First Distillation with the New Still

Several months ago, the Yahoo list for the magazine started talking about distillation. Tamara Hartley-Hunt helped put together a buy on stills from her friends at Heart Magic. Maggie from Prairieland Herbs has talked about how much she enjoys it for quite some time, and I've been interested ever since I read about using a pan, a brick, a bowl, and an inverted lid filled with ice. But I digress... I decided to spring for this still, and it has been sitting in the box through the move. This morning, Maggie gave me a kick in the pants and I got started. This is sure to become my latest obsession.
After figuring out the instructions for putting the thing together, the rest is fun and exciting.... well, once I got the hoses on the condenser to stop popping off and shooting water all over the kitchen.
In the shot above, the still is set to go, and in this picture it is actually turned on. The water is clear in the bottom chamber. Nothing has started to drip into the collection flask yet. What you can't see is the wet towel used to sop up the water that got all over the counter, nor can you hear my panicky phone call to my sister asking for a hand. However by the time she got here, all was under control.
Here you can see that the water is starting to boil. The condenser (the long thin tube above the green clamp) is starting to have tiny bits of steam adhere to the inside and cool from the water running inside the walls of the tube. It is something like a donut, with cool water pumped through the "donut" part. The steam comes through the "hole" part. This still came with the hot plate, and that has a heat shield on the back, where the collection takes place so that the oil and hydrosol are not exposed to the direct heat.
Now the boiling water is starting to darken. If you look at the flask under the drip spout, you'll notice that it is starting to collect some hydrosol. Inside the spout, there is a chamber where the essential oil collects. Eventually, the water turns very dark. I kept adding ice cubes to the water in the pail. Inside the pail is the pump that circulates cool water in the condenser. I was surprised how quickly the water in the pail became warm.
We filled four 2 oz. spray bottles with the hydrosol and still have a full 8 ounces in the collection bowl. It was a little surprising how much hydrosol there was. As far as the essential oil, there were probably about 30-50 drops. Maryanne put it on her arm to test it, but I (of course) tasted it. It tastes slightly different from other peppermint essential oils I've tasted. Greener and VERY nice. It all smells delightful.

The spent plant material. It probably could have cooked longer, but we decided to turn it off because we had some errands that needed to be run. I emptied them after returning to the cooled still, and was very glad that I'd followed the instructions that suggested cutting the pieces to about 1" for ease of removal.
Clean up was pretty much of a breeze. Some bottle brushes might be in my future, though.


The very next thing I did was head out to pick the Holy Basil for tonight's adventure. I've been babying that stuff all summer to keep it from flowering. Pinch, pinch, pinch. See my green thumb? Ok, well maybe it's more like brown, but that's because of the purple stems of the Holy Basil.

Sept/Oct issue is out!

The newest issue of The Essential Herbal is in the mail and should be reaching subscribers and shops right about now. We had fun putting this one together, and used the arbor of gourds that I've talked about in past posts for the cover. All of our regular writers were here, in addition to some wonderful articles from guest writers. Even Molly got an article together, talking about what it was like to grow up with an herbie for a mom.
We had to increase the size of the magazine by 4 pages this time because of all the wonderful information. 32 pages is our goal, but this time we just had to go to 36.
Below, you'll find the table of contents...

Table of Contents

~Harvest Crossword PuzzleField Notes from the Editor
~Suburban Herbie—Roots and Runners by Geri Burgert Finding depth and friends in herbs.
~Never Enough Thyme by Susanna Reppert Help With Kelp
~Fried Dandelion Flowers from Roni Palmer
~Kids Korner with Karen Lee Hegre
~The Olive Tree by Gail Faith Edwards
~Favorite Recipes Sarah Liberta Overstuffed Artichokes and Savory Herb Bread Pudding
~Horehound Lozenges, Karen Lee Hegre
~Intl. Herb Conference Report by Karen Creel Lots of news and recipes from the conference
~Making a Fresh Herbal Wreath by Mary Ellen Wilcox
~Down on the Farm– by Michele Brown Round Two and Beyond
~Gorgeous Gourds by Tina Sams How to craft with gourds
~List Article—compilation Trying New Things
~The Herbal Pantry by Susan Evans
~Marshmallow by Maureen Rogers Everything you ever wanted to know and more about this plant.
~Making Mead by Connie Nordhus Homemade Inebriants
~Growing Up Herbie by Molly Sams Reflections on growing up with an herbie mom

