Candy Memories...

You may or may not know this about me. You may or may not care, but I love M&M's. I have very fond memories of them.

I used to go to my friend Julie's house for a Halloween party each year and her family would pull out all the stops. Scary movie on the TV, hot pizza would be delivered, Julie's older brother, Scott and her dad would put together a spooky haunted house for us in the basement. We would have a sleep over and her dad would go outside and scratch on the side of the house and hold up a Jack-o-lantern at the window. Her mom would put out bowls and bowls of candy. And there was this enormous, huge bowl of M&M's that was my absolute favorite. I could just eat handfuls of the them if I wanted! Crunchy shells full of smooth chocolate, what more could a pre-teen want? Later on I moved on to the peanut M&M, but still today, I will eat either type, but only if you forced me. (yeah, right!) But that is not the only memory. My mom and I decorated my sister's 7th birthday cake back in 1980 with M&M's. I remember helping her place all the M&M's perfectly on the white frosting. I guess this is a feel good candy for me.

I was in Florida recent, specifically Orlando at The Magic Kingdom. I was in a candy shop looking at an oversize rice crispy treat in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head, and I stumbled upon this fantastic wall of M&M's! Every color you could ever want was there! Several shades of blue, pink, purples and more! THIS was the perfect decoration for my adorable niece Olivia's 7th birthday cake! She just loves purple and pink and now her 7th birthday cake will be decorated with M&M's by me, just like I decorated her mom's, my sisters, cake years ago!

Isn't it funny how the smallest thing (a bitsy M&M for example) can take you on a trip down memory lane?

Blood & Bones!

In honor of Halloween, I will be making my own very favorite hot chocolate (see recipe from a previous blog post here: HOT CHOCOLATE) with a twist. By just adding a bit of red food coloring to the hot chocolate and baking up a batch of these scary and fun, crispy meringue cookies in the shapes of bones will put me right in the Halloween mood!

Find the recipe here for the "bones" : BLOOD & BONES ~ on Joy The Baker (thanks Joy!)

Oh, and 39 years ago, my parents got married on Halloween!

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

H A P P Y

H A L L O W E E N !

Sneak Peek At Brunwick Market Members!

Here is a sneak peek at the Winter Market vendor list for Ft. Andross

on Saturdays in Brunsiwick.

With 49 vendors, there must be something for everyone!

