There is beauty in a tea tray, no denying that.  Each food item is nearly a work of art as tiny garnishes are added to enhance the visual impact. But have you ever wondered, is there any rhyme or reason to the placement of the food? Are items randomly set wherever they fit, working together like an edible jigsaw puzzle? Believe it or not, a tea tray does have a traditional order to the food placement: Sandwiches and savories on the bottom tier, scones and spreads on the middle, and sweet treats on top.  Guests are meant to eat from the bottom up so sammies first and the dessert, s ..read more

Often it's been said that the Three Sisters' "tea journey" all started with a tea plant...  ...and that would be true.  It arrived in the mail one day, a birthday gift from Barefoot Girl, it was small and needed special care.  Over time it grew and finally was planted  outside. It does not seem to like the cold of TN winters and so a thick blanket of hay tucks it in cozily for the season.  Five years later our tea plant has grown, and even thrived, in its home here on the farm. Three more tea plants found their way to us this summer.  They are too sm ..read more

however, for years I’ve been called a human doing. Always sounded like a compliment to me. Constant activity, productivity, ticking off to-do lists were all good things. The daily tasks, stillness, quietude were a waste of... well, perfectly usable moments! Recurring duties, like laundry or vacuuming, just gobbled up time from something really important I could be doing. Washing dishes held me back from accomplishing something great with my time!      In the midst of all this intense doing, Barefoot Girl was born. Perfect and beautiful, possessing an air of profound con ..read more

     When I was a young newly wed, smitten and starry eyed, I’d fashion anything I made into the shape of hearts. This included foods such as pizza crusts, hamburgers, even chocolate chip cookies were patted into the iconic symbol for love. As the years past and our family grow, this habit fell to only one day a year, when, on St. Valentine’s Day, I’d make heart-shaped pizzas for the whole family.       Having just celebrated 32 years of wedded bliss, I wanted to re-institute the heart-habit and since I love tea almost as much as my husband, I came ..read more

For some time, we have collected "tea stories" told to us by lovely people we have met through the years.  Below is the first on we ever recorded as told to us by sweet Dolores.      “He came to the wrong house,” she laughed with a twinkle in her eyes as she told me the story … again.  Dolores, a forgetful sweetheart, now widowed and living in a nursing home, has a favorite tale to tell anyone who’ll pause a moment and listen.  Perpetually recalling that beautiful moment some 70 years ago when she met her true love in New Orleans during the Second World War ..read more

While preparing for overseas travel, my daughter packed a tiny gaiwan travel set into her luggage along with several packets of loose leaf tea. Lapsang — her favorite, Jasmine pearls for hot days, Assam to share with the new friends she’d make and Oolong because we shared that together at home. Tea is more than a beverage. It is home, comfort, peace, security. Even when all around you is new and unfamiliar, just the aroma of tea brings home to you.     While tea has a handful of scientifically proven health properties, it is its connection to family rhythms and familiar ritual ..read more

   There is a season for everything and for us, this season has been about change.  We ushered in year 80 for Mum and prepare to move her “down south” while the Sisters are ready to fledge the nest, my nest, the nest I have created for my family over many years.  Bittersweet is this season….feelings of joy tinged with a touch of sadness.  I am in need of a cup of tea.      Seasons in life should cause us to pause and take stock, milestones are designed to be observed, rights of passage, commemorated.  Through all the celebrations we’ve had re ..read more

In Tennessee, 2021 arrived by way of a stunning, 68° day brimming, from start to finish, with golden sunshine. Every moment possible was spent outside that first day of the new year. Funny to think we’d take such a day for granted if it fell in May after a week of similar days. But here in January, seemingly out of place, our focus was keenly on the sparkling rays of light and the warm, earth-scented breeze. My father would have proclaimed it a “good-to-be-alive day”. I would agree and ardently wish he still was. He spent most of his life out-of-doors, working in all kinds of weather, so he k ..read more

For many years our Easter breakfast was grand, a fitting meal to celebrate the risen Lord.  But as our family size grew, our pre-church meal became rushed until we stopped it all together and planned something later in the day. Fast forward a decade, now the toddlers are teens and so I thought maybe, just maybe, we could try an early morning Easter breakfast again. Instead of a full meal of eggs and bacon, toast and fruit, perhaps simpler fare would do?  Maybe just a cream tea?  A pot of Assam, a plate of hot cross scones with jam and cream?  Would it be enough?  Wo ..read more

I’ve always kept a tin of breath mints in my purse but recently, when a friend gave me a tin of green tea mints, I began to wonder…can I combine the ubiquitous breath mint with my beloved green tea?  I had to give it a try and now I have to share with fellow tea lovers the wonderful news that yes, you can combine the two very easily! Gum paste is the key ingredient to this recipe and is found in the cake decorating section of a grocery stores or hobby store.  Gum paste is used for making elaborate flowers on festive cakes. Once it is shaped and left to dry, the paste turns very har ..read more