Local Ladies' Garden Club, October's Meeting

Last week was my turn to host my garden club at my home.  It was so much fun.  I love it when they come to my home and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.  Every other member hosts a normal meeting, not me.  My meetings get rowdy.  This time was especially exciting because we had a new member in attendance.  It was entertaining watching her.  No one warned her about me although she said she had her suspicions.  I wasn't sure what she meant but I chose to take it as a compliment.  That's always what I do when people say strange things about me, I take it as a compliment.  

Not that it mattered, but everything was cleaned, scrubbed, washed, polished and decorated.

Well, not everything.  I missed the muddy garden shoes sitting by the front door.  I had made a million trips to the garden collecting lunch:  plus herbs and roots were sitting on the porch drying waiting for their turn in the dehydrator.  It is me after all, I can't ever be perfect.

The menu was sweet or unsweet green tea, an assortment of hot teas or pumpkin spiced coffee served on my Grandmother's dishes.  I love using my (fancy to me) dishes, silverware and linens.  My men don't appreciate it.  They prefer plastic.  Sigh.  The ladies are different.  They are fine with plastic cups and paper plates (nothing to wash later), but when you bring out the good stuff, they are appreciative.

Dessert was chewy brownies and fruit.  No one went for the fruit but many wanted a brownie.

Lunch was the main attraction. We had a "pick your own" salad bar.  Never heard of it?  Well, neither had I but since it was a garden club, I knew they would be interested in all the weird things growing in my garden.  

Everything was picked fresh from the garden and the leaves were placed whole in vases.  The salad toppings, cheese, crackers, and dressings were placed in smaller bowls.  Scissors were used to cut the leaves.

As they circled the table creating their salads, the most common question was, "What is that?"  The second most popular question was, "You eat it?"  My reply was, yes and you are eating it today.  I only had to shame one lady into trying collard greens. 

Everyone wanted to try a bite of everything.  

After lunch, I presented the program and showed how I dehydrate herbs and fill capsules.  On the table are the tools I use.  Also, I discussed the medicinal herbs I grow and why I take them for particular ailments.  Fresh herbs used for cooking were passed around to be smelled and tasted.

The big basket under the table was dried herbs waiting to be ground to powder.  I did not have time to do it since I was preparing for the meeting.  

The club was participating in a garden show in another town the following week so they were preparing decorated pumpkins.  Only one could be entered so we were judging which one would be used.

The winner.

Being a judge is hard work I discovered.  How do you choose between different designs?  Each one was great.  Plus I knew each lady personally and was aware how much effort went into each arrangement.  These ladies take their flower arranging seriously.  I still plop then arrange.  I have so much to learn.

The final presentation was about Tahitian Butternut squash, of which I have so many!  I cut one and explained how to dehydrate, freeze, can and use it in cooking.  The last thing I did was block the front door as they were leaving and force each one to take a squash.  I am not above threats or secretly slipping one in an opened car trunk.

It will be a year before I host the group again. That gives me plenty of time to prepare and plan.  What will I do next?

Local Ladies' Garden Club, January's Meeting (2017)

Local Ladies' Garden Club, Valentine Party (2017) 

Local Ladies' Garden Club, July's Meeting (2017)