wandering through the day

This morning started with a fairly unpleasant visit to the auto mechanic's. On the way home I remembered that I'd brought along a camera to take pictures of the pumpkin field - and from then on, the day went more smoothly.
Every year the fields of pumpkins astound me. They are hardly even noticeable until suddenly the bright orange orbs show up from under the leaves (much like my watermelons are currently doing) and although I haven't really captured it here, it is an amazing site that seems to make me believe in Cinderella... or return briefly to childhood... or "something". It feels fanciful to see them. Exciting.
The weather is not doing them any favors this year, as it is incredibly dry. The leaves are wilted, showing the pumpkins earlier than usual. Normally, they would remain hidden for a few more weeks, and then magically appear, round and enormous.


After arriving back home and taking care of a little business, it was time to trek on down the path to my sister's to can tomatoes. Along the way, I stopped at the little water lily pond to see what was blooming today. Two different colors! I love how leathery the leaves look next to the delicate flowers.

Next stop: cannery row. All the ripe tomatoes had been gathered, and it was time to peel, trim, and cook them for canning. We started with 1 and 1/2 5-gallon buckets full, and ended with 9 quarts of delicious, beautiful tomatoes. We mix together the red and yellow tomatoes, and they look pretty together. Our family has an old "comfort food" recipe which is simply canned tomatoes with sliced hard-boiled eggs mixed in. It doesn't sound all that special, but it is really good. I know that sometime in the coming winter, I'll be cooking up some eggs and SO glad to have the tomatoes.
After cleaning up a little bit, I went outside to see if there were any new kinds of butterflies out on the bushes. This little brown guy was feasting. All the shades of tawny, tans, and brown make up a beautiful muted pattern that is made even more attractive by the sheen that the sun added.


Then, much later, after a round of bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches, we went outside to find a whole colony of sphinx moths. Several of them were on the 4 o'clocks. The one I took a picture of was drinking from a cleome. These things scare me. They are twice the size of a hummingbird that was sharing the clump of 4 o'clocks with them yesterday. Not only that, but they occasionally zoom right at you - as if to scare you off. It works! A couple of flashes from the camera really gets them perturbed.

There is always something going on around here. Today Bob decided to let the chickens out for a little play time. They are fairly new, and the plan is for them to be free-range. Well, they left for the day and we have no idea where they went. Bob worried about them (after that nasty turkey incident with the neighbors) and went looking a few times during the day. In fact I knew when he stuck his head out the back door and crowed trying to lure them back, I was sure that image would never leave my mind. Just before dusk, they started to straggle in. First the rooster, then 3 of the girls. "Comby" and "Stubby" were the last of the girls to finally come home. Bob says they are grounded for a week. That'll teach 'em.

The World’s Costliest Spice – Saffron

From the Sept/Oct '05 issue of The Essential Herbal Magazine, submitted by Susanna Reppert of The Rosemary House

The World’s Costliest Spice – Saffron

2016 harvest from 50 bulbs - about a tablespoon of saffron.

Almost all cultures have included Saffron in their cuisine. From the ancient Phoenicians to the Pennsylvania Dutch, saffron has always been the most costly and desirable of the seasonings. Spanish paella or arroz con pollo, the fisherman’s bouillabaisse, Swedish saffron buns, Indian curries, African couscous, Italian rissoto, chicken potpie and gravies, fish sauces and coloring for butter and cheeses are just a few of its uses in international cookery.

Commercially cultivated in Span, saffron can be grown in all temperate climates. It is a fall blooming crocus (Crocus sativus) which is planted now to bloom next fall. The harvest is the little orange stigmas, three per flower, which accounts for its costliness. More than 200,000 stigmas , make a pound of saffron , all laboriously picked by hand.

Once the herb of only wealthy, thrifty Pennsylvania Dutch insure their supply of this distinctive seasoning by growing their own. Saffron is easily grown in any sunny well drained garden where it enjoys an occasional feeding of bonemeal and compost and soon forms a colony of little productive bulbs.

These beauties come from The Rosemary House (see website above).

Plant the corms two inches apart and three to five inches deep in average well drained soil but – a word to the wise – mark the spot!

You can sort of make out 6 horizontal rows of the crocuses waking up in fall.

The bulbs are dormant most of the time and vulnerable to over planting or inadvertent weeding.

