>> "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following... ♪♪ At home.

♪♪ At work.

♪♪ Or anytime.

♪♪ CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists at Albertsons Companies.

>> With additional support from the following... PassionRoses... Suntory Flowers.

♪♪ >> We're thinking about the days of wine and roses in today's show, including a visit with a local winemaker, entertaining with roses, finding inspiration and enjoying an appetizer or two.

♪♪ ♪♪ I'm J Schwanke.

Welcome to "Life in Bloom."

"They are not long, the days of wine and roses."

The phrase "the days of wine and roses" is originally from a poem by Ernest Dowson, and it evokes a bygone era of innocence, simplicity, and youth, a concept most of us can appreciate, which also has personal and romantic relatability for many.

Dowson's poem was an inspiration for the movie of the same name, as well as its award-winning music composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer.

Wine is perhaps more popular now than ever.

Let's explore ways in which wine and flowers come together to create a wistful and relaxing setting.

♪♪ Today, I'm thrilled to visit with owner of Lost Fawn Winery winemaker Crystal Palasek, whose winemaking began over eight years ago, fueled by a love of chemistry, a deep connection to the land, and a fascination with the rich history of winemaking.

So, Crystal, this is wonderful to be in an apple orchard early in the morning with you.

>> Yes, yes.

It's so beautiful.

This is -- This is one thing that I love about farming.

>> Yeah.

>> And meeting our local farmers and making wine.

Just being out in nature, seeing the produce growing, hearing the birds.

>> It's amazing.

So tell us where we are.

>> We are at Hanulcik Farm in Ionia, Michigan.

>> Their strawberries, their peaches go into your wine.

>> Correct, yes.

>> Okay.

I'm interested about, like, how many peaches does it take to make wine?

>> Well, the size that I'm going to be doing -- 400 pounds.

>> [ Laughs ] Okay.

Alright.

Is it the same with strawberries, too?

>> Strawberries, yes.

Takes a lot of strawberries to make.

We did 200 gallons, and that was 700 pounds of strawberries that we had to put in the tanks.

>> What made you decide "I'm going to be a winemaker in Michigan, and I'm going to do strawberry rhubarb, and I'm going to do peach"?

>> Well, my grandpa did it for 40 years.

He made wine.

>> Oh, my goodness.

>> But the funny thing about it, I didn't get into it with my grandpa.

I love chemistry and I love living off the land.

My grandpa, he was a farmer.

I got in that wine wormhole and started reading books, talking to other winemakers, taking fruit from my property, tweaking recipes and giving it to friends.

And they just kept coming back for more and more.

And they was like, "Your wine is wonderful.

It actually tastes like the fruit."

>> I love your concept of a winery without walls.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> And so tell me more about that.

>> I love being out here, talking to the community, talking to the farmers.

So that's why we don't have the traditional tasting room.

I love being out exploring, trying the fruit and everything, instead of being tied down to a winery.

>> So you were telling me about this.

I was very curious that when you create the wine.

What do you do with this?

>> So when I create the wine... That's why I love science and just nature.

I am looking at the fruit itself.

The smell.

Just checking to see how much sugar level.

And just looking at the quality, looking at the soil to make sure it's a good product before I put it in my tanks.

>> Got it.

>> Yes.

And literally we, like, split it in half, take the pit out because the seed is poisonous.

Yeah, the seed is poisonous.

And we ferment the whole peach in our wine because with fruit, they have their own natural wild yeast, their own tannins in there.

>> Okay.

>> So we tend to try to use those natural resources from our fruit.

>> I love that the whole thing goes in there.

I mean, that's fascinating to me and that's something magical that I learned today from you as well, is that it takes all of this.

>> Yes.

>> So what's your favorite part about being a winemaker?

>> Oh, actually tasting and eating fruit, all the different fruits and the pairing, pairing the wine with the food and talking to people.

A lot of people are scared of wine because they probably ran into that one wine snob.

And... >> We've all been there.

>> Yes.

And, like, I always tell them it's up to you.

It's what your palate tastes.

If you taste -- If you drink my wine, and you say, "Hey, I taste bubble gum," oh, that's what your palate tastes.

You taste bubble gum.

That's amazing.

It doesn't matter if you -- what your palate tastes.

It's what you like.

If you like it, drink it.

>> So, Crystal, we have a tradition at "Life in Bloom," and it's a flower crown.

And this is for you.

>> Love it.

Oh.

I like it, like a princess.

>> I did pretty well.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> Yeah.

Well, thank you.

Thanks again, I appreciate it.

>> Thank you.

♪♪ >> This is my niece, and I'm crazy about her.

And so you're going to cook with us today, Gracie.

