After quite a classic, soggy Memorial Day week-end, we woke to a clear blue sky with not a cloud to be seen! It is just a gorgeous morning! According to the weatherman the temperature should make it into the low 70s. Perfect! Before I leave for the shop I’ll be enjoying a few moments in my garden. I love to check to see what’s next to burst into bloom. The buds on my peony are nearly ready. Last year I boldly dug and replanted it carefully in a rich nest of compost. It promises to reward me with twice as many blooms this year. Oh, how I love the intoxicating fragrance of peony blossoms!
When I was 12 years old, I accompanied my grandmother on a journey to visit relatives in Georgia, Tennessee and Minnesota. It was a fabulous adventure! One of my favorite memories of this trip has everything to do with peonies. I have relatives in Minnesota who grew peonies for the florist trade. After the perfect buds and newly opened flowers were harvested, my cousins were allowed to go through the fields to pick the fuller blooms to sell in large bouquets door-to-door. I was invited to accompany them one morning! What a joy it was to stand in the sunshine surrounded by acres of peonies. I followed my new found cousins down the rows, and my arms were soon filled to overflowing with fragrant blooms. After easily selling the lush bouquets, the largesse was shared with me, and we tripped off to downtown Anoka to buy penny candy and ice cream cones. What a great day!
Let’s see…what shall I put in the sample pot today? Our new Strawberry Tea, I think. We finally got this blend fine tuned last week and sampled it out to great reviews last Saturday. We blended two different strawberry teas together, added freeze dried berry bits and decided to take the rose petals out. They just weren’t needed. The berry bits add a fresh lovely flavor and tremendous color interest in the jar. I think I shall enjoy this tea over ice today!