Special order of posies, given as Christmas gifts

Are you missing the garden these days?  Us too!   Gail's been busy ordering perennials & shrubs.  And today, the mail lady brought seeds :)

Lunch!

Kynda, Barb, Gail, Cheryl

What are you doing to make it through these cold dreaming-of-spring January days?   We thought maybe lunch at Panera would be a good way to touch base during this off-season.     We missed Sue and hope she's feeling better!


Gail showed up bearing gifts--an embroidered pillow, an armillary sundial for the garden, and a box of melt-in-your-mouth caramels with the recipe attached.

We know you'll want to see the recipe for these beautiful caramels, so here it is:

Gail's Caramels

1 cup butter
1 lb. (2 1/4 cup) brown sugar
dash salt
1 cup light corn syrup
1 15 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 candy thermometer!

Prepare the pan first.  Line a 7 x 12 glass plan with foil and then butter it.

Melt butter in heavy pan.  Add sugar and salt.  Stir in corn syrup.  Add milk, sitrring constantly.  Cook and stir over medium heat to firm ball stage (245 degrees) 12-15 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in vanilla.  Pour hot caramel in the foil-lined pan and cool completely (overnight in the fridge).

Using a thin, sharp knife, cut into 15 x 5 rows.  These will fit nicely in 4" x 4" pieces of wax paper.  Twist ends.

These are delicious!  And they make such a sweet gift for your friends when you go to lunch :)

Bouquet Garni

Have you been using your spices and seasonings from  The Farm kitchen?  We know a lot of you stocked up for the winter.   If you didn't, be sure to put those on your list for your first 2011 spring visit.  We'll be reopening March 1st--eight weeks from today! 

  

Bouquet garni  is one of the staples that we keep in the The Farm kitchen and in our kitchens at home.  We've been using the same recipe for years and it comes in so handy for seasoning soups, stews, roasts, etc.   A little bundle of herbs, full of healthy natural flavors and no salt.  Makes the house smell wonderful on these cold winter days. 

Bouquet garni, french term meaning "garnished bouquet"

So what's cooking in your kitchen these days?  We wanna know!

2011

Happy New Year from The Farm!

Guest House Opening 2011

A New Year already . . .  Seed catalogs in the mailbox. . . An extra minute or two of daylight every week. . . We're hoping that spring comes as quickly as the old year flew by.  Wishing all our visitors blessings and happiness for  2011!

  

And a New Greeting

Merry Merry  from all of us at The Farm.  

May your Christmas be filled with love and blessings.

Vintage Greeting

This vintage postcard, found in one of our local antique malls,  says Merry Christmas even after all these years.  It's dated 1923.  Does anybody know of a  Miss Bertha McElroy of Hillsboro?

The message reads:  "We are all well.  Hoping you are the same.  Did you get my last letter?  Why don't you write?  Have been looking everyday for a letter.  Wish I could be at your house for Xmas dinner.  Minnie D"  Don't you know Minnie would have  LoVeD  facebook?!?

ClosingHouse!

 

Lots of deals & steals today as we close down the shop and take a break for the winter.  Thanks so much to each of you--our visitors, our friends--who have helped make this 2010 season one of the best ever.  As Gail said in the television interview, we look forward to going to work everyday :)

Have a great weekend-before-Christmas!

The Farm on TV!

Have ya seen Channel 20's Sunrise On The Farm series?  It's a regular Friday feature, spotlighting a local ag-related business.  And this week, they came out to visit us at The Farm! 

We have to admit, we're not usually glued to the television at 5:45 am on Friday mornings, but we will be tomorrow! 

Pretty exciting when  TV people show up with their cameras and want to know more about The Farm.  Thanks, Channel 20!  Come back anytime :)

Progressive Sale

Countdown to ClosingHouse:

Each day, a new category is added!

Dec 8  all wreaths, swags, arrangements 25% off

Dec 9  :all cookbooks 25% off

Dec 10  all candles 25% off

Dec 11 all ornaments 50% off

Dec 14 all Santas & snowmen 50% off

Dec 15 all bundles & stems 50% off

Dec 16 all scented & fireplace pinecones 50% off

Dec 17 all cooking herbs & Halladay's mixes 50% off

Dec 18 all remaining Christmas items 50% off

OpenHouse Report

Thanks so much to all of you who stopped by to see us Saturday!  We hope you had as much fun as we did.   One of the big hits was the cinnamon pretzels.  Here's the recipe:

1 lb bag mini pretzel twists, 2/3 cup veg oil, 

1/2 cup sugar, and 2 tsp. cinnamon.  

Combine well & spread in a large roasting pan.  

Bake 300 degrees for 30 min, stirring 1/2 way through.  

Spread on wax paper to cool. 

Another big hit was the Instant Snow.  Every demonstration was met with squeals of delight!   It's a great new, non-toxic, reusable product that looks and feels just like snow.  Just add water, it grows like magic, and you can have newly-fallen snow to sprinkle and drift over your holiday decorations.

 And check out this super-nice review of The Farm at Grace Uncensored.  Grace recently visited The Farm for the first time and she even came back to see us a second time last week!  Thanks so much, Grace--it was great to see you.  Come back anytime! 

Grace and Kynda

If you didn't get out to see us last weekend, stop by soon to say hello.  We're open for the next couple of weeks, with our annual ClosingHouse (deals & steals!) on Dec 18th.  We still have Instant Snow and fresh greens and oh, all sorts of things that can help you finish your shopping and dress up  your home for the holiday!

Merry Merry Christmas from all of us at The Farm