Jul/Aug '14 issue of The Essential Herbal

 Subscribers are starting to receive their copies in the mail and the pdf subscribers got theirs on the 20th, so it's time to share the table of contents here on the blog.  It's a terrific issue, and we have plenty left.  To subscribe, visit The Essential Herbal website!

 

Field Notes

Some thoughts on sharing gardens with neighbors.

Black Strap Syrups, Adrian White

An interesting, little-used method to make syrups that are filled with vitamins and minerals.

Herbal Beverage Syrups, Stephany Hoffelt

Preserve the herbs and flowers so that you can drink them for months to come.

Oh Cover; My Cover: The “Skinny” on Herbs, Suzan Scholl

For such a large organ, we don’t think about our skin nearly enough.

Herb Crafts, Heddy Johannesen

A delightful mélange of crafts that will be fun to play with during the last months of summer.

Crossword Puzzle—Around the Garden, Tina Sams

A little something light to work in the hammock.

Mediterranean Diet—You Still Have Time to Garden for It, Jackie Johnson

A guide to one of the healthiest eating plans on the planet.

Rose Rosette, Jamie Jackson

Are your roses doing okay? Be on the look-out for Rosette.

Preserving Culinary Herbs, Sandy Michelsen

Several delicious methods of keeping the herbs that will empower you to savor and use them all year long—and plant even more next year.

Soap Connections, Marci Tsohonis

Marci shares some of the things she’s learned from years of soaping.

Elders & Herbs: Simple Skin Care from the Kitchen and Garden, Janice Masters

Some simple and nourishing kitchen skin soothers to use topically and as food.

Trial by Herbs, Molly Sams

After a life time of watching from the sidelines, it’s time to step up to the plate.

Roots to Dye For, Marita Orr

Natural dying can be very fulfilling and the roots are just about ready!

What is an Herbal Meat Rub? Marcy Lautanen-Raleigh

Wet or dry? What goes into them? Why? Well, Marcy will tell us and add a couple recipes as well!

Garden Highlights in Pictures

There will be several quarts of black raspberries!

Maybe this year the borage will reseed - like we hear others speak of.

An annual (here) milkweed for the butterflies.

Comfrey almost finished blooming.

First daylily.

Echinacea budding

elderberries forming

frilly henbit blooms above the chickweed and speedwell

horehound blooming

hyssop blooms are well loved by the bees (as are all of the blossoms in the garden)

jewelweed growing around the porch

lavender spikes are coloring up

we can't eat the nasturtium flowers fast enough

rose campion has been in every one of my gardens for the last 30 years

last year there was no St John's wort, but this year it is everywhere

In search of the perfect chicken salad

contributed by Molly Sams

Over the past couple weeks I have been craving chicken salad. While there are plenty of restaurants with good chicken salad, I have yet to find one that had everything I wanted. Some had cranberries but no walnuts, while others had walnuts but no spice. There was always something missing.

I first had chicken salad while I was away at college. During one of my study sessions at a local coffee shop, I decided to try something new. I was shocked when I found out the chicken salad I thought was only made in diners for the early bird special could actually be incredibly delicious. Since then I’ve been determined to find it again.

So Mom took on the task to make the perfect chicken salad. During one of the days I was away at class, she painstakingly prepared a chicken salad that had everything from cashews to cranberries, even nasturtium.

She succeeded.

And I had to share the greatness.

First you start with:

1 large chicken breast

1 C of water

1 sprig of rosemary

1 sprig of time

Roast for one hour.

Once the chicken is done roasting mix the cooled, cubed chicken with:

¼ C craisuns

2 ribs of celery, chopped

¼ C of sweet onion chopped

½ C of salted cashew pieces

1 hardboiled egg

After that it is time to add the herbs!

2 nasturtium blossoms

3 lemon verbena leaves

¼ c parsley

2 sprigs of thyme

1 small sprig of rosemary

1 chive blossom

Chop all fine and then mix well into the chicken salad and add one cup of mayo.

Afterward you should let chill in the fridge, buy some fantastic buns or even croissants and enjoy!