You are a teacher.

You are a scientist.

And you're an incredible cook.

>> Oh, thank you so much.

>> So these are Grace's famous cheese puffs.

>> I don't know about the famous part.

>> Which are so -- Oh, they're famous.

They're at least famous in our house.

>> Okay, okay.

>> So, yeah, they're so delicious.

>> And they're really, really easy to do.

They come together really quickly.

So this is something that when my husband and I have people coming over, we can set up in 30 minutes before people come over and they're coming out of the oven hot as people are there.

So we're going to start with some butter in the pan.

I already just have it in there.

>> This is unsalted butter.

>> Yes, unsalted butter.

I'm going to add in some milk.

>> Okay.

>> And then I'm also going to add a little bit of salt too.

So I know I just said we want to have that unsalted butter.

But by having the unsalted butter, we are in control of how much salt is going into our cheese puffs.

So it's a little bit easier to know, is this going to be too salty or not?

So we are just going to melt this down.

I want to try to bring this up to a simmer.

What I'm making here is called a choux.

The French term is the pate à choux.

So again, same thing.

That's what we're making for these cheese puffs.

So you can definitely see some steam coming up.

The butter is mostly melted at this point, starting to see some bubbles around the edge, meaning that we're getting close to that simmering temperature.

As you can see, we're starting to boil a little bit.

I'm going to turn this down because I don't want it to do anything to the milk.

So at this point I'm going to add my flour in.

And this is a very quick transformation.

So I'm just going to pour in and I'm going to start stirring.

You can use a whisk at this stage.

I don't like to though because you're going to need a wooden spoon later.

And so I just kind of am like that's one more thing I'm going to have to clean.

And the wooden spoon does enough of what I need it to do.

So I am just stirring this out.

I want to try to get rid of that raw flour flavor.

>> So that's what's happening right now?

>> That's exactly what -- So you can hear it sizzling and you can smell that nuttiness.

>> Yes.

>> That's my like, "Okay, I probably have hit the mark that I need."

So I'm going to turn this off and I'm going to take this right over to the stand mixer, because we need to cool this down before we put any of the eggs in.

So while we're cooling it down, I am just feeling the bowl to kind of feel how hot is it still?

Because you can feel it.

We just need this cool enough so that we are not scrambling our eggs.

That's kind of my "Okay, we're doing okay."

>> Sure.

>> So at this point, you can see it's kind of like Play-Doh, which is what we want.

>> Right.

>> I'm feeling that.

It's pretty cool, so it definitely has cooled down.

>> Oh, yeah, much cooler than it was before, yeah.

>> So I know that we're ready to start adding those eggs.

So what I'm going to do is turn it on again kind of slow because we want it to continue to incorporate.

And then I'm going to add in eggs one at a time.

So I'm not going to add the next one until I see that the first one has been incorporated all the way.

It's really wet and pasty.

>> Yeah.

>> And the other weird thing with this for me is that there are so many clumps of choux together, and I'm guessing it's just because that there's not enough liquid from the egg.

This looks weird.

Like I'm like, "Oh, my gosh, am I going to make an actual cheese puff here?"

But we will, I promise.

It's still pretty liquidy at this point, so I want it to kind of stick up.

So I'm going to add my last one in.

And I'm also going to turn up the speed.

>> Okay.

>> Because I want it to be sticky at the end, so I want to make sure everything is incorporated there.

And you can see that we're starting to turn into that sticky consistency just by bringing up that speed.

>> Right.

>> Now we have that sticky consistency.

So what I'm going to do is now start adding in the cheese.

You can use any type of cheese.

We have a cheddar cheese here.

And then we're also going to add some Parm.

And I always add Parmesan to these because again it's more of that umami, salty flavor.

I'm going to put these -- put that cheese in and then just mix it up a little bit.

Alright, now we can put them on the cookie sheet to get ready for the oven.

>> Awesome.

>> This dough is really sticky.

And so what I'm going to do is prep my cookie scoop by just putting some water in on it.

>> Uh-huh.

>> And that's going to make it release a little bit better on the cookie sheet, so... >> We have a piece of parchment on there.

>> Yes, thank you for clarifying that.

And that's it.

We're just going to fill up this cookie sheet with these cheese puff balls.

>> It's going in at 390.

>> 390, yes.

>> 390 for seven minutes.

And we're going to turn it.

>> Yep, and I might, depending on how they're looking, I might turn the temperature down maybe 5 to 10 degrees, depending on what it's looking like because I don't want them to get too browned on the outside because you're not going to get that crispness and you're going to get that hardness at that point.

And we don't really want that.

>> Once the time's up... >> Yes.

>> ...you do another interesting thing.

