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.

The Essential Herbal ~ July/Aug '08

The latest issue is starting to reach subscribers and shops, so it's time to post it here.

We've got another great issue out. It's full of great summertime ideas and helpful information. There are some recipes and good instructions for using the herbs that are out there this time of the year.

Here is a look at the Table of Contents:

Crossword Puzzle - Terms for Therapeutic Actions
Field Notes from the Editor
Suburban Herbie - The Green Zone, Geri Burgert
Yooper, Yooper, How Does Your Garden Grow?, Karen Mallinger
Summer Skin Care, Cindy Jones, PhD
Down on the Farm - Preserving the Bounty- Safely, Michele Brown & Pat Stewart
List Article - Calendula Uses
Lavender - Beautiful & Useful, Mary Ellen Wilcox
The Soap Pot - Exfoliation, Alicia Grosso
Herb-be-que - Grilling with Herbs, Betsy May
Making the Best of Your Busy Show Season, Sue-Ryn Burns
Making Balms and Salves, Tina Sams & Maryanne Schwartz
Louisiana Lagniappe - Gazpacho, Sarah Liberta
Flower and Herb Pressing, Susan Evans
Using Dyes in Soaps, Maryanne Schwartz
Summer Potpourri, Tina Sams

We've been blessed with many wonderful writers and advertisers. If you'd like to be a part of the magazine, drop me a line and we'll fit you in!

Rochelle Shenk wrote about the new book in the Sunday News

Here 'tis:

Herbalist's Magazine Grows Into Another Book

Sunday News
Published: Jun 14, 200823:45 EST
Lancaster
By ROCHELLE A. SHENK, Correspondent

When Tina Sams was a child, her grandfather, who knew all the herbs and their uses, would point out the plants to her.

"Through that I developed an interest in herbs myself. That passing of herbal knowledge to other generations is important," she said.

To do that herself, the Manheim-area resident and editor of The Essential Herbal Magazine has edited and published a new book, "The Essential Herbal: Under the Sun: The First Five Years.

"It's a compilation of the best articles from the magazine's spring and summer issues from 2002 to 2006. The magazine, which began as a newsletter in 2002 and morphed into a magazine in 2004, is now published bimonthly.

"There's so much you can do with herbs and a number of ways to use a specific herb," Sams said.She noted that the interest in both growing and using herbs for both culinary and medicinal purposes has grown over the past year or so. "It goes in cycles; herbs were popular in the '60s, and now they're popular again," she said.

Sams and her sister, Maryanne Schwartz, began operating a seasonal herb shop at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire in the early 1990s. Soon they had a retail herb store in Landisville, which they sold several years later. Today they share a stand at the Mount Joy Farmers Market. Schwartz, owner of Lancaster County Soapworks, also collaborates with Sams on her magazine and books, doing layout.

Three years ago Sams published "Wild Foods for Every Table," a spiral-bound cookbook and field guide, partly based on the magazine content.

"The writers who contribute to the magazine are like me: They want to share what they know with others," she said.

Sams' new 224-page paperback, published in May by The Sibling Group, Manheim, has more than 100 food recipes and ideas for the kitchen, better health, herbal first aid, gardens, crafts and herb-based businesses.

The book is available for purchase 8 a.m.-noon every Saturday until Oct. 11 at the sisters' stand at the Mount Joy Farmers Market, located in the parking lot at Union National Community Bank, 101 E. Main St. It is also available at the magazine's Web site: http://www.essentialherbal.com/.

Slow Time (Insert Maniacal Laughter Here)

I just got in from Sense of Wonder Camp, where I taught the girls how to make herb beads using the method I developed and published with instructions in Under the Sun. They were guided by Park Ranger and Naturalist Lisa Sanchez - who uses some of her vacation time every year to lead this wonderful camp - to gather leaves from plants that smelled good, and I took along some freshly ground peppermint, lavender, rosemary, oakmoss (that was an experiment that needs some work, although it will be worth it), and red and yellow sandalwood. The girls had piles of spice bush and sweet cicely waiting when I got there. They also had unripe black walnuts, which would have had a great scent, but we couldn't grind them.

