The November/December 2009 Issue

We had one of our soap marathons this afternoon, and in the course of conversation discussed the fact that we always let our product speak for itself. The other day a wholesale customer was asking us about some wild claims they'd heard about some other soaps, and wanted our opinions. It started us thinking that we just don't have the proper bragging genes. The soap is good, we say... try it and you'll see, and we leave it at that.

Now I'm realizing that I do all of the writers who contribute to TEH a disservice by not making more noise about what a really terrific magazine this is. Looking for a good read? Want to learn about all the different ways herbs can enhance your life? One of the things we hear the most is that the magazine makes people feel like they can do it too! Each page has something that will make you think, make you want to try it, or make you need to grow it! The magazine is inspiring and instructive, making herbs accessible to everyone. That is our goal, and with the help of our contributors, it is met every single issue. If you aren't familiar with the magazine, read the on-line sample that you can download on the sidebar (or HERE if you're on a feed)!!!Here's what we have for you in this issue:

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Field Notes from the Editor
Film Review - Numen, the Nature of Plants
Down on the Farm, Merry Christmas, Naturally! Michele Brown & Pat Stewart
Historic Herbal: Likable Lohocks, Kathleen Setzer
Tales from the Tetons, Kristena Haslam
Rooibos, Barbara Tuson
Never Enough Thyme, Botanical Angels or Fairies, Susanna Reppert
Global Herbal, Latin America, Marita A. Orr
Christmas is for the Birds, Betsy May
Season of Tisanes & Teas, Mary Hammond
Cardamom, Lisl Meredith Huebner
SouthRidge Treasures, Herbs at Christmas, Mary Ellen Wilcox
List Article - Our Favorite Remedies for Colds and Flu
Garlic for Winter Health, Cindy Jones
Cold & Flu, Cathy Walker
The Fig Tree, Gail Faith Edwards
The Soap Pot, Coming Back to Soaping, Alicia Grosso
Daily Herbs, Susan Evans
Kathy's Harvest, Lavender Heart, Kathy Musser
What Goes Around, Sue-Ryn Burns
Louisiana Lagniappe, Green Eggs & Ham, Sarah Liberta
- Lots of information, recipes, crafts, and herbal lore! This is THE magazine for the herbal enthusiast.

here comes coolness (hot beverages)

First, the Nov/Dec 09 issue of TEH will be going up on the website on Wednesday. Don't miss out - subscribe or renew today! Medicinal herbs and teas for winter, holiday crafts, figs, cold and flu remedies, the herbs of Latin America, Cardamom - and SO much more - are in these pages, just waiting to guide you through the wonderful world of herbs.

Now... it is getting cooler here with a frost coming tonight (most likely). Many of our friends are already waking to hard frosts and some have even seen snow. Time to think about some nice hot drinks, don't you think?

American Cranberry Tea (Susanna Reppert)
1 qt cranberries
4 qt water
2 1/2 c sugar
1/2 c cinnamon candies
juice of 3 oranges and 3 lemons
1/2 t cloves
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t allspice
Bring cranberries and one quart of water to a boil. In another pan, bring three quarts of water and sugar to a boil. Add cinnamon candies, cloves, and spices and simmer. Put cranberries through a sieve and combine with other liquid. Before serving, add juice of oranges and lemons. Serve hot. 12-15 servings.

Rest Easy Tea (Pam Ferry)
1/4 c dried spearmint
1/4 c dried lemon grass
1 c dried lemon balm
1/2 c dried catnip
3/4 c dried chamomile flowers
Blend all herbs thoroughly and store in an airtight container away from heat and light. To make tea, use 2 tsp of blend for each cup of boiling water. You can prepare the tea in a tea ball, or mix the loose herbs with water in a tea pot, and then strain tea into a cup.

Instant Chai (Maryanne Schwartz)
3/4 c sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 c powdered honey
1/2 c unsweetened iced tea mix (like Lipton)
2 c nonfat dry milk
1/2 c non-dairy creamer
1 t powdered ginger
1 t powdered cinnamon
1/2 t powdered clove
1/2 t powdered cardamom
First pour the extract in with the sugar and stir it around to break up the lumps and let it dry before mixing it in with the other ingredients. Mix all ingredients together in a blender or food processor and blend until you get a powdery texture - about 1 minute. This will make about 1 gallon of prepared chai. Lastly if you don't want to use iced tea mix you can mix all the other ingredients and suggest brewing regular tea and mix about 2 rounded Tbsp of mix to the brewed tea.

Mulling Mix (Susan Evans)
4 sticks of cinnamon, 2-3"
2 heaping T dried orange peel
2 t cloves, whole
1 t allspice, whole
1/2 tsp peppercorns
Combine ingredients and use one tablespoon of the mixture for every quart of wine or juice.
Sweeten with 2 tablespoons of sugar or honey if you wish. Gently simmer for about 15 minutes. You can strain the mixture at this point, or skip the straining process by enclosing the herbs in a muslin drawstring bag. In this case you add 10 minutes to the simmering time. Ground nutmeg and ginger can also be added.

Chocolate Ecstasy Cocoa - Geri Burgert
2 cups milk
5 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 cup chopped dark chocolate
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Gently heat all the ingredients over a low flame, stirring constantly, until the cocoa is creamy and bubbly. If you have leftovers when the kids are done (not likely), try adding a splash of Drambuie, Grand Marnier, or Creme de Menthe. It's killer!  There --- these recipes are excerpted from past issues.

They ought to get you warmed up for those chilly days that are coming!

