For the last few years, we have offered an afternoon tea here at the farm. Afternoon tea is a 150 year old English tradition. In the 19th century, the upper class did not eat until eight o'clock in the evening. Therefore there was a long stretch of time between lunch and dinner. For a certain countess, Anna van Bedford, this was too long a time to go without. Therefore she had her butler serve tea and sandwiches with cake around four o'clock. Frequently she asked friends over and through this method the habit spread throughout the aristocracy. Now - a century and a half later - afternoon tea has spread to all the English citizens.

The Wooden Shoe Herb Farm serves a scheduled afternoon tea twice a year. Our afternoon tea includes crackers with herbal toppings, sandwiches with salmon and dill, mint and cucumber, tomato, cream cheese and basil and egg salad with lovage. Scones with jam and cream. A selection of herbal cakes. A sorbet, cookies and a wonderful rich desert will complete the tea. This will all be accompanied with a herbal water and lemon verbena tea. We have a beautiful setting that lends itself to spending some relazing leisure time to feed the soul. Come and enjoy an informative talk as you sit under the pines, overlooking the gardens while you indulge in herbal goodies. Everything is homemade here at the farm.

There is a limited enrollment, so give us a call or send in the registration form to sign up. This year we will be offering two teas, on June 21st and July 5th, at 1:00 p.m. The talk and the handout will be on Calendula, the herb of the year 2008. A demonstration of making a Calendula herbal salve will be on-going at this tea and each participant will go home with a jar of salve.

If you would like a tea at a special time for your group, please call the farm to arrange this event.