Feeding the birds in the winter is helpful (seeds are hard to find under snow cover) and attracts lovely birds your windowsill. Peanut butter bird seed feeders are easy to make– you’ll need a wire suet cage (you can find these at the hardware store), 1 cup of creamy peanut butter, 1 cup of suet (you can often find this in the meat department at the supermarket), and 2 cups of mixed bird seed. Melt the suet in a saucepan on the stove. Let it cool slightly and mix in the peanut butter. Let it continue to cool until it thickens, then mix in the seed. Pack the seed into the wire cage, and hang it from a tree or the window (with a large suction cup). You can feed the birds and enjoy watching them all winter if you keep the feeder well-stocked!
Archive for November, 2006
The Winter Planter Box
All around town, the fallow planter boxes have been spruced up for winter– the city always lays down a bed of conifer branches, then pokes colorful red twigs in artistic configurations into the branches, and sometimes throws in some winterberry boughs and pinecones. It’s simple, looks nice, and it’s easy to recreate at home. Lay down some conifer branches in you planter. To get the red twigs, you could always buy some at the local garden center, but they’re easy to make– pick up some fallen twigs and branches from around the neighborhood, then spray paint them a semi-gloss red (or gold if you like). Once the twigs are dry, poke them in interesting configurations through the conifer branches and into the soil of the planter. If you like, place pinecones and winterberry branches into the planter; just tuck them in here and there however you think it looks good.
Kids Holiday Craft: Pom Pom Christmas Tree
We made pom pom Christmas trees when I was in grade school and it was a fun and simple craft, and it also ends up being a charming holiday keepsake.
Materials
green cardstock
small green pom poms
sequins
gold string
white glue
scissors
Instructions
Roll a sheet of the cardstock so it forms a cone shape. Use white glue to secure it in place. After the glue is dry, use the scissors to cut any excess paper off the bottom of the cone so it sits flat on the table. Glue green pom pons all over the surface of the cone, and let dry. Use the sequins and string to create a garland to decorate the tree– string on a few sequins, tie a knot in the string to secure the sequins in that spot, and then string on more sequins and repeat until the garland is your desired length. Glue one end of the garland the top of the tree, wind it around and secure the other end at the bottom of the tree. It’s as simple as that! And make sure that the little crafter uses a felt pen to write their name and the date on the inside!
Winter Gardening
Winter is a time to relax and take it easy. After the hectic fall harvest has wound down, winter is a respite. But it is still nice to have a little green inside, and have some garden projects to attend to. Of course, options abound. Forcing bulbs is a popular winter activity– paperwhites, snowdrops, crocus and hyacinth are all popular choices. Bulbs need a cold period in order to flower, so keeping them in the fridge (potted up) for 6 weeks (or until you see shoots appearing) will do the trick. Never let the bulbs dry out. Once the shoots appear, remove them from cold storage and place them in indirect light, being careful never to let the soil dry out. In another 6 weeks or so, you’ll have blooms.
Another easy winter garden activity is to grow wheat grass. Just direct seed into a flat of soil. Wheat grass provides a neat touch of green to a windowsill, and can also be used in smoothies and health drinks if you are so inclined.
You can also try growing salad greens, but you’ll likely need to provide supplemental light and provide extra humidity by placing your pots on a tray of pebbles filled with water, because many homes tend to have quite dry air in the winter because of the use of heating systems.
If you’re feeling crafty as well as wanting a touch of green, crafting a miniature garden can be fun. There are a lot of neat options– you’ll want a flat planter (a 6 inch deep rubbermaid would suffice) and choose smaller-scale, easy to grow plants. For example, you could do a formal garden with pea gravel paths and herbs planted in geometric patterns. Add some picket fencing or garden statuary (dollhouse accessories are perfect for this) to complete the look. Or you could craft a woodland village– use moss as your ground cover, then create miniature cottages out of balsam wood and cover them with bark and shingles made of pinecones (Martha Stewart did something similar to this in one of her magazines). We always used to make things like this when I was a kid. You could even craft little trees out of the leftover trimmings from the Christmas tree.
Winter is also a good time to set up gardens or try something new that you didn’t have time for during the summer– an indoor bog or water garden, a terrarium, carnivorious plants, topiary, or bonsai.
Caring for Your Christmas Tree
There aren’t any fancy tricks to keeping your tree looking good through out the holiday season. The key is water. When you’re ready to put your tree into the stand, make a fresh one inch cut on the bottom of the trunk. Most varieties will sap-over the cut area and not be able to take up water if allowed to dry out, so the fresh cut when you get it home is important. Once it’s up, keep it watered. The trunk should be submerged in water at all times and never allowed to dry out. And according to the University of Illinois Extension, aspirin or other tree preservatives aren’t necessary; just keeping the tree watered will keep it fresh for at least a month.
Garden Dreams
With fall barely behind us and winter not yet trully set in, I really shouldn’t be so obsessed with all things green. But gardener’s tend to be the cabin fever type. And what better way to combat cabin fever than by planning next year’s planting? I’m dreaming big for the next season– in addition to my usual supply of salad greens and cherry tomatoes, I’d also like to grow (in containers of course) edamame, leeks, potatoes, shallots and a bush cherry. Quite ambitious, but I’m hoping for a slight space expansion to a balcony or patio. I’d also like to set up a small compost system. Oh, to have garden paradise once again!
DIY Balsam Fir Wreath
We did a little aesthetic pruning with our Balsam Fir Christmas tree once we got it home, and we’re not about to let the trimmed greens go to waste, so you make either a wreath or swag with the leftovers. I’m opting for a wreath this year, and it’s easy enough that anyone can do it at home.
