Cocktails
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Cocktails, Cooking, Gourmet Garden, Herb Gardening, Recipes, Roses, Valentines Day Flowers
The Vintage Rose: A Valentine’s Cocktail
The Vintage Rose Cocktail: Perfect for Valentine’s Day (or any day!) Valentine’s Day is coming up, and with Rosalind Creasy’s The Edible Flower Garden still on my mind, how could I resist sharing a romantic rose-cocktail made with real rose petals and homemade rose syrup? Long time readers may recall this recipe from nearly a decade […]
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Citrus, Cocktails, Herb Gardening, Recipes
Cranberry-Basil Margarita with Homegrown Citrus & Herbs
Cranberry-Basil Margarita Tis the season for entertaining, and for many of us, that means welcoming guests with refreshing, festive cocktails. At the moment, I’m planning a Winter Solstice get-together for family. This will be more of a roam-about the room and chat party than a sit-down dinner, so I’m dreaming up tasty libations to set […]
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A Blueberry Smash in the Moonlight & Cocktail Gardening Gone Wild . . .
 Icy, Cool, Blueberry Smash Have you heard? Cocktail gardening is all the rage these days. Of course, mixing drinks from fresh-picked ingredients has been popular with gardeners for as long as booze and backyards have been around, but it always seems to take mainstream media awhile to catch up, now doesn’t it? Strictly speaking, I’ve […]
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Autumn, Bee-Friendly Gardens, Beneficial Animals and Insects, Black Plants, Butterflies and Moths, Climbing plants, Cocktails, Ferncliff, Fragrance, Garden Paths, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Garden Room, Secret Gardens
Seduced by Autumn’s Alluring Scent …
Deep Within the Secret Garden, the Delightful Scent of Fairy Candles (Actaea simplex ‘Hillside Black Beauty’ and ‘Brunette’ aka Cimicifuga racemosa) Perfumes the Air, Luring Me Down the Dim, Winding Path. (Other plants here: Acer palmatum x dissectum ‘Seiryu’, Daphne x burkwoodii ‘Carol Mackie’, Viburum bodnantense ‘Dawn’, and beside the Actaea simplex: glowing, chartreuse Hakonechloa macra ‘All […]
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Berries, Cocktails, Recipes, Reflections, Summertime Cocktails, The Seasons
Fresh Picked Raspberry-Mint Daiquiris And Hazy Summer Reflections …
Fresh-Picked Raspberry-Mint Daiquiri An Afternoon Swim Favorite Old Summertime Slides Truth: I’m suffering from a bit of vacation envy this week. Months have passed since I’ve had a whole day to myself, and to be honest, I really need one. It’s been terribly hot, and I’ve been doing projects back-to-back. I try to “make hay while the […]
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A Sparkling 4th of July Celebration …
I love fireworks. Those colorful, explosive displays have always reminded me of neon flowers; great big daisies, electric dahlias and sparkly spider flowers in the night sky. Beautiful! And is there anything more romantic than stretching out on a blanket to take in a delightful show of pyrotechnics on a warm summer’s eve? wishing  you  a  very […]
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Cocktails, Cooking, Garden Party, Summer Solstice, The Seasons
A Warm Welcome to Sultry Summer …
A Warm Welcome to Summertime with Pyrotechnic Flower Bouquets Summer begins today at 1:16 pm EDT, and I’m welcoming her with open arms. After a long, cold winter followed by a wet, drizzly spring, I’m more than ready for hot and hazy, hammock days and sultry summer evenings. There are so many things to love […]
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Bee-Friendly Gardens, Beneficial Animals and Insects, Berries, Butterflies and Moths, Cocktails, Cooking, Cooking with Kids, Fruit for home gardens, Plants for sun, Pots, Recipes, strawberries, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Strawberries & Homemade Granola: Fresh Fraises des Bois for Breakfast …
Fresh Picked Alpine Strawberries or Fraises des Bois (Fragaria vesca) & Homemade Granola One of the best things about June —besides peonies— is fresh picked strawberries from the garden. I have a small but productive patch of fraises des bois (Fragaria vesca) —better known as alpine strawberries— in my potager (click here for more information […]
