Harvesting with style: sure, you could just sow and dig, but why not give your garden patch a little personality too? Three edibles experts' tricks and tools to customize a garden

Emily's eco-minded garden

SEED PICKS "Baker has the craziest varieties of fruits and veggies, in colors and shapes I didn't even know existed. Use whatever you buy that season, since older seeds can spoil." Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, from $1.25; rareseeds.comCOWBOY HAT "More attitude than a floppy sun hat." Cord and Concho Band hat, $50; shadybrady.com"Vegetable gardens don't have to be plain and utilitarian. There are some beautiful edibles. Choose colorful varieties, like red cabbages or purple beans"COCONUT OIL "To keep hands soft, I moisturize with raw coconut oil. It's super-nourishing and has no additives, Like parabens." Adara Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, $30 for 8.4 oz.; b-glowing.comUrbanites should start with herbs in pots, especially since so often store-bought herbs get thrown away. Set up your windowsill herbs with this self-irrigating container. Delta 20 Self Watering Planter, $38; sprouthome.com"For a mod urban touch, I mulch with beach glass or white stones." Cabo Beach Glass, $11 for 2 lbs.; origincrafts.comIf you're hunting for Maria Finn, check the roofs of San Francisco, where she sets up edible gardens for clients. Maria's also a writer (she contributes to Sunset) and recently penned A Little Piece of Earth (Universe Publishing, 2010; $20). The book's simple message: You don't need acres to grow edibles. "In a small space, you're not going to live off your harvest, but you can do things like grow kaffir ['Kieffer'] limes, using the leaves to season homemade curry, or grow ingredients to make cocktails. These ideas make life richer."SEED PICKGARDEN TOTE "It's durable, lightweight, and cute, but not so precious I have to worry about it getting messed up." Green Garden Tote, $33; angelas-garden.comTHE HOME DEPOT POTHeavy Petal blogger Andrea Bellamy, who lives in Vancouver, B.C., decided to plant edibles as an inexpensive alternative to hardscaping. She also wanted the garden to fit her modern style. Her book, Sugar Snaps and Strawberries (Timber Press, 2010; $20), devotes the first chapter to helping you find your personal style."Lettuce, strawberries, fig trees, and citrus trees like kaffir lime are all easy to maintain and do really well in containers"TEAL BEACH GLASSGRAPHIC PILLOW "I'd rather have a better pattern selection [than offered by outdoor fabric] and bring in my pillows every night. I like the bold style of Willa Skye." Maze Greek Key Pillow Cover, $28; etsy.com/shop/willaskyehomeIn Emily's toolboxMASON JAR "I reuse, or buy new jars to take different kinds of organic soil to jobsites." Ball Regular Mouth Quart Jars, $n for 12; freshpreserving.comIn Maria's toolboxKITCHEN SCRAPS COLLECTOR "You can grow so much more per square foot with nutritious soil--and to make soil rich, it's essential to add compost." Ceramic Compost Pail, $32; williams-sonoma.com"This Garden Babies butterhead lettuce always emerges pristine, like some produce manager from Whole Foods misted it in the middle of the night." Renee's Garden seeds, $2.73; renees garden.com"A staple in my kit, it's packed with screwdrivers and a knife, plus it's little, lightweight, and can be clipped to your belt when you're working." Leatherman Juice CS4, $83; leatherman.com for storesSEED PICKSFROM THE EXPERTIn Andrea's toolbox"This is pretty much the one tool I need, which spares me from having to look at a pile of clutter in my backyard It's great for cultivating or turning soil, digging little holes, and weeding." CobraHead Weeder and Cultivator, $25; cobraheadllc.comActress Emily Paul channeled her green thumb when the Los Angeles writers' strike hit, eventually forming Sprout, a landscaping company that plants organic produce in backyards. Emily believes in simple solutions. To grow edibles, she says, you only need seeds, soil, mulch, and compost. In her backyard, she repurposes old umbrella holders for planters and wine crates for storing supplies.STRETCH GLOVESAndrea's modernista yard"When plants have been sitting around for a while in containers, the roots tend to bundle up and tangle. A gardening knife is so helpful for root pruning and weeding."Multipurpose Garden Knife, $25; gardeners.comHERB PLANTERIn addition to heirlooms, Seeds of Change sells new varieties, so you can experiment. Maria's picks: 'Cocozelle' zucchini ($3.79) and cherry tomatoes like 'Peacevine' ($3.29). seedsofchange.comCOIL HOSE "This coil hose is perfect for tight spaces since it tucks away out of sight, and you don't need a big spool or basket to wind it up." Lee Valley 25-in. Deluxe Watering Set, $34; leevalley.comBAUER POTTERY Glazed ceramic pots hold water well (drill a hole in the pot if it lacks one); this is a modern twist on a traditional style. "I go neutral on big stuff like patio furniture and large planters, and add punches of color with smaller containers and pillows." 16-in. Jardiniere, $240; bauerpottery.com"Working in soil tends to dry out my skin. These are made of a stretchy fabric with neoprene over the palm and fingers, so you maintain dexterity." Atlas Nitrile Touch Gloves, $6.95; gardenbasket.comNo reason to spend a fortune on containers. "I buy mine used at the Rose Bowl Flea Market (rgcshows.com), or else at the Home Depot, whose ceramic pots look so much more expensive than they are." Atlantis Planter, $35; home deptot.com

