First Snow of the 2012-2013 Winter Season

So the winter begins...we had the first snow of the season this past Tuesday.  While I don't like all the work it brings, I can' deny how gorgeous it is outside when everything becomes dusted in a sparkling layer of white.  We had about an inch and I took these photos just as the ground started to become covered.  I think everything looks so pretty when the snow is just dusting everything...the colors remind me of a steel engraving and I am in the middle of it...

The garden is just becoming covered in a white shroud of snow.

Snow is falling fast and furious...the white pine boughs
are protecting the grass below from falling snow...

The herb garden is still producing cold weather savory treats.
Seth picked herbs for our Thanksgiving stuffing, as well
as the centerpieces...little vases filled with sage...GORGEOUS!

Blueberry bushes have turned their winter red.

A garden guardian...

Another watchful eye over the winter garden beds...

Rosemary continues to produce...

Interesting pattern effect as the white pine boughs capture the snow fall
and leave the ground below bare.

The gazebo appears to be covered in a dusting of confectioners sugar!

Delightful and dreamy...

Thankfully we received only an inch and then it melted away from the walkways and driveway...we are expecting record breaking warm weather this week...that's our New England...wouldn't have it any other way!

Elizabeth

Bumper Tomato Crop

Nothing better than going out to the garden and gathering tomatoes in a basket...I grow many varieties as I love all the different colors, sizes and shapes.  I just stare at this bounty as I marvel at wonder of it all!

Fresh from the garden...all warm from the sun.

Summer colors!

One of my favorites...Mr Stripey!  

Another favorite...an heirloom called Garden Peach.

Aren't these cherry and pear shaped little tomatoes delightful?!

My affair with fresh picked, sun kissed tomatoes just makes me a happy happy gardener!

Elizabeth

"A Mess" of Fresh Green Beans New England Style

My pole beans are producing fabulously. I have always planted bush beans but this year decided to go with pole beans...wanted to try something new but also wanted to add an additional focal point to the garden beds. The tripods I built from really long stakes at least six feet long stakes I bought. They are green plastic coated stakes which I like because their color blends with the bean stalks so there is not interruption of eye appeal. Tied them at the top with biodegradable green garden hemp and voila...sturdy tepees for the beans to crawl up and boy did they. The tendrils just reached put and would have made "Jack" proud...bean stalks to be in awe of. They produced wonderful beans...tender and delicious.

Now what to do...steam them, saute with garlic and olive oil, roast, grill, add to a ratatouille, I mean the worlds the limit...BUT....no New Englander would ever pass up at least one good mess of beans with potatoes and salt pork. From the time I can remember every summer at least one meal a week while green beans were in season we had a meal that was a nice hunk of crusty bread and a big steaming hot bowl of a mess of string beans. Why they are called a mess is something no one explained to me...quite frankly I do not care..that is part of the tradition and charm...so just let it be. An easy meal to prepare and one full of nutrition and memories.

Start with fresh green beans from the farm stand or your own garden. Tradition dictates that both ends are snapped off and beans are snapped into thirds or fourths. Never whole and never the tip end left on...never! It does not matter that it is now trendy to have the pointed tip left on...do not leave it on when preparing a mess of beans...never...got it!

Add to a pot big enough to hold all the components covered with water.

Add quartered potatoes..skin on skin off this is choice...and also a few lardons of salt pork. Salt pork adds a bit of fat for additional flavor....and is mandated if sticking to tradition. I mean really is that little bit of fat going to put you on the coronary care unit?

Cover with water, top with the lid and bring to a boil...reduce the heat and simmer till potatoes are tender. This is always best the next day...but if you can not help yourself...grab a bowl and fill with potatoes and green beans...you do not have to eat the salt pork it was used for flavor but you may see someone pop a piece in...this is where I draw the line. Now mash the potatoes down and put a bit of butter on them...if dry I add a bit of the bean broth from cooking pot to make them moist. The green beans are to be sprinkled with apple cider vinegar. Break a piece of crusty bread from a baguette...grab the bowl with a fork, find a comfortable spot and dig in. Delightfulness in a bowl.

