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Homemade Treats for the Holidays The holiday season is upon us which means entertaining and family gatherings. Let Ashcombe's bakery help you with your desserts. Choose from our fresh homemade pies and cakes. Call ahead to order from the following selection:
PIES
CAKES
ICING We also have a great selection of cookies, breads and muffins! Call our bakery for more details at (717) 766-7611. Poinsettias This year at Ashcombe we are growing over 12,000 pots of poinsettias! Our most popular color is red but we grow several other beautiful colors. Marble Star is a mixture of pink and white and is often displayed in combination with pink.
Once again this year we will have the Winter Rose, a red rose flowered poinsettia. It was our most popular variety last year. Carousel is a new variety we tried last year. It has unusually ruffled red bracts. Our poinsettias will be ready for sale about mid to late November. Shop early for the best selection. Holiday Open House Join us for our annual Holiday Open House on Saturday, November 11th, 2000! The day will be filled with unique decorating ideas, creative food garnishings, great holiday recipes, gift ideas, birds, trains, children's activities and more. DECORATING IDEAS
Room to Room Decorating
Williamsburg Centerpiece
Using Rosemary for the Holidays
Bow Tying
Coming Home for the Holidays FOOD
Vegetable and Fruit Garnishing
Heavenly Creations
Holiday Creations from Gooseberry Patch
Gingerbread House Display
Food Sampling TRAINS
The National Railway Historical Society
The Station HOLIDAY ARTS
Wood Carved Decoys, Santas and Snowmen
Art in the Greenhouse
Twigg Hollow Dolls and Angels BIRDS
Rehabitat
Winter Bird Feeding
Decorate an Evergreen Tree for the Birds CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES
Make Your Own Christmas Bell
Make Your Own Candy Necklace
Holiday Face Painting Tis The Season For Amaryllis Amaryllis are lovely tropical plants, with large flowers that can enhance any home decor. It's an easy bulb to grow and Ashcombe offers over 15 colors to choose from! Buy the bulb just as is or give one to a friend in our beautiful gift boxes. We also offer free care sheets to help get your amaryllis started and keep it growing. Feed The Birds Feeding the birds during the colder winter months is more than just a benefit for our feathered friends. It is so enjoyable to watch what new little visitor will appear next, filling his belly right from your backyard feeder! Ashcombe offers a large selection of bird feed and feeders as well as a full selection of books for following habits of birds and learning which ones are native to our area. Antiques Antiques make a great holiday gift idea and Ashcombe has an ever-changing variety of glassware, tinware, iron, pottery, tools and furniture to choose from. We also offer a gracious law-away policy on large pieces and will ship small items when needed. Making Gourd Birdhouses SELECT THE CORRECT GOURD Gourds can make excellent birdhouses because they are natural, but one must know how to prepare them correctly. Harvest your gourds when mature, leaving a few inches of stem intact. Lagenarias are best because of their size compared to Cucurbita. Wash your gourd in warm vinegar water, rinse well and dry them in a warm, dry place, turning occasionally. Darkness is not essential but will help keep colors bright. Eventually gourds will dry or cure themselves. Choose gourds that have hard shells and dry enough to cut holes for your birdhouse. The gourds¹ size will govern the kind of bird that will be attracted. The ball of the gourd should be large enough for a bird to turn around easily. Many birds delight in the long deep cavities offered by some gourd shapes. SIZE OF HOLE ESSENTIAL The entrance hole should be cut as round as possible and all sharp edges removed. Its size must conform to the bird size. Hole may be cut with an expansion bit or a key hole saw. A few holes in the gourd¹s bottom will provide drainage and help keep the gourd dry. You can also drill the hole at the top for hanging your birdhouse - a thong or a wire will suffice. The chart in the following column shows the minimum size gourds needed and the size of entrance hole required for many bird species. PLACEMENT OF BIRDHOUSE Put your birdhouse out in early spring before the birds arrive. Most birds do not want other birds for close neighbors, so attach your houses singly to trees or posts. Since Purple Martins want to live together, wire a number of gourd houses to bare tree branches or to cross arms nailed to a pole. Keep Martin houses away from leafy areas and buildings in an open flight-path area where there are no overhead wires. Remember to keep the openings in exact size. From the tiny wren to small owls - keep the openings to fit the birds¹ size. Hang your gourd houses with openings away from the prevailing winds. Making birdhouses from gourds is as easy as it is interesting. If the gourd is mature and properly preserved and stored in off season, it may last for years. Some gourd birdhouse last well over 100 years and can bring pleasure to several generations. You will find that birds are grateful tenants!
