" 'The Lord will guide you always. . .
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.' "
Isaiah 58:11 NIV
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.' "
Isaiah 58:11 NIV
Karleen's garden is one I always enjoy visiting. It's so nice to have her as a neighbor and friend. Her garden always inspires me and fills me with feelings of tranquility and old-fashioned sweetness. It's a riot of color this time of year, and as always, so well tended. I really enjoy her cottage style of gardening so much, as her garden reminds me of the one my mother always kept.
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It is no small feat to pick two cups of yellow violet blossoms. They are tiny, delicate, and do not grow in clusters of blossoms. So, one by one, I picked the precious little bits of gold and put them in a secure zip-lock bag. The entire time, I kept one ear and eye tuned to the woods around me (and I didn't wander far away from the fence builder!) so that I could be aware and alert for wild animals like cougars and bears. Coco was my companion and together we enjoyed a yellow violet collecting walk through the woods. At first I used scissors to snip, but found it quicker and faster to bend and pinch with my fingers. By afternoon's end I decided there was enough for a cooking project and put the bags in the ice chest to stay cool.
Of course it was late when we arrived back home, and I was not in the mood to stay up and make violet syrup! To protect the delicate blossoms, I placed them in quart jars and filled them with water. Once lidded, they were placed in the refrigerator so they cold stay fresh and cool.
The next morning, after reading a variety of violet syrup recipes, I sent out an SOS to Clarice at Storybook Woods (she's an expert at rose syrup). She gave me a quick phone call (well, it wasn't really quick --- we enjoyed a lovely chat) and we consulted about the best formula options and techniques for delicate floral syrups.
Britain is big on tradition, from the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace (I can still remember seeing the soldiers going through the same carefully laid-out movements that they had done for decades) to their breakfast. Cereals play a big part, as they have for about as long as those guards have been changing.
“What’s a tea station?” you query. Good question. Thought you’d never ask.
Dry Leaf:
This was a nice, dark flavored dessert kind of tea. Not necessarily dark in color, as you can see, but dark in flavor, with a consistent blend of smooth dark chocolate and red berries. I picked up almost no smokiness whatsoever, which was unexpected because of all the roasting this tea has experienced. Though the aroma had hints of cherries (thanks again Sal), I thought the 
Wet Leaves:
Out with the old and in with the new — year, that is! Try something different to toast in that new year: the champagne of teas — Darjeeling. Don’t forget the feast to go with it. Get the details on The Taste of English Tea Blog.
getaway trip to San Francisco, hoping that the fresh ocean air and Union Square shopping would help clear my head. When all else failed, we got cozy with Manhattans at the Clock Bar, and then treated ourselves to a well-deserved mid-afternoon nap.
Hoyt: Yeah. I just did a book review of The Way of Tea. One thing that occurred to me while reading the book and reflecting on things written about mind-altering plant substances is that tea, like others, is what religious scholar Houston Smith refers ot as entheogens. It’s a word he coined as an alternative to “psychedelic.” He says these are “virtually non-addictive, mind-altering substances that are approached seriously and reverently,” the inference being that these substances can induce a religious experience, an encounters with the gods, something very deep. … Tea is one of these that aids us in that process, but we don’t gain that or have that experience unless we take time to slow down and encourage some kind of ritual. It has a lot to do with taking time and listening.
is not as strong as the black. Since it was steeped for only 3 minutes, this allowed the black tea to have strength but the white tea is not steeped long enough to have any bitterness to it. Thus, an overwhelming sweetness is present.
I drink this hot, my mouth still feels refreshed instead of dry like other teas leave it. With that being said, I think this tea would make an excellence iced tea.
much white tea in it, but it still makes a big difference.