"Lettuce, strawberries, fig trees, and citrus trees like kaffir lime are all easy to maintain and do really well in containers"

Author: Emily Hsieh

Candle Supplies

What would Christmas be without snowballs? So, what better scented gift to give, then primitive snowballs that will last all year

Tips for PackagingYou can cut pieces of brown twine, sting the twine the icicles and snowflakes for cool Vintage Old Time Christmas Ornaments. Hang the ornaments on your old fashion Christmas tree.Put a hook in the snowballs before you roll them in the glitter, grungy mixture. The hook will dry solid in the snowballs. I like making my own hooks from old rusty pieces of wire purchased from craft stores.A pack of any size styrofoam balls found at any craft store or craft section. The same recipe is used in making the icicles too, but instead of styrofoam balls use the cheap plastic icicles. When making snowflakes, dab the compound on with a sponge brush. Snowflakes can be purchased at most any store. The cheap plastic kind.They are fast, fun, and best of all, easy. Get ready to have a great afternoon with the kids in the kitchen.Make old fashion Vintage looking Winter icicles, snowballs, and snowflakes for Christmas or Winter Weddings. A bowl of festive snowballs or icicles make a wonderful center piece for festive occasions. Surround yours with candle light.Colonization After Emancipation is based in part on newly- uncovered documents that authors Phillip Magness and Sebastian Page found at the British National Archives outside London and in the US National Archives.Grunging suppliesThe authors cite jarring remarks made by Lincoln in 1862 to a White House audience of free blacks, urging them to leave the US and settle in Central America. "For the sake of your race, you should sacrifice something of your present comfort for the purpose of being as grand in that respect as the white people," Lincoln said.Have a bowl of glitter ready on the side.I have no idea when my mother first discovered the recipe for making primitive snowballs, but I assure you she was not the creator.White joint compound, found at any hardware store. (my mother used drywall mix, but times have changed and I don't think we need to add difficult mixing of drywall compound to the recipe)Make your snowballs in all sizes. You can use the Winter Traditional White coloring or make the Down and Dirty Grungy Snowballs. You can have them scented or unscented, the choice is yours. I love to add Prim glitter to mine. Gives them more of a holiday feel and frankly, looks the big brown bowl on the white table cloth, filled with snowballs, doesn't hurt the look.Add nutmeg or cinnamon to your mixture if you want little flecks of dirt added to your snowballs.Roll the styrofoam balls generously in the joint compound mixture.Congradulations! See, it wasn't as hard as you thought it was going to be. Anyone can make a snowball! Have fun and until next time - craft on, from the candle making supplies team at www.wicks-wax-scents.comWorkshop in San Francisco holds Pie-in-a-Jar classes. Next class Apr 27; $36; workshopsf.orgA few drops of the colored stain or acrylic paint -the color choice is yours, winter blue, snowy white, creamy, or old fashion winter white.Mr Magness and Mr Page's book offers evidence that Lincoln continued to support colonisation, engaging in secret diplomacy with Britain to establish a colony in British Honduras, now Belize.Lines form early at Whiffies food cart in Portland for the vegan chocolate coconut and barbecue brisket pies. whiffies.com One-man operation The Piecycle pedals pies around Seattle's University District. twitter.com/thepiecycleThis is an breezy, simple craft to do and you will receive hours of enjoyment in making snowballs. I warn you this can be addictive.These are very inexpensive to make and so easy, even your children need very little supervision. Now if you are a perfectionist, making these to sell at a craft show, you may want to leave the children to their own side of the table.Lincoln's views about colonisation are well known among historians and he even referred to colonisation in the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, his September 1862 warning to the South that he would free all slaves in Southern territory, if the rebellion continued.Seattle's new Pie does killer breakfast versions like huevos rancheros and ham 'n' cheese in flaky, palm-size crusts. sweetandsavorypie.comAmong the records found at the British archives is an 1863 order from Lincoln granting a British agent permission to recruit volunteers for a Belize colony. "He didn't let colonisation die off. He became very active in promoting it in the private sphere, through diplomatic channels," Mr Magness said. He surmises that Lincoln grew weary of the controversy that surrounded colonisation efforts, which were criticised by many abolitionists.All Jarred Up in L.A. mails ready-to-bake pies in mason jars all over the country. Tip: We doubled the oven time to 30 minutes. alljarredup.comUnlike some others, Lincoln always promoted voluntary colonisation but historians differ on whether he moved away from colonisation after he issued the official Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, or continued to support it.Candle scent, if you want your snowballs scented, the strength is your choice, but a little goes a long way.Acrylic craft paint or water based stain, brown is the preferred color, but don't be afraid to experiment.Real NutmegThen drop in the bowl of glitter glass (my personal favorite) Make sure you coat the snowball evenly all around.Pick it up, gently, and shake off the excess glitter. Place the snowball on a pizza pan that is lined with old fashion wax paper.As the nation celebrated the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's first inauguration on Friday, the book by a researcher at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, said Lincoln was more committed to colonising blacks than previously known.