PRESERVING GOURDS The longevity of all gourds can be extended by wiping their surfaces with a cloth dampened with a non-bleaching household disinfectant such as equal parts of vinegar and water. Wax gourds with a colorless paste wax, then buff to a shiny patina with a soft cloth. A hard, glossy appearance can be obtained by applying a coat of clear varnish. Children's Classes 2001 Ashcombe will continue to offer the popular Children's Gardening Classes in 2001, although there will be several changes. The classes will be held on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of most months and there will be a small fee of $1.00 per child to help defray the cost of running the program and to enable us to provide better supplies. There will be two sessions - one from 9-10 and the other from 10:30-11:30. The following is a partial list of classes for the upcoming year. The full calendar will be available by November 1st. Pre-registration is required for all classes, as they are limited to 20 children each. Please feel free to call Andrea with any questions
All Dressed Up and Ready To Go! Ashcombe's gift department is lavishly decorated and stocked full of goodies for the wonderful holiday season upon us! This beautiful area boasts unique gifts that you won't find anywhere else. Lamps, shades, candles, potpourri, pictures, laces, throws, pillows, ornaments, cards, wrappings, ribbons, cookie cutters, furniture, silks, drieds, custom arrangements, decorating supplies...the list goes on and on! The sights and scents of Ashcombe during the holidays are sure to please visitors of all ages. Escape from the hustle and bustle of hurried holiday shoppers and relax amidst our quiet atmosphere and friendly faces. Make a day of it and enjoy lunch in our farm kitchen or pick up a dessert to take home for the whole family! Ashcombe for the holidays... a great experience all in itself, and one you'll remember for years to come. Recipes of the Season! APPLE COFFEE CAKE
1 cup sugar 1 eggs, well beaten 2 cups flour 2 tsp. baking powder pinch of salt 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 cup sweet cream, hold APPLE CRUNCH
1 cup sugar 1 Tbsp. flour 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/8 tsp. salt
3/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup melted butter 1/4 tsp. soda HONEY BAKED APPLES
2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts 3 Tbsp. raisins 1 cup apple juice 2 Tbsp. honey 1 cinnamon stick 1 Tbsp. lemon juice MOIST CAROB APPLE SAUCE CAKE
1/4 cup honey 2 eggs 1 cup whole wheat flour 1/3 cub carob powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. ground allspice 1/2 cup chopped nuts 1 cup apple sauce 1/4 cup milk APPLE SAUCE
1/2-1 cup apple cider, apple juice or pineapple juice APPLE SQUASH PUDDING
1/2 cup packed brown sugar 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 2 eggs 1 cup milk 2 medium apples - peeled, cored and chopped 11/2 cups cooked rice 1/3 cup raisins frozen whipped dessert topping, thawed We are currently working on our calendar of events for 2001 Please call (717) 766-7611 for any specific information or questions
The War and Peace Vase
The hottest new item in our greenhouse this month is the "War and Peace" Vase. The War and Peace Vase consists of a Peace Lily suspended in a glass vase that contains a Betta Fish. The Betta, or 'fighting fish' represents War and the Peace Lily represents peace. These vases are great home accents and are great for the office. (They also make great gifts!) Caring for the War and Peace Lily Vase is easy too! Simply care for your fish as any other, providing necessary food and clean water. Set the vase in a warm sunny spot and enjoy! If you haven't yet seen this new item, look for it in our Plant Shop the next time you stop by. Fruit, Gourmet and Bakery Gift Baskets in our Gourmet/Produce department
Message From the President As we approach the winter season, Ashcombe changes gears to focus on making your home cheerier during the dark winter months. Our customers know that we strive hard to provide one of a kind items and a quality unsurpassed by any other. Our indoor plants, creative gifts and specialty gourmet foods help to warm the home when the cold winds start to blow. With the holidays nearing, we have created an atmosphere extraordinaire. Void of the glitz found in many holiday displays, you will find a natural "woodsy" look that can be used not only during the holidays, but throughout the winter. Our gift and gourmet areas have a special holiday charm, as well as ideas for the even the most discriminating. If you haven't experienced Ashcombe during the holidays, you are missing something special! We also invite you to share the enjoyment and bring a friend! Savor a treat from our farm kitchen - sandwiches, soups, home made pies, muffins, breads, cakes, cookies and so much more! I hope your winter will be warm and bright. We thank you for all your patronage during the past year. --Glenn M. Gross Previous Newsletters: |
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