It always makes me so happy when my pussy willows are ready for picking - they are true harbingers of spring.
Every year, my gardeners gather bunches and bunches of pussy willow branches from a grove just behind my main greenhouse. With their fuzzy little buds called catkins, they can easily make the most cheerful indoor arrangements. Yesterday, Ryan created two large displays for my Brown Room - just in time for Easter.
Enjoy these photos.
These pussy willows were cut and stored in my carport until it was time to put them in containers. They were then moved into my Winter House Brown Room and placed gently on old sheets in the middle of the floor.
Salix discolor is the American pussy willow. It can grow up to 20-feet or even more when left unpruned. These branches are about six to eight feet long. The willow buds will last for weeks and will not open as long as they’re kept dry.
The twigs are flexible and gray in color. My gardeners know to pick the straightest pussy willows with the most furry catkins for the arrangements.
This is one of two antique urns made of the same material used to manufacture sewer pipes. Sewer tile pottery was made by pipe workers who used leftover clay at the end of the work week to create sculptured forms such as this planter. Over the years, I’ve collected a few pieces. Made mostly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, these were valued for their color, their rarity and their form. I just love these industrial looking vessels.
To protect the urn, we lined the bottom with aluminum foil. Because these will be dry arrangements, there wasn’t a huge concern about water leakage, but the foil provides a safeguard against moisture and potential scratches.
Ryan goes through the large bunch one by one and selects the nicest twigs to use.
Here, he trims off any small, unnecessary branchlets.
Once they are gathered, Ryan ties the bunch together with jute twine.
We use jute twine for many projects here at the farm. Jute is a long, soft, shiny bast fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus Corchorus, which is in the mallow family Tiliaceae.
Because these branches are quite long, Ryan also makes sure they are tied high enough, so the branches are well supported.
He also ties the bunch together a second time for safety.
Then, using a pair of garden shears, Ryan carefully cuts the bottom of the branches, so they sit level in the urns.
Here, Ryan puts in the last of four bunches into the container. Ryan makes separate smaller bunches instead of one big one. He says this creates a more balanced arrangement in the urn and makes it less likely for the pussy willows to tip over.
This unique container is also two separate pieces, so Ryan checks to make sure everything is centered and secure.
Ryan checks the tops of the branches and trims any that are too tall.
Then he moves on to the second display.
He checks each branch to ensure it is long, straight and sturdy.
Just before he is done, he also chooses long pussy willows with multiple strong branches that can support the others and wrap around the bunch like a “claw.”
Ryan places the first of four bundles into the container in the other corner…
… And then the other three.
He steps back to make sure nothing is touching the window shades or any surfaces that could be scratched. The pussy willows will keep their upright position. I love making large arrangements for use indoors – the bigger, the better!
Both arrangements look great. They will look even prettier surrounded by all my Easter decorations. What are you planning for this weekend’s spring holiday? It is just three days away.
This year’s spring burlap removal project is almost complete.
Every autumn, I cover all my boxwood shrubs and outdoor urns to protect them from the heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures. We use strong steel frames and custom fit burlap casings sewn by hand. And just before Easter, everything is removed to expose all the lush green foliage - it's a complete transformation around my farm. This week, my outdoor grounds crew removed the protective coverings and frames around my herbaceous peony bed and behind my Summer House. And timing is just perfect - Easter is just four days away.
Enjoy these photos.
One of our annual outdoor spring chores includes removing all the burlap that surrounds my precious boxwood shrubs during winter. Here at my farm, we had a mild winter season this year – not much snow, and no damaging cold or wind. We were lucky. All my boxwood was well encased all season long.
Here is the burlap covering the boxwood behind my Summer House. We remove the burlap once the temperatures are consistently above freezing and before Easter. The crew spends several days removing all the burlap.
All of the coverings are custom wrapped and sewn to fit each individual shrub, hedge, or bush. The burlap and all the supplies are removed gently, so as to preserve as much burlap as possible.
The tall American boxwood that surrounds my sunken garden is protected with plastic netting to keep the branches from splaying. It’s not as sensitive to the cold as English boxwood, so no need to wrap it in burlap.
Here is a closer look at the protective netting, which is wrapped around the tall hedge and held tight with metal pipe framing. When removed, the netting is rolled and put away until fall.