Congradulations! See, it wasn't as hard as you thought it was going to be. Anyone can make a snowball! Have fun and until next time - craft on, from the candle making supplies team at www.wicks-wax-scents.com

Author: Starlina Stimmer

New book casts doubt on Lincoln's race legacy

Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address has inspired Americans for generations, but a new book claims to show startling racial contradictions on the part of the president, including covert colonisation talks with Britain.

These creative primitive grungy crafts look great as decorations in your country decor. Try placing them in baskets, old primitive boxes, old pans, wooden dough bowls. Add a sprig or two of Christmas green, pinecones, a few red berries dried, or use your imagination and see what you can come up with.German Glass Glitter, Mica Glitter, or Diamond Dust found at any craft shop or on line.Mix the following together:Bag up 6 to 12 of the various sized snowballs in a cello bag with a festive bow and the grungy primitive tag. Add a sprig of green and a bow of twine and rag strips. You can get those bags from the grocery store that are paper with the see through plastic window in the front. Those make a great for display at you craft show and are prefect for gift giving. Mix them with the waxed dipped rag balls, fill a big old blue mason ball jars. Add a vintage postcard strung on a ribbon. You can have a truly primitive grungy Christmas gift that anyone would love. You could even make a lamp with the old blue mason jar.They have to dry for 2 or 3 days at the least. Make sure you turn the balls over once or twice a day.Joint compoundIt is just like being a kid all over again, when you create one of these delightfully cool snowballs or icicles.You will need the following.

Among the records found at the British archives is an 1863 order from Lincoln granting a British agent permission to recruit volunteers for a Belize colony. "He didn't let colonisation die off. He became very active in promoting it in the private sphere, through diplomatic channels," Mr Magness said. He surmises that Lincoln grew weary of the controversy that surrounded colonisation efforts, which were criticised by many abolitionists.

New life of pie: for years, pie has played plain Jane to cupcake's Cinderella story. Now, it's shaking off its sleepy image with crazy flavors and innovations. Here's where it's happening

San Francisco's Chile Pies & Ice Cream gussies up classic flavors: Try the apple with green chiles and a cheddar crust. greenchilekitchen.com

A Christmas Tradition with a Vintage TwistOk, here we goMy mother loved to find new crafts for us to do every year at Christmas and this was my favorite. I loved those times with my family, the 1950's and 60's. Moms were mom and dads were dads. I hope you will find this recipe will bring hours or joy with your family, as it did with mine.At Seattle's High 5 Pie, expect daring flavors baked into pie pops (yes, pie lollipops), and folded into jars and mini turnovers. high5pie.com

Lines form early at Whiffies food cart in Portland for the vegan chocolate coconut and barbecue brisket pies. whiffies.com One-man operation The Piecycle pedals pies around Seattle's University District. twitter.com/thepiecycle

Simple Seed Saving

Seed saving can be a rewarding and cost saving activity particularly if plants are selected for their good seed saving characteristics. This article will offer the beginning seed saver helpful advice on which plants to start with and how best to harvest, prepare and save the seeds. Bean/pea, lettuce, pepper, and tomato offer the beginning seed saver the best chance for successful seed saving. They produce seed the same season as planted and are mostly self-pollinating, minimizing the need to be mindful of preventing cross-pollination.