>> Yes, I do.

So we want to make sure that these are puffs for the entire time when people are eating them.

And so what we're going to do when the entire time is up, we're going to turn the heat off, we're going to open the oven a little bit, and we're going to leave them in there because we want them to cool down slowly to keep their puff shape.

>> Wow.

>> And so you can see a lot of these peaks and valleys around the side, on top.

You can actually see cheese in there.

It's not just like cheese flavoring.

It's a real cheese.

So yeah, it's -- these are looking pretty good.

>> Okay, I'm gonna take this one.

>> Okay.

I was gonna go for this one.

>> Really pretty.

>> Cheers.

>> Cheers.

Yum.

Oh, it's so good.

>> It's like a explosion of cheese in your mouth.

>> And the hotness of it is just incredible.

So much steam is coming off of these.

>> Mm-hmm.

Yummy.

Thank you for coming and making them with us.

I appreciate it.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ For today's featured flower, I thought it would be fun for us to do roses that are in the hues of wine.

So, Chardonnay, rosé, a Cabernet.

So we have three beautiful David Austin roses.

This one is called Enid.

This one is called Phoebe.

And this one is called Tess.

And we're going to put them in these three vases for a tablescape that we're making later in the show.

We'll start off by placing the ninebark in the individual vases.

♪♪ We'll start with Enid.

♪♪ ♪♪ Next we'll use Phoebe.

♪♪ And finally, we'll put Tess in this arrangement.

♪♪ So it's a wonderful way to think about roses in wine colors.

White wine, rosé, and red wine.

♪♪ ♪♪ We're making a tablescape a little bit later in the show, and I thought it would be fun to show you how you can make different arrangements and bring in collections into a tablescape like that.

I collect wine corks, and if it's a special occasion, I'll write on that cork with that special occasion is.

And so I have them in containers like this and it will be perfect for our tablescape.

I'll put them in a bubble bowl like this.

And it has a lid.

But this lid is functional because this lid can come off and be turned upside down.

That's what I've done with it today.

I've inverted it upside down.

And we have a piece of foam in here so that it fits down inside and becomes a container that sits on top of this vase.

I've placed a piece of soaked flower foam inside, and will make a bouquet using some amaranthus from the garden, and a little bit of ninebark and a beautiful bouquet that I picked up at the grocer.

I'll start by beveling the edges of the foam.

I always do this.

It's easier to create a rounded bouquet with a rounded piece of foam, rather than having hard, fast angles.

We'll add our foliage and our amaranthus first and then follow up with our bouquet.

Let me show you how it's done.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ When I'm working with a market bench like this, I divide it up on the table so that I can see all the different items that I have, and I segregate them into different piles.

That makes it easier for me to make a beautiful bouquet.

It also gives me the opportunity to check out all my flowers and remove any leaves or anything that might be unsightly.

It's just a first check on everything before I make the bouquet.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ When I have an interesting flower, like this little single-petaled mini carnation, I'd like to make it a focal emphasis for my arrangement, so I'll add those last so they're like topping on everything else.

♪♪ So now our two vases, one filled with corks and the other with corks and an arrangement, are ready for our tablescape.

♪♪ We're going to make salami roses.

>> I have only seen this online and been like, "I don't know if I'm artistic enough to do that," so we will see how it goes.

>> It's so easy.

>> Okay.

>> We have a champagne glass.

We have a wine glass.

That's a little bigger salami.

This is a little bit smaller.

And so I set them out for a little bit so that they get a little bit more pliable.

>> Yeah.

>> But then what happens is we are just going to lay them on top of each other.

You keep them kind of close together because they're like petals, right?

And the more you put on, the better they're going to look.

>> Okay.

>> As you get towards the center you're a little bit further.

You're pushing the center down a little bit more, you know, so that there's less on the side over here.

And surprisingly, it takes a little bit.

It takes a lot of them kind of to make it.

>> Yeah.

>> So see?

>> Oh, my goodness!

>> See what's happening?

>> Oh, my God!

Okay.

Hold on.

I have to get these last two pieces in because... >> Oh, no.

>> Of course.

>> You probably need a couple more.

>> Yep.

>> Look at that.

>> Oh, my gosh, I cannot wait.

>> There you go.

>> Okay.

The reveal.

Eee!

>> Oh, see?

I think you want like right there.

>> Okay.

Perfect.

to go in Michigan.

>> I know, right?

It looks great.

>> Wow.

>> Isn't it cute?

>> I love this.

>> They're adorable.

I thought it would be really great for us to make a tablescape because sometimes people don't know what to do for a centerpiece.

Let's start first with wine bottles.

>> Okay.