All these rolls of fabric will be placed in our stable storage barn where it can be kept dry. One of the few downsides to this fabric is that it will start to fray and disintegrate after time, especially if exposed to moisture.
Fortunately, the weather here in the Northeast has been pleasant this week and the crew is getting a lot done outside in the fresh air. Here, the burlap is pulled off the boxwood hedge surrounding my herbaceous peony bed.
These pipes are made from rolled galvanized 16 gauge industrial tubing. The ground piping is pounded into the ground – each one about four to five feet from the next. The top pieces are 10-foot wide bow sections – these frames will last quite a while, I hope. Chhiring uses a socket bit on the drill to remove the metal fasteners.
These fasteners are called tension purlin brackets. They connect the center piping to the bow sections of the frame.
Chhiring and Phurba also remove the wooden stakes and strips that connect the pipes to the burlap. Everything is separated, so it can be stored properly. We make our own wooden strips out of unused pieces of wood.
Team work is necessary to complete this task quickly and efficiently. Here, the burlap and frames are gone, showing just the beautiful green boxwood underneath. Some question whether covering plantings each winter really helps, but look how lush and intact the plantings are when uncovered – I definitely feel it is worth the time and effort.
This is a view inside the herbaceous peony bed and the exposed green boxwood hedge – a great sight to see.
Burlap is also removed from the boxwood hedges and shrubs in my Summer House garden.
The burlap removal reveals what we hope for every year – green, healthy boxwood.
My large urns behind the Summer House are also unwrapped – they’re now ready for spring planting.
Buxus is a genus of about 70 species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood. The boxes are native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The leaves on boxwood branches are arranged opposite from each other, making pairs.
My sunken Summer House Garden is a more formal garden with both English and American boxwood. In just a few more weeks, this garden will once again look different. All the ginkgo trees will be filled with gorgeous green leaves.
Here are the dismantled metal frames removed from around the peony bed and behind the Summer house. It is all organized and stacked and ready to be stored.
This year, outside my Winter House Green Parlor, we used these round hoop house frames to hold up the burlap. It was a perfect solution for accommodating the growing shrubs. We will use the same metal piping next year.
The rounded pipes are removed and lifted by our trusted Hi-Lo. Chhiring slowly drives them to a back field where everything is stored.
Here, the pieces are organized and kept off the ground. I always impress upon the crew that staying organized saves lots of time later.
Straight pieces are also stored by size on top of wooden pallets. I am glad we are able to protect the boxwood efficiently and successfully every winter. Next task – removing all the burlap and framing from my long Boxwood Allée.
There's nothing quite like Sunday supper - the tradition of gathering around the dinner table with family and friends at the end of a long, busy week.
This past weekend, I attended "Sunday Supper" at Makers Central in nearby Tarrytown, New York. Makers Central is a group of talented artists and entrepreneurs who create handmade goods for some of the best restaurants in the country - items such as ceramic plates, wooden bowls, knives, and much more. Several times a year, Makers Central transforms its bustling workshop into a beautiful and thoughtful pop-up restaurant, and invites a well-known chef to prepare signature dishes for a long table of guests. This dinner was made by celebrity chef and restaurateur, Christian Petroni. He prepared a delicious menu including escarole and iceberg salad, fried meatballs and vinegar peppers, pasta e patate with mussels, beef braciola braised in arrabbiata sauce, creamy polenta with farro, and for dessert - olive oil cake with zabaglione.
Enjoy these photos of "Sunday Supper" at Makers Central. And please go to the web site to learn more about its Makers.
Above the table is a giant handmade wreath full of foraged spring flowers.
Each place setting includes a menu card and message from its hosts. The table centerpieces are floral arrangements by Michelle Edgemont Design. All the Makers contributed their beautiful creations to the event. (Photo by @sagehundgen)
Each menu was also handmade on recycled paper by Natalia Woodward from Bat Flower Press. Natalia has a work space at Makers Central. I got to see her printing press as well as some of the other types of handmade paper that she makes.
