The unseasonably warm weather last week was a welcome reprieve from our usual cold, snowy days. Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day that I enjoyed to the fullest.
Saturday morning, I was invited to the Nature’s Thyme Herb Group Annual Herbal Tea in Garrard County. These ladies went all out to make this event an outstanding success.
Each table was decorated by theme. The table where I was seated was decorated with chocolate as the theme. There were chocolate-scented geraniums and chocolate-mint tea. Chocolate candies were scattered among fresh plants and flowers as the centerpiece. Our place settings were marked with a small floral card, which included seeds to grow the featured flower. Tea was served in vintage tea cups.
There was such an array of herbal foods that there was no way to sample everything. One side of the display area was labeled “savory” and included goodies such as curried chicken salad, herb spreads and dips, baked carrots with horseradish and more. The opposite side had spiced cakes, cookies and every type of dessert you can imagine.
Once everyone had enjoyed their meal, Linda Porter gave a wonderful presentation on growing and using native plants, herbs and flowers. At the conclusion, everyone received a folder filled with information and contacts related to her subject.
Thank you, ladies, for such a warm welcome and a very enjoyable morning.
Saturday afternoon was spent outside helping Barrie and Jon set posts for the greenhouse. We managed to get them all in and formed up with concrete before the rain showers came in. If the weather holds, we finally will be able to get the supports up and cover on.
Like most farmers and gardeners, we are beginning to gear up for this year’s farmers market. Seeds are ordered and beginning to arrive. Some seeds are started and beginning to fill out. It will soon be time to turn the soil and lay out this year’s garden plots.
The optimism of farmers, watermen and others whose livelihood is dependent on nature is amazing. Each new season is viewed as a new beginning, with thoughts that “this year will be as good or better than last year.”
We hope for sunshine or rain, as needed, controllable weeds and garden pests as well as perfectly formed fruits and vegetables. Yes, we are definitely optimistic every year — that our gardens and fields will produce the optimum yield and quality crops.
As we move closer to the 2011 season, we look forward to the first tastes of fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables. It is time to begin digging out those favorite recipes or clippings from magazines and the newspaper that you want to try this year. Also, don’t forget that the Boyle County Farmers Market is going to have a cookbook. We have been busily combining our favorite recipes to include in our first collection.
I have always been an avid recipe and cookbook collector. I read them like most people read magazines. I love trying new recipes and tweaking them to suit my tastes as well as creating my own.
There is something about Southern cooking that always says “comfort food” and Southern Living cookbooks have some of the best “comfort food” recipes I have ever tried.
We have sweet potatoes from this year’s crop stored in our basement. I like them prepared in a variety of ways. While searching for some new ideas, I came across this recipe in the “Southern Living 40 years of Our Best Recipes” cookbook. Although it is touted as a great fall recipe, I think this dessert tastes great now as well.
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