I am inviting any and all to join me here at Fernwood on Sunday, June 24th from 1:00 to 4:00 for a day of spinning and making. If you have a spinning wheel and want to try out some lovely Bluefaced Leicester roving, come along! ( I’ll provide the wool!) If you are a knitter, a spoon carver, a crocheter, a rug hooker, a felter, a stilt maker, bring along your craft and join us! Pack up your needles and thread, your embroidery floss, and some choice fabric and come sit out on the studio deck for an afternoon of making and sharing. I’ll provide the crackers and cheese and goodies!
I don’t want these lovely summer days to slip by without finding a moment or two to sit among the gardens and make things with friends…so come along! Sound fun? I’ll even have an extra spinning wheel avaiable if you’d like to try your hand at learning to spin. Why not?
Between now and June 24th, give a call (207)589-4726 or email fernwoodnursery@fairpoint.net if you would like to join us. Rain or shine, we’ll set up outside or inside the studio. See you then!
Monthly Archives: May 2018
Pickled Fiddleheads
Our daughter, Zoe, is getting married in September. We’ve been working hard on the preparations and details (aside from all the preparations and details here at the nursery, oh my!). Every day, crossing off one more ‘thing to buy’ or ‘person to call’…there’s lighting, and food, and dance music. Luckily, we have a generous bunch of friends, community, and of course, a family, who are willing to help out. A true blessing, for sure. Today’s project? Pickling fiddleheads for the charcuterie board. Of course, there must be pickled fiddleheads to offer guests if you’re from Maine, right? For this bride, there will be fiddleheads…and lobster rolls, and something made with blueberries. I’ll include a pickled fiddlehead recipe if you’d like to have a go at making some yourself or if, by chance, you have a soon to be bride requesting them at her wedding!
Happy day, everyone!
In a Pickle: Pickled Fiddlehead Ferns
YIELD:
makes 1 pint
ACTIVE TIME:
45 minutes
TOTAL TIME:
1 week
Ingredients
1/2 pound fiddlehead ferns
Kosher salt
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon dill seeds
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 allspice berries
1 garlic clove, smashed
Directions
1.
Place fiddlehead ferns in a large bowl of cold water and wash well. Rub away any brown chaff and trim cut ends.
2.
Add two tablespoons of salt to two quarts of water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add fiddlehead ferns and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
3.
Combine vinegar, 1/2 cup water, and 1 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Place spices and garlic cloves into the bottom of a prepared pint jar. Pack fiddlehead ferns into the jar and add hot pickling liquid to cover.
4.
Wipe rim, apply lid and ring and process in a small boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. Remove jar from canner and let cool on a folded kitchen towel. When jar is cool enough to handle, remove ring and check seal.
5.
Sealed jars can be stored in the pantry for up to one year. Unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used promptly. Let these pickles age for at least a week before eating.
Classes Coming Up!
These two classes are coming up soon. Let us know if you like to attend by emailing us at fernwoodnursery@fairpoint.net calling (207)589-4726. Also, the ladyslippers are potted up and ready to find new homes! Happy gardening, everyone!
Come Learn Some Dirty Words At Fernwood Nursery
Join us at Fernwood Nursery on Sunday, May 20th, 2018 from 2:00 to 4:00 to talk about what’s in your dirt! Green sand, blood meal, and mycorrhiza are just a few of the ”dirty” words you’ll hear when we talk about soil here at Fernwood! We’ll discuss soil structure, the essential components for soil health and plant growth, and how to amend your own garden plots using organic materials that are easily sourced. Find out which animal manures do what, learn about the important minerals in your soil, and discover the benefits of green manures,. Interested in making your own potting soil? We’ll talk about this as well and…. you’ll go home with a sample bag of our own homemade potting mix (along with the recipe)!
In addition to a lively discussion about dirt, freshly baked scones and tea will be served.
Here at Fernwood, we are famous for saying “ if you want to grow good plants, grow good soil” so come join us for an informative afternoon of soil talk!
Class size is limited to 10. Please call ahead (207)589-4726 or email us to sign up at fernwoodnursery@fairpoint.net Class cost is $30.00 Pre-payment is required.
Cypripedium pubescens
Sunday, June 10th, 2018 from 2:00 to 4:00 $30:00 Pre-registration required, space limited
Spend an afternoon here at Fernwood learning about the growing, propagating, and care of those coveted and elusive ladyslippers. Unlock a bit of their mystery, enjoy tea and scones in the studio, and view the many ladyslippers that grace the gardens here at Fernwood. Potted Cypripediums available for sale as well! Email fernwoodnursery@fairpoint.net or call (207)589-4726
Morning Fog On Mother’s Day
Not just the two darling children I am a mother to, but the delightful flock of sheep I tend. This morning it was coffee and fog and a walk down to the lower pasture. I look a little foggy myself! Must be those early mornings and long days catching up with me!
What a beautiful morning and a great start to the day. And now, I must go and eat some scrambled eggs and home-cured bacon with my family. Happy, Happy Mother’s Day!!
A Late Frost
Trillium grandiflorum
Mertensia virginica
On a different note, here are a few photos of what’s blooming at the moment. Blessed treasures, they are. Happy Mother’s day to all! And, a poem by e.e. cummings for this fine spring day ( just sent to me this morning by a dear friend…thank you, Joanne!)
Trillium erectum
“o Sweet Spontaneous”
sweet spontaneous
earth how often have
the
doting
fingers of
prurient philosophers pinched
and
poked
thee
, has the naughty thumb
of science prodded
thy
beauty, how
often have religions taken
thee upon their scraggy knees
squeezing and
buffeting thee that thou mightest conceive
gods
(but
true
to the incomparable
couch of death thy
rhythmic
lover
thou answerest
them only with
spring
Azalea ‘Candy Pink’ and Magnolia stellata in one of the woodland gardens
Hypertufa Class this Coming Weekend!
Feel like joining us? Here’s the information, still a few spots left! Check out our classes and more page for an updated list of classes for the season. We’ll be adding more as the season progresses, so check back often, you may find a class that is just what you’re looking for!
Mother’s Day Build A Hypertufa Planter
Sunday,May 13th, 2018 , 1:00-3:00 Cost: $45.00, materials included
Mothers, daughters, and sons join us here at Fernwood Nursery for a class on designing and constructing your own hypertufa vessel. Hypertufa is a lightweight medium often used in molding pots, troughs, and planters. Learn the basic ingredients for a hypertufa mix and about the various forms that can be used to create unique and natural looking outdoor planters.
Come build your own, then take it home for planting!
Tea and freshly baked scones will be served.
Class limit 12 and preregistration required. Please call us at (207) 589-4726 or email us at fernwoodnursery@fairpoint.net. You may also contact us here.
Opening Thursday, May 3rd!
Welcome! We’ll be open for the season on Thursday, May 3rd. Every day we are busy stocking the nursery aisles and potting plants, so much to do!
In addition, the sheep have been sheared and the vegetable gardens are underway.
Erythronium dens-canis
Sanguinaria canadense ‘Snow Cone’
Fernwood Nursery & Gardens 