Home | Storefront | Contact
We have loads of the Fermob French Bistro tables and chairs coming in any day now with all the new exciting colors and styles. The colors are amazing this year and have a new painitng technique that makes them weather much long outside.
Some of my favorite styles are the Luxemburg and the Castille Collections.
Each of these products make great additions to the home or garden. Make to take the opportunity to see what may be the right fit for our home.
So, as some of you may know, I like to ride my bicycle. When I use the term ride, sometime it for 5 or 6 hours and it takes me out to Slidell or over to Reserve and back. Well, today I only went out for 4 hours traveling around New Orleans on a beautiful day with the sun shinning. That was the problem, the sun took it toll on my skin. I am not sure what was worse, the sunburn or the really dry skin. So, I was at the shop and decided to use the Mint Julep hand lotion made by Savannah Bee Co. The lotions and body butters use the wonderful powers of beeswax, Royal Jelly, honey, and floral essences to soften, restore, and rejuvenate your skin. The French would use the word “la souplesse”: to describe the effects on your skin. Difficult to translate, the word encompasses flexibility, softening, and suppleness. Our lotions and butters give you all of this, and more.
We have had a load of new things arrive at the shop this week. I would say the tablewares are the top of my list next to the chandilers that make top of my list. I always love the Seda France candles with the newer frangrances like Lis Blanc.
It’s official, the kids classes are ready to go. We have an big kick off with the Swing Class on March 3 and then the big Easter Egg Hunt on April 7 at 10 am. The Easter Bunny will be arriving early to decorate and hide candy and eggs all over the garden center. We will have refreshments for the everyone as well as treats to make your mouth water. Make sure to call the store and make your reservation for your children. This helps with planning as we want to make sure theat we always have enough for everyone.
As the temperatures begin to warm and thoughts of spend time by the poolside cross your mind, you may think about having some friends over to hang out. It doesn’t take a huge effort to make quick eats for everyone. As a regular guy and typically joke about being big and dumb, I have a list of really easy eats to make for your guest.
Sweet and Blue – where honey meets blue cheese
1-honey comb
1 -thinly sliced green apple
¼ cup of fresh raspberries
¼ cup of fresh blackberries
1 -loaf French bread thinly sliced
¼ cup of honey
8 oz Danish Blue Cheese
1 cake plate for presentation
Directions: Chill the cake plate for while preparing slicing the French bread and apple. Once you have completed the slicing, place the honey comb on the center of the cake plate. Place the Danish Blue Cheese along side the honey comb and then place the sliced apples on the opposite side. Carefully pour the honey over the Blue Cheese, honey comb and sliced apples. After this, place the sliced bread in groups of 5 and finish it off with groups of 3 raspberries and blackberries evenly placed about the plate.
Take the sliced bread and spread some honeycomb over it. Then add the apple slice topped with blue cheese and a touch of honey. This will be a big crowd pleaser. You can also add white cheddar in addition to the blue cheese.
This can be served with just about anything. I typically serve it with a cheese tortellini with chopped scallions, celery and light pesto sauce. I finish this dish off with fresh grated parmesan.
What hasn’t come in the shop in the last week. Everyday I come in all I see is a sea of boxes for all over the world. Boxes with curtains from France, boxes from Germany, boxes for just about all 50 states and all I see inside the shop is a wonderful display of Spring. I get so excited to see all the new products that Beth has found in her travels. I have to admit that she can find the prefect anything from just about anywhere. It doesn’t matter if she is at an antique auction, flea market in the middle of nowhere Texas or hitting the Paris market; she fines great stuff. As I often travel to the larger more adventurous destination, this women wheres me out. We are currently are planning a trip this March to the south of France to visit with a new potter that we have been waiting for them to meet with us. This pottery is the most beautiful pieces I have ever seen with remarkable craftsmanship and a true Anduze style. I will update you about our great finds when I return. Until then you’ll just have to take a look at this picture form the city of Nimes.
New Orleans temperatures have such a huge variation that you can count on only one thing these days, a huge change from day to day. What does this mean for a gardener? It means that you will have to follow the gardeners guide to winter rather than, “ I wish it was Spring early” Get out there and get to working.
Advice from The Garden Gate Guy:
Use Mardi Gras as the date as the being of spring and use for the following:
