Inspiration

A hosta leaf…a hydrangea blossom…a sunset…texture of foliage…a watermelon…Inspiration can sprout from some amazing places.

The sunset the other night, with its peachy gray/lavender/blue/pewter/platinum/periwinkle hues, inspired a series of pots and arrangement at a client’s house. What colors exactly were in the sunset were hard to name yet they created a menagerie composed of the softest hues of the aforementioned colors with metallic threads laced through. Simply stunning sunset and though my camera was not around, I captured it in the plantings, and, thus, will be able to recall the sunset whenever I see the plantings.

Same is true for flower arrangements. A watermelon rind inspired a hosta and fern combo arrangement and the cinnamon, copper tinged pitcher was the perfect vessel to showcase the arrangement… twigs of curly willow merrily springing forth and repeating the copper color as well. when I saw the green on green striations in dark and light forms of the color, I was reminded of the hosta leaves and the new shoots of Kimberly Queen fern were apropos with their own spring green tint and curling fronds.

While on the hosta leaf inspiration, the big leaves of the green and white varieties are one of my favorite types of hosta and foliage for that matter. The creamy to pure white variegation and dark green is just so cool and classic. Much like a white hydrangea, with its cottony mounds of white florets atop dark green leaves. When combined, the two make for a classic and stunning arrangement of the cool palette the hot summer can bring.

Green, in various and sundry shades are a particular favorite of mine. From the depth of forest greens to yellow or chartreuse and spring green, sometimes just a collection of greens can be just the ticket to a pretty composition full of texture and color richness. Ajuga, moss, ivy, huechera…all plants known for their foliage, are delightful as planting companions and fair well in the same growing mediums and environment. What is so fascinating to me is the base from which all these different tints stem from…green! Now the Ajuga is aubergine eggplant in its color depth but with a green undertone. The moss and huechera are lime yellow green - the very essence of chartreuse. The variegations of greens in the ivy are just perfect in this combo. I relish the opportunity to mix greens in a planting!

Take inspiration from your surroundings and keep your eyes peeled for an awesome texture, a fun combo, a natural juxtaposition, or a simple placement of interesting elements…from this Farmer’s garden, kitchen, and imagination – happy garden living!

Herban Gardening Part II: Bouquet Garni

The French term for “a bundle of herbs used in cooking,” a bouquet garni is the perfect complement to any meal, and should have its place in your kitchen. Nothing beats the flavor of fresh herbs in a dish and what better place to gather these herbs than your very own garden. Take it from this Farmer, a bouquet garni prepared from the garden and waiting to flavor your meals is definitely the vehicle to a garden living lifestyle.

Gathering a few herbs from the garden and arranging them in a jelly jar or simple container makes the kitchen prettier and smell good as well. Since my stems of rosemary, thyme, and basil are literally at hand, all I have to do is snip or pluck or pick the leaves I need and my dishes become infused with the essence of the garden.

Since I know my palette and the flavors I like to use, I keep bundles of said flavors close by for convenience and aesthetics as well. When making a stew or boiling water for pasta, having access to these bundles of herbs makes my kitchen prep time a breeze. I love the savory smell, taste, and flavor of rosemary, thyme, and oregano in my pasta and beef dishes as well; so when I know I’m going to cook one of these meals, I like to have the bouquet garni on call and ready for action. A bundle of sage and bay will wake up a chicken dish or soup in an instant, layering the dish with richness and freshness. What better place to collect these herbs than from your own garden and kitchen counter! Besides, the stems will root after a few days in water, so transplant your new herb plants back to the garden or share with friends…a bouquet garni makes a lovely hostess gift or housewarming token.

Often, a bouquet garni is tied with some kitchen twine and immersed into the stock or stew and fished out once the dish is ready for serving. The bouquet may also be bound, simply bagged into cheesecloth or a tea strainer and removed before consumption. Vegetable shavings or julienned pieces of veggies are often placed within a bouquet garni, such as leeks and carrots, to flavor a chicken stock. One of my favorite bouquets consist of thyme, parsley, and lemon peel – this combo fares well with poultry, pasta, and pizza and is a staple in this Farmer’s garden and kitchen.

