Gardening - For the Love of Chocolate - New Specialty Nursery Grows "Chocolate" Plants
Imagine a garden filled with chocolate ? chocolate mint; chocolate columbine; chocolate morning glories; chocolate nasturtiums; chocolate daylilies; chocolate foxglove; chocolate sunflowers and much more.Imagination becomes reality this spring at Chocolate Flower Farm where owners Marie Lincoln and Bill Schlicht specialize in growing unusual, rich, dark plants that add a spot of drama and exotic beauty to the garden.
Not just chocolate colored plants but plants in shades of maroon, purple and black and even several plants that smell like chocolate such as Chocolate Cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguiness), Chocolate Flower (Berlandiera lyrata) and Chocolate Vine (Akebia quinata). What came first, the chocolate or the flowers?
"Our nursery is named after Bill's love of chocolate and my passion for gardening.
I already was partial to dark plants and had quite a collection of them in our gardens, thus we combined our two passions and named our farm Chocolate Flower Farm.
When we decided to start a specialty nursery it made sense to specialize in ?chocolate' plants since that was already our farm name", says Lincoln.
"Bill must have chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner but gardeners cannot live on chocolate alone so we grow many complementary plants as well", adds Lincoln.Black plants have become quite popular with gardeners in recent years and Chocolate Flower Farm offers an extensive selection, including black hollyhocks; black columbine; black violas; black snapdragons; black poppies and black grasses.
After spending several years collecting rare specimen plants and seeds for propagation and with the recent purchase of an eight-acre farm in Langley on Whidbey Island Schlicht and Lincoln will move from their Redmond farm to the Langley farm and Chocolate Flower Farm will be opening there in April.
The new address and contact information will be posted on the nursery's website www.chocolateflowerfarm.com. Chocolate Flower Farm currently offers plants, seeds, garden accessories and specialty gifts such as chocolate candles via mail order from their website.
They can be reached via phone at 425.681.9758 or email e-mail protected from spam bots..
Tickle Your Senses With Yankee Candles!
How many of us remember as kids creating our own candles from our broken crayons?
We'd have mom or dad help us melt down the crayons on the stove, throwing in every color of the rainbow.
Then we'd carefully pour the melted wax into old cardboard milk cartons.
But, how many of us were able to turn the fun of creating candles at home into a profitable money-making business?
Well, Mike Kittredge, founder of Yankee Candles did just that!
In 1969, when he was 16 years old, Mike melted down his old crayons to make his mom a candle for Christmas.
His neighbor liked it so well, that she bought it from him.
He then had enough money to buy wax to make both a candle for his mom and one to sell.
This was the beginning of a bright future for Yankee Candles.Today, Yankee Candles are the #1 selling brand in the United States.
The "Housewarmers" are Yankee Candles most popular candle.
They vary in size from votives...
Chocolate > Tickle Your Senses With Yankee Candles!
Marzipan: Secret Ingredient in Heritage Holiday Baking
What do German Stollen, British Christmas cake, Danish Kringle and Spanish Anguilas de mazap?n share in common?
Marzipan, a bit of old world sugarcraft gaining popularity in the US.A confection that dates to biblical times, marzipan is a mixture of ground peeled almonds and sugar, gently cooked into a pliable confection. (Its close cousin, almond paste, contains a higher percentage of almonds and is used as an ingredient in fillings, in cakes or to make marzipan.)
Like edible modeling clay, marzipan can formed into surprisingly realistic shapes.
And it can be tinted then rolled to provide a smooth surface on cakes. Often, marzipan is flavored, citrus and rum work nicely, before being dipped in chocolate.
Wherever almond trees grow, from central Asia westward to Europe and the Mediterranean, marzipan cakes and confections are popular.
One tradition shared in many regions is the molding or sculpting of miniature fruits and figures from marzipan....
