Almost September! Harvest! Quick!!!

This morning I feel determined to write *something*. One of my best friends (since Jr. High!) wrote last night and wondered if everything was alright since the there was nothing new on the blog for so long. Way to kick my butt, Patty :-).
This time of year gets so hectic. Besides all the things that go on inside the house, like getting the kid off for her first day as a senior today - sob! - the things going on outside are driving me to distraction. Suddenly I realize that if it isn't gathered and preserved now, it will be gone until sometime next year. Things like plantain and jewelweed are used for products that are needed before they are big enough to use next spring. The elderberries are are turning just about dark enough to pick --- when the birds eat them. We have a constant battle going on. If I pick them just at dusk, they will have had a whole day to deepen, and it seems that the birds feed in the morning.
All of the sudden, everything is ripe or just about to go to seed or drop seeds.
The garden is pathetic, but occasionally I go out and kick a clod of dirt and mutter to myself.

Right now I'm looking out the window at the roving band of banty chickens on the hillside. It is a good 100 - 150 yards away, but there is a optical illusion caused by the way the hills and valleys make things appear. The chickens are on the next rise over, so they appear closer. Anyhow, there are several generations of these cute little fowl. My sister calls them the kids, the teenagers, and the grown up. There is also a gang of babies, but they don't go up on the hill yet.
They wander among the rows of trees, and it is a funny sight. First thing this morning Molly and I were standing at the window watching and laughing. The funniest part is that the guineas have decided that they want to be chickens too. The pale guinea doesn't want to hang around the gray one anymore. They were 2 peas in a pod for years. But the pale one thinks she's a chicken and the poor gray one stands in my yard plaintively calling for her friend who pretends to be deaf to her call.

Below is a picture I took a couple of weeks ago of some of the tobacco in a farm field in the other end of the county. Tobacco seems to be coming back as a crop here. Locally, the tobacco grown is for cigar wrappers. As kids we tried it a time or two (I believe we used notebook paper - gag) and believe me, it is different. But the farmers "top" it when the blossoms begin to appear.
After seeing the price that tobacco absolute is going for, perhaps I should talk to one of these guys and ask them to save the flowers for me. Wouldn't THAT be fun to distill!?!

signs of the impending change of seasons

A day or so ago, on a walk it became obvious that autumn is breathing down summer's back. It seems a little early, being just the beginning of August, but these are just little glimmers among all the brilliant flowers and summer growth that is much more noticeable.
Along one row of trees, I've been noticing a couple of them are covered with cones. Way too many to be desirable for a Christmas tree I'd think. A few among the ornaments look pretty cool, but this is just ... well... odd! They probably draw a lot of energy from the plant. Isn't that absurd?Just to give you some idea of scale, this tree is about 7 feet tall, and the cones are anywhere from 3 to 4 inches long. I never noticed that this particular type of cones are sheathed (the green coating) and they open from the bottom. It's easier to see on the photo below. The one on the top right reminds me of a cicada or a butterfly chrysalis. Most open to resemble something like a bell shape until the sheath is completely gone.
Here we have a tiny pin-oak growing up through the branches of a fir tree. Of all the oaks, the leaves of the pin oak are the most appealing to me, and the young pinkish red leaves are almost difficult to resist picking. No explanation, just an observation. Besides, isn't this where Pinocchio came from?

Next I found a group of poke berries that give a very clear view of what they look like in the various stages. In particular, notice the magenta stems and the way they resemble Cinderella's pumpking right up until they turn black/purple, at which time they lose the scalloping and become smooth as old tires.
Last is a blown-up flower spike of sour dock. This is 3 to 4 times larger than the actual spike to show some detail of the flowers. Generally the flowers are so small that they are inconspicuous. The color dries to a deep red or maroon - sometimes other colors too - like greens, pinks, and rusts. They can be gathered to create a gorgeous wreath!
There are many other interesting things growing out there that give no inkling of the coming winter, but there is always a reminder, always the quiet tick tocking telling us that the world keeps moving. Everything keeps changing.