There are several things you need to keep in mind:� What kind of tables is being used (round or long and how large)?Slice open the tomato, squeeze out the pulp and seeds into a glass jar, add water up to about � of the jar, and set aside for a few days. A residue will collect on the top of the water as well as some of the seeds (these are dead seeds). The water will clear and the viable seeds will sink to the bottom of the jar. After five days carefully scoop out the residue from the top and throw it away, pour off the water and then pour out the seeds from the bottom of the jar onto white paper towel for drying.A great idea for place cards is to print the names out on your computer, using a heavier stock paper, Cut them out and simply weave them into the tines of the dinner fork at each place setting!http://www.seedsave.org/issi/issi_904.html1) Baskets: They come in all sizes and shapes and can make even simple gifts look attractive. Packing your gifts in baskets doubles the pleasure as most will reuse as holders for bread, towels or fruit, or simply as an accessory. Wrap your goody-filled basket in cellophane and tie with a ribbon.To your beautiful wedding!2) Tins: Antique and reproduction tins make useful and decorative additions to any kitchen. They are ideal for packing such food gifts as gourmet coffees and teas, spices, candy, cookies and cakes, and they will most likely continue to be used.Being creative and using items around the house can save you time and money. Have fun with these great ideas � the recipient of the gift will enjoy your creative thoughtfulness.4) Cloth bags: You can make these by sewing two colourful pieces of cloth together and inserting a drawstring, or you can purchase bags at a store or online. Small bags can be reused to hold jewellery, while larger bags are great for laundry.Some care must be taken to separate different varieties by at least 50 feet help ensure purity. Most peppers turn red when fully mature and this is the time to harvest seeds for saving. If frost threatens before peppers mature, pull the entire plant and hang in cool, dry location until peppers mature. Cut open mature peppers and scoop out the seeds. Follow with a gentle washing in a mild 10% bleach solution, and lay the seeds out in a single layer on white paper towels until the seeds have thoroughly dried.8) Envelopes: For gift cards or gifts of money, place in a card and envelope. Write a letter on the outside of the envelope, roll up and place in a bottle to create a �message in a bottle� effect � or punch a hole through the corner of the envelope and tie a colourful ribbon through it to hang it on a tree.� For Valentine�s Day, or anytime during February, you can take a large brandy snifter or fish bowl and fill it with little net bags of heart-shaped candies. Tie each bag with ribbons in your wedding colors. Place it on a charger or some colored tissue and sprinkle candy hearts and chocolate kisses around them. The little bags will then become the favors for your guests, so you�ve killed two birds with one stone.� How many people will be there?

http://www.seedsave.org/issi/issi_904.html

Author: Dr. Christopher Kline

Alternative Gift Wrapping Ideas

Sometimes wrapping gifts can be equally as stressful as buying � and sometimes equally as expensive. Here are some quick and cost-effective ways to nix the wrapping this year.

Beans/PeasA few weeks before planting time perform a test germination of saved seeds by placing the seeds on three layers of moist white paper towels, roll the towels loosely and place them in a plastic bag. Keep the bag in a warm place until germination occurs. Depending on the type of seeds germination may take anywhere from 2-14 days.� How big is your budget?� For spring or fall you can make your centerpieces from that season�s fruit, adding in a few flowers in the spring, or pine cones for fall. Cut some greenery from your bushes in the yard to place around the bowls.You can also borrow mason jars, fill them halfway with sand and poke dried flowers into them to create wedding centerpieces. The jars can be spray painted, tissue wrapped, etc. If you prefer fresh flowers, half-fill with water, add rocks and a few flowers. You can also gather leaves, branches, pine cones, small rocks, and spray paint them silver. Arrange in the center of the table. A tall thick candle can be centered in the grouping�again not too close to the sprayed items.Seed Storage� What time of year is the wedding?7) Ribbons and Bows: If something is large enough � or too awkward to wrap � avoid the wrapping process all together and stick some curly ribbons or a pretty bow on it. Scraps of coloured yarn can work for those who are trying to be extra thrifty.

Being creative and using items around the house can save you time and money. Have fun with these great ideas � the recipient of the gift will enjoy your creative thoughtfulness.

Author: Colette Robicheau

Do It Yourself Wedding Centerpieces

Do it yourself wedding centerpieces are inexpensive to make. They can be somewhat labor intensive however. Still, they can be made in one fun evening with the help of a bunch of friends, a bottle of wine and some snacks! It is a good idea to make a sample and see how you like it before making all the others. If you are using fresh flowers, you need to know how long it takes for them to start drooping. Do they have to be put together at the last minute, or can they be done a day or two in advance?

Paper envelopes work well for storing each seed variety. Before storing test to make sure the seeds are dry enough by attempting to bend them. If the seeds snap instead of bending they are sufficiently dehydrated for storing. Large mason jars work well for storing your seed envelopes. Prepare a jar for seed storing by placing a small, cloth bag filled with dry, powdered milk in the bottom of the jar. This will help to absorb any moisture from the storage container. Place the seed envelopes in the jar, on top of the bag and tightly seal the jar. Next place the jar in the freezer for two days. This helps to kill any diseases that may be infecting the seeds. Find a place for long term storage that is a cool, dry, and dark where the temperatures remains fairly stable. A garage, storeroom, pantry, closet or even a drawer will work well.TomatoesLettuce5) Photo boxes: This saves a lot of time. Simply place a gift in the photo box and add a tag and a bow. Photo boxes come in an array of colours, patterns and sizes and you can find them for almost any occasion, giving the gift the feeling of being wrapped.Always harvest seeds from the best plants available. Choose healthy disease-free plants with desirable qualities. Look for the most flavorful vegetables or beautiful flowers. Because seed set reduces the vigor of the plant and discourages further fruit production, wait until near the end of the season to save fruit for seed. Seeds are mature when flowers are faded and dry or have puffy tops.Candles make lovely wedding centerpieces and can be done way in advance. Votive candles floating in a small glass bowl of potpourri or fresh flower petals. Take a cake plate and arrange candles of different heights around it, using your colors. Tuck a few fresh flowers around the spaces on the plate just before the reception. Don�t use dried or silk flowers for this purpose as they burn too easily. Pick up some tiny potted flowers, wrap the pots in tissue and ribbon, and arrange in the center of the table�using them later as favors, of course.With lettuce you will need to take care to separate varieties flowering at the same time by at least 20 feet to avoid cross pollination. Some outside leaves can still be harvested for eating without harming seed production. Once half the flowers have gone to seed, cut off the entire top of the plant and allow it to dry upside down in an open paper bag for 2-3 weeks.Peppers6) Recyclables: You can use movie posters, newspapers, pieces of fabric, comics, maps or whatever else you have lying around the house! Depending on the occasion or the recipient, you can be as basic or as creative as you like.� For Christmastime, decorate tiny little trees, sprayed white with little balls in your wedding colors. Or Fill a little wicker sleigh with tiny faux presents and decorative balls�or Christmas candies wrapped and then used as your favors.Toward the end of the season and while healthy pods are still being formed allow the pods on some plants to dry brown before harvesting. This is about six weeks after eating stage for beans and four for peas. If frost threatens, pull the entire plant, and hang in cool, dry location until pods are brown.If possible, allow tomatoes to completely ripen before harvesting for seed production.

