Month: December 2019

Volume 9, Issue 10, October 2000

The Black Swamp Herb Socity, with Gardens at the Wood County Historical Center

Action Taken on Pond Plans

Motion by Jean Gamble
Seconded by Jody Carroll, August 28, 2000

“The Black Swamp Herb Society backs the concept of cleaning the two ice ponds. They also back the concepts of placing an aerating fountain in one pond, and putting in place a grating that will allow for water gardening in the summer and ice skating in the winter. It is understood that Wood County Park District will manage the ponds and that the Herb Society accepts no financial liability. However, the group will seek grant funding to help develop the project.”

The motion passed unanimously. A full forum of members was present.

Jean Gamble spoke with all three County Commissioners about the proposed plan and all responded with enthusiasm on Wood County Day. She followed up her conversation with handwritten notes to the Commissioners. They urged her to draw up a financial proposal for them to consider. The Herb Society is working closely with the Historic Center, the Wood County Park District and the Wood County Maintenance Department to do just that. Jean Gamble and Chris MacDonald are working to keep the lines of communication open. The National Guard may even get involved in cleaning the muck out of the bottom of the ponds. They need practice in using some heavy equipment and the ponds can provide the practice!

The BSHS has worked with the Site and Planning Committee which has drawn up a general plan for the entire “Poor Farm” site of 32 acres. From the beginning development of the Herb Garden areas and the ponds have been part of this long term fifty year plan. The challenge is to make a reality of these plans.

One of the exciting aspects about all this is the cooperation among many agencies and organizations all working together to improve the site. BSHS is providing the vision, and others are helping to make it a reality. I spoke with Wood County Administrator, Andrew Kalmar, about the high level of cooperation among the groups. We have a situation where success is only possible by communicating and cooperating and making best use of existing resources -such as County equipment and personnel.. Jean and Bob Gamble are planning on making a generous donation towards an aerating fountain in “our” pond. The county already owns a system that can be installed in the second pond! Again, we are sharing resources.

Those of you who attended Wood County Day in 1999 know that traffic and parking was truly a disaster. With the planning leadership of Ranger Greg Guntzman the problem was solved in 2000. BSHS wrote thank you letters to the Park District, the Sheriffs office and the Sentinel-Tribune praising the effort and its success. Governments are people and people need to know they are appreciated.

Cooking with Herbs

Cooking with Chemo

Many of us are dealing with loved ones undergoing chemotherapy and know that strange cravings develop. Here are variations on some “sour” recipes that help those cravings while providing good nutrition.

Cuban Black Bean Soup

An earlier “ham bone” version has appeared in these pages before. This is a vegetarian variation. The absolute key ingredient is a high quality dark balsamic vinegar.

1 pound dried black beans
6 cups of liquid
(Variation A – Canned supermarket vegetable juice with additional
water as needed. Variation B – Canned V-8 Vegetable juice Picante
Style with additional water as needed. Variation C – Canned V-8
Vegetable juice -Spicy Hot with additional water as needed.)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
6 cloves of chopped garlic
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can of
Variation A – Canned tomatoes
Variation B – Dei Fratelli Italian Style canned tomatoes
Variation C – Dei Fratelli Mexican style canned tomatoes
1 (4 1/2 ounce) can chopped chilies, undrained
1/2 cup dark balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon tumeric

Cover beans with water and bring to a boil. Rinse. Add vegetable juice and cook for 1 1/2 hours -check if additional water is needed. Lightly saute onions, green pepper and garlic in olive oil. Add them and remaining ingredients to the beans and cook for another 30 minutes or so. Cool. Put three quarters of the soup in a blender or food processor, puree and return to pan. Mix well. Serve with sour cream.

(The need and craving for spiciness varies – hence the three levels offered. Variation C is EXTREME.)

10 1.5 cup servings.

Cals.. 227, Prot.. 15 g. Chol 39 g. Fat 1.8g, Fiber 12.5 g.

Fruit Salad

Keys here are the fresh pineapple and strawberries and Mandarin Oranges in their own juices (or at most a very light syrup.) You want to preserve the tart/sour taste of the fruit. Proportions are variable.

1/2 Canteloupe – balled
1/2 Honeydew-balled
1 whole fresh pineapple cut up
1 pint blueberries
1 quart strawberries cut up – NOT sugared
4 kiwi fruit cut up
1 six ounce package of raspberries (if available)
1 small can of mandarin oranges in their own juice
Fresh leaves of spearmint used with abandon
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger

Toss all together and cover tightly and refrigerate for flavors to blend. Don’t eat the spearment leaves.

Very sour sour gummy bears are useful. Hint from Sandy Hayden and American Cancer Society.

Unspoiled of April’s rain, by August’s fire,
And incorrupt before October’s gold,
Green in December’s snow – such I desire
To be the memory of good friends of old:
Unchanged, unfearing, fragrant, as the semblance
Of Rosemary in my heart’s garden of remembrance.
– George P. Baker

Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Loaves

Roasted garlic studs this wholesome whole wheat bread for a savory loaf to accompany cheeses and meats. It is excellent toasted served as an ippetizer spread with a soft cheese and topped with sun-dried tomatoes.

2 packages active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups lukewarm water
2 cups stone-ground whole wheat flour
about 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
8 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast into 1/2 cup of the water and let stand until dissolved and puff, about 10 minutes. In a bowl, place whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour and salt. Add remaining water, honey and 3 tabelspoons olive oil and mix with a heavy duty mixer untill well mixed. Mix in proofed yeast and 1 tablespoon Herb of the year 2000 of the rosemary. Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough; you may not need to use all the flour. Knead with mixer’s dough hook or transfer to a lightly floured board and knead by hand for 10 minutes. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled – about 1 1 /2 hours.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place garlic in a small baking dish, rub with 1/2 teaspoon oil and bake 30 minutes until soft; peel and cut cooled garlic into pieces. Add and mix remaining rosemary and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Punch down dough and transfer to a lightly floured board. Divide and shape into 2 oval loaves. Place loaves on a lightly oiled baking sheet. With a finger poke 8 holes in the top of each loaf and fill with garlic and herb mixture. Cover and let rise until doubled, 45-50 minutes. Brush with oil and bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes until browned. Should sound hollow when thumped. Cool on a rack.

From Cooking with Fresh Herbs by Lous Seibery Pappas

Alas, Rosemary is a Southern Belle

Safely hardy only to zone 7 Northern gardeners must forego dreams of rosemary hedges, or long established creeping varieties falling down walls in romantic and aromatic sweeps.

