Month: December 2019

Volume 9, Issue 5, May 2000

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

What’s Happening with Gardens & Group?

April Meeting:
Two guests: Ken Robb, Ida Dahlberg
A reminder about several important decisions that were made.

5 HP Chipper

Jean Gamble moved and Jean Coffield seconded that the chipper donated by Frances Brent be accepted. Motion passed. We need a vehicle to transport it to the Historical Center. We have permission to store it in the service building.

Civil War Reenactment May 20, 21

The group had earlier voted to take part in BG’s Community Day. Angela Bair moved and Jean Coffied moved that we substitute participation in the Reenactment. (The dates overlapped.) We are an important part of the Historical Center and the staff and board are very supportive and appreciative of our efforts. This will be a chance to showcase the late May Garden, give tours, work in the garden (working is known as giving garden demonstrations!) and talk to many people. Members are encouraged to add themselves to the shifts listed below. The more the merrier!)

Saturday, May 20
10 – 12 am – Frances Brent
12-2 pm – Harriet Rosebrock, Sally Halstead
2-4 pm – Marlene Long, Joyce Osterud

Sunday, May 21
10-12 pm – Sandy Hayden
12-2 pm – Nancy Seifert, Ruth Steele
2-4 pm – Jean Gamble, Ida Dahlberg (New member!)

Last year’s Reenactment was the first of what is likely to become an annual happening. There will be action all day long as the Reenactors go through their paces. There also will be a variety of vendors, including food. A competition of art projects is being promoted in the schools in connection with the event.

Look for publicity as date nears.

Ergonomic Program

Dr. Laurie Wilmarth-Dunn led the group in stretching exercises designed to keep the gardener from getting too stiff. The most important principal is to stretch to counteract positions too long held as we plant, weed and prune.

Angela Bair, an Occupational Therapist brought in a variety of tools adapted in common sense ways to prevent gardening injuries through repetitive motions and use of tools inappropriate to a task. Angela has handouts available. Main message – THINK !! My favorite tip: Tools with padded handles.

Next working Saturday is May 13. We will be working with soil amendments and getting reading for May 20, 21 visitors. Come anytime even for a short period.

Next meeting is May 22. (Booklet is in error) This will be a working session with you never know what surprises. Hostesses: Jeanne Turner. Joyce Mueller.

Cooking with Herbs

The first of the fresh herbs are coming in and the grilling season is beginning. Rubs and crusts can be rubbed on dry or spread more easily by mixing with a teaspoon of water or broth. Some suggestions from The Healthy Cook:

Traditional Herb Crust

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 gloves garlic, minced

Makes about 3 1/2 tablespoons

Italian Herb Crust

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind.

Makes about 5 1/2 tablespoons

Greek Herb Crust

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 gloves garlic, minced

Makes about 4 tablespoons

French Herb Crust

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated orange rind

Makes about 5 tablespoons

Mexican Spice Rub

1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Makes about 2 1/2 tablespoons

Thai Spice Rub

2 tablespoons chopped fresh lemongrass
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 gloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Makes about 3 1/2 tablespoons

Moroccan Spice Rub

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
2 gloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Makes about 2 tablespoons

This is one form of international travel that doesn’t cost much, cuts down on fats and gives you lots of healthy garlic.

From the Library

Two more books have been added to our library. The descriptions that follow are from the manufacturer.

THE EDIBLE HERB GARDEN
by Rosalind Creasy

Using herbs adds depth to your cooking, yet it takes experimentation and experience to learn which combination of herbs works best with which foods. The advice of experts is always a useful shortcut to culinary success. In this book, Rosalind Creasy combines her own expertise with that of several well-known herb growers and chefs to share wonderful ways to enhance food with the use of herbs. Thee are recipes for herb blends, pestos, beverages, appetizers, soups, and main dishes.

As with the other books in the series, there are complete directions for growing and harvesting herbs, an encyclopedia of culinary herbs that describes numerous interesting varieties and their cultivars, and luscious color photographs of herbs in the garden and on the plate.

