Princes of the Pond

Found a couple of princes lounging around in my pond today….living the life as only princes can.

Jessica & Lee

I'm fortunate enough to own two businesses that I love,  London Wolfe Photography where I do wedding photography and Sun and Moon Creations where I make natural products like soap and insect repellent.  I was doing photography long before I got into natural products with Sun and Moon Creations, so now and then I like to share some of my wedding images.  Wedding season is in full swing now, and so are the farmers' markets (where I sell my natural products)
 - so these days I'm a very busy girl! 

We didn't know Superman was going to make an appearance at this wedding, but there he was at Marrara's Mountain Lodge in Port Matilda, PA disguised as a groom.  What a great couple to work with!  The weather turned out much nicer than expected and these two made a beautiful pair.  

Congrats Jessica and Lee!!!

Red Potato Surprise!

Remember those potatoes I dug up the other day?  Well it turns out the "red skin" potatoes had more than just red skin....they are red all the way through!  I do not remember ordering red potatoes, but either I forgot about ordering them (which is totally possible), or the seed company mixed up my order and gave me half Yukon Golds and half of these mystery potatoes.  This photo shows what they looked like as "smashed potatoes".  They were very good, slightly different from white potatoes, but very good!  Here's how I prepared them:

Smashed Potatoes

Boil potatoes in water until tender.  Drizzle olive oil on a baking sheet and set drained potatoes on the sheet.  With a fork, smash each potato slightly.  Brush with a little more olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and fresh thyme.  Bake at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until crispy.

Chioggia Beets

Chioggia Beets!  They look like little targets.  These are the latest delightful goodies from my garden.  I just cooked them, sliced them and served them on a salad - yummy!  Chioggia beets are so much more fun than ordinary red beets, don't you agree?  They are like the fashionistas of the garden....and they look so pretty on a salad. 

Digging for gold….Yukon Golds that is.

My favorite thing to harvest from the garden is potatoes.  I get such a thrill out of sinking my hands down into the soil and feeling around for those nice round tubers. I can't imagine how crazy I look crawling around on my hands and knees up to my elbows in dirt. You'd think I was digging for buried treasures, and I am - Yukon golds and red potatoes!  We also got our first cucumber and a handful of aromatic basil today.  I love summertime!

Recipes: Veggie Soup and Garlic Scape Pesto

This was my first time growing garlic, so I was super excited when the plants took off!  I planted it in November and by spring it was knee-high.  Thank you to my friend Laura Shero who gave me the garlic cloves (saved from her garden), as well as tips on growing them.  

When the scapes started shooting out of the garlic, Laura told me to cut them.  I didn't even know what scapes were, but I did what she told me to.  As I cut these beautiful scapes, I noticed how wonderful they smelled.  I thought it would be a shame to waste them, so I did a little research and found out you can actually eat these amazing things!  I also discovered garlic scapes keep for weeks in your refrigerator.  

This photo doesn't actually show the full size of the scapes.  It's just a handful of the scapes after they had been chopped in half.  

The first batch of scapes I cooked was sauteed with a little bit of mushrooms I purchased from Berglorbeer Farma at our local farmers market.  They have the most delicious varieties of gourmet mushrooms and I can't get enough!  Sauteed garlic scapes & mushrooms are a delight.  

Sorry, we ate them before I could grab a photo.

Next I chopped garlic scapes and added them to a pot of veggie soup.  Here's a recipe for my veggie soup (for those of you who actually use recipes for soup).  Feel free to substitute any veggies you like.

Veggie Soup w/ Garlic Scapes

1 med. onion diced

1 c. chopped garlic scapes

1 c. chopped zucchini

1 c. chopped summer squash 

2 carrots, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 small head of cabbage, finely chopped

1 c. spring peas

2 qts. of broth (veggie or chicken)

salt & pepper to taste

chopped fresh herbs

Saute firmer veggies in a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a dutch oven or large soup pot, then add cabbage, peas and broth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and simmer for 20-30 minuets.  Add chopped fresh herbs (I used oregano and thyme).

  

So after making the scapes & mushrooms and the soup, I still had a pound of unused scapes left!  Did I mention Laura gave me 48 cloves of garlic to plant?  So today I made garlic scape pesto.  It was super easy and I can't wait to toss it with pasta for dinner tonight.  Here's the recipe:

Garlic Scape Pesto

1/2 pound of garlic scapes

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

juice from one lemon

1 c. shredded (or grated) parmesan cheese

salt & pepper to taste

Whiz the scapes and oil in a food processor until the big chunks are gone.  Add lemon juice and parmesan cheese, pulse until you get the consistency you like.  Season to taste.  Serve on pasta, pizza, grilled veggies (tomatoes, eggplant, mushrooms)……be creative!

