herbs - grace grits and gardening

Sunday Letter: 06.25.23

June 25, 2023 By Talya Tate Boerner

Dear Sunday Letter friends~

My family recently spent several days in Santa Fe, and oh my goodness, what a wonderful time we had! For over a week I was unplugged from social media, consumed no news or Netflix, did zero yard work or dog-walking (missed both though), and accomplished no real writing either.

Instead, I plugged into nature and art and food and music and family. Mainly, I got to see my KIDS!

It was a fantastic few days and a much-needed break from routine.

True story: I returned home with 392 new photos on my iPhone.

Remember when we took pictures with a camera, dropped off the film at Big Star (or wherever), and waited with great anticipation for the photos to come back in a handy little envelope? But then, what a letdown to open the long-awaited package only to see unfocused faces, heads cut off, eyes shut—proof of our vacation forever marked by a poor picture-taker and/or a cheap camera.

Ha.

What a time we live in.Continue Reading

Botanical Christmas Cookies

December 15, 2021 By Talya Tate Boerner

Botanical Christmas Cookies 🌱❃

I baked six dozen sugar cookies for a garden club luncheon last week. Since we are all rather fond of plants, I went with a semi-botanical theme using fresh violas and fennel from our garden. I also used dried herbs and other nuts, fruits, and candies from my pantry.

My goal was to create simple, delicious cookies that looked like those I imagined Marmee might have baked for Jo, Amy, Beth, and Meg. She would have used whatever goodness had been put up from the March orchard and garden, along with sprinkles of sugar and spices valued like gold dust.

What an entertaining baking project this turned out to be.

And the best part—I foraged the decorations from my own pantry and garden. I was so pleased with how my botanical Christmas cookies turned out, I thought I would share my ideas with you.

Sunday Letter: 05.09.21

May 9, 2021 By Talya Tate Boerner

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

Happy Mother’s Day to all those who mother! Mothers have all the essential jobs. They dry tears, provide motivation, feather nests (and later push us from the nest)—teaching, encouraging, scolding, doing all the things that keep the world spinning.

Y’all know how special my Momma is. Even within the space of my short Sunday Letters, she keeps all of us laughing. (You should be with her in person.)

😂

Botanical Christmas Cookies 🌱❃

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