One of my oversights which turned out to be a spectacularly good thing was that I forgot to take along any finished beads as examples. It hit me in the car, but instead of going back to the house to get them, it seemed like maybe they would do better if they followed their own whims. They did a GREAT job, coming up with unusual shapes and sizes that would never have happened if I had shown them the small, regular round beads that I usually make.

Unfortunately, even though the camera was ready in my purse, 22 spirited young'uns made me completely forget to get pictures until we were all headed out to the creek where they were excited about swimming. The deep red sandalwood and the bright green sweet cicely looked beautiful next to beads made from less brilliant plants. The oakmoss looks almost silver. I really regret not getting pictures of the girls working on their beads.

But speaking of beads, my sister has started working on tiny teapots. She has made several of them using glass rods and an oxygen torch. You can see quite a few on her blog, but my favorite is this green one that looks like a miniature antique. I adore the way the frit she used along the sides look like tiny roses and leaves.

In a minute here, I'm going to head out and replant the garden that was too chilled early on. All of the vegetable seeds decided not to come up. Luckily, I saved 1/2 of all the packs, so we'll just have a late harvest this year. The produce from the Mount Joy Farmers Market will serve in the meantime (and beyond!).

Oh - and we spent the day yesterday at Penn State/Hershey Medical Center with a relative who needs to get on a transplant list. They did ALL of the testing and conferences in one day, and gave us some very good news. All in all, it was one of the most grueling 12 hour days we've spent in a while. Someone should have told me that the instructions mentioned packing a lunch, because by the time we got out of there I was ready to gnaw on the car seat.

I got home to find that someone, somewhere (thank you, whoever you are!!!) posted an old blog entry to an email list, and hundreds of people came to read. Several decided to subscribe to The Essential Herbal. It was a good and tiring day :-).

Lavender Harvest

I've been cutting the Munstead Lavender daily for about a week, and putting in bunches for market. That is almost done, and the buds that are left have mostly flowered.
In the meantime the Grosso Lavender was getting close to being ready and today one of the plants needed a good haircut. The others have a few days to go. Strange too, because this one was in the middle of the row. The two varieties side by side:

The Munstead is really beautiful, and until you see it next to the Grosso, it doesn't look like such a pipsqueak. These in the picture are about 8" long. The bunches that went to market looked nice wrapped in white tissue cones. For a deep purple flower with a nice scent, Munstead can't be beat in our zone (5b).

The Grosso stems are well over a foot long with spikes over 3" on some. They will be left to wilt today, and then Maryanne and I will spend the evening on the back deck weaving wands. I stocked up on ribbon last week when I found it on sale.
After working all week with the Munstead, I almost waited to long for the Grosso. You can see that some of the buds have flowered. It is just so pale that it can be deceiving.
The other plants will be ready within the next week or two. By the time we've plowed through one or two plants' worth of wands, we'll be ready to toss some into the still just to do something OTHER than weaving with it. This will be the first year there will be enough for that, and I can't wait!

Our last herb festival for the spring of '08

Ah.... we are finished with the wild hubbub of herb festivals for this year. We still have that one big hairy weekend (the Twisted Sisters' PA tour, as we like to call it) in July, but otherwise it's just the Saturday morning farmers market in Mount Joy for a while.
It has taken me almost a week to get around to this blog entry. The July/Aug issue of The Essential Herbal was delivered while we were away at the Alloway Creek Art and Garden Festival, so for the first half of the week that needed to be prepared for mailing. It has become quite an operation - first the bulk mail to the subscribers is prepared and taken out to the PO, and that is followed by the shop copies, writer's copies, and the advertiser's copies. Sometimes it takes me well over a week to accomplish, but I'm patting myself on the back to have gotten it done in short order this time with no loose ends hanging.

