Garden Art ~ Our Tea Pot Tree

Over the winter months, we accumulated approx. 25 misfit teapots! Many didn't have lids, some were donated, a few were sadly chipped and cracked, and a large selection were Young Phil's unfired pottery projects.
With glorious summer time weather today, we set about wiring pots and attaching them to the ever growing tea pot tree. Over the few short years that we've been placing teapots on the pussy willow tree, the collection has quietly and amazingly grown. Then...

and Now...

Post Script: Sadly, during a July 2010 storm, our tea pot tree came down in the middle of the night. Although the teapots survived the fall, alas, the tree did not. We have 100 teapots looking for a new location. And we have a gaping hole along this fence.

Easter Preparation

This will be the scene in our house in another day. Uncle Phil and young Cedar by his side, poking whole cloves into the smoked ham in preparation for dinner. The bunny cakes are made, the onion skin eggs are dyed, and the menu is set. Family is beginning to gather at our herbal compound, let the festivities begin! Hope you have a joyous celebration of peace and remembrance this weekend. Happy Easter!

No Foolin'

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Dandelion Salad

The first born daughter, Carrie, has accepted the responsibility of mixing together the Hot Bacon Dressing for the Dandelion Salad for our Easter dinner. We shared our family traditions recently with Sue Gleiter, a food and entertainment reporter for The Patriot-News. A fun article, including the recipe for the Hot Bacon Dressing and a Dijon Sauce for the Asparagus appeared in today's 'your Life' section.

Easter Egg Factory

Yesterday was the day.... butter, more butter, confectioner's sugar, peanut butter, coconut, dipping chocolate.... and lots of hours beating, shaping, chilling, rolling, dipping, packing, even taste testing. First up, Whipped Buttercream, a fluffy mixture of 1 lb. butter, 1 lb. margarine, 1 Tbsp. vanilla, and 2 lbs. confectioner's sugar all creamed together and then whipped on high speed for about 3 - 4 minutes. This mixture pipes easily onto a tray and then is allowed to chill until firm prior to dipping in the chocolate. Work quickly when dipping as they will soften pretty quickly and might require additional time in the fridge. Next up, Coconut Cream, a creamy concoction of 8 oz. cream cheese, 1/2 lb. margarine, 2-1/2 c. coconut, 2 Tbsp. coconut extract and 2 lbs. confectioner's sugar. Mix until well blended. Drop onto cookie trays with a large spoon. Chill for 15 - 30 minutes, and then roll into a smooth egg. Chill again prior to dipping.

And finally, Susanna's favorite, peanut butter eggs. Simply a pound of margarine, a pound of peanut butter, and two pounds of confectioner's sugar. Blended and mixed until creamy and smooth. Sometimes it requires additional confectioner's sugar if the egg mixture feels too sticky. Simply blend it in by hand. Requires strong upper arms to thoroughly blend. Then, let the dipping and chilling begin! The peanut butter are the quickest to do since there is no chilling necessary once the eggs have been shaped.

Once chocolate covered, chill again until firm, and package. We like to use baggies with color coded ribbons. Once you know the code, it's easy to find your favorite.

All that remains is overcoming temptation so that we have chocolate covered Easter Eggs to share with family and friends. Do you make Easter Eggs? Do you have a favorite?


Or, do you prefer something a bit healthier? We also make hard boiled eggs that have been dyed a beautiful russet color with onion skins. These are another family tradition for Easter, and will be made in the next day or two.

Tea Room Decor

for the upcoming Easter holiday. Rabbits....

tucked here and there, on steps, on books, they're everywhere!

and they're multiplying.

Old Spice Tins

Collections!
This assortment of spice tins represents only a very small portion of our mother's original collection. She loved old spice tins, and it gave us something to search for when we went to flea markets or yard sales. It was a guaranteed winner when given as a gift! Mom started collection spice tins when we could find them for 25 cents or 50 cents if they were really special. Now, you'll be lucky if you find them under $10.00! When it came time to pack up the old house full of collections, I requested a sampling of the old tins. The artist sister gathered the tins for me, looking at sizes, shapes, and colors of the tins so there would be a nice variety. In the end, I ended up with a collection of Cloves tins! They stand proudly in the kitchen, atop my spice chest, a reminder of days gone by.

Fresh Fruit Anyone?

A beautiful plate of fresh fruit is delightful to serve and enjoyed by many. We like to serve the fruit with marshmallow cream. One of Angelica's favorites, this is an easy recipe, and a sweet addition to the fruit.
Marshmallow Cream
1 - 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 small jar Marshmallow Fluff
fresh zest of an orange

Combine cream cheese, marshmallow, and fresh orange zest until blended. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve with assorted washed and cut fruits. Note: to enhance the natural sweetness of the fruit, it is best to serve the fruit at room temperature.

This marshmallow cream would also make a great accompaniment to our Traditional English Cream Scones.

Garden Shows

Two weekends of local garden shows was a welcome relief to the snowy winter we experienced. At the PA Garden Expo in Harrisburg my favorite exhibits were the ones presented by the local FFA's and Vo-tech Students. The future of Gardening is secure!
This garden had a Southwestern Theme.Colorful and fun! Isn't this a most clever plant stand?
This polished garden was prepared by the Juniata FFA.

Ponds are always popular.
I want this table! With thyme, moss and baby tears and a small little trickle of water going down the middle. Garden Shows at the end of winter certainly lift the spirits with the heady fragrance of soil, abundant spring blossoms and creative ideas for a new growing season. It's a fitting way to usher out winter and an uplifting beginning to welcome spring

Tag! We're it!

Photo Tag.... we've been tagged by PeggyR... the object of this game is to share the 10th picture in a series of photos. I had to go back several series until I found a grouping of more than ten pictures...(I have a heavy hand when it comes to deleting pictures!) anyway, that took us back to Hawaii-50. And that's what this picture is... it elicits fond memories of a beautiful family vacation on the Big Island, but we're simply Hawaii dreamin' now.

If we play by the rules, at this point we're supposed to tag five other bloggers, but rather than specifically tag our blogger friends, I'm going to send out a 'blanket tag', and if you want to play, join in! Leave a comment on this post, and let us know you joined in the fun. I'll be sure to check out your photo! Post the 10th picture in a series, and share it with the blogging world. If you want to play the traditional game, tag 5 additional bloggers and be sure to share the instructions.

Eco-Friendly Seed Starting Pots

Seeds are here! We love Renee's Garden Seeds. She has a large variety of herb seeds and also has heirloom veggies and flowers too.

This year we are starting our seeds in eco-friendly pots that are quite inexpensive and easy to make at home. We have used empty egg shells in the past and they work well except that they are such a small pot. So this year we are making our own pots out of newspaper and also using toilet paper rolls. The rolls are very easy to make into pots. Simply make several one inch cuts on the bottom and fold ends in to form a base and create an instant tall pot.

The newspaper pots take a bit more time to fold but it is a good rainy day project and they can store flat so they don't take up much space. Find complete instructions and a video on how to make the pots here.

For a list of herbs that are easy to start by seed and other seed starting tips. Check out these posts from March 2008.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

On this St. Patrick's Day, we're
Wishing you
A green, growing garden,
A good cup of tea,
A day touched by sunshine
And warm memories.