THE EDIBLE FLOWER GARDEN
by Rosalind Creasy

The peppery, spicy, sweet taste of many flowers offer an alternative to salt and sugar as seasonings, and they certainly enhance the appearance of any dish – but don’t just randomly toss flowers into your food! You definitely need guidance to use flowers effectively and safely in cooking. Many flowers are poisonous, cause allergic reactions, or simply taste terrible.

Creasy offers the gardener a wide variety of flowers from which to choose. Her Encyclopedia of Edible Flowers contains 43 edible blooms with directions for growing and using them. Aside from discussing their general use as flavorings, she provides recipes gathered from historical documents, ethnic cookbooks, some of this country’s best cooks (such as Alice Waters from Chez Panisse), and her own experience. Many of the ideas are simple, yet elegant -flower butters, flowered canapes, and salads. A citrus dip with begonia petal chips or a pineapple sage salsa will dazzle your guests. Have fun with this one!

Book Mystery

We have a mystery. There is an interesting pile of books with herbal topics that do not belong to us. Has somebody quietly donated them? If so Librarian Jan Bingham will be happy to catalog them and add them to the collection.

Saxon Herbal

For the sickly, take this wort rosemary, pound it with oil, smear the sickly one, wonderfully thou healest him.

Scarborough Faire Seasoned Salt

4 Tbl. dried, crushed parlsey
3 Tbl. dried, crushed sage
2 Tbl. dried, crushed rosemary
1 Tbl. dried, crushed thyme
1 cup salt

Mix and package in large-holed shaker. Useful on meats, fowl, fish and vegetables.

So Many Varieties, So Little Space

Rosmarinus officinalis – the most common variety, this rosemary is a tender perennial evergreen subshrub. “Officinalis” refers to its ancient medicinal usage.

Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’ – creeping rosemary. Excellent in hanging baskets, on banks, and in rock gardens.

Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Arp’ – an upright, blue flowered cultivar selected for its hardiness. Still not reliable in our area.

Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Augustiflius’ – also knows as pine-scented rosemary because of its excessive oil content and strong, piney fragrance. Not good in cooking. Grown for pretty, narrow-leaved foliage.

Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Golden Rain’ – a compact plants with blue flowers and yellowish foliage. Sometimes labeled ‘Aureus’ or gilded rosemary.

Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Pink’ -upright with shorter leaves and pink flowers. It has a Christmas tree form.

Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Brendon Blue’ – small slow growing with very dense, glossy, green leaves and traditional blue flowers. This elegant rosemary is suitable for container gardening and bonsai.

Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Miss Jessopp’ – a lavender-blue-flowered, vigorous, boldly upright variety that is excellent for topiaries or standards.

Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Sissinghurst blue’ – exceptionally free-flowering upright, handsome and sturdy. Useful as a standard.

(Standards are the lollypop trees you see in decorators’ magazines. Stake a two year upright rosemary with a straight stem, remove and pinch lateral shoots. Tie with wool to a stake twice the plant’s height.)

Wonderful tales had our father of old-
Wonderful tales of the herbs and the stars-
The sun was Lord of the Marigold,
Basil and Rocket belong to Mars.
– Rudyard Kipling

The world’s great age begins anew,
The golden years return.
The earth doth like a snake renew.
Her winter weeds outworn.
– Percy Bysshe Shelley

“Lavender Blue Farm” has been added to our thank you sign in the garden. Thank you Lavender Blue and thank you Marna Conner for updating the sign. We appreciate our friendly sponsors.

Mint

Rapacious mints, overtaking gardens around the world, are beloved nonetheless for their cool, refreshing tang. Mainly native to far-flung lands from Europe to Asia, mints have been valued since he time of the ancient Egyptians as tokens of esteem, barter, medicine, or flavoring. In herbal lore, mint is he symbol of hospitality.

Because mints spread rampantly from invasive roots, they are ideal for container growing, which will keep them in bounds yet still produce an abundant supply. Grow different varieties in separate containers.

Although there are only about 25 true species of mint, natural and artificial hybridization has yielded several thousand variations, with much confusion as to the naming of all of them.