So on with the story....
Last Friday and Saturday we set up at Barb and Roger Steele's herb farm to take part in their festival. The kids were all set to handle the farmers market, and we'd packed two complete "sets" of crates - one for them, and one for us. The weather turned HOT just prior to the weekend, so we girded ourselves for that, but I must say that there was really no preparing for the heat that arrived on Saturday. Nuff said there.
One of my favorite things about going to Alloway is the gardens. I feel the same way about The Rosemary House, or when I visit Sarah Campbell's labyrinth. I LOVE the people, but really, really enjoy seeing the way other people create gardens. All of them add touches of whimsy and demonstrate unusual techniques or ideas that inspire me. At Barb's, I saw my first lavender hedge, something that stayed with me, nagging, until I had my own long row of lavender along the split rail fence out back.
Herb and veggie plants are huge this year. It always is something you see at herb festivals - people loaded down with boxes, flats, wagons, and wheelbarrows full of plants. It really seems to me that there are more people gardening than ever before. A tomato plant here, a basil there, maybe a pepper or two. We all have to start somewhere, and it feels like more people are starting this year than ever before. The current tomato scare will only fuel that, especially following the problems we've had with lettuce, etc. in recent years.

These poppies were some of the most photographed flowers of the garden. They are so strikingly beautiful and colorful. Who could resist?
Barb Will of Sugar Grove Herbs in Somerset was there with her garden decor. The wooden star beside her is a historic reproduction of barn stars from Somerset County, and they are made by her husband, Fred. There are some really beautiful stars and I'm still trying to figure out where and how to put one on my house because they are so cool. I snapped some more pictures over the weekend because everything was so lush and gorgeous, full of blooms. I wish I could have captured the constant bird-song on a picture. That was extraordinary, and we were just far enough south to see several varieties of birds that aren't around here.
This elderberry bush is perhaps 20" wide and just as tall. It was covered with the elder blow. There is something so delightful about the flowers, so delicate and sweet. There will be enough berries on this bush to keep the birds happy for a while, with enough left over to create some syrup, tincture... and maybe even dry some. I don't know what Barb does with them. There are probably several bushes in the fields surrounding the farm.

This is our tent, nestled in right under the paw-paw grove. That really helped to keep us in the shade. Little gold no-see-ums seem to like paw-paw trees. They liked us too. We used some of our Git Stick the first day, and escaped their wrath, but forgot on Saturday. Maryanne's legs got pretty well eaten up. You can see the standing displays below. They were just put together during the week prior to the show. They kept the lipbalms and the lotion sticks up-right and miracle 0f miracles, we didn't have any melted product. However, we did lower the tent overnight on Friday, and condensation dripped on some of the shrinkwrapped soaps. About 10 bars needed to be unwrapped and air-dried for a while. No problem, though. They're fine.
This little potting shed catches my eye every year. See the elderberry bush beside it? That's just a wee portion. I don't know what the thistle is growing in front, but I just love the way it was allowed to grow in front of the door. There's that whimsy.
The yellow striped tent held about 6 vendors. There were some unusual hostas and water plants, along with some antiques and one booth with some really fascinating artwork done with found objects. I really loved her stuff, and regret not getting a particular box from her that was decorated with baubles, glitter, and dolls heads. It was just so out-there, and even though it sounds weird (well... I guess it was, really), it turned out to be a thing of beauty. Last time we did this show, we shared the yellow tent, but decided to be stand-alone this time. It's fun both ways.

Tina one - Weeds zero ...for today anyway.

