Gingerbread Fantasies Sparkle the Holidays & Botanic Gardens

There is surely no better marriage than that of the garden’s plant parts and the kitchen baker than gingerbread -- with the enduring love interest swirled up by the pixie dust of unbridled culinary imagination. 

Take the spicy ingredients that come from roots, tree bark, flowers and seeds, mix in sweet sugar and molasses, along with some other things to stir the senses and cook up a holiday tradition that takes on shape-shifting forms and designs to dazzle all those sugar plum fairies – and confection dreams in all of us.

It’s no wonder that garden centers and botanical gardens turn to a gingerbread theme for sweet and magical inspiration during the holidays.

Botanical Gardens

Longwood Gardens

Sponsored and produced by Sickles Market recently-launched garden and food tours, a trip to Longwood Gardens revealed an elegant gingerbread-inspired theme. 

According to our favorite garden guide, John Bertram, Longwood boasts 30,000 "Construction Grade" gingerbread ornaments; 10,000 gingerbread cookies, made by local baker Liz Marden, www.lizmarden.com

John also explained the food has a long tradition at Longwood, starting with the DuPont family. (Did you know DuPont is French for "of the bridge?"  That is a perfect metaphor for Longwood Gardens too, as it "bridges" the worlds of edible gardens, display gardens and entertaining.
And January 1st remains "Calling Day"  - a heritage that honors the family women who bake the gingerbread for the community and the men who call on the neighbors to share the holiday home-baked treats.

“This year Christmas at Longwood is sweeter than ever as the gardens are transformed into a gingerbread fantasyland featuring fanciful and imaginative displays.

Longwood landmarks recreated in gingerbread stand beneath towering trees adorned with gingerbread ornaments and the candy-laden Music Room overflows with sweet and colorful holiday cheer that look like crayola-colored ornaments in the jars stacked on candy store shelves behind,” according to Longwood.    

The conservatory and original Du Pont homestead are lovingly rendered in a gingerbread house that will leave viewers breathless with their heart stopping architecture and spun sugar and “Cookie Construction!

Gingerbread wreaths hang with sweet dignity and gingerbread cookies drip from almost every tree and floral display at Longwood Gardens. 

Docents are on hand with spicy samples to describe and delight visitors about gingerbread’s starring role.   

http://www.longwoodgardens.org/christmas.html

Kirsty Dougherty, Director of Tours and Training, and Natale Siclare, Sickles Market, sprinkled a bit of their own pixie dust on the second luxury trip to Longwood in as many months.  And could a man whose name means Christmas (Natale) not be the ideal holiday garden tour guide?! He located everything from unique garden plants to secret doors!

Red Twigged Dogwood allee fronting the English Yew

Our favorite expert Longwood Garden Tour Guide, John Bertram, who volunteered just for us. How much do you love that bald cypress  mulch - and John! His garden tales & historical references make the Garden ever more exciting & interesting.

Along with Bob and Tori Sickles, and a chorus of Sickles elves, er staff, the trip was masterfully managed with just the right elixir to set the fa, la, la merry tone for holiday garden and food cheer. 

Who better than Sickles’ expert cheesemonger, Cheri Scolari to lead the fun wine and cheese tasting on the trip home.  After a delightful day strolling Longwood’s gingerbread-laden holiday horticultural displays,  travel guests were snugly ensconced on the bus, and were soon astonished to receive a box of treats, courtesy of Sickles’ food elves.  Oohs and ahhs soon led to mmmmm. 

Cheri guided eager guests to discover  a variety of three cheeses, and a choice of two wines. 

For the Holiday wine and cheese tasting led by Cheri, the gifted treats included:

            The Garden State’s Cherry Grove Buttercup Brie, soft ripened cow's milk

            Zamorano, aged raw sheep's milk, Spain (like Manchengo but better)

            Parmigiano Reggiano – aged raw cow's milk, Italy (Aged two years, from grass fed cows in the DOC = District Controlled Cheese, as authorized by the Italian governement.)

Accompanied by Marcona almonds and dried figs (be still my heart!)

