"A Way of Life" Practical Herbalism Course Graduation Day!

Susanna introduced a combination 10-month immersive herbalism course that began in January and culminated with graduation day this October. Once a month, students attended a day long session combining herbal pioneer and superstar Rosemary Gladstar's Science and Art of Herbalism coupled with Susanna Reppert's years of herbal experience with her 'Way of Life' practical herbalism program. This unique blend of comprehensive information offered a full sensory experience in the classroom and in the garden. Students were able to see, touch, taste and smell the herbs while learning. The course covered medicinal herbalism with lifestyle tips about herbs from gardening, to culinary use, and even crafting. Based upon attendance, completion of various assignments, and class participation, students received dual certification from Rosemary Gladstar's Science and Art of Herbalism Course and Susanna Reppert's A Way of Life Practical Herbalism Course. And, graduation day was highlighted with a Wild Foods Pot Luck!

During the 10-month program, students packed their own lunch to enjoy during break. However, for the final class, a wild food pot luck luncheon was suggested for this last gathering of budding herbalists. And the herbal delicacies did not disappoint. A variety of jellies; from Dandelion, to Elderberry, to Sassafras, were offered with an equal variety of crackers and breads to sample. A flavorful fresh herbal cheese ball was served with wheat crackers.

There was a warm Wood Sorrel and Sweet Onion Tart served alongside Green Noodles with Parmesan Cheese. Tina Sams of the Essential Herbal shares some of the advance preparation done for her wild foods in this blog post here.

This artistic garden salad featured sorrel and nasturtium blossoms with an oil and vinegar dressing. A fresh fruit platter and crispy homemade seed crackers and a delicious blend of toasted granola could be found around the table.

Dehydrated Persimmons, colorful, chewy, and naturally sweet were unique in their simple beauty.

Several crockpots were filled with flavorful seasonal soups. Attendees enjoyed Jerusalem Artichoke Soup using artichokes harvested from The Rosemary House gardens.

Two yummy squash bisques offered a contrast in recipes, both delicious with a variety of autumnal seasonings. Of course everyone sampled and savored everything.

The dessert table was equally as varied and included Kousa Dogwood Pudding Cake, Vanilla Rosemary Cookies, Chocolate Zucchini Muffins (whole food plant based) and Peanut Butter Cookies, dairy free, gluten free and whole food plant based. There was a moist zucchini bread made with hemp seeds, too. Not shown were the unique beverages, an Autumnal Equinox blend with a variety of herbs and a cold brewed Raspberry Spritzer.

 Graduates received Certificates from both Rosemary Gladstar's Art and Science of Herbal Medicine and from Susanna Reppert's A Way of Life Practical Herbalism Course. 

May this foundation carry them forward on their herbal journey!

This course will be offered again starting in January 2023 and culminating with graduation in October. Detailed information can be found on our Special Events website here. 

A hearty congratulations to the first graduating class of "A Way of Life" Practical Herbalism Course. 

Flavors of Fall Afternoon Tea by Faith

Guest Chef Faith Cohick joined us in the tea room this past Sunday to present her Flavors of Fall Afternoon Tea. Assorted spices, fruits and veggies associated with fall made their appearance at this special afternoon event. Colorful fall leaves and assorted pumpkins and gourds graced the tables and shades of russet, gold, and red were front and center.

The first course featured a Fall Pasta Salad with a Vinaigrette Dressing. The beautiful colorful pile of twisted noodles reminded me of a pile of freshly fallen leaves! 

Sandwiches followed with a variety of fall flavors including Pimiento Cheese on White Bread, Fall Veggie Pinwheel on a Tomato Basil Wrap, Bacon and Egg Salad on Wheat Bread, warm Zucchini Herb Bite, Autumn Chicken Salad Croissant, and Apple Pie Tea Sandwich on Cinnamon Raising Bread. Yum!

The Scone course included a flavorful Maple Pumpkin Butterscotch Scone and a thick slice of Vanilla Pear Bread. Fresh Fruit, Spiced Applebutter, and Devonshire Cream completed the plate.

