Happy Halloween Afternoon Tea!

Our annual Halloween teas were held these last two Sundays in October. The tea room, decorated for the season, sets the scene while the menu is centered around the theme.

First course, once tea is served, featured a seasonal Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad with fun things added like raisins, bacon, red onion, and cheddar cheese pieces all tossed with a creamy dressing.

 The sandwich plate included a Full Moon Chicken Salad Sandwich. Although difficult to see in the photo, there is a little silver bat flying over the moon. The Pumpernickel RIP Coffin has roast beef with a water chestnut/onion filling. There is a Parmesan Cheese Toasted Ghost (the favorite sandwich, I'm told). Cyclops Eye was a cream cheese based sandwich with lots of almonds for crunch, and sliced olive for the eye. A Pimiento Cheese Black Calico Cat rounded out the sandwiches.









The scones featured a Traditional English Cream Scone in the shape of a ghost. The triangular scone is a Curried Pumpkin and Ginger Scone with small pieces of crystallized ginger along with curry and turmeric as added flavors. Toppings included Sweet Cream and Cinnamon Honey butter. A sweet jellied pumpkin and fresh orange slices graced the plate.

A trio of petite desserts included a Lemony Curd Ghost, Gingerbread Brains, and a Oreo Truffle Mummy.

It's always fun when our guests dress for this event! 


HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

A Happy Halloween from Sweet Remembrances

In addition to decorating the herb gardens, the tea room is decorated for the season. Festive pumpkin teapots become the focal point for the decor on the Victorian secretary with various other pumpkin decorations.

A lace hanging laden with bats is strung high between the doorway separating the front room with the back room while creepy spiders crawl up the lace curtain in the rear room.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Some Gangrene Tea in your pumpkin tea pot or perhaps you prefer Creepy Cappuccino?

The Haunted Gardens of The Rosemary House

Once the PA Tea Festival is over, the Rosemary House gardens are transformed into a haunted adventure. All three gardens are decorated with pumpkins, scarecrows, goblins and ghosts. Our community holds an annual 'Streets of Treats' event where families visit local businesses for candy. Market Street in front of our business is closed to traffic, and local organizations set up booths with activities and more candy.
Everyone is encouraged to stroll through the gardens 'if they dare'.

In the gazebo

Under the Pavilion

Bay tree

Sip for Peace - PA Tea Festival 2019

At the PA Tea Festival we participated in a Sip in for Peace at the close of each day. This event was sponsored by the International Tea Sippers Society who provided the perfect sipping cup for our gathering. They have supported Sip in for Peace around the world the entire month of September, noting that the International Day of Peace is celebrated annually on September 21st.

 According to Babette Donaldson, "no one alive has experienced global peace. There is no shared vision or language. Tea has the potential to empower individuals to reclaim a personal sense of peace and inspire a vision of what could be". Attendees gathered at the Peace Pole in the herb garden, and on Friday our Peace Ambassador Lin Henry of Tickle Your Fancy guided the group in sharing personal moments of peace and reflection. She concluded with a silent moment of peace while playing 'What a Wonderful World'.

John (far right) from Tea-for-All was our Peace Ambassador on Saturday. He shared his personal feelings about reflection and finding peace in life. Both of these events were tranquil and peaceful and provided a moment of hope and inspiration to those that attended. The teas we served featured a blend of teas from around the world. Tea unites us and comforts us.

Our Peace Garden, tucked in the back corner of The Rosemary House garden is dedicated to our hope for Peace on Earth, Internal peace for all people and Eternal peace for our beloved mother and her sister and sister in law.

Let there be peace on earth.

Tea Tastings - 2019 PA Tea Festival

Limited in size, specialized in scope, the Tea Tastings take place in The Rosemary House outbuilding. They are scheduled both Friday and Saturday and feature specialty instructors concentrating on a unique topic. We were pleased to welcome Dr. Sally Wei, a certified Tea Sommelier from California. She covered a wide range of Taiwanese Oolongs and offered a unique introduction to this spectrum of teas.

Another specialty class featured an introduction to Cooking With Tea presented by Debbie Hartman where participants learned how to incorporate tea into their recipes, offering hints and tips along the way.

The Tea and Sushi pairing class featured local business entrepreneur Nate Baer of Retro Sushi. Nate demonstrated sushi making and Mike Raab of Tea for All prepared a range of green teas that would complement the final product. 

Teresa Weddelman journeyed from Ohio to instruct two distinct classes. She hosted a Tea and Chocolate Pairing seminar that offered quality chocolate paired with equally good tea.

Her second seminar was a class on clever and tasty Mocktails that included tea. She shared fun ways to garnish the lovely brews.

These were just a few of the specialty events that took place during the festival. These seminars require an additional ticket to attend, and it is recommended that the tickets be purchased in advance as there is limited seating for each session. New Tea Tastings/Seminars, and perhaps a few favorites will again be scheduled for next year.

Japanese Tea Ceremony - 2019 PA Tea Festival

We are so fortunate that Sachiko prepares individually hand whisked bowls of Matcha, Japanese Green Tea.

Understanding the Japanese Tea Ceremony is a lifelong learning process. The ceremony incorporates four principals; harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility with the understanding that this is a once in a lifetime moment, never to be repeated, all the while creating a moving meditation for the guest and the host. The process is documented in this series of photographs as the pictures tell the tale of this ancient tea ceremony.

PA Tea Festival - 2019 - Rosemary Alley

Rosemary Alley is the location for a wide variety of vendors at the festival. There is a long row of tents with various merchants and an abundance of tea themed treasures. Many returning vendors were set up in this area alongside a few new comers.

Several Mid-Atlantic Tea Business Association members are represented in this area. One Steep at a Thyme, Tea-by-Two, Tea-for-All, Tea & Whimsey, Greenhalgh Tea, are all MATBA members.

The Literary Corner was also located in Rosemary Alley. The tent was set up and a variety of authors joined us for book chats and book signings. Special thanks to Kensington Publishing for assisting in organizing this area. And thanks to Deb Beamer of Mechanicsburg Mystery Books for coordinating the book sales.

Also in Rosemary Alley is the colorful supersized chair with a basket full of tea themed props for the perfect photo op!