The Bunny is Coming
Newsletter 7 – Thursday, March 28, 2013
Starting April 1st new hours
Monday Friday
9am-6pm
Saturday-Sunday
9am-5pm
Wishing you a peaceful Easter!
The Return of the Silly Pink Wabbit
Our Pink Easter Bunny will be here!
Don’t forget your cameras!
Our resident Easter Bunny just cant wait to see you at our Easter Egg Hunt this Saturday, March 30, from 10:00 2:00 PM. Rain or shine (its an indoor egg hunt!)
This is an on-going 4 hour event, so dont worry about getting here right at 10:00 am. Have a leisurely breakfast with the family and then pile everyone in the car and come on out and join us for the fun!
This is not your ordinary chicken!
Isnt she beautiful?
The silly pink wabbit has hidden plastic eggs throughout the greenhouse. From 10:00 2:00 pm kids can hunt for eggs. The kids bring their bounty up to the front of the greenhouse and exchange them for a small bag of candy. Bring your Easter egg basket, or a bag to carry all your eggs in. Yes, this is one time you do want to put all your eggs in one basket! Stop and say hi to our bunny and our partridge bantam chickens.
If you would be so kind…we are accepting donations for the Cottage Grove Food Pantry.
America’s Best Flowers will not be open Easter Sunday.
Q: How do you catch a unique rabbit?
A: Unique up on it!
Birdbaths are for the Birds
Have you ever really paid attention as a bird flutters around in a birdbath? It is such a sweet and joyful scene and what a nice way to relax and unwind throughout the year. We have a beautiful and eye-catching selection of unique birdbaths for you to choose from this season.
It wont take long for your neighborhood-feathered friends to stop in for a dip in your beautiful new birdbath! Thus the expression a little birdie told me.
Enough with the snow already!
It is time for color! And we just happen to have lots of it at the greenhouse! Add color to your Easter celebration with any of these beautiful and colorful flowers!
Pansies galore!
Pretty purple hyacinth
Q: If you have a line of 100 rabbits in a row and 99 of them take 1 step backwards, what do you have?
A: A receding hare line!
Americas Best Flowers
2013 Shade Tree Program
There is still time to order your shade tree!
Early spring is the perfect time to plant larger shade trees. We are offering 4 popular varieties this year at a special price that includes free delivery and planting (price good within a 10 mile radius of Cottage Grove or Edgerton). Trees must be pre-ordered and prepaid by April 1. To take advantage of this offer, call America’s Best Flowers in Cottage Grove at 608-222-2269.
River Birch(clump form) 1½ diameter trunk 12-14 tall – $229.99
A native birch with very attractive, exfoliating bark varying from cinnamon brown to parchment. Interesting effect in the winter. Resistant to bronze birch borer. Golden-yellow fall color. Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions but prefers a slightly acidic soil. 40 tall by 30 wide at maturity.
Autumn Blaze Maple1½ trunk diameter 12 tall – $229.99
A hybrid cross of red and silver maple, with a more refined shape and incredible fall color. Summer green leaves turn ruby red in fall, but the interesting thing is the underside of the leaves is pink. This plant tolerates dry areas or areas that can be wet. Very adaptable and fast growing. Super fall color. 45 tall by 35 wide at maturity.
Skyline Honey Locust1½ trunk diameter 12 tall – $229.99
The most popular honey locust. Its upright, spreading branch angles give it a distinctive pyramidal form. Has a strong, sturdy trunk. Provides excellent filtered shade. Yellow foliage in the fall seedless. 45 tall by 30 wide at maturity.
Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry1½ trunk diameter 10 tall – $229.99
An excellent, smaller tree with all-season interest. Showy white flowers in spring followed by purple edible fruit in June. Glossy blue-green leaves turn brilliant red-orange in the fall. Smooth gray stems. 20 tall by 15 wide at maturity.
Lettuce entice you!
Salad eaters grab the dressing! Our Buttercrunch, Ruby Red, Parris Island Cos and Mesclun salad mix is ready for harvest. These four packs of lettuce are ready to cut, yes, for supper tonight…really, no kidding!
Transplant the lettuce into a larger pot until this irritating snow is gone and keep it in a warm sunny spot indoors then simply move your large pot outside or transplant into the ground.
Were looking for young and talented kids!
This summer we would like to offer a venue for the young and musically talented! Our Music in the Garden event will be a great opportunity for kids to perform in a casual outdoor setting. The dates for this event are Saturday, June 29 and Saturday, July 27.
If you know of a group or a solo artist that would like to perform at our greenhouse please contact Shirley at abfscimino@yahoo.com.
Lucy gets stuck
We interrupt Lucys story with a health update…
Lucy had her first acupuncture treatment last Thursday. Lucy has arthritis. Hubby and I have done what we could up to this point to keep her moving and healthy. But it is having an impact on her back legs. We noticed that, at times, they would tremble and that she would be a little wobbly. Hubby and I decided it was time for her to try some acupuncture treatments and made an appointment with Dr. Sara.