See? This hummingbird sage is just killing me with the stunning colors it produces. The leaves are a deep chartreuse. One of my favorite summer plants, simply because it is so pretty.

The Essential Herbal ~ September/October 2008

The next issue is in the mail, and it is such a great fall issue! We have articles on various herb crafts - from making tinctures to harvest soaps, several great recipes, gardening information, book reviews, and enough projects and ideas to make us almost look forward to the waning sun. Take a look at the table of contents below! TABLE OF CONTENTS

Crossword Puzzle - A little botanical nomenclature.

Field Notes from the Editor

Suburban Herbie, Obsessive Gardening - Geri Burgert

Dia de los Muertos - Betsy May

List Article - Winter Preparations

Simple Tincture Making at Home - Sarah Campbell

Down on the Farm, Seed Saving - Michele Brown and Pat Stewart

Book Review Unlikely Lavender Queen - Cindy Jones

Colours of Autumn, Mrs. S.J. Head

Book Review, The Priestess of the Forest - Sarah Campbell

SouthRidge Treasures, Horseradish - Mary Ellen Wilcox

Tealight Tutorial - Abbie Sewell

The Soap Pot, Harvest Soap - Alicia Grosso

Louisiana Lagniappe, Mushroom & Eggplant Pie - Sarah Liberta

Never Enough Thyme, Sunchokes - Susanna Reppert

Rebooting Your Brain - Susan Evans

Stuffed Shirts - Sue-Ryn Burns

The Twisted Sisters Tour~4 Days, 3 Cities! - Tina Sams

We're back - and planning some winter tea

The ocean was beautiful, and the temps along the coast quite a bit cooler than our inland weather. It was so nice to go away and not be hauling the still or giving talks on various topics - just being away with my sweetie :-).
We got home to find that our blog was locked up. Fortunately Blogger figured out the problem quickly so that we can go on posting!
Last night Molly and I cleared the garden of weeds (again!). It has been a while, and it showed. Still, we have the best conversations while we are each working on a row, just talking companionably. I realized while we were out there that it is time to start working on the Winter Tea. This is a project that gives us pleasure all year long. The planting, planning, and gathering is a big part of the fun. Learning new plants and testing them out for flavor, making sure to find certain wild plants during the season, and finding surprises and volunteers is all part of the process.
As the season progresses, we'll gather and dry smallish amounts of many different herbs/weeds. They will all be mixed together into a large "batch" from which we will take portions to brew up pots of flavorful, healthful tea during the cold months.
Anyone can do it, and every potful comes out just a little differently than the last.
Some choices that we will be drying and mixing:
Echinacea, all parts of the plant
Dandelion root
Chicory root
Rosemary
Chamomile
Mints - Apple, Chocolate, Peppermint, Meadow Mint, Mountain Mint
Bee Balm
Thyme
Elderberries
Raspberry Leaf and Fruit
Basils - Purple, Cinnamon, Holy
Stevia
Blueberries
Comfrey (yes, we choose to use it in tea...don't tell anyone)
Red Clover
Sassafras
Vitex Berries
Nettle
Oat Seeds
Lavender
Fennel Seeds
Hyssop Flowers
Catnip
Rosa Rugosa petals and hips
As you can see, the list goes on and on. There are many more that we'll add, and some - like Nettle, Chickweed, Violet Leaves and Flowers, and St. John's Wort - that were gathered earlier in the year for this purpose. We'll add a few things that don't grow here... like Cinnamon Chips, Star Anise, and perhaps a few Cloves. Bits of Vanilla Bean and Cardamom Seeds are delicious too. Each person will choose to add or delete different ingredients, depending on what they like and what grows nearby.

You can use this same process to gather Bathing Herbs for the coming winter. Adding some Oatmeal and Sea Salt will help the skin stay hydrated and smooth in the cold weather.