To your beautiful wedding!

Author: Bobbie Hamilton

Apple Pie Moonshine

APPLE PIE MOONSHINE is now available from Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine, a distillery based in Gatlinburg, TN. A combination of apple juice, ground cinnamon and spices, the 40 proof spirit can be served hot or cold. The new flavor joins the company's other products, Original Unaged Corn Whiskey, White Lightnin' and Moonshine Cherries. The Apple Pie Moonshine is available for a suggested retail price of $24.95 for a 750-ml. mason jar.

CIRCLE READER SERVICE NO. 53

How to Make Tinctures From Herbs

The philosophy behind tincture is to capture the spiritual and physical essence of the plant. This is done by using the power of ethyl alcohol to dissolve and preserve the herb in question.

Copyright © 2006 Mary Hanna All Rights Reserved.At first check the solution daily to make sure the vodka, brandy or rum still covers the herbs. Let the mixture steep for at least two weeks and up to three months. When you reach the allotted waiting period, line a sieve with the cheesecloth or muslin and pour the liquid thru the sieve into another bottle. Gather up the ends of the cheesecloth and squeeze to extract all of the liquid. You can now fill small bottles with droppers with the tincture for ease in use. Be sure to label the jar with the name and the date.FRIDAY NIGHT FIESTA: Score a pinata and rethink the food. Fish tacos, three-cheese chorizo nachos and homemade fruit ices for dessert all feel fresh.AFTERNOON TEA: Go old school with tea sandwiches, bite-sized sweets and Mason jars filled with iced tea. Don flowy sundresses and play preppy games, like croquetThere are no right formulas for making tinctures. Experiment with different combinations. Be sure you write down the formula so when you come up with a winning combination you will have it on file.The substance used to extract the herbs is known as the menstrum. The herbs you are tincturing are known as the mark. Tincturing will extract and preserve both the water-soluble and alcohol-soluble properties of an herb.WANT MORE IDEAS? Let food be your guide. Plan a party around delectable dishes that everyone loves--wings, pizza, ice cream--and add a DIY spin with wacky sauces and toppings.When purchasing herbs, make sure you are buying from a reputable source. Better yet, grow your own herbs to be sure of the highest possible quality. When growing your own you can make any number of combinations to make up your tinctures. I have also found that when growing my own herbs I get the most enjoyment, knowing not only did I make the tincture but I grew the herbs. I become part of the process from beginning to end.There are several items that you will need to make your own tinctures. First you need either powdered herbs or fresh cut herbs. Vodka, brandy or rum, 80-100 proof to cover the herbs. Mason jars with lids. Muslin or Cheesecloth that is unbleached. Lastly, labels for the jars.Here are a few ideas for treating colds. Make tinctures from the following herbs:You will need 7-10 ounces of chopped fresh herbs for every quart of vodka, brandy or rum. I prefer to use fresh herbs when making my tinctures. When using powdered herbs, I use 4 ounces of herbs to one pint of liquid. If you are making a tincture from bitter herbs it is best to use rum as it will mask the taste of the herbs. To make a non-alcoholic tincture use distilled water, glycerol or vinegar. Keep in mind that if you use vinegar the tincture will have to be refrigerated.WOMEN'S WORLD CUP VIEWING PARTY: The pinnacle of women's soccer plays out from late June through early July. Make T-shirts supporting your teams and nosh on globally inspired cuisine.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

Author: Mary Hanna

Get your theme on!

While everyone loves a good backyard BBQ, sometimes an extra-special theme can up the fun factor. Have a blast with one of our faves ...

