Fall Sale

Please enjoy 10% off your next purchase at Farmhouse Wares.

Just enter code "fall11" at checkout.

Available through midnight, October 2, 2011.

Not valid on previous purchases. While supplies last.

Help Save the D. Landreth Seed Co

"Purveyors of Fine Seeds Since 1784" and America's 5th oldest continuously operating company, the D. Landreth Seed Co. needs your help. For the first time in their near-230 year history they are facing bankruptcy and are looking to spread the word about their company in the hopes of saving it through sales of their 2012 Heirloom and Vintage Seed Catalog and the resulting sales.

The catalog contains detailed histories and descriptions of their heirloom and vintage seeds plus additional historic information from their archive of antique catalogues dating back to 1839. "This catalogue contains more original historic horticultural information than any other resource currently being published. For the passionate gardener, it will be a valued resource. For the novice gardener, it is an absolutely critical tool and for anyone who is blessed with a love of history and a yearning to be in the garden."

Please visit their site and lend your support.

Carrots

Oh joy! Our carrot crop is looking yummy. Can't wait for cozy fall stews and down-to-earth side dishes made with this healthy veggie. I'm hopeful that it does a bit of good for me ol' eyes, too.

New: Industrial Vintage Pendant Lamp

This Industrial Vintage Pendant Lamp is one of my favorite new finds now available at the shop. I love its rustic elegance, which is perfect for farmhouse style kitchens. Made of iron, with a distressed green finish, the pendant lamp comes with a metal ceiling cap and a six foot cord with a plug that can be removed for professional hard wiring. 12" Round x 10.5"H (60 Watt Bulb Maximum)

Can you say "Yum"

Add Delicious French Butter Caramel to Your Harvest Season.

These creamy delights make a perfect companion to fall desserts:

apple pie, ice cream, custards, popcorn balls—even coffee.


Save 20% on French Butter Caramels, made with fresh butter

and sea salt.


Offer good on two items: individually-wrapped candies in a decorative milk pail

and our 7.85 oz. jar of caramel spread.

(No code necessary; sale price already applied.)

While supplies last.

A Saucy Season

My husband falls in love again with cooking every year in September, when the tomatoes are plentiful.

All that produce coming out the gardens must reignite some primal instinct he has to build up his and his family’s reserves, feeding our bodies with naturally delicious food now (and the guy can cook, even if he does say so himself) and stocking up our pantry for later. He joyously mixes the two enterprises, making supper while he’s turning out, say, 8 quarts of tomato sauce for the freezer. For days in late August and early September, and for briefer periods throughout the growing season, the counters overflow with vegetables in various stages of production, while the air fills with the most heavenly aromas you can imagine.

Happy as I am to see every last tomato (and a fair number of zucchinis, cucumbers, beans, beets and carrots) that we don’t eat freshly picked put up for later use, I usually feel a pang of worry that we won’t ever use it all. (Hubby, btw, always assures me that we don’t have nearly enough to get us to spring, let alone all the way to next year’s harvest.) Last year, thanks to a storm that knocked out the power and caused some freezer problems that we didn’t discover right away, we lost several bags of tomato sauce and some other vegetables. But I also worry that he burns so brightly during the harvest, that he won’t have the same energy and passion when the fresh produce stops coming, when the days grow short and his thoughts turn to other matters. When it comes time to use all those tomatoes, he’ll be busy getting the firewood undercover, feeding the stoves, not to mention hunting and skiing. Right now, he’s acting like Emiril Legasse or Bobby Flay, but by Valentine’s Day, his enthusiasm will have waned. He’ll still do a fair amount of cooking, and it’ll all be good. But the thrill will be gone. Will that freezer full of tomatoes be gone? Not unless he opens a restaurant, based on what I’ve seen in the last few weeks.

“You worry too much,” he says. True enough. “And I get a little better at this stuff with each passing year,” he says. “This year, I’m not just stewing and blanching and pickling, I’m filling the freezer with sauce. Tomato and garlic. Tomato, basil and garlic. Tomato sauce and meatballs. Tomato sauce with capers and olives. Every kind of sauce I can think of.”

No doubt. He is constantly refining his systems, perfecting his technique.
“And if you get worried, you could always take matters into your own hands,” he says. “You know, you’re a pretty good cook in your own right.”

Such a flatterer.

Every year in September my husband falls in love with cooking again. And I fall in a little bit more in love with him.

Love it! Martha Stewart Weddings Bride's Guide

We are over the moon about Sarah Smith's post on Martha Stewart Weddings Bride's Guide. I'm also a big fan of rustic weddings and casual, country celebrations of any kind, so I'm always looking for new things to make farmhouse style entertaining easy. Check out the full story, featuring our Zinc Place Cards, Rustic Glass Dryer Rack and more at The Bride's Guide. Thank you, Sarah.

There's No Place Like Romantic Homes

I'm so excited to be featured in the October issue of Romantic Homes magazine in their "Favorite Place" article. We all have that special place we retreat to in order to recharge and relax. I am honored to share my spot with their readers and all the other talented women featured. Thank you Romantic Homes.

Blackberry Honey Hand Soap is Back

We can't tell you how happy we are that the Blackberry Honey Hand Soap is back. I'm really wishing there was some technology available to allow you to smell this Blackberry Honey Liquid Hand Soap over the internet. It's so good that I find myself coming up with excuses to wash my hands. It's made by the Savannah Bee Company, which is a great little company that does a lot of educating about bees and harvesting honey. They support small bee farmers too. The Savannah Bee Company produces this luxurious soap using beehive products, natural ingredients and southern charm.

When blackberry and honey come together, it creates the most delicious scent. This product was inspired by the intense character created by those little bees.

Bee Fact: It takes 2 million flowers to make one pound of honey.

Blackberry Honey Liquid Hand Soap is available now at Farmhouse Wares. Try the Tupelo Honey Hand Soap, too.

See Us in EveryDay with Rachael Ray

We're so exctited to have our Vintage Style Herb Crates featured in the October issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray. We couldn't agree more that this set of four nesting garden boxes are perfect for growing "fresh herbs in your kitchen window" or "to hold supplies for a dinner party." Thank you Rachael Ray!

Celebrate the Sweet Life

Celebrate the sweet life with our new 1000 Flowers Honey. Rosh Hashanah is September 29, and one of the most popular food traditions of this holiday is dipping apples in honey. Eating this sweet treat is a way of expressing hope for a sweet New Year.

Our new 1000 Flowers Honey, by Bernard Michaud, is made from an age-old recipe. Infused with the flavors of flowers throughout the Pyrenees, this honey is the most sublime honey I’ve ever tasted. Bernard Michaud is a family owned business, devoted to the art of bee keeping and transforming the sweet nectar of bees into pure gourmet goodness. Lightly scented with flavors such as acacia, lavender and orange, the 1000 Flowers Honey is 100% natural-nothing added, nothing taken away. Honey lovers will delight in this artfully crafted treat. Packaged in a reusable decorative pail, this honey makes a beautiful gift for this Rosh Hashanah or for anyone that enjoys a memorable treat.