We've had a couple of beautiful days here. Mild temperatures, low humidity, and a nice breeze. These were about the first really perfect days we've had for a while, with cool and wet being the typical forecast in May. So, like any self respecting gardener, I set about reclaiming the gardens. They aren't all under control, but it is a darned sight better than it was. There really should be some "before" pictures, but honestly that would have been to embarrassing. To begin, let's start out with my $1 wheel barrow that I found at the barn sale down the road last week. Don't ask me why (or even how) I've been working on all the different areas here without one. It was ridiculous. So that would explain why I swerved into the farm lane and tossed this baby into the back of the car. It reminds me so much of my first car. Looks like crap, but does a fine job. The fact that it's already been WELL broken in means that I won't have to feel bad about scratching it with a shovel, or leaving it out overnight when it might get a little rust.
The row of Grosso lavender is getting ready to bloom. You can see here the thousands of spikes starting to form. It's time to stock up on some ribbons for wands, and this year we'll have plenty to sell in bunches at market. Maybe enough to distill, too. Just a few short days ago it was hard to tell where the field ended and the row of lavender began. Is it just me? Or do all gardeners suffer anxiety attacks when their gardens are looking invaded? Just looking at that crisp row makes me feel so much better! The Bergarten Sage in the foreground is just barely blooming this year, spending all of her energy on putting out those lush leaves. That's fine with me. The leaves are the part we use anyway.
At the far end of the lavender row we have a lush Lemon Thyme, some Mountain Mint, and Tarragon. They form the corner of the berry patch (protected by the lattice panels). Inside are lots of blueberry plants and some very healthy elderberry bushes. The blueberries aren't doing anything except growing yet. Same with the elderberries. I'm hoping that the warmer temps and the mulch will give them a little shove in the direction of blossoms. If not, there's always next year. However, 2 of the blueberries that I had considered nibbled to death by the rabbits or groundhogs have decided to start growing again. That was a pleasant surprise. Those varmints chewed them off right down to the ground. An elderberry facing another direction is already in bloom, but the leaves are yellow - possibly too close to a white pine? This is her third year. Last year there was just one umbel. The frothy elder "blow" is such a pretty thing. It's hard to decide whether to harvest the flowers or wait for the berries (and fight the birds for them). The birds are incredible this year too! Yesterday I saw an Oriole, brilliant orange swooping over the pines. The Gold Finches are everywhere, and a hummingbird sipped at the chive blossoms. Bluebirds? Yeah, we've got 'em.

In the middle of the yard is a little oasis of Chamomile. Just last week I picked off every single bloom for the still, and you can see that didn't give them a moment's pause. They just put out more flowers. They need another picking, but we're talking hours here. It is no small feat to pluck that many flowers. It is akin to picking the violets for syrup, except that the violets snap away from stem more quickly. Chamomile requires a small pinch to keep the stemmage to a minimum. It's such a cheerful little spot. I love to sit in the grass next to the patch, and watch the sun go down over the flowers while picking.
Out by the front door is the Valerian. It is in full bloom now, and the scent is amazing. Off to the left is an old-fashioned, late-blooming lilac bush. The day the lilacs stopped perfuming the entrance, the Valerian went into bloom, giving us a non-stop, breath-taking welcome to the outdoors every time we step outside.
Soon we'll be greeted with Bog Sage and Bergamot, but nothing will again come close to the fragrance outside the door for the rest of the year. It's hard to believe after seeing all the seed pods (and picking those that were reachable), but so far the Moonflower hasn't shown up.
Every year is a surprise. It never fails. Even if nothing new comes up, there are always plants that were forgotten somehow, and as they show up it's a little gift to brighten my day.
For instance, out in the front garden there is a Munstead Lavender that is starting to bloom. Next to it is a smaller version that came up on its own last year. It has a couple of little spikes this year. This is the first time I've ever had a lavender mom and baby. That was one of those great surprises!

Where did May go?

I was downloading pictures that were taken yesterday when I noticed that there were some from quite a while ago. That's when it hit me.... I've been falling down on the blog!

It's been a very fast month. The book came out, a new issue of the magazine went to the printer, there was the farmers market and a couple of other festivals to do. In between there were all sorts of plants that burst through, needing some form of attention.

This was May of '08 in fast-forward mode.....


The week after Landis Valley Herb Faire, we went up to The Rosemary House to help celebrate their 40th anniversary. Maryanne was one of the featured artists participating, and I sold and signed books. It is still cracking me up that after 3 years, the Wild Foods for Every Table book has caught fire. It is surprising how interested people are all of the sudden. But I digress... It was fun to be a part of this momentous occasion, and watch the family together. Here are the beautiful Reppert women, toasting the past 40, and looking forward to many more. Susanna, Nancy, Marge, and Cary.
Next is the fabulous array of herbal goodies that Nancy supplied for the celebration. My goodness, that woman can cook! The strawberries were my favorite. She stuffed them with a marscapone cheese blend and sprinkled them with crushed pistachios. I could have eaten a whole platter, but there were witnesses. Sharon Magee brought that darned "crack" pictured in the front. The saltines covered in butter, brown sugar, and chocolate. It's a conspiracy, I tell ya! I wound up bringing home a fig tree and a couple of poppies, among other things.

