allowed for probably twice the storage. They basically have two levels of storages and every section all the way around the island is accommodating.”

Other elements of the space received starker transformations. Where the brick backsplash was once beige with a diagonal pattern, it is now the familiar brightred horizontal brick of a manufacturing warehouse circa the Industrial Revolution. The black countertops are now light gray. The hardwood floors, once darker and polished, are now lighter with a

Continued, Page 6

DeThomas chose simple mission-style cabinets with panel doors and drawers painted in flat black. The square and L-shaped islands were replaced by a single rectangular island with storage space all around. A brick backsplash finishes the look.

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distressed appearance.

Meanwhile, DeThomas took advantage of the renovation to also make some tangential adjustments to the kitchen. For instance, an ancillary room housed the washer and dryer. They repositioned the appliances and knocked out a wall to extend the kitchen area. In that space went two double-door pantry cabinets and a sub-zero wine refrigerator.

Completed in October, DeThomas and his wife are pleased with the final product and the “really unique look” of the space.

It was also a far smoother process than previous projects. Just six months before, DeThomas had renovated a bedroom and bathroom that encountered a myriad of challenges, particularly with a shower.

This time, DeThomas, Wallo and Custom Design Kitchens devised a plan to avoid a similar outcome. As much work was done pre-demolition as possible. They ordered the countertop material, stored the appliances in a warehouse and had the cabinets made. When demolition was complete, everything was ready to put into its place.

“It’s worked out. No second-guessing,” DeThomas said. “With anything in life, you get the right contractor, and right materials, come up with the right plan (and) you’ll be successful. The cabinet guy did a great job. My contractor was just tremendous. … We had a great experience.”

Two double-door pantry cabinets and a sub-zero wine refrigerator were added by repositioning the appliances and knocking out a wall.

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| April 2019

The Gibson Co., moved to The Collection at Forsyth in summer 2018 and offers gifts, home products and sundries.

A place with ‘amazing people and art’ The Gibson Co. offers unique items from local artists Story and photos by Kelly Whitmire

A husband-and-wife pair has created a space to help local artists and those interested in their work find each other.

The Gibson Co., moved to The Collection at Forsyth in summer 2018 and offers — in their own words — gifts, home products and sundries, the last of which Clarissa Gibson, who owns the business with her husband, Mark, said sent some shoppers to a dictionary.

“We love the word sundries, because it’s kind of like an oddity, like a curiosity, things that are unique and you can’t find anywhere

Continued, Page 10 8 | 400 LIFE

| April 2019

Clarissa, left, and Mark Gibson opened The Gibson Co., in The Collection at Forsyth in summer 2018.

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The Gibson Co.’s shoppers can find items from T-shirts to jewelry to more obscure items, such as lights made out of antique cameras, all made by artists in the area.

else,” Gibson said. “We give you a little bit of home décor, a little bit of gifting, then the sundries or curiosity.”

Before their location at The Collection, the couple first opened a smaller store on Browns Bridge Road, though it wasn’t their original choice.

Gibson said there was another planned location for the first store but it fell through. Then, she found a place that she said “fell out of the sky into my view.”

“It was the sweetest little store, and we built a clientele there,” she said. “I was doing a lot of refinished furniture. It turned out to not be my biggest seller actually. The gifts and home décor actually ended up being my biggest seller, so we took that, and we kind of reached the point where it was like, ‘Do we stay or do we go?’ We decided to make it bigger and, hopefully, better.”

At The Gibson Co.’s current location, shoppers can find items from T-shirts to jewelry to more obscure items, such as lights made out of antique cameras, all made by artists in the area.

“We love using local artists, so we’re constantly pulling new folks in here, brilliant minds that bring us something different than what we’re going to find at a big-box chain online store,” Gibson said. “We kind of felt like we could fill a store up with amazing people and art.”

Gibson said items made by the local vendors are the store’s most popular items and best sellers, which has made an impact on some artists’ lives.

“In the beginning, Mark and I knew we had a talented bunch of

Continued, Page 12 10 | 400 LIFE

| April 2019

Shoppers can find items from T-shirts to jewelry to more obscure items, such as lights made out of antique cameras, above, all made by artists in the area.

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friends, and we were like, ‘It’s a shame that they don’t have anywhere to put this because the world should know about this.’

