February Tea Party

Did you know that people in Turkey drink more tea than anywhere? I learned that yesterday at the tea party put on my the Rocky Mountain unit of the Herb Society of America. This annual tradition is typically the last weekend of February; when we have the urge to get out and garden but know that its too early. And this year the Rocky Mountain unit is celebrating 20 years as a unit!

scones and more

Candles we took home

 I've been a member of the HSA-RMU most of that time and have thoroughly enjoyed the educational opportunities as well as socializing with people who love gardening and using herbs for all kinds of reasons. Many of the members of HSA-RMU have become friends of mine and it was great to see everyone this weekend.

The tea was held at the Denver Tea Room which I'd never been to but you can read more about here. There were 20 or so of us there and they served the best scones and clotted cream I think I've ever had. We enjoyed a black tea with vanilla and cinnamon as well as a chamomile tea. They gave us a presentation on tea customs around the world which was quite enlightening to learn the difference between high tea and low tea - referring simply to the height of the table!

Springtide Face Cream got a photo shot because it uses green tea as an ingredient.

tea service and Springtide

Warmest February on Record

I thought the snow would never melt but after 2 weeks of warm weather its finally gone - soon to come back though I'm sure. But with the warm weather we spent some time this beautiful February weekend catching up on much need work here on the farm. After cutting down and clearing away dead stalks of lemon balm, we can see underneath that it has started growing already. Some of the lavender has begun to turn green too, which typically doesn't happen until early summer. A few of the other plants such as parsley and horehound are also greening up.

I'd like to start separating some of the perennials too, southernwood especially has gotten overgrown and I've dug out a few roses that never bloom.  

We bought a tractor late last summer and with the ditching attachment I plan to redig some of our irrigation ditches and add some more. Our goal this summer is to keep irrigation water off the lavender. There is  a lot to learn about using a tractor and we are still learning. We will use it for tilling and mowing the pasture once a year too.


Although its nice to get an early start and get some trimming, weeding and cleaning done during this winter month, we need to realize that in Colorado most of our snowfall happens during the month of March. We have to guard our excitement about summer but in the meantime its nice to work hard and then have a glass of wine on the deck to celebrate.

We do have some big plans though for summer.  I hope to have a few farm dinners and farm facials.

It should continue to be warm and we will do another work day on Saturday. We do take volunteers on our farm so if you want to be on our volunteer list, let us know.