A Note From Kynda

I'm stepping outside  the blogging voice today to say that  our blog is a whole year old!  Like many of you, I've been visiting The Farm for that unique country shopping experience for years.   Going to The Farm feels a little like going on retreat.  There's always something new to see--thanks to Gail, Cheryl,  Barb, and Sue who make it fresh and new  every season. But no matter how many changes you find, there's always that warm, friendly welcome that's at the heart of The Farm experience.     

A big thank you to Gail for giving me this opportunity.   I hope you're all enjoying this way to keep in touch between your visits to The Farm!

Cake!

  Here's an easy-to-make yummy chocolate cake recipe that's one of our favorites.   Try it next time your friends are coming over.  Or maybe you don't even need a special reason--just make it a cake day!

Cheryl's One Bowl Chocolate Cake

2 cups flour,  2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa

2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt

Combine these dry ingredients and stir in:

1 cup oil,  1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 Tbls vinegar)

2 eggs, 1 cup hot water

Batter will be rather thin.  Pour into a greased  9 x 13 pan and bake 350 degrees for  35-38 minutes.  Let cool and frost with:

Gail's Chocolate Mocha Frosting

1 stick butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa, 1/4 cup brewed liquid coffee

dash of salt

Beat til light & fluffy.  Add more sugar or coffee as  needed for consistency.

Summer Scenes

Lots of activity among the flowers in this high summer gardening season.  Here's a couple of gorgeous butterflies, and below you'll see Fred, who has made his summer home in the watering can on the front porch!

Chives

Gail says if you're only going to grow one herb, make it chives.  They're easy to grow and need hardly any care at all.   In the spring, you get these sweet little pink flowers.

And these overwintered in a particularly hardy strawberry jar.  Didn't bother the chives one bit.  Not recommended for the jar, though!

Using  fresh chives is easy too.  A few snips and it's amazing how much flavor is added to that classic baked potato with butter & sour cream!   Or maybe fresh chives mixed in with your hamburgers for the grill . . . how about with some cream cheese and your favorite crackers. . .  So easy, and you look like a pro in the kitchen!  If you're using chives, we'd love to hear your ideas too.  

Christmas in July

Only 173 shopping days til Christmas!  If you're really organized and know exactly who's on your list--or if you made a resolution last year NOT to wait til the last minute again--or  if you fall somewhere in the middle, here's a chance to get a head start on Christmas now.  We'll be joining several shops in Petersburg for this event, so come on over Friday and Saturday, July 9th & 10th, for a bit of Christmas in July!

One of The Farm's signature designs--a window box that comes with its own window!

Happy Father's Day

Perennials in Bloom

 Meet some of our old-friend perennials that are blooming in the garden these days:

 Bellflower.  Love that purple!

Astilbe.  Cool white for the shade garden.

  

Sundrops.  Gorgeous golden color for the late spring garden.

 

And Tiny Rubies Dianthus.  Great ground cover that's neat and well-behaved.

Our Kind of Containers

Did you see the article in the S J-R about junk planters the other day?   Those are our kind of containers!  Watering cans, minnow buckets, tea pots,  yes--even the kitchen sink :-) 

Dried Flower Designs

Such a beautiful blooming show happening outside in the garden right now.  We'll show you some more pictures of what's in bloom over the next few days.  In the meantime, here's a peek  inside the shop! 

Hydrangea topiary with  gardening accents.

And one of our all-time customer favorites, the twiggy wreath.