Winter Garden 18th Century Style

We have had our first snow here, and I took advantage of it by taking a turn around the garden 18th century style in my Kinsale cloak.

 

I have had this cloak since I was a teen. My mother made it for me from a historical pattern. I think this December I will do fun posts. Maybe just pretty pictures!

In Victory,

Sherry

Understated Holiday

 
I am going very understated here for my embellishments for the season.

I have always preferred to forage my decorations in December. 

This centerpiece is comprised of two juniper sprigs, a blue ribbon, two tealights, a dough bowl, and a bag of pinecones I just got on clearance at Hobby Lobby for $1. 

I just made the table runner too, with a yard and a half of fabric from Hobby Lobby also.

Just creating a cozy feel is a must. 

No electric lights, just tea lights. Simple, understated, and nostalgic is the look I have created here in the cottage corner. The pine smells really good. I just cut it today. Breathe deep and breathe in, and have faith. 

 “O Israel, stay away from idols!
    I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you.
I am like a tree that is always green;
    all your fruit comes from me.” ~Hosea 14:8 

In Victory,

Sherry

Propagating Herbs

 

It is almost the end of the year in my herbal yearbook. I am doing one more project out of it, and that is propagating herbs.

You can propagate most herbs by simply cutting them before they freeze and putting them in a vase of water. 

This was a November project, although I did this back in September because I was unsure when the first freeze would be.

I just cut all of the herbs I wanted to propagate and put them in mason jars with water in them and set them in a south-facing window in my house.

Here is the list of what herbs I used: basil, cat mint, peppermint, rosemary, sage, thyme, and stevia. They all made it but the stevia. I will have to investigate further to see what that needs to propagate. 

This is the mint. It had been in the water around two weeks, and it did really well. 

The next step, after you have roots, is to plant them.  This was planted on October 11th, and they are all still alive. Herbs are pretty hearty, so hopefully they will make it till next year, and these are some herbs I won't have to buy. 

Have you ever propagated herbs?

In Victory,

Sherry

A Pretty Autumn Table

A table just for fun and inspiration at this time of year.

I had it in mind to create this centerpiece before the cold got the roses, the hydrangeas, and the ferns.

It just so happens that my roses go with my hydrangeas at this time of the year. The hydrangeas morph in color in the autumn.

The muted colors also work well with an assortment of transferware for the romantic autumn table.

I didn't plan on creating an entire table setup. I just had fun creating a pretty picture. 

The garden has lasted about a month longer than usual. It has yet to freeze around the house. So I couldn't let all of these flowers go to waste. 

Enjoy the season. Enjoy every day.

In Victory,

Sherry

Oatrmeal Fig Bars

I have a little fig tree that has given me enough figs, so I made fig newtons. I get a scattered harvest of figs, so I freeze them and make fig jam first. Homemade fig jam recipe here.

This is a fig bar recipe, but it reminds me of the double-crust crumble that I make.

The family liked the fig newton bars. They are rich. I think of figs as a fall flavor. 

Fig Bars

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling: 1 pint of fig jam

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking powder, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the melted butter and combine until completely incorporated. Spilt half of the dough and spread it in the bottom of the 9 x 13 inch pan and compress it down with a spoon or the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake this for 15-20 minutes until the edges turn golden. (I baked mine 20 minutes.) Remove and let cool. 

Spread the fig jam on the pre-baked crust and top with the rest of the crust dough. It doesn't have to be perfect and can be a bit clumpy. Bake for 20 minutes until the edges are browned. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.

Makes 16 squares.

If you want to make this with fresh figs, the recipe I used has those instructions: Oatmeal Vanilla Fig Bars.

Do you have a favorite fig recipe?

In Victory,

Sherry

Teapot & Roses

I think that autumn roses might be my favorite! They have gorgeous, shiny green foliage and no bugs. 

They were perfect today for an arrangement in my teapot. 

In Victory,

Sherry

Autumn Tea

I am taking tea in the brambly hedge today, where the blackberries grow in my garden. The leaves have almost all fallen, and just like that, some of the trees are bare. 

I have a library book I have been reading. I am a history buff, and I have been reading The Journal of Beatrix Potter. I taught my son high school, and we read a lot of primary documents sort of like this. This is a journal written by Beatrix between the ages of 15 and 30. Okay, here is the amazing thing: she never expected anyone to read it because she wrote it in a secret code. She never told anyone about the code or the key to deciphering it. So it was studied, and the translator Leslie Linder cracked the code. It was in fact the heading to verses 1-12 of the 90th Psalm, the prayer of Moses. I was fascinated all the more with her after finding this out. So many layers to Miss Potter indeed.

What lies behind the beautiful watercolors and pretty pictures she paints? 

Doing my part to bring you pretty pictures here as well. The afghan was from my great grandfather's house. It used to hang on the back of the couch. It was also at my grandmother's, and I can remember my grandfather getting under it after a Sunday dinner for a nap.

The roses that are still blooming are gorgeous! 

I have never kept pansies alive all summer, but these are still going strong and are just beautiful.

In nature, fall colors are my favorites. What is your favorite season?

In Victory,

Sherry

Herbs de Provence

For the month of October, I am making an herb blend called Herbs de Provence. This is an all-purpose seasoning that originated in the Provence region of France. I have picked my herbs and had them drying for over a month. With the herbs fully dry and crumbly, I can now make my seasoning blend.
 

This is an herb project I found in the book The Herbal Yearbook. All year I have done one project a month out of this book to get more use out of the herbs I grow in the garden.

In September I made a fresh herb basket with this blend of herbs, and this month I will use them.

The herbs have been drying for a month, and I take them off of the drying rack and now crumble them up. Herbs shown here in my blend are: thyme, rosemary, oregano, and sage. The herb blend varies a bit from producer to producer.

They should not have any moisture left in them and be brittle, not pliable.

Here, I am showing a little bag I made years ago to place the herb blend in. 

Originally posted herbs de Provence here in 2010 on the blog.

This post on The Daring Gourmet shows all the versatile ways you can use this herb blend. This book has been a great resource for using and trying out new things with my herbs in the garden. I have thoroughly enjoyed working my way through it this year. 

In Victory,

Sherry