

I've been reflecting on my clothing choices. (Allison, you got me started down this path with your introspective on shoes.) I'm trying to cull not only my large teacup collection, but also my stockpile of clothes. It's a difficult task, as I'm a bit of a clothing collector - OK, a lot of of one. It runs in the family, right Mom? :-) Through this process, I've tried to define just what my personal style is. What I like to wear most are 1930-50s styles with a modern twist. Don't get me wrong - I practically live in jean shorts and tank tops. I work from home and don't have many reasons to dress up. Thank goodness my company doesn't use PC cameras (yet)! Nonetheless, when I have the occasion to pull out something other than my trusty home uniform, I like lace and frills.
What is most remarkable about this is that it's very different from my style in my college years. Then, I was fearful of wearing anything that would make me look too sweet, too young. I look young for my age, and when I was first starting out in the business world, I had a constant struggle with not being mistaken for the high school intern! (Yes, that really happened.) Now that I'm 32, this youthful appearance is beginning to be a blessing! So, bring out the skirts and the lace! Here's an example of something I would have never worn a decade ago. Stephanie and the DH.
All of the ingredients came from our yard. Most were grown intentionally in our garden. A few were grown *wildly* in the grass. Here are the green ingredients: New Zealand spinach (does well in the heat), loveage, beet greens, dandelion greens (*wild* - aka weed), purple basil, regular basil, lamb's quarter (*wild*), oregano, tarragon, plantain (*wild*). Here are the edible flower petals: marigold, calendula, cilantro, and geranium.
The salad tasted wonderful! We had it with a vinegar/oil/herbed vinaigrette. Now, I don't think the average American palette would immediately enjoy this...but I loved it! It was such an acrobatic event for my mouth. The oregano was very peppery. The tarragon and basil tasted like licorice. The dandelion and beet greens were bitter. The flower petals added an interesting texture. It all blended together nicely!
How does this relate to tea? Well, I'd like to say that I had a nice glass of iced tea with dinner. But I didn't - I had water. >-)
PS - A word to the wise: Don't try this at home unless you're really sure what you'll forage is safe. My husband is more plant than human, so we're cool with that. In addition, only eat weeds that are "grown" pesticide-free. There are some super-nasty lawn chemicals out there.