            Pasticceri Filippi panettone artisanal handcrafted and wrapped in Vincenza, Italy.  Full story here by Cheri on Sickles’ blog: http://bit.ly/rpX2op

A show of hands voted the Reggiano the favorite. My hands-down winning taste favorite

is the Lawrenceville, NJ grass-fed happy cow-in-the-pasture petite, creamy, buttery brie.  This was especially good with chardonnay or a Fume Blanc, according to Cheri.  She is a treasure trove of knowledge about wine and cheese pairings and food stories and legends and recipes. Don't miss her blogs or her feature piece in www.currentsNJ.com -- "Wine and Cheese: A Marriage Made in Heaven."
And she is just someone you want to have to dinner to enjoy her food bliss!

Sickles' Natale Siclare & Maria Steinberg

My garden design client and muse, Maria Steinberg, took home the raffle winning Sickles confection, Gingerbread house, re-gifted by Lucy Matchett, our garden friend!  

And the good will didn’t stop there.

I received this gorgeous paperwhite composition designed by Natale, that “clever clogs” as Kirsty says.  And now the fragrance is in full, sweet throttle. I love paperwhites. 

I know there are those who find the smell too heady. But not me. It just spells Christmas in a stately, in-your-senses kind of way.

Sickles Paperwhites floral design & look at the glamorous gift bag!

And then, just when it couldn’t get any better, I received an email from Maria, saying she was going to Sickles to get all the tasting treats and would I want her to pick me up some?

You bet, I reply. 

On the following Saturday, Maria gives me the full foodie treat “treatment” (hmm, maybe that’s the genesis of that word!).  In any event, I was the lucky, lucky, happy recipient of the wine and cheese tasting – times two!  Every cheese and the hand bow-tied panettone is superlative.

New York Botanical Garden (www.nybg.org) visitors should make a second stop after the Holiday Train show to indulge in the Gingerbread Adventures found a short walk away in the Everett Children’s Garden. Families shouldn’t miss the display of gingerbread houses.

This reporter launched the gingerbread house holiday program while working at NYBG – beginning with the Soutine Bakery from the upper west side in Manhattan – and am thrilled to see the special gingerbread display has taken on a tradition all its own.

According to NYBG: “Some of New York’s best and most imaginative bakers prepare an exhibit of whimsical, one-of-a-kind gingerbread creations sure to capture the imaginations of children and adults alike, while evoking all the wonder of the winter holiday season. 

The bakers who are creating themed “Gingerbread Fantasy Houses” this year are: Lauri DiTunno, Cake Alchemy, Manhattan www.cakealchemy.com/

Irina Brandler, Sugar and Spice Bake Shop, the Bronx www.sugarandspiceonline.com/

 Kaye and Liv Hansen, Riviera Bakehouse, Ardsley, NY www.thewhimsicalbakehouse.com/

and Kate Sullivan, Cake Power, Manhattan www.cakepower.com/

Other botanical gardens featuring gingerbread holiday houses and displays include Cleveland Botanic Garden (www.cbgarden.org), Boerner Botanical Gardens in Wisconsin and Huntsville Botanic Gardens (www.hsvbg.org)

The United States Botanic Garden http://www.usbg.gov/  and the garden even provides gingerbread house templates online: http://www.usbg.gov/whats-happening/exhibits/upload/Green-Roof-Gingerbread-House.pdf

Look for gingerbread displays in local hotels and restaurants too.

Who better to get a classic gingerbread recipe from than the award-winning, best-selling cookbook author Claudia Fleming?  The following gingerbread recipe will be featured in this my soon to be published “Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook.”

Recipes

North Fork Table and Inn, Claudia Fleming, Pastry Chef: (http://www.northforktableandinn.com/)