Here it comes...

When the small lavender crocus like flowers appear (they open only in sun) harvest the orange stigmas, air dry them on a sheet of white paper and then store your precious saffron in a tightly lidded dark glass bottle.

The harvest from one morning.  The saffron harvest continues for about 2 weeks.

Used in Biblical times as seasoning, medicine and dye, in ancient Rome, Greece and the Orient Saffron was also a perfume. Aromatic, hot and pungent to the taste, today it colors cakes, and confections golden yellow or adds distinctive flavor to exotic dishes. The Arabs believed that saffron kept in the house would drive away dreaded lizards. In the middle ages, adulterers of saffron where beheaded for their crime. It has been written that Henry VIII so craved saffron that he forebade the ladies of his court to use the rare spice to dye their golden hair. The Song of Solomon provides a lyrical reference”…an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits: camphour, with spikenard, spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes. With all the chief spices: … Awake, O north wind: and come, thou South: blow upon my garden , that the spices thereof may flow out.”

Bloom that has been been harvested.

butterflies on the butterfly bush

Lately I've been noticing how many different kinds of butterflies visit the bushes outside the house that were planted for them. They dance in the fields nearby, and flutter over the mint blossoms and dill and parsley, but they love to gather for a party on the butterfly bushes. Aside from these beauties, there are monarchs starting to show up the past few days, the caterpillers of which recently dined on dill.
The little white and yellow sulphurs (I think that's what they're called) are everywhere, and tiny little azure blues that surely are often mistaken for fairies seem to love the mint. Not all of them are brave enough to be photographed, unfortunately.

At some point, I'll drag out one of my field guides and learn their names, but for now its so much fun to watch them dip, swirl, and dart around looking for nectar. Yesterday I watched a bumblebee emerge from a marshmallow flower so drenched in pollen that he could scarcely manage to fly.

There was a time when I thought only the most majestic of these bugs were really pretty, but have come to think the most mundane are equally impressive.
Hopefully I'll add to this in the days to come as more and more of these gorgeous creatures show up at the nectar "watering hole".
And thankfully (!!!!) high speed has reached my area. Moving here was easy, going back to dial-up was rough. On top of all the other things that now take forever on this "machine", blogging pictures is hit or miss, with the pictures sometimes not showing up. One more week, and I join the rest of the world again!

Moona - Moona. Makes me Luna

The fullish moon rose over the deck last night, and helped the preceeding day make sense. The day was one long comedy of errors - from the first phone call (which left me just shaking my head) ... to finding out I'd been wearing the wrong glasses for 3 days... to the final mis-communication with my daughter. We did manage to get the magazine proof approved, make four batches of soap, several deliveries, and most likely acquired a new account, but nothing went smoothly. In the long ago, barely remembered days of my youth, I spent about a year as a police dispatcher. That was when I learned that there can be no doubt that the moon does affect us. Each 28 days there would be a surge of calls from people who had lost touch with reality. It became clear that these people had no idea what their names were - much less what phase the moon was in. Growing up, the females in my family would sometimes notice that we had all slept poorly on the same night. It took us years to figure out that none of us could sleep on full moons. Guess we should have taken up howling.

Life is too good sometimes

The last few days have been pretty idyllic around here. We got the next issue of The Essential Herbal off to the printer, and it is so much fun to be able to wander off the porch and find the perfect photo to complement an article or recipe.
It is relaxing and almost timeless here. We gathered at my sister's down the hill for a supper of chicken corn soup last night, and then I came home and sat on the deck to watch what would become a spectacular sunset. It was breathtaking, and as I watched it made me think how some moments are beyond description.

We have what could be termed a communal garden. I grow the a bunch of things and most of the herbs, while they grow a bunch of other things down there. We both browse both gardens for what we need.