Bird Cookies ~ Baked goods, cookies

Blue Dragon Mussels ~ Fresh from the sea, hand harvested mussels

Bowdoin Baking ~ Baked goods

Buckwheat Blossom Farm ~ Vegetables, beef, mutton sausage, eggs

The Craftin’ Scot ~ Knitted items

* Casco Bay Soap Co. ~ Handmade, 100% vegetable, pure & simple soaps

Cocina del Mundo ~ Tamales, salsas, chutneys

Cook IV U ~ Prepared Mexican food

Cornerstone Farm

Deep Wood’s Enterprise

Diversity Farm ~ Cheese

Dyer’s Cove Coffee Co. ~ Coffee products

Eastern River Cattle Co. ~ Beef products, berries

Farmers Daughter Bakery ~ Baked goods, pies, honey

Fishbowl Farm ~ Vegetables

The Fudge Lady ~ Homemade fudge

Great Things Inc. ~ Skin care products

Gryffon Ridge ~ Spice mixes

Gray Goes Green ~ Reclaimed wood furniture

Goranson Farm ~ Vegetables, Maple syrup

Half-Baked in Maine ~ Cake mixes, aprons, jewelry

Jyang-Lee Kitchens ~ Asian Food Coopers

Jeanne Dube ~ Recycled Fleece lined wool mittens

Judy’s Kitchen ~ Baked goods, pies, beef, pork, jams

Lakonia Olive Oil ~ Olive oil

Life Force Farm ~ Vegetables

Little Creek Farm ~ Pork, chicken, beef, eggs

Little Ridge Farm ~ Vegetables

Lipovsky Gardens ~ Jams, houseplants, vegetables

Lobster On The Run ~ Seafood

Maine Maple Kitchen ~ Maple products, potato buns, grains, beans

Mainley Poultry ~ Poultry products

Meadowcroft Farm ~ Wool products

Meghan Donahue Jewelry Designs ~ Handmade jewelry

The Mermaids Harvest ~ Lobsters, clams, jewelry

Mother Oven Bakery ~ Baked goods, Greek food, pasta

Mulbery Delicacies ~ Afghanistan food

Paul Andrew Photography ~ Photography, greeting cards

Royalsborough Forge ~ Iron Products

Six River Farm ~ Vegetables

Smith’s Log Smokehouse ~ Smoked & cured meat products

Spring Day Creamery ~ Cow & goat cheese

Sunset Acres ~ Winter Greens

Swallow Tail Farm ~ Yogurt, cheese, pies, meat products

Townhouse Farm ~ Cheese, sheep yogurt

The Turkey Farm ~ Turkey products

Twig Naturals ~ Soy candles

Upper Farm Alpacas ~ Alpacas, Alpaca products

Zu Bakery ~ Baked goods, pasta

Winter Market Schedule

WINTER FARMERS MARKETS

Casco Bay Soap Co. will be selling at 3 markets, 3 days, 3 great locations starting next week!

Wednesdays

Falmouth
Allen Sterling and Lothrop

191 Rte 1
10:00 - 2:00

Nov 4th - March 31st

Fridays

West Cumberland

Skillin's Greenhouses

201 Gray Rd (Rte 100)

10:00 - 2:00

Nov 6th - April 2nd

Saturdays

Brunswick

Ft. Androos

Maine St.

9:00-12:30

Nov 7th - April

Featuring many of our summer vendors and a few new faces too!

Come for winter and root veggies, grass fed meats and poultry, hydroponic veggies, eggs, dairy and hand crafted cheeses, SOAP, baked goods including crusty breads, desserts, fine Maine crafts and many more treasures.

Two opening for farm vendors at the W. Cumberland location on Fridays. Applicants should contact Leslie Fitzgerald, market.gal09@gmail.com.

Fresh Soap Delivered To Maine Wreath & Flower Today...

Maine Wreath & Flower has been owned and operated by a wonderful woman named Debbie for 28 years. She has a fantastic eye for arranging fresh, dried and silk flowers and specializes in fresh Christmas wreaths. All wreaths and arrangements are handcrafted with care and pride in Maine by Maine people using quality dried and preserved items grown and gathered right here in New England. Her quaint New England-y store is located on Bow St. in Freeport, right across from the LL Bean retail store(s). Stop in for some fresh Casco Bay Soap Co. soaps, dried flower bunches, ornaments, potpourri, fragrance or essential oils and more.

Maine Wreath & Flower (<---- website link here)

13 Bow St.

Freeport, ME

Monday -Saturday 10:00-6:00

Sunday 11:00-6:00

Peppermint Oatmeal Soap

Stirring up some more yummy Peppermint Oatmeal soap. This time it is specifically for The James Place Inn B&B. Did you know that I made guest size soaps? The James Place Inn is my biggest customer for these cute guest bars of soap that are 1/4 of the size of a regular bar (or the standard size you find in a hotel). What works out great is that the guest at the B&B have the chance to try the soap and then can purchase more online when they go home. Often, if they are in town at the right time, they can catch me at one of the Farmers Markets.

The Peppermint Oatmeal combination was the creation of The James Place Inn and has become very popular among my customers. I sell it in full size bars at Farmers Markets and on line ~( PEPPERMINT OATMEAL )~ Here's the Peppermint Oatmeal soap information from my website page:

"A creamy white bar, we have made our own blend of Spearmint and Peppermint essential oils and added real oats for exfoliation. A refreshing "wake up" for the mornings".

And a quote from a very happy customer!

"Hello there, we were fortunate to use your Peppermint Oat soap while staying at the wonderful James Place Inn, in Freeport, ME....we think your soap is truly the best we have ever used! Garry, NJ

Super popular around the Holidays, Peppermint Oatmeal also is a great wake me up or cool me down soap. I'm thinking of making something similar with a swirl of red and call it Peppermint Stick for the holidays.

Lisa Marie's Made In Maine Gift Store...

More fresh soap on the way to Lisa Marie's Made in Maine gift shop in Bath. If you haven't been to her store, try to stop in, especially for your holiday shopping. Lots of fantastic Maine Made gifts from pottery pieces, to dog biscuits made with blueberries, and of course some super fantastic soap.

Lisa Marie's Made In Maine
170 Front Street Bath, Me 04530
(207) 443-2225

http://www.lisamariesmadeinmaine.com/lisamaries@gwi.net

Hours of Operation:
Monday-Saturday: 10am-5:30ish
Sunday: Seasonal /call ahead

Making Strides Breast Cancer Update

Just wanted to share that even though the weather was not so great on Sunday here in Maine and I had a cold, my mom and I still walked in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Damriscotta Maine. We had 800 walkers come out and walk yesterday, raising $110,644 in funds! Awesome! thank you!