In mentioning one of my favorite bouquets, note that there is no true recipe for a bouquet garni…the cook’s palette is the way to determine the bouquet’s constitution. Parsley, thyme, and bay leaves are traditionally used in bouquet garni and rightly so, for these flavors blend very well and create a wonderful base layer of flavor to expand upon. Next time you are making a pasta dish or chicken stock, throw in some of these herbs and liven up your dish and awaken your palette. You can even toss some thyme leaves into pizza dough or on toasted bread to coordinate the flavors throughout the meal.

Of course, this Farmer has to have his Southern twist on gardening and cooking and a bouquet garni is of no exception. I like to keep a bouquet of mint close by to flavor and garnish tea… sprigs of ‘Kentucky Colonel’ or ‘Spearmint’ just waiting in a julep cup like pretty maids in a row! This is my kind of bouquet garni… Southern style for Southern style!

Sometimes I’ll throw a bundle of mint into the boiling water or infuse the simple syrup with the leaves. Garnishing a glass of tea with mint is perfectly elegant, but this dose of the garden is not only aesthetically pleasing, but aromatic as well. And since so much of our taste is derived from the olfactory sense, the smell of the mint as you are sipping your tea is just a part of the whole experience. We eat, and drink, with our eyes first so why not drink from a pretty glass of tea?

Take it from this Farmer, a bouquet garni is a welcomed addition to the kitchen counter as well as your dishes’ flavor. Discover you flavor palette, plant your herbs accordingly, and keep a bouquet garni on hand for a dose of garden living. From this Farmer’s garden and kitchen…enjoy!

Herban Gardening Part I

Springtime Arrangement

So there are times during the course of the year when the garden is just teeming with tantalizing blossoms to cut and arrange. The middle of May is one of those times, and this Farmer relishes the middle ground belle epoch when Spring is still firing on all cylinders and Summer is catalyzing to be great.

The softness of Spring, tinged with the sharpness of new growth, new life, is such a beautiful contrast. Pastels and creams juxtaposed with chartreuse make for terrific combos this time of year. My foxgloves have heralded the vernal equinox and are on their decrescendo whereas the roses and hydrangeas of summer are just warming up to crescendo into nature’s symphony of color, texture, and scent. I cannot resist the opportunity to mix the two simultaneous seasonal blooms that occur this time of year in the Deep South.

May is a bridge month where we are hot yet not forgetful of the cooler nights from April. June, July, and August are right around the corner and promise to be hot – indicated by May’s warm days. As the traditional blossoms of Spring begin to fade and give way to the classics of Summer, I just can’t wait to mix the blooms and branches that abound and create a homage to such a season as this. We call September an Indian Summer, and I feel that this year, we’ve had an extended Spring… an Indian Spring if I may…

Foxgloves, newly blue hydrangeas, roses, spirea, curly willow, and huechera meld together in a cream ware urn to create seasonal tribute. Fronds of Autumn fern add texture and a whisper of Summer’s bronzed hues. The hydrangeas are not completely blue, and their creamy centers pick up the cream color of the foxgloves, whose hanging bells remind me of whipped crème fraiche with speckles of vanilla beans.

A few more fronds of Kimberly Queen fern add rigidity and structure as well as the quintessential Spring Green color. For drama, curly willow branches meander from the apex of the arrangement and topple down through the composition with grace. Garden roses, with a scent of their own divinity, arch forth in sprays of pink to deep coral and give promise of more beauty to come with a few buds clustered in the mix.

Floppy leaves of ‘Key Lime’ huechera spill over the sides of the jardinière as the ruffles of this Springtime ensemble. More chartreuse from the leaves of ‘Lemon Princess’ spirea and its rusty coral florets complement and contrast at the same time thus enduring this little powerhouse of a plant to this gardening Farmer. Drought tolerant, seasonally interesting, and super in bouquets, sprireas and this one in particular should have a home in your garden.

