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Italian Stuffed Mushrooms
Happy New Year! What a better way to kick off 2013, than by cooking up a storm in the kitchen. This recipe came to me from a friend who grew up cooking by her Italian-American mother and Italian Grandmother’s side. The best way to learn how to cook, in my opinion. Adding a little bit of this and a little bit of that, a more instinctive way of cooking and way more delicious. Here is my version of her classic recipe. It is an Italian stuffed mushroom 101 appetizer recipe that lends itself to add-ins. I added-in cooked sausage, but crab, spinach or your special ingredient could be added at the final stages.
1 Large package or two small packs of very fresh mushrooms-about 15
Fresh Parsley: ½ cup
Lots of garlic:4-5 cloves or 1 large clove of elephant garlic
1 Cup of Italian bread crumbs-store bought or homemade
1 medium onion
1 cup of add-in of your choice- sausage, chopped cooked spinach, crabmeat- diced, totally optional and can be left out completely
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried Basil
½ Cup grated cheese: parmesan or your choice-finely grated
Salt to taste
1 cup white wine or water
1. Clean mushrooms, which ever way you feel comfortable. Some people argue that you should only lightly dust them off. I wash mine and towel dry, removing any soil, that clings to them. Separate caps from stems, reserving stems.
2. In food processor: finely dice onion, garlic, mushroom stems and fresh parsley, about 20 seconds.
3. Saute mixture in skillet with olive oil. Season with pepper, basil, ½ cup of the white wine. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes or until vegetables and herbs are tender. Turn off heat.
4. In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheese ,and cooked filling and any add-in of your choice. I added cooked diced Italian sausage. Filling should have the texture of stuffing.
5. Fill caps with a generous, mounting teaspoon or two of stuffing, slightly over filling caps. Can refrigerate at this point, if serving later.
6. On a baking tray, or serving casserole dish , place mushroom caps. Add ½ cup of the reserved white wine to the bottom of the bakeware, bake 35-40 minutes depending on size of caps, at 350 degrees until hot and golden.
7. Serve hot and enjoy. Stuffed mushrooms will shrink as they cook.
Totally delicious, after making these I had trouble stopping eating them! There has been new scientific research stating the benefits of eating mushrooms. Check out this link to learn more about mushrooms. These are guaranteed to disappear at your next party or even as a part of a light dinner. What are you cooking in the kitchen this winter??? Let us know.
Jenn at The Antique Garden
Collecting: Farmhouse Primitives 2012
I don’t know why exactly, but I love primitives. Grungy is good, the older the better. Use marks, rusty gold, cast iron and farmyard finds are just what I am drawn to! Plus, most primitives are affordable and sometimes a steal at flea markets, yard sales, thrift stores and even antique malls. If I had to categorize this lot, I would call this collection “farmhouse kitchen primitives”. Someone else must like them too, because most of these items have sold, usually within a week or two of me finding them! More visuals from my 2012 files as we wind down the year and look forward to a promising 2013!
Woodenware mortar and pestle, I always buy these when I spot them at a sale. Totally usable for crushing herbs and peppercorns.
I like old crocks, this brown and tan, has some age. Always check for cracks and chips which brings the value down.
I found this old wood measure at the Goodwill for a couple bucks! SOLD!!!
I am attracted to outsider, tramp art and prison art. This is a matchstick cross. Most are a bargain, purchase if it is in good condition, with little breakage as the matches can be brittle. Usually found in shops for under $5.00 they resell for about $20.00.
Always, always, always buy your baskets at yardsales. Prices range from 25 cents to a few bucks. Look for handwoven “buttocks” baskets. 
Used cutting boards, look great displayed in a country kitchen.
Serving tray with great lines, found at the Salvation Army.
Early candle box
Eldreth pottery cat, while not old, the salt glaze gives it that primitive feel and I love the cobalt blue.
With colorful graphics, this is an original early can of tomatoes with removable lid.