Today I went out to gather what needed to be picked and found that my eggplants are going nuts. Their cucumbers are almost scary in their proliferation. I don't even want to think about the tomatoes or the beans that are to come. Foolishly, I planted a few different heirloom varieties, and Bob planted about 20 Big Boys, and Yellow Boys. I planted 3 different heirloom varieties of beans and 5 or 6 different peppers. We'll cross those bridges when we get to them. The watermelons are doing great, while the honeydews have yet to set fruit. I really love this.
I went searching for recipes from friends today and this was one I got:

Sicilian Eggplant Caponata is to die for, more so if you grewup on Italian food like I did... LOL
1 lg eggplant or 2 smaller
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed (I always use more but I love garlic!)
3 celery stalks
1 can (1pound) Italian plum tomatoes (Roma)
10 large green olives, quartered and pitted
3 T pine nuts
1/4 c capers
1/4 c wine vinegar
2 T sugar
Wash eggplant. Do not peel. Cut into 1" cubes. Season with salt and pepper. Fry in heated oil until tender. Take out and set aside. Saute onion in sameoil until tender. Add garlic, celery, tomatoes and olives. Cook slowly for 10 mins. Add eggplant, pine nuts, and capers. Heat vinegar and stir in sugar. Add tovegetable mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook 5 mins longer.Serve chilled as an appetizer or relish. Makes 6 servings.
Sandi BlackKat Herbs http://www.blackkatherbs.com/

Beastly Hot!

Our grandmother always kept some form of a diary. Usually it was in book form, occasionally just the space for each day on a calendar, but she always made some notation about her days. She would mention if she went anywhere, if anyone visited, and always, always the weather. Rarely did she just tell the temperature. She had a flair for the dramatic, and that meant that she used phrases like "beastly hot". We use her terms sometimes. This week and last, beastly hot FITS! But summer it is, that's for sure. The first picture is of the turkeys on the roof as a storm gathers. The turkeys are starting to remind me of a gang of teenaged thugs. They bit off most of my green cherry tomatoes the other day, and I *think* they were trying to get protection money out of me. Or chickweed.
The wildflowers are knocking themselves out. Cornflowers, coreopsis, cosmos, black eyed susan, calendula, and poppies to name a few. They nod as I pass in the heat of mid-day. Their colors seem to stay vibrant in the sun.
The gourds are getting downright scary! There are so many of them. This picture is just a glimpse down the middle of the pergola. Most of them are growing on the outside, a few of them slipped in through the screen. Some have managed to wedge themselves between solid objects so that they are oddly shaped. I can't wait to get to work on them. After doing some research for an article on gourd-crafting, I have so many ideas running through my head....
Bowls, cups, boxes, purses, and decorative pieces pierced to allow light through... using paints, feathers, textiles, beads, polymer clay, woodburning tools, the dremel. Ah yes, another hobby.
One of the best things about this house is the sort of communal gardens. I've planted tons of herbs, lots of different sorts of bean, eggplants, patty pan squash, and a couple other squashes, peppers of many varieties, and watermelons. Maryanne and (mostly) Bob have planted corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, and the gourds.
That means that when I have a hankering for some corn on the cob, I just walk down between a few rows of trees til I get to the corn, and take what I need. When they need some mint, basil, or dill, all they need to do is mosey on up to my garden and take what they need. There is something indescribably satisfying about putting on a pan of water and heading out the door to pick supper. I have always loved grabbing a quart or so of wild veggies, but add to that the option of other veggies and herbs, and it is heavenly.
We are about to make some pickles from a recipe that someone sent to the Essential Herbal yahoo list the other day. We just need to see if we can find some more dill from a friend down the road. I've been trying hard not to let mine bolt, and now I NEED the seedheads. Figures.
We spent several hours the other day freezing corn. We got 46 quarts and plan to make chicken corn soup to freeze in another few days. Then, there will be tomatoes to can, peaches to can, and maybe I'll figure out how to "can" pesto. The Thai and Holy Basils are enormous, beautiful, and so fragrant.
Just about when we get that all figured out, the beans will be ripe. And the eggplants. We are having a great time, and already thinking about what we can do next year when we actually have time to plan!
Oh... and then there's always applesauce, apple butter....
Lucky the bay trees aren't bearing berries yet!

In the Paper this A.M. I'm Shameless :-).

Herbs - Refreshing by nature
By Kim Klugh, Intelligencer Journal Correspondent
Intelligencer Journal
Published: Jul 26, 2006 8:27 AM EST
LANCASTER COUNTY, PA -

Perhaps you fancy basil, bay leaf, bee balm. Perhaps it's parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Maybe you believe tarragon to be a culinary paragon.
Whether your favorite herbs are annuals, bi-annuals or perennials, sun lovers or shade-seekers, you have multiple choices when it comes to their uses and where they can be grown.