Rounding out the Afternoon Tea, the dessert trio included a petite cup filled with Creamy Caramel Dip topped with fall sprinkles and served with fresh Apple Slices, a chocolate covered Nutter Butter Truffle, and a Maple Snickerdoodle cookie.

Special thanks to Faith for her beautiful presentation, yummy interpretation of a theme, and lovely execution of this fall harvest event. Watch for additional special themed teas catered by Faith to be scheduled in the new year.

Afternoon Tea with TikTokker Amanda (@matta_of_fact)

Saturday, September 17th offers a very special event that features Royal expert and TikTok commentator Amanda (@matta_of_fact). Fellow Royal watchers are invited to a Meet and Greet Garden Party (10:00 am - 12:00) with light refreshments served in the gardens of The Rosemary House (this is a ticketed event - $5.00). Meet and mingle with Amanda and other fans of Royals during this casual morning gathering. Eventbrite ticket link below.

Afternoon Tea with a full royal menu served in Sweet Remembrances. Following the tea, Amanda will share her royal watching experience and what her journey has entailed, including some "lessons learned". She will also display her collection of tiaras.

Menu:

Sweet Remembrances Lemon Caesar Salad 

Queen Adelaide Ham & Chicken Salad Triangle 

Cucumber & French Style Cheese Spread 

Susie's Garden Herbs & Garlic Vegetable Bar 

Green Apple & Havarti Cheese on Raisin Bread 

Egg Salad & Chives Filled Tartlet 

Oven Fresh Traditional English Cream Scone 

served with sweet cream and raspberry preserves 

Orange Glazed Poppyseed Tea Bread 

Fresh Orange Slices 

Petite Carrot & Pecan Cake 

Rosemary for Remembrance Cookie 

White Cake with Lemon Curd & Coconut Topping 

All Served with bottomless shared pots of tea

Pre-purchase tickets for either special event. Tickets are required for the Meet and Greet and also the Afternoon Tea Event. 

Saturday, September 17, 2022

Note: This event has ended.

Tiaras and fascinators encouraged!

17 Berkshire, Memphis, TN - Patisserie and Afternoon Tea

Tucked away in Overton Square in Memphis is 17 Berkshire, a charming patisserie serving home baked French style pastries, macarons, coffee and afternoon tea. The pristine white interior starkly contrasted with the touches of gold décor, both around the patisserie and on the tea table. From the place setting with gold utensils to the golden tiered tray. they had established and achieved their signature look. 

Once seated, we were offered the option to select two tea flavors from their tea varieties. We had a Classic Green Tea and a flavored black. The tiered tray arrived shortly thereafter, laden with traditional tea fare.

The tea sandwich selection featured cucumber with a seasoned spread, a baguette slice with herbed butter, and a triangular turkey sandwich with raspberry jam. The scone selection included their basic cream scone and a petite blueberry scone, both served with a creamy lemon curd. Dessert was presented with a Filled Cream puff with a bittersweet chocolate glaze, one of their macarons, and a small square of decorated white cake.  Back on the road again, tea room vacation visit number three (and sadly, the last one) under our belt.

 

Nashville Tea Co, A Modern Tea House, Columbia, TN

Our second tea room adventure during summer vacation took us to Columbia, TN and the Nashville Tea Co, A Modern Tea House, billed as old world sophistication wrapped in Southern charm. Located about 40 miles south of Nashville in an old restored shirt factory, now The Factory at Columbia, the tea bar, along with assorted various stores and foodie stops offers a unique destination. 

This bright and airy, casual tea house offers a wide variety of teas along with a seasonal menu. Susanna tried the 'create your own' bubble tea. Nancy selected a herbal blend, The Pink Lady, with sweet apple and roasted carnalized almond notes. David opted for one of their many green tea blends, iced.

This casual style tea house is perfect for a quick lunch stop accompanied with a refreshing choice of tea. We opted for the Herb and Veggi Pasta Salad, the Seasonal Cucumber Sandwich, the Cheese & Herb Quiche made with cheddar, mozzarella, and fresh garden herbs, and the Cumberland Scone, a seasonal scone with blackberry, maple, and sweet maple glaze.

