Forget-me-nots!  Oh, the forget-me-nots!  Spring brings them to us.  Like a Monet painting,  the sky is a mirror of blue upon the ground.  Broad swaths of heavenly blue grace the landscape of Tasha’s gardens and frame the buds and blossoms of flowering crabs and lilacs, soft shades of pinks and lavender, white, too.  Alongside the paths, the ground is thick with violets, and Quaker Ladies lend a softer hue of blue to the marshy open areas of the wildflower garden.

In the late 1940’s, about the time when many American homes were being outfitted with the newest modern conveniences, Tasha Tudor moved to a run-down (one could say, dilapidated) 1789 New Hampshire farmhouse with no electricity, no running water, and no heat besides a few wood stoves. She was also a mother of two small children. While to some, this combination of circumstances might sound harrowing, for Tasha it was a dream realized.

I remember hearing someone ask my grandmother which season she preferred best. She explained she liked them all, and that when one ended she looked forward to the next. I don’t recall her exact words in answer to that question, but imagine it was a good explanation of her views on the matter. In any event, by the time winter ended she was always ready for spring. 

“I haven't any modesty when it comes to my garden. I'll boast like mad.” -Tasha Tudor

For Tasha Tudor, much of the year revolved around planning, planting, and maintaining her exquisite garden. In the still of winter, Tasha poured over seed catalogues in search of favorite vegetable varieties and exotic blooms. Seed packets would arrive in March, much anticipated. But it wasn’t until April and early May that the ground had thawed enough to put seeds into the earth. Even before all the snow melted Tasha could be seen, barefoot and clad in her ever-present gardening scarves and apron, checking up on the growth and well-being of her beloved plant friends. By June, at long last, the garden was alive with the bright green of new leaves and a riot of color so pleasing to the eye from the many flowers--periwinkle forget-me-nots, pink, orange, and cream hollyhocks, purple columbine and more--that surrounded Corgi Cottage in such exuberant beauty. There is nothing so glorious as Vermont in full bloom.

Grandparents, grand-friends, and little grand ones: on April 29th, join two very lucky grandsons Will Moses and Winslow Tudor, as they present their recent books, Fairy Tales for Little Folks and The Tasha Tudor Family Cookbook, and share memories of their famous forebears. Make a “recipe in a jar” from the Tudor cookbook to bring home for a great Mother’s Day gift, and join Will Moses in creating a Moses style mural to celebrate your grand, inter-generational love.

“Often there are colored eggs in your shoes or in your best bonnet. Or a basket of ducklings beside your bowl of porridge. There might even be a bunny in Grandma’s rocking chair. You can never really tell, for anything might happen on Easter.” - A Tale for Easter

Tasha Tudor went out of her way to make every day full of beauty and magic. This was especially true on holidays. Whether for Christmas, Valentines Day, or birthdays, Tasha and her family spent many hours preparing decorations, gifts, and delectable treats to mark the occasion. 

Easter was the main event of Spring, perhaps second only to Christmas when it came to preparing elaborate decorations! Her son, Seth Tudor, remembers the sometimes harrowing tasks he and his siblings were given in the lead-up to Easter, “We would take brown or white chicken eggs (occasionally the larger duck and goose eggs), puncture a small hole in either end, and using mouth pressure, force out the contents--neither an easy nor enjoyable task.” 

It is with both delight and sorrow that we share the following news. Delight because Tasha's world is being enjoyed by so many people in Japan.  Sorrow for our American friends because you must live in Japan to view or buy the new offerings we're sharing today.

I assembled the Tasha Tudor and Family Cookbook: Heirloom Recipes and Warm Memories from Corgi Cottage with the idea that although the receipts are straight-forward enough, the cook and baker's philosophy sometimes is not. My grandmother generally used the same type of food that had been available in her youth: seasonal and pretty basic. I think some of what made her meals so memorable was the care she took to provide an attractive setting for it.