That was part of our initial goal here, was to keep our friends’ small businesses busy,” she said.

“It’s been a passion of ours to see some of those people paying their mortgage or some bills because they’re in our shop, and it’s selling because they can’t get it next door.”

Along with the hand-crafted items, the store also has a space in the back of the store for classes and instruction such as parent-child paint classes, cookie decorating and teaching how to make wreaths.

“People love them because it’s a time where they can just leave the house and be with their buddy. I had a lady at the spring wreath class, and she had her headphones in the entire time, and she decorated the wreath for an hour-and-a-half and had the time of her life,” Gibson said.

For Gibson, the classes are a chance for those who don’t often embrace their creative side to try something new.

“Mark and I feel strongly about being able to let your creativity go, because when you are an artist and you have something special that God gave you, you have to release that or else it causes other issues somewhere else, we think. We’ve experienced it ourselves, so

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| April 2019

we love being able to give that to people.

It makes us proud.”

Between finding works they might not see in other places and getting to try their own hand at art, Gibson said she has been blown away by the support of customers.

“It’s been unbelievable,” Gibson said.

“I think that people crave inspiration.

Especially where we’re at in our world right now, people are craving to be inspired. We try to bring them an experience that they can’t get anywhere else, so when you get that mixed with new people and they buy into the experience, it’s been a game changer, and we try to live up to that. We try to be constantly bringing in new things so we can bring in new people and our old people don’t get bored either.”

And for Gibson, happy artists and happy customers are really what it’s all about.

“We constantly feel the pull of running a business and keeping up with those numbers and all that, but also, we have to always remind ourselves why we started, and we started it for the people,” she said.

“The people that come who want to have an experience. The people that are behind the scenes are the reason why we do this.”

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Jason Bent of Bent’s Woodworking began his passion by building a kitchen table for his wife and their new home. That passion turned into a business in which he says he stays “booked solid with orders from customers.”

‘Taking the plunge is the hardest thing to do’ Forsyth County craftsman shares his personal journey and how you can jump into a skill of your own Story Alexander Popp | Photos by Ben Hendren

Like many artisans who pick up their craft on a whim, when Jason Bent of Bent’s Woodworking built a dining room table for his wife and their new home in Forsyth County, he had no inkling of the passion he had ignited in himself.

Bent, a 35-year-old Arizona native, former drill instructor with the United States Army and current military science instructor at the University of North Georgia, said that until he moved to Forsyth County from Columbus, he had never worked with wood a day in his life, beyond a shop class in high school where he cut his finger and quickly lost interest.

But after going to YouTube, following the instructions and building his wife a farmhouse table by hand, Bent said that a good feeling began to grow inside him at seeing what he was able to do with his own two hands and the product that his family could use.

“Just immediately, when I built that first thing and I saw the result, I had this weird feeling like ‘super pride’ ... because it was something that I made,” Bent said. “With all the mistakes that I made, I looked at it and said, ‘This is amazing.’”

14 | 400 LIFE

| April 2019

That moment marks a turning point in videos for his growing Instagram and Bent’s life. Up until then, he said that he YouTube channels. was an avid bass fisherman, spending all of But even after he started really getting his money on fishing, fishing equipment into woodworking, his business and and his boat. social media followings didn’t happen But after that first build, he started going right away, he said at that point he still online to watch more woodworking videos, had no intentions of making a business looking for free plans on different social out of it at all. media platforms so he could build things But as he got better and better, and that his family could use around the house. friends began to see the things he had “First it was a coffee table, then it was a made for his home, some started asking console, and I just started building more to buy them or other pieces they wantstuff,” Bent said. “The thing that made me Bent has now expanded his scope to ed. become so obsessed with it is I would help teach the world the woodworking “Finally something went off in my learn like 20 things every single time I skills that he has learned. head and said, ‘I can probably start built something.” making stuff for money,’” he said.

With his continuing obsession to find When he decided to really market and new projects, friends and family began to sell his work, he created a Facebook ask Bent to build them things too and he began to develop his business account, started posting in all the local sale groups in the skills, and learn more about the woodworking craft, what works north Georgia area and watched as the messages began pouring in and what doesn’t. by the hundreds.

“That is what’s led me here, to where I am now,” he said.