At a recent herb garden workshop held at the Lancaster County Environmental Center in Central Park, master gardener Linda Downs offered a working definition of herbs before demonstrating a variety of their uses. She pointed out that herbs can be used in at least one of four ways: aromatically, ornamentally, medicinally, or in a culinary manner.

Herbs also are fun for the average gardener because they are easy to grow. They need no fertilizer or insecticide, and they can be grown in a wide variety of places. In formal gardens or tiny plots of earth, as borders or creeping along rock walls, herbs generally make themselves at home and flourish. If planting space is limited, herbs do fine in containers and can be moved about, or brought indoors. "As soon as an herb can sustain its own growth, it can be harvested for use," said Downs, adding, "don't let herbs blossom unless you're going to use the blooms." To prolong each herb's color and flavor, she suggests gently washing the herb, and then patting it dry before storing it in a zipper-lock bag. She says most herbs will keep several days in the refrigerator (except basil and oregano, which are extremely tender and bruise easily).

You can also freeze fresh herbs; Downs suggests 1/4-cup portions in zipper-lock bags.
Herbs may be dried in the oven for later use, in cooking or crafts, by placing them on cookie sheets on a low setting with the oven door open. Turn the herbs periodically so they dry evenly. When herbs are crisp and break easily, remove them from the oven and cool prior to storage. Herbs may also be dried in the microwave oven, but Downs points out they may have a tendency to overcook with this method.

Tina Sams, of Manheim, remembers being introduced to herbs on foraging excursions with her grandfather. Today, after many years of running wholesale and retail herb businesses, she is a self-proclaimed "herb enthusiast" and current editor of The Essential Herbal Newsletter. Sams makes a distinction between "normal" herbs and "wild" herbs and points out that all herbs have properties. For example, the mint family, historically known for its refreshing and energizing qualities, also has a soothing effect; while echinacea (purple coneflower), a "wild" herb, is thought to increase immune functions.

There are many possibilities for herbs in beverages, said Sams. "Herbs can be used in teas (hot or cold), wines, cordials, and even coffee substitutes." Even though she's never made it herself, Sams has tasted a beverage made from roasted dandelion roots and said it makes a good substitute for coffee, with a hint of unsweetened cocoa flavor mingling with a coffee taste. She said chicory also may be used as a coffee substitute. Chamomile tea, the soothing drink that Peter Rabbit's mother gave him after his tangle with Mr. McGregor in the vegetable patch, is the same tea Sams first remembers preparing for her daughter when she was frightened by a thunderstorm.

Herbs can be used in cocktails also. There's the well-known mint julep, popular when the Kentucky Derby takes place. The recently featured mojito (Intelligencer Journal, May 5 issue) highlighted mixing rum with mint, and basil can also be added for a layer of tastes.
Following are ideas for refreshing beverages:

Minted ice cubes
Black tea
Fresh mint leaves
Sugar to taste
To make the minted ice cubes, fill ice cube trays partially with water and freeze. Set mint leaves on top, fill with more water and freeze solid. Brew double-strength tea and steep, while hot with 2 bunches of fresh mint. When cool, strain out mint and sweeten to taste, chill.

Using a non-metallic pot, bring 1 gallon of water up to, but not boiling.
Double handful of mint (of your choice)
Double handful of lemon balm leaves
1 1/2 cups lemon verbena leaves
1 cup chopped lemon grass
Add herbs to water.
Reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes. Lightly mash the herbs with a non-metallic spoon to help release some of the oils. Remove and let set to cool. Strain through a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Refrigerate until time to use. Will keep for several days.
Measure out 2 cups of the infusion to one gallon of weak tea. Add 1 cup of orange juice and serve over ice.

The following recipes were sent for the article, but only the first was used. For some reason the rest of the article won't allow me to post it, so here ya go ...


Tension Re-leaf Tea
4 parts chamomile
4 parts lemon balm
2 parts catnip
2 parts passion flower
2 parts raspberry leaf
1 part valerian root

Mix up this blend and keep it on hand for any time someone in the house is having trouble unwinding.

Luscious Lemon Tea
Blend equal parts:
Lemon Balm
Lemon Verbena
Lemon Grass
Lemon Peel
And a pinch of lemon thyme
Serve sweetened with honey, and garnished with a fresh lime slice. Very refreshing!

Minty Morning Tea
1 part black (orange pekoe) tea
1 part spearmint
Brew as you would regular black tea. This is so yummy in the morning or when you need a pick up in the early evening.