The different varieties of spearmint are the best for cooking, whether with various meats, beans or grains, soups, vegetables or desserts; or made into herb butters and vinegars. Peas, potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes are particularly good with mint.

Mint I grow in abundance and in all its varieties. How many there are, I might as well try to count the sparks from Vulcan’s furnace beneath Etna.

– Abbot Walafrid Strabo

Down by a little path I fonde
Of mintes full and fennel green.
– Geoffrey Chaucer

Chicken Coop Crowing

Well, we don’t have building specs yet; no second round of bidding has started; the future still looks good.

Living in the present as we must and do here are some here and now changes.

A workcrew of two swept and brushed a winters worth of accumulation and spider webs away.

They went through and composted the piles and bundles of herbs from another season and another series of projects.

Many small – for the convenience of the moment- items have been added:

• paper clips
• marking pens
• rubber bands
• craft sticks of two sizes
• a pump of soft soap
• paper towels
• a pump of Lava soap for really dirty and itchy days
• box of individual water bottles
• a rechargeable electric trimmer
• trimming sheers
• additives for compost
• disposable latex gloves
• scissors for dead-heading

We add supplies with two things in mind- helping the garden and helping the gardener.

There are a number of clipboards, some of which have time sheets, job suggestions, additive formula. Members are encouraged to write what they have done in the garden and to make suggestions for things needing doing. Needed supplies should be listed. Individuals may make purchases and give receipts to Sandy Hayden, treasurer.

Decisions, Decisions

Our herbal calendar for May looks a bit overwhelming with Second Saturday workday, Civil War Reenactments, followed immediately by the regular meeting.

In May there are established gardens to be cleared primped and planted. New gardens that need to be planned and planted (and even dug.) Orphan gardens – no one has said, “I’ll make you mine,” to be kept respectable as other duties permit. Plants to be found or purchased as replacements, soil amendments to be mixed – after harvesting and sifting the compost. Did anybody fertilize the roses? Is there Preen on the gardens that won’t have new seeds planted? Have the butterfly bushes been cut back? Has anyone seen the butterfly weed yet? Will the tansy ever be controlled in the year 2000?

Just take a deep breath and pick what time and job best fits into your schedule. Things get done. Because of the composition of the group regularly weekly times have not worked out. OK, we are a creative group.

Individuals coming out solo, or with a friend have done wonders. Our working meeting nights seem a bit harried, but lots is accomplished. Even when turnout is rather low, the second Saturday Work Day accomplishes much.

Which brings us to the importance of maintaining the work sheets and job sheets in the Chicken coop!! Don’t forget our little roofed “mailbox” attached to the back of the Slaughterhouse. Valuable Reference Books in Residence!. Use them.

Return of black and white

Fashionable in “My Fair Lady“

Just because something can be done doesn’t mean it should be done. (I remember vividly the year, inspired by Organic Gardening, we tried to grow zucchini on a vertical pole.

Well, it can be done, but the zucchini are not happy about it.)

The costs of our beautiful color issues turned out, on analysis, to be astronomical. Each color page, if done by Staples, runs .95 a side. Done on a home printer it eats cartridges like a Japanese Beetle feasting on a yellow rose. We are pledged to stay on budget and we can’t do it that way.

Any future color issues will be a present from the editor. Done, because it is so much fun! A form of self indulgence.

Growing Gardens

The ugly and dangerous tin house and surrounding debris have been removed, and Lynne, Jean and Wendy are now free to plan and develop the proposed Children’s Garden. Looks like pizza will be the theme. Thanks to Wood County Maintenance for prompt action.

Monica Ostrand, naturalist and prairie restoration expert came out and weeded the true weeds, did some replanting and in general restored order to the native garden. Watch for further low keyed surprises. (Oak-Savannah plants ARE low keyed.)

A butterfly-hummingbird plant mix has been spread on the area west of the men’s privy. This is another orphan garden. Won’t someone adopt?

In the Garden

A bird came down the walk:
He did not know I saw:
He bit an angle-worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.

And then he drank a dew
From a convenient grass,
And then hopped sidewise to the wall
To let a bettle pass.