Zones 4 & five require a different approach. Rosemary becomes a container plant. It can spill from a hanging container. Tuscan Blue/ “Majorca Pink” and “Pinkie” are all fast growing rosemary cultivars that can tumble through a summer. The same cultivars make excellent topiaries and standards…which look like small or large green lillipops.

Rosemary can be trained as a dignfied “standard”’ or topiary with the idea of bringing the majestic beauty of the plant in for the winter. “Taking in” isn’t enough if you want to get through the long winter. Well before the first frost plants should be taken out of pots, roots pruned and plants repotted and left outside ready to be moved into greenhouse or garage at the first sign of frost. Plants must be “weaned” to house temperatures and humidities. Pots should be placed on drain pans filled with gravel and water. This can be done on a grand scale for an ancient tall standard or on a table top arrangement for a young topiary in training.

“I plant Rosemary all over the garden, so pleasant it is to know that at every few steps one may draw the kindly branchlets through one’s hand, and have the enjoyment of their incomparable incense: and I grow against walls, so that the sun may draw out is inexhaustible sweetness to greet me as I pass…”
– Gertrude Jekyll

“I must have saffron to colour the warden pies.”
– The Winter’s Tale, iv, 3

Fennel

“There’s fennel for you and Columbines.”
– Hamlet, iv, 5

Fennel has been grown since ancient times when Greek athletes ate it for strength and improved performance. Its botanical name, Foeniculum, is derived from the Latin word foenum, or “hay.” With a delicate, elusive taste reminiscent of anise and parsley, the sweetly fragrant leaves of fennel transform vegetables, seafood, soups, salads, and other dishes into epicurean fare. Be sure to try fish grilled with fennel leaves surrounding it and the stalks tossed onto the fire. Use the stronger-flavored seeds of fennel with stews, sausages, vegetables, meats, pickles, breads, liqueurs, and desserts.

Eating a few fennel seeds before a meal will help curb your appetite, and chewing a few afterwards will aid digestion. Tea brewed from the leaves or seeds will serve the same purposes. Fennel leaves are high in calcium, iron, potassium, and vitamins A and C.

Fennel (Foeniculm vulagare) and Bronze Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare ‘Bronze Fennel’) are 15-16 in our Culinary Garden and we are advised to cut them down for the winter.

Potpourri

Former Black Swamp President Valerie Trudeau will be chairing the Great Lakes Herb Symbosium next July. We, as an organization, will be backing her in as many ways as possible.

We are being asked to provide the rereshments for the evening “after presentaion” coffee break at 8:15 pm on Tuesday, July 16. I agreed, but would like a motion to that effect next meeting.

We need to plan for a couple of shredder days – to chop up some of our existing compost and to take advantage of huge drifts of leaves that are in our future. Lack of green stuff such as grass clippings continue to plague us.

Garden chairmen need to continue to make lists of plants to be grown and ordered over this winter.

Thanks to all who helped at the Black Swamp Arts Festival and Wood County Day. Our rate of participaion continues to be extraordinarly high. Wonderful. Money making was not in our plans but we cleared $94 on Wood County Day.

Horse manure has been ordered as part of the garden bedding down process.

Our Community Workers are starting to open up a bed for a small Shakespearean Garden being planned by Jan Bingham. Help! with quotes and plants. We take great pride in the enthusiasm of former Community Workers who led family and friends on garden tours!

The afternoon and evening of our last meeting day was productive in both the garden and in food preparations for Old Home Christmas. Bag after bag of special blends were measured under the supervision of Kathy Hicks.

From the Library

No, this is not in our library, but maybe it should be in some of our home libraries as a reference book. The Breast Cancer Prevention Diet by Dr. Bob Arnot poses some interesting questions about diet, life styles and taking charge as much as possible. One of the frustrations of living in our self-conscious, instant expert, instant fad, instant answer, latest study world is that “answers and knowledge” do seem to change from month to month.

Butter was pronounced bad, margarines with the hydrogenated fats are now declared even worse; olive oil is our neutral friend and fish and flax oil can be our saviors.

Omega-3 fatty acids (found in flax seed oil and fish oil) are currently a woman’s best friend blocking excess bad estrogen, building up good cholesterol and suppressing the bad. Omega-6 fatty acids (found in margarine, mayonnaise and commercial salad dresses as well as safflower oil, corn oil, soybean oil, peanut oil and cottonseed oil) are considered prime villains. Omega-9 fatly acids (why do they count in three’s?? – just told I need a course in Organic Chemistiy) are found in olive oil and are considered neutral in its effect (Mediterranean diet.)

Arnot has charts showing foods that produce high (bad) and low insulin effects on the body. Hamburger buns, ice cream and potatoes can really get you. A Napales prickly pear cactus may be hard to find, but barley, kidney beans and peaches (all good) most of us can handle.

What about soy? It can be considered controversial. The Asian diet style can be looked at as complicated or simple. A lot depends on the herbs used!

Gift Horse in the Mouth

In the interest of being good gardeners and caretakers of our plants we sometimes worry about changes.

Case in point: the spent mushroom compost offered to our group by Ida Dahlberg, who has used her compost from husband and Campbell’s Soup in a happy and productive way. Dr. Robert Nuss of Penn State in Kitchen Gardener advises: “It is best to think of mushroom material as a soil additive because of its 80% or higher organic content, rather than as a complete garden soil.”

Jean Gamble and Frances Brent have been playing detectives and this is a recent e-mail sent to Dr. Nuss.

“The Black Swamp Herb Society keeps a series of formal and informal herb gardens behind the Wood County Historical Center (the Old “Poor Farm”) in Ohio. One of our members, Ida Dahlberg, whose husband is a Project Manager for Campbell’s in Napoleon, OH, has offered us a truck load of spent mushroom compost. She says she and local growers have used the compost to good effect and no harm. We are frankly worried. We are on a major local garden tour next June and don’t want to kill out the gardens!

“We have been in contact with our Ohio State Extension agent Craig Everett, who in turn has been in contact with Dr. Watson of Ohio State who sent the following message:

“‘What you really have to watch out for in this kind of compost is the soluble salt level. It can be very high. It should not be more than 3 mmhos/cm, preferably around 2. I have seen some 10 to 20 times this high. Have a lab run the electrical conductivity test (i.e. soluble salt test) on it. The pH will probably be okay. The soluble salt compost can kill plants REAL fast.’