Hydrosols for Skin Care

12 Best Hydrosols for Skin Care – and which are Best for You
Excerpt from The Essential Herbal Magazine Sept/Oct '07
Marge Clark
Nature’s Gift Aromatherapy
www.naturesgift.com

Hydrosols are among the gentlest and safest aromatics for use in caring for your complexion. We use them as toners (saturate a cotton ball and wipe your face carefully to remove all traces of cleanser), refreshing “spritzers” during the day to revive your make-up (or your spirits), soothing and calming anti-inflammatories to ease the redness of rosacea or sunburn, or gentle anti-bacterials to help calm troubled skin and acne. Hydrosols may be used as the water phase of a cream or lotion. If you want just a tiny amount, and don’t want to go to the effort of emulsifying the ingredients, you can try an instant “non-cream”. In a one ounce bottle, pour approximately 2/3 ounce of your chosen hydrosol. Top the bottle off with one/third ounce of your favorite skincare carrier oil. Shake well, and apply a few drops to your freshly washed face. This mixture makes a wonderful night-time moisturizer. Basically it gives you the ingredients of a cream or lotion, without any need to emulsify.

Use your favorite hydrosol as the water portion of a simple clay mask, or to remove a mask.

The wide range of available hydrosols make it easy to select the appropriate distillates for your particular skin.
Carrot Seed Hydrosol: Just as Carrot Seed essential oil is one of the most recommended treatments for mature skin, Carrot Seed Hydrosol is highly recommended for treating mature and wrinkled skin. Carrot Seed Hydrosol is also reputed to have cellular regenerative power and thus recommended for easing razor burns and irritations.)

Chamomile (Roman) Hydrosol Soothing and relaxing, useful for helping dry, flaking itchy skin from rashes or eczema.

Cistus Hydrosol (Rock Rose): Cistus water has been recommended as a toner for wrinkled, mature skin since it can “plump up” skin cells and erase fine lines. Cistus is also an astringent, so would be useful both for oily skin, and as an aftershave toner since it can help stop bleeding of minor cuts and scrapes.

Rose Geranium: Geranium is thought to be a cellular regenerative, thus Rose Geranium Hydrosol is a toner of choice for mature skin, or the perfect liquid to use in creating a facial masque. Like Geranium EO, Rose Geranium Hydrosol is recommended for balancing combination skin, since it balances both oily and dry skin.
Suzanne Catty says that it is a humectant, wonderful for dry skin, or mixed into a clay and honey mask.
She also recommends it as an anti-inflammatory, useful for sunburns, Rosacea, rashes, any condition where redness or heat is present. (I think a touch of Helichrysum hydrosol would increase the effectiveness.)

Helichrysum Hydrosol: Helichrysum italicum essential oil is the most powerfully anti-inflammatory essential oil, and an essential component in Rosacea and bruise blends. The gentler helichrysum hydrosol is the perfect toner for Rosacea, couperose (thread veins) and inflamed or irritated skin. I've heard back from people using Helichrysum Hydrosol and Roman Chamomile hydrosol together to sooth sunburns, radiation burns, rashes, skin irritations of all types. Our clients rave about the combination in keeping eczema manageable. In spite of its cost, Helichrysum Hydrosol has traditionally been our best selling hydrosol, month in, month out. Nothing else that I know of is its match for gentle care for sensitive skin.

Lavender Hydrosol: The all purpose floral water. Lavender doesn’t excel at the treatment of any single skin condition, but it is helpful to almost every skin type. Lavender hydrosol is a very gentle antibacterial, making it useful in treating acne, and can help balance both oily and dry complexions. Lavender water can help ease the pain of sunburn and windburn. Please note, most lavender hydrosols do not smell as pleasant as the essential oil. We have found one Lavender Mailette hydrosol from California that smells delightful, but we suggest getting a small sample of most Lavender waters before investing in a large quantity.

Spike Lavender Hydrosol: Spike Lavender is the most powerfully antibacterial member of the Lavender family. We can see using this delightfully soft scented floral water as a toner/wash for oily skin or acne. We’ve tested it out with some teenaged boys. They all liked it and didn't think it smelled too "girly" for their use. We are experimenting with a blend of witch hazel (the kind from the drugstore, with alcohol added) and Spike Lavender Hydrosol for an aftershave for troubled skin. We had expected this lovely water to smell camphorous, as does the oil which is its co-distillate, however, we were pleasantly surprised by the soft herbal scent that we all loved. Unanimously, we prefer its aroma to that of our true Lavender hydrosol. We've read that the hydrosol is also helpful in easing the symptoms of Psoriasis and Eczema, either used as a compress or as an ingredient in a lotion or cream. (I would mix it with helichrysum hydrosol for this purpose!)

Melissa Hydrosol: Melissa is a great toner/astringent for oily skin. I don't recommend the essential oil in skin care since it can be irritating. This is where the gentleness of the hydrosol makes it the delivery method of choice. One staff member uses it as a morning toner for her oily skin and says that the excess oil “just vanishes.” One client writes that it has helped her hormonal acne tremendously.
Jeanne Rose writes that Melissa hydrosol has powerful uses in skin care products, that it is antifungal, relieves skin infection and breakouts and can cure herpes.

Rose Hydrosol: Rosewater stimulates the skin, heightening the blood flow. Rosewater controls and balances sebum production, making it useful for both dry and oily skin. It can balance and restore the skin's Ph and helps tighten pores. Its antibacterial properties help fight acne giving troubled skin a gentle, rather than a harsh treatment. It is reputed to be useful in the treatment of all sorts of dermatitis. Suzanne Catty recommends blending Rose Hydrosol with Cistus (Rockrose) Hydrosol as an anti-wrinkle treatment.

Teatree Hydrosol: All the anti-fungal, anti-bacterial effects of Tea Tree Essential Oil in a delicately herbal scented hydrosol. A superb toner for skin with acne; a mouthwash for infection or for thrush, a baby wipe if baby has a yeast infection, a deodorant spray, a base for a foot spray, washing out wounds or cuts, treating hotspots on dogs or cats...the list goes on.