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Annual Flowering Vines, Annual Flowers, annuals, Bee-Friendly Gardens, Butterflies and Moths, Cocktails, Color in the Garden, Container Gardening, Cookbooks, Cooking, Cooking with Kids, Flower arrangements, Garden Party, Garden projects for kids, Honeybee Friendly Gardening, Hummingbird/Butterfly, Indoor Table Arrangements
A Visual Feast: Beautiful, Edible Flowers
Pansies (Viola × wittrockiana) are lovely atop cakes, in salads and especially when floating in cocktails… Or Cocktails, Like this Sunset Mangotini (click here for recipe) (Viola × wittrockiana ‘Matrix Purple’) Candied rose petals, lavender ice cream, hibiscus tea, chocolate cupcakes laced with violets; some flowers are more than a visual feast, they’re actually good […]
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Cocktails, Recipes, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
A Toast to Mothers Everywhere: Celebrate Mom’s Special Day with a Spiced Rhubarb Bellini …
Rhubarb Bellini with Warm Spices I remember the first time I tasted raw rhubarb. As many of you will likely remember from previous posts, my family raised strawberries, and in mid to late spring, strawberries and rhubarb go hand-in-hand. I never paid the perennial patch of rhubarb much attention, but one day —while out in […]
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Cocktails, Cooking, Maple Syrup, Recipes, The Seasons, Trees, Trees for Fall Foliage, Vermont, Woodland plants
Early Spring’s Sweetest Things…
The New Sugar Shack at Deer Ridge Farm in Guilford, Vermont Spring, oh spring, where are you? You certainly are a bit coquettish this year; teasing us with early catkins on willow, then snapping us with a sharp, cold sting. Yes, Spring has been withholding many early-season pleasures here in New England, but she always […]
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Celebrations, Citrus, Cocktails, Full Moon, Native Plants, Nature, New England, North American Trees, Recipes, Vermont, Vernal Equinox, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Oh Sweet, Sweet, Sugar Moon: Celebrate The Vernal Equinox & Celestial Beauty With a Seasonal, Maple Syrup Cocktail…
The Sugar Moon: A Maple Syrup Cocktail to Celebrate the End of Winter & March’s Full Moon at Perigee With the full moon at perigee, Winter’s end and Spring’s beginning, it seems there’s plenty to celebrate this weekend. Last night —eager for a preview of tonight’s celestial events— I took a tour of the local Connecticut […]
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Cocktails, Recipes, The Seasons, Trees, Winter, Winter Solstice, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Celebrating the Winter Solstice: Welcome the Season with a Sparkling Ode to Krampus…
The Ode to Krampus As the final hours of Autumn slip away with the low sun, and Winter arrives in her frosty chariot, I’ll be celebrating the Solstice this evening with friends and family. Marking the Winter Solstice is one of my favorite holiday traditions. And this year, while searching for a special cocktail to […]
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Celebrations, Cocktails, Home, Late Autumn Garden, Recipes
Savoring a Quiet Moment & Raising a Glass to Friendship and Good Company: Soul-Warming, Spicy Mulled Wine…
Mulled Wine and a Thanksgiving Toast to Friendship The last few days and hours before a holiday are always a busy time. With all of the necessary preparations —shopping and cooking, packing and travel— it’s easy to lose sight of the more important aspects of our gathering amid all the hustle and bustle. Sometimes it […]
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Apples, Autumnal Equinox, Celebrations, Cocktails, Cooking, Ferncliff, Foliage, Full Moon, Heirloom Apples, Native Plants, Nature, North American Trees, ornamental grass, The Last Day of Summer, The Seasons, Vermont, Woodland plants
A Toast to the Last Day of Summer: Greeting the Autumnal Equinox with Spiced, Heirloom Apple Cider Martinis…
