Josh Kilmer-Purcell's Blog, page 30

Stirring Creatures

photos by Lauren Wadsworth

 

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Watch the LIVE goat cam at Beekman Farm by clicking here

Five Beautiful Things

 

These Cookies Don’t Crumble

On the weekend, my friends and I attempted to decorate cookies. We made shortbread cookies in the shapes of winter sweaters and then decided to ice them to create fun sweater designs. It was an exercise in patience, but it was fun! Some of the icing bled off the side of the cookies; some of the swirls and designs we made were jagged and crooked and off-grid, but we enjoyed ourselves immensely and ate all the evidence of our baking shortcomings. You can see two of our creations in the last image in the series below.

The first four of the cookies shown below, however, were iced by masters. These bakers are the Da Vinci’s of the cookie world, the geniuses and the prodigies. The aim here is not to make myself (or anyone) feel bad about their own cookie decorating ventures, merely to demonstrate how anything can be elevated to an art form under the guidance of a creative mind, a steady hand and a patient soul. I marvel at the intricacies of the designs and the imagination behind them. Have fun with your baking this year! And if your cookies aren’t iced with perfect contour and elaborate filigree, just call yourself the Jackson Pollack of the cookie world. Solved.

 

Christmas Morning at Beekman Farm

Thanks to photographer Lauren Wadsworth, you can get a peek of what it’s like to wake up at the Beekman 1802 farmhouse on Christmas Morning when all is still quiet

 

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Five Beautiful Things

 

Decking the Halls

In the premier issue of the Beekman 1802 Almanac, the new magazine founded by Brent and Josh, there is an article called “Keep it Green” by Rachel DeSchepper about using boughs and branches as simple decorations during the holidays. I have always loved the smell of evergreens indoors (pine and cedar are two of my favourite scents) and the article inspired me to select five images that demonstrate how beautiful decorating with winter greens can be.

Perhaps the biggest challenge is finding the boughs and branches to begin with. Unless you live on a large property with many trees that you can prune yourself, these cuttings can be quite expensive at nurseries and garden centers. Walking into a forest with a saw in hand is also not advisable, since many plots of land are protected and cutting trees that are not your own can be considered a crime in many states and provinces. Whatever you find on the ground, however, is generally fair game and if you’re not willing to purchase your cuttings then consider finding someone in a rural area who may be willing to allow you access to their land for small bundles of cuttings – perhaps for a small fee.

Having a home filled with the natural scent of winter greens imparts such a warm holiday feeling.  The scent of fresh pine has also been shown to boost your physical energy and mental clarity and to help ease depression.  It’s a holiday gift that keeps on giving!

 

 

To get your autographed copy of the premier issue of the Beekman 1802 Almanac, click here

 

Glistening Once Again

The year was 1900. Boston, along with New York, was the financial center of America and had already staked its claim as the nation’s intellectual and medical capital. The ruling class, known as the Boston Brahmins, was facing off politically with the Irish Catholics. A budding startup known as American League was birthing its baseball franchise on Huntington Avenue Grounds. And a ‘rags-to-riches’ hotel impresario known as Lucius Boomer had just erected Boston’s tallest building — a $1.1 million, 11-story Beaux-Arts hotel, which he would name for Lady Sarah Lennox, wife of King George, III.

The lavishly appointed Lenox Hotel, as reviewed by The Boston Post, was ‘The Waldorf-Astoria of Boston’ – an obvious nod to Boomer’s famous New York City property. Perched on the corner of Boylston and Exeter streets in the heart of stylish Back Bay and vibrant Copley Square, The Lenox quickly became a hub of activity for newsmakers and legends, helping to inspire its modern-day brand as The Original Boutique Hotel. Be it the arts, politics, sports or entertainment, The Lenox attracted a bevy of luminaries, or Originals, as we like to call them.

This year’s Beekman 1802 holiday pop-up store is right in the lobby of the Lenox.  As part of the collaboration, we turned an unused alcove on the hotel’s Exeter Street entrance into the hotel’s first ever holiday window display!  Beekman 1802—a true Original at the Lenox Hotel in Boston, MA

 

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The Gentle Art of Bulb Forcing

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There is something delightfully counterintuitive about seeing a fragrant hyacinth flowering in January when conditions outside could not be more hostile. Although you can trick any bulb into thinking it is spring, few are as easy to coax into life as the hyacinth, which can be forced in water in specially designed bulb vases. The world’s most enthusiastic bulb forcers were the Victorians, who inherited the fever from the Dutch across the water and created an entire industry around the practice. You can still find handblown 19th century hyacinth vases on eBay or at antique stores for a decent price

You don’t need much more than a refrigerator, but keep in mind that bulbs have to be stored there for several months, so the number you force may depend on how much room you want to set aside for your winter greens.