Witch Hazel Hydrosol: Soothing and anti-inflammatory, anti fungal and anti-bacterial. A wonderful toner for teenage skin, as well as a free radical scavenger recommended for anti-aging skin treatments. One of my mentors uses Witch Hazel Hydrosol in all of her creams and lotions for mature skin. Suzanne Catty says Witch Hazel hydrosol is the most antioxidant of the hydrosols and recommends it for psoriasis, eczema, cracked or blistered skin, for treating insect bites, and as the treatment of choice for varicose veins and hemorrhoids.

Yarrow Hydrosol: This cleansing and astringent hydrosol is one of the toners of choice for skin with acne. It is also useful as an anti-inflammatory for inflamed or irritated skin (although I would reach for witch hazel or helichrysum in addition to the Yarrow.)
I have used Yarrow Hydrosol to ease the sting of sunburn or other inflammation, and been amazed at the results. We’ve heard from clients that Yarrow hydrosol is almost a miracle cure for any sort of itching skin condition. It almost instantly soothes the itch of insect bites, eczema, poison ivy, sunburn... a wonderfully effective skin soother. I've been told that the hydrosol, used as a compress or as the water phase of a lotion is effective in treating both psoriasis and eczema, soothing the itching, calming inflammation, and assisting the basal cells of the skin in healing.

TEH - Under the Sun (revisited)