This is such a wonderful easy meal to make in the summertime...New England nostalgia in a bowl.

Excuse me while I get seconds.

Elizabeth

Genovese Basil Pesto

My nephew Seth and I attended the early buyers Trade Secret show this past May in Sharon CT. It was wonderful to see all the unusual and rare plant stock as well as see the wonderful garden antiques. This show is attended by many folks looking for something different...gardeners wanting to add something unusual to their landscape and this is the place to find it. What makes it even more fun is that celebrities also attend...Bunny Williams world renowned interior decorator who actually was the founder of the show, Kevin Sharkey head of design for MSLO, and of course Martha Stewart herself! Seth actually had his picture taken with Martha once she did some shopping on her own...what is amazing she actually drove herself to the show in a huge black SUV...

Well enough of the elbow rubbing....the prize for me was I found Genovese basil....this is the basil pesto MUST be made from. No substitutes will do. It is flavorful, tender and a beautiful green. By rights the youngest leaves should be used but my basil grew a little faster than I had a chance to pick...but the pesto is divine. I hope to get a few more batches before fall...basil is a tender annual here in the northeast so once the cold sets in basil can not handle the frost.

I picked armloads of basil this morning...you can also see a few tomatoes and an eggplant peeking out of the basket as well.

Ingredients gathered to make the pesto....only thing missing in this photo is the garlic. All else accounted for - olive oil, pine nuts, walnuts, salt, parmigiano reggiano and of course basil.

The cheese is wonderful...I prefer parmesano instead of pecorino romano which is really called for...I am not found of many sheep's milk cheeses so I stick with Parmigiano a cow's milk cheese and truthfully how can anyone pass up this delightful top shelf cheese!
All cubed and ready to whirl around the food processor.

Processed to perfection. The best way to buy cheese is in a wedge and grate or process as needed. Henry at Chef A Roni a wonderful food expert and teacher explained that the least surfaces exposed to the air the moister the cheese remains...so if you grate it long before using you have exposed a multitude of surfaced to the air and set up a perfect environment for dried out cheese...really is common sense when you think about it...

Save the rinds and freeze to use in a sauce or soup at a later date...

Wonderful garlic...
Basil and salt to bowl after the nuts and garlic have been processed.

Slowly drizzle the extra virgin olive oil in to make the pesto paste...how delightful is this green oil!

Last but not least add the cheese for one last whirl...

Pesto in containers for gifts...I put pesto in covered containers that can be given away as a hostess gift when the occasion rises...for me I like my pesto in zip lock bags in the freezer.

Containers labeled with content and dated.

Stored in freezer...
Bags stack well...oh I spot a bag of frozen shrimp that needs to be addressed so why not!

Add the peeled, deveined shrimp to a pot of water with a lemon, bay leaf and peppercorns. Start with cold water...and bring to a boil - meanwhile...

Make a cocktail sauce...so simple...ketchup, juice of half a lemon, prepared horseradish, and a few drops of Tabasco and voila!

By the time the sauce is made...the shrimp is done...do not over cook when the shrimp is pink it is done! REALLY!

So there you have it...a nice shrimp cocktail and of course an authentic basil pesto...

Summer is here for sure...

Elizabeth

A Rose By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet - Shakespear

How lovely a rose is...the appearance, the texture of the petals, gloss of the leaves and oh yes the fragrance...They are a delight to see in a garden and in a bouquet they add another level of elegance like no other flower.

I find it a fussy flower to tend to but my father has taken to raising them and his bushes are magnificent. He takes the time to water, feed, spray and prune and his hard work pays off. His climbers are admired far and wide. I asked him if he would plant of couple of roses for me if I bought them. Not knowing anything about roses I chose tea roses and ordered two from White Flower Farm. Tea roses are a breed to themselves, yet my father has tended to these two finicky plants and the results are a gorgeous plant.