North Fork Table and Inn GINGERBREAD

STOUT BEER                   1 CUP                       

MOLLASSES                    1 CUP                       

BAKING SODA                ½ TBLS           

WHOLE EGGS 3 EA

WHITE GRAN SUGAR ½ CUP

DARK BROWN SUGAR ½ CUP

VEGETABLE OIL ¾ CUP

FRESH GRATED GINGER 2 ½ TBLS

AP FLOUR 2 CUPS

BAKING POWDER ½ TBLS

GROUND GINGER 2 TBLS

CINNAMON ¾ TSP

CLOVES 1/4TSP

NUTMEG ¼ TSP

CARDOMON 1/8 TSP

1.  SET OVEN TO  350 DEGREES. COMBINE BEER AND MOLLASSES IN SAUCEPAN, BRING TO BOIL. ADD BAKING SODA. (USE A LARGE POT, IT WILL FOAM UP) ALLOW TO COME TO ROOM TEMPERATURE
2. IN A LARGE BOWL, COMBINE FLOUR AND SPICES.
3. WHISK TOGETHER SUGAR AND EGGS, ADD OIL, WHISK WELL. ADD BEER/MOLLASSES MIXTURE, WHISK WELL.
4. ADD LIQUID TO DRY SLOWLY, MIXING WELL. MIX IN FRESH GINGER.
5. BUTTER (WELL) AND FLOUR A BUNDT PAN. POUR MIXTURE INTO PREPARED PAN BAKE APPROX 45 MIN – 1HR. UNTIL CAKE SPRINGS BACK TO THE TOUCH.

BAKE AT 350 DEGREES

And from the “all things food and garden gurus at Sickles, is the following gingerbread recipe:

Sickles Market Gingerbread Cookies

3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature, softened)

1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed

1 Tbsp ground ginger

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup unsulfured molasses

Optional raisins, chocolate chips, candy pieces, frosting

Royal Icing

1 egg white

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)

Method

1 In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.

2 In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Mix in eggs and molasses. Gradually add the flour mixture; combine on low speed. (You may need to work it with your hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.) Divide dough in thirds; wrap each third in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour or overnight. Before rolling out, let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. If after refrigerating the dough feels too soft to roll-out, work in a little more flour.

3 Heat oven to 350°. Place a dough third on a large piece of lightly floured parchment paper or wax paper. Using a rolling pin, roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate again for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to cut out the cookies. Use either a cookie cutter or place a stencil over the dough and use a knife to cut into desired shapes. Press raisins, chocolate chips, or candy pieces in the center of each cookie if desired for "buttons".

4 Transfer to ungreased baking sheets. Bake until crisp but not darkened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Let sit a few minutes and then use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.

Makes 16 5-inch long cookies.

Royal Icing

The traditional way to make Royal Icing is to beat egg whites and lemon juice together, adding the powdered sugar until the mixture holds stiff peaks. With modern concerns about salmonella from raw eggs, you can either use powdered egg whites or heat the egg whites first to kill any bacteria. With the heating method, mix the egg white and lemon juice with a third of the sugar, heat in a microwave until the mixture's temperature is 160°F. Then remove from microwave, and beat in the remaining sugar until stiff peaks form. Using the powdered egg whites method, combine 1 Tbsp egg white powder with 2 Tbsp water. Proceed as you would otherwise. (Raw egg white alternatives from the 2006 Joy of Cooking)

If the icing is too runny, add more powdered sugar until you get the desired consistency. Fill a piping bag with the icing to pipe out into different shapes. (Or use a plastic sandwich bag, with the tip of one corner of the bag cut off.) Keep the icing covered while you work with it or it will dry out.

http://sicklesmarket.com/a/make-gingerbread-cookies

The Garden State Home Renovation Tips and Design Review

It seems there will be no gift of a completed home renovation project in time for Christmas. 

Work goes on for phase one.

That includes windows and French doors in the dining room and master bedroom suite, new roof (take that Nor’easters!), insulation, (getting some much needed warmth inside now that the weather is turning winter cold), and the first part of front porch frame and mason work, as well as the back porch addition off the dining room and next to the existing terrace.  This is where the Japanese soaking tub and yoga will be. And chairs for contemplation… And star gazing.

Here is where the Sunbrella fabric drapes will frame the view and offer privacy and shade.

roses watch the their new home companion

roofers start

  

start of loft

There is noodles of wiring meticulously threaded throughout the house by Harold, a darling, tidy electrician.
And there are miles of silver foil sheaths peeking out and twinkling behind the framing, knowing they will soon be hidden away, and what looks like plastic garbage bags channeling an amusement park tunnel attraction but is in fact part of the HVAC.

