Friday, May 30, 2008

A Great Day On Barnegat Bay


Join us on Sunday, June 1 at the 11th Annual Barnegat Bay Festival. This year the theme is "GO GREEN! We All Want Our Bay Clean!" So true that is. The Barnegat Bay is a beautiful ecosystem, as well as a spectacular recreation area for everyone.

The festival takes place in the lovely Wanamaker Park Complex in Island Heights. The bay is a spectacular backdrop to a day of education, shopping and fun. The festival is sponsored by the Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program (BBNEP)with support from our partners, Ocean County College and the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

You can take a guided canoe ecotour for an up-close view of Dillon’s Creek with an Ocean County Park naturalist (registration required by calling Betsy Hyle @ 732-255-0472). Or you can enjoy the free scenic pontoon boat ride along the Toms River every hour on the hour beginning at 11 a.m. (first come, first served. Get your free ticket at the BBNEP Information Booth). There will be demonstrations, a native plant sale, over 50 exhibitors and over 50 craft and food vendors. To find out all the details, go to the BBNEP for times and specifics.

And don't forget to stop by the Celtic Chairde Creations booth as we celebrate the wonderful, historical, beautiful Barnegat Bay!

Monday, May 26, 2008

The Unofficial Kick Off to Summer



Here's hoping everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend! It was a very busy weekend here, and we're happy to see the unofficial start of summer arrive.

So here's to bright days, warm nights, and a summer for all to remember.


Friday, May 16, 2008

Jelly from the Garden


Those who have visited the Celtic Chairde Creations booth at craft fairs know we also carry an eclectic mix of jams and jellies. We love making jellies, but strangely enough - neither Cindy nor I really eat jelly. At least not in the traditional Peanut Butter and sandwich style. We make herb jellies, wine jellies, and tea jellies. Instead, jellies are treats that you add to cookies, cakes, on to cheeses, into salad dressings, as glazes, and other culinary treats. Yep, some interesting jellies are essential to any pantry.

And here's the kicker - they're actually pretty easy to make. The Ball Fresh Preserving Site can give you all the basics. What better way to use up your abundance of mint, lemon balm, fennel, chives, or other herbs than to make it into a jelly at it's peak of flavor.

This easy recipe serves well as a basic herb jelly recipe. I don't add food coloring because - well, I don't like it. True mint jelly is a golden - amber color. You can read the directions in the pectin package for more details on preparing jars.

INGREDIENTS

* 2 cups packed fresh mint leaves and stems
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 2 1/4 cups boiling water
* 3 1/2 cups white sugar
* 1/2 (6 fluid ounce) container liquid pectin

DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse off the mint leaves. Crush or dice the mint.
2. Put the water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add mint and cover. Let stand for 10 minutes. Strain thoroughly, and measure out 1 2/3 cups of the mint juice.
3. Place the mint juice back into a saucepan and turn heat on low. Stir in the lemon juice. Mix in the sugar, and turn the heat up to high. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once the mixture is boiling and can’t be stirred down, stir in the pectin. Boil the mixture for a full minute while stirring constantly.
4. Turn off the heat and remove from the stove. Skim any foam off the top using a large metal spoon or skimmer.
5. Ladle mixture to hot sterile jars, and seal. Process jars in a water bath for 10 minutes.
6. Carefully remove jars from water bath and place on a towel to cool. Listen for the pop of the tops to show the seals have been made. Let cool completely and then store in a cool, dry place. Will last up to a year unopened.

Makes 4 half pints.

Now think of the possibilities - mint jelly with lamb, or add a spoon full to a vinaigrette salad dressing, toss a few spoons in with some mixed fruit, add a spoon to a cup of tea - hot or cold! The possibilities are endless!

Let your imagination run wild! Rosemary jelly, garlic jelly, chamomile jelly. Have some fun coming up with your own creations and recipes and enjoy your gardens bounty well into winter the winter months!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Join us at Allaire this weekend and get great gifts for Mom!