“I read your recent reply to an inquiry about mushroom mulch in Kitchen Gardener. You too emphasize the salt problem. Our scheme was to have the compost delivered and let it age over a Wood County winter with the idea of applying it in the spring. Would this be sufficient to leech the salts? How would we know?

“Any insights, advice, strategies or suggestions would be welcome.
“Frances Brent,
“President, Black Swamp Herb Society”

Jean has obtained a kit and a form to have such testing done. ($42). I have not yet heard from Dr. Nuss. Ida, we do appreciate your offered gift, even if this “gift horse” is getting a full dental exam. Stay tuned.

From the Chicken Coop

Well, we are an add-on, but that is better than nothing. The firm doing the major rennovations on the Lunatic House will be taking on the Chicken Coop as well. (They are late starting the Lunatic House so..)

It turns out our pruners etc. we have been searching for are still there. Just in the “gardening box” rather in the buckets and walls we have been checking. Won’t it be wonderful when all is done and things have their own place?

Calendar of Events

(Published here for historical purposes.)

Monday, October 23, 7 pm gather in the garden or the meeting room, depending on individual mood and outside weather conditions. Program is at 8. Cinda Davis is coming back to talk some more about butterflies. This will be a working evening with a variety of stations set up to work on Christmas Projects. We will have equipment, but it is always good to bring a favorite pair of scissors, or glue gun or needle and thread.

You may bring your own projects to work on, and can perhaps find some followers to join you. This is a chance to build up handicraft skills, depending on your choice of activity.

Tender Perennials

Our big bay trees, the lemon grass, the sweet olive, the big rosemary, the curry plant always pose a worry this time of year. We have to get them safely under cover before frost and who has the truck to do it? New member Shelly Sabo and husband Mike gave us a hand this year, and all the above are safely in the greenhouse at Lavender Blue Herb Farm on River Rd.

Foreign Invasions

Some weeds are more invasive and problematical than others because they tend to displace native plants. Some of the culprits you have no doubt noticed.

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) – You see this everywhere! It is a biennial herb. It begins as a rosette of leaves in the first year, overwinters as a green rosette of leaves, flowers and fruits in the second year. Flowers are four petaled and white and grow in cluster on top of the stem. Plants have triangular, sharply-toothed leaves and grow up to 4 feet. The abundant seeds are viable up to seven years. (To be continued)

Volume 9, Issue 9, September 2000

The Black Swamp Herb Socity, with Gardens at the Wood County Historical Center

So Much Going On!!

So many to thank, so much to look forward to…

Thank yous to all the members and spouses that volunteered for the Black Swamp Arts Festival. I think we have the highest percentage of member participation of any organization. Minute, but Mighty, that’s BSHS. A number of you have signed up to be garden greeters and tour guides for Wood County Day, Saturday, September 16. The Wood County Park District has taken a holy “Rangers vow” that traffic and parking will be well managed this year. Have Faith. Old County Home Road will be one way, entering from Route 6, and circling around on Kramer Road, emerging on South Main. Volunteers may, if they wish, park on the short stretch of Linwood Road on the West.

Frances plans to be there most of the day. If you have any little tasks, such as making wreaths, or flower crowns, or stuffing catnip mice – anything that looks herbal – bring it along.

Bids are out on the neighboring Lunatic House and work will start this fall. Maybe THEN we can get bids on our humble little Chicken Coop!

Kathy will be doing an “assembly line” workshop assembling goodies such as spice rubs, for Old Home Christmas. You should see the stuff we have! It will be Monday, September 25, a stop and go session from 1-4. Please bring measuring spoons of all sizes. All materials will be there. We are asking members to try Pineapple Sage leaves and lemon balm leaves -needed all nice and dry by the 25th. Materials can be left at 924 Lyn Rd.

All members have received their manuals except Joyce Osterud. Joyce call me! We have also assembled eight more manuals in optimistic anticipation of adding active new members.

Monday, September 25 – Gather in the Garden at 7 pm, Program at 8 pm.

Program: Developing Butterfly Gardens – Cinda Davis, Naturalist WCPD.

Hostesses: Harriet Rosebrock, Sandy Hayden

Cooking with Herbs

Savory (Satureja)

Savory’s Latin Name, Satureja, means “satyr” which hints at its ancient use as a stimulant and aphrodisiac. Monks were prohibited from growing it, but savory was a favorite Italian garden herb nonetheless.

The perennial winter savory differs in various ways from the annual summer savory. In the summer, there is very little difference in flavor between the two. In the fall, the flavor of winter savory may be harsh, but you can use it if you cut the quantity in half. Summer savory is used f resh or dried. Whereas winter savory is best used fresh or frozen.

Winter savory is used commercially as a seasoning in salami. Winter savory was prized by the Romans as a disinfectant herb and was strewn liberally on floor or burned in fires. In the garden, winter savory is good for creating knot designs.

Winter savory was reputed to decrease sexual drive, while summer savory was considered an aphrodisiac. Savory is a Shakespearean herb, mentioned in The Winter’s Tale. A Seventeent Century herbalist described drying and powdering savory, mixing it with bread crumbs “to breade their meate, be it fish or flesh, to give it quicker relish.”

Creamed Green Bean Soup with Savory

1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces, or two 10 ounce packages frozen green beans
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons fresh savory leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup half-and-half cream or evaporated skim milk

In a saucepan, combine the potatoes, onions, beans, stock, wine, 1 tablespoon of the savory, salt, black pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes until vegetables are very tender. Puree in a blender or food processor. Return to the pan, stir in cream, and heat on low. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve chilled. Garnish with remaining savory leaves, minced, and grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Yield 6 to 8 servings.

Medicinal

There is mullein in the fields and rosemary and hoarhound in the gardens.

A Cough Syrup for the Brave

Mix 1 /4 of a cup of rosemary with 1/2 cup of mullein leaves and 1/2 cup hoarhound leaves. Steep a teaspoonful of the mixture in a cup of hot water. Cool and then strain through cheesecloth. Add enough sugar or honey to make a light syrup. Take a tablespoon 3 to 4 times a day as required.

Massage Oil for the Weary

4 ounces of best olive oil
2 teaspoons liquid lecithin
Scant 1/2 teaspoon of rosemary essential oil.

Mix and bottle and use on aching muscles.

“Cook fish with a handful of horseradish, a handsome faggot of rosemary, some thyme and a sprig of savory.”
– Izak Walton, well known 17th-century fisherman and writer.

Rosemary Jelly

2 heaping tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 /4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup orange juice
3/4 cup water
3 1/ 4 cups sugar
3 ounces liquid pectin (one Certo pouch)
Sprigs of rosemary for garnish.

