The cold and rainy weather has me feeling out of sorts today. There's nothing quite as comforting as a warm cup of tea on a gloomy day. I'm loving our new line of organic whole leaf teas from Treleela. This tea nourishes and warms the soul, which is no surprise since the company's whole mission is a holistic one--starting with nourishing the very soil they use to cultivate their organic plants. They also take great pride in caring for their family of farmers and respecting this planet we all share.
Remember my post about Potash Hill Farm? Well, I dropped by the Potash Hill Farm booth at our town's recent Harvest Fest. The owner, Melanie was selling her incredible goat's milk soap and lotion. As you can see from the picture above, she proudly displays her "Be A Local Hero" sticker on her soaps. Being a "Local Hero" is certainly something to be proud of.Launched in 1999 in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, The "Be a Local Hero, Buy Locally Grown" campaign from the non-profit organization CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture) was created to raise public awareness and support of locally grown farm products. Now the longest running campaign of its kind, "Be a Local Hero, Buy Locally Grown" has become a model for "communities across the continent and world that are seeking to sustain farming by helping consumers find and purchase locally grown products."
CISA's most recent intiatives include a Farm2City program connecting rural farmers with urban consumers and an institutional buying project which increases use of local farm products at area schools and hospitals.
Melanie is one of many farmers in this valley who benefit from the local attention CISA brings. I wanted to spread the good word about Potash Hill Farm soap and lotion, and the inspiring message of CISA to all of you.
REDISCOVER THE EASY CHARM OF COUNTRY LIVING
Many garden centers are running sales on their perennials right now, so it’s a great time to do some last-minute gardening. One plant that I highly recommend sticking in the ground now is lungwort. This is a spring charmer. If you’re like me, and you can’t wait for some color to start popping in the garden then this is the plant for you. One of the first plants to bloom, lungwort is packed with gorgeous little flowers that range from pink to lavender. The silvery spotted foliage lends interest to the garden for the remainder of the season. It grows vigorously and is very easy to transplant, so one little plant will eventually fill many gardens.
Heading to Boston for some chowdah and some cultchah. Click here to get a little taste. Go Red Sox. See you Monday.
I spotted our Antiqued Mercury Glass Hurricanes in the November 2008 issue of Country Living. They used the large one as a vase. Gorgeous! So perfect for a holiday setting.
Get ready to care for your lips this winter. We're offering free shipping on our new organic lip balm gift set. All the better to kiss you with includes three certified organic lip balms in vintage tins: Pepperminty, Lavender Vanilla and Chai Mandarin--so yummy and healthy. Offer ends October 19th or while supplies last.
I love this pillow made by artist Mary Beth. She scours the tag sales and flea markets for vintage materials--hankies, linens, doilies, buttons, you name it. One could say her pillows are made from the fabric of our lives. Certainly, they're recycling at its best.
My daughter keeps me on my toes trying to come up with Halloween craft projects. I didn't have any new craft materials to play with, but luckily the house always seems well-stocked with construction paper, glitter pens and markers. You can do a lot with just those tools. We added the glitter pipe cleaners as handles to make them look more like lanterns; however, I wouldn't think of lighting a match near these cuties. Try those little battery operated tea lights instead. They work great.
My newest addiction is this Royal Jelly Body Butter by the Savannah Bee Company. I fell in love with their Blackberry Honey Hand Soap, and this cream, with its subtle blackberry scent, complements the soap perfectly.
If you like to cook or bake then you must check out our tsp spices. These organic spices come individually wrapped in teaspoon-sized packages. The benefit behind this clever concept is that herbs and spices stay fresher for longer. Ground spices can lose their potency over time, but tsp spices are perfectly measured and freshly sealed in convenient single use packages for longer-lasting freshness. Each spice tin contains 12 one-teaspoon packets.
The Limelight Hydrangea is the plant that keeps on giving. In mid summer she explodes with cool greenish white flowers. As the blooms mature they turn creamy white, and they put on quite a show. But the real show is in early autumn. The flowers age to pink and red. When everything else in the garden is pretty much spent, this hydrangea gives you her best performance. The blooms are so reliable every year. She never disappoints me. Another bonus is the flowers make gorgeous bouquets or they can be dried for winter arrangements. She even looks good in the winter--her faded, wheat-colored blooms look pretty against the white snow.
Have you heard of the Good Envelope Party? Thanks to my daily dose of Daily Candy, I'm now loop. Clever and caring, The Good Envelope Party is a bi-monthly women's collective in Silver Lake, California. They make handmade recycled stationery from salvaged books and magazines, with love, for the good of others and the earth. These unique envelopes and recycled card inserts are voluntarily made for the purpose of donating their profits. Proceeds are directly donated to non-profit organizations, underfunded schools, and local families struggling to fulfill their basic needs. You go girls!
I can't stop drooling over the gorgeous images available at blissful images new etsy shop. There's something so gentle and soothing about them. You must check them out or visit her blissful blog.
My husband's grandma was all about owls. She had a bathroom filled with owl pictures that we used to call "the room with a thousand eyes". I love this owl photo from blissful images, found via design*sponge.
CELEBRATE FALL WITH A SALE FROM FARMHOUSE WARES.
Try something new for breakfast. Blue corn, a staple of Southwest native foods, has a hearty texture and nutlike flavor and is appreciated for its nutrional value. Our Kenyon's Blue Corn Pancake Mix makes a healthy way to start your day.
Read Theresa's ideal bite blog entry today, then come back and try our McEvoy Ranch Organic Olive Oil. 
My daughter woke up early on Saturday and declared it pumpkin carving day. We had fun going to the farm stands and seeing the loads of pumpkins just in--fresh from the fields. When we got home she was ready to start carving. While she was all about the traditional Jack-O'-Lantern, I thought I'd carve our house numbers because we're in the process of painting the front door and we had to take the numbers down. Here's how I did it:
Have a cozy weekend everyone. Keep on the sunny side.Watch the video. It will make you happy.
Poison Ivy is so sneaky and vicious this time of year. Everything is so overgrown that it makes it harder to spot. I was working in the garden like a mad woman, pulling weeds and cleaning out. I was on a roll, when suddenly I realized I had just pulled a clump of the wicked weed. I also noticed a batch of it had sprouted up in a walkway that the kids go barefoot on. My husband fell in poison ivy while mountain biking. You’d think he was Meryl Streep in Silkwood the way he scrubbed his body down.
Farmhouse Wares is proud to play a small role in the first ever Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival presented by Food and Wine magazine. The event benefits two important charities, the Food Bank For New York City, fighting hunger in New York, and Share Our Strength, one of the nation's leading hunger relief organizations working to end childhood hunger in America.
We all know an apple a day helps keep the doctor away. This is the time of year to put that old adage to work. Our apple trees are brimming with fruit. There are only so many pies one can eat, so I find myself looking for other ways to put my apples to good use.
Be sure to visit Joanna Goddard's blog, A Cup of Jo, today for a chance to win our Bowl and Spoon Set. Her blog is packed with great finds, so you'll be glad you stopped by.