Today we had the privilege of attending a rose lecture at Deer Brook Estates in Exeter, RI given by Michael Chute, a master rosarian. Mike & his wife Angie are expert gardeners & rose-growersas well as authors of “Roses for New England: A Guide to Sustainable Rose Growing” and founders of Rose Solutions landscape consulting service.

I learned so much in this lecture. While I will still not grow roses, I learned so much about them. It is always fun to learn new things and today I got a head full of new knowledge. Mike was informative and entertaining. He held our attention and gave a wonderful talk. He and his wife brought wonderful examples of roses which were delightful to see and smell.

The photos above are the pink tea rose my father is raising for me...simply a classic beautiful rose.

For now I stick to my peonies, lilies, iris, camassia, hosta and what have you...but I will admire and maybe even envy a little the rose experts the Chutes and especially my Dad...hard work does pay off.

Elizabeth

Lily of the Valley - Delightful

I just love the fragrance of lily of the valley...we have so much around and never planted a single piece of it. It "floats" into places and takes up residence and just thrives. I suppose a bird or animal is actually the delivery system that has left pieces behind in their travels and for that I am truly grateful. We have many large areas that it thrives in and the scented air in the spring is absolutely heady. It takes a bit of time to gather a bouquet because it is has such a slender stalk but it is so worth it. A simple tug on the stem is how I like to pick it...

I love to put my little bouquet in this antique quilted green glass vase. It has a brass swing handle and I find it darling and the perfect vessel to hold my lily of the valley...

What a lovely bouquet to look at...tiny little white bells surrounded by broad green leaves...

Simply delightful!!!!!

Elizabeth

The Farmer's Daughter - A Destination Garden Center

The Farmer's Daughter Garden Center in South Kingstown, RI on Route 138 is what one would call a destination garden and nursery center. To visit their website click here The photos I took today just scratch the surface of what they have to offer. All the buildings are post and beam and from what I was told they were built by Amish builders from Pennsylvania. Each greenhouse is wood faced and painted to blend with the outbuildings. Each building and greenhouse has a designated purpose be it a shade house, gift building, succulent house, and the beat goes on. There are plantings and theme oriented groupings of pottery, outdoor furniture, trough planters, lighting, herbs, shade plants, perennials, annuals, roses, vegetables and so forth. The main building is where you check out and has wooden gutters and rain barrels. All the walkways are paved or landscaped so it is hard and even. The whole center is well thought out and each time you visit there is something new. It is a true pleasure to shop and meander about dreaming about a plant or a pot one may want to fill.

This is a little shed with a crescent moon cutout in the door. Look closer at the roof!
The roof is alive...with living plants...how wonderful!

A closer look...

One of the buildings...wonderful form

Each area is designated with a certain theme...signage is clear, plain and simple

A lovely filled planter

The perennial area is easy to shop...the ground is even when pulling your wagon and is organized alphabetically....there is plenty of help to answer questions...

A lovely view...

The shade area...it is surrounded on two sides by privet hedging...

Small cutouts in the hedge allow for breezes to pass through as well as a window to the cutting gardens and display gardens as well...

I love this area...

It is very interesting and the eye appeal is gorgeous...the shapes and colors are so cool...

A nice planting around a specimen birch...

One of my favorite areas way in the back...

Shade shrubbery is displayed amongst tall pruned pines in rows like tall soldiers...it is a spot I could stay in for a very long time...the other areas were getting hot today but this area was cool and breezy...I feel trees always attract wind and breeze and this area did not prove me wrong! It is an incredible place to experience...worth the walk to the far end of the public property...

A new herb garden planted this year...as they say about perennials...first year sleep, second year creep and third year leap...I am looking forward to see this herb garden mature over the next couple of years...knowing the folks at the Farmer's Daughter...it will be delightful!!!!!

Elizabeth