When Life Gives You Lemons—Get Creative

“Like the first ray of sunshine, a lemon wakes up the senses and refreshes the soul.”

~Alice Waters

The brilliant citrus flavor & cheery sun color of lemons always puts a smile on my face. In winter its addition to a holiday sauce adds a bright note. Long summer evenings are enjoyed with a favorite Happy Hour treat, the Lemon Drop. Lemon Chicken sprinkled with Herbs de Provence fills the house with a homey aroma. And a springtime dessert bar sings a fresh tune with a classic Lemon Bar.

“If life gives you lemons, don’t settle for simply making lemonade – make a glorious scene at a lemonade stand.”

~Elizabeth Gilbert

A favorite summer event for our young boys was a Lemonade Stand. Our previous home was on a corner of a cul-de-sac with a wide front lawn. Setting up their small table & chairs, a fresh pitcher of Lemonade with ice and slices of fresh lemons & cups. An a sweet hand lettered sign. The quintessential childhood entrepreneurial activity.

“In the simplicity of a lemon, there’s a complex burst of life.”

~Alice Waters

Lemon & Lavender mingle together in Italian countryside memories. A rental house in Umbria was our home for a week’s time. Lemon trees, fresh eggs & fresh herbs gathered from the property provided the base of many creative meals. The reminder that the simplicity of ingredients create a slow and sustainable approach to cooking.

“Cooking without lemon is like eating without tasting.”

~Daniel Boulud

I have considered my favorite pantry items previously. The humble lemon has alway resided on the top of the list. Other “must haves” are salt, olive oil, eggs, sugar/honey, gf flour, vanilla, cornstarch, baking soda, rice, chicken stock, beans, greens, cheese, chicken—and coffee!

“Lemons symbolize a fresh start; their zest is a reminder to renew and refresh.”

~Donna Hay

Springtime is the perfect time to incorporate this zesty citrus as a seasonal refresh!

Pam’s Favorite Lemon Bar

Ingredients:

1/2 c unsalted butter, room temp + more for pan

1/2 c confectioner’s sugar + more for dusting

1/4 t salt

1 c Bob’s 1-to-1 gf flour

4 egg yolks

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

3/4 c fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 8” square pan. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving overhang on 2 sides; butter paper.

2. Make shortbread crust: Using mixer beat butter, sugar & salt until light & fluffy. Add flour & mix on low until just combined. Press into bottom & 1/2” up sides of prepared pan. Prick all over with fork. Bake until lightly golden, 15-20 min.

3. Make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together yolks, condensed milk & lemon juice until smooth. Pour over hot crust in pan; return to oven & bake until set, 25-30 min. Cool completely in pan.

4. Refrigerate until filling is firm about 2 hours or up to 3 days. Using paper overhangs, lift cake onto work surface; cut into 16 squares. Dust with confectioners sugar.

**I love to serve these Lemon Bars with homemade ice cream & sliced strawberries.

(Original recipe credit Martha Stewart 2019)

Wintering In—

“In the winter she curls up around a good book and dreams away the cold.”

~Ben Aaronovitch

December

Winter arrives each year amongst a flurry of holiday activity. To my heart, Winter Solstice surpasses the seasons most romantic event—Valentine’s Day. The longest night of the year. Giving way to a gently lengthening of days. Set against a back drop of the night sky full of stars, Christmas lights, kindness & tenderness.

“Every moment is a fresh beginning.”

~T.S. Eliot

January

Following the weeks of anticipating a new year, we turn the calendar to a fresh beginning. “Is this your slow season?” I am frequently asked. My answer as a small business owner is, “I don’t believe there is one.” Winter hits is stride with closing of books and tax preparations. One of my favorite parts of January is adding events & bookings to our calendar. With each inquiry of wedding florals, custom orders, popup invitations & nonprofit requests comes an excitement for the year ahead.

“I can buy myself flowers”

~Miley Cyrus

February

“Kindness never goes out of style,” and I feel is essential to all relationships, including ourselves. The shortest month of the year is the busiest for the floral industry. I enjoy spending the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day curating non-traditional gift offerings & designing fresh color palettes for our florals. I so enjoy selecting the perfect cards, self care products & plants to offer. February date nights consist of dinner & a movie. As amateur film enthusiasts, Mark & I commit to watching the award season movies.

“If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?”

~Percy Bysshe Shelley

March

The anticipations of spring always gets the best of me by the time March arrives. Pruning of Hydrangeas is winding down, garden beds are planned, seeds started, sprouting of green everywhere. Birds are gathering material to create their nests for the approaching season. My favorite cherry tree always shares her flower splendor, daffodils reach for the sun, cleaning and organizing every nook and cranny has begun.

During the winter months within its scurry of activities, I consistently am drawn to celebrating life’s quiet rituals. An extra cup of coffee in the morning, sipped from my favorite mug. A fire in the fireplace, Henry stretched out getting cozy. Striking a match to light a soothing candle. Curled up with a book from the top of my reading stack. Throwing new pottery pieces, painting or sewing. Organizing photos from the past year—a perfect way to experience gratitude. Sometimes the sun is shining crisp and clear, creating patterns of light on the wall. Or rain that seems never to end. Every so often, a gentle snow fall, covering the gardens in a clean blanket.

