Photo above of my neighbor's Magnolia tree in bloom, which last about two days.
I think I might be the in the minority, I don't enjoy gardening, at all! I would rather paint my house than do yard work and gardening. However, I do love and appreciate beautiful gardens. And in order to keep my yard looking good, I look for the easiest plants to maintain. YouTube videos are a great way to learn things so I turned to YouTube and the internet for gardening inspiration. Links and more information is included below.
A local gardening resource is Don Muscavitz of Donnybrook Home Services. Don made a list of the ten benefits of raised garden beds. I like this because you are creating a new garden instead of digging into the ground. Enjoy Don's benefits.
Recently, I talked with Jerry Boyson of Lake Winnipesaukee Home Theater about the latest in home entertainment. A link to our discussion is below.
The Showroom News section features recent showroom photos, an upholstery before and after, and news from Hunter Douglas.
A lovely berry and custard tart by my step-mom Sandy is the recipe this month. This tart looks elegant and tastes delicious. It will surely impress friends and family.
If you have a recipe to share, please send it along with your personal photo. I'd love to share it to my readers.
Here is my
video message for this month.
Thanks so much for your time and interest,
~Julie
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Home Entertainment is all about the Router!
I talked with Jerry Boyson of Lake Winnipesaukee Home Theater about why the router is so important in today's home entertainment systems.
Click here to watch our discussion.
If you want to update your current system, or add a new system, contact Jerry. He can design a customized solution that best suits your home and needs.
Contact Jerry through his website at:
Lake Winnipesaukee Home Theater
Raised Garden Beds
Contributor Don Muscavitz Jr. of Donnybrook Home Services
Though it’s tempting to just hoe out a patch of ground and plant some seeds, I’m convinced that the initial work we put into building raised garden beds will pay for itself in the long run. Raised beds are not just for veggies and herbs, but for all of your garden. Here are 10 benefits how raised garden beds help.
- Weed Control. Because a raised garden bed is planted above existing soil, you can put down weed barriers between the ground and the soil you put in your garden box. If you’re diligent to use weed-free soil in your box, any weeds in your garden should be few and far between.
- Pest Control. If your neighborhood has a rodent problem. You can put chicken wire underneath the raised bed to prevent them from coming up from below the soil.
- Better Soil. When you plant a garden directly in the ground, you need to start with the soil that’s already there, and that soil might not be ideal for gardening.
- Portability. What happens if you move? With an in-ground garden, you leave it behind, and start all over at your new place. But if you use a raised garden bed, particularly a small one like a square foot garden, you can bag up your soil and take your garden box with you.
- Higher Yields. Because of the better soil used in raised bed gardens, they tend to have higher fruit and vegetable yields than traditional row gardens.
- Accessibility. One of the best things about raised bed gardens is their accessibility. Because each garden block is only 4′ x 4′, you can easily reach every single plant to water, inspect, and pick the produce.
- Adaptability. For those who aren’t mobile enough to get down on the ground to reach their gardens, small raised beds are adaptable. Just put the garden on a tabletop. Since the garden is not dependent on soil beneath the box, you can put your garden box anywhere you like
- Frugality. In a traditional row garden, you scatter the seeds, then thin the plants as they grow, wasting seeds. In a raised bed garden, you plant only the amount of seeds you need.
- Longer Growing Season. Gardening seasons depend on the temperature of the soil. The ground in a 4′ x 4′ box will warm up more quickly than the ground under the lawn. In addition, it’s relatively simple to make a cold frame for a raised garden bed to extend the gardening season further.
- Aesthetically Pleasing. Raised garden beds look neat and tidy. In addition, if you’re a creative person, you can make some pretty cool looking gardens. Your garden could easily become the focal point of your yard.
Don and his company are able and willing to create, build, and install raised beds for gardening and landscaping, and for your veggies and herbs.
Don Muscavitz, Jr.
Owner - Donnybrook Home Services, LLC
603.284.7343 - Office
603.387.4373 - Cell/Text
Website
Ideas and Resources for Raised Beds:
Earth Easy
10 Raised Beds for Inspiration
Container Garden Ideas
Stylish raised beds
Sustainable & Organic Gardening
I've watched a lot of John Kohler's garden videos. He shares lots of tips, insight, and information on gardening. You don't need a lot of space or even a yard to have a sustainable organic vegetable garden. Watch John Kohler of Grow your Greens.