Materials
Metal wreath form (size will depend on how many greens you have, this year I have enough for a small wreath, maybe 6-8 inches in diameter)
Green floral wire
Metal over-door wreath hanger
Instructions
It’s really simple. Lay a branch on the wreath form, and wrap the floral wire securely around the stem to attach it. Lay the next branch on the form, overlapping it with the first and attach in the same way. Continue by working your way around the form, adding branches to achived the fullness and shape that you want. Once you get all the way around, secure the wire around the form, and you’re done! If you want, you can embellish your wreath with berries, ribbons, ornaments, pinecones or whatever. You can use the floral wire to attach these items to your wreath, or simply wind the ribbon in and out of the branches. To hang your wreath, set the hanger on your door and put up the wreath. Fresh wreaths without water should look good for several weeks to almost a month, and they always fare better in cooler conditions as opposed to the hot, dry conditions of indoors.
Christmas Has Arrived at the Apartment Farm!
Well, today was the day– we went out and got our tree. For the last two years, we have opted for an authentic, cut tree. We’ve decided not to use articficial trees for a few reasons– artificial trees are often made of PVC and other harmful plastics, the production of which really harms the environment. They also offgas significantly indoors. And, cut trees are an agricultural crop– we never purchase a tree that was cut from the wild. I don’t really think you can find wild-cut Christmas trees anymore, at least not reputably. So we buy a farm-raised tree with a clear conscience about our environmental impact; once our tree has been harvested, another crop is planted in it’s place, and so the cycle continues.
So this morning after brunch we walked over to our local garden center and perused the two tree lots they had set up. Wow, was it difficult to choose! You can’t go home with just any old Christmas tree– it has to speak to you. Some were too bushy, to many bald spots, the trunk was crooked, the needles were dry. And then we saw it– a lush, six-foot Balsam Fir with an incredibly enticing scent. As Christmas tree connoisseurs know, the Balsam Fir is the king of Christmas trees– extraordinarily-scented bright green needles that stay bushy and beautiful the whole month of December, they’re relatively light weight for their size and have that classic Christmas tree look and shape. They also usually come with a hefty price tag– but luck was with us today! We took home our dream Christmas tree for a mere $55– an absolute steal in the middle of Chicago with nary a tree farm in sight.
Once paid for and netted, my husband lifted the trunk and I took the top and we carried it between us on foot the twelve blocks home. It wasn’t nearly as heavy to carry as the Scotch Pine we toted home last year. We got some odd looks during our trek, but we got some well wishes shouted from passing motorists as well– “Enjoy your tree!”
Once home and the tree was safely in it’s stand with a massive supply of aspirin-laced water, we put on the Peanuts Christmas album and went to work trimming the tree and decorating the house. My husband spent almost thirty minutes getting the colored lights strands on just right, and then we decked the tree out with our vintage globe and handblown ornaments that we recieved as wedding gifts and purchased last year. It turned out quite nice. We rounded out the holiday decorating by hanging our jingle bell candy cane on the door, setting up our growing collection of nutcrackers and dispersing the rest of the holiday tchotchkes around the apartment. Then, before my ambition waned, I actually made out our holiday cards! So all in all, it was a pretty nice day, and the holiday season has definitely arrived at the Apartment Farm.
Hostess Gift: Flavored Vodka
Vodka is an incredibly versatile spirit, and is popular any time of the year in cocktails. Flavored vodkas in the store are a bit pricier than standard vodka, so making your own is economical and easy. You can also customize flavors that aren’t available in stores. For the holidays, I like to make cranberry vodka and lemon vodka (also known as limoncello). It’s incredibly easy. You’ll need either a pound of fresh cranberries (slightly crushed) or the zest (rind) from about 12 fresh lemons. Pour your vodka into a large container (wide mouth gallon drink jars are perfect), and add either the lemon or cranberries. The longer you let the infused vodka sit, the stronger the flavor and color will be. I like to leave mine in the fridge for about six weeks. When it’s done to your liking, strain the fruit out by pouring it through cheesecloth, then decant it back into the original bottles. Replace the original label with one of your own. To make a gift set, add etched glass coasters and/or cocktail glasses (put stickers on your glass, then cover it with Armour Etch creme by following the directions on the container; the area covered by the stickers will be clear and the uncovered area will be etched). You can also make your own cocktail drink recipe cards and drink/spirits trivia cards and drink charms, and package it all in an ice bucket. Makes a great holiday gift for those who appreciate a fine drink every now and again!
The Gift that Keeps on Giving: Home Made Vanilla
The holidays are fast approaching, but there’s still time for assembling some personalized gifts. And virtually everyone uses vanilla in the kitchen– from adding it to baked goods to spicing up a hot cocoa, everyone seems to need and have vanilla on hand. And making your own is a personalized gift that keeps on giving, and it’s easier than you think.
All you need is bottle of decent quality vodka and 3-4 vanilla beans. Split the pods in half (don’t scrape the seeds out) and put them in the bottle of vodka. Put the bottle in a cool, dark place (the pantry or under the sink is good) and walk away. Six to eight weeks later, you’ve got a fantastic bottle of infused vanilla to give as gifts. Pour the vanilla through cheesecloth to strain away any small bits of seed and pod. Decant vodka into smaller bottles (individual serving size wine bottles with the screw on caps are perfect). If you’d like the recipient to be able to replenish their own vanilla supply, put a fresh vanilla bean into the small bottle, and include an instruction card that says to top the bottle off with vodka to keep the vanilla going.
You can print or draw your own label on sticker paper, and decorate the bottle with raffia, ribbon, etc. Packaging it with a few recipes that use vanilla (sugar cookies, vanilla whipped cream, hot cocoa, etc.) is a nice touch.