Whether your winter months reflect your own cozy nest, snow bird to warmer weather or mountain eagle’s nest to enjoy the seasons activities—cheers!

C is for Cookie…

“I think cookies are sort of the unsung sweet, you know?

They’re incredibly popular. But everybody thinks of cakes and pies and fancier desserts before they think of cookies. A plate of cookies is a great way to end dinner and really nice to share at the holidays.”

~Bobby Flay

Most of us have childhood memories taken from the primary holiday book—cook book that is. Whether a neighborhood cookie exchange, tins of homemade treats for friends, office recipe swap or annual gingerbread house making. Each home has their own story to tell.

Years of Tupperware laden tables with dozens & dozens of cookies is mixed into my own holiday memories. It began as our family Christmas Eve celebration held at my grandparents farmhouse (a mere .5 mile from Belle Flower Farm). As the family member numbers rose, it evolved to my childhood home. The inevitable spread again and a move to the church social hall was incorporated.

Step 1: Gather your ingredients

Sisters that loved to bake. Two of the four took the pastry chef lead on this. They began early as ingredients went on sale, cracking walnuts in the fall & picking up the latest container at that year’s Tupperware Party.

Step 2: Get to mixing

A blend of old and new recipes—grandma’s favorite sugar cookie, nutmeg heavy, sat along side the “modern” Rice Krispy Treat. Peanut butter balls & Snicker-doodles. Chocolate crinkle cookies & Snowballs. Wagon Wheels, Fudge & Divinity. Vanilla jumbles, cutout cookies & more. Both sister baked at least 10 double batches each!

Step 3: Don’t Forget the Leavening

As all the sisters chatted on the phone, updates to the party plans, dinner menu & cookie numbers. Laughter was never far away. The objective, after all, was for the family to sprinkle fun with folding in memory making.

Step 4: Time to Bake

The timer went off & everything came together each Christmas Eve. Over 59 years of celebrating together. Soup buffet, Christmas carols & reading the Christmas story,  box in the box game, BINGO, Family trivia, talent show, Graham cracker houses, Christmas stockings from grandma, and later the “grandmas”—and cookies!

Step 5: Resting

After all of the cookies had been sampled, family members were encouraged to fill their empty containers with cookies to take home. Several dozen remained, set aside to become dessert for our own Christmas Day. A few favorite ones for Santa’s treat later that night.

All shared & enjoyed—until next year.

“Christmas cookies can’t help but be retro—

they are memory first, sugar-flour-egg-redhot-gumdrop-sparkle reality second.”

~Dana Goodyear

My own joy of baking lost its spring for a short time. Gluten free baking took some time finding the right flour to incorporate. As I bake our favorite holiday cookie recipes it now delightfully goes unnoticed. From Chocolate Pinwheel to Macarons, Snow balls to grandmother’s Nutmeg Sugar cookies—I am filling our cookie jar with a new twist.

“..and that’s good enough for me.”

~Joe Raposo

Dedicated to my late Aunt Margaret

Fall Cleaning

“As you embark on this journey, I invite you to remember these words: slow, quiet, gentle. You are already worthy of love and belonging. This is not a journey of worthiness, but a journey of care. Because you must know, dear heart, that you are worthy of care, whether your house is immaculate or a mess.”

—K.C. Davis

My mother has always been an intentional housekeeper. In the days when women were referred to as “Housewives” she fit the traditional definition. Supply tote in tow—Spic and Span powder cleaner, scrub brush, an old pairing knife to clean corners & rubber gloves to protect her nails. From the time I was a little girl, I always enjoyed “playing house”. Setting a table for pretend dinner parties, moving my bedroom furniture around & organizing drawers.

Mark & I bought our charming, tiny bungalow our first year of marriage. Setting up our home included decorating, remodeling & planting a garden. I adopted some of my mother’s cleaning processes & developed my own throughout the years—& 2 subsequent homes. Fall cleaning is a fond term I look forward to. Righting a household that has seen a busy summer of activities. Giving our farmhouse a little TLC and completing those tasks that slipped through the cracks.

Room by room allows for not becoming overwhelmed. I begin at the top of the house with our Main bedroom. And currently as empty nesters, I move to our now abundant guest rooms. The baseboards that need washing, dust under the beds, fresh sheets & fir doors polished. Repairs such as a blind restrung here and a drier vent cleaned out there.

Then to the first floor. Den, dinning, family room & art room next. Removing books, frames & collections off shelves. Washing everything with warm water, gentle cleaner & sponge. It is also a time to assess if items still have form & function. If it is time to let go, it is added to the donation bag. Drapes, blinds, windows & pillow covers all get a refresh. Wall & baseboard mars get a touch-up with leftover paint. The fireplace serviced for winter evenings. Fall throws are added to chairs and sofas for this new cozy season.