The cucumber sandwich, a perfect summer option featured English cucumbers, gournay cheese, garlic & herbs, cream cheese, mayo & microgreens on artisan bread. It was a hearty cucumber sandwich, quite enjoyable.

This built-in wooden shelf unit featured an assortment of tea blends to purchase.

Draper Tea Garden - Afternoon Tea in VA

A journey south last week included a stop at the Draper Tea Garden in Draper, VA for afternoon tea located within Thee Draper Village. We had the opportunity for a little shopping at the unique shops before our scheduled tea time. The tea room has a large open space with several tables, and tucked off to the side is a much smaller private room with one table. We opted to be seated in the small room.

The tables are set with pretty matching china. In the center of the table is the tea selection for the day. Tea cups held three varieties of tea bags; ginger peach, blueberry sage, and English breakfast. Our hostess offered a tea pot full of hot water, and we were able to select and brew our preferred tea. More hot water was available upon request.

We opted for their 'High Tea' service which they label as a more substantial meal. We were served a large charcuterie board that included a selection of assorted cheeses, fruits, crackers, and relishes. It was a fun and different way to start our tea. Many of the treats on the charcuterie board are available in the gift shops in the complex. We enjoyed a mango cheese that was sweet with the first bite and ended with a little hint of zippiness.

Soup was up next, and it was a thick tomato parmesan soup garnished with a few crackers and cheerfully served in a tea cup.

After we finished dessert, the three tiered tray was placed in the center of the table. It held a host of sandwiches; from cucumber to pimiento cheese, to a veggie croissant along with fruit garnishes. In addition, there were vanilla scones on the top tier with clotted cream and seasonal jelly.

A separate plate was served later, and that held the desserts including shortbread, and an assortment of little cakes laden with cream. The oranges had a chocolate drizzle garnish. And, as if that wasn't enough, a chocolate trifle (cake and whipped cream, with chocolate syrup) served in a petite tea cup was the grand finale.

This was the first tea room stop scheduled for our summer vacation. We had three distinct tea room experiences during this trip. Nashville was our ultimate destination with plans to attend the International Handbell Symposium. The symposium is held every two years, and the location bounces around the world. This year, Nashville, and in two years, Japan. Angelica journeyed down a week earlier with the handbell ringers of the First United Methodist Church to attend the weeklong symposium and prepare for the final concert of the event.

Pickle Mixes! Hot - Dill - Bread & Butter

It's time to harvest that summer crop and turn it into a batch or two or three of refrigerator pickles! And we have the packet mix perfect to accomplish that mission! Order on line: Choose from Bread and Butter Pickle Mix for the person with the sweet tooth in the family. Or perhaps you want original Dill pickles, we have the perfect dill pickle mix too! and if you prefer a little spice in your life, we suggest the Hot Pickle mix. It's zippy, but let it marinate in the fridge a little while, and oh boy, it's hot.

Refrigerator pickles! Quick and easy! No canning. For the Dill Pickle Mix, we like to use a nice variety of veggies from cucumbers, to zucchini, to carrots, onion, and cauliflower. Whatever your garden is producing right now, turn it into Dill Pickles!

When we use the traditional Bread & Butter Pickle Mix we prefer to slice cucumbers and sweet onions. Simply follow the instructions on the packet, mix the prepared spice packet with sugar and vinegar, add your veggies, and wait 24 hours for delicious pickles perfect for your next outdoor gathering or picnic.

The packet of Hot Pickle Mix spices also lends itself to any variety of veggies. cukes, onions, zucchini both green and yellow, carrot rounds, and more. We notice that once the packet of spices is mixed with the sugar and vinegar (recipe on the package), it is first a 'zippy' blend, but let it marinate a week, and it becomes even zippier! For those that like it 'hot', this blend is for you!

These pickle mix packets are available in The Rosemary House and via mail order. 

You add the veggies, vinegar, and sugar, per the recipe on the package.