Friday, March 28, 2008

Lovely Books...and Garden Seeds....

Don't these books look just lovely??
I came across this one..and being a good ole' Southern Gal..it definitely looks right up my alley. Check it out!


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More than a cookbook, this is the story of how a little girl, born in the South of Yankee parents, fell in love with southern cooking at the age of five. And a bite of brown sugar pie was all it took.

"I shamelessly wangled supper invitations from my playmates," Anderson admits. "But I was on a voyage of discovery, and back then iron-skillet corn bread seemed more exotic than my mom's Boston brown bread and yellow squash pudding more appealing than mashed parsnips."

After college up north, Anderson worked in rural North Carolina as an assistant home demonstration agent, scarfing good country cooking seven days a week: crispy "battered" chicken, salt-rising bread, wild persimmon pudding, Jerusalem artichoke pickles, Japanese fruitcake. Later, as a New York City magazine editor, then a freelancer, Anderson covered the South, interviewing cooks and chefs, sampling local specialties, and scribbling notebooks full of recipes.

Now, at long last, Anderson shares her lifelong exploration of the South's culinary heritage and not only introduces the characters she met en route but also those men and women who helped shape America's most distinctive regional cuisine—people like Thomas Jefferson, Mary Randolph, George Washington Carver, Eugenia Duke, and Colonel Harlan Sanders.

Anderson gives us the backstories on such beloved Southern brands as Pepsi-Cola, Jack Daniel's, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, MoonPies, Maxwell House coffee, White Lily flour, and Tabasco sauce. She builds a time line of important southern food firsts—from Ponce de León's reconnaissance in the "Island of Florida" (1513) to the reactivation of George Washington's still at Mount Vernon (2007).

For those who don't know a Chincoteague from a chinquapin, she adds a glossary of southern food terms and in a handy address book lists the best sources for stone-ground grits, country ham, sweet sorghum, boiled peanuts, and other hard-to-find southern foods.

Recipes? There are two hundred classic and contemporary, plain and fancy, familiar and unfamiliar, many appearing here for the first time. Each recipe carries a headnote—to introduce the cook whence it came, occasionally to share snippets of lore or back-stairs gossip, and often to explain such colorful recipe names as Pine Bark Stew, Chicken Bog, and Surry County Sonker.
Add them all up and what have you got? One lip-smackin' southern feast!
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Do you like to have fun with your gardening? And to create theme gardens?..and add a bit of whimsy to your garden areas??
I came across this book and it looks so fun!

Take a peek! Just turn these pages and discover a world filled with whimsical habitats constructed from natural materials.

The idea is to entice a fairy to stop by for a visit.

From rustic dwellings to fairy mansions, these small structures are appearing in woods, parks, backyard gardens and even at the beach.

But beware! Building fairy houses can be addictive for all ages. Symptoms include exploring the outdoors, being creative, sparking the imagination and discovering Nature's enchantment. You know you 're really hooked when you start building fairy houses ... everywhere!
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I like going to garage sales from time to time, as well as finding neat treaures on Ebay and Etsy.com.
I came across this book. Doesn't the cover just look lovely ?
I enjoy decorating my home with my "found treasures", and I'm sure you do too.
This book looks like it would have plenty of inspirational ideas.
Enjoy your treasured collections, favorite items, and must-have finds with the help of enchanting full-color photographs, creative tips, display ideas, and plenty of projects.

Create crackle and distressed finishes to "age" furniture.

Use an old chair as a display stand for a special object.

Artfully arrange a collection of interesting bottles. Wrap a small gift in a lovely vintage handkerchief.

Recycle broken pieces of treasured china into a china-shard mosaic table. Embellish a basket to make an eye-catching centerpiece, or update a lamp with a fabric cover. An empty portrait frame can become a unique corkboard, and an old fireplace screen gets a new life with a stenciled design. You'll love decorating your home with these inexpensive, easy, and fun schemes and suggestions!
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It is that time of year again..time for planning and planting your gardens!!!
Look at these lovelies.
Wouldn't they be so fun to add to your garden this year??

Hen and Chicks Poppy Seeds





Heirloom Red Tiger Lily


This green tomatillo is great in salsas or salads. This variety has diverse gene traits that produce two distinct variations of plants - one is erect and branching, the other more compact. Both are equally prolific. Does best when transplanted. Does not need trellising. Harvesting tips. Pick for salsa when the husks turn brown and begin to open. With additional time, they will become more seedy, but also get sweeter, for eating raw. Planting Depth: 1/2" Soil Temp. for Germ.: 70°F Days to Germ.: 7-10 Plant Spacing: 12" Apart Days to Maturity: 60 Full Sun Moderate Water
Organic Heirloom Tomatillo
~The Garden Goose~

4 comments:

Quinne said...

Hi Tina :) What a wonderful post! I've been catching up with you here and enjoyed it so much - as usual.

Thank you for the book recommendations. I've added to my list :)

Have a lovely weekend! Love, Q

SweetAnnee said...

I love books.I have the Tattered Treasures..tis a great book.
inspiring..
deena

Needled Mom said...

Great book recommendations. We grow the tomatillos in the garden each year. The poppy is a stunning color combination.

Jeanie said...

Wow! Great post! Good reviews and finds. Thanks much!