“All those messages led to one sale and it was the last message Today, Bent, his wife and their 4-month-old son live in north I got,” Bent said. “So I built that piece and while I was building Forsyth, right beside Bent’s obsessively-outfitted workshop. that piece, someone else saw the ad and that led to a sale. Before By day, the young Army Sergeant works just a short commute too long I started getting phone calls from people who had seen away from his home at the University of North Georgia teaching something I had built in someone else’s house and they wanted third-year cadets. But in his spare time, Bent and his company, something.”

Bent’s Woodworking, are booked solid with orders from customEventually he made Bent’s Woodworking official, made more ers wanting his custom furniture builds and ideas for instructional posts to Facebook and after that, the ball began to roll on its own,

Continued, Page 16

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as his business spread by word of mouth.

When work is steady, he said that he produces pieces about every two to three weeks, based on how big the job is and what his schedule is like. Often, he’s juggling multiple projects that are in progress.

He said that his clients know that woodworking isn’t his sole job and buying one of his pieces is a commitment to three to four weeks of build time, and if Bent can’t handle their project, he said he’s happy to pass it off to any one of the many woodworkers he knows in the north Georgia area.

Rather than sticking with his business model of making custom builds for clients in his spare time, Bent has actually expanded his scope to help teach the world the skills that he has learned.

Bent’s first foray into the world of DIY videos came after he decided to do a video talking about how he got into woodworking to go on his new YouTube channel. Finding that he liked the format and being able to teach one of his passions, he began to make videos about other things, like how to build a cabinet door or what type of tools to use for a certain project.

At first, he says that his videos were rough, as he attempted to balance lighting, sound and his camera right. But over time he has become comfortable in front of the camera and his views began to pick up.

“YouTube really started booming for me when I did my very first instructional video,” he said. “That first video I did turned to really gain some traction, and when that happened I noticed my subscriber count really build up … Since then, things have just been continuing to grow.”

Today, Bent has more than 32,000 subscribers on YouTube. His

Photo courtesy Jason Bent

Continued, Page 18 One of the many creations Jason Bent has made.

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He said that ideally, he wants to transition his business and focus mainly on his YouTube channel and making how-to videos, but still plans to taking commissions every so often, when someone has a project that peaks his interest.

“The jobs that I want to take are the higher-end jobs that would be a really cool, interesting build, maybe something that’s not the typical build,” he said. “Because I’m going to always be thinking in terms of, ‘What is this going to do for me for content on YouTube and Instagram, or how can I do this to partner with companies to get more eyes on it?”

In the meantime, Bent has a few pieces of advice on projects, tools and work spaces to get anyone started on their own woodworking “do-it-yourself adventure.”

Projects Bent says that with woodworking, like many things, “Taking the plunge is the hardest thing to do.”

The first thing you’ll need to do is jump right in, chose a project to work on and not be overwhelmed by the idea of woodworking.

Don’t feel like you can’t start, just because it’s not something you’ve done b ef or e, B en t s aid, because there are thousands of different guides, plans and videos to help you do virtually any-

Photo courtesy Jason Bent

Jason Bent works on a project in his north Forsyth woodworking shop.

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| April 2019

thing you want to accomplish.

“Just pick something that is going to be practical in your home that you are going to see all the time,” Bent said.

“There are endless things that you can do in woodworking, So I always tell people to take the same approach that I took.”

Like Bent’s kitchen table, he said that picking something simple that you’ll use every day will really get you going.

To pick your project, he said to go somewhere like YouTube or Pinterest and search for something simple like a coffee table, cutting board, dog bowl holders or corn hole boards and search for free plans.

He said that you’ll figure out for yourself whether you like working from videos or step-by-step instructions with pictures, and in many cases you’ll be able to use both to help figure something out.

“There are so many free plans, and they’re all just a click away on the inter n et,” Ben t s aid . “It co s ts y o u nothing and it will literally tell you exactly the tools you need for that project.”

Tools For many starter projects, Bent said you can get by with a few simple tools. But what you’ll actually want to buy depends on what you are trying to make.

“I would go back to what I initially did,” he said. “I identified a specific thing that I wanted to build, found some plans for it and it told me what I would need.”

He said that there are some tools, like a drill, circular saw, and clamps, that are universally useful in woodworking and are vital to new DIY woodworkers. Rather than buying individual tools one at a time, he said that there is nothing wrong with going to a store like Home Depot and buying a kit of tools.