Boil all ingredients but certo for 7 minutes stirring constantly. Strain, return to boil adding pectin and boil vigorously 1 minute, stirring. Skim foam. Fill sterilized jars, adding sprig of rosemary. Seal with paraffin and label.

Decorative

• Bouquets and centerpieces can be enchanced with stems of fragrant rosemary.
• Tiny tussie-mussies are charming: tie several sprigs with a narrow ribbon to lay next to a photograph “for remembrance.”
• Garnish a large roast with lavish tips of rosemary.
• A stem of rosemary stuck into a fresh orange is an old-world traditional New Year’s greeting.
• If a rosemary standard has died, add tiny colorful dried flowers for an strange but attractive, maintenance-free decoration.

“Across the world, wherever it grows, a sprig of Rosemary is never just a fragrant green herb, but a bit of human history in one’s hands.”
– Dorothy Bovee Jones, The Herbarist

The Song of the Mallow Fairy

I am Mallow; here sit I
Watching all the passers-by.
Though my leaves are tom and tattered,
Dust-besprinkled, mud-bespattered.
See, my seeds are fairy cheeses.
Freshest, finest, fairy cheeses!
These are what an elf will munch
For his super or his lunch.
Fairy housewives, going down
To their busy market-town.
Hear me wheedling: “Lady, please,
Pretty lady, buy a cheese!”
And I never find it matters
That I’m nicknamed Rags-and-Tatters,
For they buy my fairy cheeses.
Freshest, finest, fairy cheeses!
– Cicely Mary Barker

A Sacrifice

The story continued…

Well, the caterpillar was joined by two more caterpillars and they all ate happily away and both parsley plants (including the Italian) got smaller and smaller.

Suddenly one morning…no more caterpillars. Let us hope they went off to hang themselves in their cocoons. (And that a passing bird didn’t get them.) Both plants recovered nicely from the severe trimming and are in nearly daily snipping use.

“What time the mighty moon Was gathering light Love paced the thymy plots Of Paradise.”
– Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Carter-Loomis Farm

Drive east on Poe Road, turn left on Carter Road and proceed north until you reach Sugar Ridge Road. Then turn around (carefully) and drive slowly past a development with pretentious houses, new grass and trees, swing sets in the back yard – all probably filled with nice young families. Then on your right, on the same side, you will see a hundred year old oak bam, a weathered house surrounded by pots of flowers and, stretching west, 80 acres of working farm land and woods.

The farm will some day belong to the Wood County Park District under the Trusteeship of the Black Swamp Nature Conservancy. It can never be developed into housing. It will remain an oasis, as the area grows, of green with wild life habitat and farm crops.

Sally Carter Loomis was bom on the farm more than eighty years ago. She was in the last class to graduate from the nearby Zimmerman School, and year after year she greets students doing day long field trips to the school. A bit of “walking history” she also was in the first high school graduating class from the present BG Junior High School. She and her husband love the land and want it to be protected. They are part of a growing number of people that recognize that future generations need more than houses to shelter their bodies- they will also need green spaces to shelter their souls.

It is forward imagining like this that makes the Historic Center a reality and the Herb Gardens a source of public pleasure.

Wine and Cheese Fund Raiser

Bowling Green residents are fortunate to be served by the Wood County Park District (our ally and friend at the Herb Gardens) and the Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Department. When BSHS was very small and struggling the members voted to contribute to the purchase of the 22 acre Bordner Meadows, off Sand Ridge Road. This is now part of the Winter-garden/St. John’s Woods Nature Preserve which can be entered by car from Wintergarden Road.

The area is being groomed for public and wildlife enjoyment under the leadership of naturalist Chris Gajewicz. The BG Parks and Recreation Foundation, BG Rotary and other service groups have all contributed financially to the development of the Nature Center, which is now ready for a multitude of activities – from educational programs, to growing seedlings of native plants.

The Annual Wine and Cheese Part to be held on Friday, September 29 between 5 and 8 is an important fund-raiser for the Foundation. Attendance by our members has been high in the past and let’s keep the tradition going. Tickets are $40 a couple and can be purchased at the Park Office in the Woodland Mall or by calling Frances.

Food and music will be abundant, and tours of the area will be available by foot or golf cart. You will not believe the recirculating stream that is already attracting migrating and resident wild life.

There is a mated pair of red foxes in the area, but they will not be on display.

From the Library

Descriptions, from the publisher, new arrivals…

Garden Butterflies of North America

From the book’s introduction:
“At the most dismal part of winter, when most folks are developing cabin fever, spring begins. It’s at this time that designing a butterfly garden is quite fulfilling. By choosing which species we intend to invite to our oasis, we develop our garden plan. The garden is our palette and the flowers are our paint. Allowing the colors to swirl in your mind offers a stimulating alternative to late winter’s grays and browns. It is also time to start seeds and cuttings. I have learned to use the flora and fauna as my calendar to tell me where the butterflies will be ‘Half past the cornflowers and a quarter to the buddleia’ means that the butterfly season is about to get under way. Upon these warm winds the rainbow of butterflies can spread its wings and fly.”

The Herbfarm Cookbook
by Jerry Traunfeld

Not so long ago, parsley was just about the only fresh herb available to American cooks. Today, bunches of fresh oregano and rosemary can be found in nearly every supermarket; basil and mint grow abundantly in backyards; and farmers’ markets all over the country are rich sources for wonderful flavor enchancers like chervil, sage and lemon verbena. Now, so that you’ll be able to enjoy the fresh herb bounty that’s available, Jerry Traunfeld, executive chef of the Herbfarm restaurant in Fall City, Washington, presents 200 herb inspired recipes, plus information on pairing herbs with foods, and even how to grow your own herbs.

Spring Sorrel and Chip Soup is a bright green soup exploding with fresh lemony flavor. Fettuccine with Red Onion, Blue Cheese and Thyme is only one of the pasta dishes that are guaranteed to please. Dilled Chicken Piccata; Sauteed Duck Breasts with Mint, Coriander and Olives; and Grilled Flank Steak in Oregano Marinade are three flavorful entree choices.

Starters, breads, vegetables, desserts (Lemon Verbena Ice Cream is sensational) – you’ll find marvelous recipes for every course in this beautifully illustrated cookbook that is as lovely to look at as it is delightful to cook from.

(Please add Garden Butterflies to The Gardening section of your Library List and The Herbfarm Cookbook to the Cooking section.)

