Finding tea at Southern Roots Nursery & Gardens!

Recently Bob and Sherry Lott of Southern Roots Nursery & Gardens in Newnan were the guests at the monthly meeting of our Crossroads Garden Club. During his slide show, Bob happened to show a photo of a Camellia sinensis or tea plant and mentioned that he had some for sale at the nursery. My friend Deberah and I were both quite excited to hear this, because for several years now we've been trying—and failing—to grow her a tea plant from a cutting off my own tea plant. Last week Deberah and I decided to meet up for lunch and head over to the nursery, and we had a great time choosing new Camellia sinensis plants.

Southern Roots had a nice row of them, all looking quite healthy, so Deberah and I set about selecting the ones we wanted. I enjoyed reading the sign on the plant, and as I told Deberah after the club meeting, I was impressed that Bob—who bought the former A & W Nursery just a little over a year ago—knew that the same tea plant can produce white, black or green tea, depending on how the leaves are processed.

I've also wanted a Tea Olive for a long time (I hear the fragrance is heavenly when it's in bloom), so I got one of those as well. I've looked online and cannot quite figure out why a Tea Olive is called a "Tea" Olive, so if anyone knows the reason, I'd love to hear it!

You know the bay leaves you buy at the grocery store? Southern Roots had several tall pots of bay plants for sale, and I decided I needed one.

Cooks are said to be very enthusiastic about the taste of the bay leaves from the live plant, so I'll let you know once I've had the chance to cook with mine!

I also got these succulents just because they're pretty and looked like they might fit in a couple of my teacup planters.

They did!

Once I got home with the new tea plant, I remembered that late 1800s article I found on eBay recently which mentioned how there are two basic varieties of tea plants here in the U.S. and the leaf size of them differs greatly. Now I'd probably need an agricultural expert to confirm whether I do indeed have two different varieties of Camellia sinensis, but the 5-1/2-inch leaf on top is from the tea plant I received from a friend four years ago, and the 3-1/4-inch leaf on the bottom is from the plant I bought at Southern Roots last week. My new plant is much fuller and more lush looking than the one already planted outside, so I may need to pluck a few leaves on the old one to get the entire tea crop (i.e., my two plants) looking good.

One other fun find: Deberah and I were delighted to discover our new tea plants have some seeds on them! I got the best picture of the seeds when I was unloading the plant from my car's trunk.

It was a fun outing, and I love that I found a new tea plant just a few miles from home!

Tea Room Postcard #28 -- Moran House, Beauty Parlor and Kosey Korner Tea Room (Deposit, N.Y.)

Several years ago, my husband and I were in a small town a few hours north of home when we noticed a sign for So-and-So's Hair Salon and Bakery. Now that just struck me as so very wrong, because it at least looked like the two businesses were in the same spot. I couldn't help remembering that place when I came upon this old postcard for the Moran House, Beauty Parlor and Kosey Korner Tea Room in Deposit, N.Y. I learned from a little online research that the Moran House was one of the town's two hotels. Now as long as the beauty parlor and tea room were in different buildings or even different rooms of the house, having both businesses close by could have actually been a nice feature. I don't know about you, but I think it would be just lovely to get a haircut and then pop next door for tea looking stylish!

The card is postally unused so I don't know the era, but I did find it interesting that the upper right corner says, "Place one cent stamp here - Five cents to anywhere in U.S. via Airmail." Wish I could send something anywhere in the U.S. for five cents today!

The cookbook giveaway winners are ...

Because of the great response to this giveaway, I decided to give away TWO copies of "The Ladies' Book of Baking" (I got a really good deal on these books), and the winners are MaryJ (who works in government in Georgia) and Sylvia Faye! If you ladies will send me your snail mail address via the e-mail button at right, I'll get these headed your way. Congrats!

