Summer is a great time to start a kitchen herb garden. If you have a sunny windowsill, you can grow herbs and even small lettuces such as rocket and lolla rossa to use for cooking.  Antheia sells local organically grown herbs in terra cotta pots for $10.  Here's a recipe for salad dressing from Antheia co-owner and chef, Mike Schwartz:

1.    Puree in blender or with hand blender everything except the buttermilk.
2.   Stir in the buttermilk. Season with salt and pepper

Mike isn't good at making small amounts of anything. You could probably cut this recipe in half for a normal sized portion!    

 

People are always a little shocked when I say tell them I don't have a green thumb.  "But you're a florist!" is the inevitable response.  The keyword there, florist, refers to flowers, not plants.  But I do love plants and I love having them in the store, and fortunately I have a great staff that knows more about keeping plants alive than I do (come meet our newest member, Irena, who also has her own landscape design business). I have also discovered succulents in the past few years. These hardy plants hold water for long periods of time like cacti, and they don't need a lot of maintenance. Some, referred to as "air plants",  can even survive without soil, just place them on a shallow plate with some river rocks and a little water.  Succulents only need to be watered about once a month and can be put outdoors in summer for a fabulous terrace or patio display. See our plant suggestions here.

Today is Earth Day and with all the talk of "going green", this year should be even more special.  At Antheia we are investigating ways to offer organic, fair trade and sustainably raised flowers. We're not able to guarantee fully organic yet, but we do buy organic and local when it's possible.  In the summer we'll have more information about our favorite local flower farm, The River Garden www.cenyc.org/greenmarket/ourfarmers .  Today we are featuring Eco Herbs by the Japanese company, Style Meets People www.smpstyle.com .  Eco Herbs are available with rucola (arugula), lemon balm, basil and aojiso (a Japanese herb also called perilla), the perfect size for a sunny windowsill. The pot is biodegradeable and can be put right into the ground. Eco Herbs are $16.

 

Administrative Professionals Day is Wednesday April 23.  We're featuring this beautiful spring bouquet of Big Fun roses, purple sweet pea, hyacinth and fresh lavender in a green ceramic pot, just the right size for a desk, or to take home.  This arrangement starts at $65.  For  a non-traditional twist, try our cluster of carnations and thistle in a julep cup (perfect for holding pens and things later) shown below which starts at $50.

When giving the gift of flowers, some people prefer large, loud bouquets that pack a big "wow" factor, but often the flowers are cheap and unattractive, that's why they can pack so many in them!  At Antheia, we specialize in  small, fragrant and artfully arranged bouquets. We really put a lot of thought into which flowers compliment each other in form, color and fragrance. Here's a collection of colorful flowers arranged in an antique sugar bowl.  Small, but very significant!