Once most of the framing and flooring was up, we could see we needed two windows that could open—positioned on either side of the center square window on the water side of the loft room perched over the new dining room.

In the areas where there was existing house: upstairs where the bedrooms and bathrooms are, we had to move all the "stuff" that was in the rooms and lined the walls. 
This was no small task; especially as all the house items and furniture from the living room and kitchen and garden room have already been moved to the garage. 
There is no place left to put the stuff!

We moved the upstairs room items to one side and put a drop cloth over the stuff.

The French door with soon-to-be-Juliet balcony was installed to my great delight.  How perfect it will be to wake up with light streaming into a new expanded bedroom and to enjoy the glistening water views and New York skyline and stately sailboats and frisky sunfish sailboats and cruise ships sailing hopefully to exotic ports from New York Harbor -- and our gardens below.  

We also wanted to offer our overnight guests more of the water and skyline and garden view too.  It was almost like one would have to peek through a squinted or squished viewfinder with the previous windows. Now there is a big, wide square happy window. 

The house, having been originally built in the 1960’s placed all the important rooms on the back side or southwest side of the house in order to safeguard the integrity of the windows from storms, especially the wicked Nor’easters that angrily whip through with impudence every season.  We’ve been told the windows back then just couldn’t sustain the winds and beating rain.

Now, the technology and window designs allow us to get creative with shapes and sizes and positioning. 

We selected the floor for the dining room.  It is comprised of 20x20 tiles – grayish/bluish with striations of coppery brownish.  Small copper squares will be placed artistically throughout the tiled floor area as accents.  This will accessorize the copper topped table to giddy design magazine-worthy heights!  The exciting part of this is the transition tiles I found to lead from the wood kitchen and living room floor to the dining room tile.  This transition tile is appropriately named Opulence.  Oooohh!  It looks like jewelry with tiny glass squares of dazzling copper, cinnamon, silvery-gray and saffron colored tile.  Perfect.  

I am finalizing the outdoor front walk, driveway and front herb garden designs. 

My design request - to be scaled for front porch

I forwarded the image of the front porch design to the masons via the architect – see here -  but they said the design was too big and if they were to do it would cost us $1,000 more to cut the bluestone and brick to scaled size. Further, they said the labor to put the bricks between the slate would require more money.  I suggested they stay within the budget parameters and provide a design opportunity that is close to the look we wanted without costing more. 


The design compromise that was emailed was a random bluestone patter -- too dizzying to work with the clean, straight-on walk design I envision and designed.  After some phone consultation, the mason brothers came over to meet and lay out my suggested alternative design concept, using 16" bluestone.  On the diagonal/diamond-shaped.  With bricks around the sides.  ^:^ Sounds pretty familiar? It worked for me!

The front steps will be 12" bluestone, framed by brick.    

We try to stay focused on the progress. We try to stay out of the dust.  We try not to think about the loss of privacy or the lack of space to put anything.  Thank goodness we have the Gotham apartment to live in during the week.  And my mother's welcoming condo down the street. On the water. We need to get away from all this plus the noise and mud and …

What I wasn’t prepared for is the lack of GC communication and the problems it’s caused. 

Santa should prepare for coal in stockings this year…

Coming up will be installation of the kitchen cabinets, making the template for the kitchen counters and island that will be used to cut the most beautiful marble this side of heaven.

The marble looks like the Caribbean Sea or the sky.  With stars and clouds.  I literally hugged it  when I came upon it. I knew it was for us!  

It took too long to find the cuts we coveted. But we prevailed.
It will look so dreamy mirroring and reflecting the water of the bay and the wide berth of sky behind and framing.

And the front door needs to go in. Right after they finish the front porch.

The siding will go up next week. We chose a bluish grayish shingle that will blend with the water beyond.  The color and style will also work with the existing brick siding on one part of the house that we will whitewash so that we achieve a kind of French country house effect.

We continue. 

