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February - 3 o'clock to 5 o'clock - Time for Tea #aliceinwonderland #teatime #fairy #madhatter #marchhare

2/23/2017

A fairy tea break

The English fairies in Meadow Sweet Grove carry the tradition of taking their tea at 4 o'clock every day. It provides a nice break in their busy days and a chance to catch up with their fellow fairies. It's a very social time and the fairies take turns sipping tea with the other fairies and woodland creatures who live in the Grove. Some take their whole evening meal at this time, some just have a tea or coffee, and still others like to have a small sweet with their tea.

Vintage Kaiser Plate Romantica - Made in West Germany

A plate with a pretty, funky or unusual pattern is always fun to set out with some cookies, small pastries, chockies or savouries for guests. Whether you prefer a matching dinnerware set or a simple set with no pattern at all - tea time provides an opportunity to showcase a character plate. It doesn't have to match anything else because it is set out on its own as a single serving dish with goodies whilst sharing a cup of tea or coffee with a friend.

A Mad Tea-Party, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - illustration by Sir John Tenniel

I always remember coming home for tea after school. My Dad would stop work to take a tea break around 4 o'clock - and then continue work for a couple hours before dinner. It wasn't until some years later that I realized that not everyone followed this tradition. But I suppose since my Great-Grandfather was British, it was just too entrenched in my family's routine (and too yummy!) not to continue. Good things tend to last. Just be wary of how long you spend at tea time. Remember the Mad Hatter, March Hare and Dormouse? Forever stuck at tea time ... maybe some things are best in small doses!

Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017

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Feb. 14th - St. Valentine's Day = Love

2/14/2017

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Vintage Valentine's Day Card

February 14th - St. Valentine's Day = Love

~ Last Week at Meadow Sweet Grove ~
"The first few days of February mark the beginning of the end of Winter ... and the beginning of the beginning of Spring! But it's not over yet. While we continue to carry that torch of hope for Springtime and the new growth it will bring; it's a good time to remember that we still need to make it through the rest of winter ... and get the most out of the food we buy and never, ever throw out food ... except as a last resort!"

Starting with the Roman Festival of Lupercalia, moving on to the Greek mythology of Venus, Cupid & Psyche and culminating with the Christian story of St. Valentine ... it's always been about Love! Winter is ending, Spring is beginning ... love is in the air. The Meadow Sweet Grove fairies love cheeky vintage Valentines ... like the one above! With their playful play on words - they really reflect the essence of Valentine's Day with flirtatiousness, fun and comradery. Of course, the industrious fairies also like to turn the scraps, trimmings and clippings that they have lovingly saved throughout the year into a one of the kind home-made card creation!

A fairy's primer to making a home-made Valentine's Day card:

The Victorians were famous for their industriousness and their fancy work. Many, many of their craft projects would today be labeled as "re-purposing", "upcycling" or "environmentally-conscious", but this is no new trend. Rather making do with what you have, and being a bit creative, is actually a return to tried and tested ways. So many people throw out things ----only to buy them back in a different form! Here's a simple card how-to:

~ Save your scraps ~

Set aside a shoe box or large envelope and collect scraps throughout the year. Cut out beautiful pictures from magazines, cards, advertisements, tags, packaging, wrapping paper, stickers from address labels - you get the idea! Save little bits of ribbon from chocolate and nut packages, cut buttons off clothes too worn to donate and anything else you fancy. Once you get going, and truly look at everything in your hand before you drop it in the trash or recycling bin - you will be amazed at what you have available to you - for free!! Keep the scissors in the kitchen and go to it!

~ Making the card ~ 

There are countless ways to make your card - and absolutely the sky is the limit! Here's one option:

Use a piece of thin cardboard or an old card. Cover it up entirely with a piece of tissue or wrapping paper, folding and gluing or scotch taping where needed;
Fold a separate piece of paper in half and trace a heart. Unfold and, on the other side, paste a collage of pretty pictures from magazines (rubber cement works best). Allow to dry. Fold in half gently and cut the heart out;
Glue your heart collage in the centre of the front of the card;
Now you may embellish it as you wish with stickers, glitter, ribbon, buttons - anything you like;
The inside or back of the card is now ready for your own special message - "I love you" - is always good!

