I always enjoy seeing photos from others taken during their vacations.
This Thanksgiving, I invited friends, colleagues, and social media followers to share photos of their holiday tables. We all enjoyed learning about the various dishes families made and shared, and all the decorations used to make each one of their gatherings extra special. This year, my longtime special projects producer, Judy Morris, did something a little different - she spent several days in Scotland visiting two of her three sons currently attending the University of St Andrews. Founded in 1413, it is the oldest university in that country and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. Judy and her family also toured the historic county of Fife, where they visited a longbow range, learned about some birds of prey, and shopped in local Scottish establishments.
Here are some of Judy's photos, enjoy.
St. Andrews is a seaside town northeast of Edinburgh, in Fife, on Scotland’s east coast. St. Andrews Castle is a ruin located in the coastal Royal Burgh of St. Andrews. It sits on a rocky promontory overlooking a small beach called Castle Sands and the adjoining North Sea. A castle has been there since the times of Bishop Roger, son of the Earl of Leicester, 1189 to 1202.
These are the ancient ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral. It is open, but fences surround its walls. The cathedral was built in 1158 and became the center of the Medieval Catholic Church in Scotland as the seat of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and the Bishops and Archbishops of St Andrews. It fell into decline after Catholic mass was outlawed during the 16th-century Scottish Reformation. Now it is a monument under the care of the Historic Environment Scotland. Based on what is left still standing, the building was approximately 390 feet long, and is the largest church to have been built in Scotland.
This is one of the smaller arched doorways on the grounds of the cathedral. During the Reformation, when the structure was ransacked in 1559, the entire interior was destroyed and then abandoned by 1561. It wasn’t until 1826, when efforts started to preserve the building and the surrounding walls.
Judy and her family spend several days touring the area. They passed this section of Loch Lomond, a famous lake surrounded by mountains in west Scotland.
This is Jimmy, Judy’s eldest son, now a senior at the University of St. Andrews, and Judy’s husband, Jim.
Judy noticed many of the old cobblestones in Fife – still beautifully intact for having been hundreds and hundreds of years old.
Judy loved this quaint book store – filled with so many interesting titles, old and new.
Another stop was Balgrove Larder, a hub for locally reared, grown, handmade, and prepared foods. There was an entire section of baked goods ready to buy and bake. Pain au raisin is a spiral pastry often eaten for breakfast in France. It is made with creamy custard, golden raisins, and flaky puff pastry.
And look at these beautifully made croissants – almond and plain.
We all know pain au chocolate – the Viennoiserie type pastry consisting of a cuboid-shaped piece of yeast-leavened laminated dough, with one or two pieces of dark chocolate in the center.
At the butcher counter, Judy saw these steak truffles…
… and chicken orchids stuffed with haggis, which is a savory pudding containing sheep’s pluck – the heart, liver, and lungs – minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and seasonings.
Here is another quick snapshot of Judy’s family – Jimmy, her second son Eddie, the youngest Billy, and Jim.
Here, the four tried shooting longbows. The longbow is believed to have originated in Wales. The weapon was first made as tall as a man with an arrow about half that length. The bow was held with outstretched arm and the arrow drawn back to the bowman’s ear. Now modernized, using a longbow is only for sport and only aimed at paper targets.
On this day, Judy went to the Criterion Bar, a family-run traditional Scottish Pub established in 1874 in the heart of St Andrews. This is a chicken and chorizo pie. She loved it.
It didn’t take long to devour it.
Here are Judy’s “boys” with Steven Brazendale, known as the Scottish Countryman. He offers outdoor experiences with archery, wildlife and fly fishing.
Steven introduced Judy and her family to a few raptors, such as this barn owl. Barn owls are crepuscular hunters – meaning they prefer to hunt at dawn and dusk, when they have the best chance of finding prey and not having to compete with other species for it.
Here is a long-eared owl – a medium-sized owl with long, feathered ears. It is often found in woodland areas where it feeds mainly on small mammals such as voles and mice.
And here is a hooded falcon. Hooding is a technique used to calm and control a raptor.
Anything a raptor cannot see, they do not fear. Hoods are used to help get the birds accustomed to humans positively.
When in Scotland, it is customary to see a kilt shop. The kilt originated in the first quarter of the 18th century. Known to the Gaelic-speaking Highlander as the “little wrap,” it evolved from the “big wrap” or belted plaid, the first identifiably “Scottish” form of dress. The kilt provided more than just a covering. It allowed those who wore it to move easily, especially in the Highlands of Scotland where the weather can be very damp. With its tight weave of strong wool, it also created a warm barrier between the rain and skin.
