How to make an Icebowl for the Summer Table.

As I was making elderflower champagne and cordial this year I was thinking how pretty the flowers were and how I should freeze some in iceblocks to make a pretty addition to our summer drinks.  Then I remembered how back last century I used to make icebowls for the festive table – a simple but stunning look.  I could make an ice bowl using elderflowers and match it with gooseberries for example. What a great way to serve any cold food, fruit, salad, icecream or even cold soups.

I have made one with elderflowers but you can use any edible flower, herb or plant or slices of orange or lemon.  You can get really creative and mix and match colours and shapes.  Some plants you can use are; violas, pansies, borage flowers, herbs, chive flowers, cucumber slices, calendula, lavender, oranges, lemons  and so on.   A great idea for the summer Christmas table for those of us in the southern hemisphere.   If you are eating outdoors this will keep your salads and deserts cool for as long as the course is on but of course the bowl will be melting. No extra dishes to wash though.  Another advantage is that you can make it ahead of time and make as many as you can fit in the freezer.  There are so many combinations you can use so get creative and try this.

What you will need.

Two  bowls - one that will fit inside the other. I used a 25cm enamel bowl with a 21 cm smaller bowl fitted inside. 

Strong sticky tape.   

Tin of beans or similar to weigh second bowl down. 

Skewer to push flowers into position.                                    A couple of ice blocks.

A  jug of water.

Directions.

Clear a space in the freezer first so you can place your bowl on the level until it freezes.

Collect the flowers or herbs that you want to use and rinse them clean.

Place your flower arrangement starting on the bottom of the bowl – arranging out from the centre. 

Lay down the ice blocks on the base of the big bowl so you can sit the second bowl on them. You don’t need to do this but it is a helpful  to keep the bowl in place and stop your plants from floating where you don’t want them.

Tape the 2 bowls together in position. Make the gap about 1 inch or about 2.5 cm apart. The thicker the ice the longer it will last. Experiment to find the size you prefer.

Carefully pour the cold water into the bowl.  Weight top bowl down.  Add more flowers into the sides of the bowls and use your skewer to place them in position.

Freeze overnight.

Once frozen, take out and pop the bowl briefly into a sink of warm water until it comes loose. Same with the top bowl if you need to.   Put into a plastic bag and pop back into the freezer until you need it.

If you want your bowl to be clear boil your water first then cool. 

Some more ideas;

Individual bowls for kids. Get them to make their own. Great for children’s parties with icecream jelly or berries in.  (Imagine lavender icecream served in lavender decorated ice bowls!)

I saw somewhere an icebucket bowl – will try that for my elderflower bubbly. 

Use flowers and decorate to go with your colour theme.

Use cucumber slices and herbs or other vegetables to make ones for salad.

https://www.pinterest.com/cabbagemackay/icebowl-inspiration/  

Garden Notes for the Family Vegetable Garden December

Abundance in the Kitchen Garden

   You should be well into eating from your garden this month – a reward for all the hard work you put in!  Keep picking and eating your fresh produce and keep sowing and planting to ensure a good long season.  Be observant this month too for signs of water stress – it’s better to give the ground a good deep watering once a week than a lot of little sprinkles.  Mulching will continue to be important to keep the weeds at bay and keep any moisture in the soil in.

     Mound up potatoes and if you have access to seaweed, mulch down the rows with seaweed, manure and straw. The beauty of this is that once you have harvested those spuds, you can dig all that mulch into the ground and the soil will  love you for it.  There are so many good things about mulching – it does its job for the season and is then dug into the soil helping to create good structure and adding vital nutrients.   

     If you planted early enough you should have some delicious new potatoes for Christmas – even if you have to bandicoot them by reaching your hand into the row and pinching a few off the main plant, leaving it to continue to grow. New potatoes are different to main crop ones in that they are ready once they start to flower. Pink flowers indicates red varieties and white flowers, white.  Peas traditionally make an appearance at Christmas as well with the oldest and the youngest family members assigned the task of shelling the fesh peas.

    There’s so much going on in the December garden and it’s a busy time. Keep an eye on your plants to watch they don’t get stressed by either too much or too little water.  If you are away over Christmas think about how you can manage the garden. Avoid having seedlings ready to be planted during this time unless you can get them in. Ask a neighbour or a friend to check on the garden in return for some of the harvest. Put pot plants into the shade and make sure they have plenty of water.

Jobs for this Month

Sow:  Keep up succession sowing. Beans, carrots, lettuces, Swedes, turnips, spinach, radishes etc.

Plant: Cabbage, Cauli, corn, celery, leeks, lettuces, spinach, courgettes, pumpkins, capsicums, chillies, tomatoes in a warm spot.

Stake: beans and peas.

Cultivate: Thin beetroot to 15 cm apart. Mound up main crop potatoes. Liquid manure green and fruiting crops such as courgettes, tomatoes etc but hold off on roots and tubers like garlic, onions and potatoes to allow them to start drying off.

Harvest: Garlic – traditionally starts on the longest day (21^st Dec). Stop watering now and harvest when still 6 green leaves per plant.  Pick peas and beans regularly to keep them producing. Eat lots of lettuces, herbs, spinach, potatoes, asparagus (until mid-Dec), strawberries and other soft fruits.