This is Connor McGinn, co-founder of Makers Central. He is opening his ceramic kiln so it can be used to make Chef Christian Petroni’s signature meatballs. Just hours before the meal, the kiln was filled with plates made right in the studio. Connor and Christian fired it back up to cook much of the meal. (Photo from @connormcginnstudios)
Here are some of Connor’s handmade ceramic plates displayed prominently on the shelves and used for “Sunday Supper” meals.
Two Makers helping with dinner – concrete maker, David Puchalski and woodworker,
Carlos Chimborazo. Both are former bartenders from Blue Hill Stone Barns. They are teaming up once again behind the bar to create craft cocktails for Makers Central’s Sunday Supper. (Photo by @lexymonaco)
Here I am with knife maker, Matt Yazel. Matt made this group of knives for the event. (Photo: @connormcginnstudios;
Maker: @yazelknives)
Matt and I talked about the beauty of hand crafted kitchen knives.
I also took a small tour of the workshop – here are shelves filled with Connor’s plate ware – cups, bowls, plates in a variety of light hues.
Here are more of Connor’s creations stacked nearby.
Before dinner began, I took this snapshot from one end of the table. It was fun to meet so many interesting and energetic people.
And here was the first course – plated escarole and iceberg salad with red onion and creamy labneh yogurt and pecorino vinaigrette dressing. Chef Christian also topped each salad with parmigiano cheese. (Photo by Clarence Morey III)
Next, Chef Christian’s meatballs – fried and served with vinegar peppers. These meatballs were set family style, so everyone could get seconds and thirds.
Here’s Chef Christian putting the finishing touches on the main course – pasta e patate con provolla e cozze, or mussels. Chef Christian shared stories of visiting his grandmother in Italy as a child. Pasta e patate was an old peasant dish she used to make. At the end of every week she would empty out the bottom of the jar of pasta on the counter. All of the little broken pieces of spaghetti, the stray bowtie or zitti, the crumbs of pasta flour, it all ended up in the pot with a handful of potatoes and some garlic. She would cook it down until it all melded together into a porridge.
Here is a closer look at the giant bowl of pasta – it smelled so delicious.
The pasta was plated on lathe turned wooden bowls made at Makers Central by Carlos and Elena of C-Los Carpentry. Carlos gets all of his wood from local trees downed by storms. I told them they’d have to come by my farm to pick up some of the ash trees I had to take down and turn them into more bowls.
Here, Chef Christian prepares his toasted farro polenta. To add a bit of extra nutty earthiness he toasts it until it is nice and deep golden brown. “Right on the edge of being burnt so it brings out all of those beautiful nutty flavors”. Then he put into a spice grinder and pulverized it before adding it to the stone ground polenta served with the third course – beef braciole braised in arrabbiata sauce. He said it was an experiment, and it worked like a charm. (Photo by Clarence Morey III)
Chef Christian and Connor spoke to all the guests. They’ve known each other for years and enjoyed sharing stories fro their early restaurant days. (Photo by Clarence Morey III)
They both agreed there was no better purpose is in life than to make people happy with food. (Photo by Clarence Morey III)
Here’s the creamy polenta and kiln roasted braciole served on Connor’s ‘Trash’ plates. Each of these plates was made out of recycled clay. (Photo by Clarence Morey III)
We all watched as dessert was prepared.
Chef Christian brought in the most delicious crumb cake from his friends at Galloways bakery. He soaked it with brown butter simple syrup and fresh bright green olive oil. (Photo by Clarence Morey III)
After it was baked in the kiln, he topped it with zabaglione, a a rich Italian dessert custard made with eggs, sugar, and sweet wine.
The dessert plates are some of Connor’s “misfit samples.” Connor makes custom plate ware for some of the top restaurants in the country. He told us about the piles of beautiful designs that didn’t quite make the cut for one reason or another. Making art for a functional purpose like a restaurant has to be done within certain guidelines. They have to stack nicely, fit in a dishwasher, be ergonomic and easy to lift from the table with one hand. Most of these pieces didn’t make the final cut, but are perfect for “Sunday Supper.” And each guest picked out their favorite dessert plate to use.
(Photo by Clarence Morey III)
It was a lovely event and a delicious meal. I hope it helps bring back “Sunday suppers” in everyone’s home. Thank you Makers Central. And please visit the web site for more information. (Photo by @sagehundgen;
Maker: @connormcginnstudios, @capelilyflowers)
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