I just love the ability to step outside my front door, or back or side door, and gather a bouquet and arrange the blossoms into a celebration of the season. With a carefully planned garden and an executed scheme for cutting, your garden can be your own florist shop. Now after enjoying this arrangement for days, I’m thinking of my next one…no two arrangements are ever alike in the Farmer’s garden, for each season, each week, each day provides a chance to arrangement that moment in time’s floral bounty. Capture the essence of each season and celebrate the beauty of Spring and Summer’s courtship – I hope you’ll be as thrilled as I am when the garden is just brimming with flowers to cut and arrange! From this Farmer’s garden to yours…happy gardening and arranging!

Why White Lily

Have you ever read through any of your grandmother’s cookbooks or other old recipes and seen where flour is called for, White Lily is often suggested? I know that White Lily has been a Southern staple for years, but never truly understood why it was until fairly recently.

On the side of the White Lily Flour bag, one may read the following: White Lily has been using the highest quality ingredients since 1883. White Lily Self-Rising Flour is milled from 100% Soft Winter Wheat. Soft Winter Wheat has a low protein content making it ideal for delicate baked goods such as biscuits, muffins, waffles, and pancakes.” Furthermore, “For every cup of Self-Rising Flour used in a recipe, substitute 1 cup and 2 Tablespoons of White Lily Self-Rising Flour.”

Ok, Soft Winter Wheat has a lower protein content. So what does that mean? Well, wheat flour is comprised of two proteins, glutenin and gliadin. Combined with water, the proteins in the flour form an elastic-like sheet known as gluten. Since flours, their various proteins, and thus the gluten add texture to baked goods, a softer baked item, such as biscuits and cakes, doesn’t need such a tough structure as do yeast breads.

Our typical Southern all-purpose flour is milled from Soft Winter Wheat which simply has a less gluten forming protein. The flour is then bleached, making it whiter, though not affecting protein structure. Summer Wheat has a higher protein count, and most national all-purpose flours are a combo of Winter and Summer Wheat. The wheat is so named for the season it is planted…Winter Wheat is harvested in the spring. Summer Wheat is harvested in the fall; thus, often why the spring and fall are represented by green and brown wheat respectively.

“White Lily contains approximately nine grams of protein per cup of flour, whereas national brands can contain eleven or twelve grams of protein per cup of flour.” Virginia Willis states in her book, Bon Appétit, Y’all. Continuing on, “…high protein flour absorbs more liquid than does low-protein flour; if you attempt to make biscuits with a high-protein flour, you will need to add more liquid. Self- rising flour is all-purpose flour that is low in protein and contains a leavening agent and salt…if you have a recipe that calls for self-rising flour, use the following formula to convert all-purpose into self-rising: to 1 cup of Southern all-purpose flour, add 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder add ½ teaspoon fine sea salt.” That’s if you don’t have self-rising on hand – White Lily does make self-rising flour.

Some sense has been made. I can think of times when I was making biscuits and I had to keep adding buttermilk over and over. Was I using White Lily? Probably not if I had to keep adding more and more liquid. Mrs. Mary and Mimi always use White Lily or Martha White, which is another good Southern brand. That alone should be the reason why! Eat one of Mary’s biscuits and you’ll never use anything but White Lily.

So give a bit of thought about the flour you are using. Whether you are making some cornbread, biscuits, a cake, or muffins, the texture of all these breads is crucial. Since that texture is a direct product of the gluten structure formed when the protein from the wheat and water are mixed, low-protein wheat, Soft Winter Wheat, is your best bet. I hope you get to pass wheat fields sometime soon…they are absolutely stunning. I love the sharp greenness contrasted against a gray winter sky or a newly purposed blue sky of early spring. And Summer Wheat, harvested in the fall, is gorgeous in bouquets and arrangements. I hope you enjoy your baking expeditions, and from this Farmer’s garden home to yours, enjoy!

