I did. I totally learned something about potted herbs. Sage is a real powerhouse of a plant. I potted sage along with dill in about a 10 inch pot. My mistake was letting the dill come to flower completely and when I cut it back, the good parts of the wispy plant were not so good. (@lequitalee on instagram will show the early picture of the dill when it should have been cut back for preservation). Since it is a perennial that will get crazy if you plant it in the ground, I thought it would be a good idea to pot dill with the sage to keep it contained. So, the good news is the sage is fabulous so far in this pot. I’ll hopefully be harvesting it until October. Sage leaves resemble lambs ear and it dries beautifully!
As far as the dill goes, what’s left of the soggy stems have been pulled out of the pot and are now resting on top of the compost heap. Never say die. There’s always next spring. I did manage to shake the seeds out of the flower heads so I can use those next year in a separate pot. Or, maybe it’s still early enough in the season to plant them and try again.
The basil is recovering nicely on my window sill after being eaten by beetles. They are some seriously voracious eaters. I can’t blame them. The basil is the queen of my potted garden. Like most folks that still preserve harvests, basil is the herb that is so versatile in cooking. I add a cube of pesto to Shiratake noodles, soups, stews and pizza. I get a lot of mileage out of one plant. Last year was the first year I actually had a healthy basil plant all winter. I killed that one too but it was before planting season so oh well.
The Stillroom is in the process of stocking all of the newly packaged teas from Stash! Don’t forget, the holiday teas are in stock all year. If you look closely at the trees, a faint hint of faded green is already appearing on the branches and you know what that means. Hint: It rhymes with schmunpkin.
The long awaited month long sale starts August first and runs all month long! Find great deals that range from 20 to 25% off on anything over 10 dollars! That is a great sale from a great store!
Join the Sip n Shop evening affair on August 22nd from 5-9pm. The Shop will be closed on Wednesday August 22nd during the day to prep for the Fall Preview that evening.
Yes, it is that time of the year for retailers to put on their thinking caps to create new decorating and easy living ideas for late summer which melds in with early fall. Shadows are changing on the ground as the clock starts to tick off the days of late summer. All of the fruits of the efforts of both farmers and patio gardener’s alike busy themselves picking and planting and pickling.
At Diamond Antiques & Gifts you can be sure that the vendors are picking awesome pieces, planting decorating ideas throughout the store and as far as pickling. Pick your poison. I think you can pickle furniture but it is probably much easier to just get pickled. Just don’t get pickled if your are going to pickle. Most likely not a great idea.
The Stillroom tea shop is located inside of the fabulous Diamond Antiques and Gifts
311 East Sixth Avenue
In the riverside borough of Tarentum
Hours of operation are Wednesday through Saturday from 10-5
Sunday from 12-5
Open at 8 in the morning on Fleatique Sundays at Tour Ed Mine
Keep checking in for August specials throughout the store!
Hey, I hear brick and mortar stores are making a come back. Now isn’t that something!
The Stillroom 
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