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

Macaroni Salad for a Hot Day

Once the weather gets hot...it seems like meals turn toward summer favorites. Burgers with potato salad, hot dogs and toasted rolls, cold soups, green salads and lots of sorbets and sherbets. So tonight a quick supper it is...decided to have turkey franks in toasted rolls with plenty of mustard, minced vidalia onion and celery salt, sliced tomatoes and cukes and of course a perennial favorite of ours...macaroni salad. So easy to make and soooo good!!!!!

Just boil up your favorite pasta shape and cook till al dente in salted water. Drain and chill down with cold water. Add diced hard cooked eggs, green sweet relish, finely diced onions and mayonnaise. I would be hard pressed to make my own mayo because Hellmann's is just so good. With summer salads that no fat mayo is really disgusting...a mix of low fat and regular is fine but if having guests go full fat....

Got a little surprise when I sliced this egg open...

A double yoked egg...how cool is that...I love when I find one of these...they are just such a novelty...

So the macaroni salad is chilling in the fridge, the turkey franks are waiting to be grilled and this double yoker never made it to the salad...the husband ate it...as is.

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

Garden Record Keeping

I have always kept a record of my gardens. I find it soothing to come into the house after working outside to write just a little something about what I planted, where I put it, what is currently starting to pop up, show color and what did not return after a cold winter. I like to know how certain varieties respond in my garden and what varieties simply do not thrive. Why waste space with something that just won't grow...I have tried to plant Oriental Poppies several times but they just won't come back nor grow once in the ground. So phooey on them...they shall live in someone else's garden without me. I like to mark rows in the garden and then repeat the information in my diary...I love to read back my entries during the winter...it refreshes my memory and peaks my desire for winter to end soon...so I can try something new and relish the return of my beloved peonies, iris and lilies. Record keeping needn't be lengthy...just a few notes to remind oneself of things to come or what has already happened in the garden...


I use a photograph album to save all my perennial tags...this way I know what varieties I have...

I also write in a diary what I planted and how things are going...the weather and other info I feel is necessary for me to keep my gardens in shape...My diary is cloth covered with embroidered flowers, bugs and butterflies...picked it up at Barnes and Nobles and wished now I had picked up a couple more as this current one is almost full.

This is a page in the album that holds the tags from some of our peonies...If I have a photo or catalog info I try to include that also...

Another page in the album...all our peonies are from White Flower Farm in Connecticut.

More tags....

A page in my diary....

A diagram of my garlic bed in 2008...I rotate my beds and try different varieties every year. I plan to leave my diaries and albums with our house when we leave here someday...I hope the new owners will continue the tradition....

Tags for the album as well as seed packets from zinnias and radishes I planted...I will record the varieties and where they are. I also planted some more herbs today so that info will be noted. I will certainly take a minute to note that my first Siberian Iris has bloomed, the ground phlox is fading, some of the peonies and iris are showing color and the dahlias that I planted about a month ago are sprouting...the blueberries are loaded with flowers, the clematis has covered the arbors, the hosta is huge this year...and the beat goes on...

For me the above quote says it all ....

Elizabeth

One Talented Girl + One Piece of Fabric = Delightful Baby Gifts

My nephew Caleb married a very talented girl...Laura has an eye for the making pretty things...these items are simple and lovely...not overdone and busy...soft, sweet, and comforting. Laura has the ability to take an item and add just a solitary touch and it turns a boring something into an unique delight.

Laura sent an email explaining to me how she took one piece of fabric and created baby gifts for a friend. By simply buying some burp clothes and a piece of very busy fabric...she decomposed the pattern and added a simple image and made these burps clothes look so pretty. The simple image sewed onto the burp cloth took this much needed baby item to a new level...it looks very rich and personalized.

This is the piece of fabric Laura bought. She felt it was a little "too much"...so she cut out a single image and sewed it to the bottom edge of the burp cloth...WOW...what a great look...I actually can imagine how that cloth will look over a the new Mom's shoulder...

By individualizing the images...don't you think Laura made a great change...each image alone is so much nicer than all together...

Laura's eye for the simple really pays off with these gorgeous burp clothes...if I saw these in a baby shop I would need one for myself as I would be drooling to buy these!!!!!


Cute...Cute...Cute

Laura also embroidered "bambino" onto a plain piece of fabric and sewed it onto a onesie...what a great way to personalize a little "baby body suit"....

To finish off the package Laura is going to make little sachets filled with dried lavender...a simple touch to a wonderful handmade gift basket...this will be a very one of a kind baby gift....

Laura plans to open a shop at www.etsy.com to offer her handmade baby items one day soon...I believe they will a hit!

Elizabeth

Lemon Icebox Cookies - SOOOO SIMPLE and OH SOOOO GOOD!!!!!

I love a big bowl of citrus on the counter...it looks so pretty, is an affordable "kitchen bouquet" and you can make a cake, cookies or add some zest to a stir fry or use the juice to make a salad dressing...


Today I decided to use some lemons and make Lemon Icebox Cookies...absolutely a snap to make...all done in the food processor...how simple is that?!

Flour (2 cups), confectioners sugar (1 cup), salt(1 tsp) and lemon zest 1 tbsp + 1 tsp) go in first for a spin in the processor...

The unsalted butter ( 1 cup or 2 sticks) in in small chunks is added and processed to a sand like texture...add the egg yolks (2) and a little lemon juice (1 tsp) and DONE...How easy...

Dough is divided in half and rolled in parchment and placed in the frig for a couple of hours...

Once out of the frig...just roll in sugar (1/4 cup)

Slice in 1/4 inch discs and place on parchment lined baking sheets


Fifteen minutes later and cookies are baked (350 degrees)...the fragrance was lovely...buttery and lemony...and that is exactly what they taste like.

Once cooled I packaged them up in glassine bags, added a yellow bow and a metal framed tag with the name of the cookies on it...makes a nice presentation for gift giving. Of course I saved out two for both my husband and myself...

You always needs two cookies...one for each hand of course!!!!!

Elizabeth

Roasted Oyster Mushrooms - Taste like Bacon!!!!!

How can you not like oyster mushrooms?! When roasted they taste like bacon...really!!!!! These big beauties are simple to work with...and oh so good.

These are two nice oyster mushrooms I picked up at Dave's Market...a locally owned grocery store here in Rhode Island....they have a great selection of fruits and vegetables...they always try to have locally grown produce which is wonderful...

Isn't this a pretty mushroom...the gills on this mushroom are so nice...

To roast is a cinch...just remove the mushrooms from the stem...sort of tear off easily...tear into small pieces and place on a baking sheet...these two mushrooms made a lot so two sheets were needed. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes...roast in a 325 degree oven for about 20 minutes...roasting time really depends on the size of mushrooms pieces so just roast till the pieces have cooked to a deep brown, shriveled up and look like bacon...

Here they are done...you have to remove them from the baking sheet with a bench scraper which is not hard to do...and drain on paper towels...they are delicious alone but can be used in so many ways...top a soup, add to a sandwich, toss with egg or potato salad, mix with scrambled eggs or a frittata...get the idea...endless ways to use these mushrooms...

We had them on a tossed salad with a basil vinaigrette I made...absolutely delightful...

Elizabeth