Lemon Herb White Sangria
Iowa State Fair winning recipe by Jo Ellen Whitney
2 bottles (1.5 liters) Reisling or Gewurtztraminer
1/2 cup macerated lemon balm leaves
1/4 cup macerated lemon verbena leaves2 tbsp. macerated orange mint leaves
2 oranges, coarsely chopped
1 lemon, coarsely chopped
1 lime, coarsely chopped
Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and allow to steep overnight in the refrigerator. Strain and serve with frozen lemon, lime, orange, and herb garnish.
This last one is from Maggie at prairielandherbs.com there's also lavender/rhubarb lemonade, and a chocolate mint martini recipe on the site

a beautiful day!

There are so many gorgeous things happening outside these days. Sitting out on the deck this morning, drinking coffee and writing an article, it dawned on me that I've landed in a very good place.
The passionflower vine had given flowers a month ago, then quit... but today I see a new blossom and there are many more to come. They just don't even look real. I wish my skill with the camera was better. They are just stunning, and they smell delicious too.
The garden is coming along nicely - considering that it was very late getting in the ground. Looks like I need to learn a little about building supports for the beans, but they don't seem to mind. You can see the row of grosso lavender plants I've put in in the far right of the picture. On the left is a row of different basils.

Everywhere I look there are reminders of my mother around this house. All the years of growing up, I remember jokes about my mom having a black thumb. We would buy her flowers, and they would wilt in the vases, remaining in place until someone decided it was time to dispose of the fire hazard. In this house, she took a shine to gardening. I suspect it was my sister's help. She loved daylilies, holly, butterfly bushes, and climatis vines.


These are two of her favorites. The stargazer is the lone bloom this year so far.

Power Outage Adventures

I want to write about it while it is fresh in my mind. Its so easy to forget as soon as the power comes back on....
Last evening as I headed up the hill from my sister's, there were giant black clouds over the horizon. Storms for me are exciting and energizing, and living atop a hill they are even more so now. I stopped and checked all the veggie plants, and came inside to unplug the computer - just as the electricity went off. That was odd, because the storm hadn't even arrived yet.
The wind picked up (the paper says 48 mph, but it seemed much faster), and the air turned that sickly greenish yellow. I can see the horizon in a half circle from the back of the house, and lightning was striking 3 or 4 places simultaneously. The excitement was changing into something else as I headed for the basement, hearing things being blown around outside. From the basement, I could still watch, and this storm was a hum-dinger doozy.
Eventually, lightning struck so close that it effected my ability to hear for a moment. My sister told me later that particular strike made her filling tingle (!?!). It seemed entirely possible that the house had been hit, and I kept sniffing for a burning smell that didn't materialize. Whew! That was the worst of it, and the storm continued on it's way south.
It's hard to describe the way it feels when there's no power.
It made us think about the people in the Gulf States and how they must have felt - or even the people who were flooded in recent weeks. We had it pretty good, after all!
My daughter came home, and the lack of power baffled her. At least she'd had dinner..... She flopped around from sofa to chair, finally thinking a nap might make it all go away. Her first experience (at 3) with this sort of thing was so upsetting that it was the first time she was ever dosed with the magical elixir, chamomile extract - which was almost a miracle. At that time, she'd begged for "just one light... PLEASE Mommie!!!"
Anyhow, I read until the light became too dim. Then we lit candles, opened windows, and talked into the night while she practiced her guitar lessons. She chose to sleep in the living room for no particular reason.
At 6 this morning, the blessed guinea hens squawked me awake (windows open), and the power was still off. Last night while brushing my teeth before bed, I'd discovered that the water was gone too. Yep... standing there in the dark, feeling around for the flow from the faucet, with my mouth foamy from toothpaste, I realized that there was no water. My mouth was VERY fresh this morning.
Coffee!!! OH NO! I trudged down to Maryanne's for some contact with the world. As we sat talking about how it would feel to be in a large city with no news, no water, no food, no information, the power was restored and things started beeping and clicking and flashing.

So... I learned that pretzels aren't the best dinner in the world, but better than nothing. I'll be adding things to the larder that could be cooked without opening the fridge or using any appliances save the grill.
We need more candles. Some in every room, and a radio that works on batteries. Next time a storm like that approaches, I'll fill the tub with water.
AND... I'll be encouraging more and more wild foods to grow nearby. This was just a little glitch in the day to day, but a window to see what I need to do to prepare. Still haven't figured out the coffee thing yet, but there are a few ideas coming to mind.