The Sept/Oct issue will be delivered tomorrow or the next day, so today is a good day to get the decks cleared before we start the rigorous process of labeling, sorting, and sacking the mailing. I'll be out wandering in the woods and fields!

more walking around

It's time to get out of dodge for a few days. Everything is caught up, all the commitments have been met, and the magazine is being printed, so finally I can go away for a few days of fun and relaxation. It feels like it has been forever, and it has been about a year. Look out ocean, here I come. But before I go, I thought it would be nice to wander around outside and record a bit more of what is blooming and fruiting so that nothing is missed.
First is this really lovely bee balm. It is about 3 years old, but was planted in a spot that was too shady. I moved it to a sunnier spot this summer, and it is rewarding me with lots of brilliant pink blossoms.
Rudy found one of the few shady places to rest for a few minutes. This is one hard working farm dog. No matter what his master is up to, he feels the need to be in the middle of it. Bob must have been working inside the barn. Had a piece of equipment been started, Rudy would be on his feet giving the machine "what for" in an instant. That is his job. In case you can't tell from the picture, this is one of the sweetest dogs in the world. My brother is afraid of him. Hahahaha.
Out front the purple vitex is beginning to bloom. Each of those bell-shaped maroon cups will eventually be a vitex berry. Last year, this bush was simply stunning, but this year it is blooming a little bit at a time and the color never really showed up. It is such a great violet. I've seen pictures of Jacaranda (sp?) trees in Australia, and they have that same vivid blue/purple color.
This is the white vitex bush out back. It has a bit of a pink tinge and is much more prolific than the purple. Also, the berries are more fragrant. So there are more berries, and they smell stronger. That old bumble bee sure seems to like it. I've noticed this season that instead of little honey bees, we are inundated with bumble bees.
Down on the hillside, I found a nice patch of wild yarrow. I would love to see it expand enough so that next year I could distill it.
Black eyed Susans and yellow coneflowers.... They are having a riot on the hill. Many different varieties and many different shades and sizes. Don't they look happy?

The oregano is going crazy. So far, I've chopped it back 3 times and it just wants to bloom. The butterflies seem to want it to bloom too, so I suppose it's time to allow it. We don't use a whole lot of oregano anyway, and it is so pretty... Maybe just a few sprigs to dry, and then I'll let it alone.
Calendula - Herb of the Year. There are a couple of volunteer patches out front. In the one garden they are singles of yellow and orange. In the other garden, they are double yellows. They are cut back frequently and dead-headed to encourage more flowers.
This is one of the new varieties of echinacea that I got from Possum Creek Herb Farm this spring. The petals are darker than they appear in this picture, almost as dark as the cone looks here. They make a nice contrast to the angustifolia in the back of the garden. Purpurea grows down at my sister's, and we should probably get some Pallida. We saw some green tinted echinacea growing in a garden the other day. It looked pretty cool!
And finally, the elderberries are beginning to form on the bushes out back. The umbels are HUGE! Some are nearly 18 inches in diameter. The bushes are loaded. This is good news because last year wasn't a good year for elderberries. Even if the birds fight me for them - which is a certainty - there will be enough for everyone.
So that's it for now. Off I go for a long-awaited attitude adjustment. Certainly those who live with or near me will be relieved.

a walk about

Since yesterday was all words, today will be mostly pictures.

The lilies and daylilies are scrumptious this year.
Some red monarda growing next to bronze fennel.
Rose campion.
We have the magazine finished and ready to go to the printer, and we are caught up with other orders and such that piled up while we were away. Just need to use today for a delivery day, and we're good.

Catching up from the weekend - finally

I'm saving most of the pictures for a magazine article, so this will be a phot0-less post.
One of the things that struck me over the 4 days of tearing wildly from one event to the next was how a circle of friends just keeps growing.
Mike Eppley of singinghillemu.com asked us to do the soapmaking at the conference he organized. For a few years, he was "the emu guy" across from us at Landis Valley Herb Fair, and then the year we set up and did classes at the PA Farm Show, he was there too. He wanted us to do the classes because he thinks we're entertaining. We get a big kick out of that. We were amazed at the caliber of show Mike put together.

