Continue reading »]]> Share the love

8/15/11 There’s a very special garden party event taking place on Twitter and that’s where I’m going to be tonight!  My Twitter name is @dirtandmartinis and I’ll be tweeting under the Twitter hashtags #IGC11 and #gardenchat.  Here’s the exact details of this massive garden party event along with the giveaways you could win if you join in tonight:

Join in the #gardenchat fun on Twitter and watch live coverage featured on this page on August 15th and follow #IGC11 Coverage from the IGC Trade Show Floor Aug. 16-18 coming to you from the Chicago Navy Pier.

*One lucky participant will have their name drawn at the end of the #gardenchat Summer Party Event 8/15 in @TheYarden as the winner of the @Subaru_Life Tailgate Wagon. YOU MUST BE tweeting on #gardenchat during the 7 -9 p.m. CT event to be eligible to win the Subaru Wagon featured on this page!

MORE #gardenchat GIVEAWAYS :

*We have amazing garden products that are featured on this page that will be given away after the #IGC11 Event. These prizes will be given away to those who participate on the #IGC11 / #gardenchat twitter stream. The more you share the more chances you have for your name to be drawn as a winner.

WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED at Monday 8/22 during the #gardenchat hour (9-10 p.m. ET)

Guest at The Yarden Party will receive a goodie bag filled with gifts from these #gardenchat supporters :

@seedkeeperco , @greensoil , @liquidfence, @subaru_life, @Stark_Bros  @CoronaTools, @pallensmith , @gardenshoeson , @territorialseed  @BBBseed,  @Spring_Meadow

 The cocktail I’m going to be drinking tonight is dedicated to the founder of GardenChat, the lovely and hard working Bren Haas.  She’s a gardening mama who loves to plant seeds using social network and she does this all voluntarily!  She can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and she shares her midwest garden, life and photography on her blog at bggarden.com. 

If you’re not familiar with Twitter and joining in a chat Bren has made a step-by-step instructional video on how to join in.  She shows how simple it is to participate via Twitter and the hashtag called #gardenchat.

Bren,I hope you like this cocktail bursting with fresh berry color and citrus flavors.  This pink cocktail is for you:

Berry Lemon Cocktail

•  3 ounces citrus vodka
• 1/4 cup of mixed berries (I used raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries)
• 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp sugar (adjust according to taste)

Muddle the berries and sugar in a martini shaker.  Fill shaker with ice, add citrus vodka, lemon juice and shake until icy cold.  Double strain (see note)  into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with lemon, edible flowers and/or berries.

Note: You want to keep those ice chips and berry debris out of your cocktail.  To learn what it means to double strain your cocktail, please watch the 39 second video… http://www.hitthehighbeam.com/?p=705

Continue reading »]]> Share the love

Happy Friday everyone! 

The weekend has arrived and a lot of us gardeners look forward to playing in the dirt,  harvesting produce, dead heading plants, planning new projects and focusing as much time as we can being and living in our gardens.  Although some view tending to the garden as work, I view it as cheap therapy.  There’s something about the smell of a tomato plant, herbs, and even the soil that can lower my heart rate and lift my spirits.  With that it mind, let’s take a walk through my garden, the Dirt & Martinis little patch of heaven.

Welcome to my garden…

 I have a few butterfly bushes and lots of bergamot!  The bees and hummingbirds love it….

Here’s some Russian sage, more bergamot in the background and I don’t know what the red flower is, do you?  My garden is also full of rocks.  I heart rocks…

Along the way I have nasturtium, basil, dill and cilantro growing in pots.  Here’s some I have planted in an old toolbox… 

I’m fond of succulents, hummingbirds and, yes, there’s more bergamot…

All throughout my garden I have mystery plants popping up.  I think this may be a pumpkin that appeared one day from underneath the flowers. 

Here’s some echinacea.  I find the colors of this flower mesmerizing and I think the bees do too…

 

I do have lots of flowers, but I assure you I have some edibles growing too.  Here’s one that is both edible and ornamental, a daylily…

 In my veggie garden I have shallots ‘saffron’ from Annie’s Annuals…

Here are Kentucky blue pole beans growing up an old ladder… 

There’s more veggies in my garden to show you but it’s time relax with something icy….

  I hope you make time to eat, drink, and play in the dirt this weekend garden friends!  Stay cool and thanks for joining me on a short tour of the Dirt & Martinis garden!

Continue reading »]]> Share the love

My borage is finally getting put to use!

Summertime blues are easily erased with a glass filled with love, happiness and citrusy goodness.  Ok, that may be a little over the top, but after a day of rolling in the dirt, aka gardening, nothing hits the spot more than an icy cold cocktail that tastes crisp, cool and clean.  An example of a cocktail that has those 3 ingredients is the Pimm’s Cup.  There’s many variations of this herbaceous summery cocktail but I like the simple version most:

Pimm’s Cup

• 1 1/2 ounces Pimm’s No.1 Cup
• 2-3 ounces of lemonade, lemon-lime soda OR ginger ale
• Lemon slices
• Cucumber slices
• Optional garnish ideas: orange slices, borage flowers, mint leaves, apple slices, berries)

Directions:

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice add a measure of Pimm’s and lemonade.  If using soda, add the soda after the Pimm’s has been shaken, otherwise you’ll have a big mess.  Shake until cold and then strain into a glass filled with ice (if using soda, add now and then stir)  Add lemon and cucumber slices and garnish accordingly.

Notes:

• Borage is the traditional garnish of the Pimm’s Cup and is used for it’s cucumber flavor.
• Pimm’s Cup is the official drink of Wimbledon.
• Pimm’s No. 1 is made from fruit, spices and is gin-based.
• Pimm’s is low in alcohol.