This weekend is the Spring Craft Market at the Historic Village of Allaire.

Allaire is a beautiful, historic village in a pastoral park setting. The village was once an active manufacturing community, making bog iron for the Howell Works Company. Volunteers and docents demonstrate how people lived their lives back in the early to mid 1800's. And on Saturday, it's market day! Over 100 crafters will be selling their wares and

demonstrating their skills. What a perfect opportunity to learn a little history - and get a great gift for mom!

Celtic Chairde Creations is delighted to be at Allaire again. Out booth will be over by the blacksmith shop, so come by and say hello.

Annual Spring Crafter's' Market • Saturday May 10 (Rain Date May 11, 2007) 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. • $2/Adult Under 12/Free 4265 Atlantic Ave Wall Township, NJ 07727-3715

Monday, May 5, 2008

What an amazing month is May

Did you know that May not only holds the day where we honor mothers (Mothers Day on May 11) and the day where we honor those who have died serving our country (Memorial Day on May 26), but it's also Get Caught Reading month? I love reading, so I plan to get caught quite often - and I mean the fun reading, not the work reading. It's also International Victorious Woman Month. We all know women who have taken the challenges life offers them and turned them into Victories - so lets celebrate them.

Memorial Day has another meaning... it's also the unofficial start to summer. And that can mean only one thing,

celebrating National Barbecue Month! Of course that leads to National Egg Month, where you can make egg salad to go with the barbecue, and National Hamburger Month, which goes on the barbecue. Add to that National Salsa Month, National Salad Month and National Sweet Videlia Month, and your bound to smile during National Smile Month.

I'm a big fan of Vinegar - it tastes good and it's wonderful for your health and skin. So look for more news as we celebrate National Vinegar Month!

Of course, each day holds it's own daily celebration. For example - tomorrow, May 6, is one of my favorite days - No Diet Day! How wonderful is that, a day which looks to a healthy way of eating and living and no more fads. Of course kids like it because it's also No Homework Day. I bet teachers like that too.

It's fun to find the different ways to celebrate. There's something new everyday. Create your own ways to celebrate different days and events. Then let everyone know!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

The Happiness of Honey...


Bees are amazing little creatures. It always makes me happy to see them buzzing around my garden, investigating all the flowers. They do so much for us, too. They pollinate our plants, giving us fruits and vegetables. The wax from hives has a myriad of uses, including use in candles and skin care products. And of course, there's honey. It's used as a sweetener in teas and recipes, it's filled with vitamins and minerals that help with digestion, helps battle allergies, has anti-inflammatory properties that help soothe sore throats, and is generally yummy.

Honey has been a boon to human kind for hundred of years. It has wound healing

properties, which made it an important part of medicine for centuries. As an antibacterial, it helps to heal burns quickly, depriving bacteria of moisture while aiding the healthy skin to regenerate.

Honey is an important part of our products for all these reasons, and so much more.

Honey Pumpkin Face Mask combines this buzzy golden treasure with the punch pumpkin. Without giving you that over tightened feeling, this mask adds elasticity, removes dead skin cells and softens your skin, giving you that honey-kissed glow.

Sweetest Kisses Lip Balm uses honey for it's yumminess and softening ability, so your lips are smooth, soft and sweet for the kissing.

Honey Rose Bath Vinegar creates a magical bath that is fabulous for your skin. Vinegar balances your skins pH, and honey softens and helps you heal.

We go through a lot of honey at Celtic Chairde, and we're always trying to create more ways use this gift of nature. We'll keep you posted of our progress, but if you'd like to find out more about honey - or if you'd like to buy some locally grown honey, you can check out E&M Gold or Herbertsville Honey. These are two terrific local honey producers.

And remember to take care with bees. There have been problems the past few years with the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder. There are many factors that are still be considered as possible reasons for the loss of our little buzzy friends. While it's being studies, the one thing we can do is let honey bees do their job around our gardens without disturbing them. After all, they help bring us fruits and flowers and that wonderful honey.

Thanks, honey.