We arrive for her appointment and after being in the exam room for a while, Lucy started to get a bit anxious. She was panting and acted as if she wanted to crawl inside my jacket. She knew something was up and she wanted no part of any of it. Dr. Sara said that after the needles were in position for about ten minutes or so Lucy should start to relax and possibly lie down and take a snooze. Sure enough, that is exactly what happened! Got to get me some of those needles! After thirty minutes the needles were removed and I left with a very relaxed Lucy.
Now, twice a day Hubby and I do a little physical therapy with her. The first few times we did this with her she looked at us like we were nuts. But now she seems to actually enjoy it. Dr. Sara said that swimming would be a great exercise for her, so were looking for a dog pool to take her to. Does anybody out there know of someplace? Her next acupuncture treatment is in about a week…Ill keep you posted.
Dont get me wrong, Lucys still got it! She gets so excited when we are getting ready for a walk that shell jump up and all four paws clear the floor (which is exactly how I react when I see nachos and cheese!) We still love our walks together and actually the slower pace works well, for all of us.
`til next time,
~ Shirley
Q: Why did the bunny build herself a new house?
A: She was fed up with the hole thing!
Upcoming Events
| Sat, Mar 30 | Community Egg Hunt 10am – 2pm – Rain or Shine! FREE candy! Children 6 and under. Bring your camera and have your picture taken with the Easter Bunny. Accepting items for the Cottage Grove Food Pantry. |
| Sat, Apr 6 – Sun, Apr 7 | Herb Container Workshop 10am – 4pm – FREE soil and assistance. Create an herb container garden. Bring in your own containers or buy some of ours. |
| Sat, Apr 13 | Make & Take Terrarium Workshop 10am – 4pm – FREE soil and assistance. Create your own terrarium. Bring in your own terrarium container or buy one of ours. |
| Sat, Apr 13 – Sun, Apr 14 | Universal Saw & Tool Sharpening 10am -4pm – Get those tools ready for easier gardening. |
| Sun, Apr 14 | Make & Take Miniature Garden Workshop 10am – 4pm – FREE soil and assistance. Create your own miniature garden. Bring in your own containers or buy some of ours. |
| Sat, Apr 20 – Sun, Apr 21 | Open House & New Plants We have your all-time favorite plants plus our new line of Hort Couture plants! |
Our Kitchen
Fifty years ago, Sunday dinner on the farm in Iowa was a weekly event. My favorite aunt and uncle usually came out and we all enjoyed the good home-cooked food Mom prepared. Since we raised our own chickens, it was a common main dish. Everyones favorite was a platter full of young, tender fried chicken. But Easter was a bit early for that, instead we would enjoy an older bird, roasted to perfection. Mom most often served it with mashed potatoes and gravy. But a quicker way to bring the potatoes to the table is to roast them right along side the chicken. This recipe calls for a roasting chicken they are usually 6-7 pounds. If yours weighs more than that you may need to allow 15 to 20 extra minutes for each additional pound before you add the potatoes. You can use a smaller bird a 4 pound one takes about an hour and 15 minute, add potatoes after 15 30 minutes. The best way to know that your bird is done is to use an instant-read meat thermometer.
Sunday Roast Chicken
- 1 roasting chicken, 6-7 lbs
- 3T butter
- 1 t salt
- ¼ t black pepper
Mix and match your favorites to make 1 T from the following list
- dried sage
- dried thyme
- crushed dried rosemary
- garlic powder, if desired (no more than ½ t)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Spray roasting pan with cooking spray. Place chicken in the pan, making sure body cavity is empty. Rub entire bird with butter and sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and herbs. Roast 1 hour.
Meanwhile, cut 2-3 pounds small red potatoes* in half and toss with 1-2 T olive oil and1 clove minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Place potatoes around bird in roasting pan at the end of the first hour and return to oven. Continue roasting 45 minutes to an hour, or until potatoes are tender and your instant-read thermometer reads 165 when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh away from the bone.
Remove pan from oven, cover with a foil tent and allow to rest on top the stove for 15 minutes. Remove to platter, spooning potatoes around. Carve at table.
*Any vegetables can be roasted with the potatoes. Some of my favorites are carrots, onions, parsnips and sweet potatoes, all cut into 1½ inch pieces. Broccoli florets and asparagus spears would also be good but should be added when there is only about 30 minutes of roasting time left.
If you like cake, and who doesnt, a fun Easter dessert is a sunflower cake. I made it for my Americas Best Flowers family this week. We all enjoyed the peeps.
You’ll Love Your Garden … It’s Our Promise! May the Holy Spirit Guide You! God Bless Edward Knapton says Keep on Smiling!
Sec – Treasurer Berry Hill Farms, Inc.
DBA Americas Best Flowers Garden Center
4311 Vilas Hope Road
Cottage Grove, WI 53527
608-222-2269 Fax 608-222-1234 Cell 608-698-5627