Marzipan: Secret Ingredient in Heritage Holiday Baking
Chocolate > Marzipan: Secret Ingredient in Heritage Holiday Baking
Seven Home Hair Color Tips for Great Results
Some hair professionals may try to discourage you from doing your own home hair color, saying that drugstore hair color products are harsh and the results can be uncertain. But the truth is that you can achieve excellent results and save a lot of money by coloring your hair at home as long as you know a few basics about choosing the right color and applying it correctly. Here are seven of the most common questions and my advice on hair coloring at home. Advice on Hair Color at Home 1. How do I know whether I should color my hair at home or go to a salon? Most people can successfully color their hair at home but there are exceptions.
You should get a professional color job if your hair is in poor condition - coloring dry damaged hair at home can result in uneven color. Also, if your hair has different shades and you want one even tone, a hairdresser can apply different formulas to the different areas. Finally, it's best to leave it to the experts if you want to make a drastic change...
Seven Home Hair Color Tips for Great Results
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Alaskan Northern Lights and Landscape Uniquely Captured in Tom Robinsons Paintings
Light and shadow, hot and cold, extremes of color and emotion.
These are the things that will strike you when viewing the paintings of Tom Robinson.
Tom's magical talent with light may have a lot to do with the fact that he has been flying since he was 14 years old with most of his flying time in Alaska from Mt. McKinley to the mighty Yukon. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tom is a registered member of the Cherokee tribe with three daughters, two granddaughters and an Abyssinian cat named "Ringo".
Tommy honors his Native American heritage with his love and respect for nature; apparent in his paintings. Tom Robinson has been a commercial pilot/guide flying visitors and mountain climbers around Denali National Park and landing on the glaciers of Mt. McKinley for 16 years. Since he's so busy in the summer he relies on memories of the sky and illuminated mountains to guide him while painting during the dark days of endless Alaska winters. Although there has had no formal...
Alaskan Northern Lights and Landscape Uniquely Captured in Tom Robinsons Paintings
Chocolate > Alaskan Northern Lights and Landscape Uniquely Captured in Tom Robinsons Paintings
That's the Christmas spirit
Last Christmas, Uncle Albert promised his neighbor, Wilson, to find a way to keep the Christmas spirit alive all year. You know, just like Wilson and everybody else wishes people each year.Yesterday I was checking my calendar. "Holy smokes! It's almost Christmas. I better check to see if Uncle Albert found a way to keep the Christmas spirit alive all year."So I put on my boots and buttoned up my jacket. I dashed out the door.
I came back into the house to put on a scarf. And some gloves. And a hat. And my long-johns. I filled up the thermos with hot chocolate and dug out a pair of ear muffs.
"Yup. That's the Christmas spirit," I thought as I headed out once more, trying to keep my head above the snow.When I reached Uncle Albert's, I could tell something was different. I wasn't sure quite what, but I suspect it had something to do with the large red and gold sleigh parked in his driveway."Say, Uncle Albert. What's with the sleigh?""You like it, Happy Guy? That's part of...
That's the Christmas spirit
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A Guide to Fruit Baskets
There is almost no occasion, event or holiday gift that can't be properly addressed by sending some kind of fruit basket. From humble beginnings as a device fruit growers used to expand their business beyond supermarkets, fruit baskets have become one of the most popular categories of gifts in the country. No longer is this merely a device for fruit growers to send out more of their freshly grown produce at retail prices.
Nowadays, many of the items advertised, sold and shipped as fruit baskets contain hardly any fruit at all. Fruit baskets have matured -- come of age, as they say -- and it's possible to satisfy a gift giving need by ordering a fruit basket from any of literally thousands of suppliers across the country.
You'll find that many of the local retail stores in town have some form of fruit basket deal to ship their wares, if not all year round, then certainly at appropriate holiday times. For at least two major gift-giving holidays, Mother's Day and...
A Guide to Fruit Baskets
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Understanding Wine Grapes
You will find that one of the easiest ways to get to know your way around wine flavors is through grape varieties. Each grape variety has specific characteristics. In some regions, one grape variety is used to make a wine; in others, winemakers blend several varieties in a single wine. To help you identify grape varieties, below is an overview of each of the major red grapes and their characteristics.Cabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is the big daddy of the red wine world. It is like the Chardonnay, as it is widely planted and distributed.