The Ponds

As of this writing the two ponds, originally designed to hold water to be harvested as ice for the ice house, are being drained. Getting the muck out is next. Our group unanimously voted to support a grant effort that could develop the ponds as aesthetic and recreational focal points. Can you imagine the effects of an aerating fountain?

From the Chicken Coop

Chairman Marna Conner continues to put out a plea for cupboards needing a new home. Also if you find you have too many gardening tools cluttering up the garage, consider donating them to the CC. Remember to label tools, yours and ours. Things get mixed up so easily. Markers are in the CC. Don’t forget to write down your time and what you did so other gardeners know what is what.

A complete Garden Manual now resides in the Chicken Coop for handy reference. The pages have heavy weight plastic page protectors so they can be used by dirty hands without damage.

The cherry tomato is a marvelous invention, producing as it does a satisfactory explosive squish when bitten. – Miss Manners

…the beautiful verdure of parsley forms an elegant garnishing to our dishes; it is the luxury of the soup-kettle; it adds to the delight of the most splendid dinners. – Frances S. Osgood

Volume 9, Issue 8, August 2000

The Black Swamp Herb Socity, with Gardens at the Wood County Historical Center

Garden Manuals Ready for You

A summer of work culminates in a Garden Manual designed for our gardens
It all began with a simple comment, “We don’t even have a pruning chart to guide our gardeners.” We still do not have a simple chart on pruning. Rather we now have a guide on the care of each perennial in the main gardens. We also have two data bases (116 plants) for all listed plants, alphabetized by scientific names and by common names. We have charts on different KINDS of pruning suitable for different plant types and purposes. The Manual reflects the viewpoint that pruning is a creative tool for garden appearance.

Great efforts have been made to be accurate about scientific names. This has lead to some cross reference huffing and puffing. In some cases nomenclature has changed over the decades, and there has been uncertainty about some of the cultivars. Harmony and peace arrived when the Deni Brown book, The Encyclopedia of Herbs & Their Uses, published by the Herb Society of America in 1995, was decided on as the ultimate source. It is a monumental, beautiful and authoritative book.

(I would like to know more about this woman Deni. The book jacket says she is a renowned lone traveller, and a prize winning photographer. The book is dedicated to her husband and five children. What a woman! What a heroine!)

The Manual will serve double duty. It replaces the Program Booklet of the past. Member names and information are on a data base in the front of the book. It will be easy to add information as members and addresses change and more of us go online. The notebook also contains The Program Calendar, The Society’s By Laws, and the Budget. There are sections for handouts from programs, and for the newsletter. Though not completed, there is a place for information on the plants of the side gardens, and we plan to make a complete list of our library books. The Manual is a work in progress and positive suggestions are welcome. This has been an expensive project, but it should be a permanent investment in the gardens and ourselves.

Many thanks to Ken Robb who was Chief Scientific Authority, Cross Reference Checker and Proofreader. Chris MacDonald also proofread and did the section on roses. Morgan Brent proofed and Sandy Hayden provided moral support and practical help as the project grew and grew. Any mistakes are mine (after proofreaders returned material I kept adding.) I don’t want to hear about “mistakes” until next Spring, when I have recovered my sense of humor.

Thanks to Barbara Rothrock for cleaning out Calico’s card section and giving us Herb Themed cards to use as we wish. We will be able to write colorful thank you notes for the next decade.

Next meeting: Monday, August 28. Gather in the Gardens at 7 pm. Program at 8 pm: Giving out of The Manual, and Pampered Chef Fund Raising Display

Cooking with Herbs

Super Soup for Super Immunity

1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 c chopped celery (include inner ribs and leaves)
6-7 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 pc fresh ginger (1″ long), peeled and chopped
1-2 tsp toasted sesame oil or organically grown olive oil
5-6 qt filtered water or fat-free broth
6 carrots, chopped
1 parsnip, chopped
1 turnip, chopped
1 med burdock root, sliced
3 med red potatoes, cubed
2 sticks dried astragalus root
1 c sliced fresh shitake mushrooms
3/4 c chopped fresh parsley or 1/4 c dried
1/2 c chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, sage, thyme,
marjoram, oregano, and rosemary, or 3-4 Tbsp dried herbs
3 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 c barley
1/2 c lentils or dried peas (optional)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Finely choppod chfle peppers or ground red pepper
Salt
Ground black pepper
1/2 c chopped red bell pepper
1 med zucchini, chopped
1 c chopped spinach, cabbage, kale, or collard greens
Freshly ground black pepper or crushed red chile pepper

In a large stockpot, saute the onion, celery, garlic, and ginger in the oil until the onion turns translucent. Add the water and ingredients through the lentils. Simmer on low for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until vegetables tender.

Stir in tumeric, paprika, and vinegar. Add chile peppers, salt and pepper. Add the bell peppers, zucchini and greens. Simmer 30 minutes. Remove the astragalus and season with pepper.

25 one cup servings.

72 cal, 3 g pro, 12 g carb, .08 g fat, .01 g sat fat, 9 mg chol, 3 g fiber, 137 mg. sodium

Tabbouleh Salad

3/4 c bulgur
2 c boiling water
1/2 c chopped scallions or onions
2 med tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cucumber, sliced and quartered
1/3 c chopped fresh parsley
1/3 c chopped fresh mint
1/4 c lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 tsp ground black pepper

1. Place the bulgur in a large bowL Pour tbe water over the bulgur, cover, and let stand for 20 minutes or until the bulgur is light and fluffy. Drain excess water.
2. Add the scallions, tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, mint, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Mix gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Makes 4 servings.

PER SERVING: 177 cal. 4 g pro, 24 g carb, 7.4 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 0 mg chol, 8 g fiber, 24 mg sodium

From Recipes from the Herbal Kitchen by the Editors of Prevention Health Book

For added flavor, soak the bulgur in a mixture of 1 cup boiling water and 1 cup hot vegetable broth.

Burdock? Astragalus?

Burdock root and astragalus root are proven herbal healers. Chinese researchers report that burdock is effective against inflammation, tumors, and bacterial and fungal infections. Astragalus, also known as huang qi, helps the body produce antibodies and interferon. Check at health food or Chinese grocery stores for them.

Bulgar is a whole grain healer. It helps reduce the risk of diabetes & heart disease and colon & breast cancers.

Gardens at High Summer

The blue cloud of the Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) backing up the Fragrance Garden is the first thing that strikes. The colors in the main gardens are subtle and subdued in the hot, hot sun. We have some giants now. Boneset/Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium perfoliatum) is of course towering in the Medicinal Garden. As to Sweet Annie (Artemisia annua) – this girl needs to go on a diet.

