The Greenhouse at Epcot

My daughter suggested we take this tour of Epcot's Greenhouse, knowing how we are about growing things. I'm sure she remembers pulling weeds in my 1/4 acre garden back in Idaho!

Epcot is practicing some very innovative growing techniques, of which I would love to try if I had the kind of money it takes to create some of these structures. Not all of them are over the top expensive to reproduce, and my garden next year just may implement some of these ideas!

One of these days I will have bananas that produce bananas! This stand of bananas is HUGE!

What a clever way to grow cucumbers! With some PVC pipe I think we can do this on a smaller scale.

This growing system produces 27 thousand heads of lettuce a year, which they use at the park.

What a great way to grow tomatoes!

How's that for growing a lot of product in a small space?

I love Rosemary, and this just about blew my mind!

No need to wash the dirt off your squash! See the roots of the plants hanging down?

I had no idea this would work for sweet potatoes, but it does.

Some beautiful Swiss Chard!

This is a small sample of what they are growing. I wish I had snapped a pic of everything they had!
There is even a tank of tilapia below a planting system, and the fish feed the plants, and the plants feed the fish. I plan on going back and getting more pics!

There are several techniques here that can be used in normal gardening. I really like the idea of hanging tomatoes, and other veggies.

Does this give you any ideas for your next garden?

Until I see ya'll again...

Love,
Del

Fun at Epcot

Hello! Are you ready for another tour around Epcot?

Shae snapped a pic of us going into the park...we are excited!

Hubby played a racing game. It was something to do with being on a mission as a spy, and catching the bad guy. He did very well, and became a super spy... or something like that!

We do like to clown around a bit, as you will see.

Hubby would have been a fierce and handsome Viking! He does have some Norwegian blood flowing through his veins.

He's a bit too tall to pass for Chinese though!

Shae spotted a pay phone....check out that expression. LOL We had no idea these still existed!

I had her complete the pose!

 Here we are in Italy...the sun was in my eyes even with my shades on...the reason for the crabby look.

 The mosaics in Morocco are phenomenal!

  Did you know they brought mosaic artist from Morocco to do the mosaic work at Epcot???
Heather enlightened us. She worked at Disney World/Epcot for 4 years, she also really knows her way around the parks!

There's a Cranberry Bog in Epcot right now...I guess for the fall and holiday season.

I love cranberries! Sauces, and Craisins, and anything you can put them in!

Hubby saw spotted this BIG toad, or frog. These lily pads are huge, too.

I'm kind of a nature nut! I see wildlife, or pretty plants and scenery and I have to take pics.

This was taken inside of Italy on our way to the Gondola ride.

Even the drinking fountains were dressed up.

I even got a couple of shots of Beast and Belle!

They look exactly the same to me. I don't think a single person moved between my shots!

 More mosaics in another area...these were really amazing, and covered both side of an entrance about 25 ft long!

This was on our way out...I look beat! Didn't get a chance to paste a smile on :)

The end of the day...aaahhhhh. I am full! bloated! and tired!

Tomorrow I'll show you around inside the greenhouse at Epcot. It is truly amazing! I sure have been rethinking my gardening strategy!!!

Have a GREAT Day! See you tomorrow!

Love,
Del

Epcot Food and Wine Festival 2011

I hope you all had an excellent weekend! I know I did, and it started on Friday!

Our youngest daughter, Shae, bought us tickets for the Food & Wine Festival for our birthdays :D
Her BFF Heather joined us, and we ate our way around the world!

I took enough pictures to do more than one post on Epcot...I'm thinking maybe even 3.

Lets start with the FOOD!

Dessert Trio: Lemon Chiffon, White Chocolate Macadamia Mousse with Dark Chocolate Pearls, Tres Leches Verrine

 We had dessert first! Why not???

Grilled Lamb Chop with Potato Goat Cheese Salad and Shiraz Reduction from Australia!

MMMMM this was one of my favorites!

From Canada...

Oh! Canada!

Hubby had the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup, and the Chicken Chipotle Sausage with Sweet Corn Polenta. I had the Maple and Moosehead Beer Glazed Salmon with Barley Salad...and it was to die for delish! So beautiful on the plate that I gobbled it down before I even remembered my camera hanging from wrist. OOPS!

Same thing happened in Greece!

 Hubby and I both had the Chicken Souvlaki with Tzitiki, and Shae had the Grilled Greek Cheese with Pistachios and Honey. Heather had the Souvlaki, too. I was going to borrow Shae's pics from Flickr, but she hasn't uploaded them :(

Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple and Spicy Mayonnaise

 From Hawaii, and it was the only thing on the plate...don't know why it looks so messy. Anywho...
Kalua is the style of cooking and is spelled correctly....it doesn't have Kahlua in it. It was yummy! Shae and Heather had the Seven Tiki Mai Tai's...they also drank their way around the world!

 Here's Shae with one of several drinks she had!

and Heather with another libation!

 Scandinavian Rice Pudding with Driscoll's Only the Finest Berries. OMG! The Swedish Meatballs with Lingonberries were amazing, too.

Steamed Mussels with Roasted Garlic Cream and baguette, Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream, Guylian Belgian Chocolate Seahorse Truffles

I think I could live on the other side of the world with food like this!

On to Germany...

Nuernberger Sausage in a Pretzel Roll

Apple Strudel Featuring Werther's Original Karamel and Vanilla Sauce

Cheese is not a country, but it had it's own booth!

Artisan Cheese Selection with Le Delice de Bourgogne Lincet, Thomasville Tomme Sweet Grass Dairy, and Chevre Affine Wyngaard Kaas

Cheese Fondue with Sourdough Bread

I must say the fondue was awful :( Someone messed this batch up...unless it was supposed to have a grainy texture. I'm used to smooth, creamy, delicious fondue...and this was not.

Linda Bean's Lobster Claw Cuddler with Drawn Butter

I had the Lobster Roll, too...but split it with hubby before I thought to take a pic.
They were excellent! I love lobster!

We totally gobbled down France!

Escargots Persillade en Brioche (Snails in Garlic and Parsley Brioche)

I wolfed down 1 and gave hubby 1 before I remembered a pic. I love Escargot! He had the Coq au Vin sur Gratin de Macaroni. Shae had the Chocolate Creme Brulee...and said my Creme Brulee is better. She always has it for her birthday! Her birthday is this coming weekend!!!

This one dish has me longing for a trip to Ireland!

Lobster and Scallop Fisherman's Pie, Warm Chocolate Lava Cake with Baily's Ganache

The Lobster and Scallop Pie was better than I imagined...had I not been so full I would have had another. I skipped on the Chocolate Lava Cake. I could SMELL the alcohol in it...so I dipped my finger in just a tich and could taste it, too...as good as it looks it's not worth a trip to the hospital, and possibly the funeral home :(  That's okay, I had several desserts throughout the day :)

I wish I had taken pics of everything the 4 of us ate. I challenge you to do it! Just try! The food is so scrumptious, and pretty, it is difficult not to just dig in!

The Seahorse Truffles were cute! I didn't want to eat them but I did. I gave one to hubby.

Seahorse Truffles

We had so much fun that we decided to make this a yearly tradition! I can't wait to see what they have next year!

I have been sleeping all weekend trying to recuperate LOL. and I may never eat again...at least not for the next week! Just kidding ;)

If you are in the area, have never been, and can get tickets, you should go! Especially if you are a FOODIE!

Which foods look good to you?

I'll be back tomorrow with some fun pics from Epcot!

Love,
Del