Spring is here, so it’s time to get the garden in order, give your dining room table a green accent and add a rosy twist to classic lemonade.
Ivy basket
Create a verdant planter for your front porch using a trio of hanging wire baskets, sheet moss and two containers of ivy. Hang the baskets and line each with sheet moss. Remove ivy from one pot and divide in two. Pot one half in the top tier and one in the middle tier. Plant the remaining container of ivy in the bottom tier. Water when the top inch of soil becomes dry. If you prefer flowers, wait until later in the season and fill baskets with petunias or scaevola instead and keep them in a sunny spot.
Order in the shed
Create custom cabinetry in your garden shed with vintage wine crates from flea markets or online auctions. Stack them horizontally and vertically, using some as bases to vary heights. Once you’ve established a layout, connect crates with wood screws and collars near the corners. Use cup hooks to hang smaller items, such as trowels, funnels and scissors. If your need for storage grows, you can easily reconfigure the system.
Raspberry lemonade
Enlist raspberries — those on the verge of being overripe are perfect — to sweeten lemonade and turn it a pleasing shade of pink. Pounding the lemon slices releases oil from the rinds, rounding out the flavor. To make enough to serve eight, combine 10 sliced lemons, 2 cups raspberries and 1 1/2 cups sugar in a large pot. Pound the mixture firmly with the end of a straight rolling pin (or a large wooden spoon) for about 10 minutes to extract as much juice as possible. Stir in 6 cups water. Pour through a sieve into a large bowl. Press the solids until all juice is extracted, then discard them. Serve over ice. Makes 9 cups.
For a cocktail version, stir in 2 1/4 cups of tequila blanco. Serve over ice and garnish with mint.
Weeding without chemicals
To keep weeds from growing between the pavers of a pathway, pour boiling water on them. Keep the kettle close to the ground to avoid splashing yourself or any nearby plants you want to keep.
Keep gardening gloves handy
Gardening gloves have a way of disappearing. Once dirty, they seem to blend into berry patches and stone walls, only to be found the next day, dew-soaked and useless until they dry. To keep gloves handy, sew magnets onto their cuffs and attach them to a metal bucket — a handy tote for gardening supplies. It’s easy to do: Cut two 1 1/4-inch-long pieces of 3/4-inch-wide grosgrain ribbon. Sew one piece of ribbon to inside of cuff, leaving one side open a 1/2 inch. Slip a rare-earth disk magnet into the pocket; stitch to close. Repeat process with second glove.
Napkin rings go green
Bamboo is as handsome as it is versatile. So it seems only natural that the material should join us at the table in the form of sturdy napkin rings. Start with a 2-inch-diameter bamboo pole (available at garden centers and some hardware stores for a few dollars apiece). Using painters’ tape, mark off a 2-inch section of the pole, making sure a joint (one of the raised lines along the bamboo) lies in the middle of the section. Repeat process, taping off one 2-inch section for each napkin ring. Place the pole in a miter box, and secure with pegs. With a miter saw, cut out each section, cutting on side of tape nearest joint. Remove the crisscrossing fibers inside the joints using a drill fitted with a 1 1/2 inch paddle bit.
Herbal remedy
Sachets of aromatic herbs, such as a classic bouquet of thyme, parsley and bay leaves, add flavor to simmering soups, stews, stocks and braises. To make it easier to remove the herb packet from your preparation, tie a length of butcher’s twine to the sachet, and then tie the loose end to one of the pot’s handles. Be sure the twine stays clear of the burner. When the time comes, the bouquet will be easy to retrieve and remove.
Shake away pests
Put a kitchen shaker to work in your garden; it’s a great tool for dispersing horticultural-grade diatomaceous earth. This nontoxic pesticide, which has sharp edges that kill slugs and bugs without chemicals, can be difficult to spread. But a shaker lets you dust an even ring on soil around plants.
Address questions to Ask Martha, care of Letters Department, Martha Stewart Living, 601 W. 26th St., Ninth floor, New York, NY 10001. Send e-mail to mslletters@marthastewart.com.
&Copy; 2010 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.
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