O is for Osage-Orange

O is for

Osage-Orange

Fruit of the Osage-Orange

The Osage-Orange or Bois D' Arc tree

is native to the Red River drainage areas

of Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

Osage-Orange or Bois D'Arc Tree with Fallen Fruit Below on the Right

 It is also widely grown in many parts of the US. 

 These trees were often planted to create 

a hedge row or wind break. 

Yellow-green Fruit of the Osage-Orange or Bois D'Arc Tree

Historically significant, the Osage-Orange was the

primary tree used for the "Great Plains Shelterbelt" WPA Project

which President Franklin D Roosevelt launched in 1934.

Clusters of Fruit on a Bois D'Arc Tree

The Native Americans of the Osage Nation 

used the strong, but flexible wood of the 

Osage-Orange to craft bows for hunting.

More Horse Apples Ready to Fall

The Osage-Orange produces the most interesting 

lime green spherical fruit in the fall. 

They are often called horse apples, 

though horses don't eat these.  

They are basically an inedible fruit. 

Fruit From the Osage-Orange

Once the grapefruit size balls of green ripen,

they fall to the ground.

The fruit of this tree is filled with a sticky sap,

so they feel a bit sticky to the touch.

Close Up View of a Horse Apple

 Unlike a smooth grapefruit, the horse apples are bumpy. 

 They are covered with clusters of rounded bumps 

like clusters of kernels of corn on a cob.

Osage-Orange in Parc De Proce, Nantes

In 2011 while visiting 

Parc De Proce in Nantes, France,

I saw hedge apples scattered about the ground.

Much to my surprise I looked up to see the

park had Osage-Orange trees labeled

as coming from America.

A young child found them to

be the perfect ball to kick about.

Me, I find them to be the perfect organic touch

for fall in one of my dough bowls.

Click here to read more about the 

Osage-Orange tree and horse apples. 

Joining

Alphabet Thursday @ Jenny Matlock's

Share Your Style @ Northern Nesting

Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen

Home and Garden Thursday @ Delightsome Life

Foodie Friday and Everything Else @ Rattlebridge Farm

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Simple and Sweet Fridays @ Rooted in Thyme

Anything Blue Friday @ The Dedicated House

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Fridays Unfolded @ Nancherrow

Friday Party @ Oh My Heartsie Girl

Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound

Sundays Down Under @ Natasha in Oz

Blue Monday @ Smiling Sally

Mosaic Monday @ Lavender Cottage

Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings

Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House

Inspire Me Monday @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With An E

The Scoop @ Cedar Hill Ranch

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life
Show and Share @ Coastal Charm

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Outdoor Wednesday @ Southern Daydreamer

What's It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephant

Autumn Delights

November is quickly coming to a close, 

and I'm savoring some favorites of the season.

Pardoned Turkeys

Hooray for Apple and Cider!

Mini Pumpkins

Pecan Pie

Bowls of Horse Apples

And Bowls of 

Pumpkins and Acorns

Natural Horn Votives

A Favorite

Piece of Vintage Silver

Redware Pottery 

and a Vintage Candy Container

Shawnne Pottery Squirrel 

and Courtly Check Acorns

Pumpkin Pie

Familiar Faces

Tom Turkey from 

Midwest Importers, c. 1980s

Redware Turkey Platter

Another Favorite 

Vintage Turkey Candy Container

Rum Cake

Amber Turkey Dishes 

from William Sonoma

Turkey Tureen from Portugal

Honey Glazed Texas Pecans

Onion Walnut Muffins ~ Eatable Acorn Style ~

Folk Art Wooden Turkey

by Beaver Creek Woodworks, Beaman, Iowa

A Bountiful 

Thanksgiving Dinner 2010

Followed by 

Too Many Choices for Dessert

All Guarded by this 

Handsome Whimsical Critter!

Hope you enjoyed time 

spent with family and friends.

Linkiing to

A Few of My Favorite Things @

Bargaining Hunting & Chatting with Laurie

Seasonal Sundays @

The Tablescaper

A Harvest of Horse Apples

Last fall while visiting a friend in Dallas, I learned about Horse Apples. You can read my original post on this interesting fruit here.

I suppose I'd seen them before, but never paid them any attention. Turns out there is a Bois D'Arc tree near my home. It dropped its horse apples into the street for weeks.

I gathered some up and brought them home to enjoy. They fit perfectly in the antique wooden dough bowl I found while in Santa Fe this past summer.