We have other giants. The Tall Coreopsis and the Flat Topped Asters, The Queen of the Prairie, and Iron weed are all flourishing in the Native Garden.
It has really come into its own this year. The color that dominates is the deep gold of the Rudbeckia. We probably won’t cut much down in this garden. Many of these plants provide food and cover for the birds. Besides, it is doubt that Indians carefully cut down the coneflowers in the fall.

The other garden that has spectacular color right now is the Children’s Garden. Planted in annuals, partly because of the unknown future of the neighboring Slaughter House building, it is almost blinding with color. The teepee has been colored with Scarlet Runners all summer and great pods hang down. There have been several hummingbird sightings this year. At the moment the “miniature” pumpkin plants are taking over, crushing the salvia, squatting on the snapdragons, and acting the part of the garden bully.

The Obedient Plant, (Physostegia virginiana) also known as false dragonhead, sits a little forlornly at the edge of the garden. The various names have caused great confusion this summer. All the names above apply.

Rosemary

Rosemary has tonic and astringent qualities that are supposed to stimulate the appetite of invalids.

Rosemary as a Healer

Rosemary is an excellent headache aid. The oil can be directly massaged onto the head. The oil should never be taken internally. It has both antibacterial and antifungal properties.

A soothing infusion (tea) can also relieve a headache. The herb reduces flatulence and is stimulating to the digestion, liver and gall bladder, increasing the flow of bile (as rosmanicine breaks down in the body it stimulates the smooth muscle of the digestive tract and gallbladder.) It is also used to aid painful periods. Rosemary oil is a common component in liniments used for rheumatism.

Rosemary as Hair Dresser

An infusion of rosemary with borax is used as a rinse for dandruff. A rosemary rinse highlights brunette hair. Because of its astringent qualities and refreshing scent it is used in many commercial cosmetics and hair products. Rosemary hairbrushes are an exotic idea from the past.

Rosemary as Companion

Plant rosemary with carrots and sage. It repels carrot fly and is generally beneficial.

A rosemary topiary can become a companion in the home over the winter. For many varieties this is the blooming time. Tending, trimming, tucking and light watering brings a little of the garden action inside. Beyond that, the refreshing fragrance can brighten the gloom of a dark winter day.

Rosemary as Harvest

Rosemary branches can be harvested all summer. They can be hung to dry in rubber banded bunches. Keep out of direct light. The dried leaves should be stored in airtight containers. Smoked glass is ideal. Curtail harvesting in September.To use fresh rosemary, pick, wash and then roll the rosemary in a clean terrycloth towel to dry. In a towel rosemary will stay fresh in the refrigerator for two weeks.

The stripped stems are nice to throw on the barbecue coals. They add a subtle flavor to meats and vegetables, as well as a pleasant order to the air. (Maybe discouraging mosquitoes as well?)

A Sacrifice

I have two pots of parsley. One, the curly, is slowly disappearing. The branches get more barren every day. I am delighted. Two very hungry caterpillars are getting very fat. They are smooth and beautiful and green with dark markings. Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) in the making. The creatures could be transferred to nearby Queen Anne’s Lace or a dill stand but I have neither. Beside it is rather nice to go out and check on future butterflies and the vanishing parsley. However, they better not move over to the Italian Parsley. There are limits to hospitality!

A Rose By Anyother Name…

Burdock, A.K.A Beggar’s Buttons, Gypsy’s rhubarb, Pig’s rhubarb, Clotbut, Bardana, Hardock, Hareburr, or Turkey Burrseed

Eating It

Burdock root tastes like a cross between celery and potatoes. Scrub, peel, chop and steam for 30 minutes or saute for 15 minutes. Shred soaked raw burdock root and toss with shredded carrot, minced fresh ginger, and lemon juice. Serve in lettuce cups as a salad. The tender first leaves of this biennial can be a salad green, or steamed like spinach. The young stalks can be treated like asparagus. Often used in Japanese cooking in soups, stews, salads, pickles and relishes

Burdock (Arctium lappa)

“It is a vegetable; it’s an ancient healing herb, it’s an unspeakable pest…
Love it or loath it, burdock is a plant that demands attention.”
– Rodale’s illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs

Coarse and dramatic, with many stout stems, burdock is crowned by clumps of flowers that turn into clumps of nasty burrs that catch on everything. The burdock burrs are loose, hairy bunches of many seeds. Herbalists use root, leaves and seed of the plant. Poultices are made of the leaves.

“Boil the leaves in urine and bran until water is almost gone: apply the sodden remains to the affected area.”

The fresh roots contain two polyacetylene compounds that inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi. Burdock tea, made with dried roots seems a favorite tonic among herbalists. The various edible parts are deemed safe to consume, but seem like a lot of work.

From the Library

Descriptions, from the publishers, new arrivals.

Our books are in constant circulation. Check them out for gardening, cooking, and project inspiration.

The Scented Garden
by David Squire with Jane Newdick
205 pp.

It is beautiful visually and its information value rates just as high. The scope of the book is enormous, featuring over 500 varieties of scented plants. Chapters are organized by garden types, Daytime Scents, Night Scented Plants, Scented Patios, The Scented Flower Border, and more. Fragrant trees, shrubs, and roses (an outstanding rose section) are included. There are 70 pages of attractive fact-filled charts which group plants of similar fragrance and provide practical growing information. Jane Newdick adds her expertise in a chapter about projects using scented plants in the home. Visually the book is a delight. Each page is bordered with a watercolor wash design of tiny flowers, creating an old fashioned look and many lovely watercolor paintings are used to illustrate the flowers. Over 200 color photographs illustrate.

An Everlasting Garden
by Jim and Dotti Becker
96 pp

Years of growing everlastings as a living at their Goodwin Creek Gardens in Oregon has given the Beckers a wealth of experience that they share in this helpful guide.

In the introduction, they explain basic garden techniques for growing everlastings successfully. The also discuss the proper harvesting, handling and drying of the harvest. Their instructions on techniques and materials used to make arrangements are excellent. They do not offer designs, but give you the background to create your own. The largest section is their alphabetical listing of 50 plants. Stunning photographs illustrate the plants, both in the garden and in their dried state. Detailed directions for growing and harvesting each are also provided, along with the optimal harvest time. Additional plants for drying are listed in a chart in the back.

The Herbal Project Book
by Joanna Sheen
48 pp.