These are called sporrans, a traditional part of the male Scottish Highland dress. It is basically a pouch that performs the same function as pockets. Sporrans are made of leather or fur, and worn on the front of the kilt, hanging by light chains or leather belts.
And here a photo of one of the quads at the University of St. Andrews. St Andrews is made up of a variety of institutions, comprising three colleges — United College, St Mary’s College, and St Leonard’s College.
The oldest college building stands to the west of the entrance. The West Range and the Founder’s House were built by Archbishop John Hamilton in the 1500s. Notice, the house has a unique belfry looking as if it is about to fall off the structure.
This is an old door that leads into the courtyard of St. Andrews.
And this is the massive Holm Oak, Quercus ilex, that stands in the center of the quad in front of St. Mary’s. This species of evergreen oak, also known as the holly oak, was introduced into Britain in the late 16th century. This specimen was planted in the 1700s.
This is a monument to Bishop Wardlaw, Scottish church leader, Bishop of St Andrews and founder of the University of St Andrews. This is considered the remains of Bishop Wardlaw’s Pedagogy. On this site, the Scots Parliament was held in 1645. Thanks for the beautiful photos, Judy. And for allowing us to visit such a historical place through your images.
Come spring I'll have even more spectacular peonies blooming than ever before here at my Bedford, New York farm.
I simply adore peonies and have been growing them for quite some time. I have a long tree peony border planted under the semi-shade of giant sugar maples at one corner of the property. I have a giant bed completely dedicated to pink and white herbaceous peonies just across the carriage road from my home. I have tree peonies and Itoh peonies planted in the formal sunken garden behind my Summer House. And last week, we planted 75 bare root peony divisions in what will be my new cutting garden - my former vegetable garden adjacent to my chickens. These varieties will thrive here at Cantitoe Corners.
Enjoy these photos.
Many of you will remember this as my vegetable garden. This past summer, after planting my new raised bed vegetable garden closer to my home, I used this space to grow our pumpkins and squashes. Once that crop was harvested, I decided it would be a perfect cutting garden, where I could grow neat and tidy rows of gorgeous flowers. Here it is all cleared and tilled – not once…
… but twice. This is my outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, rototilling the area earlier this season.
And if you follow my blog, you probably know my giant herbaceous peony garden where I grow hundreds of beautiful pink, blush, cream, and white peonies. I knew I wanted my cutting garden to also have gorgeous peonies.
The peony is any plant in the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae. They are native to Asia, Europe, and Western North America. Peonies are one of the best-known and most dearly loved perennials – not surprising considering their beauty, trouble-free nature, and longevity.
The leaves of herbaceous peonies are pointed with a shiny, deep green color.
Peony blooms range from simple blossoms to complex clusters with a variety of petal forms. Here at my farm, the herbaceous peony garden is abloom during the first week of June. one of the most anticipated sights on the farm.
Back in the new cutting garden, the first step is to measure out the space. Ryan does this so he can calculate the proper spacing for the peonies.
Ryan then places bright colored landscape twine where the peonies will be planted. Since this is now a planned cutting garden, the flowers will be planted in rows and sections by variety.
Each hole is dug in moist soil that is deep enough to accommodate the entire bare root division.
These peonies are planned for both sides of the center footpath. Each hole is measured precisely and marked. Herbaceous peonies grow two to four feet tall with sturdy stems and blooms that can reach up to 10-inches wide.
As the holes are being dug, Ryan sprinkles a generous amount of fertilizer. We’re using Azomite – a natural product mined from ancient mineral deposits that contain more than 70 trace elements and minerals. It is used as a remineralizer to improve root systems, yields, and increase plant vigor. We also add triple super phosphate fertilizer which is excellent for gardens and outdoor plants.
I ordered 75 peonies from Hollingsworth Peony Farm, a registered peony grower and hybridizer in Skidmore, Missouri. Each peony root division, or “start” is packed in moist sphagnum peat moss for protection during transport.
