A Fairy Garden

I get anxious for spring this time of year so I made a visit to my local garden center. After seeing some of the adorable fairy gardens on display I decided making my own would be a great way to get through the rest of winter. I knew my fairy garden needed to be made from herbs alone. I choose Roman Chamomile, Gota kola, Thyme, Rose Geranium, and Rosemary, all have great aromas and textures. Some of these plants were pretty dense so I split them as I transplanted them into the wide clay pot I purchased. I'll save the part I split off to put in the garden in spring. As the herbs grow I will trim them so they will get denser. The rosemary and thyme will eventually hang over the side of the clay pot I hope. The rose geranium I trimmed quite a bit around the bottom so that it would look more like a tree and provide a shady place for the fairies to sit. The garden center had quite a few ceramic fairies and other 'paraphernalia' to choose from so if you decide to design a fairy garden be sure to get a pot big enough to fit all the fun options you'll want. But just looking at the miniature garden items; shovels, wheelbarrows, fences, chairs etc. was alot of fun in itself.

After filling the pot with soil I put a path down the middle made from crushed oyster shell. This was something we already had on hand for our chickens but you can find several bags of crushed stones at the garden center too. The fairies then went in right under the rose geranium tree where they seem to be comfortable. I found a frog outside that had broken off a globe in the garden and he wanted to be part of the garden too and talk with the fairies so he went in too; even though his size seems to be a bit out of proportion!
What do you do to help get through the last part of winter?

Herb Society Tea Party

I can’t think of a better way to spend a blustery Sunday in February than with fellow herbies at our annual Herb Society of AmericaRocky Mountain Unit)tea party. This year’s theme was Mardis Gras.The pot luck dishes included gumbo, pecan pie bars, spicy spinach balls and of course King Cake with a tiny plastic baby hidden in inside for someone to find. My contribution was Vegetarian Jambalaya (see recipe below). A commemorative herb tea was designed to mark the occasion.

This year’s tea was held at the Denver Botanical Gardens as it often is. Attendees came dressed for the occasion wearing purple, blue and green and dawning feathered masks. In addition to the feathered masks a demonstration on fresh facial masks was given by Tonja Reichley of MoonDance Botanicals and we all went home with a sample of chocolate rose face mask to try in the privacy of our home! Our Herb Society group meets once a month at theDenver Botanical Gardens for a business meeting and an herbal presentation. I believe our next presentation will be on chocolate (one of my favorite herbs)! Do stop by.

Vegetarian Jambalaya (adapted from: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishentreerecipes/r/Jambalaya.htm)

Saute:

1 chopped onion

3 cloves minced garlic

2 ribs chopped celery

1 chopped green bell pepper

1 chopped red bell pepper

1 cup sliced mushrooms

Add:

2 cups brown rice

6 cups vegetable broth

Cook for 15 minutes

Add:

2 sliced zuchinnis

1 large can chopped tomatoes

2 cups sliced vegetarian sausages (Morning Star links)

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp cayenne pepper (more to taste)

3 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sage

1 tsp dried marjoram

Cook 20 more minutes or until rice is done. Eat up and enjoy!