The other day I got the still out to try working with the vast carpet of chamomile out back. It took a couple of hours to get enough flowers to HALF fill the still. There was no oil, but the hydrosol is luscious. It was good to get the still cranked up. It fills the house with fragrance and puts me back in the mood to make things. I've been planting things specifically for distillation, so as they come up, I'll report in.

We went on a tour of some other herb businesses yesterday. First we stopped at Kathy's around the corner - Cloverleaf Herb Farm. She has the sweetest farm, and the landscaping is gorgeous. Her husband John can usually be found mowing or moving something around, but they both stop and chat for a little bit.
I loved the poppies under the sign I just had to get some for the house (nice bit of merchandising, eh?), and picked up a couple of "spare" plants of holy basil. And some other stuff too.
This is the entrance to one of her greenhouses. No matter when we stop in, it is always neat and tidy as can be. They must work during the night.

Next we stopped at Marian Miller's Lavender Patch Bed and Breakfast. Her gardens are just bursting with blossoms. The little gate (which leads into a lovely pool) was just covered with roses, and the peonies and flags were going nuts. Another wonderful bit of landscaping.

On the way home, we had to check on the horses up the road. The babies just kill me. They run and scamper and kick up their heels, and then all at once they are exhausted and throw themselves to the ground to rest. What a life :-).

Under the Sun - Contents

Things are finally starting to settle down around here to a dull roar. We announced the release of the latest book , " The Essential Herbal~Under the Sun" in the beginning of May, but never posted a table of contents. That is partly because the book is divided into 8 sections so full of articles, recipes, instructions and tips, that we used the sections as a table of contents and opted to use the index in the book to list individual articles, crafts, writers, and recipes.
Just in case you were wondering what might be in such a book, here is the very abridged Table of Contents. We think there is a lot there, certainly enough to keep us all busy for the spring and summer!

Gardening
~ Creating a Garden Journal
~ Starting Herbs from Seeds
~ Zone Chart
~ Designing a Moon Garden
~ An Aromatic Garden
~ Spa Garden (recipes included)
~ Collecting Scented Geraniums
~ Saints in the Garden
~ Making Hypertufa Pots
~ Container Gardening
~ Growing Lavender
~ Composting
~ A Visit to the Herb Farm
~ Our National Herb Garden
~ Preparing Culinary Herbs for Harvest

In the Kitchen
~ Magic in the Kitchen (3 recipes)
~ Soup is Good Food (1)
~ Quick & Easy Shrimp Creole or Jambalaya (2)
~ Portabello & Radicchio Rissotto (1)
~ Favorite Crab Casserole (1)
~ Easy Aspic (1)
~ Basil (3)
~ Tomatoes (6)
~ Salad Days - Making Potting Soil AND Vinaigrette
~ Raspberry Vinegar (2)
~ Herbal Picnic Basket (11)
~ Dips and a Syrup (5)
~ Herb Cheese Dip (1)
~ Goat Cheese Mousse & Herbed Pita Chips (2)
~ Recipes from Herb n' Ewe Cafe (3)
~ Lemon Herbs (4)
~ It's the Berries (1)
~ Blackberry Memories (3)
~ Cordially Yours (3)
~ Tropical Coolers (2)
~ Mint Julep (2)
~ Herbed Lemoncello (1)
~ Rosemary (2)
~ Fairy Tea Party Delights (3)
~ Kava Tea (1)
~ Viva la Romance Tea (1)
~ Lavender Fennel Tarts (1)
~ Desserts (3)
~ Omega Three's (6)
~ Ginseng (5)
~ Storing Herbs
~ Gifts from the Sea (sea vegetables)