– Emily Dickinson

Volume 9, Issue 4, April 2000

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

March action minutes

BSHS 3/28/00 Meeting Minutes

• 16 members present
• 7:15 pm meeting called to order by President, Frances Brent.
• No new members.
• Treasurer’s report: $5738.24
• We voted if members wanted Treasurer handout – defeated.
• Librarian, Jan Bingham, reported new books: 1) Quick from Scratch Herbs and Spices: 2) Compost: 3) From Seed to Bloom
• Discussed the possibility of a greenhouse – County Commissioners would really like to have one here – awesome responsibility. We need to find amateur greenhouse (to carry over tender perennials).
• We need reference books in chicken coop. We also need notebook to tell us what is happening with the garden.
• Harriet Rosebrock, our Christmas chair: Discussed trip taken to Bettsville to the Doormouse. She needs ideas for Old Home Christmas. So far 67 catnip mice have been made. Other ideas: eye bags, closet bags, sachets, aprons for gardening $12-14.
• We need unscented aroma wraps.
• Kathy Hicks will organize the food Section of Old Home Christmas.
• We discussed work times in the Garden: Second Saturday 11-3, Wednesday evenings 6 pm and on, Thursday mornings.
• It was requested that we come to meetings early, 6 pm for those who could and we can start working earlier.
• A Children’s garden was discussed – it should be educational as is pizza garden wedges, use different varieties of peppers, tomatoes, etc. Lynn, Jean and Wendy will cochair the development.
• Discussed the chicken coop: 1) Poggemyer design; 2) taking bids to restore/ want to keep historical; 3) thought of leaving wood lathe and do plastering; 4) raise floor to ramp level; 5) outlets to be waist high; 6) Back door would work; 7) There is $9500 allocated to Chicken Coop/Herb Society by the Historical Center board.
• It was moved by Marjory Kinney and seconded by Lois Alexander to allow $1000 for discretionary fund for the Chicken Coop.
• Newsletter is now a 6 page format – we print about 50 newsletters monthly. Check the web site up on Wood County Net. www.neighborhoodlink/BG
• Dates to remember: Sunday, April 16 Historic Center Open House 1 -4, Sunday May 21st – Community Day in BG Parks, 12-4 pm at City Park. Motion made by Ruth Steele, seconded by Maxine Miller to support these activities. Motion passed.
• We have been formally invited to be in the Hospital Guild Walking Tour, June 20, 21, 22 of 2001. We hope to have Barb Rothrock and Valerie Trudeau help us.
• Marjory Kinney would like plant ideas to start early planning and planting. We would be our own docents on this. Motion made by Lynn Beard, seconded by Louise Savage to participate. We will need to have chair and committees, passed by all present.
• Announcements by Marjory: June 15-18 “Herb Society of America” meeting in Baltimore; May 3 Marjory Kinney speaking at Gourmet Curiosities, “Cooking with Herbs.”

Carrot-Raisin Cake

The name is almost a misnomer – this can be used for a fast breakfast, or “I don’t want to be bothered lunch” or even as a cake. If properly wrapped it keeps fresh and moist for days. Recipe is from a California friend and her brother.

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cup. shredded carrot
1 cored apple shredded (or 1/2/ big red pear)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour.

Heat oven to 325.

Shred carrots and 1 green apple in small cuisanart or by hand.

Mix soda and warm water set aside.

In large bowl combine carrots, apple, yogurt, sugar, oil, egg whites, spices, raisins and salt. Mix well. Stir in flours. Mix well. Add soda/water mixture.

Put in well greased 8” or 9” pan, and bake for one hour. Cool on rack in pan 10 minutes. Turn out of pan onto rack and cool.

8 servings.

Calories 268; Prot 4 g.; Chol. 50 g.; Fat 6.4 g.; Na. 285 mg.; Fiber 3.35 g.

Cardamon Pea Soup

Serve this soup with a sandwich or a salad for a delicious lunch or light supper.

