News from The Morning Star B&B

THE MORNING STAR BED & BREAKFAST

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The Morning Star Update August 2009

Welcome to The Morning Star Update!

Greetings!

Guests often ask us whether we ever get away. We did take a few days in July for a family vacation. Despite unseasonably cool weather, we had a delightful time. We were able to see my mother and various aunts, uncles, and cousins; we had great food, of course; Bill got in some motorcycle time with friends and went by boat to see fireworks for the 4th; Mom and I visited Ft. Ticonderoga and worked in her garden; I practiced yoga; , Ginger and Lucy enjoyed the mountain air; and Abbey learned to swim! (Sorry - Bill and the guys didn't take any pictures.)

We hope that you too have been having a pleasant summer. We look forward to hearing about your adventures.

Morning Star Readers' Picks

Dede from New York tipped me off to a scholarly yet touching book, Two Gardeners: A Friendship in Letters, the correspondence of Katherine S. White and Elizabeth Lawrence, edited by Emily Herring Wilson. White was an editor at The New Yorker from 1925-1959. Lawrence was a Southern horticulturalist. It felt odd to read the letters without being familiar with these women's work. So I also read White's Onward and Upward in the Garden and Lawrence's Through the Garden Gate. The well crafted essays in these volumes enabled me to appreciate the interest in these author-gardeners.

The Savage Garden by Mark Mills is an intelligently written, who-dun-it (or rather, more of a who-done-what) set in Italy in the 1950's. It is the story of a British student who travels to Italy to write his thesis on a centuries old garden and gets caught up with all manner of characters past and present. Think of it as a landscape architecture mystery for Dante fans and Italophiles. I picked it up on sale this summer and found it very entertaining.
Click here to let me know what you think of these books or to pass along your own recommendations.

Wildcat Garden Color

One way that we Manhattanites show our support for the Wildcats is to deck out in purple. Pictured here is one of The Morning Star's border gardens with Liatris (Gayfeather), Lythrum (Loosestrife), and Echinachea (Coneflower) in shades that pay homage to the hometown favorites.
Amongst my other violet hued bloomers for mid summer color are several varieties of Hemerocallis (Daylily). 'Little Grapette', which I have had for many years, is petite both in stature and flower size and makes a lovely accent plant at the front of a bed. I also have two other varieties of daylily that were new to me this year. 'Storm of the Century' is a deep reddish purple with a golden ruffle and is striking planted with yellow flowers. 'Seal of Approval' is a delicate cream, edged in a ruffle of mauve, that blends well with purples while providing contrast.
Phlox paniculata is the back bone of the garden from mid to late summer . I have four shades of purple as well as white and some pinks. 'Laura' and 'Lilac Time', are two good ones to try. Keep phlox dead-headed for continued bloom.
Lagerstroemia 'Royalty', a vibrant reddish purple, is one of my favorites blooming shrubs. Guests are often surprised that we can grow Crape Myrtles this far North, but there are several cold hearty shrub varieties. ('Tonto', a slightly orangish radiant pink is another that we have good luck with.)
Click here to pass along your gardening tips or favorite plants for wildcat color.

Panzanella

There are probably as many ways to make this rustic tomato and bread salad as there are cooks who make it. It is quite tasty and, despite being a dish based on leftover bread, can be rather chic summer fare. The main things are to use the best ingredients that you can and present attractively. Panzanella works well as a light meal or an accompaniment to grilled fish or steak.

The basics:
5 - 6 slices Italian or French Bread, thickly sliced - enough to make about 4 c.
3 c. Ripe Tomatoes, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or to taste
2 - 3 T. Balsamic Vinegar, or to taste
Fresh Basil Leaves, torn and whole
Fresh Ground Pepper
Ground Sea Salt

Some Optional Additions:
1/2 c. Fresh Mozzarella, cut into small pieces
1/2 c. Cucumber, cut into medium dice
1/2 c. Steamed Green Beans, halved
1/2 c. Artichoke Hearts, coarsely chopped
1/3 c. Colored Peppers, cut into medium dice
1/3 c. Olives
1/4 c. Onion,thinly sliced and cut into small pieces
1/4 c. Toasted Pine Nuts
Mint Leaves, torn
(I typically use 2 to 3 of the additions.)

There are several different ways that the bread can be prepared. The traditional method, using day old home made bread that is slightly dry, is to quickly dip slices of the bread into water, squeeze out the excess and tear bread into bite size pieces. If your bread is fresh you can skip the water and just tear or cut it into bite size pieces. Alternatively, you can grill slices and then cut them into chunks or toast them in the oven to make large croutons. The main thing is that you need to start out with a good quality bread that isn't spongy and going to fall apart when dressed.
After the bread is prepared, toss tomatoes and any optional additions with olive oil then with balsamic vinegar. Taste and adjust oil and vinegar if needed. Add torn basil leaves then bread and toss again so that bread is coated. If necessary, add more olive oil and vinegar to coat bread. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately if the bread was dipped in water; otherwise, if you want the bread to soak up the dressing, allow the dish to sit for 10 - 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with whole basil leaves. (Serves 4 to 6.)
Click here to let me know what you think of this recipe or to pass along one of your favorites.

I hope that you have enjoyed the tips and recommendations in this month's issue of The Morning Star Update. I look forward to hearing from you and to seeing you soon! Have a great August!

Sincerely,

Laurie Pieper
The Morning Star B & B