I still have 1/2 pound of scapes to use.  Any suggestions?

  

Natural Insect Repellent

Summer picnics, camping trips or just backyard fun can be hampered by those pesky mosquitos, gnats and other biting insects.  Commercial bug spray is loaded with nasty chemicals that you really should be trying to avoid, especially with children.  I've made a natural insect repellent that will keep the bugs away without the artificial chemicals. This insect repellent is made with witch hazel and natural essential oils, nothing else!  At just $6 per 8-ounce bottle the price is affordable.

Visit Sun and Moon Creations at the Juniata Farmers' Market!

I hope you will visit me at the new farmers' market on 4th St. in Juniata starting tomorrow and continuing every Thursday until the end of November from 3p to 6pm.  I will be along side some wonderful vendors there, including a man who sells gourmet mushrooms, another who sells gourmet cheeses, a lady with fresh cut flowers, and many with fresh produce and baked goods.  Support your local farmers and stop by tomorrow!  


 A note from the Juniata Farmers' Market:


We organized this farmers’ market for the following reasons:

·      To offer consumers high quality, farm fresh products at a convenient location

·      To strengthen ties between the urban and rural communities

·      To create a new source of income for area growers

·      To inform the community about healthy food and good nutrition

This market is a producer only market. That means the folks you are buying from either grew it, cooked, baked it, or made it. As producers, we are proud to be your farmer. We work hard to bring the freshest product to you. If you have any questions about our products, please ask. We love to talk about our farms and production. We also have ideas on how to cook the food you buy from us, so ask us about that too!

We want you to get the most out of your visit with us. Here are a few shopping tips for this market:

• Take your time to enjoy the market! Farmers’ markets are a great gathering place for friends and families.

·       Go to the market early to get the best selection of produce.

• If you do not know what an item is, feel free to ask the farmer!
• Farmers are great sources of information about how to prepare different foods.
• Bring change and small bills to make shopping fast and easy.
• To keep your perishables fresh until you get home – bring a cooler.
• Be eco-friendly, and bring your own bags.

We have “Farm-to-Food” and “Good Nutrition” workshops planned for this season. Stay tuned for more details on the workshops.

Cappuccino Soap

What better way to wake up than with an invigorating shower and the smell of cappuccino!  This soap is full of ground espresso beans for a gentle exfoliating scrub.  It's the perfect soap for cleaning really dirty hands too.  Looks good enough to eat, but don't….external use only!  Soap will be fully cured and ready for purchase by 6/19/12.

Cherry Smash Soap

This soap has a wonderful scent - almost smells good enough to eat!  It's one of my newest bars and I can't wait to see what people think when they try it.  It's full of nourishing oils for a rich lather and gentle cleansing.  These bars are still curing and won't be available for purchase until 6/15/12.

NEW PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT: Bath Salts!!!

Slow down.  

Take a bath. 

We get so hurried in our day-to-day lives that we seldom take time to stop and smell the roses

…..or lavender, mint, patchouli - 

just a few of the many other wonderful essential oils in my new bath salts.  

Epsom salt is one of the ingredients in this product that does wonders for your skin.  It can sooth sore muscles because Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) relax muscles and draw toxins from your body.  They can also help reduce swelling and act as a natural emollient that helps exfoliate the skin.  Magnesium also helps the mind and body relax by raising serotonin levels, which causes calm and mood elevation.  Epsom salts have been used for many years to treat various skin problems and health issues. 

Sea salts are naturally high in minerals that are beneficial to the skin and body.  I buy high quality European sea salts that possess the qualities of the most mineral-rich seas in the world.

Baking soda helps wash away oil and perspiration and neutralizes acids on the skin.  It's great for soothing rashes and can even help chronic skin problems.  

Essential oils lend aromatherapy qualities to these bath salts, making your bathing experience one of luxury.  The minty essential oils are great for opening your sinuses as well as energizing you, the lavender provides an excellent calming/relaxing effect.  

So treat yourself to a little luxury and take a nice, long bath.  You deserve it.

NEW ITEM: Bath Bombs!!!

There will be many new products coming soon to Sun & Moon Creations, today I'm launching the first one:  bath bombs.  These adorable little beauties will add sizzle to your bath as they fizz and release the lovely aroma of patchouli.  The therapeutic properties of essential oil combined with the soothing kaolin clay will turn your bath time into spa time. 

Get a pack of three 2-ounce seashell bath bombs or six 1-ounce frog & turtle bath bombs for $4, or choose any four packs for $12.  More scents coming soon!