Active time: 15 minutes Start to finish: 35 minutes

1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
2 (14- to 15-oz) cans chicken broth
2 (10-oz) packages frozen peas

Cook onion and ginger in butter in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened. Add cardamom and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add peas and simmer, uncovered, until very tender, about 10 minutes.

Puree soup in 3 batches in a blender until very smooth, at least 1 minute per batch (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return to pan, then season with salt and pepper and reheat.

Makes about 6 1/ 2 cups.

Calories 105; Prot. 5.8 g.; Fat 4 g.; Na 225 Fiber 4 g.

Adapted from Gourmet magazine by Marlene Long

There is in every cook’s opinion,
No savory dish without an onion.
But lest your kissing should be spoiled,
Your onions must be fully boiled.
– Dean Swift

Historic Center Open House

Open House for BSHS. too!

The Season opening celebration for the Wood County Historical Center was held from 1 -4 on Sunday, April 16. The BSHS membership voted to participate for the first time and it was a good decision. The day was beautiful, we got lots and lots of gardening done, had many garden visitors. (We had posters in the building inviting visitors to come see us.) Knowing we were taking part in the opening day was great motivation to get the gardens ready. While there is always more to do we looked pretty spiffy, and the blood root put on a gallant if lonely display.

Marlene, Sandy Hayden, Harriet and Frances had some long discussions with some very interested citizens. On such a glorious day who wouldn’t want to join us? A number of names have been added to the mailing list.
Happy to report that the expensive plantings of the Oak-Savannah native garden are popping through. The new butterfly garden has already started attracting butterflies. (We have witnesses.) This promises to be a very interesting project.

Rosemary – Herb of the Year 2000

Grown and used for centuries, rosemary was a strewing herb and a charm to ward off evil. Students in Ancient Greece wore rosemary during exams to focus their minds and sharpen their memories. Rosemary was popular with the Tudors and Elizabethans in wedding garlands, where it represented fidelity. It was also used for incense, for warding off fevers, and for tossing into graves at funerals as a token of remembrance.

The resinous flavor and scent of rosemary makes a natural pairing with lamb, poultry, and pork. Add it to soups and stews or use it to flavor peas, beans, and cauliflower as well as breads, scones, muffins, herb butters, and vinegars. Rosemary makes a wonderful jelly to serve with roast meats. Or, try it infused with chilled white wine or hot mulled cider or wine.

Chicken Coop

Anytime you work with agencies, boards, commissioners, etc. things go a bit slow. The renovations will happen, but things have slowed down a bit. New director Stacy Hann-Ruff wants things to be done right. Considerations include historic integrity, best bang for the buck, our needs as an organization, environmental factors and having consistent specs when taking bids. Delay gives us time to think more of the interior details through.

Members, start building a file of ideas for the chicken coop and for a projected greenhouse. We all get catalogues. Start clipping.

Community Day

Members voted to participate in the Community Day to be held in City Park from 12-4 on Sunday, May 21. Participation means being there with a few handouts, a sign, pictures and friendly readiness to talk gardens and Historic Center.

We need volunteers – two for each two hour shift. I have a prior commitment so please check your calendar.

Support our Members

Two of our members have their own herb related business. Barbara Rothrock of Calico Sage and Thyme has been a generous patron. Valerie Trudeau’s Lavender Blue Farm is on River Rd. in Waterville, and she too has been generous with time, space, plants and knowledge. Keep them in mind as we plunge into the gardening season.

We support each other in many ways as we deal with sick husbands, personal illness and even in death. Betty Reid, was with us for a short time, and we mourn her untimely passing and wish we could have known her better.

Think about Lovage

The leaves are up nearly a foot in mid-April. Now is the time to think about the challenge of actually USING this neglected, and by mid-summer, towering herb.

The leaves and stems of lovage enchances salads, soups, stews, and sauces. The fresh stems and roots can also be cooked as a vegetable. Use the seeds, crushed or ground, in pickles, cheese dips and spreads, breads, salad dressings, and sauces. Consider using lovage with carrots, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, poultry, grains, and salt-free herb seasoning.

Harvest the young leaves or side shoots of lovage all summer long; the best flavor occurs before flowering. For winter use, dry or freeze the leaves. Collect seed heads when they start to turn brown. Harvest the roots in the fall when the plants are at least 3 years old.