Bare root peonies do best when planted in the fall. Ryan organizes the peonies by color and form. These divisions are cut from plants that are at least four years old, so these are programmed to flower in the first year. These divisions include pink, white, and yellow colored peonies. The varieties include ‘Amalia Olson,’ ‘Angela Jo,’ ‘Belleville,’ ‘Command Performance,’ ‘Doreen,’ ‘Gena Marie,’ ‘Grace Batson,’ ‘Heather,’ ‘Henry Sass,’ ‘Judith Eileen,’ ‘LaDonna,’ ‘Largo,’ ‘Lumiere,’ ‘Margaret Truman,’ ‘Mary Elizabeth,’ ‘Mother’s Choice,’ ‘Mr. Ed,’ ‘My Love,’ ‘Nelda’s Joy,’ ‘Philomele,’ ‘Queen of Hamburg,’ ‘Raspberry Delight,’ ‘Spring Sun,’ ‘Stellar Charm,’ ‘Vivid Rose,’ and ‘Lauren.’
Ryan creates a marker for each division, so we can identify all the varieties and know which ones do best in this garden.
The division is carefully placed into the hole – deep enough so the bottom of the shoot buds, also called the “eyes” will be at least two inches under the soil line.
Byron ensures the roots are faced downward and outward for best growth, and that the buds are facing up.
Then he carefully backfills the hole, so it is lightly packed and all the parts of the division are fully covered.
Byron also checks that the peony remains at the right depth, especially when watered. A layer of compost will also cover the area to protect the young planting from frost.
Here, Byron and Ernesto work together in a production line fashion – as one holds the plant in place, the other fills the hole with soil.
Now all the peonies are planted. One of the reasons peonies do so well here at my farm is because of the soil. It has a pH of 6.5 to 7.0, which is ideal. Peonies also prefer full sun and do even better with light midday shade and protection from strong winds.
A marker is inserted into the soil next to each peony.
Lastly, Byron rakes over the row of planted peonies so it is neat and tidy. Hopefully all these plants will be bursting with color next May. When properly planted and cared for, these fragrant specimens can live for 100 years or even more.
Do you know... some vegetables taste even better after a frost? Many root vegetables are best when harvested in colder weather.
Here, at my Bedford, New York farm, much of my new raised bed vegetable garden is already cleared and cleaned for winter, but a few beds still continue to thrive with an abundance of parsnips, and one of my favorites, celeriac. These vegetables take the longest to reach maturity - about four months, but when they're finally picked, they're so delicious.
Enjoy these photos.
This half acre garden has produced bounties of wonderful vegetables this year. Even now that the weather is colder, we’re still able to harvest delicious organic produce.
Among them, celeriac – also known as celery root, knob celery, and turnip-rooted celery. It is a variety of celery; however, while celery is grown for its succulent stalk and foliage, celeriac is cultivated for its edible and bulbous stem or hypocotyl, and shoots.
The leaves of celeriac are also edible and can be chopped finely and used as a garnish or to flavor soups and stocks.
First, Ryan cuts the leafy stalks to reveal the celeriac.
And then he eases each ball slowly from the bed using a pitch fork.
Celeriac has many small roots, so it is sometimes hard to pull from the ground.
Once harvested, Ryan cuts off the stringy roots from the bottom of the celeriac ball.
Ryan does the same for each of the celeriac in the bed. He harvested two of these buckets full of celeriac. I’ll use them for soup. The flavor is very mild, slightly sweet and nutty, and doesn’t have any bitterness.
In just a few minutes, this bucket is full. Celeriac is a concentrated source of many nutrients, including
vitamins C, K, B6, potassium, phosphorous, and fiber.
Next, Ryan moves to another bed to loosen the parsnips from the soil.
Ryan is careful when he uses the pitchfork – one does not want to pierce the parsnips if possible.
Once the soil surrounding the parsnips is loosened, Ryan pulls each parsnip carefully, much like harvesting carrots.
And out comes a well-sized parsnip. The parsnip is closely related to carrot and parsley, all belonging to the flowering plant family Apiaceae.
Parsnips have broad, hairless, ovate, compound pinnate leaves, up to six inches in length. These leaves and the stems can also be eaten or used to flavor soups and stews.
Here’s a closer look at one large parsnip being pulled from the ground.
Parsnips that are about eight to 10-inches long are the best tasting. They have thicker skin and a woodier center compared to carrots, but they are delicious cooked.
Ryan picked many parsnips and also filled two large trug buckets.
Here he is trimming the foliage off and getting them ready to bring up to my flower room for cleaning and storage.
When cleaning, wash the parsnips under cool running water using a vegetable brush. Never use soap. Once they are clean, they can be wrapped in paper towel and stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
The celeriac is also scrubbed thoroughly and placed into the refrigerator. I am always so excited to see what comes out of the garden. If you haven’t tasted them yet, give parsnips and celeriac a try – you’ll be glad you did.
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