The result of this is that there are so many versions of this grape. Many people think of Cabernet Sauvignon as being a wine that needs to age, but that is only because the best red Bordeaux need age. Most non-premium varieties are ready to go right away.Under ideal conditions, it produces an aromatic, tannic...
Understanding Wine Grapes
Chocolate > Understanding Wine Grapes
Thanksgiving Traditions that Make Memories
Thanksgiving is a time of family, food and fun. Here are some ideas of traditions you can start that will give you those "warm fuzzy feelings" for years to come!?Watch the parade on TV or make an effort to attend the parade. Don't forget a thermos of hot chocolate?Family Portrait Time--use this picture for Christmas cards?Decorate with: gourds, indian corn, corn stalks, pine cones, fall leaves, cornucopia, a large pine cone turkey with feathers?As family gathers, this is an excellent time for making a personal history video helping to connect the generations. Ask questions such as:?What was life like when you were our age??What were your parents like? ?What were your brothers, and sisters like??What was your happiest memory as a child? your saddest??How did you and your spouse meet?Ask the interviewee to bring along momentos or pictures for your children to look at.Here is a great webpage full of other interesting questions to ask. http://articles.scrapbooking.com/family_history.htm...
Thanksgiving Traditions that Make Memories
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Gardening - For the Love of Chocolate - New Specialty Nursery Grows "Chocolate" Plants suv Chocolate
Gardening - For the Love of Chocolate - New Specialty Nursery Grows "Chocolate" Plants payroll
A New Marketing System Called '3 To Be Free' is Marketing Immune Plus, Among other Products
(ContentDesk) April 13, 2006 -- Keeping your immune system in the best possible condition is now a top priority for staying healthy. Immune system knowledge and awareness has grown dramatically among nutritionist, doctors and pharmacists with many types of supplements being recommended. Health First Technologies believes in all-natural plant-based supplements as the safest approach to help your body boost its immune system. Our proprietary blend of high quality sprout sources delivers a high...
A New Marketing System Called '3 To Be Free' is Marketing Immune Plus, Among other Products Gardening - For the Love of Chocolate - New Specialty Nursery Grows "Chocolate" Plants seeds
Chocolate > A New Marketing System Called '3 To Be Free' is Marketing Immune Plus, Among other Products
Coffee - A Healthy Blend
Coffee has joined the ranks of red wine and chocolate as a guilty pleasure that may actually be good for you. As much as it is a great way to get that "fix" in the morning, recent studies have shown that coffee has been found to be rich in antioxidants and contains hundreds of pain-relieving and anti-bacterial compounds. Although one should not drink coffee with wild abandon, it's comforting to know that maybe that cup or two in the morning may be good for you.Recent studies have shown that...
Gardening - For the Love of Chocolate - New Specialty Nursery Grows "Chocolate" Plants
Chocolate > Coffee - A Healthy Blend
Entrepreneur launches new site, plans to break $1 Million in sales by Spring.
Philadelphia entrepreneur, investor, realtor and philanthropist launches new upscale wedding website at http://www.NuvolaNove.com. Nuvola Nove translates to "Cloud Nine" in Italian. With an aggressive marketing plan in place, Mr. Benedict plans on breaking record sales within a few short months of ramp up time. His niche, provide wedding favors and gifts that come personalized and fully prepared to present.
The site also plans...
Gardening - For the Love of Chocolate - New Specialty Nursery Grows "Chocolate" Plants Entrepreneur launches new site, plans to break $1 Million in sales by Spring. Chocolate spring break
Chocolate > Entrepreneur launches new site, plans to break $1 Million in sales by Spring.
NaturalOzone.com Announces Product Expansion
(ContentDesk) July 11, 2004 -- NaturalOzone.com, an online retailer and distributor of ozone generators and machines, announces the addition of new products to its product line."We've been doing some research in our market and customers, and we've found a need to improve product variety," states Joseph Lutes, owner of Natural Ozone and NaturalOzone.comThe current product line at NaturalOzone.com are ozone generators with a production level from 300 mg/hour to 12000 mg/hour. They are targeted...
NaturalOzone.com Announces Product Expansion Gardening - For the Love of Chocolate - New Specialty Nursery Grows "Chocolate" Plants
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