Lunch at Patsy Pollack's Country Cottage 2022
Spring is the perfect time of year for dining al fresco with good friends.
Last weekend, after a most delightful and successful morning at the Trade Secrets Rare Plant and Garden Antiques Sale in Lakeville, Connecticut, we drove to a tranquil town in New York State, where we enjoyed a lovely lunch at the weekend home of friend and colleague, Patsy Pollack. It has become a tradition to go to Patsy’s after Trade Secrets. This year, she served a delicious buffet of Moroccan-inspired dishes. On the way to her charming home, we stopped at Christopher Spitzmiller's Clove Brook Farm to see his gardens.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Here I am on the porch at Clove Brook Farm, the gorgeous home of my friends Christopher Spitzmiller and Anthony Bellomo. All the topiaries and potted plants surround the chairs and chaise longues.
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- Here’s a stunning view of the Clove Brook Farm pond where Christopher’s geese love to visit.
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- Here is one of several staghorn ferns hanging on the porch wall. Staghorn ferns also go by elkhorn fern and antelope ears. Each one has antler-like foliage as well as a flat, basal leaf. The flat leaves are infertile and turn brown and papery with age.
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- Lead stag heads atop stately pillars watch over the entrance to the property.
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- Patsy’s New York State weekend cottage is nestled among tall trees and lots of green foliage. It is always so relaxing to come here. There are several quaint seating areas on the property, including this unique faux bois bench at the edge of Patsy’s shade garden.
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- Just inside off the terrace is this inviting enclosed porch filled with many of Patsy’s “finds.”
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- Across from the main house is a charming garden shed. The walking paths are covered with quarter-inch round stone – a beautiful ground cover for the bold green of the boxwood. The wisteria on top of Patsy’s shed is just beginning to flower. Wisteria is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, that includes 10-species of woody climbing vines.
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- The ferns are doing so well this year – look how beautiful they are in this area near the garden shed. Planting multiples of one plant in a section of a garden can look so stunning and dramatic.
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- Patsy’s Japanese viburnum is blooming so beautifully. This bush blooms profusely in mid- to late spring, with white flowers held in flat-topped clusters reaching about four inches wide. On many varieties these clusters contain showy, five-petaled infertile flowers that surround small fertile flowers.
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- Lamium ‘Beacon Silver’ is a semi-evergreen perennial commonly called spotted deadnettle. It is an herbaceous plant with a low-growing, mat-forming, and spreading habit of heart-shaped, silvery leaves with narrow green edges.
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- Polygonatum, also known as King Solomon’s-seal or Solomon’s seal, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae. This plant reaches 12 inches to several feet in height, blooming in April through June with white bell-shaped blossoms below attractive, arching stems. Flowers become bluish black berries in late summer and the ribbed foliage turns a golden yellow in autumn.
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- On the expansive wrap around porch is a very inviting space with a large, comfortable sectional for cool summer evening chats.
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- On a rustic wooden table on the other side of the porch is this vase of lilacs – it adds just the right amount of color. All the lilacs are blooming so wonderfully this season. I hope you saw my recent blog on the lilac allee at my farm.
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- On the terrace – more seating for gathering and talking before lunch.
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- Lunch was served buffet style. Tan and gray plates are stacked and placed at the end of the table – everyone was very hungry after walking and shopping at Trade Secrets.
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- Refreshing ice cold drinks are served outside. This day was unusually warm and humid.
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- This is couscous with herbs and cherry tomatoes – a perfect accompaniment to our barbecued chicken and beef kebabs.
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- This is watermelon and feta with fresh vegetables.
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- All our plates were filled, and then filled again. Here is my plate with a large pita bread, tzatziki, meat kebabs, and couscous. Also on the skewers – grilled grapes, inspired by recipes from Chef Yotam Ottolenghi. Everything was so flavorful.
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- A whimsical stone squirrel sits nearby. Patsy has been collecting stone garden pieces for many years. Stone garden pieces are very alluring in any outdoor space. In areas where temperatures dip below freezing in winter, it’s a good idea to turn containers over to drain or bring them indoors. A winter freeze can crack or crumble any kind of stone.
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- Soon after lunch, the table was set for dessert. These are glasses for the “affogato al caffe” – an Italian coffee-based dessert made with a scoop of vanilla ice cream “drowned” in a shot of espresso.
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- And look at these homemade blueberry loaves. There was enough for everyone to have a big slice.
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- This stone bench sat nearby. Flanking it are more of Patsy’s beautiiful stone vessels. It was a wonderful lunch and a refreshing afternoon – thank you so much, Patsy.
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