So much of a home renovation is hope, tears, and attention to detail.  I advise all homeowners to over-manage. Do not allow anyone to take the reins or to think they control or selectively control the project. It must be very clear at the outset who is the client and how the relationship and process will proceed.  So much time is spent on the materials and design. When in fact, so much of the project is really about the chemistry found in the relationship between the architect and GC and the homeowner/client.
There is more than enough challenges and stress to go around. Be sure to partner with someone who shares your values and character as well as your style and vision.
Do not trust anyone with your budget.  The trust is too often misplaced.  Go over the numbers yourselves and then together with the GC manager. Sadly, professionalism can be in the eye of the doer.
Homeowners are so busy with their work and family lives that more often than not they do rely on the GC for that oversight management they are being paid for.  However they make mistakes.  Sometimes bad ones.

I also recommend having constant email and text updates. That’s worked very well for us.  Weekly meetings – not so much.  The meetings should be more than requests for money.  They should include design review before work is to begin in the areas next in the work flow schedule.  While we only had two change orders, we might have been able to realize the need for different windows if we had walked around once the part of the construction was completed to a point to see what was emerging. 
Take notes and write meeting reports to share with key decision makers.
Review and review and confirm.

The meetings should also foster a sense of team, shared responsibility and commitment and pride…

Weather plays a big role in home renovation in locales where there are four seasons.  Outside of getting the work done in the ideal temperature-kissed late spring through fall time period, there are still rainstorms.
And given climate change - - (yes, Virginia, there IS climate change!) there will be more wild swings in weather patterns including this year's hurricane, tornado, and earthquake. So I suggest looking to the weather channel's long-range forecast when planning the work schedule.  It's a good arrow in the quiver. And it's a good way to plan to use the teams for inside tasks when inclement weather prevents outdoor work.

Securing permits is also a time and schedule challenge that needs to be managed.

Take lots of pictures - before - and as the project progresses.

Have fun. Enjoy the path to a soon-to-be new style

More to come with completion of the house, phase one.  Then on to the the garden and driveway designs.

So You Think You Know Why We Need Trees?

Harvest to Holiday Container Garden Design

H2 Oh!  Harvest to Holiday

 I hope your Thanksgiving holiday celebration was filled with love—family and real food and sharing. 

And soon-to-be-happy memories.

Mother and I cooked up a storm with her homemade bread, fresh turkey and trimmings – and all to supplement my Thanksgiving raffle-winning, gourmet Thanksgiving dinner for six from Sickles Market, Little Silver, in the Garden State.

More on that delicious homegrown culinary elegance in my next post.

Here I will say the pumpkin bisque soup and the spicy, southwest inspired cranberry corn relish were amazing and the talk of the table.

The weather in the Northeast, New York metro area was sublime. 

It felt like September – balmy in the high 60’s – and in some locales, tipping to the 70’s.  A record-breaker in many places.

It was energizing weekend to work in the garden and change out the containers from Harvest to Holiday.

While, it did feel a tad odd to press red holiday ribbons and sparkly silver balls next to the winter pansies J  

it was an ideal weekend to compost the mums and pumpkins  – (hello squash blossoms next year) 

and to visit the nurseries to select plants and accessories for the holiday compositions for the containers.

I am privileged to work for a number of spectacular, garden design clients.  I can’t do enough for them.

One client is dedicated to a white and green garden color design. 

Over time, I’ve introduced silver and steely blue plants for a cool elegance.

I figured a sparkly silver sparkle could only add to the garden glamour of the spring topiary and custom white planters from Pennoyer and Newman distinctive garden pots: 

http://www.pennoyernewman.com/

Topiary view from front door & walk towards double white marble & grass parking courts

Two smaller planter across the driveway from front door punctuates garden bed separating checkerboard parking courts 

I kept the Holiday container decorations focus on the plants at another client where the color design is a seasonal red.

The nandina plants that border the front walk turn a brilliant crimson soon after the fall. (Spring they are a light green and summer they are dark green)

Years ago I chose the garden room’s color palette to complete the serene Mediterranean stucco house and walk.

The red sparkle and bows are just fancy enough to jazz up the red pansies and dwarf Alberta spruce.

No screaming Santas, or blow up snowmen.  No abundance of lights that use up energy or make a yard look like an airport runway.  The garden art whispers Happy Holidays with nature’s plants and ornaments in a refined, elegant and glamorous way.

Keep the focus on family and friends… 

More holiday garden cheer to come.  It’s the start of a spectacular season!

Cheers.