Next was the Mid-Atlantic Lights & Lather Artisans conference. I don't really remember how Abbie from Scents & Sensibility and I started talking (or emailing, I should say), but the next thing we knew, Maryanne and I were scheduled to take part in the demos/talks. Cheryl from Erinn's Laine Candles was Abbies co-organizer, and they did a fine job! It felt like we knew everyone there by the time we went to sleep on Friday night, so the conference itself was a blast. And the prizes.... well, lets just say there were many, many prizes. We wound up winning a large gift certificate to Snow Drift Farms for having the most unusual (or something like that) soap. It was our road apples soap. I also won a gift subscription for a magazine! Scores of oils and scents to try out, and some coupons and offers that we have to look through carefully to be sure we don't miss out on the opportunities. Anyhow, Abbie, Cheryl, and Lyshel from Candle Cocoon seemed like old friends by the end of the day. Bonnie Barkley taught us all how to do gemstone soaps - and she is a funny lady. The woman who did molds... I'll have to find my program and put her name in... she was hilarious. Bambi from All About Travel might have sold a cruise too. Just need to get the biz out of the August doldrums.

Last was the Int'l Herb Association Convention on Sunday. Sweet Sue Hess had offered to share a room with us, and it was heaven to have that all ready when we rolled into town after 10 Sat. night. We threw our table up on Sunday morning (the convention had started the day before), and I whoooshed out to do my presentation along with Stacy Fox, Francesco DiBaggio, and Susanna Reppert. Tina Marie Wilcox and Susan Belsinger were very welcoming. The local organizers were the Wadjas from Willow Pond near Gettysburg. It was a very nicely put together conference, and I really enjoyed the presentations I got to sit in on. More than anything though, any conference or convention where you are around people in your field (or like some this weekend - close), you meet people. You get to know them in a way that the internet doesn't allow.

Now I will be able to picture the way people smile, or the tone of their voices when we write back and forth. It helps to form good solid relationships. It was a rough weekend, but so worth it. We came out of it enriched with new friends and acquaintances.

so many choices, only time for one

On Saturday, Maryanne and I both have talks to give at the Mid-Atlantic Meeting of Lights and Lather Artisans in Pittsburgh. She'll be discussing soap colorants, and I am taking the still for a demo.

Yesterday I was trying to decide what would be a good choice to distill. So I took off wandering around to see what options are available. The lavender is about kicked for now, so that's out.

First up is this wonderfully full oregano. There's more than enough there for a good distillation. It won't smell "pretty" though. The resulting distillate is going to be a door prize, so it should be something they like. On the other hand, besides getting a wee bit of oil, the hydrosol would probably be great in italian dishes, and added to sauces. Hmmmm.....

Next comes the rosemary. This plant is enormous for rosemary in MY growing experience. It grows next to a fir tree, and is cracking me up as it appears to be trying to compete for size. That could be my imagination. I've been known to assign motives to inanimate objects before, but it just seems to have an attitude. I distilled rosemary last year, and besides the bit of eo, the hydrosol has maintained every bit of its scent over the year. It might be a good choice. Rosemary soap is great, and the hydrosol could be used as the water.
Balloon flowers aren't a good choice. To my knowledge, there's no reason to distill them. Still, this soft pink flower always catches my breath. I love the deep rays that stretch out from the center, the perfect symetry, and the way the buds turn into perfect hot-air balloons. When the guys in the family were piloting balloons, we found these flowers. The deep blue is stunning too. I just chose the pink because it is so delicate.