Finally, the kitchen & mudroom. The hardest used rooms of most houses. Contents of drawers, shelves & pantry all take there moment of reorganization. My style is to start fresh in each storage location. Everything is stacked onto the counter & kitchen table. Shelves washed, expiration dates checked. Something that seems to get away from me is baseboards & kick plates. I designed our island & farmhouse sink base with a double beaded baseboard. It is notorious for collecting drips & crumbs. A polish of the farm tables with Briwax sets a glow. Finally, a thorough mopping with Murphy’s oil and warm water.

With my completed deep cleaning, we delightfully welcome the “Cozy Season”. All that is left is to place a vintage pitcher overflowing with seasonal blooms on the mantle!

“You do not exist to serve your space; your space exists to serve you.”

—K.C. Davis

Fall Cleaning 101

Organize cleaning supplies where they are needed weekly—multiples if you have more than 1 bathroom

Make a list of needed refills of supplies & To Dos as you go along

Open the windows & turn on your favorite music or Podcast

Tackle your home room by room

Look high and low, step ladder & kneeling pad are helpful

Make a list of needed repairs by a professional, schedule repairs

Favorite Cleaning Products

Old English Lemon Oil Furniture Polish, Briwax, Murphy’s Oil & Almond Stick

Cedar + Lemongrass Natural Laundry Soap by handmade. la conner (available in our shop)

Citrus All Purpose Cleaner by handmade. la conner (available in our shop)

A sturdy white mop bucket (so you can tell when water needs to be changed)

Rags & natural sponges (worn-out bath/kitchen towels or tee-shirts)

Vacuum with handheld attachments

Rowenta Ultimate Steam Pro + Lavender Linen Spray by handmade. la conner

Inch by Inch

“Inch by inch, row by row

Gonna make this garden grow

Gonna mulch it deep and low

Gonna make it fertile ground”

Our first spring at Belle Flower Farm found us putting our foot on a shovel for our ground breaking garden. We had some experience with vegetable gardening. On our suburban lot where we were still living, Mark & I had created a sweet little parterre garden. Located just outside the kitchen door where our sons had the early experience picking sun warmed berries & tomatoes.

We hadn’t built our farmhouse yet, but with a big dream to dig in to— we hired an area farmer to till a generous garden. That first vegetable garden & following 2 years was a joyful family experience. Our kids were young and enjoyed our summer evenings spent on our property watering, weeding and watching our pumpkins grow.

In spring of 2001 we had moved into our new farmhouse and set about preparing the veggie garden in its current location. Following the tilling, Mark & I set out with a rental auger to dig holes for our fence posts. Without experience, we learned pretty quickly, you needed to be ready to lift the heavy corkscrew from the soil when it reached the desired depth. We planted raspberries, corn, pumpkins, carrots, asparagus & sunflowers along the long furrows. We assessed each morning what was left as the deer found in our smorgasbord the previous night.

We eventually replaced the low 4’ fence with its current 8’ enclosure. Topped by a collection of grapes that include Concord, champagne, and several table grape varieties. The magical tendrils soften this structure. Along with the higher fence, the next step was to create garden boxes & plan for irrigation. That summer was unforgettably hot as Mark and I trenched for pipes and set those original spray heads for each box. I designed our 55’ x  80’ garden in quadrants. Two sections of 9 boxes each and 2 sections of 4 long boxes each. A decorative diamond is the center that still is home to a trellis of Morning Glories. Cedar chairs are a welcome place to rest while tending to the garden on warm summer days.

Along the way we added orchard trees collected from One Green World. We eventually moved them to their forever orchard behind the cottage and surrounded by arbors and pasture fencing. Fruitful trees of apples, cherry, plum, fig, pear and a favorite peach tree are a sweet reward for the eye & palate. We also grow filberts, Marionberries, thornless blackberries, boysenberries, currants, strawberries & blueberries. Along with a foray into lavender farming, increasingly I have extended our cutting garden to include cottage roses, favorite perennials & annuals for floral designs.

Cherished memories of our sons picking berries for ice cream, ingredients for grilling & onion rings. Our youngest son selling pumpkins at the end of our lane each fall, riding his bike out to check the pail for sales. The time I made lemonade with currants for my son & his best friend—the tart look on their faces still makes me smile, planting our pumpkin starts as a Mother’s Day gift of labor and our dog Jack pulling carrots out of the ground and corn off the stalk for his dinner.

Harvest season is a much anticipated delight. With growing a fruitful garden I have also grown my enjoyment of preservation. Apple cider made with our custom Belle Flower Farm apple press is a celebratory annual event. And late summer hues decorate our kitchen counters as berries, tomatoes, onions, figs, grapes, peppers are prepared for favorite recipes. From tomato sauce to chutney, cobblers to “Pam Jam” all are enjoyed in the middle of winter as we share a meal with friends & family. A wonderful reminder of  this summer & summers past—making this garden grow.

“Pulling; weeds and pickin’ stones

We are made of dreams and bones

need a place to call my own

‘Cause the time is close at hand

Grain for grain, sun and rain

Find my way in nature’s chain

Till my body and my brain

Tell the music of the land

Plant your rows straight and long

Season with prayer and song

Mother Earth will make you strong

If you give her loving care.”

~Arlo Guthrie & Pete Seeger