Click here for video.
To learn lots more from John go to his
YouTube channel.
SHOWROOM NEWS
A photo of a few pieces in our showroom. We still love white. The secretary would be perfect for an area where you might want to use your laptop in a more structured setting. Could also be used as a server. The shelves for display and drawers for storage. When you would need to serve food and drinks you can flip down the desk and have a nice serving area.
Notice the perfect pattern matching on these two chairs. They match each other perfectly. I am amazed at the patience and eye for detail by my upholstery workroom.
If you are in need of an upholstery makeover, we can help. Using our talented workroom combined with our vast fabric resources you can enhance your tired upholstered pieces.
Click here for a slideshow for a sampling of our work.
Hunter Douglas Promotion
Receive a $25 to $100 rebate per unit on select styles. Enjoy rebate savings on select light-transforming styles. The Celebration of Light Savings Event runs April 1 — June 13, 2014.
Click here for complete details.
Showroom Hours
Since so much of what we do is out of the showroom, our showroom hours are by appointment. However, we try to be in the showroom on Tuesday and Thursday from 10-2. We suggest that you call ahead before you coming to be sure we are in. Visit the
showroom page on our website for vendor links and product offerings. We offer in-home consultations to discuss your window covering and upholstery needs.
Berries and Custard in Coconut Shell
10 servings
Coconut Pastry
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup shredded coconut
6 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg yolk
Lemon Custard Filling
1 large lemon
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
Fresh strawberries
- Prepare coconut pastry dough: into medium bowl, measure flour, coconut, butter, sugar and egg yolk. With fingertips, mix together just until blended.
- Press dough onto bottom and up side of 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom. With fork prick tart shell in many place to prevent puffing and shrinkage during baking.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line tart shell with foil; bake 10 minutes. Remove foil; again pricking dough if necessary. Bake tart shell 10-15 minutes longer until golden. If pastry puffs up, gently press it to pan with spoon. Cool tart shell in pan on wire rack.
- While tart shell is cooling, prepare lemon-custard filling: from lemon, grate 1 teaspoon peel and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice; set aside. In heavy 2 quart saucepan over medium-low heat, heat butter, sugar and cornstarch, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils; boil 1 minute.
- In small bowl, with fork, beat egg yolks; whisk in small amount of hot sugar mixture into egg yolks. Slowly pour egg-yolk mixture back into sugar mixture in pan, stirring rapidly to prevent lumping.
- Cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and coats spoon well, about 1 minute (mixture should be about 170-175 degrees F). Remove saucepan from heat.
- Stir lemon peel and lemon juice into custard; cover custard and refrigerate until very cold, about 1 hour.
- In small bowl, with mixer at medium speed beat heavy or whipping cream until stiff peaks form. With rubber spatula or wire whisk, fold whipped cream into custard.
- Evenly spoon lemon-custard filling into cooled tart shell. Using an off-set spatula, smooth filling in shell.
- Cut fresh strawberries in half arranging in circular pattern on top of custard.
- Refrigerate 1 hour or until custard sets.
Fresh raspberries, blueberries or any other fresh seasonal fruit can be used!
Enjoy!
Thank you all for your continued business and interest in my design ideas and tips. I'd appreciate it if you referred us to a friend or two by forwarding this email and suggest that they sign-up for my e-newsletters. I truly thank you.
Connect with me at:
Julie Fergus, ASID
Creating beautiful functional homes for your everyday living with one-stop shopping.
Are you a busy homeowner with not enough time to devote to your home design, decorating, and remodeling projects? Are you and your spouse at odds over design style? Are you overwhelmed with the multitude of choices for home design products?
Julie Fergus American Home designs and remodels kitchens, bathrooms, and any other part of your home using a highly skilled team of professionals. You can achieve and complete all of your home design projects with one-stop shopping because we have access to everything for your home.
To get you started on creating your dream home or interior, call 603.569.8989 or email us to schedule a complimentary "get acquainted" meeting to discuss your project and to learn about Julie's 7 Steps to Design for Everyday Living.
Visit my website for blog links and more information about my services.