The front garden. Nothing of interest here YET. The vitex was very interesting 2 years ago, and it made a lovely hydrosol. This year I would also like to try distilling echinacea to see what comes of it. It's the experimentation that appeals to me more than anything.
Ah...meadow tea. I think this is spearmint. It reminds me so much of my childhood, when we'd set out for the day to play down by the creek. The boys would fish from a small plastic boat while I just tryed to stay as far as possible from A) fish hooks and B) stinging nettle. The scent of this mint is blended with the scent of fish living in a creek, to form one fresh, wild scent. A few years back I met a land management guy who, as we walked around a spring-fed pond, talked about being able to smell fish in a pond before even knowing there was a pond over the next hill or beyond the tree line. I knew exactly what he meant. It isn't a fishy smell. It's a smell of pollywogs and mud and grasses, mints and burn hazel and water. But this mint brings that smell to mind every time. I was glad to have someone point out to me that there even is such a thing as that. This would make a delicious distillate. It could be used in all kinds of ways, not the least of which would be culinary.
Now this is the mountain mint that came home with me from Baton Rouge in ...was it last year? It has gotten huge and lush. The tops of the stems have all turned this luscious shade of pale green, while the lower leaves are brilliant jade green. This distills beautifully. We did it for an herb guild last fall, and it was so strong as to make us almost woozy. The resulting hydrosol makes a spectacular body spray on hot days - especially if kept cold in the fridge. It also makes a wonderful minty soap. This would be the apple mint. There is so much out there right now I could fill the still 10 times and there would be enough left over to dry and have a few pounds. The plants are incredibly healthy, reaching halfway up the pines they grow amongst. The trees are about 7' tall. I distilled this mint last year, and it is a delicious, juicy mint. It is nice as it fills the room with refreshing mint while steaming away, producing essential oil and lots of hydrosol.
Between my garden and my sister's garden, we'd probably have enough calendula to try. I've never done that one. It would probably be pretty sticky in the biomass flask, but that's simple enough to clean with a little alcohol. Perhaps we'll do this one later. If it works, I won't want to give it away, and it probably wouldn't be good to experiment in front of a group - if the experiment fails.
I just like the blue of the chicory next to the blue spruces. It looks so pretty out in the field. Besides the chicory, there is a lot of Queen Anne's lace. The three together are stupendous. I'm pretty sure my bil doesn't feel the same, as the weeds aren't a good thing for him.
Last shot for today is the elderflower slowly turning into elderberry. There are so many berries on the bushes this year that I just might try distilling them. That might be really cool. Or not. We'll see.
So aside from that, I have peppermint, chocolate mint, and holy basil that could be distilled. It might just turn out to be whatever we're in the mood for on Friday when we pick it. There are just too many choices.

The big boys "discover" stevia. Sigh....

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D91Q92600.htm
Ok.. this is just annoying. Infuriating.
In the early 90's, just as Nutrasweet gumballs were hitting mailboxes all over the United States, cargo ships loaded with Stevia were being banned from unloading in the united states. It seemed a very strange coincidence, particularly when a few years later the ban was lifted with no explanation ever given for the ban - or for the lifting of the ban. In fact, all during the ban, the US was encouraging South American countries to grow stevia as a cash crop in place of marijuana. We just wouldn't be buying any, thank you very much.

The only thing was, when the ban was lifted, stevia was not approved as a food additive. Stevia, under the rules of the FDA, could have gotten Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status as an existing product with a history of human consumption. Without FDA approval or GRAS status, stevia must be marketed under the less-regulated category of "dietary supplement". This is an import alert, updated just this year... Stevia is still considered to be suspect, and can be turned away from port or confiscated.
http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia4506.html

So now, after companies like:
www.stevita.com
www.sweetleaf.com
www.bodyecology.com
www.zevia.com
have worked long and hard to make stevia available to the public, Goliath (in the guise of Coca-Cola and Cargill) comes along and "discovers" the benefits of this "new" sweetener. Where will this leave the family owned businesses that depend on stevia? In the dust.
Somehow the big boys found a way to get around the problems that plague the small businesses.
Oh sure, the new sweetener - Truvia - is about as far from stevia in its natural state as can be imagined. These colossal corporations have isolated the sweet component and do away with all that makes the sweetener natural. They will, of course, market it as natural.