Lipton's Tea & Honey Liquid Iced Tea Mix

Those Lipton folks are great at branding. I realized this when I was in the grocery store this week and spotted this Lipton Tea & Honey Liquid Iced Tea Mix. I almost always glance at the tea section of any grocery store I'm in, and my eye went straight to a new object, this 4-1/2-inch tall plastic container of liquid mix. The iconic Lipton yellow caught my eye immediately. The only problem was, I have tried other brands of liquid tea mixes before and found them, well, revolting. Did I really need to spend $3.99 on a product I was 399 percent sure I was going to hate? Still, I can't recall ever hating anything from Lipton, so curiosity killed the cat and I tossed the iced tea mix into my grocery cart.

So very curious was I that when I got home, I didn't even put up all the groceries before I grabbed a glass of water and added two squirts of the liquid mix.

I am quite happy (and truthfully, quite surprised) to tell you that this Summer Peach tea is great! I didn't get that awful metallic taste I now associate with other liquid tea mixes, and I'm very happy that Lipton has managed to find the perfect blend of convenience and a pleasant taste in this new tea mix. While the first ingredient on the panel is honey, the mix does contain Sucralose, which I thought I could always detect, but I found absolutely no odd taste or bad aftertaste with this tea. At just 10 calories per eight-ounce glass, this is a fine new summer sipper. The new Tervis tumbler with my pink initial on it, by the way, was a surprise gift from my sweetie last week. He was headed to the store and asked if I needed anything. I said, "Oh, just surprise me," and he did!

Dollar store discoveries

May it never be said that we are snobs here at Tea With Friends. Oh no. We may happily shop in the finest department stores of Europe one day (the rarest of days) and at our local dollar store the next. And so we wish to share our excitement over a recent Dollar General find, this dishtowel and oven mitt set.

Yes, I know that tallish pots are usually coffee pots, but with a little bit of imagination one may find a tall *electric tea kettle* in the graphics.

And surely those cute little rounded cups up top are teacups and not coffee cups? At any rate, these $1 finds are the quality one would expect (read: lightweight), but nonetheless a fun addition to a kitchen drawer of summer linens!

A surprise tea gift from a new tea friend!

Usually I tear right into a wrapped gift because I want to find out what's inside, but *occasionally* I receive a gift packaged so prettily that I stop to take a photo before opening it. That was certainly the case with new tea friend Elizabeth Q., whose pretty gift and giftwrapping landed in my mailbox recently! Note all the little details: the teabag tucked inside a paper doily, the embellished flower blossom, the sheer ribbon and the pretty floral paper. I don't always do a good job of giftwrapping myself, but I definitely think the wrapping can be a big part of the gift!

So what was inside? A beautiful card, a vintage crocheted doily and a cute Mary Engelbreit rhinestone teapot! I used the doily almost immediately as an accent when taking this picture.

Here's another photo with more color in the background so the doily design shows up better. It's so fun to receive such great surprises in the mail, especially when they're presented so beautifully. I really need to "up my game" when it comes to sending tea gifts to friends. Do you have any techniques like Elizabeth's that you're willing to share? Any wrapping/embellishing ideas that will add a little package pizzazz? I'm open to suggestions!

Lingonberry Green Ambessa Tea from Harney & Sons

Recently I visited the Fresh Market grocery store in neighboring Peachtree City and decided it was time to try a few new teas, including this Lingonberry Green Ambessa blend from Harney & Sons.

I like the look of the tin, which credits Chef Marcus Samuelsson, who Harney & Sons says has a "passion for world-wide foodways and culinary creativity."

This green tea blend contains Japanese green tea, lingonberries, natural and artificial flavors, and red cornflowers, so the color in the tea sachets is from the red cornflowers. The tea sachets smell great, and the tea itself has a tart, refreshing taste that was just what I was looking for in a new summer tea! Have you tried this blend? If so, what did you think?

Want to win "The Ladies' Book of Baking"?