“It’s a great place to start, and as you learn, that’s when I would say you would need to start looking at different tools.”

Workshop Bent said that you can practice woodworking techniques or even make your first project around building something for your shop area, like a work bench, tables and storage spaces.

“Why not practice those skills on your shop stuff? If y o u a r e t h i n k i n g a b o u t g e t t i n g i n t o wo o d wo r k i n g , a work bench is a great first project,” he said.

He said that you can continue building new things for your shop and practicing new techniques on things for your shop no matter what your skill level is.

Bu t a s a s t a r t i n g w o o d w o r k e r, B e n t s a i d t o m a k e s u r e t h a t y o u g i v e y o u r s e l f f l e x i b i l i t y, c h a n g e u p y o u r wo rk fl ow a n d m ove y o u r wo rk a r ea ar ound as your needs change.

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400 faces

Heather Zamonis

Owner, Z & Co. Design Group

Heather Zamonis hasn’t had much time to keep her home looking as sharp as she’d like. The Forsyth County resident has been too busy working on her clients’ spaces since starting her own interior design firm, Heather Elizabeth Designs, in 2011. Indeed, it’s been a full-time job and then some ever since to help clients with projects as small as color consultations up to major renovations.

N o w, Z a m o n i s i s dreaming of doing even more. She recently rebranded her firm into Z & Co. Design Group and has visions of turning it, along with fellow designer Tyler Papp, into a home and lifestyle brand that could also sell home furnishings, add more designers, maybe even design and build custom homes from the ground up one day.

Zamonis talked with 400 Life magazine about her Italian upbringing, distaste for heavy metal music and what room she’s ready to transform in her own home.

How do you unwind from a hectic day?

“Definitely exercise. I’m at the gym most days after work, or even in the morning. I feel like I get a lot of my thinking out running in the morning. I have to exercise or I will go crazy. That’s a big stress-relief for me. I do like some yoga, but for the most part I like lifting weights.”

What’s one of your favorite vacation spots?

“Dominican Republic. That was really fun.”

How easy is it for you to unplug from your career during vacation?

“I do try to unplug and warn everybody that I’m going to be off the grid, because even the normal day to day it’s almost impossible to completely unplug, even at night. The creative process is always going in your head. That is definitely a challenge, especially running a business. But I try to take that time, because if I don’t, I’ll go crazy.

20 | 400 LIFE

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“When you go out of the country, usually I’m like, OK, I want to have the last day as a relaxation day. But I’m definitely the type of person that wants to do all the excursions, go explore the town. I don’t want to stay at the resort. I want to swim with dolphins or whatever. But I always take the last day for relaxation, that way I don’t feel like I need a vacation from the vacation.”

Do you have any pets?

“I have a 2-year-old golden retriever and 10-year-old Beagle. Pippa is the golden retriever, and Huck is the beagle.”

How’d you come up with the name Pippa?

“I think on Instagram I came across a dog named Pippa, and I just thought that was cute. She is a wild dog.”

What’s your favorite cuisine?

“Italian. I am Italian.”

Do you have a favorite Italian restaurant?

“My mom’s house. Her sauce that she makes. She makes stuffed shells, chicken parmesan. Mom’s cooking is the best.”

What’s your favorite music?

“Love music of all kinds. Definitely not heavy metal, but I always have some kind of music on in the background. It’s a lot of hip hop and pop music, up-beat stuff.

“I listen to a lot of podcasts. I drive all the time all the time for work. Joe Rogan’s podcast I listen to a lot, and all those murdermystery ones. They’re so good. Like Serial. There’s this new one I just listened to called, Over My Dead Body.

Do you have time to design your own home?

“To be honest, up until recently, I spent the least amount of time on my house. I just started doing some renovations on my own house. We just did a guest bathroom. We just redid our staircase to have more of a craftsman style with iron spindles. And then we’re about to do the kitchen. I’ve lived there for 10, 11 years, so it’s time to update.”

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Reveling in Re-Orgs How one organization diva changes lives through decluttering

Beth W. Smith teaches people how to organize and live free of clutter.

Photo courtesy Beth Smith

Story by Jennifer Colosimo | Photos by Brian Paglia

W

hen Atlanta native Beth W. Smith moved back from Seattle in 2010, she didn’t quite have her master plan figured out.