Old beat up galvanized watering pail may not be water tight, but is perfect for dried flowers.
Old kitchen scales-one green and an amazing orange scale.
Wood spoons, used of course!
Early Asian Rice Measure
I love enamel ware and buy it whenever the price is right. Perfect for many uses. I predict the value will go up as supply of the vintage pieces decline.
Handmade farm wheelbarrow
Metalware teapots-I found this lot of 6 matching pieces.
Toleware -look for hand painting, good design, and not too many scratches.
Kitchen brooms-this one has a witchy twisted handle
Yup, I bought this lot of pitchfork tines and sold them as folk art. What are some of your primitive collections? Drop us a line at antiquegarden@myactv.net we’d love to hear from you! Jenn at The Antique Garden.
2012 A Year of Flowers & Gardens Part 2
After editing lots of photographs and cleaning out my computer files I realized how many photos we’ve taken this year. As the year 2012 draws to a close, we are taking stock of many projects from the past year, including container gardens, landscapes, vegetable gardens, floral arrangements and more. Sit back, relax and enjoy some of the sights from The Antique Garden and remember Spring 2013 is just around the corner. Take some time to dream of next year’s gardens…..
This rooftop garden is all about containers filled with herbs, vegetables and flowers. Perfect for those with a compact yard or urban space.
We changed out the Black Eyed Susan plants for the autumn to a Pumpkin Planter Box.
More Planters….
Washington County Museum of Fine Arts Urn
Dried Pepper Wreath, SOLD, a creation of our abundant veggie garden!
Winter Urn Garden
Holiday Arrangement
More Thanksgiving planters full of the bounty of our harvest….
Winter Arrangement with fresh pineapples, artichokes, chili peppers and winter berries. A neo-modern twist with inspiration from classic, traditional Williamsburg, Virginia. This is Christmas decorating, using fresh, real fruits and vegetables. 
Near the street, we have two urns decked out with pine, magnolia, boxwood and other “cuts” from our yard. 
Here is our front rocking chair porch, at the Parsonage, decorated with festive greens and winter berry sprigs in the window boxes.
From our porch to yours, happy gardens to all!
Jenn at The Antique Garden
21501 Leitersburg-Smithsburg Rd
Hagerstown, Maryland
Email: antiquegarden@myactv.net We would love to hear from you!
2012 A Year of Flowers & Gardens: Part One
After editing lots of photographs and cleaning out my computer files I realized how many photos we’ve taken this year. As the year 2012 draws to a close, I thought we’d take a stroll down memory lane and show the highlights of the year. From one of my favorite flowering shrubs the hydrangea to the wonderful “Fairy Garden” we made last spring and the countless others, sit back and enjoy this visual recap of the gardens we created in 2012 at The Antique Garden.
Hydrangea Madness in March!
Sedum wall hanging and new water feature
Bogart’s Container Garden
Arts in Bloom, Hagerstown Garden Club members Betsy Hardinge, Margaret Waltersdorf and I created a floral replica of this piece of Murano Art Glass in the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in March. 
Formal Urn Arrangement for Prep School Alumni Week-end
Whimsical Fairy Garden
Blooming Garlic is a beautiful sight in the garden!
Daylilies and lots of them in the garden border~~~
Pond Frog! 
Wild Flower Queen’s Anne Lace looking elegant in the alley behind the store! Mother Nature is awesome.
The incredible Moon Flower, a night-blooming plant, is closing up for the day.
We said good-bye to dozens of our fish in 2012, as a wicked Blue Heron ate most of them. I know they aren’t flowers, but I’m still venting….ah Mother Nature….
Small Container Water Garden
Our front porch planter box is filled with Black Eyed Susan’s, the Maryland State flower.
Part 2 to be continued tomorrow, as we wrap up the year with holiday flowering arrangements. Happy Gardens Everyone and may 2013 be blooming!