Put your herbs in the mason jars and then pour the liquid over them so that it comes up to about an inch above the herbs. Seal tightly and label the jars then put them in a very dark, warm area. Keeping them in a paper bag has worked well for me. You will have to shake the jar everyday, several times a day if you can mange it.MORNING HIKE: Invite your sportiest sweeties, pick a trail at a national park or local green space and set movin'. Don't forget the healthy snacks for when ya need to refuel!In the interest of taking a more involved stance in their health, many people are turning to homemade tinctures made from fresh or dried herbs. Tinctures have proven to be more powerful and longer lasting than dried herbs. Dried herbs can get moldy or be eaten by insects, tinctures do not. Tinctures will keep up to two years and keep their potency if stored properly. Making your own tinctures will save you quite a bit of money. If you purchase tinctures in a retail store you will get a few ounces whereas if you make it yourself it will yield about a quart.FOR EVEN MORE FUN-IN-THE-SUN SOIREES, check out all the awesome ideas at girlslife.com/parties.NIGHT SWIM SOIREE: Cool off on those steamy summer nights with an evening pool party. Get ready for diving contests and relays galore!The dose is one teaspoon tincture in a cup of tea, juice or water taken three times daily.

FOR EVEN MORE FUN-IN-THE-SUN SOIREES, check out all the awesome ideas at girlslife.com/parties.

Low on Cash for Christmas? Try Gifts in a Jar

Time is money, and right now you don't have either the time or the money to answer the call of the shopping mall at Christmas. The only way you can show your friends love, peace on earth, goodwill towards men is by shopping at Macy's, so you think.

� bear grass threaded with crystalsThe students calculated pounds of crops. What they were not able to do was turn those pounds of crops and other benefits of rooftop gardens into dollar values. A recent three-year, million-dollar Toronto study, however, provided help. The 2005 study by the Department of Architectural Science at Ryerson University found that if all of the rooftops in Toronto were greened, the economic value would be substantial. Storm-water capture would lead to a net benefit initially of $118 million in Canadian dollars. Reduction in sewer overflow would save an additional $46 million. In Toronto, tens of millions more would be saved in energy costs by the added insulation in winter and the heat reduction in summer. All told, Toronto's savings would include roughly $300 million in initial capital costs, and then tens of millions of dollars each year. Although no one had calculated it, the greater surface area of New York's buildings might produce even bigger savings. This was all on top of the benefits of actually producing food.� callas, bear grass, sword grass: submerged & twirled in bubble glass� multilayered satin ribbons� maple or oak leaves, roses, orchids, gerbers: submerged entirely in water (aka �drowning rose�)The benefits of rooftops extend not just to humans, but also to other species. Seeds arrive, along with hundreds of bee and wasp species. Spiders parachute in on loops of silk. Such colonizers also move among these spaces, the way they might move among fields of tall grass. Winged animals fly from building to building, unaware that anything they are doing is unusual. In Paris, New York, and Tokyo, beekeepers depend on such rooftop life and other gardens for the production of honey. The bees fly among buildings, gathering nectar that they bring back to provision both their brood and (unintentionally) their keepers.The idea of green rooftops is old. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, if they existed at all, were a kind of rooftop garden. Nebuchadnezzar II is said to have built them around 600 BC to satisfy the yearnings of his wife, Amytis of Media, for the trees and plants of her homeland. Clearly, rooftop gardens, whether they are in Babylon or elsewhere, have costs. Roofs must be strong and waterproof, and often water must be carried or pumped up. But the gardens also accrue benefits beyond those of simply producing food and pleasing spouses. They sequester toxins from the air. They filter and collect storm water and reduce sewer overflow. They reduce building heating and cooling costs. At the scale of cities, it has been argued, they reduce temperatures on hot days. Then, of course, they make us happy. For Amytis of Media that happiness was being reminded of her home in what is now northern Iran. For us, today, it is being reminded of those millions of years that we lived in the wild.� cranberries, kumquats, cherries, frozen green peas (can take water)� coffee beans, candy corn, dried indian corn, popcorn, dried peas, lentils (keep dry)� vase gems, bright striking colors

Pre-heat oven to 350�F (175�C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Empty the jar of cookie mix into a large mixing bowl, blend the mixture thoroughly. Stir in butter or margarine, egg, and vanilla. Mix until completely blended. Shape into balls the size of walnuts. Place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks. Makes 36 cookies.

Author: Kristin Johnson

Toward the new garden of Eden: a university professor becomes a reluctant revolutionary of hope

Dickson D. Despommier did not mean to become a revolutionary, or to plan the future of a city. He just wanted to be a scientist. Born in New Orleans and raised in California, he caught dragonflies off his mother's clothesline and put them in big mason jars, where he would watch them trying to will themselves out of the jar. He gathered snakes. He poked at nature and explored in the way that any child might do, trying to find, if not truth, amusement. Those days of fumbling with life led to a career studying parasites and, in particular, the tiny roundworm Trichinella spiralis, which lurks in undercooked pork or game. Trichinella reproduces in the intestines of those who eat it, which, in and of itself, is not really a problem. The problem is caused by the migration of baby worms out of the gut and into muscle tissue, be it a bicep or a heart (where they wait for their chosen human to be eaten by yet another host). It is these traveling worms that can cause disease and even death. To Despommier, Trichinella was a terrible and worthy adversary. But it was also, in the elaborateness of its sinister ways, fascinating, elegant even. Despommier spent twenty-seven years with this worm, becoming an elder statesman of parasitology even before he was elder. Then in 1999, at the age of fifty-nine, he found himself in a new situation. He could not get funding, not from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, or anyone else.