>> So, many wine bottles are decorative.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> And so I love this because you could put, like, a rose or just a little bit of -- this is Astrantia, but it's kind of fun, right?

And so you could put a couple of those out here.

You know I have a huge collection of wine bottles that need to be cut off.

>> Yes.

>> So I had someone cut this off for me.

And that way I can get a lot more flowers in it.

>> Absolutely.

>> So I think that looks good over here.

Now look at those guys.

>> These are gorgeous.

>> Pass those over.

So this is a votive, actually a stemmed votive, but I just floated a flower bloom in it.

And so it kind of gets it up off the table.

But you could do this with a bubble bowl too, if you wanted to, so that it could be -- And that when I stuck two in this one, I stuck one in.

Here's our rosé.

And then we got a white one here.

You know the collection of corks that I have.

>> Yep.

Mm-hmm.

>> So I have a huge collection of corks.

>> I will say I have been part of some of those corks there.

>> You have.

Your name is on the bottom of many of them.

>> We've had a lot of good times.

>> And even if it's -- even if it's just one >> Mm-hmm.

>> It's perfect.

So yeah.

So then it's just like a little tablescape.

So you just run it from one end of the table to the other, and you can add as many things as you want to.

You can put candles in the middle of this.

You could drop rose petals on the table.

So when the cheese puffs are all gone, there's still decorations on the table.

Alright?

There's one more thing.

Because you need a flower crown.

>> Oh, my gosh!

Thank you.

>> For being a chef today and helping us with everything.

So cheers.

>> Cheers.

Thank you.

>> I love you.

>> I love you too.

♪♪ ♪♪ >> And now it's time for my favorite part of the show -- flowers from you, the viewers.

Today I have arrangements from two viewers.

First, Stephanie Tucker of Urbanna, Virginia, shares her Father's Day arrangement.

She writes, "I made this for my husband, John, for Father's Day brunch.

I repurposed a sake bottle for the vase.

The aroma of mint and gardenias is amazing.

We love watching your show and share your appreciation of the healing powers of flowers."

Thank you for the kind comment, Stephanie.

I can smell those gardenias from here.

Next, viewer Teresa Botero shared several bouquets with us and writes, "Always love your show.

You've inspired me to share a few images from my garden last spring."

Thank you, Teresa.

I'm so grateful that you enjoy the show and that you're enjoying the benefits of growing, picking, and arranging the flowers in your garden.

Please send me your pictures of flower arrangements inspired by "Life in Bloom."

We call them Schwankies after a viewer's nickname.

Send them to [email protected].

That's the letter J at the letter U bloom.com and watch for more Schwankies on upcoming shows.

I hope you enjoyed our toast to wine and roses.

Whether you're a novice or a snob, the worlds of flowers and wine offer something for everyone, from roses to orchards to bubbles.

For "Life in Bloom," I'm J Schwanke.

>> I'm already critiquing mine a little bit, so... >> Why?

>> I think I would pull this one down a little bit.

>> Okay.

It's like you're flexing your salami rose.

>> Exactly.

>> Flex the salami rose.

I like it.

>> So here's a question.

How do we eat this now?

>> You pull them apart.

>> Okay.

Okay.

Do we get to keep the rose shape while we're eating it?

It's just... >> Unless you want to eat the whole thing.

Like an apple.

I'm gonna eat it like an apple.

>> Put the whole thing, call it good.

>> Yeah.

>> No one else gets salami.

>> That's right.

This is all mine.

There's one salami rose for everyone.

Like there is on a cake.

Like a rose on a cake.

>> There we go.

You know, one rose for everyone.

That's how you have to have a party.

>> "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is filmed in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

>> J's flower-arranging tips, helpful hints, and arrangement recipes are available in J's two books, "Fun with Flowers" for $25 and "Bloom 365" for $20 plus shipping.

To purchase these books and any of our additional products, visit ubloom.com/store.

♪♪ To learn more about flower arranging and J, access to videos, and to get recipes, tips, techniques, and much more, visit us online at ubloom.com, follow J on Facebook and Instagram @jschwankeslifeinbloom.

"J Schwanke's Life in Bloom" is brought to you by the following... ♪♪ At home.

♪♪ At work.

♪♪ Or anytime.

♪♪ CalFlowers is a proud sponsor of "J Schwanke's Life in Bloom," where flowers and wellness go hand in hand.

>> We have fresh in all our stores, from soups and steaks and all things flour to all things flowering.

Custom fresh arrangements designed by our in-store florists at Albertsons Companies.

>> With additional support from the following... PassionRoses... ♪♪ Suntory Flowers.

♪♪ Closed-caption funding provided by fabulousflorals.com.

♪♪