Just Weeds (Ideas and Recipes for Using Weeds for Food and Medicine)
~ A Walk in the Wild with Children
~ A Weed Walk in the City
~ Tasty Wild Plants
~ Don't Get Mad, Get Eatin'
~ Chickweed
~ Poke Salad
~ Wait! We're Not Weeds!
~ The Wild Weed Gourmet
~ Nettles
~ Edible Flowers

Herbal First Aid
~ Inside the Herbalist's Medicine Chest
~ Hand Sanitizer
~ Epi-Moisture Salve
~ Bruise Butter
~ Natural Remedies for Cold and Flu
~ Reduce Stress to Reduce Illness
~ Herbal Help for Arthritis
~ Spring Detox
~ Something Going Around
~ When Mommy Gets Sick
~ One Minute Miracles
~ Mother's Home Remedies
~ Favorite Backyard Remedies
~ Herbal Aphrodisiacs

The Stillroom (Recipes and Instructions for Creating Herbal Potions)
~ Soapmaking
~ Spicing Up Hand Made Soap
~ Salt Spa Bars
~ Bath and Beauty with Herbs
~ Felting Soap
~ Soap Stones
~ Tub Tea for the Weary Gardener
~ Bath Salts and Brews
~ What You Can Not See May be Harmful
~ Cleanser and Ageless Beauty Salve
~ Lotion Bars
~ Glycerin: What is it?
~ Natural Spring Cleaning
~ Take Time to Smell the Roses
~ Ancient Echoes Potpourri
~ Cedar Incense
~ Simmering Potpourri
~ Making Herb Beads

Traditions (How We've Used Herbs Over the Years, and Continue to Today)
~ The Wheel Turns to...
...the Vernal Equinox
...Beltane
...first Litha and then Lughnasad
~ May Day Celebrations
~ The Bitter Herbs of Passover
~ Rosemary Kintyre, Moss Maiden of Norwood
~ Rosebud Kissing Ball and Garland
~ Tussie Mussies
~ Natural Herb Dyes
~ Weedy Shirts (plant prints)
~ Harvest, and Flower Pounding
~ Kids and Herbs
~ Something Old, Something New
~ Hunting Four Leaf Clovers
~ Herbs for Magic
~ Old Farmers Advice

The Herbs (Articles About Single Herbs)
~ Lavender
~ Making Lavender Wands
~ Lavender Recipes
~ Roses, Queen of Flowers
~ The Incredible, Edible, Healing Rose (4 recipes)
~ Rose Petal Jelly
~ Rosa Rugosa
~ Stevia (6)
~ Cilantro/Coriander (4)
~ All About Thyme (8)
~ Comfrey is a Comfort
~ Vetiver
~ Dents De Lion
~ Albizzia
~ Ginger, the Oldest of Spices (3)
~ The Wisdom of Growing Sage (2)
~ Sage in Your Garden (1)
~ Hoodia
~ Sweet Cicely and Chervil
~ Mugwort
~ Echinacea

Herb Business
~ Running a Retail Place
~ Getting Away
~ Processing Herbs for Tea
~ So You Want to be a Vendor
~ It's Show Time!
~ Be Careful What You Wish For

So there you have it... an idea of what is inside. There are also some tidbits sprinkled over the pages, some poetry, cartoons, and herbal trivia. Under the Sun is available on our website - www.essentialherbal.com

Mount Joy Farmers Market

Oh, joy! We can once again set up and work our booth at the Mount Joy Farmers Market. If you've never checked it out and you're local, the market runs from 8 am until noon on Saturday mornings. It is held in the breezeway parking lot of the Union National Bank on Main Street. Lots of free parking, and tons of good produce, baked goods, plants - and us, with our soaps, potions, books and the magazine. If you are visiting Lancaster County on vacation, this is a great little taste of local flavor, right on the way to Hersheypark or the PA Renaissance Faire.

For the last two weeks, our kids (my daughter Molly, and Maryanne's son Rob) have taken care of it for us while we vended first at Landis Valley Herb Faire, and then last week at The Rosemary House's 40th anniversary celebration.