Whats Up With The Soap?

Okay, back to soap. I have been posting alot of other topics of late, and while I'm sure you are enjoying all, I will get back to talking about some of the current soaps and projects being stirred up in the kitchen and the studio.

As usual, I continue to make more of your favorites. Fresh batches of Sea Shore Scrub, Casco Bay Rum and Citrus Scrub are curing on the shelves. More Apple Cider and Pumpkin Spice have been whipped up as the cool weather and turning leaves put us in the mood for comfort soaps.

My beer soap was a big hit this summer and there have been more and more requests for it. I have popped open a couple of bottles of Gritty's Scottish Ale and will be stirring up more "Hop To It" beer soap as soon as possible.

New to me, and soon to you, will be Watermelon. A summery fragrance for sure, but I have alot of young customers (girls) that shop with their moms and this is sure to be a hit with them. I thought I would give it a try. While I would LOVE to create a ton of new fragrances for you, this time of year is tough. As I enter into the biggest shopping season of the year, I need to have all those old favorites you request time and time again in stock. I don't want to disappoint any of you.

I am working on all sorts of projects to get ready for big sales during the holidays that involve more than just making soap. I have been tying shopping bags with ribbons and Casco Bay Soap Co. informational postcards, shopping for new tablecloths, designing a new vinyl banner, designing new soap labels (!), considering selling bath teas and much more. AND getting ready for those 3 a week winter markets that start in November! Wooohooo!

Busy, busy, busy in the land of soap! Thanks for all your support!

I Have A Cool Soap Locator Map!

Did you know that I have this cool feature on my web site that allows you to see all the locations you can find Casco bay Soap Co. soaps? I made it with Google maps. Click on the link below...you will be able to see a map of Maine and little markers that tell you all the addresses of the retail stores carrying my soap and the farmers markets as well.

Casco Bay Soap Co. On A Cool Google Map

If you know of a retail store that you would like to carry Casco bay Soap Co. soaps, please do contact me. And be sure to let them know how super awesome the soap is and that they just have to carry it in their stores!

Thank you everyone for your support!

Okay, I Was On TV Once....

Okay, this could be a bit embarrassing for me, but I think you may find it interesting.

When I am not making and selling soap for you, my day job has me baking up the most delicious, dense, dark chocolate, fudge brownies you will ever sink you teeth into. I work as Head Baker and Director of Manufacturing for Simply Divine Brownies a mother-daughter bakery business located here in Freeport. Unwrapped from the Food Network was at the bakery last year, taped and produced a segment about our Chakra Cherry Brownie (which happens to be my favorite ~ a fudge brownie with whole tart cherries and chocolate chips and a crumbly dark chocolate streusel topping). Just a few weeks ago, the Food Network was back. This time tapping the whole brownie operation from beginning to end. We are scheduled to be on the show early 2010. In the meantime, here is a link to the Charkra Cherry Crumble segment from last year I thought you might enjoy.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/chakra-cherry-crumbles/18342.html%22/

Why did I mention it might be embarrassing for me? Because I have a speaking part! I was very nervous and there I am with a silly hairnet on over my ponytail. But it was all very fun and very interesting. For example, there really was only a film crew of 2, they were there for about 8 hours for only like 5 minutes of finished tape, and not everything is taped in order, but they managed to get it all straight in the end. It was a lot of fun and I was very interested in the whole process. Enjoy the video!

More on my new Cinnamon Sugar Soap. Well, Sort of.

Well, there I was visiting another one of my favorite food websites, Bakerealla.com. If you haven't heard of her, she is a incredibly inspirational baker, and has mouthwatering pictures to go with her recipes.

Bakerella has been on Martha and makes these incredible cake pops, but that is another posting (peek around her site, and you will find them).

So there I was checking out her most recent post (I got to her blog daily) and she had put up these fantastic looking Snickerdoodle Cupcakes! What?! The awesome combination of the crunch of a cinnamon sugar snickerdoodle cookie with yummy soft, moist cinnamon cake AND vanilla seven minute frosting.....oh boy. oh boy!

Recipe Link Here On Bakerella.com

Breast Cancer Walk

I am walking to raise awareness and funds with Making Strides Against Breast Cancer in Damriscotta with my mom this Sunday.

Here is some information from the Making Strides site.