The other day I was talking to a woman who had recently retired and finally had time to grow herbs. She'd put in a lush and lavish garden this summer, but now she was at a loss as to what to do with them. I asked her what she was most interested in - cooking, home remedies, decorating with herbs, their scents, teas... there are so many areas. She wanted to learn it all, and she was willing to buy several books, figuring that she'd need a book for each of the various specialties. There are MANY great books out there. For this particular person, and all the people like her, Under the Sun is my best recommendation (available at our website: www.essentialherbal.com ). To begin with, it contains 5 years of spring and summer issues of the magazine. We added some things, culled some others, and wound up with a spectacular blend of herbal knowledge that everyone will find useful, from the beginner to the more experienced herbalist.
Hundreds of recipes, scores of crafts, tons of remedies and instructions on how to make and use them are all included. Well over 200 pages (8 1/2 x 11!) of information.
Since she and I were talking in person, I was able to hand her a copy. She looked through the table of contents and said, "Oh! I have to have this book!" For only $24.95, I tend to agree. My personal copy is already getting worn.
~~~~~~~
Excerpts:

Bruise Butter from Meredith Corwyn
1 1/2 C calendula flowers

8 oz pure anhydrous lanolin
6 oz coconut oil

1/4 to 1/2 C comfrey root

3 or 4 whole cloves

Put all ingredients in a covered casserole. Bake at 375 degrees for about an hour. Strain through a colander lined with cheese cloth into containers. Cool and label. It can be done on top of the stove, but it burns easily and the odor is powerful. The oven is easier and less risky.

Herbed Lemoncello
Maggie Howe
prairielandherbs.com
Delicious, heady, and strong! A wonderful summer drink. This is a herbed variation of "regular" Italian lemoncello.

6-8 large lemons (organic, if you can find them)
4 cups 100 proof alcohol (can use everclear or vodka, whichever you prefer or is easiest to find)
1 lg. handful roughly chopped fresh lemon verbena or lemon balm
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

Peel lemons, leaving as much of the white "pith" on the lemon as you can.. Place the lemon peel and all other ingredients in a sun tea jar or widemouth glass jar. Let steep in a dark place for at least 3 weeks, shaking or stirring occasionally.
Next, combine 2 cups sugar and 3 cups distilled water in a large pot, and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until sugar is all dissolved and the mixture is slightly thickened.
Strain out your vodka/herb/lemon mixture, using several layers of cheesecloth, or a coffee filter. Combine the sugar mixture and the infused vodka back into your (now clean) jar, and let it sit in a cool, dark place for at least a month. Finally - drink and enjoy!

There. That's a teensy tiny taste of some of the things you'll find - as well as gardening ideas, plant advice, how to make herbal preparations, and so much more. So if you're looking for a terrific book that covers a lot of stuff - check out Under the Sun!

Let's Get Lost on a Country Road

I wonder if the currently coming-of-age generation has ever had the chance to just get lost for a bit. I remember that it was a legitimate Sunday afternoon pursuit, giving credence to the term "Sunday driver". Families would wander back roads in search of seasonal changes, ideas for home plantings and decor, or just to enjoy the ride and the company. As we got our driving licenses back in the 70's, we looked for remote places to watch sunsets or wildlife. We went on "know your county" rides, and made friends or ran into each other at overlooks and swimming holes. When the first gasoline crisis hit, it was the first notion that perhaps it was more than cash we were spending on those rides, and they became few and far between.
Last year Molly and I became intentionally "lost" on the way home from visiting her college-to-be. We saw amazing things! I did it again yesterday, right here at home. For an hour I chose only roads I'd never heard of before. Never going more than 10 miles from home, I saw beautifully maintained farms, hillsides and streams, valleys and meadows. It was fun and relaxing. Once a year I don't feel bad about driving aimlessly to find out what's behind the next bend.
Then I came home to realize it is gorgeous here!
The obligatory last passionflower of the season...Vitex berries ripening in the sun...A clutch of mums murmuring to each other. Can't you just see their faces and even make out expressions? Or is that just me?The golden ring on the brown cones is enchanting as the setting sun hits these blossoms...Bog sage still shows off azure blooms against the green grass.My newest toy, the composter. It's enough to make me want to cook more fresh veggies - lol.

Bio-regional herbs for the Cold and Flu Season

The Essential Herbal Magazine is pleased to be participating in a blog party hosted by Methow Valley Herbs. Visit Rosalee's blog for a list of other participants and read their takes on the topic!

Here in PA, I am most familiar with the PA German culture, and the things that my mother and her parents knew about. Here there is a centuries old way of healing called "pow wow" or Braucherai that blends the German, Native American, and Gypsy ways. It combines herbal medicine with ritual and was passed down through the generations. My friend Susan Hess has joined forces with others to record it before the old-timers who practice it are gone. They can be found here and you can read an article about them here.
The thing is, at one time, pow wow was something that everyone knew about, and most people knew at least one person whose life was saved by a practitioner. My mother was one such person, when as a small child the medical community gave up on her and her parents took her to see a man who chanted over her and used a few herbs - possibly burning them near her, she didn't recall.
Then, the Amish and Mennonite families who had always depended on this healing model became ashamed of it after a scandal in brought the attention of the modern world, and scorn and mockery came their way. Nobody spoke of it anymore, and nobody wanted to learn it. 2 generations or so later, and it is scarce and hard to find.
Otherwise, we have been relearning the herbal part as has most of the country. For cold and flu our favorite defense has always been elderberry because it is so good and so easy to make, use, find, store, etc. Once you have foraged elderberry with a seasoned herbalist, you will never have a hard time finding it again. It is on every backroad, every meadow, every woodlot. We use it in wines, vinegars, syrups, jellies, tinctures, and most recently I've been making hard candy so that I can have it with me wherever I go.
We recently spent a day with Barb and Fred Will in western PA, where we gathered lots of boneset for tincture. He told us that when he was growing up, each family had a crock where they kept the boneset for tea, and that because of the nasty taste, all the kids liked to pretend that they weren't sick until they just HAD to admit it. The tincture is extremely bitter as well, and I usually combine it with elderberry.
Some other easily grown anti-viral herbs that we also have in tincture form include lemon balm and St. John's wort. We use echinacea to support the immune system, and also a combination of holy basil and albizzia to help our bodies manage stress. Stress and the way we handle it can make a huge difference in our health and our immunity. Holy basil is not native here, but the albizzia trees are everywhere in the summer.
Eat well, get plenty of rest, and stay hydrated - and keep some good anti-virals on hand.

Our first bus tour - and beyond