She and her husband knew they wanted to downsize, live more simply and Smith knew she wanted to do more to help other people.

Each of those things crept their way into the formula for the next phase of her life, one that now includes a career in home organization, her Woman Reinvented podcast and public speaking engagements where she gets to talk about finding empowerment through starting over.

Guiding others toward their own fresh start is very much selfinspired. Smith, herself, is a breast cancer survivor, she was cut from the corporate world and she’s an over-50 woman not quite ready to hang it up professionally.

“I’ve always been quite good at organization and tidying up,” 22 | 400 LIFE

| April 2019

Smith said. “I realized how important having clutter out of my life was. I realized that one of my motivations has always been to serve and support folks, and so many people can’t do this by themselves. I also realized how I could use that skill and help other people change their lives, literally just by cleaning up.”

But she’ll be the first to tell you, it’s much more than just cleaning up.

“If I was going to have a second career, I wanted something that would give me some freedom, and with this I get to teach people how to make decisions on the things that they need, and ultimately function as a sort of coach,” Smith said. “I am helping people to learn how to adopt a new way of living –- one that’s free of clutter and full of the freedom to live without that unnecessary stress that clutter brings. I help them set themselves

Photo courtesy Beth Smith

Before, the sweaters were unorganized and hard to stack at one client’s home.

up to operate more efficiently — and that makes them happier.”

Smith’s company organizes everything from small spaces to entire houses, helps pack up and unpack a move and revitalizes hobby spaces and kitchens to reach optimization. She’s able to take her lifetime of hands-on experience, blend it with the continuing education she soaks up in a growing industry, top it with her true heart to serve others and, as a result, make a huge impact on all different kinds of people.

“Me, I am tackling these objectives daily,” Smith said, who took downsizing and organization to the next level when she and her husband built two tiny homes in North Georgia and moved into one of them in 2017. “In so few square feet, if one thing is out of place, it makes a big difference. Not everyone is like me, and wants to downsize quite this much, but relatively, it’s the same. Relieving ourselves of all the extra stuff lets us become something else — something we’ve always wanted to be.”

And whether you’re a tiny homer, too, or you like space to spread out, Smith says one of the best places to start organizing is in your own closet. Be it clothes, coats, catch-all or linen, it’s a feat to lay order on something often reserved for hiding our messes.

“A lot of us feel like, if we can get everything into a plastic tub and put it out of sight, then we’re on the right path,” said Smith.

“But that doesn’t help the underlying problem. The mess is still there, you’ll still have to deal with it at some point.”

One of the most popular hiding spots? Our master closets. It’s where we start the day and end the day and it stores more per square foot than any other room in our house, but since we don’t expect a lot of outside foot traffic it’s tempting to just close the door and hide it if it gets out of control. More importantly — and less realized — this room houses all of the material ways we show off our inner selves, and that means how it looks can easily

show up in our daily attitude.

Luckily, with a little expert help from Smith, cleaning up this particular closet is EASE-y. Smith’s four-step strategy to clean up the master closet gets you striving toward your best life … and for novice neat-freaks or veteran organizers, the acronym ensures it’s simple.

E: Evaluate | Evaluate each item and decide to keep it, move it, donate it or toss it.

A: Accessorize | Decide what items you’ll need to keep it neat, such as bins, baskets, boot trees, etc.

S: Sort | Put “like with like,” starting with a macro sort (T-shirts with T-shirts, pants with pants, skirts with skirts, etc.), then do a micro sort, and group sleeve lengths, dress lengths and then colors. Group all like items together, i.e., purses together, shoes together, etc.

E: Enjoy! | Enjoy your new organized closet!

So, gather your note-taking tools, a discerning heart and shut yourself in the closet for a few hours. It might just change your life.

Beth Smith reorganized the sweaters — all 60 of them — into nice, neat baskets, organized by color. She also suggests hanging the clothes on the same type of hangers to keep the focus on the garments. Above right, Smith organized the drawers by rolling pants and shorts and making them more visible.

April 2019 | 400 LIFE | 23

Forsyth County Master Gardener Gerry Jones works on his produce garden.

Want to start a garden? Here’s a few pro tips Story and photos by Kelly Whitmire

The weather is getting warmer, baseball is back and Easter is just around the corner. It’s safe to say that spring is back in Forsyth County.