Recently I came across the loveliest new cookbook from Parragon in the UK, "The Ladies' Book of Baking: A Collection of Elegant Recipes." Behind its glittery cover there are many great teatime recipes, the photography is lovely, and even the graphics feature teapots. For that reason, I bought an extra copy for my July giveaway here on the blog!

Here's the intro to the chapter on The Afternoon Tea Party. You'll also find recipes for macarons, palmiers and madeleines as well as cookies, cakes and pies.

And here's a yummy sounding recipe for something they call Tea Rolls. If you'd like to win this book, just leave an "Enter me" to this post between now and 7 a.m. Friday, July 11, and you'll be entered. (US and Canada only, please.) Good luck!

Tea Room Postcard #27 -- The Spinning Wheel Tea Room (Hinsdale, Illinois)

This pretty linen postcard advertises the Spinning Wheel Tea Room in Hinsdale, Illinois, and I love the lines on the front: "Spinning Wheel and old rail fence, cabin in the trees, Food to charm an epicure in his life of ease." I wonder how many of those who dined at the Spinning Wheel Tea Room considered themselves epicures?

This card was mailed to a Mrs. Art Hyland of Rockford, Illinois in September of 1953, and it was mailed by someone at the tea room itself. The card reads, "Dear Mrs. Hyland, In answer to your letter wish to say we are about 30 miles from Geneva. We are on Route 34. So from here you go west to route 83 then on alternate 30 (Roosevelt Rd.) on into Geneva. If you are a group of 10 or over would appreciate it if you will make a reservation. Thanks - Sincerely, The Spinning Wheel." Now isn't that nice that someone took the time to write down such specific directions and send them to Mrs. Hyland? I do hope she visited the Spinning Wheel Tea Room. I also like the graphic up top which touts the fact this tea room is Air Conditioned, and at left there's a little sign noting the place comes recommended by the renowned Duncan Hines. From an advertising standpoint, I think this postcard certainly does the trick!

Celebrate Freedom!

A new cucumber soup to try

My dad loves to garden, and he's planted a huge garden this year. As a result, my sister, Rhonda, and I get bags of fresh vegetables every time we visit, and boy, have we been enjoying them. I know she's made pickles with some of the cucumbers (I'm not brave enough to try pickles), and I have made boiled squash, squash casserole, and squash frittata with some of my squash. Daddy also got us both a pressure cooker recently, and I used mine to cook the green beans I received from him over the weekend. They're definitely the best green beans I've ever cooked! But I needed a way to use up some of the cucumbers, and I realized the only Cucumber Soup recipe I've blogged about was one that used condensed cream of celery soup. I didn't want to go that route again, so I looked at some recipes online, made some good guesses about what I could substitute, and the result is a light cucumber soup I absolutely love. (Here's the Andrew Zimmern recipe I finally used as a starting point, but I made so many substitutions and subtractions that I'll share my recipe below.)

A few years ago I fell in love with fat-free Greek yogurt. It tastes a lot like sour cream to me, and so I always feel like I'm being bad even when eating something this good. This cucumber soup recipe uses fat-free Greek yogurt and a few dried herbs, and the flavor is very light and delicious. It's also super easy and fast to whip up!

If you want a nice hot luncheon treat to go along with it, I can recommend this Southern Living recipe. (I halve the recipe and use all summer squash instead of a mix of squash and zucchini. The mixture fits perfectly in a small, 8-inch iron skillet, and is just enough for four servings.)

If you have lots of cucumbers this summer as I do, you may want to try this soup!


Cucumber & Greek Yogurt Soup

2 pounds of cucumbers, peeled (seeds are fine), plus extra for garnish
1-1/2 cups plain, fat-free Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
Pinch of white pepper
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for garnish

Add all ingredients to blender and puree until mixture is completely liquified. If desired, garnish each serving with chopped cucumber and olive oil. Store in refrigerator, but can be served immediately. Yields 8-10 servings, depending on whether you serve by the bowl or the teacup!