Your support enables the American Cancer Society to save lives by:

• Educating and empowering people to live healthy lives and reduce their risk for breast cancer


• Helping all women facing breast cancer get well by providing resources and support to help them overcome obstacles in their personal cancer fight


• Investing in research that leads to groundbreaking discoveries into breast cancer’s causes and cures


• Fighting for laws that help women battle breast cancer and keep our mothers, daughters, grandmothers, and families healthy

In 2008, nearly 600,000 walkers across the country joined the American Cancer Society in our united fight against breast cancer. Together, we raised more than $60 million through Making Strides events and we did it one donation at a time. More than a walk, the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer describes the progress we’re making together to fight this disease, provide comfort and hope, and save lives from breast cancer. You are helping us raise dollars and awareness that leads to this incredible progress; and we did it together, one walker at a time.

While we are making strides against breast cancer, there is more work to be done to beat this disease … and we need your help!

If you would like to donate to the cause, visit my page:

Shannon's Making Strides Page

Virtual Bake Sale?

This is a screen shot of a virtual lab, or what the virtual bake sale that I attended looked like. On the left is chat by all in the room. In the center, the large picture, is the host. All those small pictures, spiralling around her, they are all the people in the room, visiting the sale!

What in the world? I stumbled upon a virtual bake sale! What and how is this going to work, I asked. Well on Esty.com (one of my favorite sites for all things home and handmade) they were holding a virtual bake sale last night.

I simply signed in to my esty account and followed the links to the "room" that was holding the virtual bake sale. As other customers like me entered the room, I was able to chat with them, visit their own shops and get to know each of them better. Before the sale started, there was a lot of chatter about your favorite sweet, what do you do, where are you from etc. Once the bake sale started there was a host, and she used a live computer feed and we saw and heard her in live time! She introduced the different bakers featured that evening. Each baker was able to present their goods for about 5 minutes and included pictures of their goods as well as links to their items for sale, and coupons.

It was all very cool. The asked for feedback, had trivia questions for us (where we could win prizes), and we were all able to show our appreciation by "clapping" or "spinning" our own avatars. What fun!

Here is how etsy.com describes a virtual lab:

We created the Virtual Lab in an effort to bridge the gap between the physical Etsy Labs and the greater Etsy community. The Virtual Labs will allow us (and guest hosts) to chat with you, the community, in real time! The cool thing is – we do all the techie work, you just click into a room and hang out with us virtually. The Virtual Etsy Labs are a multi-user online representation of the Etsy Labs using Workshop rooms. We use the Virtual Labs to connect with our community, host events, put on streaming webcam how-to's, host team meetings, demos, and shop critiques

Cinnamon Sugar Soap

New soap on the way! I just stirred up a fantastic smelling batch of Cinnamon Sugar. Mmmmm, Mmmmm and WOW ! Sweet and sugary with a bit of spice, I layered this soap with a center of oats. I feel this is going to be popular as the colder weather moves in and we all start thinking of the Holidays.

Okay, so this Cinnamon Sugar soap is just making my whole house smell like a bakery! Have you heard of Snickerdoodles? This is my friend Launa's favorite cookie, it is a sugar cookie rolled in sugar and cinnamon before baking. I found this recipe for Snickerdoodle cookies to try:

Snickerdoodles @ Tasty Kitchen.com (which is a new favorite recipe site of mine).

Summer Markets Come To A Close...

( I took this picture at Robin Hood Marina in Georgetown, ME.

Super cute, old fashion, very new England-y type of marina).

The summer farmers markets are coming to an end this week. But check out all the opportunities you have to shop during the fall and winter for your favorite soaps!

I will be selling soaps, starting the first week of November, in the following locations:

Wednesdays 10-2

Allen, Sterling & Lothrop

Rt. 1, Falmouth

Fridays 10-2

Skillins Greenhouse

Rt. 100/Gray Rd, W. Cumberland

Saturdays 9-12:30

Ft. Andross

Main St., Brunwick

I am also involved in a few Holiday fairs and craft shows. More information for those show to come.

Hope to see you there!

More Felted Fabrics

Two more pictures for you of the felted fabric with the starfish. Same artist.

They are just so pretty!

Felted Fabric

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

I saw this gorgeous tapestry at the Common Ground Fair a couple of weeks back. Made from roving ...

(*Roving ~ A bundle of fibers. Roving is the fuzzy stuff that is cleaned, carded and often then dyed from sheep or maybe Alpaca before it is spun into yarn.)

