Showing posts with label Gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gardening. Show all posts
Monday, August 10, 2015
4th of July Family Gardening Ideas
The 4th of July is right around the corner and there are tons of ideas using your garden to celebrate the summer holiday. We are in the middle of summer with pea and corn season in full swing, but there are some flowering ideas you can use for decoration as well. Using your garden is a great way to involve the family in preparation of Independence Day.
Make it historical.
Gardens have been around since the beginning of time and the colonial days were no exception. This is the perfect opportunity to discover some old recipes our founding fathers used or pass on recipes that have been in the family for centuries. Either way, there are some tasty treats that can come from your garden or at least compliment your garden such as Colonial Day Molasses Cookies, old fashion pancakes, Colonial Style Spoon Bread, and more.
Furthermore, there are some fun creative ways to prepare the goodies! Obviously, technology and methods of cooking has changed over the years. From shucking corn to peeling potatoes, there are tons of ways to bring in the fun! For example, make cooking competitive. Get a couple teams together and make up some games to get the cooking done. Look up some ways the colonials prepared the meals and see who can do it the fastest! Then switch it up and use a modern day tool like the EZ-Creamer to cut and cream corn in seconds. This can help increase an appreciation for innovation.
Another idea is to have the guys go fishing, but not with their usual gear. Have them fish with how the colonials did. Once they get back and are ready to clean the catches, have them use tools/utensils that the colonials used as well. Again, to contrast the difference of how things we done back then and now, bring out a tool we use today like the chopper with cutting boards.
From cook-offs to how to prepare the dishes there are some great ways to involve the family in getting ready for 4th of July meals.
Decorate all the things!
The 4th of July is one of the best times of year to show off just how patriotic you are! It's the time of year where America gets to show off her colors the red, white, and blue. Vertical garden systems are beautiful to compliment your home. Flower towers help fill up edges and corners of building structures and look fantastic around porches and decks. Frame kits accommodate living spaces with a touch of sophistication.
Wreaths are a great way to give your front entrance a patriotic welcome to your guests who are arriving. There are a few styles of wreaths to create and gives another chance to make a colorful project for the kids to make.
Apart from flowers, foods can make festive decorations as well. A favorite is making an American flag cake. Simply use strawberries for the red, blueberries for the blue and white icing for stars. There are many ways to use food for decorations. Let your imagination run wild!
Keep it in the family.
One of the worst parts of celebrating The 4th of July are pesky bugs! Fortunately, there are some plants can help repel those nuisants and let you enjoy your time with family. If you have any veggies planted in a garden it's not a bad idea to plant some marigolds or other bug repelling plants to keep the worms off plants like tomatoes.
Types of repelling plants
The 4th of July is a fun holiday to enjoy with family and friends. There are tons of ideas to make the holiday one to remember! Let us know of how you like to celebrate and if you're going to use any of the ideas from this post. Happy 4th of July!
Read more »
Make it historical.
Gardens have been around since the beginning of time and the colonial days were no exception. This is the perfect opportunity to discover some old recipes our founding fathers used or pass on recipes that have been in the family for centuries. Either way, there are some tasty treats that can come from your garden or at least compliment your garden such as Colonial Day Molasses Cookies, old fashion pancakes, Colonial Style Spoon Bread, and more.
Furthermore, there are some fun creative ways to prepare the goodies! Obviously, technology and methods of cooking has changed over the years. From shucking corn to peeling potatoes, there are tons of ways to bring in the fun! For example, make cooking competitive. Get a couple teams together and make up some games to get the cooking done. Look up some ways the colonials prepared the meals and see who can do it the fastest! Then switch it up and use a modern day tool like the EZ-Creamer to cut and cream corn in seconds. This can help increase an appreciation for innovation.
Another idea is to have the guys go fishing, but not with their usual gear. Have them fish with how the colonials did. Once they get back and are ready to clean the catches, have them use tools/utensils that the colonials used as well. Again, to contrast the difference of how things we done back then and now, bring out a tool we use today like the chopper with cutting boards.
From cook-offs to how to prepare the dishes there are some great ways to involve the family in getting ready for 4th of July meals.
Decorate all the things!
The 4th of July is one of the best times of year to show off just how patriotic you are! It's the time of year where America gets to show off her colors the red, white, and blue. Vertical garden systems are beautiful to compliment your home. Flower towers help fill up edges and corners of building structures and look fantastic around porches and decks. Frame kits accommodate living spaces with a touch of sophistication.
Pro Tip: Use any potted flowers setup, stick an American flag in it, and you have an easy patriotic design!
Wreaths are a great way to give your front entrance a patriotic welcome to your guests who are arriving. There are a few styles of wreaths to create and gives another chance to make a colorful project for the kids to make.
Apart from flowers, foods can make festive decorations as well. A favorite is making an American flag cake. Simply use strawberries for the red, blueberries for the blue and white icing for stars. There are many ways to use food for decorations. Let your imagination run wild!
Keep it in the family.
One of the worst parts of celebrating The 4th of July are pesky bugs! Fortunately, there are some plants can help repel those nuisants and let you enjoy your time with family. If you have any veggies planted in a garden it's not a bad idea to plant some marigolds or other bug repelling plants to keep the worms off plants like tomatoes.
Types of repelling plants
- Marigolds
- Citronella
- Lemon Balm
- Catnip
- Basil
- Lavender
- Peppermint
- Garlic (good for keeping vampires away too)
- Penny-royal
- Rosemary
- Geranium
The 4th of July is a fun holiday to enjoy with family and friends. There are tons of ideas to make the holiday one to remember! Let us know of how you like to celebrate and if you're going to use any of the ideas from this post. Happy 4th of July!
Book review: Gifts from the garden
Well known food writer Debora Robertson, (who has ghosted several famous books by well-known chefs, nudge nudge, wink wink) author also of the blog Licked Spoon, has created an inspirational book. So in this book, you have all the talent without the ego!
If, like me, every birthday and Christmas, you never know what to get for family and friends. When you are older, most of them have everything they need, they don't want more clutter.
In the past I've made hampers and preserves as gifts. Unless you can buy them something proper like a holiday or a car, most people would prefer something handmade and personal. It's perfect for anyone who likes using their hands: crafters, gardeners, cooks and for people who like to find out how to make things.
This book gives tons of ideas: from cuttings charmingly planted up, hand sewn lavender hand warmers, herbal bath fizzies, marigold candles, natural cosmetics, unusual pesto sauce from your garden, even how to wrap the presents using plants and ribbons.
Mother's Day is coming up, the 10th of March: I reckon Gifts from the garden is the perfect present for her.
Beautifully photographed and styled by the talented Yuki Sugiura, it's totally up my street. Not only are the projects visually appealing, but the book itself is wild, carefree, blowsy and feminine, extravagantly pretty. I love the hand painted endpapers.
The Secret Garden Club are big fans!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)