I've often felt very sorry for the people who spent the last several decades making organic, whole, pure foods available to the paltry few who were searching for them. We've had a couple of local families who've been in business for at least 40 years each, eeking out a living, called to provide "health foods". Then, just when things started to go their way and living got easier, WHOOSH!!! the rug is pulled out from under them as the big boys come and take their business. I know it's the way of business, but it makes me sick.

Drying Herbs

Right now the herbs are all knocking themselves out, wanting to be a part of the daily cooking experience.


A great way to have them handy is to hang them near your cooking area - not to dry, but to use! A twisted honeysuckle branch is used here, but there are many other options.


To dry herbs for use during the winter, gather the herbs mid-morning, when the dew has dried, but before the full noonday sun hasn't hit them and dissipated the essential oils from the leaves.


Put the herbs in small bunches so that there is little chance of mold or spoilage, and fasten with a rubber band. A rubber band will shrink as the stems dry. If there are seeds or small petals that will fall off, place the herb into a paper bag to catch them. Hang upside down.


For small flowers or petals - like chamomile, calendula, rose petals, etc., an old window screen works very well, especially if you can find a place where the screen will have air circulation from both the top and bottom; perhaps a couple of bricks can hold it off the floor. Keep it in a dim, dry area and when they are crispy dry, put them in a jar or bag, marked with the contents and the date. Do not crumble them, but leave them in the wholest form possible so that they'll stay fresher.


No matter how you dry or preserve your herbs, be sure to keep them somewhere that is handy so you remember to use them throughout the winter when they will bring back the flavors of summer.

Self Diagnosis, or Dr. Who?

This has been stewing in my head for a while, but it probably will still come out wrong.

Is it because healthcare has become so expensive that it is out of the reach of middle America, nevermind our poor? Is it because the internet has put so much information at our fingertips that we are deluded into thinking that we know more than we do?
Since when did we all become doctors?

More and more, I am seeing perfectly intelligent people who are willing to risk their own health and the health of their loved ones while they play doctor. This scares the hell out of me.

I am a proponent of herbal medicine. I want to see the use of herbs as medicine grow and become a part of the integrated, holistic healing practice of our medical model. There are many self-limiting illnesses that could be helped herbally, keeping people out of doctors offices. There are many herbal treatments that can help with various diseases and illnesses - after a proper diagnosis has been made.

I've been around long enough to have seen several "miracle, cure-all, new, multi-level herbal remedies" come onto the market. Some of them died a natural death, and some of them went to court. The reason they even exist is because there are so many people who are willing to believe that such a thing is possible. And that's scary. Scary that there are people who want to rip others off with no regard to the possibility of killing them because they don't get decent care, and scary that there are people who take things on their own without doing any research, blindly accepting the hype.

There is something even scarier happening now, in my opinion. In the past several years there seem to be more and more people who are not bothering to find out what is wrong before they start treating themselves or their families. They do self-diagnosis, and self-medication. Strangers I've never set eyes on will write with questions on serious life-threatening illnesses, as if it is just fine to write to a random stranger for something that could alter or end their lives. Many of my herb friends have the same experiences. This is crazy!

10 years ago, when we had our shop, we often had customers who came in for herbs AFTER seeing a doctor, getting a diagnosis, and doing some research into their condition. They made INFORMED decisions, based on all of those factors. Others came in and asked us to diagnose them. We wouldn't do it. We aren't doctors, and we suggested that they see one.

So please folks, I implore you... Use herbs for first aid, for staying comfortable during a self-limiting illness, and to improve your health and immunity. But if you have a serious problem, or one that doesn't resolve with the use of herbs in a reasonable amount of time, see a doctor.

Using herbs irresponsibly is bad for everyone. It hurts the one using them, and it hurts the industry as a whole, possibly threatening the future use of herbs for all of us.