Spiced Apple Cider Martini with Dolgo Crab Apple and Cinnamon Stick Garnish Farewell to summer! The autumnal equinox will occur at 3:09 am UTC (GMT) on September 23rd this year. So —depending upon where you live—autumn will officially begin sometime this evening, September 22nd, or in the wee hours of September 23rd. Here in New […]
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Cocktails, Color in the Garden, Garden Party, Music in the Garden, Recipes, The Seasons
Sweet September Sangria…
Sweet September Sangria The Colors of Early September – Rudbeckia hirta ‘Becky Mixed’ Along the Terrace The Colors of Late Summer Celebrating the end of summer?…What? The autumnal equinox is September 23rd (3:09 UTC)… That’s still more than a fortnight away! Call me a pagan if you will, but as far as I’m concerned, September […]
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annuals, Bee-Friendly Gardens, Cocktails, companion planting, Cutting Garden, Dried Flowers, Fragrance, Garden projects for kids, Gourmet Garden, Herb Gardening, Kitchen, organic gardening, Perennial Close-Ups, Plant Spotlight, Preserving Herbs, Recipes, Summertime Cocktails, The Seasons, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable Gardening/Potager
Savoring Summer: Harvesting and Drying The Garden’s Finest Herbal Treasures…
Drying Herbs in the Stairwell One of the great pleasures of living in New England is, of course, the seasons. The natural world operates on a distinct schedule here, and all life flows along with it at a steady pace. On these late August days, the song of the hermit thrush —an ever-present twilight melody […]
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Celebrations, Cocktails, Container Garden Fruits, Herb Gardening, Recipes, strawberries
Celebrating Fourth of July Weekend: Garden-Fresh Strawberry-Mint Mojitos & Flowers Exploding in the Night Sky…
Strawberry-Mint Mojitos – One of the Summer Garden’s Greatest Pleasures !  Photo â“’ Michaela at TGE An explosive ‘bouquet’ in the night sky â“’ Michaela at TGE Look at those great big sparklers! Oh yes, I do love a little pyrotechnic excitement now and again – don’t you? In honor of America’s birthday, I’m going […]
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Celebrations, Cocktails, Home, Recipes, Summer Solstice, Summertime Cocktails, The Seasons
Welcome Summer! Greeting the Solstice: Sweet Memories, Beautiful Dreams, Stylish Cocktails and Festive Sparkles…
Sunset Mangotini – The Perfect Drink for the Longest Day of the Year… Â Photograph â“’ Michaela at TGE Solstice memories. It was the longest day of the year -and I was eight years old- when I snuck out on a stylin’ new, metallic-orange bicycle for my first unauthorized ride. Off, down the long bumpy driveway […]
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Books, Celebrations, Cocktails, Cookbooks, Cooking, Cutting Garden, Early Spring Garden Plants, Ferncliff, Flower arrangements, flowering shrubs, Fresh Cut Flowers, Gourmet Garden, Herb Gardening, Indoor Table Arrangements, Recipes
Mother’s Day Brunch? Garden Fresh Ingredients & Ina Garten’s Chive Rissoto Cakes Help to Make it Special…
Do you love breakfast in bed? I sure do, and when I was growing up, sometimes my sister and I would serve it to our mom as an unexpected treat – especially on Mother’s Day. Part of what made it so special was the ritual of harvesting fresh flowers and herbs from the garden, and […]
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Bulbs, Celebrations, Cocktails, Cooking, Ferncliff, flowering shrubs, Garden Paths, Gardening Inspiration, Gifts for Gardeners, Home, Recipes, Secret Garden at Ferncliff, Secret Gardens, Spring Blooming Bulbs, Spring Flowering Bulbs, The Seasons, Woodland plants, Woody Plants
Mimosa Pour Moi? Oui, Oui, Oui. Sunday Afternoon Delights in the Early Spring Garden…
La Mimosa de Minneola de Michaela Could there possibly be a more lovely weekend for Easter Egg hunts, Sunday brunches, garden strolls and chilled mimosas? I think not. Here in New England the weather is simply spectacular, and swollen flower buds are bursting open to greet the glorious day. The pink bodnant viburnum ‘Dawn’ at […]
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