...which is then felted or fulled....

(* Felt is a dense, non-woven fabric and without any warp or weft. Instead, felted fabric is made from matted and compressed fibers or fur with no apparent system of threads. Felt is produced as these fibers and/or fur are pressed together using heat, moisture, and pressure)

...then shaped into flat, thin fabric. This creative and talented artisan then placed on the starfish and needle felted....

(* using special barbed needles to attach fluffy roving)

... the starfish on. After step number 1,153 was done, she then stitched around the starfish and added little embroidered stitches in their "arms"! Wow, but boy, it sure is pretty!

Do I need another hobby? My mom would say no....but you know I am dying to try this for myself.

Confused? Intrigued? Curious? Learn more about wool crafting or making wool fabrics here:

http://www.woolcrafting.com/making-wool-felt.html

Questions You Ask..

(This picture was taken at the beach when huricane Ike was pounding our Maine Coast.

I loved how the wind had whipped the sand into these neat ripples).

I often get many of the same questions. Either at market, via email or attached to an online order. Simple ones such as "Do you have a physical store"? and more complicated ones such as "How do you make soap"?. I have included below some of the more frequent questions. I will also post this on the left side bar, so you and others can references it in the future. And as always, keep those questions coming! I am happy to answer them and love to hear from you.

1. Does Casco Bay Soap Co. have a physical store?
No, not yet! But I am hopefully that someday soon.

2. You make this soap yourself? Really?
Yes! I am a one woman show. I make the soap, I order the ingredients, I label it, I bring it to market to sell it to you, I designed the website. My husband, Glen, does help me with large orders and makes a few deliveries for me. He also is great support.

3. How do you make soap? How did you learn?
Well, it is a long process to explain. I have explained it here ~ HOW OUR SOAP IS MADE ~ on my website. I am working on a photo book to bring to market and fairs, so you can see the process underway. I am self taught. I learned to make soap by trial and error. I took out books from the library, searched the Internet and joined a few Yahoo soap groups. I even sent my first bar of soap to a gal out in MN. to ask her if this is what it should be like, as I didn't know any soap makers in my area. She exclaimed that if this is my first attempt at soap, I am going to be darn good. She loved that first bar of soap. I am happy to say that I have been making soap now for 5 years and bringing it to you for 3. I love the customer feedback, the comments, the expression on your faces when you come back and tell me that you can not use commercial soap ever again, you love my soap and there is nothing like it. Thank you!!!

4. Lye? Isn't that dangerous?!
All soap is made with lye. If it is not listed on the soap label, that is because it actually "disappears" during the soap making process and no lye remains in the bar of soap. You can NOT have soap with out lye. It turns oils, which are greasy, into the soap that now cleans and moisturizes you. I take caution when using lye. I wear goggles and a face mask when mixing the lye with water and when stirring it into my oils. The soap is safe by the time I bring it to you. In fact it is safe to use within 24 hours of production.

5. Is this your full time job?
Well, it sure seems like it sometimes! Often I am up late labeling soap for the next day market, blogging, updating the website, coming up with new products for you, or making batch after batch of soap per day (that can be time consuming)! But no, I have another job. I work as a baker for a gourmet brownie company.

6. Did you make your own website?
Yes I did. I used Yahoo site builder. I like that I am able to control the content on the site and have immediate results. I can also control inventory of my soaps. I hope that you find it easy to navigate. Please, I welcome your feedback.

7. How can you blog so often?
I usually blog in spurts. I often create posts a few days ahead and save them to publish later. I blog right away when I have an idea. I will start a post and leave it to finish later. If I do not write it down or start a post right away, I often forget! I do blog everyday, but sometimes the posts are small. I want to keep you up to date and offer fresh information, so I try to get something new out there as often as possible.

8. If I see you at the Farmers Market, Craft Fair or in the Post Office, should I say hello?
Yes! Please do! I love meeting the people who read this blog!

9. If I email you will you write back?
Yes, send along an email!

10. Can you make favors for my wedding/party/company holiday gift?
Yes! I am happy to work with you on soap fragrance selection, special soap labels and more.

11. What's your favorite soap?
Well, that is tough. That is like choosing a favorite child! I love all the soaps! But I do favor a few...I love Mermaids Garden, Sea Shore Scrub, Star Anise, Pink Grapefruit, Christmas In Maine, okay, one more....Peppermint Oatmeal.

Hope that answers a few questions for you. And please, do send along anymore questions you have. I love hearing from you.