Herbs are a special delight to bring indoors. Their subtle hues and textures and soothing scents add a refreshing touch to the decor. This book shares designs for 12 tasteful herb projects ranging from kitchen wreaths, herbal arrangements, tussie mussies and topiaries, to bath sachets and potpourri. Well-written and illustrated instructions make this a great project book, even for beginners. All items are easily found in the grocery store, local nursery, or can be grown in our home garden. Lovely color photographs illustrate steps, materials, and final projects.

Gifts for Herb Lovers
by Betty Oppenheimer
124 pp.

Herbs are useful in so many ways. They add flavor to cooking and fragrance to soaps, while their flowers and leaves lend themselves to many decorating possibilities. This book puts the bounty of herbs at your fingertips. With its potpourri of projects for kitchen and bath, garden and home, you’ll never be at a loss for a gift idea again. Pamper your friends with specially prepared body splashes or a wonderfully fragrant lavender sweet-dream pillow. Or you could give them a practical gift, like a wooden rack for drying herbs. Best of all, you don’t need a traditional herb garden to make these projects. Pick up pine cones from a walk in the woods or wildflowers from the roadside or spices from the store. By focusing on materials that are generally easy to come by and techniques that you can master quickly, Gifts for Herb Lovers offers a stress-free way of letting friends and family know how much you care.

Herbs for Health and Happiness
by Mo Siegel & Nancy Burke
160 pp.

Over 25 years ago, when Mo Siegel put his first natural herb tea on the market, the Celestial Seasonings company was born. Today, in addition to beverage teas, the company markets healing herbal formulas and medicines. Now he taps his store of herbal expertise to show you how to use herbs both topically and internally to feel and look better. You’ll learn, for example, that a dab of marigold cream can treat a cut or a bruise and a cup of marigold tea can help relieve any accompanying pain. For a cold, brew peppermint, yarrow and thyme for tea.

Chicken Coop Update

The work on the Historic Building Registry Chicken Coop has been snail like…a ceramic snail. The concept and money was all approved way last March. The hold up has been the difficulty of Poggeymeyer Design in getting the specifications right. One wonders if a mere Chicken Coop gives them so much trouble… Once the bidding specs are ready the staff will set about getting bids. If you have a favorite small contractor let Director Stacy Hann-Ruff know.

Our phase, under Marna Conner is going more smoothly. She took Stacy up on the offer of donated 1940s kitchen cupboards. They are not part of the Historical Center collection and so are available to us. Thank you Stacy. With the help of Community Workers they have been removed from the attic, scrubbed down, primed and are ready to paint. Anyone remodeling who has old cupboards to donate, please give Marna a call.

If time allows you to attend a daytime Christmas workshop, let Harriet know.

“It is a golden maxim to cultivate the garden for the nose, and the eyes will take care of themselves.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

Volume 9, Issue 6, June 2000

The Black Swamp Herb Socity, with Gardens at the Wood County Historical Center

Year of Notebooks and Renovation

This is the year we are going to get it all together.

Figure 9-1. Basic botany for the perennial plant pruner, here showing the basic structures of shasta daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum).

Maybe it was the prospect of having a real work and storage area with a grant and an active planning committee to make it all possible that got other projects going. Maybe it was the sight of all those beautiful translucent colors in the notebook display at Staples that lead to the next fateful step. Whatever, ladies and gentlemen, we are on the brink of total organization.

Each member will receive their own colorful notebook containing: updated garden lists and maps, complete pruning guide for every perennial listed in the four main gardens, diagrams showing just what is meant by terms such as “Lateral Bud,” membership list, and more delights to come. This will be a place to keep handouts from program speakers, and a place to collect The Sage Thymes. As we develop additional material, just add it to the notebook.

In addition we will have a master copy of the same materials, each page encased in plastic which will be a Chicken Coop reference. There is more! Material on each plant is being downloaded from many internet sites and the information (much in color) will be kept in notebooks for each garden. Expect further wonders soon.

Marna Conners is heading an ad hoc committee planning the interior design of the Chicken Coop. Already we have a nearly complete set of tools, a hand washing kit, various clip boards with directions, suggestions and sign in sheets. There is also Off and sun screen for everyone’s use.

Treasurer’s report as of May 31, 2000. – 5/31/00 Balance – $5601.85

Cooking with Herbs

With the herbs coming on with the summer heat it is time to experiment.
Some combinations to try.

Asparagus with: Basil, lemon basil, lemon verbena, lemongrass
Broccoli with: Lemongrass, lemon verbena, garlic, ginger
Carrots with: Mint, chives, dill
Cauliflower with: Rosemary, basil, caraway, dill, tarragon
Corn with: Basil, chile pepper
Green beans with: Basil thyme, savory, marjoram
Peas with: Marjoram, savory, mint, dill, basil, rosemary
Potatoes with: Chives, garlic chives, rosemary, garlic, chives, parsley
Summer squash with: Oregano, marjoram, dill ginger, rosemary, basil, lemon basil, chives, garlic chives

An Herbed Olive Oil from Marge Clark

6 fresh rosemary springs
6 whole black peppercorns
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
3 bay leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh oregano sprigs

Put herbs and other seasonings in a clean quart glass jar or bottle. Add olive oil (use only a good grade extra-virgin oil) to nearly fill the bottle. Put lid on tight. Store in a cool, dark place for a week to 10 days before using. Use in vinegar and oil salad dressings and in marinades. Saute hamburgers or chicken breasts in it. Makes 1 quart.

Keep refrigerated when not using. Olive oil will congeal when it’s cold, so set the bottle out of the refrigerator for a little while before you want to use the oil.

Hint:

If you’re adding fresh herbs to sauces, saute dishes, etc. add them toward the end of cooking time. The heat will destroy the volatile oils and the green color if allowed to cook too long. Usually the last three to five minutes of cooking time is about right.

To get herbs just right for cooking, cut with a pairs of sharp scissors. Food processors overdo it and flavor can be lost.

…the beautiful verdure of this parsley forms an elegant garnishing to our dishes; it is the luxury of the soup kettle; it adds to the delight of the most splendid dinners. Frances S. Osgood

From the Library

The Well-Tended Perennial Garden, by Tracy DiSabato-Aust has become our new gardening guide and bible.

Consider the virtues:

1. She has B.S. and M.S degrees in horticulture from Ohio State.
2. She is a practical working designer for public and private places working just 150 miles south of us.
3. Zone wise she is one of us!!
4. She doesn’t just say “deadhead” (she says it a lot actually), she tells you how and when to deadhead each perennial.
5. You are told “Cut down for winter” or “Don’t cut down for winter.” Authoritative!
6. Drawings and photographs graphically show what she is talking about. (The drawing on the first page is an example.)
7. Charts, lists, appendixes are extensive and helpful.

