A Peony Workshop at the Farm

This past weekend, we hosted a Peony Workshop on the farm!  Gretchen and I have been talking about doing this for ages and this was the year!  I provided the peonies and she provided beautiful porcelain vases that she made.  We worked for weeks leading up to the workshop and the farm has never looked better!  

I was very nervous about the whole endeavor as I don't feel super comfortable in the public speaking arena nor do I like presenting myself as an expert.  However, all the attendees were so kind and enthusiastic it made it pretty easy to get comfortable.  We started by talking about peonies, then we toured the garden and field, came back to the barn to have a snack, learned about Gretchen's vases and then everyone made their own bouquet.

We really wanted everything to feel special so we put some effort into the snacks.  Gretchen made sweet little cucumber sandwiches, I made cupcakes to look like peonies and Kathleen (who was here visiting and to be supportive!) made peony cookies!  We also served floral crackers with goat cheese and a drizzle of honey from our first harvest!

I also made Peony Lemonade with peony simple syrup.  Ya'll that color is totally natural!  

I wanted the flowers to look lush, abundant and beautiful and I think they did!  We set them up sort of like a flower bar and everyone could help themselves.

The bouquets that everyone made turned out so beautifully!  I love how different each one is even though all the same vases and flowers were used!

Bits and Bobs of Spring

Spring has sprung and it's been so very busy here.  Daffodil season has come and gone, the tulips are almost finished, the ticks are out in full force, ramp season was short and sweet, Harris is finished with his freshman year of college (what???) and the farm is the prettiest it's ever been.  Here are some random photos to commemorate the past month or so! 

I've made violet jelly (that color!) and lilac sorbet, both beautiful and ever so tasty.

We've had lots of flowers inside to enjoy, I love foraging for all the little bits and bobs but I also still love a single variety in mass in a vase.

The flowers and flowering trees (crabapples, redbuds, cherries and dogwoods) are so very lovely.  The bees have plenty for forage and seem to be off to a good start!

We've loved having Harris home the past week!