SHOW ARCHIVE

December 5, 2015

VIDEO ARCHIVE

Hello and welcome to our break! If you tuned in to see our show this morning, you will have noticed that we were not on the air. Garden Time is in our hiatus for the next 3 months. During the winter months our very supportive advertisers need to take a break and so we take one as well. We will return in March of 2016 with our 11th season of the TV show. In the meantime, you can still get great gardening information from our website, our Facebook page and our twitter page. The links to Facebook and twitter are found in the upper right hand corner of our webpage. Just click on the icons.

Of course you can also subscribe to the Garden Time on-line magazine. This is a free magazine that comes to your e-mail each month. You can sign up on the Garden Time webpage as well.

This week we are offering some of our timely and favorite archive stories for you to enjoy. I’ll be updating the stories on this page every few weeks or so.

 

Holiday Heritage

 

Holiday Heritage

Ever wonder why we use holly in our holiday decorating? What is the story behind kissing under the mistletoe? William and Judy covered the reasons why we use specific plants during the holidays. Holly’s origins are based on both Christian and non-Christian traditions. In one tradition, the holly protects the home from evil spirits. In another, the holly represents the crown of thorns of Christ’s passion and its berries represent the drops of blood. Ivy is a very misunderstood plant. We sometimes see it growing all over trees, almost smothering them. In the Middle Ages ivy meant prosperity, and if it died financial hard times were soon to follow. Mistletoe has a longer history. It has various meanings that include fertility, immortality and love. Of course the best meaning involved kissing. In proper English society you could not kiss your spouse-to-be in public. During the holidays you could kiss under the mistletoe, but you had to remove a white berry every time you did. Naturally, twigs with lots of berries were highly prized! So next time you are decorating your home, take some time and learn some of the meanings.

 

Sealing Greens

 

Sealing Greens

The smell of fresh greens in the home during the holidays is intoxicating! But after a few days those fresh cut greens can become ‘dried’ cut greens and a fire hazard. We found a product that can help seal in the moisture and prevent those greens from drying out. Wilt Stop from Bonide can be sprayed on your greens to seal in the moisture and help them last longer. It can also be used on your outdoor conifers to seal in the moisture and help prevent winter wind and cold damage. We found this product at Cornell Farm (503-292-9895) but this product is available at most of your independent garden centers.

 

St. Honoré Holidays

 

St. Honoré Holidays

Ever have a favorite holiday food that you look forward to every year? Well, we now have a new one! A Yule Log. OK, obviously this isn’t the kind of log you burn on the fire. This is a log that you can really sink your teeth into and it is from St. Honoré Boulangerie. Chef Dominique Geulin told us about the Yule Log, also called the Bûche de Noël. This is a special treat for many families and can only be found this time of year. They also make the Pain de Noël, a Christmas sweet bread. Other holiday treats include Sable Diamant (French style shortbread cookies), Galette des Rois (known as Kings Cake and eaten on the Epiphany) and Eggnog Pudding, in addition to many other holiday treats. They can also cater your holiday with savory foods in addition to the sweets they offer. If you are looking for something special, or just need a little help feeding all those holiday guests, stop by St. Honore’s

 

Holiday Wines

 

Holiday Wines

The holidays are filled with gatherings with family and friends. It can also be a time of stress! Even when it gets down to picking out the right wine for your dinners or parties. To get some good solid ‘wine’ advice we stopped by Stoller Family Estate (503-864-3404) and talked to our friend Melissa Burr, the winemaker at Stoller. She had some good practical advice for everyone. First of all don’t stress! These get-togethers are meant to be fun. She suggests that you bring a bottle of wine that you like. This should be a bottle that you can tell people about… ‘I really love this wine because…’ It is much more fun when you are sharing something that you enjoy. It also becomes even more personal when you can tell people about it.

But what if you are serving food? Once again the number one rule is to go with something you like. Now, if you are looking for a wine that will bring out the best in your holiday meals, then there are some characteristics that you should look for. Chardonnays are generally fruity and very food friendly. Chardonnays pair well with soups, cheeses and cream based dishes. William’s favorites, cabernets, tend to work well with meats and proteins because they tend to be a heavier wine with tannins. If you are looking for a good wine that can pair well with just about anything, look for a nice pinot noir. Oregon pinots are some of the best in the world and you can find a nice one without breaking the bank. These tend to be a little lighter on the tannins so they are not so overpowering.

Now with the New Year approaching you could be looking at an expensive ‘bubbly’ to enjoy, but Melissa told us to think local too. There are a lot of local sparkling wines and lighter wines that you can choose from. Stoller has a great variety of wines to choose from and they can also help you in picking out the right one. Give them a call or drop by the tasting room to sample some of their great vintages and then relax and enjoy the holidays.
 

 
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