(1) Hyacinth bulbs require 8 to 14 weeks of chilling, and 2 to 3 weeks to bloom, although exact timing will depend on the cultivar. The pink and popular Anna Marie requires only 8 weeks of chilling, for example. If you want flowers in February, place the bulbs in the fridge by the end of October. If you’re in a hurry, try grape hyacinths or crocuses, which can be chilled for as little as 8 weeks.

(2) Your bulbs should be slightly smaller in diameter than your vases so that they sit snugly in the neck.

(3) Fill the vase with water, and then place the bulb in the top. The water should just reach, but not touch, the base of the bulb.

(4) When roots have developed, and shoots are between 1 ½ and 2 inches long, you can remove the bulbs from the fridge and place them, initially, in a semi-dark space.

(5) Move the bulbs progressively to a brighter and warmer place. If leaves start growing faster than the flowers, move the vases to a cooler spot and cover for a day or two.

(6) Once they’ve flowered, you can plant hyacinth bulbs in the ground, though it may take a year or two to see them in bloom again.

Tip: To keep water from smelling stagnant, add a tablespoon of rinsed aquarium charcoal to the vase.

A Wisp of a Tree

 

Beekman 1802 was founded on the ideas of making the most of each season and finding creative inspiration in the world that lies right outside our back door.

Of course, Christmas is one of those seasons that just begs to be made the most of

Each year we try to think of some new ideas for Christmas that we’ve never seen before, this year one of our Christmas tree ideas in the Mercantile was actually inspired by the end-of-summer heirloom vegetable garden.

Created from an asparagus fern (what an asparagus finger grows into if you let it go to seed), this “tree” stands about 5 feet talk and is gorgeously wispy.  To display it we positioned it into an antique wooden vice given to us by our B. 1802 blacksmith, Michael McCarthy.

 

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10 Tips to Ace Your Hosting Style

The most common mistake a host makes is trying too hard. Guests can feel indebted, as though they’re supposed to say “wow” over and over again. Here’s a few tips we’ve found helpful to make our houseguests to feel truly at home…

( 1 ) Spend a night in your guest room and see how it feels. Maybe you’ll find that the room gets drafty, or the outlets are hidden behind furniture. Now that everyone has an iPad, cell phone & laptop, a power strip right next to the bed is almost mandatory.

( 2 ) The ideal guest room has plenty of easy-to-spot pillows, blankets, and towels. Extra touches that will be appreciated: an electric fan, pre-stamped local postcards, and flowers.

( 3 ) Atop each bedside table should be a lamp, an alarm clock, a carafe of water, and a notebook and pencil.

( 4 ) Encourage self-service in the kitchen. Your coffeemaker, coffee, and filters should be in plain sight. Place a basket of bagels on the counter, and keep canisters of nuts and candy out in the open. Stick cream, milk, butter, jam, and cream cheese in the front of a refrigerator shelf.

( 5 ) Liberate the contents of your liquor cabinet and set up booze, wine, mixers, and non-alcoholic beverages on a sideboard, along with glassware, a bucket of ice, and lemons and limes.

( 6 ) Stock the bathroom with necessities: spare toothbrushes, toothpaste, and shampoo. People are squeamish about used bars of soap; a bottle of liquid soap solves that problem. Also, remember to grab those little amenity bottles from the next hotel you stay at. They’re perfect for your own guest room too.

( 7 ) Never make friends ask embarrassing questions: Equip each bathroom with a plunger, extra toilet paper, tampons and pads, and condoms.

( 8 ) Avoid overstuffing the schedule. One planned meal or activity a day is plenty. Give guests a set of keys and encourage them to venture out.

( 9 ) Write down a list of local attractions, such as your favorite shops, restaurants, and museums.

( 10 ) Print out a sheet with your Wi-Fi password, as well as any of your home’s quirks (e.g. “the back door will lock automatically behind you”).

14 and Turning

When we created Beekman 1802, our goal was to breathe life into the historic 19th century farm and intothe mercantile business that the honest William Beekman founded over 2 centuries ago, and at the same time provide opportunities for our neighbors in the surrounding villages to thrive.

From the beginning, we’ve been devoted to the artisanal, the hand-made, and to the belief that each season gives us cause for celebration.

We work with local craftsmen skilled in traditional methodologies to develop new and beautiful items for your home, hearth, and pantry. Bringing a little piece of Beekman 1802 into your home supports the preservation of these true American masters.

And we’re already thinking about the next generation of masters.  Meet our newest artisan:

 

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To see Derek’s work and that of our other artisans, click here

Vintage Sports Posters

So many of you have loved the vintage sports posters we adapted for the 2015 Holiday Mercantile that we’ve created a file so that you can print out.

 

 

Beekman 1802 Holiday Marathon Vintage Signs