A puzzling purchase

A friend of mine used to say, "You win some, you lose some, some get rained out." This is one of those eBay purchases that got "rained out." Only when this pretty blue and white cup and saucer arrived in the mail did I realize the cup is quite small, just 2 inches tall, 3-1/4 inches in diameter, and holding just 4 ounces of tea. (A standard teacup holds 6 ounces at my house.) If I'd paid attention to the seller's description I would have known that. But since I paid under $10 for this set, including shipping, I'll not whine too long because it has given me a number of interesting things to investigate.

I'm not sure I've seen a Blue Willow-ish teacup with a design in the bottom of the cup before. It's interesting, but it's a rather fuzzy image.

When I compared the floral border on the teacup and the saucer, I found the border image on the teacup, shown here, is also a bit fuzzy …

While the border on the saucer is distinct and clear. Do you find that odd? I do.

This is the central design of the saucer, and it's clear as can be. I'm such a nitpicker, I noted the two yellowish dots on this saucer and tried to clean them, but they are apparently part of the glaze. I've never seen that particular issue before.

I do think the handle on this set is pretty, even if the teacup is too small for me to actually use it for sipping tea.

In fact, the cup is so small it slides around a bit in the saucer's indentation. Is it possible this is what they call a "married" set, where the cup and saucer aren't truly a set?

I'm also intrigued this messy backstamp comes from Wedgwood, and it's even stamped right into the pottery itself. I still like the design of this set and may end up using it for a tiny planter, but the irregularities sure have me pondering the origins of this new teacup and saucer. I'd welcome any comments you may have on its parentage!

Artwork that suits me to a tea!

A few months ago I enjoyed a creative brainstorming session with my writer and artist friend Katherine. One thing I mentioned was that I needed to order some new, nicer business cards, but that was a back burner project I simply hadn't gotten around to. "I can design you a card!" she said, noting that she was in the process of creating a website for her custom stationery business, and of course I eagerly took her up on the offer. We were both really busy that week, and I didn't give her any direction at all about my card's design, so imagine my surprise when a beautiful watercolor of a teacup and pencil showed up in my e-mail one day! It was artwork Katherine had created just for me, inspired by the teacup pictured on my blog header, and I am absolutely thrilled with my new business cards that came in the mail the other day!

The texture and thickness of these 3 x 3-inch cards is so much nicer than the ones I had been using, and I'm so excited about having these to give to people. I guess what I love most is that these cards show a pencil, which represents my love of writing, and the floral teacup, which represents my love of everything else (a cup of tea with friends, taking time for tea, gardening, loveliness).

I know a few women who've had their own tea-themed business cards (or calling cards) over the years, but I thought I'd let you know about Katherine's work since she is available for custom designs if you should happen to need one. Katherine's website is here if you'd like to see more of her artwork and Paper Goods. It's worth a look even if your stationery drawer is quite happy!

A belated obsession with "Downton Abbey"

Finally! I am all caught up on "Downton Abbey," but I sort of wish I weren't so I could have the joy of watching the shows again for the first time. I now know that many (most?) of you must have been clucking your heads at my several admissions on this blog that I had yet to view "Downton Abbey." Friends far and wide had said I'd enjoy it, for all the glorious tea scenes if nothing else, but something in me resisted. When my friend Maureen loaned me Season One back in March, I figured I'd better watch at least a few episodes and get the DVD back to her. You won't be surprised to learn I was immediately addicted. Since I know many of you are "Downton Abbey" devotees, I hope at least a few of you will humor me with a few questions and comments since I am absolutely besotted with this show! (Spoiler alert: I DO mention some things below that will no doubt ruin the viewing for you if you haven't seen the show yet. If you're as behind the times as I was in watching "Downton Abbey," then please, for the love of Highclere Castle, DO NOT read to the end of this blog post. Just to be safe, you might not wish to read past the Republic of Tea mention …)

Midway through my recent binge-viewing, I bought a tin of Republic of Tea's "Downton Estate Blend" tea largely because it featured Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, on the front. Oh, how I love her! I do believe I have laughed out loud at something she says in every episode! The Earl Grey and vanilla blend of tea is just delicious, by the way, and I hope to collect the other Republic of Tea blends honoring "Downton Abbey" as well.