Jenn at The Antique Garden
21501 Leitersburg-Smithsburg Rd
Hagerstown, Maryland
Email: antiquegarden@myactv.net we would love to hear from you!
About Us
About Us
In case you are wondering who we are, let me introduce ourselves. We are Jennifer and John Thomas owners of The Antique Garden, Inc. located in Western Maryland in a small rural village named Leitersburg. 
Located just outside of Hagerstown, Maryland we are about an hours drive to Baltimore and Washington D.C. John has been in the plant business for nearly 30+ years and has an artistic touch that is evident in his landscapes, water features and container gardens. 
I buy and sell collectibles and antiques (and what ever else catches my fancy) and also teach Intro to Visual Arts at the local college. We met about 10 yikes years ago while he was freelancing for Motif Designs, an interior design company and the Folia Company, the manufacturer of Ralph Lauren fabrics, in New York. He brought me back to Maryland and I fell in love with the countryside of the Cumberland Valley, not to mention John, and we purchased the old 1895 General Store in Leitersburg. Historic Leitersburg, Maryland is on the Civil War route as General Lee retreated from Gettysburg right down our street. After completely restoring our aged building and grounds we are proud to be opening up shop.
Services include: full landscape design and installation, specialty plants and specimens, water features and ponds, container gardens for your home or business that can be changed seasonally onsite. We feature a selection of dried flowers, urns and pots, baskets and my collection of primitives and antiques. We also love to cook and grow almost all our own pesticide-free vegetables in our gardens. You’ll notice lots of recipes on this blog, that are tried and tested by us. Our farm stand, opening in this spring, will be filled with fresh veggies like: beets, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and my canned relishes, jams, pickles and herbal vinegars. If you’re nearby or want to take a country drive, please join us at the Peach Festival in Leitersburg, Maryland in August. You can contact us at antiquegarden@myactv.net
Thanks for checking us out!
Jenn at The Antique Garden
The Best of Summer
Here is my recap or gratitude list, of what’s been going on this summer. Although some may complain about the dog-days of summer, and it has been awfully hot, I’m trying to enjoy each and every moment of this season as it seems to fly by every year. Summer doldrums be gone!
Here is my list of what we’ve accomplished from the end of May through July and some events to look forward to next month including the onslaught of the zucchini! Think positive my friends….
1. Enjoying the beauty of our pond (with Dixie).
2. We gardened with lots of sedums this summer, a smart choice for the heat.
3. My canning fest has started and I’ve made raspberry jam, canned peppers, and made relishes. When the tomatoes are ripe you won’t even see me for a few weeks.
Very satisfying indeed!
4. The bounty of our organic pesticide free garden is amazing. On a small plot we have more veggies than we can possibly consume, ergo the canning…
5. Zucchini bread to be made when the zucchini plants explode with supernatural abundance. 
6. My fairy garden was so fun to make.
7. We are looking forward to the Leitersburg Peach Festival August 11th & 12th. This is what our store looked like last year.
8. Flowers
9. New water-feature
10. Vegetable Garden and new hen house-soon to be completed….
11. Strolling on the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach Delaware
12. Golf
13. Boating with friends on the Chesapeake Bay.
14. Spending time with family
15. Sand in my toes and sunburned feet.
Quit yer complaining and make a gratitude list, it truly is the simple things that make one happy, don’t you think?
PS I made an incredible cold soup yesterday featuring beets, that I want to share. It was a Julia recipe so how could that be bad? Julia knew how to cook for sure!
Happy Gardens, Jenn from The Antique Garden
Name That Plant?
Can you identify this strange-looking plant?
No it’s not a strange mutation or genetically engineered vegetable. 