Incense Class

Last night we went up to to do the incense class. Nancy Reppert was gracious enough to allow us to do the class inside at her tea room, Sweet Remembrances. Since the temperature at 6:30 was 91 with extreme humidity, I was quite relieved to be in the air conditioning.
We did go outside into the gardens for a little while. We lit several blocks of incense charcoal, and then scattered through the garden pinching off bits of the different plants to see what would or

wouldn't smell good when burned. The big surprise of the evening was finding out that Rue gives off a scent like coconut when burned! There was an orange tree in bloom, and as luscious as the blossoms smelled, there was almost no scent when burned... and that was exactly the point of our going outside and burning things. Well... that and the fact that it was really fun, and The Rosemary House has such incredible gardens with so many smelliferous things to burn.

While making incense cones from the various powders is one of my favorite classes to teach, it is a fairly obscure topic and sometimes the classes don't fill up - requiring cancellation. We had 10 eager participants last night, and that was really fun. It is always interesting to see the many different shapes that are all "cones".

Everyone got to make a batch of incense in either sandalwood/benzoin/lavender, or some chose to leave out the lavender. They all did a great job. As usual, classes start out a little bit "tight", and by the time we are through everyone has dirty hands and feels like we know each other.

One other tip discovered last night.... Susanna is Mom to kids that are young enough to require wet-naps. Soap and water doesn't effectively remove the tacky resins from the hands after making cones. But wet-naps work in a snap.

and a few pictures...

Pictures were promised, so pictures there are.

We'll start with the office. It still needs a bit of work, and there is another wall full of shelves holding past issues, but we are close. Right now, as I write, I can look out over the hill below and watch the Guinea hens marching - one per row through the trees, each one gathering bugs and walking at exactly the same speed as the others. We are giving a class on making incense tomorrow at The Rosemary House in Mechanicsburg, and it will be so simple to reach over, get the supplies needed and be prepared. What a difference that will make!

The first picture is leading into the office from the house. The second is facing the back.

In the back, there is a deck that goes the entire length of the house. From there, it is possible to see for several miles, including the road leading to the house. Silos stud the landscape, and hills and trees. The sky is enormous. After an afternoon in the garden, the deck is the perfect place to sit with a cool glass of tea and look at the results of that labor.

The garden went in late. We just put up the teepees for the Mosteller beans that Barb and Fred Will from Sugar Grove Herbs gave us at the festival at Alloway Gardens Art and Herb Faire. They are getting ready to climb. The only thing we've lost to (I think) woodchucks so far has been the borage, which had been supplying pretty blue blossoms to garnish summer dishes. The row of grosso lavender is not really visible this year, but next year it will make a nice hedge. The weeds are doing exceptionally well.

This is the path that leads to my sister's. The little red building is much larger than it appears. Inside, it has four separate areas/rooms. One is for storing finished soap and shipping - and the front of that section is also the office and jewelry area, one is the kitchen/lab, one is Bob's workshop, and the last is the bay for farm equipment AND baby bird nursery. The house is off to the right. Just behind the building, you can almost make out the pergola that he constructed this year. It is entirely covered with gourd plants. Looks like we'll be playing with another craft next spring.

Along the path, there are swaths of wildflowers. Besides the ones in the picture, there are gangs of small poppies in every color imaginable, zinnias are starting to bloom, and the cosmos are really thinking about going wild.

And then there are the wild turkeys. Wild, I say! There are 11 of them, all but 3 male. They were raised from hatchlings, and when they were too young to be loose, we used to gather chickweed to feed them. Now they follow us around, thinking that anything we might be picking is far more interesting than what they can find on their own.