With nicer weather comes the return of another popular hobby: gardening. While experienced gardeners know what they’re in for, many gardening newcomers may have questions on how to get started.

Luckily, some experts gave their opinion on what newcomers should know.

Julie Delano, who focuses on plants and flowers, and Gerry Jones, who has a robust produce garden in addition to his own flower gardens, are members of the Forsyth County Master Gardeners — a program hosted by the University of Georgia’s Cooperative Extension office, which provides information based on the latest research through programs, workshops, blogs, field days and other methods, and the school’s college of agriculture and environmental sciences.

Both have gardened since their youth and had a few pointers for newbies.

First and foremost is finding a flat place where plants can get the sunlight necessary to grow.

“Part of knowing your garden is knowing how much sun you get,” Delano said. “You need to know how much sun and how much shade is in the area you want to go plant. That’s important.

It makes all the difference in the world.”

Jones recommended plants getting a full eight hours of sunlight

Continued, Page 18 24 | 400 LIFE

| April 2019

Jones says that one of the most important things about a garden is good soil. Testing your soil before planting is essential.

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each day, even if the time is divided.

Once gardeners have their light and water sources planned, the next step is to look at the ground.

“One of the most important things, before you start planting, is you really do need to know your garden,” Delano said. “Soil is important. A lot of people don’t want to get their soil tested, they don’t want to bother, but at least amend [or add to] it. Georgia soil is clay.

It is tough. It is really tough on plants.”

Soil can be amended with garden soil, compost — Jones has his own compost pile in his back yard — or fertilizers, which are falling out of favor as organic gardening becomes more popular.

At this point, the prep work is done and next comes actually putting plants into the ground.

Delano encouraged future flower gardeners to experiment with both annuals — which need to be planted each year — and perennials, or plants that live for more than two years.

“It just depends how much time you want to give them,” Delano said.

“Any type of perennial, you would think it is easier because once they’re established, you just kind of let them go, but they do need a little bit more care. Annuals they really don’t need a lot of care.”

When it comes to produce, Jones also recommended new growers try different things but said there are a few staples.

“Most vegetable plants are pretty tolerant, but most people start with tomatoes, beans. Most people could grow those,” Jones said.

“Even the squash and zucchini, those are common.”

Once the plants have been decided, planted and are growing, gardeners need to keep them watered, though not overly so, and free of pests.

“That’s the primary things that a new gardener has to deal with is diseases or insects eating the garden up,” Jones said. “How you choose to deal with that is a different story. Most organic gardeners don’t spray their plants with poisons. I’m a little more flexible

Julie Delano encourages future flower gardeners to experiment with both annuals and perennials.

on that. If I can control them by hand-picking the insects off the plant, then I will.”

Delano said perhaps the most important part of getting a garden together is doing something that gardener can be proud of and planting something that is pleasing to look at, or, in the case of produce, eat.

“Even if you just want to do one thing in your yard, try to create a focal point, whether it is a flowering shrub, flowering tree or a beautiful obelisk or trellis with a climbing vine that flowers,” she said. “Any kind of focal point in your yard, plant it where, if possible, where you see it. Where you can look out and enjoy it every day, not where your neighbors can see it. That’s nice, but do it for you.”

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26 | 400 LIFE

| April 2019

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400 eats

“It’s not delivery!

It’s do-it yourself pizza night”

Story and photos by Alexander Popp

After more than seven years working in pizza restaurants around the state, I have made thousands of pizzas.

Literally thousands of pizzas in every different size, shape, style and topping combination.

You name it, I’ve made it and in all likelihood, probably eaten it too. But until the completion of this recipe, I could honestly say that I had never made a pie 100 percent from scratch, from beginning to end.

I had wanted to do this for quite some time, just to see how easily it could be done for a stay-at-home pizza night and I was very surprised how well these recipes did in my kitchen at home.

For this recipe, I wanted to recreate two classic and incredibly simple pizzas, the margherita and the Pizza Bianca, which will let you get the full enjoyment of your wonderfully hand-kneaded dough and your classic basil marinara sauce. But if other toppings are more to your taste, have at them.

Both recipes have been co-opted and altered from other recipes online, but both the dough and sauce are nearly identical to others that I grew accustomed to during my time working in restaurant kitchens.

