A Colonial Potato Wreath

Cotton blossoms, white pine, bittersweet and antlers

This year Christmas was spent in Chesapeake with my boyfriend's awesome family. A dinner in Colonial Williamsburg was a real treat as I had never been at Christmas and they are quite famous for their natural and authentic decorations- so, word to the wise: be sure to arrive before nightfall- colonial times did not include Christmas lights.

 We just loved the decorations and kept trying to figure out all the fruit, vegetables, dried flowers and other ornamentals that comprised each wreath. Pomegranates, oysters, apples, artichokes, bread rolls, playing cards, sliced and dried clementines, and even some burlap and woven wool were mixed into white pine, boxwood and fraiser fir wreaths. We were in love and vowed to make our own versions next year.

Natural wreaths and my momma

But then we got an idea. One hearty vegetable had been overlooked and we couldn't find one single potato in those adornments. Maybe they didn't have pretty potatoes back in the day, but today, you can pick up some gorgeous pink and purple potatoes in just about any grocery store. On our way back from dinner, we stopped off to get the necessary stuff to make our own natural wreath and here is what we came up with:

Do you love it? I love it. It's a freaking edible potato wreath! I have some ideas on how to improve the wreath for next year, but I would say this was a huge success. Looks good with a candle too. 

Tag's Potato Wreath
If possible, get similar sized potatoes which will help them roast evenly when you decide to cook the wreath.

• Assortment of mini white, red and purple potatoes
• 3-4 springs of rosemary
• 2 disposable pie dishes
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• Garlic powder

Using some kitchen sheers or scissors, cut a line through the middle leaving about 3 inches to the edge of the pie dish on both sides. Cut a few more lines through the middle of that line until you can easily bend the pointy edges back onto themselves (towards the edge of the pie dish) to create a sort of edge around the middle of the dish. You can kinda see this in the first picture of the wreath above. Do this with 2 pie dishes for some added support. Stack the pie dishes on top of one another.

Wash and scrub your potatoes and start adding them to the ring, making sure to alternate the colors. Add some springs of rosemary in and round the potatoes, trying to mask the edge of the pie dish.

At this point you can leave the wreath on a table for a few days before the rosemary starts wilting. If you'd like to keep it longer, you can either some water to the base of the ring or stick the rosemary stems in some water tubes hidden under the potatoes.

Once you are ready to eat the wreath, just add over the top, a tablespoon or two of olive oil, some salt, pepper and maybe a few shakes of garlic powder and roast in your oven set at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until tender. If some of your potatoes are much larger, you might want to cut them in half to ensure even cooking.

I left before the wreath was cooked but I imagine it was gorgeous on the table and tasty on the plate!

Apple Picking and Apple Cider

I had so much fun peach picking this summer that I was determined to go apple picking this fall. I just didn't know when that would be. And then a free day materialized out of a nowhere and so Kris and I packed up our stuff and this time headed North to Maryland's Larriland Farm for some time in the country. 

Although the first half of the drive was a little "urban" the last half winds you through gorgeous fields and overarching trees. 

The farm is on a huge track of land and seeing that it was a Tuesday, we pretty much had the place to ourselves.  

It might seem obvious to say this- but you can only pick what is ripe and so that means you are only allowed in certain orchards and fields. 

For us that meant we could choose from beets, chard, pumpkins and a couple varieties of apple: Stayman, Ida Red and Braebrun.

Kris will want me to tell you that when we first made it into a Staymen apple orchard I was almost convinced that we were supposed to gather the apples from the ground since it seemed that there were none of the trees and most of the ones on the ground looked fine.

But once we got far enough down the row, we found plenty of trees still full of apples. 

We weren't as tempted to eat the fruit right off the branch like we had for the peaches.

It's probably because these apples are kinda dirty and need a good scrubbing, in the sink or on your pant leg, before you take a bite 

The next orchard over was taller and if we're being honest, more exciting. Ladders! 

I made Kris move a ladder to a tree with unreachable apples so I could go up and rescue them. 

I think Kris definitely dressed the part. Way to go, Fashionista! 

 Next was the pumpkin patch

 I was hoping for some white pumpkins but they only grow the orange variety- I'm not really complaining though because they had a great selection. The patch was a little surreal and almost felt like a set. 

 On our way back from the fields. Little ghosts on the island. 

 They had all sorts of varieties of gourds at the barn and I treated myself to a Cinderella Pumpkin (among a few others....). I justified my rather large haul by reminding myself that these are all edible. We'll have to see what I come up with in November to eat them all! 

In the meantime, here is a little recipe I've been using on a regular basis to turn apple cider into a drink worthy of desert status.

Creamy Double Apple Cider

For 1

• 1-2 cups apple cider
• a few glugs of maple syrup
• 1/4-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• a few glugs of Laird's Applejack Brandy
• Whipped cream
• Pumpkin pie spice

Warm the apple cider in a thick mug in the microwave. Once the cider is warm enough, add the maple syrup, vanilla extract and brandy. Taste and adjust according to your preference. Top the whole thing with a thick swirl of whipped cream and a dash of pumpkin pie spice. 

Harrisonburg, VA & Rehoboth, DE

A glimpse of my weekend which included best friends, beer tastings, a county fair, a demolition derby (!!) driving, good music, illegal Dark and Stormies on the beach, water so cold that your knees shake underwater and my first time at a bed & breakfast. Kris got a commemorative Thermos. I got a commemorative gold plated crab ornament. Classy.

Nawlins

I have a new love- New Orleans. What a wonderful place. Lemme show you:

 

Mardi Gras was just a few weeks away

 

beautiful architecture

 

Had to get the gaudiest Mardi Gras beads I could find

 

 

great jazz in great location

 

Bourbon Milk Punch @ Stanley's

 

Voodoo; real or otherwise

Tasty biscuits with dark syrup at a fantastic cooking class

 

Lafayette Cemetery No. 1

 

 

Magnolia trees are everywhere

 

 

 

Po'Boys!!

 

Confederacy of Cruisers Bike Tours

 

 

 

A special lunch at Commander's Palace

 

Abita's long awaited Strawberry Harvest Beer was finally available for the season

Thank you New Orleans! We had a great time!