To give you a hint, yes it is in the onion family. Did you guess? According to www.jungseed.com it is called a 
Multiplier Onion. Friend, artist and fellow gardener Harold Shapiro gave me a few plants several years ago. The Multiplier Onion is a top setting onion that is a perennial heirloom variety. Also called ‘tree onions or ‘walking onions’, they form clusters of small bulbs or sets on the tips of the stalk. An established plant looks like a clump of scallions. Harvest the sweet scallion part in spring and small ‘pickling onion’ tops in the summer. Remember to leave a few bulbs to reseed for a permanent onion bed. Hmmm… I’m going to have to try to pickle my onion tops, sounds like another canning project in the works. 
For more information on the Multiplier Onion check out this site, which has all the details. There are so many unusual plants, I’m thinking of doing Name That Plant occasionally, what do you think???
Happy Gardening!
Jenn at The Antique Garden
Happy 2012 at The Antique Garden
We have been busy during 2012 gathering up some new finds and clearing out our holiday merchandise at great savings. Take a look at a few of our items this week, both old and new. The weather is cold so stay inside and shop, share and check out some ideas for home and garden.
My latest craze is gathering up photos to share on the site Pinterest. http://pinterest.com/antiquegarden/ It is fun and is like a giant bulletin board of creative ideas that is free and open to anyone who sets up an account. So while the weather is freezing outside you can collect images of that dream garden and water feature you’ve been planning for next summer.
We have been cooking up a storm in the kitchen. From Asian, Cajun and todays foray into German cuisine, it is always fun to try different ethnic foods to liven things up. Let’s see we will have the Bratwurst and sauerkraut with potato pancakes….Check out my board on Pinterest, Last Meal Game also referred to as Foods to die for, this is a foodies dream!
Happy New Year everyone, may it be healthy, happy and prosperous for all.
The Antique Garden September Tent Sale
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- You can almost smell the lavender, it is so fragrant!
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- Our tent is filled with fall vegetables, organic vegetables and canned goodies.
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- My homemade and grown by us relishes are a hit. The Chow-Chow Relish & Beet Relish are yummy.
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- We are stocked with all your favorite urns, pots and containers for all your gardening needs.
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- We have lots of dried flowers and herbs inside our 1895 store.
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- Birchwood candles are made for us by artist Harold Shapiro.
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- Natural dried flower wreaths are made locally of organic flowers.
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- Pansies give nice Fall color.
We are happy to be open on week-ends with a fresh array of fall plants and vegetables. New packs of lettuce, kale, broccoli, swiss chard, pansies and lots of grasses add a welcome touch to your garden. Inside the shop you will find dried arrangements, wreaths, candles, antiques, primitives and collectibles. New seasonal items include ornaments from Primitives by Kathy. As always we offer licensed and insured landscaping and water gardens. Stop by for a country visit in the square of Leitersburg, Maryland.
We are located at 21501 Leitersburg-Smithsburg Rd. Hagerstown, MD 21742
Jennie Avila to Perform at The Antique Garden, Leitersburg, Maryland
Singer-Songwriter Jennie Avila has been a long time friend and when we asked if she’d come out and sing at our store, she said of course! Jennie is a folk singer with a tremendous voice and has been entertaining with her talent for most of her life. Recently she has produced an album based on stories of The Civil War and is coming out this Fall with a follow-up album in this genre. Actually a fitting spot for her performance, as General Lee retreated from Gettysburg, right on our road.
When I asked Jennie to sing for us on the front porch of our 19th Century store, she said it would be her first public porch performance. We hope it won’t be her last. To come meet Ms. Avila and hear her angelic voice stop by our store in the square of Leitersburg and pull up a chair or sit on the steps, you will love it! CD’s will be available, including those from one of her other singing groups, Hot Soup, a trio of very talented women. Who knows, if asked nicely she may even perform the Janis classic, Me & Bobby McGee!
FREE Admission
When: Sunday August 14th
Time: 12:30 pm
Place: The Antique Garden on the square
21501 Leitersburg-Smithsburg Rd
Hagerstown (Leitersburg) Maryland 21742
To learn more about Jennie and her tour schedule http://www.jennieavila.com/
D5 Creation