� ivy� footed pedestal bowls, urns� vase gems with underwater lighting� flowers, paveed� vase gems, clearNext: Read The Building Blocks of Fabulous Centerpieces Part 3.� oversized martini or wine glasses� mason jars� eiffel (tower) or trumpet vases

Then Despommier asked a new question. What if we turned whole buildings into farms? What if we used hydroponics and made abandoned buildings into a new kind of living habitat and grew vertical farms, up walls or even inside walls, in the way that forests grow vertically? Until this point, Despommier had played a passive role in the students' endeavors. If the National Science Foundation had funded him at that point, he might even have abandoned his class midstream. It did not, and so he kept teaching the class, more involved at each stage. He looked up at the buildings around him in Manhattan. They were filled with human bodies and the species that lived off of them--worms, mites, bacteria, and flies--but the buildings did not give back, not life, anyway. They just took. Each day, thousands of pounds of food and millions of gallons of water were shipped and carried up elevators, staircases, and pipes, and near-equal amounts of waste were dispatched down toilets. Each building sucked the juices out of the land outside the city, sucked at the land around the world.

Author: Rob Dunn

The Building Blocks of Fabulous Wedding Centerpieces Part 2

Now you have sorted out the guts of your wedding centerpieces, it is time to decide on what to put them in.

Note: Store this jar in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months before using.

• contents of this jar
• 3/4 cup (175 ml) butter or margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract

� bubble bowls (�fish bowls�), ivy bowls, hurricane lamps� berry sprays/garlandsIf you find yourself staring at your beautiful wedding centerpieces & wondering what is missing, then it could be that the addition of a simple wrapper is all that is required.� silver mint julep cupsThis is the important part. You have your guts, you have your containers, now how do you marry the two together? The way in which you do this will say as much about your style as your choice of guts in the first place. Again, here are some popular treatments for you to pick from.� clear glass cylindersOatmeal Raisin Spice CookiesDespommier was walking his class through the ways in which the world is collapsing. By 2050, the world is expected to be occupied by 9.2 billion people. It will be hotter and harder to farm. Diseases caused by pathogens will once again be a key problem, not just for developing countries but for the whole world. And all of these issues will coexist with our modern problems that seem to be getting worse rather than better: obesity, immune disorders, social discontent, and the extinction of thousands, maybe millions, of species. "Feeding this future world and keeping it healthy is beyond current abilities," he would tell his students. By 2050, with current farming practices, "we will need an area of additional agricultural land the size of South America. It just does not exist! Not on Earth!" Despommier said this, all of which is true to the extent that it is knowable, and the students started complaining. They were sick of hearing about doom and gloom, sick of hearing about how the world into which they were maturing was falling apart.� gift boxes, hat boxesLayer the dry ingredients in the order listed above, alternating light and dark-colored ingredients for that "art" effect. Your recipient supplies the moist ingredients, and you can attach your favorite recipe or the Oatmeal Raisin Spice Cookies in a Jar recipe, printed on fancy paper (such as the kind you'd find inexpensively at Kinko's) with a decorative font from your computer, and tied to the jar with pretty ribbon or raffia (inexpensive at craft and sewing shops). Cover the top of the jar with a circle of pretty fabric--- maybe from a tablecloth, curtains or a dress that's headed for the rag bag.� square vases, square bowlsWhat do you need to make "Gifts in a Jar"? Let's take, for example, the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies: flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking soda, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oatmeal and raisins. All of these are available for under $5 at your local grocery store. If you buy in bulk, you'll save more time and money-- -just make sure to create your "Gifts in a Jar" as soon as possible before you plan on giving them. The ingredients have a shelf life of 3 months in most cases, so use fresh ingredients.It's a safe bet that the Three Kings didn't buy the gold, frankincense and myrrh given to Jesus Christ in the manger from Macy's or Pottery Barn.� block of floral foam wrapped in sword grass or hosta leaves (placed in square jars)� bear grass� flowers, wired to topiariesThe Treatments� roses, orchids, gerbers: submerged plus underwater lighting� photo cubesYour thoughtful, personal gift will delight everyone on your list and save you money when you make "Gifts in a Jar." Besides, you'll no doubt get invited to eat the cookies---when was the last time a sweater from Macy's gave you that kind of sweet rewards?The Containers� colored water, underwater lightingYou are perhaps looking at your glass containers & thinking they look too bare, but add in a piece of pretty satin ribbon, tied around the vase & knotted in place, & Voila! Perfection is reached! Here are some other ideas for snappy container wrappers.But Despommier, still with a bit of realism's doom in his heart, asked the students to do the math and figure out how many of the million and a half people in Manhattan could actually be fed through green rooftop gardening. The answer was humbling. It was a meager 2.5 percent--an organic mango when what was needed was miles of grains.Whether gardens on roofs could actually prove useful at a scale that mattered to humans was a separate issue, however. No one had really "gone big" when it came to green rooftops. No one was seriously advocating for whole cities of green roofs. Perhaps, the students began to think, it was just that no one knew how valuable they might be in remedying pollution and producing crops. So they decided they would figure out how significant a role such rooftops might play if they really caught on.� marabou feather boasThis year you, too, can give frankincense and myrrh of the tasty kind. The best part is, the ingredients come from your neighborhood grocery store or even your own kitchen. The Three Kings used ornate containers, but you can make do with an inexpensive 1-quart mason jar to hold your "sand art" cookies, or "Gifts in a Jar."� de-stemmed single flower heads floating in water: gerbers, roses, peoniesDespommier had been sidelined by the birth of the field of genomics, a particular kind of industrialized genetics; with it came a decline in the study of how species actually live and work in the world. Up until that point in his career, Despommier had not really thrown himself into teaching, but now, with time and energy (and no money) on his hands, he began to focus on the minds of the graduate students at Columbia University. He began to teach two classes, Ecology 101 and an environmental health course called Medical Ecology. It was while teaching Medical Ecology that his life began to change.� wooden crates� vegetables (gourds, succulents): submerged� blooms arranged into pomanders or spheresThen Despommier asked a new question. What if we turned whole buildings into farms? What if we used hydroponics and made abandoned buildings into a new kind of living habitat and grew vertical farms, up walls or even inside walls, in the way that forests grow vertically? Until this point, Despommier had played a passive role in the students' endeavors. If the National Science Foundation had funded him at that point, he might even have abandoned his class midstream. It did not, and so he kept teaching the class, more involved at each stage. He looked up at the buildings around him in Manhattan. They were filled with human bodies and the species that lived off of them--worms, mites, bacteria, and flies--but the buildings did not give back, not life, anyway. They just took. Each day, thousands of pounds of food and millions of gallons of water were shipped and carried up elevators, staircases, and pipes, and near-equal amounts of waste were dispatched down toilets. Each building sucked the juices out of the land outside the city, sucked at the land around the world.Snappy Container WrappersYou may have noticed from your initial research, that some designers will add extra elements to the containers themselves. You will probably have seen glass vases lined with wheat grass or perhaps a layer of pretty crystal stones. Water it would seem is not sufficient & you have to add an extra bit of wow with some killer filler! Take a look at these for inspiration.� bark strips� gel beadsSift together flour, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, baking soda and salt, then place in the bottom of a 1-quart (1 l) glass mason jar. Tamp down the flour mixture so it is packed in firmly. Add the rest of the ingredients in the order given, making sure to pack down each layer firmly before adding the next. Screw the lid on the jar. Attach the following directions:Oatmeal Raisin Spice Cookies in a Jar

• 1 cup (250 ml) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) salt
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (175 ml) dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 cups (500 ml) quick cooking oatmeal
• 3/4 cup (175 ml) raisins

� raffiaPre-heat oven to 350�F (175�C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Empty the jar of cookie mix into a large mixing bowl, blend the mixture thoroughly. Stir in butter or margarine, egg, and vanilla. Mix until completely blended. Shape into balls the size of walnuts. Place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks. Makes 36 cookies.When it comes to containers, there is a wide choice available to you. Be creative & think outside of the box, particularly if want something different or quirky. Stick with plain & simple for a modern, contemporary look or choose something elegant & luxurious for a traditional & stately feel. Here is a list of some of the most popular choices.Killer Container FillersTheir first step was to travel to a basement--the map room of the New York Public Library--to research the surface area of the rooftops of Manhattan. The answer seemed as though it was a whole lot. They were not just finding roofs--there were also balconies, abandoned lots, and old railway lines. The city, for all its modernity, was filled with layers and levels of dirt, and so too the possibility of layers and levels of life.To turn your favorite cookie recipe into "Gifts in a Jar," just make sure the total of dry ingredients is 1 quart (1 l) or less. You may have to cut your current recipe by half or one third to get the correct amount of dry ingredients but it will work. Remember to adjust the amounts of wet ingredients needed when writing out your directions to place on the jar. Or, rather than cutting your recipe, you can use the larger 2-quart (2 l) mason jars, and if there is any space left at the top of the jar, pack it tightly with tissue paper or add a few extra raisins and a sprinkle of oatmeal--this adds pizzazz!

Next: Read The Building Blocks of Fabulous Centerpieces Part 3.

Author: Georgina Clatworthy