Nature Journaling

Instructor, artist, and neighbor Patti VanBrederode shared with us the many aspects of Nature/Garden Journaling. Garden Journaling tends to be more exact, notes on when you planted or harvested certain crops. It might include empty seed packets, and plant labels Nature journaling is more personalized and covers feelings, inspirations as well as leaves or feathers. It might include also wildlife sightings and can certainly include all the information you would put in a garden journal as well. Patti shared her journal with us which includes dreams for her garden and her family. She was encouraging in having us journal to value our thoughts, connect with the Earth, be inspired by what we notice and much more.Patti urged us to journal in anything or on anything a book, index cards, what ever. The important part is to start! No time like the present!

Distilling Lavender and other herbs

Tina Sams of The Essential Herbal Magazine has a tabletop size glass still.
Peace Valley Lavender Farm, has a copper still going in the background.
Carousel Lavender Farm is running a stainless still.
Many people ask if we distill our own essential oils. We do not simply because it takes pounds and pounds of material to get even a small amount of oil. However, with a still of some sort, the product you will get is called a "hydrosol" or a floral water which is basically a water with trace amounts of the essential oil left in it. Lavender water can then be used as a perfume, a spray on linens, to cook with, and many other uses. More common is Rose Water and Orange Flower Water, frequently used culinary delights.

Lovely Lavender

Lavender comes in two basic varieties Angustifolia (including lavender Munstead, Hidcote, Twickle, Jean Davis and others) it has a sweeter scent which is considered the best for culinary purposes. These plants are smaller plants and bloom earlier.

And Lavender Intermedia (which includes hybrid varieties such as Grosso, Dilly Dilly, Provence, Spike and others), sometimes called Lavandins this variety smells a bit more camphorous. However their yield in essential oil content is considered about 10 times more than the Angustifolias. These lavenders are generally used for crafts, soaps and cleaning products. They tend to have much longer stems and are a very robust plant, growing to 3 feet by 3 feet and often living 15 or more years.

Willow Pond Farm Lavender Festival

Always held on the weekend of Father's Day, participation in this annual event has become a Rosemary House tradition. Willow Pond Farm hosts excellent speakers, provides a delicious luncheon featuring lavender items, "Pick Your Own Lavender" and simply enjoy the view and the fragrance. Susanna generally presents a workshop or two at the event while sister Marj works in our sales booth.

Thanks to Diane Bell and her friends for the photos from this years Lavender festival seen here in the fields relaxing after volunteering. This lavender farm is only about 45 minutes away from us located in Fairfield, PA just 8 miles south of Gettysburg.

Peace Valley Lavender Farm

The lavenderwas in full bloom during our recent traveling herb seminar to Peace Valley Lavender Farm. It smelled as good as it looked! Peace Valley Lavender Farm is a charming place, transporting us instantly to Provence. Patti the owner of Peace Valley gave us an extremely informative garden tour,a tour of their drying room, distilling room and left time for us to visit their fine gift shop. She also gave us directions to Tabora Farm and Orchard where we had a very herby buffet meal complete with lavender ice cream (or Rosemary or lemon thyme ice cream). The lavender was provided by Peace Valley Lavender Farm of course!

The Carousel Farm

The Carousel Lavender Farm in Mechanicsville, PA (We are MechanicsBURG, PA) was a part of our Lovely Lavender Traveling Herb Seminar #75. With beautiful vistas this working lavender farm was a joy to see.

Niko gave us a quick tour of the fields, the drying room and the still.

All the buildings have been beautifully restored, making Carousel Lavender Farm,

simply gorgeous everywhere you looked.

Our next Traveling Herb Seminar is Sept 20th where we will visit the Bronx Beauties, New York Botanic Garden and Wave Hill with a stop at Abigails Tea Room on the way home.

Pennsbury Manor Gardens

Our recent tour to Pennsbury also included a tour by Michael Johnson, the Curator of Living Things. He did an informative garden tour while we where gathered around the cistern. The gardens here are very practical. They grew all their vegetables, medicines, insect repellents, hops for the ale and much more in raised beds. Pennsbury Manor was along the river for the cool breezes, ease of travel to Philadelphia, and also as a source of water for the gardens and animals. Shown here are various watering implements, cans, buckets, gourds and a "thumb jug" where you fill it with water and hold your thumb over the top of the jug. Letting your thumb off the jug when you need to water. (Think of a straw that you fill with water and let loose later).

Pennsbury Manor

Our recent Traveling Herb Seminar #75 took us to Buck's County PA and included a visit to Pennsbury Manor, the rebuilt country home of William Penn, the founder of our state. Although Penn did not live many years in this 17th Century home it does give a great glimpse into the lifestyle of the past. These outbuildings of the country home of William Penn include washing buildings, stables for animals, a country kitchen, wood shed and a large room for making ale. Shown here, a small corner of the very large country kitchen which would have been in constant use to prepare stores for the winter, complete with a great collection of wooden and stone mortar and pestles for grinding the herbs. The informative docents dressed in period fashions
and guided us through the grounds and the interior of the home.
Tomorrow we'll feature the herb gardens.

Happy Fourth of July!

Meet the Garden Cats

Two of our three garden cats appeared in the gazebo one summer day a few years ago, with only a tail showing from under the tablecloth to give away their hiding place. Young kittens at the time, perhaps 6 weeks old, left to fend for themselves in the safety of a herb garden. Their mother passed through the area to check on them periodically, but they were on their own to be discovered one day. Immediately given names, they have found a loving supportive home. Gypsy, appropriately named as she wanders far afield and returns for meal times and a moment to be cute. Her brother, Friskie, shown here with his nose buried in the early spring catnip peers up in his catnip haze. He's always been the friendliest of the three, willing to be picked up, snuggled and petted as we desire.
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Miss Scarlet Skittish Cat followed one of them home one day when she was just a few months old, decided this was pretty good living, and hasn't left the area since. She has adapted to her new home, even becoming less skittish as the months pass by, but still leery and fearful of the unknown.

All three live in the greenhouse during the winter months, snuggled one atop the other for added warmth. Fortunately, a program called SNAP (Spay Neuter Assistance Program) is available in our area and helped us limit the population growth of the garden cats. We're happy to provide certain comforts for these cats, but extra happy to know they will not add to the population of feral cats in our community (the mother included).

Tea Cup Thursday

We're joining Miss Spenser and others today for Tea Cup Thursday. This lovely little tea cupdelicately sits atop a blue covered 'cloth' adorned with daisiesand lace edging. This beautiful work of art was created by a bakery in Eastern PA. Layer upon layer of white and chocolate and more white cake with raspberry filling and chocolate filling and white filling, oh my! It was
amazingly high and definitely delicious!
What a fun addition to the afternoon tea celebration!

The Victorian Tea . . . menu

The menu for the Victorian evening began with a Caraway Tomato Soup. This was followed by a plate with assorted sandwiches which included Radish & Goat Cheese on Puff Pastry, Chicken Crescent Rounds, Cucumber and Dill Sandwich, Blue Cheese & Asparagus Rollups, Savory Cheddar on Pumpernickel, and Strawberry with Mascarpone Cheese.The scone course included fresh from the oven Traditional English Cream Scones (recipe here) and Lemon Poppy seed Scones served with cream, lemon curd, jelly, orange slices, strawberries, and blueberries.

Dessert included a petite Raspberry Cream Tart with a pretzel crust, a chocolate brownie topped with a peanut butter rose, and Almond Sugar Teapot Cookies. Myra, of Places Through Time Living History shared some of her Victorian treasures, including a Victorian mourning bonnet, cameos, and assorted fans.