On Monday of this week, we had a blast hosting a segment of one of The Rosemary House's bus tours. Susanna puts together several trips each year. Some are close to home while others go quite a distance and last for days. You can stay up to date with their Calendar of Events!

It was the first time we did anything like this, and had agreed to do it sometime before the beginning of the year. If you've been reading along, you know that my sister and I are sometimes mightily challenged by the rollercoaster of taking care of our brother, and this continued to be the case. Getting the yard and gardens into some kind of order as well as preparing a snack and presentation took some doing - but we did it, and it came together pretty well.

The bus arrived in the driveway at precisely the time it was expected. I was glad nephew Rob went out and got a picture of the bus. Pretty cool.

We had the still filled and all put together, so that it was ready to roll when everyone got settled.

The table was set with lots of goodies. We served a Rooibos tea punch from the soon-to-be-printed Nov/Dec issue, dip and crudites, herbed pretzels, and pesto pockets (from the Sept/Oct '09 issue). Every morsel turned out to be delicious, and the gang loved it all!
PESTO POCKETS

2 pkg (10 each) refrigerated biscuits

1/4 C Pesto

1/2 C shredded Mozzarella

1 beated egg white

(optional - bacon, ham, pepperoni)

Separate the biscuits. On a lightly floured surface, flatten each biscuit into a 4" circle with your hand. Spread 1/2 t pesto on half of each circle to within 1/2" of the edge. Use half the cheese to sprinkle over the pesto on each circle. Brush edges with egg white. Fold plain half of each over the filling. With tines of fork, seal edges together. Prick top once with fork. Transfer pockets to a greased baking sheet. Brush tops with egg white. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake at 400 for 8 to 10 minutes until golden. Serve warm. Makes 20.

PESTO

3/4 C basil leaves

2 cloves crushed garlic

1/2 C grated Parmesand cheese

2 T pine nuts (or walnuts)

1/4 C olive oil

Puree all ingredients together in food processor.

FRESH HERB DIP FOR CRUDITES

1 C Mayonaisse

1 C sour cream

up to 1/2 C snipped and chopped fresh herbs.

I use whatever is out there. For this gathering, that included sage, purple basil, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, holy basil, oregano, chives, and parsley. I added caraway seed and dehydrated onion. Luckily I remembered because the tour folks wanted an exact recipe.
I had intended a weed walk, but instead there was just a bit of time left to walk to the edge of the yard where we talked about elderberries, pawpaws, vitex, holy basil, and lavender - among others.
Everyone hoped on the bus and went over to Kathy and John Musser's place, Cloverleaf Herb Farm.

Kathy took us on a tour of her gardens and then into the shop where we gave her a hand (as she had done for us, coming over a bit before the bus got to our place).
All in all it was a lot of fun and now my yard looks beautiful!

Our brother John managed to hold out during the day, but there was no doubt he was sick again. I'll talk about that on his blog.

Sunchoke Chips

For some reason I woke up today with the idea of making chips from roots. Like Jerusalem artichoke (sunchoke), burdock, dandelion, etc. I grabbed the shovel as soon as I was dressed and headed out looking for nice burdock, but all I could find was yellow dock and sour dock. I did dig some yellow dock, and then came back up to the house to dig sunchokes. Not much, though. We have a tour tomorrow and it wouldn't do to dig up the whole patch today (although the idea came to me when I was trying to think of something unique to serve our guests).

The sunchokes were a delight to work with. They fried up crispy and delicious.
The yellow dock was difficult. It was tough and didn't want to be sliced, although slicing on a diagonal helped slightly.

I sprinkled the chips with some popcorn seasoning blend that came in a spice blend swap we did last year, and it was really good! Plain salt would have worked too.
Considering that these are to be pleasant, I probably wouldn't try the yellow dock again. I will be looking for burdock, though. Oh - and the oil was coconut, which was very easy to work with!

REVIEW: Numen - the Nature of Plants

Although I will be reviewing this in the upcoming issue of TEH, I just finished watching it and would like to comment.
The structure of the film reminded me of What the Bleep? in that there were a series of experts and individuals that were interviewed in turn on a lot of topics so that it almost feels like we are sitting in a huge room talking to everyone at once.
The most important element to me was that in the time it took to watch, concepts that took the first 5 or 6 years of my herbal enchantment in order to become fixed and cemented in my heart, were expressed clearly and concisely.
That means that those who are just now opening up to plants as food and medicine will be able to grasp those things more quickly, without having to stumble along. So now, 15 or more years after having them firmly held inside, I can watch and nod and at times be moved nearly to tears. It is interesting to imagine how this might effect the newest wave of herbal enthusiasts - being able to understand all that information all at one time.
Bravo! Well done. Knowledge can change individual behavior and we can change the world.
www.numenfilm.com

Say it Loud, Roger!

Today we were vendors at the Lebanon County Master Gardener's Symposium. All of the vendor tables were along the walls of the main room where everything took place. It is unusual that we get to be right in the middle of things, and it was exciting to hear Roger Swain of "Crockett's Victory Garden" fame speak for several hours. He could have gone on for many more, I suspect, without ever becoming boring in the least.
I apologize for my fuzzy picture. Darkish room and too fascinated to remember the camera! The talk was in three parts. He began talking about "planting villages". What he meant was that Americans have become insulated and that gardens can help people to know each other. Planting gardens in our front yards means that we go out and water them and prune them and see our neighbors at the same time. He said that "gardening is a language that everyone should learn to speak." As you can imagine, I was shaking my head and shoutin' "amen!"
My sister and I both got a good chuckle when he mentioned that automatic garage door openers are the devil's spawn because they enable people to come and go from their homes without ever being outside.
Roger sprinkled his talk with his opinions on some fairly hot-button topics and I realized that either nobody told him how conservative the area is OR he just says what he thinks. Either way, I appreciated his forthrightness, and that goes as well for when he told the crowd that he considers his gardening practices as PMO. That stands for "pretty much organic". He grows tree fruits, and they are nearly impossible to grow 100% organically, so he does as much as he believes to be reasonable. His produce is for his own personal use and his friends and neighbors.

He gave us his 5 principles for Planting Villages:
1. Generosity. He had several anecdotes that referred to the glut of zucchini by this time of year, including telling us that he needs to keep his car locked lest it be filled with the squash during the night. But that there is always lots to share and once again, that will grow the village. He also tries to spend $10/wk at a farmers market, saying that there is always something he doesn't grow.
2. Competition (friendly). Why not have competition with neighbors for the first peas or the first tomatoes? I think a lot of us do that now. Where he comes from they grow those 800 pound pumpkins.
3. Rules - not many. This one is near and dear to my heart. In the herbal world, it is a something I stress to readers - TRY IT! See if it works! Too many rules make it difficult and rigid and no fun.