When I finished watching all four seasons of the show, I read a book recommended by a friend, "While We Were Watching Downton Abbey" by Wendy Wax. This is the story of three women who bond over Sunday night viewings of "Downton Abbey" at their historic Atlanta apartment building. The book doesn't have quite as much of a "Downton Abbey" focus as I would have expected from the title, but it was still a good book and I've already got a friend lined up to read it next.

I'm still desperate for "Downton Abbey" news, so I started looking in back issues of Victoria and Tea Time for their "Downton Abbey" features. Fun, fun, fun! But as a latecomer to the party, I have several questions/comments for those of you who had the good sense to watch the show all along.

1. I couldn't believe it when Lady Sybil died following childbirth! I LOVED Lady Sybil! Were you as shocked by that as I was?

2. Alas, nosy puss here just couldn't wait and had Googled some articles about the actors online, so I knew that Dan Stevens was parting the show before I saw the episode in which he died. That was sad but not devastating because I knew this was going to happen. I later learned of the uproar that ensued in the UK when this show aired on Christmas night! It aired later in the U.S., but did those of you watching get upset? Did any of you vow never to watch the show again? (I heard that some did!)

3. Who is your favorite character? Violet, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, is my clear favorite, followed by Carson, Lady Mary, Anna and Bates (tie), and Isobel Crawley. (I took two different "Which Downton Abbey Character Are You?" tests and got two different answers: the Dowager Countess in one, Anna in another. Does that mean I'm a blend of upstairs and downstairs?) I really, really enjoy the scenes where Violet and Isobel are going at it, because I admire the strengths in both of them. I like Violet's love of tradition and the old ways, and yet I was cheering on Isobel when she took in the wayward maid Ethel despite the uproar it caused. You go girl!

4. Do y'all think Bates killed Lord Gillingham's valet? I would not mind if he did it, frankly, but I don't believe he's guilty of this. I *would* like to know what he was doing off by himself that day since we're being all mysterious about it!

5. WHY on God's green earth do the Crawleys keep that nasty piece of work Thomas Barrow in their employ? I cannot remember when I've despised a character more. Each episode I want to knock that cigarette right out of his sneaky little hand and have Carson kick him (oh-so-politely) to the curb.

6. I think Daisy and Alfred will eventually get together, don't you? (Although, to show you how obsessed I've become over the show, I dreamed recently that Daisy married Prince Harry. Which would not be a bad idea, actually.)

7. Is there any, any way to rig one's TV or computer so we can see "Downton Abbey" in the fall when it airs in the UK rather than waiting until January when it comes on PBS here?

Thank you for indulging me, fellow "Downton Abbey" fans!

Tea Room Postcard #26 -- The Green Shutters Tea Room (Whitewater, Wisconsin)

There's something about a grand old home that is just so appealing, and I'll bet this house was once a real draw to those visiting the Green Shutters Tea Room in Whitewater, Wisconsin.

The eBay seller says the postcard was mailed in 1946, and I'll just have to take their word for it because I'm only certain of the 19 and maybe part of a 6. It reads, "Dear Maude: Here we are now having lunch and entering Minnesota for our destination. The weather has been excellent and the trip beautiful. Wisconsin is like Vermont. Love, Nora." Like Vermont? Hmm. I'll have to ask some family members in Wisconsin what they think about that! I guessed, correctly, that the home is still standing today, but I was not correct in assuming it is now a residence. What's the Green Shutters Tea Room doing today? Go here to find out!