New website is live!

Sun & Moon Creations has a new space on the web,  check it out:  www.sunandmooncreations.com.  Now that I have a new website complete with shopping cart, I will no longer be selling soaps on Etsy, so feel free to place your orders on my website or by phone.  I'll still be updating my blog with new soaps and other info, so keep an eye out here as well.

My new soap sign w/ a QR code

Book Review: Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

While I can't say Garlic and Sapphires was "a real page-turner", I did enjoy it.  Ruth Reichl shares with the reader her experiences as a food critic for the New York Times.  She writes in an autobiographical style about the various (mostly upscale) restaurants she dined in, food she ate, people she encountered and what it was like to be a restaurant critic.  To me the one of the most intriguing parts of the book was the study of social prejudice among the upper class.  Because she did not want to be recognized when she went into a restaurant, she took on elaborate disguises, even changing her personality to fit the character she was portraying.  The reactions she received varied drastically depending on what character she became for each visit.  It was astonishing how much her appearance affected the way she was treated by restaurant staff as well as other customers.

Her writing style was very enjoyable, however, I will admit I had to look up several words.  Reichl has quite an extensive vocabulary.  I appreciate a writer who makes me grow beyond the boundaries of my everyday language.  I got the feeling she wrote every word with thoughtful consideration.  

As I read about her experiences in these very upscale establishments, I couldn't help think about all the people in NYC who were going hungry while she was getting paid to enjoy foods such as foie gras and caviar every day, and how it would be great if she could find a way to use her writing ability to do something a little less pretentious.  And then towards the end of the book she starts to redeem herself as the personalities she adopts for her characters begin to reveal to her what she is starting to become.  This evokes a career change for her and, in my opinion, a happy ending. 

Perhaps I was taken in by the book because of my own love for cooking.  Reichl describes with perfect detail the satisfaction that cooking and food can provide.  The smells, the colors, the textures, the flavors, the sounds - my kitchen is more therapeutic to me than a day at the spa.  She describes the cooking experience in such a profound way that every foodie can appreciate.  I would love to have the gift of expressing my thoughts as beautifully as she does.  I would recommend this book for that aspect alone, and the story itself is just a fringe benefit.

Chocolate Vanilla Soap

Two of my all time favorite flavors combined into one sweet-smelling bar of soap!  Made with cocoa butter and other nourishing oils, this soap will satisfy your senses as you use it.  It's my favorite soap so far!  I made extra batches because I know these won't last long.

Fiddleheads

Working in the flower beds today and discovered some baby ferns I dug up in the woods last year and transplanted to my beds. They are so cute when they are young!

Book Review: The Green Mile by Stephen King

My son is always trying to get me to read Stephen King books.  I think he may possibly be Mr. King's biggest fan.  Although I love the way Stephen King writes, I'm not a big fan of his usual genre.  So when our book club chose The Green Mile to read, I was a bit skeptical.  I never saw the movie, but I had a general idea of what it was about.  I tend to gravitate to uplifting, happy books, and a book about death row inmates seemed very depressing.  I figured I'd read it quickly and get it over with so it wouldn't bring me down for too long.

Shortly into the first chapter I knew I was going to love this book.  King writes in such a suspenseful way, I had a hard time putting it down.  Throughout the chapters he gave little glimpses of what was to come - piquing my interest with every turn of the page.  The characters were endearing enough to make you forget that they were actually death row villains.  He included just enough fantasy to balance the morose.  I was actually sad to get to the end of the book because I enjoyed it so much.  It's my favorite Stephen King book so far.

Of course, after reading the book I had to rent the movie.  I thought the casting was dead on!  The actors looked exactly as I pictured each character in the book.  The movie is never as good as the book, but this one was definitely close.  I'm glad the movie left out the part about the mean employee at the nursing home - that was my least favorite part of the story.  All things considered, I give both the book and the movie 5 stars.

Man Soap

I wanted to formulate a soap recipe that would be especially appealing to men, so I came up with this soap I'm calling "Man Soap".  The scent in this soap is a combination of essential oils that combines woodsy and spicy.  The rich brown and light cream tones even make this bar look manly.  This soap makes a great gift for the man in your life (or for yourself!).

Tooty Fruity Soap

Tooty Fruity is a fun, pleasant-smelling soap made with bright purple colorant.  It smells like jelly beans.  Kids will love this soap!  It's made with all those good oils that make a great bar of soap:  

olive, palm, coconut, and Shea butter.  Make bath time fun and healthy and leave the harsh chemicals out of it by using this natural, kid-friendly soap.