These were all taken before, during, and after a wild storm that included hail. Weather changes very quickly here. One minute the sun is shining with booming off in the distance, and the next minute clouds roll in and the rain starts. Guess I'll just have to get used to listening closer.

back to something like normal

We've been in our new home/headquarters for a few days now, and everything is falling (or being shoved) into place. The office was the very first thing we moved in order to retain some semblance of sanity, and for the first time, everything is in one place. It is hard to describe how much easier it is to be able to ship an order without looking all over the place for the items, the shipping materials... and where is a darned pen!?!
So here we are. No pictures yet, but let me tell you a little about it.
First, the space is more than double without counting the basement. The business is completely separated from the rest of the house. The first year of The Essential Herbal, everything could have fit into a sturdy box, but as time went on and we put out more issues and more books, it had infiltrated everything. Scale in the kitchen, herbs in the hall closet, boxes of books stacked in the bedroom, shrinkwrapper under the bed, mailing supplies in the CD rack.... typical home business. Now everything is together.
There is lots and lots of space to plant. Lots of space. Before we even started moving, the garden went in. Several different heirloom varieties of tomatoes and peppers are getting ready to ripen. The squash are flowering, 3 kinds of heirloom beans are putting out pods, and the 2 different eggplants are seriously considering budding. We were too late with the spring peas, so I'm saving them for seed next year. Honeydew melons are in containers on the deck, and a couple of watermelon plants are on the split-rail fence. The Jerusalem artichoke patch is filling up nicely. I've been warned that they'll spread, and I'm ready!
We also put in a row of lavender for future distillation, 4 different basils, and all the typical cooking herbs. A few helichrysum plants are growing for distillation experiments later as well, and we stuck an elderberry bush in, hoping it will spread. If not, I'll add to it.
The best part is the wild stuff growing all around. This past week I've been in lamb's quarters heaven, eating them just lightly steamed for dinner. The mimosa tree over the hill is in bloom, and those flowers will be tinctured. Wineberries are everywhere, and jewelweed is at the very optimum - not yet flowered but I probably only have a day or two to gather it before it does. I'm finding enormous dandelion roots and burdock, and, and, and.....
Well that's enough for now. Maybe I'll be able to post a few pictures next time. See ya!

Weedy T-shirts

The move continues, so while I'm digging through boxes here is a craft from the July/Aug '04 issue of The Essential Herbal:

Weedy shirts by Tina Sams

Here's another great craft. I've used this process on shirts, jeans dresses, totes, and even stationery. There are books on the subject, but as usual, I'm a trial and error kinda gal. To get the process working, you may want to start out working on regular paper, and then go to cloth or fancy paper when you're sure of yourself.

You'll need:Pressed weeds and flowers - These need to be flattened and mostly dry, but not brittle. You can use brittle stuff, but need to be much more careful. Gather what you'll want to use and stick it into old phone books for about a week. Queen Anne's Lace is STUPENDOUS!!!Crafting Paints - the kind used for stenciling.Paper towelsSmall craft paint brushes or strips of spongeBrayer (I use a 2" or 3" roll of packing tape)Begin by painting the dried weed on the side that will touch the fabric. Not too much, or it will ooze. Place the weed face down, cover with paper towel (or newspaper) and roll the brayer over it to be sure that all areas have been covered. Remove carefully and admire your work. The same weed can be used several times if this is done carefully. My all time favorite shirt, I made for my little Molly. It said "Growing Like a Weed" and had all sorts of herbs and plants in many different colors on a little white T. Beside each one, I'd carefully written the name of the plant using black paint with a very small brush, although one could most likely use a permanent market. It was awesome. Teenaged girls liked one we did that said "Wild Child", and was covered with all sorts of weeds.Some favorite plants to use? Sage is lovely, along with bleeding hearts, tarragon (looks like seaweed!), lavender spikes, thyme, dill -although it requires tweezers - monarda, ginkgo leaves, maple seeds, oh it goes on, and on..... Certainly the best ones have veins, texture, and/or deeper sorts of structure. Wispier plants like southernwood are very pretty, while violet leaves would wind up being a large shape with very little detail – no texture.

To make the piece colorfast, it must be ironed using a pressing cloth and then placed in a hot clothes dryer for ½ hour. Most of the paints have specific instructions on the labels.

This procedure is great fun and can be used on scarves, dresses, jackets, FURNITURE!!!, walls, or anyplace your imagination takes you – and judging by our mail….that could be pretty much anywhere.
Well, now that I’ve written about it, there are all sorts of projects floating in my head. Guess I’ll wander out and see what kinds of weeds and plants I can get started on pressing. There seems to be an abundance of white yarrow and chicory, and the thyme is blooming in the garden. They will be great, along with poke blossom spikes, lavender (of course!!!), and bergamot. Melilot, catnip, mugwort, burdock, toadflax, chamomile, St. John’s wort are all within a few feet of the backdoor. Oh – oh…. The newsletter could be a little late this issue.