A Luncheon at Patsy Pollack's Country Cottage
Spring is the perfect time of year for dining al fresco with friends.
After a delightful and successful morning at the Trade Secrets Garden Tours and Rare Plants & 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 favorite tradition to go to Patsy’s after Trade Secrets. This year, she served a delicious buffet of Mediterranean-inspired dishes.
Enjoy these photos.
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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 after a busy morning at Trade Secrets.
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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 branches on top of Patsy’s shed are those of wisteria. 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 side of the shed is also very charming. A potting table is situated just right for summertime gardening tasks.
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- The ferns are so lush. Planting multiples of one plant in a section of a garden can look so stunning and dramatic, especially flanking these natural stone steps.
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- Everyone admired the shade garden. The hostas fill the space nicely. Hostas are among the most popular perennials – they are shade-tolerant, low maintenance, and incredibly elegant with their variety of foliage and striking green colors. There are many stone garden pieces all around Patsy’s home. She has been collecting them for many years.
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- This is Patsy’s boxwood garden. While the most familiar forms of boxwood are commonly referred to as “American” and “English” boxwood, there are about 90-species and more than 365 different cultivars.
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- This round iron planter is used for growing chives. Chives is the common name of Allium schoenoprasum, the smallest species of the onion genus. It is a popular edible, and used to flavor many dishes.
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- On the expansive wrap around porch is a very inviting space with this large, comfortable sectional for cool summer evening chats.
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- On the other side of the home is this quaint stairway leading to Patsy’s enclosed porch and kitchen.
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- Up the stairs and inside is an inviting room filled with many of Patsy’s “finds.”
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- Her dining area is also decorated with lovely collectibles. Platters designated for various dishes wait to be filled. It’s always a good idea to pull serving plates early, so there is no rush to hunt for them later.
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- This is Patsy’s living room – a relaxing after meal gathering place.
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- Outside, refreshing beverages are served on this antique metal gardening table. It is also a great spot for displaying various potted plants.
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- Nearby is the wonderful spread of delicious foods. Patsy cooks everything, sometimes preparing things days in advance.
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- This is a farro and pomegranate salad. Farro is an ancient whole-grain wheat that’s high in fiber, protein, and nutrients.
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- The herbed chicken skewers are so tasty – Patsy cooked these outside on the grill.
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- The grilled chicken sausage with lemon and kale was equally delicious.
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- And so were the lamb and feta meatballs served with pomegranate molasses.
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- This is a large herbed salad made with couscous, cherry tomatoes, and farm greens. Couscous is granular semolina, which has been moistened with water, lightly covered in flour and then rolled into tiny beadlike pellets.
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- A bowl of homemade multi-grain croutons with walnuts are provided to top the salad or eat out of hand.
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- There are also bread baskets filled with warm, fresh pita breads.
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- And green gazpacho – a chilled soup made from cucumber, tomatillos and a yogurt base. Also on the table – tsatziki and harissa, a spicy, smoky, peppery red chili paste that adds kick to any dish.
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- All our plates were filled, and then filled again. Here is my plate. Everything is so flavorful. It was a wonderful lunch and a fun afternoon – thank you so much, Patsy.
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