Pumpkin Bread With Candied Ginger

Its October. (In robot voice...)We Must Consume Pumpkin. I do think that is just what happens during certain times of the year. Fall = Pumpkin. During the holidays it will be all gingerbread and peppermint.

Here is a recipe I posted in March. It wasn't "pumpkin" season, but as I read back on it, it seems that I was stuck inside due to a recent snow storm and was craving something warm and comfy, enter Pumpkin Bread with Candied Ginger.

Visit the old blog post here: http://cascobaysoap.blogspot.com/2009/03/pumpkin-bread-with-candied-ginger.html

So, being a rainy October day in the Northeast, a loaf of pumpkin bread baking in the oven just seemed right.

Pumpkin Bread With Candied Ginger

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1, 15 oz can pureed pumpkin

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 T. fine chopped candied ginger

Combine flour, spice, baking powder, and salt in bowl; stir to blend the dry ingredients well.

Combine eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil in a mixing bowl, beating until smooth. Stir into flour mixture, add chopped candied ginger.

Spoon into a greased and floured 9x5x2-inch loaf pan.

Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Enjoy!

New Banner Is Here!

My new banner....right up there, at the top, do you see it? That is my new banner! It includes the new image (the mermaid stamp on the left) that will now be on my soap labels, business cards, magnetic car sign etc.

It is also on my website.I think it looks great and I want to give a great big thanks to Daina at Kottage on 5th. You can find her on Etsy.com here: Daina

Thanks Daina! You did a great job!

Hot Mulled Cider

I wanted to give a shout out to my friend Christine. I bought the most delicious blend of perfect mulling spices from her at the market yesterday and made some mulled cider (cider from Sweetser's Apple Barrel in Cumblerand) today. The weather in Maine today is rainy and cold. This is a very appropriate beverage for such a fall day as this. Thanks Christine. Delicious!

Here is what their website has to say about their mulling spice blend:

Silk Road Mulling Spices (Organic) ~ A delicious blend of flavors that will transform your cider or red wine into a truly warming drink. The Silk Road (it was actually many routes) was the trade route between China, India, Persia, and the Mediterranean, and was responsible for the distribution not only of silk, but also of knowledge, culture, and of course Spices. It seemed appropriate to name our Mulling Spices after this well traveled path as the ingredients come from many different and far flung places. Use 1-2 Tablespoons per 1/2 gallon of cider or wine. Crafted with Crystallized Ginger, Cassia Cinnamon, Lemon Peel, Green Cardamom, Orange Peel, Cloves, Allspice, Black Pepper, and Tahitian Vanilla.

Here is the Gryffon Ridge website: http://www.gryffonridge.com/

And information about Gryffon Ridge:

Custom herbal and spice blends at a reasonable cost. The majority of our products are certified organic unless otherwise indicated. Our spice blends are salt free unless otherwise listed in the ingredients list.

Fall Is Here!

Here is a small collage of some recent photos I took. The photos of the orange Chinese Lanterns on the left and Indian Corn in the center were taken at The Common Ground Fair in Unity, ME that I attended this past weekend. The Black Eyed Susans are from a boat yard in Georgetown, ME. Beautiful colors this time of year in the Northeast. Now I am off to find some fresh cider and a caramel apple...

Here is some information on the Chinese Lanterns, do you have them in your area? They are soo delicate and fragile to touch! But soo beautiful. I met a future bride that is using them as decoration for her Fall wedding, how nice!

Chinese Lanterns

When You See Vivid Orangered husks decorating the late summer garden, you are most likely seeing the Chinese lantern plant, Physalis alkekengi. These plants are often simply called physalis, a name derived from the Greek word for bladder. As a member of the nightshade family, physalis is related to tomatoes, peppers and petunias.

The ribbed, lanternlike bladders are actually enlarged sepals that have fused together to envelop the forming fruit. Tear one open and you will discover the fruit, resembling a cherry tomato. Inside the smooth, shiny skin the thick flesh is embedded with a rich harvest of seeds.

The bright husk guards the fruit as it dehydrates in the fall air. Gradually, it becomes paper thin and begins to break down to a delicate, lacy veiling. When this covering finally rips open, the seeds are sufficiently light and dry to be scattered by the wind.

Rosemary Soap

Just wanted to share with you the new Rosemary soap. The light green swirl is so pretty with the white soap. Smells soo fresh! This new soap fragrance was a suggestion from my customer/friend June. Thanks June!