4. Whimsy. Just like less rules, it should be fun. To illustrate this point, he showed a slide of a garden sculpture depicting a goose being bitten on the butt by a snapping turtle. He then helped us with the difference between "tacky" and "gaudy". Tacky is 2 pink flamingos. Don't do it! Gaudy is a dozen or more. Better.
5. Celebration. When asparagas is available 365 days a year, we never get to miss it. Same with strawberries and so many other things. We've talked about this before, so I was in complete agreement when he talked about eating asparagas 3 times a day for a few weeks, and then not wanting it again until about March - at which time it started to sound wonderful again. I do remember as a child, celebrating the seasonal foods. Ah, the first spring peas and new potatoes! Strawberries! Here we have our peach farmer over the hill, and I wouldn't even consider eating peaches out of season anymore... they are just no good! So we need to eat in season in order to celebrate the crops. Like basil, for instance. Is this not the most gorgeous opal basil ever?The second part of his talk was about growing fruit, and the third part concerned keeping things over the winter. They were both very interesting, but the first segment really resonated with me.

So the event was a terrific way to spend the day.
Then we came home and finished getting some stuff ready for the next leg of our September Journey - the bus tour on Monday. Stay tuned :-)

NUMEN: THE NATURE OF PLANTS

This new film about plants is going to be reviewed in the upcoming issue of The Essential Herbal. In the meantime, you may want to go check it out and view a 15 minute segment. Read what the makers have to say below...

NUMEN: THE NATURE OF PLANTS
is a new film on the healing power of PLANTS
Hi Everyone - GREAT news!

The DVD of Numen is Arriving Very Soon!
If you haven't heard of Numen by now - check
out a quick preview here at
www.numenfilm.com

The DVD's are in production right NOW and we
are expecting the shipment in the next
few weeks...

***But - there is a LIMITED supply, and they
will go fast, especially when you see all the
extra bonuses from Herbal Companies,
Herbalist teachers and authors that come with
the DVD.

***Click here www.numenfilm.com to ensure
you are in line to receive updates on how buy
the DVD!
All the best,
Terry and Ann

***P.S. The release of Numen is a huge event
for the herbal community - and for anybody
concerned about healthcare... (and who isn't
concerned in the current raging national
debate?) ****SO - Click here
www.numenfilm.com to join the Numen
Grassroots movement to take control of our
own health!

El Der Berry!

To date, I have spent hours and hours working with the elderberries this year. In the spring, I saved lots of the blossoms, and this past month I have tinctured, syruped, dried, frozen and candied what seems to be tons of them - and yet there are about 1/2 of them out there still on the trees. Only a few days until the next magazine deadline, so we need to wrap this up soon.

It's time to start cooking now that most of the medicinal preparations are out of the way. I've looked around and found some interesting recipes. First up for us will be the pie. The rest - who knows? They sure look like they might be fun to try. Oh - our usual cobbler was a consideration, but I've read that it comes out too runny. Maybe a little cornstarch? 

Elderberry Pie (cooks.com)
3- 1/4 c elderberries
1/4 t salt
1- 1/8 c sugar
3-3/4 T lemon juice
2-1/4 T cornstarch
Combine above and cook until thick.
Place in 9" unbaked pie shell.
Dot with butter and cover with top crust.
Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

German Chilled Elderberry Soup (chow.com)
Makes: About 2 quarts
Field Guide to Herbs & Spices , by Aliza Green
Exotic elderberries and tart apples become a unique dessert.
INGREDIENTS
3 c fresh (or 1 cup dried) elderberries (stems removed)
6 c water
3/4 c sugar
1 T cornstarch
2 T water
2 c tart apples, peeled and diced
1 T grated lemon zest
gingersnap cookies
sour cream
INSTRUCTIONS
Wash 3 c of fresh (or 1 cup dried) elderberries (stems removed) and place in a large nonaluminum soup pot.
Add 6 c of water and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes or until the elderberries are soft.
Blend and then strain through a sieve.
Return the strained liquid to the cleaned pot over medium heat, and add 3/4 c of sugar.
In a separate bowl, make a slurry by combining 1 T of cornstarch with 2 T of water. Whisk the slurry into the pot and bring back to a boil, whisking often.
Add 2 c peeled and diced tart apples and 1 T grated lemon zest, and simmer for 5 minutes or until the soup is thickened, smooth, and clear.
Cool the soup and refrigerate to chill. Serve cold topped with crumbled gingersnap cookies and dollops of sour cream.

Elderberry Catsup (justberryrecipes.com)
2 qt Elderberries Vinegar to cover
1 c Sugar
1 T Allspice
1 T Cloves
1/4 t Cayenne pepper
1 t Salt
1 t Cinnamon
Cook elderberries in vinegar until berries burst.
Put berries through a food press or sieve, add sugar, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and pepper.
Simmer until thickens. Pour into sterilized jars and seal.  

Elderberry Chutney (cooks.com)
2 c. vinegar
2 qt. elderberries
2 lg. onions
2 apples
2 c. brown sugar
2 t salt
1 t ground ginger
1 T cloves
1 t mustard seed
1 clove garlic
1 t cayenne pepper
Bruise berries, chop onions.
Add all ingredients, place over moderate heat, bring to boil, stirring until it thickens

Dark Chocolate-Elderberry Truffles
Makes 20 (1-ounce) truffles (Erna's Elderberry House in the San Francisco Bee)
For the ganache:
1 pound dark chocolate
8 ounces fresh or frozen elderberries
6 ounces granulated sugar
6 ounces heavy whipping cream
1 ounce dark rum
For the chocolate coating:
1/4 pound dark coating chocolate
1 teaspoon dark rum
To make the ganache:
Place chocolate in a stainless-steel pan or bowl. Set aside.
Place elderberries and sugar in a 1-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, just until elderberries have formed a syrup thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Stir in heavy whipping cream and rum, then increase heat and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat. Pour cream mixture over chocolate.
Let stand 1 minute.
Stir together until smooth.
Let cool to room temperature, then chill in refrigerator until solid (2 to 4 hours).
Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
Using a 1-ounce ice-cream scoop, form balls with the ganache and place on a baking sheet.
To make the chocolate coating:
Melt dark coating chocolate according to directions.
Add rum and stir to combine.
To finish the truffles: Dip ganache balls, one at a time, in coating chocolate, roll to coat.
Return to baking sheet and allow to harden at room temperature.
Repeat, then serve.  

Elderflower-Champagne Vinaigrette: 4 ounces champagne or sparkling wine 2 tablespoons elderflower syrup 1 tablespoon apple-cider vinegar 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil 1 teaspoon fresh chocolate mint, chopped Salt Freshly ground black pepper also from Erna's There. That ought to keep me busy....if the rain slows down so I can get to the berries before the canes snap.

The Cranberries are Coming, The Cranberries are Coming!

The Cranberry, it’s All-American!
From the Sept/Oct issue of The Essential Herbal
Written by Susanna Reppert of The Rosemary House

A holiday favorite since that first great feast, there is nothing so American as cranberries. First discovered by the Indians who introduced them to the Pilgrims. John Josselyn wrote in 1663, “The Indians and the English use them much boyling them with Sugar for Sauce to eat with their Meat, and it is a delicate Sauce.”
Because of their fine keeping qualities – up to a year- and elevated Vitamin C content, early New England sea captains took casks of cranberries aboard clipper ships to prevent scurvy. The tart “crane berries” were soon a part of the trade between the new colonies and Merrie Olde England, where they were enjoyed by all including himself, King Charles.