I had a little fun playing with them in the afternoon shadows.

Linking to

Seasonal Sundays w/ The Tablescaper

Shadow Shot Sunday w/ Hey Harriet

Boeuf Bourguignon Family Dinner

French Fäience Figural Mustard by Alcide Chaumeil

It's Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch. Let's see what the chef has planned for dinner.

Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon

With the change of seasons, the cooler weather is the perfect time to make a stew, and what better choice than Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon. To quote Julia, "As is the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good bouef bourguignon. Carefully done, and perfectly flavored, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man, and can well be the main course for a buffet dinner. Fortunately you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavor when reheated. "

Boeuf Bourguignon with Boiled Potatoes and Snow Peas

Those of you who follow my blog know that my husband is the chef in our household. Not only do I and our family and friends benefit from the fruits of his labors, having my own personal chef allows me more time to "play with the dishes" to set the table.

Dinner for Four

That's just what I did this week when we invited family over for dinner. While my husband was busy preparing the beouf bourguignon, I put together this setting for our meal.

I started with pewter chargers topped with white dinner plates in Wedgwood Nantucket. The flatware is Lauffer stainless in the Bedford pattern.

I like to use folded tea towels as placemats because of the size of the chargers. These are 100% cotton made in France for Williiams Sonoma.

The woven details in these linens are lovely. The borders are woven in tones of gold and tones of taupe and feature cows, chickens, rabbits, and ducks with vines and flowers. They offer a charming French country feel to go with the theme of a casual one dish dinner.

I used napkins in olive green and aubergine which are also from Williams Sonoma. The pewter napkin rings are each engraved with a different flower motif and are from the Netherlands.

I decided to use some contemporary Quimper pottery that we purchased about ten years ago. We have dinner plates and wide shallow dish bowls in this pattern. The plates have a scalloped rim so I included them on top of the white Nantucket for a touch of variety to the concentric circles of the other dishes.

These dishes are not typical of most pottery made in Quimper. They were produced at Fäiencerie Kéraluc by the artist L'Helguen. We purchased them at Gina Linzza's charming shop, Méli Mélo, in Houston, TX

.

You can see that the bowls are wide and shallow, perfect for stew. I often use these bowls for pasta dishes or main course salads.

The glassware is a mix of Ralph Lauren crystal in the Glen Plaid pattern and stems of Arte Italica's crystal with pewter bases.

I pulled in the metal 

leaf dish for bread service.

Each of the plates and bowls of the Quimper 

set are a bit different but of the same stylized flower theme.

I like the gray tones of this pottery 

with the pewter and the gold and taupe of the linens.

For a center piece, I used the wooden container of horse apples and ceramic acorns that I showed in this week's Outdoor Wednesday. You can read about them here.

I added small containers made of natural horn to hold votives and mixed in a few of the oversized ceramic acorns.

The glow of the candles through the natural horn adds a bit of warmth to the setting. I purchased these at Gump's several years ago and like to use them for small bouquets of flowers as well.

Dinner is ready, 

so sit down and have a bite. 

 It's delicious!

A glass of red wine is perfect with this dish. 

 Julia recommends a Beaujolais, a Bordeaux, or a Burgundy.

The sides of boiled potatoes and snow peas are the perfect compliment to the beef cooked in red wine with bacon, onions, and mushrooms.

We enjoyed apple cranberry pie for dessert with a scoop of Haagen Daz vanilla ice cream. The individual pies were made using a nifty mold from Williams Sonoma. Can you tell where we like to shop?

The pie molds come in various shapes (star, heart, apple, and pumpkin) and make perfect little pocket pies for individual servings. You can check them out here at Williams Sonaoma. I used the pie curst recipe found on the box and the apple cranberry pie recipe found on the WS site here.

I pulled in some more of our Quimper collection to serve the pocket pies. These dessert plates are part of a set made by Paul Fouillen, c1950. I used pumpkin shaped doilies under the pies, but this is what the decor is like. Each of the twelve dessert plates, the cake plate, and the server are all hand painted with a different stylized creature from the sea. The browns, greens, and rust colors of this fäience are definitely the color pallet of autumn. Notice the rim of these plates are hand crimped. They are very delicate in feel.

Paul Fouillen and his son, 

Maurice Fouillen, are known for their distinctive pottery.

Thanks for joining me today. Please leave a comment below so I know who stopped by. Then click here to visit Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch where you'll be treated to some fabulous tablescapes.