My one major piece of advice for you is that dough is tricky to get right, but ultimately cheap to make, so feel free to make a few attempts if your dough doesn’t feel right. Give the dough plenty of time to rise, keep your oven as hot as possible and everything else in this recipe will be pretty easy to deal with.

Check it out, have some fun and tell us what you think.

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28 | 400 LIFE

| April 2019

Ingredients • Warm water - 1 1/4 cups • Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon • Active dry yeast - 1 teaspoons • All-purpose flour, plus more for dusting - 3 1/2 cups • Extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing - 3 tablespoons • Kosher salt - 3/4 teaspoons • Semolina flour • San Marzano tomatoes - 1 28-ounce can whole • Extra-virgin olive oil - ¼ cup • Garlic, peeled and slivered - 7 cloves • Crushed red pepper flakes • Kosher salt - 1 teaspoon • Fresh basil - 1 large sprig • Fresh mozzarella cheese – 2 small balls • Ricotta cheese • Fresh basil pesto – 1 small jar • Dried oregano Sources: Tasty, The New York Times

The two pizzas I chose to make are as follows: Margherita — Marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella, torn into small pieces. After the pizza is done baking, sprinkle on a good amount of fresh basil leaf.

Pizza Bianca — extra virgin olive oil, fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into small pieces. After the pizza is done, dollop on small amounts of ricotta cheese, fresh basil pesto and top the pie with dried oregano.

Continued, Page 30

April 2019 | 400 LIFE | 29

Dough 1. Start your dough by “blooming” the yeast; sprinkle sugar and yeast into warm water; this water should not be hot, but actually lukewarm. Let this mixture sit for 10 minutes as bubbles form on the surface.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Make a well in the middle with your fingers and add the olive oil and the now bloomed yeast mixture. Use a spoon, mix until a rough dough begins to form.

3. Turn the rough dough out onto a clean work surface, well dusted with flour, and knead the dough for about 15 minutes.

After this time, the dough formed should be soft, smooth and bouncy. Use your hands to fold the dough in on itself until it forms into a taut round on one side.

4. Grease a large bowl with olive oil and place the dough inside, coat the dough with a small amount of oil from the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for between two and 24 hours. The more you let the dough rise, the better and more complex flavor it will have. Don’t be surprised if it rises completely out of the bowl. Keep the plastic wrap over it and let it rise.

5. After the dough has risen completely. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly-floured work surface. Knead for a few minutes, then cut into two equal portions and shape into rounds like before.

6. Lightly flour the dough, then cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for between 30 minutes to an hour, while you prepare the sauce and other ingredients.

Homemade basil marinara sauce 1. Put the entire can of whole tomatoes into a large bowl and crush them with your hands. Pour 1 cup water into a can and slosh it around to collect the tomato juices. Reserve this water.

2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add in garlic to the oil and fry until it is fragrant and sizzling, but not brown.

3. Add in the newly-crushed tomatoes and the reserved tomato water. Sprinkle in red pepper flakes and salt. Continue to stir this mix.

4. Place a few whole basil sprigs on the surface and submerge it in sauce.

5. You will want the sauce to simmer until it has thickened into a medium consistency. The finished product will be less viscous than a pasta sauce and consistent; no oil or water should be present.

6. Continue to taste the sauce and add more salt, red pepper or oregano if needed. Discard the basil sprigs once complete. Let the sauce cool fully.

Pizza, topping and baking 1. Preheat your oven as high as it will allow, between 450-500 degrees.

2. Once the dough has rested, take one of the portions and start by poking the surface with your fingertips until bubbles form, and do not deflate.

3. Stretch and pat the dough into a thin round. Continue to stretch the dough out, or roll it with a rolling pin, until it’s about 1/4 inch thick and 10 inches in diameter. If you think you can get the hang of stretching and tossing your dough from videos online, feel free to toss to your heart’s content. Keep in mind “slapping and tossing” dough is incredibly hard to master and normally takes a while to get right, so for beginners a rolling pin will work fine.

4. Sprinkle semolina onto an upside down baking sheet and place the stretched crust onto it. Add the sauce and your ingredients.

5. Slide the pizza and baking sheet into the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. The finished pizza should have its crust and cheese golden brown. Before you cut into the pizza, check the bottom crust by lifting up an edge and make sure it is evenly golden brown and not burned.

6. Cut, share and enjoy.

30 | 400 LIFE

| April 2019

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