St. Dorothy Day

St. Dorothy lived in Caesarea in central Turkey, around the year 313 AD. She was tried for refusing to worship idols, and a mocking lawyer asked her to send him fruit from the garden of Paradise. In response to her prayer, an angel appeared and presented three roses and three apples. 

She wrote: 

"And then said the holy virgin with a glad semblant: Do to me what torment thou wilt, for I am all ready to suffer it for the love of my spouse Jesu Christ, in whose garden full of delices I have gathered roses, spices, and apples."

Because of this, she is the patron of gardeners. Also of brides, and brewers.
 

Agenda Today:
1. Make Persian Spiced Apples
2. Garden journal queries
3. Garden visualization & plan
4. Make garden markers
5. Work outside!

1. Make Persian Spiced Apples: 

You might like to make this exotic treat to honor St. Dorothy.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 Tbsp. dried rose petals
• 1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground coriander 
•  1 c. pitted dates
•  1/2 c. pecans
•  4 large tart apples
•  1/2 c. sugar
•  3/4 c. flour
•  1/2 tsp. salt
•  1/2 c. brown sugar
•  1/2 c. butter

Yield: Serves 6- 

1- First make the Persian spice mix-- Grind up the rose petals with a mortar and pestle (I found it easiest to cut them up first with nail scissors). 


Mix the rose petals with the remaining spices and set aside.

2- Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 1-1/2 quart casserole. 

3- Cut dates in half crosswise. Chop the pecans. 

4- Peel and slice the apples. Combine the apples, pecans, and dates in the casserole and stir in white sugar and 1 tsp. of the spice mix. 




5- In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, brown sugar and 1-1/2 tsp. of the remaining spice mix. Cut in butter until the mixture is well mixed. 






6- Spoon topping over the fruit, and bake for 35 minutes or until apples are tender.

2. Garden journal queries:

Each year on St. Dorothy Day I begin to fantasize about changes in my garden. I get out my seed catalogs and notes from last year, and start to dream about which new plants to grow, and which beds to plant them in. 

First I ask myself-

How can I make my garden 

• a better sanctuary for my family, 
• more comfortable for friends, 
• a greater learning-experience for my art class kids, 
• more mysterious and secluded, 
• more of a visual treat, 
• AND easier to keep up with?

3. Garden visualization & plan:

The winter garden is a blank canvas for visualizing colors, shapes and composition. Today I took a notebook outside, walked around my entire garden once, and examined it in a non-critical way. I wrote down these ideas:

• A protective wall of tall flowers (sweet peas, foxglove, sunflowers, hollyhocks, mullein...) along the west and also the east fences.
• Expand the herb bed upward and downward.
• Prune the hawthorn to get more sun in the front yard.
• Add a patio area near the back porch.

4. Make garden markers:

I rotate most of my vegetable beds every year, and on St. Dorothy Day I mark the beds.

Last year I made some garden markers from apple twigs and a milk jug (how to is here.)

This year I was looking for something easier, and I found this idea, at Hometalk.



Supplies: Wooden clothes pins, sticks, permanent markers

1- Write names of plants on clothes pins.

2- Clip to a stick! Couldn't be easier!





5. Work Outside:
It's been a warm, sunny February so far this year. I plan to get outside every day- My goals for early spring are:

1- Prune the apple tree.
2- Remove English Ivy from under the hedge (again).
3- Prep the pea bed.
4- Pull weeds every where they come up!
5- Prune the hedge.