Making Cucumber Sandwiches for Devonshire Tea

In my last post I wrote about this afternoon's Service of Choral Evensong. The music will be glorious, and if you're in the Rochester area, I hope you'll come. Evensong will be followed by a traditional English High Tea, or Devonshire Tea. Devonshire Tea is more like a meal than a snack, and almost always includes cucumber sandwiches. I just finished making several trays.











Traditional English cucumber sandwiches are made by placing cucumber slices between two pieces of buttered bread. In New Zealand they are made a little differently. A butter and cream cheese spread is used instead of plain butter, and various spices are mixed into the cucumber. Garlic, dill, Italian seasoning, curry, pepper - there are many variants of New Zealand cucumber sandwiches. Here is the recipe I used:

1 (8 oz.) pkg. softened cream cheese
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
2 cucumbers, unpeeled & thinly sliced (or 1 long seedless English cucumber)
1 Loaf white hearty sandwich bread

Remove crust from bread with a sharp knife and cut into shapes: triangles, rectangles or squares.
Place cream cheese, butter, garlic powder, salt, pepper and dill in a small bowl; stir to combine, or use an electric mixer. Spread lightly on all bread slices, top one slice with cucumbers and another bread slice.
Cover with foil or plastic wrap until ready to serve.

Every Day is Earth Day !

When I traveled in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year, my eyes were opened to some new ways of taking care of creation. Water is a precious commodity in drought- stricken Australia, and not one drop is wasted. A bucket goes into the shower to capture the water that runs while it heats up. Washing machines for clothes and dishes are drained into gardens, and earth friendly soap is used. In New Zealand, just about everything is re-used; water is never served in plastic disposable bottles, and trash is not thrown into waterways.

On this Earth Day 2009, let’s all be thankful for the beauty of out fragile planet, and find new ways to make it better every day of the year, so that future generations can enjoy the bounty of the earth we call our home.

I found a wonderful quotation from Dr. Glen David Brin, American scientist and award-winning science fiction author, that puts a thought-provoking spin on Earth Keeping:

A living planet is a much more complex metaphor for deity than just a bigger father with a bigger fist. If an omniscient, all-powerful Dad ignores your prayers, it's taken personally. Hear only silence long enough, and you start wondering about his power. His fairness. His very existence. But if a world mother doesn't reply, Her excuse is simple. She never claimed conceited omnipotence. She has countless others clinging to her apron strings, including myriad species unable to speak for themselves. To Her elder offspring She says - go raid the fridge. Go play outside. Go get a job. Or, better yet, lend me a hand. I have no time for idle whining.

AMEN!

New Zealand Puppy Update

You may recall that, when I visited New Zealand, my friends Frances and Victor had just become the proud "grandparents" of Willie and Hank, two dachsund puppies. They were just a week old when Mom and I arrived in Christchurch on March 1, and when we left on March 6 they were just starting to open their eyes. Here the are (left) on March 2, enjoying a nap after a big meal.

Here they are today, a little over a month old and still cute and cuddly!

Wines from Down Under

After several wine tasting excursions in Australia and New Zealand, I decided to check out what's available in the local Rochester wine shops. I was very pleasantly surprised by the variety of wines I found. There a a number of very good wines from New Zealand, particularly from the Marlborough region. Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc, and Gisborne Chardonnay are all reasonably priced. I heard from many folks in New Zealand that Sauvignon Blanc is the best of the best; what I tasted was fabulous, and the Marlborough region makes some great ones. I also found a good price for a bottle of Yarra Valley Chardonnay. There is quite a lot more to Australian Wine than Yellow Tail, which is also very good. Now comes the fun part - drinking the wine!

Right Side Up?

After 32 hours of travel, and 12 hours of sleep (and one fried MP3 player), I'm home with the kitties. I have no idea what day it is, what time it is, or even what hemisphere it is yet. The Wizard of Christchurch's world map really sums it up nicely.

You'll find more information about the Wizard on the web.

http://wizard.gen.nz/contents.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wizard_of_New_Zealand

Devonshire Tea at Mona Vale

For our final day in New Zealand, we visited Mona Vale Gardens in Christchurch. The historic estate dates back to 1905, when the land was purchased by Annie Quayle Townsend from one of the original Christchurch settler families. Mrs. Townsend landscaped the property with an extensive variety of trees, shrubs and flowers. Over the years, Mona Vale has become one of the city’s most treasured assets, and its rose garden is in bloom from November to May. The gardens and landscaped lawns along the Avon River are open to the public year-round, and the Homestead Restaurant offers and all day menu, picnic baskets, and a traditional Devonshire Tea.



Take a virtual stroll through the beautiful gardens in the newest slide show!

Driving Around North Canterbury

The region of North Canterbury is on the Eastern side of New Zealand’s South Island. It is mostly rural farmland, with mountains, rivers, plains and seacoasts. Sheep farms and dairy farms seem to occupy most of the land, and the wine industry is growing by leaps and bounds. Small wineries offer tastings and gourmet meals, and several are beginning to export to the United States (many wines from the larger vineyards in the Marlborough Region are already very popular in the States). Other types of farms, such as lavender and olives are also found here and there in North Canterbury. Oxford is home to the Seagar Cooking School, run by renowned New Zealand chef Jo Seagar. Rangiora, the largest center near Victor and Frances’s farm, is considered the gateway to North Canterbury. Every turn brings new, beautiful, interesting scenery.

Rangiora Farm

We spent the day driving around North Canterbury, looking at shops and cafes (check back later for some lovely views of the ocean, a lavender farm and a world famous cooking school). Then we returned to Rangiora to stroll around the paddocks, feed the animals and check on the baby chicks and puppies. A highlight of the farm are the comedian turkeys... here is a sample of their act:

Frances and Victor are in the process of trying to sell the farm. Now that their children are grown they'd like to downsize, even though they love their home. It's a lovely property, that also houses an art studio, as you can see from the latest slide show. If you're interested, leave a comment!

Christchurch, New Zealand

A relatively short plane trip on Sunday took us from Melbourne, Australia to Christchurch, New Zealand in about 3 hours. By comparison, the South Island of New Zealand is lush and green, and quite a bit cooler than Southeastern Australia. We spent a quiet Sunday evening sampling New Zealand wines and strolling the paddocks at the Paul Farm where Frances and Victor live with their 3 dachshunds, 2 newborn puppies, 3 cows, 3 turkeys and about a dozen chickens. Fran’s Art Studio is located in a renovated garage / barn on the property, and is part of the Waimakariri Arts Trail. A tour of the farm and a stand-up performance by the turkeys will be coming up in a day or two.

We spent Monday touring the city of Christchurch, which is very British. The Cathedral sits on the town square, and the choir of men and boys sings evensong three days a week, plus Sunday services.

The Wizard of Christchurch was holding forth on the square today. He’s been retired for several years, but is here in honor of the Christchurch Flower Festival (February 20 - March 16).



The City Tram circles downtown with stops at the Cathedral, Arts Center, University, Museums and other points of interest in downtown Christchurch.