The astounding acidity of this remarkable small fruit is something to marvel at. Once called ‘bogland medicine’ it is used today as daily vitamin C and is quite helpful with urinary tract problems. You will see it on the shelves in markets in gallon jugs, outselling all other fruit juices. Popular and available 12 months of the year, cranberry juice makes an extraordinary spiced drink, brilliantly ruby red in color. See recipe at the end of the article.

Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) grow on low evergreen shrubs that were found growing wild in the bogs of New England. Called “crane berries” after the birds who feasted on them in the marshes, they are a bright red cousin to our more perishable blueberry. They have been transplanted as far a field as the state of Washington which in now one of the largest producers of this succulent fruit.

Although some ornamental garden shrubs with berries are called “high bush cranberry” or low bush cranberry” these are viburnums and in no way related. The tiny berries from these shrubs are edible if you are desperate enough, but are best left to the birds who will feast on them in winter.

Under continuous cultivation since 1816, when commercial bogs were first established on Cape Cod, cranberries have been hybridized into a good plump size making them easy to string into ruby colored jewelry for the Christmas tree. Easier yet to make is a stunning wreath. All you need is a pound of cranberries, a foam wreath form and toothpicks. First poke the berries on to the picks and then into the wreath closely, voila! You have a stunning door piece. Place greens on it if you want to make it larger or poke in a ruffle of magnolia leaves along the outer edge. Use a pretty bow to finish off your creation and enjoy throughout the holidays. The birds will enjoy it when you are finished with it.

Because of their amazingly high acidity, cranberries can be crushed and used in an emergency to quickly clean silver for your holiday meal. The acid berries were also used by the Indians to preserve meat. Pounded into dried game they made their famous “pemmican” a trail meat that kept indefinitely.

Too bitter to be eaten raw, the fresh new crop now available can be turned into delectable dishes when cooked with sugar, honey or maple syrup. Available in cans year round, cranberry sauce can be served as a condiment anytime. A favorite trick is to melt a can of cranberry sauce with a bit of honey to glaze a ham. Candied Cranberries can easily be made by placing 1 pound of cranberries in a shallow baking pan and covering with 2 ½ C sugar. Let stand 30 minutes and then cover and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes stirring occasionally. Chill to use. ‘Course then there’s cranberry sorbet and cranberry cordial and on and on with these marvelous native American berries.

American Cranberry Tea
1 qt cranberries
½ t cinnamon
4 qt water
½ t allspice
2 ½ C sugar
Juice of 3 oranges
½ C cinnamon candies
Juice of 3 lemons
½ t nutmeg
Bring cranberries and one quart of water to a boil. In another pan, bring three quarts of water and sugar to a boil; add cinnamon candies, cloves, and spices and simmer. Put cranberries through a sieve and combine with other liquid. Before serving, add juice of oranges and lemons. Serve Hot. 12-15 servings.

11 pictures on the triple 9's

I went out this morning strictly to enjoy the view. The last couple of weeks have been a blur of weeding and gathering and harvesting and tincturing and candymaking and college and all that autumn jazz, so this morning was just for the beauty of it.
This moonflower awaits directly outside the door. I love the colors of the buds and leaves and the soft purple around the outer edges of the open blooms. At night, sphinx moths come and play with the flowers. I like to call this one "Blurry, the little hummingbird". I was looking at the Vitex behind the bush, and *poof* there is this little gem flitting about. She helped me out on the grill the other night, too, although I think it was because I was too close to the red hibiscus flowers. Yes, that's right, I'm naming pictures. So what, who cares? This one I like to call "Pretty in Pink". The seedpods are what are really amazing to me later. They will look as though they are crafted of leather. The petals of these remind me of baleen whales, with their great, expandable throats. You're going to love this name - Passion Awakening. Isn't it beautiful how ruffled and grumpy it is in the morning? Dewy and tangled up. Again, the colors are staggering to me.

The blue morning glory amidst the burgundy privet is so pretty. If I were an insect, I'd be making a beeline for the center of that flower, or....

perhaps for the landing pad that this hibiscus has stretched out and supplied for the weary flyer!

I've mentioned the slip of a fig tree that Susanna gave me during their 40th anniversary celebration at The Rosemary House last year. For the longest time this spring it seemed to have succumbed to the cold, but LOOK! There are figs all over it - at least a dozen. I am hoping some will ripen before a frost comes.

Out on the anise hyssop, the bumblies are playing. The scent of this plant is delicious, and I've saved quite a bit of it for tea this coming winter.

After weeks of drying berries, making tincture, making candy and syrup, the elderberries are still so heavy on the bushes that they are nearly touching the ground. A few branches broke. These bushes are about 12' tall, so this is really something.

It was probably a month or so ago when we talked about the many bees on this plant - the mountain mint. As you can see, they are still loving it. The plant is spreading like wildfire. Something needs to move - either it, or the elderberries, or the blueberries. None would be simple.

Look what the birds brought me! Beauty Berry right in the middle of the Yews out front. They highlight the remaining balloon flowers. Such a beguiling color!

That about does it for the photo portion of today. There are tinctures to be strained, elderberries to be dehydrated, and mints to harvest. The vitex berries are only a few days from harvest, and the beans we'll be using for seed next year probably require some attention. OH! And there's that article that came in the mail today that needs to be typed in.
See you soon!

A Spoon Full of Sugar

Over the summer, we've been playing around with different kinds of herbal preparations. That's always just fun to do - especially during a summer like this one, where the weather produced several cuttings of everything. One purpose was to give some of these herbs to our brother. He must have zero alcohol, and isn't the type to drink tea. Now I know all about the amount of alcohol in a tincture being equal to that of a ripe banana... heck, we told that to our customers at the shop 15 years ago! But when someone truly has a problem and cologne might set them off, who really wants to take that chance?

So syrup was a brief fascination, but it rapidly turned to hard candy! Now this is fun!

Here are instructions

The first is Elderberry Bits. We picked fresh, plump elderberries and added ginger and lemon. The resulting candies are delicious and both our brother and my college girl have handy, tasty elderberry available.

Next is Herbalicious. This one is crammed with herbal goodness. We added mint, holy basil, elderberry, rose geranium, lemon verbena, orange, lemon, thyme, ginger, cardamom, and rosemary. It is surprisingly wonderful, and the name of the line just popped into our heads.

Then Lemon Balm Bombe. Luscious lemon balm, along with lemon juice, passionflower, and a few blueberries from the garden. Tulsi Twist is a combination of Tulsi (holy basil) with goji berries and a kiss of peppermint. Exquisite.