Mount Joy Farmers Market - Craft Day

I took a couple of pictures at market the other day. It was a great market day with a good turn out. What you don't see here are the other produce vendors, the baked goods, the pretzels, beef jerky, hometown apparel, and the home made dog treats that are at the market every Saturday.




There were craft vendors in the front and back of the main market, and when it started to look threatening, our fearless leader Stacy Rutherford made sure that the crafters without tents got under cover, making a third row in the center. That worked pretty well!
I've done a lot of craft fairs, and have never seen an organizer help people move their booths under cover when the weather turned. I mean, she was carrying their stuff!
Anyhow, another great day at market :-).

Finally! ~ Distilled Some Lavender

It has been a goal ever since the row of Grosso lavender went in, that some of it would be distilled. Now we are nearing a critical stage where all of the lavender is trying hard to bloom, so today was the day.

It was an interesting distillation. Normally, we fill the little white bucket with ice, and just about the time the ice is all melted, we have 16 oz. or so of distillate. Of course, we normally have only a few drops of essential oil - sometimes none, depending on the plant used. So, I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out where the water went. Maybe the lavender in the biomass flask soaked it up? Anyhow, it took us quite a bit longer than usual to get a decent amount of distillate, and we had to refill the bucket with ice. We got more essential oil than even mints or lemon verbena.

I took pictures as we went along, just because it was so darned cool!

First, the lavender still on the plants. There are still several plants waving around out there, but 3 of them got good haircuts.

This is one of "the girls" after the haircut.

Next, you can see the amount of lavender that was cut compared to the biomass flask - which holds about a gallon, give or take. We only used the tops of the spikes, or the flowers.

This is how it looks all ready to be fired up.

The cloudy band in the collector is the essential oil. Gradually the cloudiness went away (air bubbles, I think) and the band got wider, to about 3/4 of an inch.

Here you can see how dark the water got in the boiling flask, how pale the lavender got, and how much essential oil we obtained. The two blue bottles are hydrosol.

So that's it. The still is all cleaned and ready to go for another adventure.

The Essential Herbal in the news again!

Posted on Wed, Jun 25, 2008
The Donegal Ledger
Market vendor publishes book
By Jason Gauz; Editor
Tina Sams, a regular stand holder at the Mount Joy Farmer's Market, held a book signing there on Saturday, June 14 for her new book. "Under the Sun" is a compilation of the first five years of the author's "Essential Herbal" magazine.Sams began the magazine in 2002, and it grew from a newsletter to a 32-page magazine published every two months. It includes articles, recipes and ideas for health, first aid, gardening and crafts, all concerning herbs, by writers from across the country.

Sams said she compiled most of the articles from the first five years of her magazine because the material was great, but few people had the opportunity to see it.

"I just want people to learn," Sams said. "People will spend $20 on something they could pick in their back yards. If we were to walk down this [Appletree] alley, we would find five or 10 useful herbs."
The author noted a few everyday herbs that can be used for a variety of purposes. For instance, she says plantains can help to quickly clear up a bee sting, and the herb grows pretty much everywhere not sprayed for weeds. Also, elderberries can have antiviral properties and coat cells.

However, most doctors are unlikely to recommend these treatments. "If a doctor tells you to use something with herbs that's not approved by the FDA, they could lose their license," Sams said.

"Under the Sun" was published by the Sibling Group of Manheim. The book will be available for purchase at the market stand shared by Sams and her sister, Maryanne Schwartz. Schwartz owns Lancaster County Soapworks and sells her wares alongside Sams', which include everything from "Git Spritz" bug spray to lip balm to "tub teas," a teabag of herbs for the bathtub. All of the products are made from natural herbs.

The Mount Joy Farmer's Market is open each Saturday until Oct. 11 from 8 a.m. until noon in the parking lot of Union Nation Bank, 101 E. Main Street. Sams still edits and publishes "The Essential Herbal." Subscriptions and more information are available at www.essentialherbal.com.

I've been tagged...

Thanks Maryanne :-). So that means that I need to answer 5 questions and then tag some other players. Okie Dokie.