In the Garden of Jeweled Delights

Alexandria, Virginia…what a great place! Now having traveled there twice this year, I’m starting to feel as if it is a second home…namely because of my dear friends’ hospitality (they are from Georgia, dutifully noted!). So what does Mr. Farmer do when he heads to Washington? Well, besides seeing sights of DC, the fun times eating, talking about food, and writing about food take up a great deal of time! From cocktails to dinner parties, I am never without wonderfully delicious food and fellowship.

Combining food and flowers is just my cup of tea, or should I say glass of tea? Throw in beautiful jewelry, and a garden of jeweled delights was created as the tableau for a S. King Collection jewelry show hosted at the beautiful home of a sweet friend. With her gorgeous home as the backdrop, arranging flowers was going to be a breeze! Until Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull had something to say about it!

When we headed to florist, we were quite dismayed upon arrival, for the volcano had stopped all blooms (and people for that matter) in Holland from traveling to the States…luckily some Stateside blooms were available, and our arrangements began to take shape. Taking inspiration from the interiors of the home and the luscious jewel tones of the jewelry, peach, pearl and peridot became the color scheme. Branches of flowering quince with tinges of coral in the blooms broke through sprays of salmon tulips and mounds of antique, jewelry toned hydrangeas.

Stock, in meandering shades of pearly white, creamy yellow, and a frothy nectarine was pierced by towers of delphinium bells in enamel colored lapis, white, and lavender. The chartreuse of viburnum accented the blossoms and added to freshness that springtime blooms epitomize. With jewels literally abounding in shades of the flowers, a garden was now abloom atop the tables of the lovely home on Prince Street.

As for the food, jeweled morsels of Southern delicacies were on the menu and served the guests. The Farmer’s Garden Pimento Cheese atop cucumbers, Lemon and Pecan Crème on sourdough rounds, Zucchini Squares, and Rosemary Thyme Walnuts were passed by our most dutiful server and sous chef!

Whenever I stay in Alexandria, hometown touches abound at the abode of a precious friend from Hawkinsville…we Georgians are an important element to DC thus flavoring our nation’s capital with our Southern foodstuffs. Petit fours and cheese straws (from no other than the petit fours and cheese straw ladies, respectively) were hits at the party and perfect appetizers and desserts to give Washingtonians a taste of Georgia.

Guests nibbled on Southern gourmet morsels, perused fabulous jewelry, and admired the flowers – all bits and pieces of The Garden of Jeweled Delights! From Dixie to DC…what a treat!

Lemon and Pecan Crème

· 1 lemon juiced and strained

· Zest of two lemons

· 2 eggs yolks

· ½ cup of sugar

· 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened

· 1 cup chopped pecans

Combine the first four ingredients and cook them on medium heat until mixture thickens. Cool. Add the remaining, last two ingredients and mix thoroughly. Use as a spread on sourdough rounds, crackers, or even shortbread or gingerbread. Enjoy!

White Cheddar Pimento Cheese

· 1 1/2 cups of shredded sharp, or extra sharp white Vermont Cheddar cheese, use the small side of box grader

· 1/2 cup of Monterey Jack...good Pepper Jack if you want some kick.

· Jar of pimentos, diced and drained

· 1 tsp. of Worcestershire sauce

· 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. of cayenne or red pepper...add heat to taste...I like a little bit of heat so I use the 1/2 tsp.

· 1 tsp of Nature's Seasoning...more or less to taste.

· 1 to 1 1/2 cups of Hellman's or Duke's mayo...I use Hellman's and closer to a cup.

· A heaping cup of buttered, salted and toasted pecans

· Parsley from the garden as garnish

· Serve on cucumber rounds

Mix mayo, seasonings, and pimentos.

Shred and mix cheeses.

Combine together.

Fold in toasted pecans

Enjoy!

Delicious! I even serve it with a splash of fresh lemon juice!