You might want to give these delightful hard candies a try. They are such a sweet and convenient way to keep your favorite herbs handy - wherever you are!

Milestones can be heavy...

To begin with, this is the 500th post on the blog. I've been mulling it over and thinking about it - and you'll notice that I haven't written for a long time! Somehow it felt that it should be monumental or important. Let's just say that we could wait forever for that to happen - OR - we could say that happens every day. Depends on the outlook.
The other milestone was the littlest herbie going off to college. She didn't go far, but it is very different here. Before she was born, I loved to feel her moving around, safe and warm. It was a feeling that all was right with the world. After she was born, I missed that feeling.
The other day I woke up and stayed a while, thinking against the pillow, realizing that each morning for the last 18 years my first thought upon waking has been about Molly, being conscious of where she was, whether she was awake, what we had to accomplish that day. Having her live somewhere else is a little disconcerting. I will probably get used to it. I may even come to like it. We'll see.
There. I did it.
Now we can move on and not fret until the 1000th post.
In the meantime, download this free issue of TEH and share it with your friends.
Happy Labor Day!

Autumn Closing In....

Most of the real work is done, and now it's time to play. For instance, I have plenty of elderberry tincture put up, and a few pounds dried, so now I get to play with things like jelly and CANDY! We made some hard candy the other day, and it turned out pretty well - if I do say so myself :-). I just used the typical horehound candy recipe, substituting concentrated elderberry juice (and some lemon and ginger) for the horehound tea. Yesterday I tried some other herbs in the recipe. Not *quite* as many as ricola, but close. That one is a little soft and more like a hard taffy. Dangerous to fillings, but oh-so-good!

Of course I will continue to cut and dry the various mints and berries, the holy basil and the passionflower - but other than some burdock, echinacea, and dandelion roots - the big stuff is already tinctured or made into teas.
In fact, right now you will find on our site the following tinctures:
Blue Vervain, Boneset, Chamomile, Chickweed, Echinacea, Elderberry, Holy Basil, Lemon Balm, Mimosa, Motherwort, Oat Seed, Passionflower, St John's Wort, Stinging Nettles, Vitex, and Holy Basil/Albizzia BLEND.
For this week - through Saturday, Sept. 5 - orders placed that are over $30 will get an ounce of elderberry candy thrown in for free!
I will probably go looking for some goldenrod soon, but am thinking about making that into a candy - stay tuned for info on that - lol.

In just 2 short weeks we'll be working on another issue. It will bw the November/December issue, and we have a group article that addresses favorite remedies for colds and flus. If you are a blog reader and you'd like to contribute to the printed magazine, you can answer this question with your favorite remedy, the recipe for it, and your name and website.
Otherwise, it is a great issue to consider advertising your herbal wares!

Off to go play in the soap studio today with Maryanne. Seems like forever... but that's only because the shelves are getting so bare!

2nd Sunday Classes - September

We've got another incredible day of herbal goodness planned on September 13th.

We will begin with a short weed walk and discuss different methods of preserving herbs over tea and a snack. After discussing various herbs that are traditionally used for unwinding and relaxation, we will be blending a relaxing tea. Each participant will make their own blend and take it along. Next, the bounty of elderberries in the backyard beckons, and we'll be making elderberry syrup to help ward off colds and flu this coming winter. We will also mix up eye pillows, and a lotion, the details of which we will probably come up with during the class - depending on what you all want to make. We'll end the day with an herbal supper.
Supper will come from the garden, and will most certainly include the scrumptious tomatoes and basil that are growing so well there. Maybe some wild roots? We'll see :-).
Participants will leave with some of the tea blend, the syrup, an eye pillow, and a bottle of lotion, as well as a booklet that will include instructions and recipes from everything we've done that day. 11:30 to 6:30.

The whole day is only $75!

Come sign up today - space is limited.

a little on the weed day - post #497(!!!)

It is hard to believe that it was exactly a week ago that we were tossing our sleeping bags into the car and heading west to Somerset county. We were vending and speaking at a day devoted to wild native plants, and it was something we've been looking forward to for a very long time!
We arrived in the early afternoon and had several hours before we were to meet several other attendees at a local restaurant. We were also expecting 4 other women, with whom we'd be sharing a bunkhouse.
We decided to wander down the road a bit. It was amazing to see how many plants are common that we don't even see here - just 150 miles away. Additionally, some of the plants we DO have behave differently. It was fascinating. For instance, although our woodland hillside here is covered with Mayapple in the spring, I've never actually seen a fruit. Perhaps the deer eat them? We did see several deer during our stay in Somerset, but I can't imagine why we don't see the fruit here. I may actually go out hunting them in a day or so if the heat ever breaks here. They are delicious!
One of the first plants I saw along the road way was this one, below. It looks like a cross between oregano (leaves) and wild bergamot... sort of? Does anyone know what this one is? It had a faint scent that could back up either one of those guesses. Fred showed us the next one, calling it Water Horehound. It was another one with very little fragrance.

He also pointed out the trillium berries, saying that in all of his years he's never seen them before. We don't have a lot of trillium on the property here, other than what I've been bringing in for the past 5 years. It would be interesting to go over to the wildflower preserve and see what's shakin'.

This lake was right across from our campground, through a small swamp and some trees. We later realized that about 1/4 mile up the road there was a paved drive with a sandy beachy area. ha.

I just adored this perky little posy with the deep pink buds opening to white flowers. No idea what it is, but as you'll see there are several of those. On the weed walk, Fred had identified and had information on well over 100 plants. No matter how many you know or how long you study there will always be new (to you) species waving hello. That's what makes it so exciting.This magnificent fungus was about 20 feet up a tree. The trees were another source of amazement, as Fred pointed out 2 bee trees, where you could see the bees coming and going from their natural hives inside the trees. They were too distant for me to capture with the camera, though.This candelabra tree had Maryanne (in orange) talking about the trees that were trained in that manner on the grounds of Mount Hope Estate. It made us wonder if at one time someone had attempted to sculpt this tree or if it was a natural occurance.Another one that none of us could identify. There's something familiar about the leaves and the way they are situated on the stem, but I can't place it. Joe Pye-ish?Finally at home the other day I spied this spiderweb in the early morning fog. They seem to be one of the clearest signs of the impending autumn to me. Soon they will cover the shrubs in the front of the house with shrouds that look like Halloween decorations. OH! I saw a baby fig on the tree the other day - I will have to watch that grow... and I just realized that this was Friday and there are no faves posted here. Perhaps there will be more later.