How cool is that to have the kids pitch in and actually run the booth for us? After all these years they are both coming to find an appreciation for the things we do, and enjoy helping out. We never pushed them, feeling bad enough that we were taking so much time away from them, so it is a good feeling to have them come around on their own. Naturally, their days at the market seemed to revolve around the bakery stand and trips down the street for the all-important coffee blends, but hey - they were there. That was all that we really required :-).

I can't really say why it is so much fun. Over the winter we really missed it, and discussed it several times. We both love a *little* retail, for the reactions, the feedback, and because we really do love to see our customers. Because it is such a small dose, there are none of the negatives that come with a regular shop --- which I won't go into because it just isn't worth it. If you've done it, you know. If you haven't, there's no point in talking about it.

One of the really great parts of doing the market is that it gives us an answer to the eternal question of, "Where can I find you and your products?" While we were at Landis Valley, we probably told 50 people about the farmers market. People who live close by, but never knew it was there.

So I'm looking forward to Saturday. The weather forecast is gorgeous. The local berries and peas will start showing up, and our friends in the neighboring booths will be there to gossip with. What better way to spend a Saturday morning? And... I get to come home with a basket full of locally grown and produced foods.

fortunately, I like weeds...

We've had a perfect spring for weeds here in my neck of the woods. Everything is lush and green and WET. Lots and lots of rain. Combine that with the recent release of the book and the deadline of the next magazine, and you will understand that the gardens are looking ...um... shall we say neglected? May 15th is the date that we are safe to put out tender plants, so normally it is when I just get rolling - give or take a week. This year, I fear that I may not find the gardens when I finally get around to toiling in them. Want to see why?

I didn't have the heart to take a picture of the whole row of lavender. Just a couple of plants and the sage show here. The penny or field cress is all over the place, along with the false strawberry. They both have root systems that are based in China, I believe. I'll have some serious hard work to do to clear that path. Behind the fence is a mass of some white-flowered bladderwort thing that spreads like crazy too - and some lovely crab-grass.
The lavender is all grosso, and the sage is Bergarten, which has lovely oval shaped leaves. It has a huge amount of essential oil, so little is needed for culinary purposes. It makes the most wonderful wreath base!

Next is the patch that I look out the office window to see every day. The chives are so pretty right now, and the Roman chamomile and rosemary (with a couple blooms right at the top!) are doing well in this weather. This little spot has a good amount of mulch, so I've been able to find these plants and keep them safe so far.
The little rolling wagon has become a haven for the guinea hens. They drink the water from the base on dry days. I leave it there and don't dump out the water. They might also think it is "one of their own". Odd birds, they've taken to teasing the cat through the door. I'm not sure who is more frightened.

This is a group of German chamomile plants (I hope I don't have the two chamomiles confused - it happens) that I rescued from a construction site last year. At the time, they were scrawny little wisps of plants, with roots clinging to gravelly bits of dirt. Now they have sprawled out to cover a 4X6 foot area. They seem pretty happy here, along with the cress, the lamb's quarters, and the poke root. Oh, and some wild mustard and chickweed. Yes, everything just growing a mile a minute...

The vegetable garden-to-be. It's already been planted with beans, peas, beets, squash, turnips, and cucumbers. The tomatoes and peppers will go in shortly. All around the edges, the false strawberry creeps ever closer. At the top of the plot, the weeds are a wild variety of field weeds. All seem to have strong taproots. And all are already going to seed. It's a space about 10' X 100'. This should be quite a challenge. Oh - and see those holes in the dirt? Those are deer tracks. Big ones and tiny little ones. How sweet of the mama doe to teach her baby where the tender little bean sprouts grow. Grrr....

Finally - something that doesn't give me an anxiety attack. Mom's lilacs. These bloom after the white ones in the front fade. They smell heavenly, and grow next to the valerian that will be blooming soon. Right outside the door, when a breeze picks up these scents.... ah... that must be why I love gardening. It isn't because of the need for order, that's for sure :-).