Wreath Week (Victorian Wreath)—from GARDENING THE AMANA WAY

It's wreath week at the Bur Oak Blog! This week, we'll be showing you how to make different wreaths for this holiday season, so be sure to check out all of our posts. You may need a glue gun, a small hammer, and an awl. The final wreath we'll be doing is the Victorian wreath from Lawrence L. Rettig's Gardening the Amana Way.

Victorian Wreath

Materials: 12-inch diameter straw wreath base, three dark purple velvet bows with lace edging, three plain white lace bows, small purple straw-flowers, green velvet leaves, pine cones (I used white pine), dried double baby's breath (it's showier than single-flowered).

Directions: Arrange bows and attach to wreath with glue or pins. Attach pine cones, stem side down and evenly spaced, with glue. Glue strawflowers to base, primarily around the inside of wreath. Glue leaves to base, with base of leaf tucked in under flower, using two or three leaves per blossom. Fill in with baby's breath. If you prefer, you can substitute any color of your choice for bows and straw-flowers.

Wreath Week (Angel Hair Wreath)—from GARDENING THE AMANA WAY

It's wreath week at the Bur Oak Blog! This week, we'll be showing you how to make different wreaths for this holiday season, so be sure to check out all of our posts. You may need a glue gun, a small hammer, and an awl. Today's wreath is the angel hair wreath from Lawrence L. Rettig's Gardening the Amana Way.

Angel Hair Wreath

Materials: 12-inch diameter straw wreath base, angel hair, white bows, small gold bells, small gold angels, stringed gold pearls, dried lavender sprigs or other fragrant herb (optional).

Directions: Attach the dried lavender sprigs or other fragrant herb to the wreath with wire pins. Remove angel hair from packaging and tease it by pulling it apart both lengthwise and widthwise until it thins to the point where some of it is see-through. Attach one end of the strand to side of wreath with wire pins and work your way around wreath, anchoring angel hair to base with pins as you go. Strive for a billowy, ethereal effect, but try to keep the basic round shape of the wreath so that it doesn't look lopsided. Weave pearl string over and under hair and around the back of the base, attaching with pins as you go. Glue bows, bells, and small gold angels to base.

Wreath Week (Santa Wreath)—from GARDENING THE AMANA WAY

It's wreath week at the Bur Oak Blog! This week, we'll be showing you how to make different wreaths for this holiday season, so be sure to check out all of our posts. You may need a glue gun, a small hammer, and an awl. Today we'll start with the Santa Wreath from Lawrence L. Rettig's Gardening the Amana Way.

Santa Wreath

Materials: 12-inch diameter straw wreath base, dyed club moss (Lycopodium clavatum), styrofoam 1-inch thick, 18-gauge floral stem wire, floral wire pins, wrapping paper, tiny bows, assorted small Santas. You may substitute small-needled evergreens, either fresh or artificial, for the moss.

Directions: Begin by arranging the Santas on a flat surface until you find an arrangement that you like. Start with the larger Santas and fill in with smaller ones. Transfer Santas to wreath base, gluing each one in place with your glue gun. Wrap small blocks of Styrofoam with wrapping paper and decorate with bows. Fill in spaces around Santas with packages, leaving some room to add the moss, and attach with glue gun. Attach small overlapping bunches of moss to the wreath with floral wire pins. Push pins firmly into base to hold moss in place. If pins are difficult to insert, use a small hammer to tap them tightly into the wreath base.

International Year of Family Farming 2014

We’re coming to the end of the International Year of FamilyFarming. It’s winter here in Iowa—the harvest is in and snow covers the ground. We’re grateful for the food that family farmers all over the world work so hard to cultivate, and we wish everyone a prosperous and healthy 2015.

Iowa Farm in Your Pocket; photographs © Kirk Murray.

Photo from A YEAR OF IOWA NATURE, by Carl Kurtz

Missing spring? In this photo, a walnut tree sprouts new leaves. See more in Carl Kurtz's book, A Year of Iowa Nature: Discovering Where We Live.

Cyber Monday with the University of Iowa Press

It's Cyber Monday! If you're getting a head start on your holiday shopping, a book is always a perfect gift! Make sure you check out the University of Iowa Press sale book page today.

Dean Adkins's Potato Supreme—from NEIGHBORING ON THE AIR

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the University of Iowa Press! We hope you have a safe and happy holiday. We have one last recipe for you to consider for your Thanksgiving meal plans, this time from Neighboring on the Air, by Evelyn Birkby.

Dean Adkins's Potato Supreme

12 large potatoes, cooked and mashed
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 pint sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
Pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups grated cheese (optional)

Combine mashed potatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, garlic salt, and pepper to taste. Put in a baking dish and bake in a slow oven (250 degrees) for 1 hour. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Dean says, "This can also be cooked on low in the crockpot for a couple of hours or so. It is a good recipe for Sunday go-to-meetin' dinners. It's delicious."