Front of Card

Et voilà! Instant, pretty, unique and free Valentine's Day card! The littlest fairies, of course, love making cards themselves ... and some of the not-so-little do too. And for those who do want to spoil their loved ones with a store-bought gift - you now have more money to spend on that perfect prezzie.....

Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan 2017

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February - when there's snow on the snowdrops

2/2/2017

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~ Last Week at Meadow Sweet Grove ~
"Another tricky fairy habit is to never, ever throw out food. It can usually be "reincarnated" into something else. Fruit and vegetables that seem "on their way out" can often be turned into a useful dish or ingredient. Just remember the last time you had "sticker shock" and how much you paid for those groceries! And before you toss anything out, always have a quick think about what else you might be able to make with that expensive food."

Snowdrops in Meadow Sweet Grove

The first few days of February mark the beginning of the end of Winter ... and the beginning of the beginning of Spring! But it's not over yet. While we continue to carry that torch of hope for Springtime and the new growth it will bring; it's a good time to remember that we still need to make it through the rest of winter ... and get the most out of the food we buy and never, ever throw out food ... except as a last resort!

Bringing springtime to the Grove

The first little signs of Spring are showing as the crocuses and snowdrops push through the earth. And as seems customary here in Meadow Sweet Grove, as soon as they poke their little heads through ... another snowfall settles in! The fairies hold strong that maybe a wee show of faith is needed to bring springtime to the Grove again. Hence, their little well is decorated with a few faux flowers to encourage Spring to keep on keeping on!

~ Never throw food out (continued) ~

"Pull-It-All-Together" Macaroni & Cheese

On an evening when money is tight, reach into your fridge for all those little chunks and gratings of left-over cheese that you saved. Also all those last "bits of the block" for a scrumptious and comforting Macaroni & Cheese:

After boiling and draining 2 cups of pasta, toss all those bits and pieces of cheese together (cheddar, mozza, swiss - they're all good), into a bowl with the warm pasta, add any left-over sour cream, cottage cheese or unflavoured yogurt. Beat up an egg and toss it in if you like. Stir it all together with a bit of black pepper. Butter a sufficiently deep baking dish and ladle the mixture in. Pour a little milk evenly over the mixture - if dry, add a bit more. Toast up 2 slices of bread and when cool ...
crumble over the top evenly. Grate any remaining cheese that you might have on

Delicious Banana Bread

Black bananas? Nothing for the kids' lunches? Turn them into this delicious banana bread quickly:

2 cups flour 2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 tsps baking powder 4 mashed bananas
1/2 tsp baking soda 1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 cup melted butter
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices in a medium bowl - set aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and set aside. Mash the bananas in a medium bowl, add the beaten eggs and melted butter together with the sugar. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir lightly (batter should be lumpy).

Bake in a lightly greased loaf or muffin tin at 350°. About 20-25 minutes for muffins or small loaves. Up to 40 minutes for a large loaf.

Feed the birds

top of the bread - have a little bit of leftover parmesan? Grate (ha ha)! And for an extra-special touch - definitely sprinkle on a little bit of Hungarian Paprika! (It has to be Hungarian). So nice. Cook at 325° for about 1/2 hour - maybe longer - and there you have a "Pull-It-All-Together Macaroni & Cheese" - different every time you make it!

But what if you truly do have to throw out food? Here's some options for continuing the life cycle of your food:

Feed the Birds - Not even "Tuppence a Bag"!
The little woodland creatures in the Grove appreciate many leftovers. Crows will eat any amount of left-over bread, crackers, chips and the like. Save your bacon fat in a tin beside the stove and spread it on the bread for smaller birds - this makes it almost a suet for them and helps them to store their own fat.

Last but not least - Compost
Finally compost anything left over that you can such as: spoiled fruit, vegetable peelings, old Jack o'Lanterns, and even a limited amount of teabags, egg and nut shells, etc. There are very small composters available now that fit into tiny spaces. In the Spring, you will save money once again by reducing the amount of costly dirt and fertilizers that you would ordinarily buy. Composting is very worthwhile and is seriously like "rocket fuel" for your plants!

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February - 3 o'clock to 5 o'clock - Time for Tea #aliceinwonderland #teatime #fairy #madhatter #marchhare

Feb. 14th - St. Valentine's Day = Love

February - when there's snow on the snowdrops

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