This is just a sampling. Her book is the core of the pruning guides we are developing. Of necessity other books have been consulted (she doesn’t have EVERYTHING) and the contrast is overwhelming. Others talk in generalities. She is specific.

The book is now in our library. It is recommended to every serious gardener.

Potpourri

The new Children’s Garden is taking shape. Check it out. We even have a teepee that is going to start growing.

Start thinking and acting on early bird Christmas ideas. Call Harriet if you have a brainstorm.

A couple of days have been spent sewing and stuffing Aromawraps. We have a good supply of pockets and covers ready to be filled as needed. Those with difficulty gardening can help here.

From Lavender Blue Herb Farm we have a Rosemarinus alba which is nestled among the hens and chickens of the white garden.

Mother to Daughter

From the Countess of Hainault to Phillipa, queen of Edward III:

“Rosemary mighteth the boones and cauesth goode and gladeth and lighteth alle men that use it. The leves layde under the heade whanne a man slepes, it doth away evil spirites and suffereth not to dreeme fowle dremes ne to be afearde, But he must be out of deedely synne.

“Lavender and Rosemary is as woman to man and White Roose to Reede. It is an holy tree and with ffolke that been just and Rightfulle gladlye it groweth and thryveth.”

Bancke’s Herbal

Wisdom from 1525

“Take the flowers therof and boyle them in fayre water and drinke that water for it is muych worthe against all manner of evils in the body. Take the flowers therof and make powder therof and binde it to thy right arme in a linnen cloathe and it shale make tee lighte and merrie. Take the flowers and put them in thy chest among thy clothes or among thy Bookes and Mothes shall not destroy them.

“Boyle the leaaves in white wine and washe thy face therewith and thy browes and thou shalt have a faire face. Also put the leaves under thy bedde and thou shall be delivered of all evill dreames. Take the leaves and put them into wine and it shall keepe the Wine from all sourness and evill savours and if thou wilt sell thy wine thou shalt have goode speede.

“Also if thou be feeble boyle the leaaves in clene water and wash thyself and thou shalt was shiny. Also if thou have lost appetite of eating boyle well these leaves in cleane water and when the water is colde put therunto as much white wine and then make sops, eat them thereof wel and thou shalt restore thy appetite againe.”

From Sir Thomas More

“As for Rosemary I lette it runne all over my garden walls, not onlie because my bees love it, but because it is the herb sacred to rememrbance and to friendship, whence a spring of it hat a dumbe language.”

Lemon Balm

Native to central and southern Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, lemon balm is surrounded with much lore and legend. It has been associated with strengthening the mind, calming nerves, promoting longevity, and healing wounds.

The Latin name for lemon balm. Melissa, derives from the Greek word for ‘honeybee,’ referring to the love that bees have for the flower’s nectar. It is said that lemon balm will attract new bees and calm restive ones if a beehive is rubbed with the herb, or if it grows nearby.

Lemon balm has a strong flavor of lemon intermingled with a bit of mint. Producing an abundance of foliage, lemon balm is used in hot or iced teas, summer drinks, fruit punches, green or fruit salads, herb cheeses, and with fish and vegetables. The delicate flavor dissipates quickly with cooking, so it’s best to add it at the last minute or not cook it at all.

Besides adding a lemony zest to food, lemon balm is excellent in potpourris, herbal sleep pillows, and herbal baths.

Lemon balm in the garden can be a challenge. It is one of the great all time spreaders – taking over whole gardens if left untended – or even if very well tended. One answer is to pot it up. One plant in a 15 inch pot will flourish and give a household all the lemon balm they can use for a season. It is worth the time and effort to treat it like an annual. Just buy another in the spring, or dig up one of the excess at the Historical Center.

In one of the BSHS’s side gardens it is taking over the patch. Next time someone comes out feeling put out and mad at the world (or husband, child, job, life) it would be very therapeutic to just go over and pull and dig and pull and dig. Very stress relieving, and so satisfying to think one pulled up THAT MUCH in such a short time.

An Invitation to Join/Rejoin the Black Swamp Herb Society for 2000-2001

(The following is included for historical purposes. It shows clearly the number of projects that the Black Swamp Herb Society members were engaged in.)

1. We want current members, past, members and “I’ve been thinking.”
2. An exciting new year is coming up.
3. Gardening together develops friendship and is a learning experience.
4. Illustrated information books are being prepared on each of the major gardens to be kept in the Chicken Coop for all of us to use.
5. We have developed complete pruning guides for the gardens.
6. Our Oak-Savanna garden is flourishing.
7. A children’s garden is in progress and the butterfly garden attracts.
8. We have dramatic pillar roses to admire.
9. Thyme carpets the bird bath and our big bay laurel boasts new leaves.
10. We work with the Wood County Historical Society and the WC Park District.
11. We will be a host garden for the Hospital Guild Tour of June 2001.
12. The Chicken Coop is being totally upgraded with new floors, walls, electricity, and ceiling.
13. An active committee is working on the Interior Design of the Chicken Coop.
14. We will again host the Old Home Christmas Shop and a number of projects are underway with workshops planned for the fall-crafters and amateur crafters heaven.
15. The Chicken Coop is stocked with gardening tools.
16. The watering system has new hoses and fixtures and works with minimum frustration.
17. Our library is growing and members are using the resources.
18. We are a multigenerational group from all over Wood County.
19. This is going to be a year of learning as we look at gardening techniques right for us.
20. Nothing more is healing to the spirit than planting, pruning, deadheading, composting.
21. Publications include a Members’ Guide, a monthly newsletter and friendly postcards.
22. With our continued emphasis on garden knowledge we are giving each new and renewing member a BSHS Notebook to hold bylaws, handouts, newsletters.

Osage Orange

Osage orange seems to be God’s answer to the unpleasant problem of spiders, ants, and also cockroaches. According to a 1958 Missouri Botanical Garden bulletin the Osage orange placed in a room “will drive the creatures out in a few hours.” They can be tucked behind appliances, in closets and basements and under furniture. It is an effective cold-weather insecticide.

Apothecary Rose

A medicinal rose of legend and stories, our Apothecary rose is now situated by the pond fence. Margery Kinney started a cutting from the rose in her garden. The mature rose is lush, upright, about three feet tall and graced with large pink flowers. Our new rose is full of promise.