Ten years ago...
I was trying very hard not to concentrate on how unhappy my marriage was. I had a 7 year old who was the light of my life (still is!), and the shop was growing by leaps and bounds. We were giving the weekly classes on Friday nights, talking to groups at least a couple of times a month, and staying very busy. The Herbal Adventures of the Twisted Sisters (currently out of print, but we're working on that) had just been printed, and we were having a ball with that.

Five things on today's to do list ...
~ Address and mail renewal reminder postcards
~ pack and ship a couple of orders
~ finish putting away the laundry
~ pay household bills
~ weave some lavender wands

Snacks I enjoy...
It would be easier to list things that I don't like, but I LOVE Mentos mint chews, crystallized ginger, almonds, pretzels, and Wheat Thins. Fresh fruit is always good this time of year. Really... no kidding, I like just about everything, and it shows.

Things I would do if I was a millionaire...
I'm going to pretend that a million dollars is a lot of money like when I was a kid. First I would double the size of the magazine and send writers on great assignments. *Maybe* we would use color. Then I would strong-arm my sweetheart to retire and relax a little bit. I'd make sure Molly had a great education and a little cushion to get started on, some security for her. Not too much else would change. Make sure the people I love are ok, mostly. A vacation now and then sure would be nice, though. It would be nice to travel around the US and see it up close. Maybe leave the country. New Zealand and Australia sound interesting.

Places I have lived....
Other than a brief ill-fated sojourn into beautiful south central VA, I'm a Lancaster County girl, born and bred. The only place I've ever visited that I wanted to move to was Bermuda. Then again, there's a lot I haven't seen.

There. Now off to tag some other bloggers :-)
like...
LittleBigVoice
PossumCreek
GreenSpiral
HerbsFromtheLabyrinth

Lavender Wands - so far this year

Last year we started what seems to have become one of my favorite new traditions. I was participating in a "Home Grown" swap, and needed about 25 wands. We just kept going and had lots to take to market and put up on the website. It was so much fun at the end of the day to catch a cool breeze and catch up. We've been looking forward to it for months, and now the lavender is ready.
At some point during the day, I pick a sheaf of lavender and allow it to wilt a bit in the shade. When the sun goes low enough that shade hits the deck, my sister (and this year her son) comes up to weave. Supper is done and washed up, and there is nothing left to do but just enjoy ourselves.

This year there is so much lavender that we pushed it and went from 19 to *about* 25 stems. I say about, because nephew Rob is a math guy. It is impossible for him to just simply weave. Oh no. He has no choice but to try to figure out mathematical sequences that will turn out interesting wands. He even did one with two colors of ribbons, but said, "never again", so that one is now a part of the family trivia collection. Of course we see what he turns out, and then we have to try it too. We turn up each night with new ideas. I'm percolating a stair-step weave right now.

We have a few more evenings of weaving, stopping at 50 before we try distilling some of the flowers.

The wands are available on our website and the book, Under the Sun (also on our website) has written instructions with photos.

Cherry Cobbler ... yummah!

Last week we were coming home from the post office, and right there where the peaches will be in another month were these gorgeous cherries. We have this great farm stand where they sell the county's best peaches every year. After peaches they have many varieties of apples. This is the first year for cherries, though.

The cherries were just a tad tart to eat out of hand, so I looked up the cobbler recipe that we used last year for berries:
http://theessentialherbal.blogspot.com/2007/08/gobble-up-some-cobbler.html and just slightly altered it. Instead of lemon juice (which I didn't have on hand), I squeezed an orange over the cherries and sugar. This recipe is like a giant cookie - all terrible ingredients. It would be improved with the use of raw sugar and a whole grain flour, but once or twice a year we make it just the way the recipe suggests.
It is so simple, just a few ingredients, and it looks so delicious before it goes in the oven.

40 minutes later... ummmmm umm! The edges are just a little crispy and the cherries are perfectly suited to a cobbler.