Skip to main content

Afternoon Tea Party at Earthbound Farm


When I saw 'Afternoon Tea Party' on the blackboard at Earthbound Farm's Farm Stand, I knew that the boys would have a great time there. My boys and I are huge tea-lovers. Huge. We love Tea Tasting in Chinatown. My little one doesn't leave for school without a stainless mug full of tea. And my husband brews his own kombucha.

We adore tea, tisanes, and any food that involves tea. We've poached pears in Earl Grey, folded mint tea into shortbread, made Matcha Ice Cream, used Earl Grey in browniesmarbled eggs in black tea, and poached cod in green tea...just to name a few. Lapsang Souchong adds smokiness to dishes without using, say, bacon!


And since EBF is just down the street from my office, I had the boys dropped off at the farmstand and when I finished my day, I joined them. What stunning tablescapes they had set up in the outdoor pavillion!


They had a Farm Stand Blend of herbs with bachelor button blossoms, fresh lavender, and chamomile for you to create your own concoctions. Quick note on the terminology here. If the brew doesn't include leaves from the tea bush (Camellia sinensis), it's not tea. It's a tisane. 


Step 1: Select a teapot and pick a teacup.


Step 2: Blend your herbs, blooms, and/or tea leaves. Pour hot water over them, letting them steep to your desired strength.


Step 3: Pour into your teacup and sweeten with honey or sugar, if desired.


Step 4: Enjoy the beautiful day and the company!


We had fun with the teas and tisanes, embellishing our cups with fresh flowers.


And since it's not a party without treats - right?!? - EBF provided lots of delectable bites, all of which included tea in one form or another. But I have to give a nod to our absolute favorite of the day: Earl Grey macarons with a honey buttercream filling. Ummm...yum. More, please!


D wanted to buy some and take them home to Daddy. To our chagrin, they weren't for sale. And there weren't any more for me sneak one into my bag either. I looked!


What a fabulous event. And despite my twosome eating more than their fair share of treats and making multiple pots of tea, the EBF crew told them to come back next month. We'll see.


If nothing else, I'll sneak down there for a break from work in the late afternoon. It was very relaxing. Until then, this might have been the push I needed to actually try to make macarons again...after my first attempt flopped.

photo by the Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf

Comments

  1. What a great and inventive event! I love the blends and thanks for the terminology clarification.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gabby just invented those especially for the day. We'll have to get her to make more.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow!! Your tea party is simply adorable. Great to know about your love for tea. The flowers, tea cups and food everything looks so elegant. Want to throw a tea party for all my friends at one of San Francisco event venues. Want to arrange a best party.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce

Aloo Tiki {Pakistan}

To start off our Pakistani culinary adventure, I started us off with aloo tiki - potato cutlets. I'm always game for tasty street food. I found a couple of different recipes and incorporated those together for this version. Ingredients 6-8 small red potatoes, scrubbed 1 T cumin seeds 1 T fresh chopped parsley 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t minced garlic Procedure Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and let cool. Mash the potatoes. Traditionally they are mashed without their skins. I left the skins on. In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds on high heat until the begin to give off an aroma and begin to darken. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to keep them from cooking any more. Blend all of the spices into the mashed potatoes, then shape into small patties. If you wet your hands, the potato mixture won't stick to them. Heat a splash of oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip each patty into beaten egg and carefully place in the oil. P

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir