Photo by Jessica Hibbard A sprig of Purslane garnishes a dinner plate at Summerhouse Grill in Montrose, Pa.

This past weekend, my husband and I paid a brief visit to family in northeastern Pennsylvania. On Saturday night, we were at a popular seasonal restaurant, and were shocked to find a few stems of Purslane artfully placed on Christopher's dinner plate as garnish. We frequently battle this succulent weed in our own garden, but never really considered eating it.

Back in Frederick, I picked some salad greens from our garden (including nasturtium leaves and flowers, and several varieties of lettuce) and decided to add some Purslane to the mix. I have to admit, the taste and texture weren't that bad. 

Turns out Purslane and many other weeds were brought to the U.S. by European settlers as food plants, and the annoying little things escaped from the kitchen garden and into the wild. If you're interested in the history behind some of these plants, you might consider reading American Household Botany by Judith Sumner. You may not be inspired to snack on weeds the next time you're pulling them from your flower beds, but you'll have a greater appreciation for their tenacity.

It's sort of fun to know which plants are safe to eat, even if our more commonly cultivated fruits and veggies are far more delicious. Many weeds are edible, including Dandelion, Violet, Plantain, and Chickweed. Obviously, you should use caution when gathering and consuming wild food plants (careful research is essential), and you should never eat a plant that you can't positively identify.

	Photo by Washington and Lee University and Daiku Woodworking From top: Japanese tea room and preparation area at Washington and Lee University; Exterior and interior views of a tea room by Daiku Woodworking

Dr. Janet Ikeda, of Washington and Lee University, was the featured guest lecturer at FCC a couple of weeks ago. The topic: Aesthetics of the Japanese Tea Ceremony. I decided to attend sort of on a whim, and I’m really glad I did. The tea ceremony has a long history (over 800 years) and is an intricate, 4-5 hour process consisting of two servings of tea, a full meal, two servings of sweets, and a long list of formalities. But there are some simple, underlying principles that can help us make our homes more pleasant for our guests and for ourselves.

Lessons learned:

Interview with Dr. Janet Ikeda on NPR (Windows Media Player)

Dr. Ikeda had some fantastic photos in her presentation, and I've emailed her to request a few of them for publication on this blog. I'll post them as soon as I hear back from her.

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	Photo by Keep Calm Ltd (www.keep-calm.com) This funky screen print put a smile on my face this morning.

Today is packing day at work ... The Chamber moves to a new office building next Friday. Some of my favorite design blogs (including Oh Joy! and poppytalk), have been buzzing about this screen print, and I can't help thinking it would look fabulous in my new office!

Seriously, though, tea really does revive you. If you like it as much as I do, stay tuned. Later today, I'll be posting about the Japanese tea room at Washington and Lee University.

And if British tea is more your speed, hang in there. Cliff Cumber, the FNP’s resident Englishman, has promised to share some tips with us soon.