Native to southern Europe, lovage has been grown in gardens since antiquity. Its popularity reached a height during the Middle Ages, when it was favored for both culinary and medicinal purposes ranging from lightening freckles to relieving indigestions and sore throats. The ancient Greeks and Romans as well as the Tudors and Stuarts used it as a bath herb. Lovage was also recommended for love potions, hence its name.

Juice-Herb Combinations

Apple juice with sage or thyme
Berry juice with mint
Carrot juice with marjoram or burnet
Celery juice with lovage, parsley, or chives
Cherry juice with lavender
Cranberry juice with ginger or rosemary
Grape juice with thyme
Grapefruit juice with angelica or sweet cicely
Papaya juice with marjoram
Peach or nectarine juice with corriander
Rasberry juice with rose geranium
Tomato juice with basil.
Use 1 teaspoon of fresh herbs for 1 cup juice.

Growing Edible Flowers

Adding flowers to food has long been a custom in many cultures around the world. For centuries, Chinese cooks have used lotus, chrysanthemum, and lily flowers or buds in their recipes. Some flowers provide a nutritional boost as well as flavor. Nasturtiums, for example, are high in vitamins A, C (10 times as much as in lettuce), and D.

You may be growing an array of edible flowers in your garden already without knowing it. If you grow calendulas, chrysanthemums, dandelions, daylilies. Johnny-jump-ups, lavender, marigolds, nasturtiums, pansies, roses, scented geraniums, squash blossoms, or sunflowers, you have an edible flower garden.

Here are some tips from Burpee’s Seeds for using the blossoms to add beauty, pizzaz, and flavor to your meals.

1. Taste the flowers before you harvest them. The flavor may vary depending on the plant, the soil, and weather conditions. You may find flowers in one part of your garden taste better than the same flowers in a different area. In general, flowers that receive excess water will not be as nice.
2. Flowers are best used on the day they are picked. Gather them in the cool of the morning after the dew has evaporated. Choose flowers that are at their peak, avoiding those not yet open and or wilted.
3. Wash flowers thoroughly and gently, and store them between layers of paper towels. You can also place them in plastic bags in the refrigerator until later in the day.
4. In most cases, the petals taste the best, so discard the sepals and other flower parts inside the petals, such as the pistils, ovaries, and stamens. You can eat the entire flowers of Johnny-jump-ups, violets, honeysuckle, and clover.
5. Roses, dianthus, English daisies, Signet marigolds, and chrysanthemums have a bitter white portion at the base of the petal where it was attached to the flower, so remove that before using them.
6. All edible flowers will enhance a salad, and many are tasty in viniagrette dressings. Add them to soups, pasta salads, and stir frys before serving. Squash blossoms are tasty battered and fried. For more recipe ideas, consult books on edible flower gardening, such as Edible Flowers, by Cathy Wilkinson Barash.
7. Lastly, some words of caution: Choose only flowers that have been grown organically and have no pesticide residue. Avoid florist flowers because they have likely been sprayed. Do not eat flowers if you have asthma, allergies, or hay fever.

Q. Which edible flowers can be grown in containers on a balcony?

A. Chives, lavender, Johnny-jump-ups, marigolds, nasturtiums, pansies, and geraniums are only some of the edible flowers that can thrive in containers. You might interplant them with herbs, such as thyme, sage, and parsley, for added benefit.

Crystallized Flowers and Leaves

Any of the viola family can be crystallized. Whole miniature rose blossoms as well as rose petals, clove pinks and other edible flowers are candidates.

To crystallize 1 cup of flowers and leaves, beat 1 large egg white, at room temperature, until frothy. With a small clean artist’s brush, completely coat all sides of each flower and leaf, one at a time. Immediately sprinkle each side with superfine sugar. Place on a cake rack or screen placed over a baking sheet. Let dry thoroughly in a cool, dry place. Store in an airtight container.

Compost Deluxe

All year long our gardeners haul soft green plant wastes back to our beloved three bin compost. In the fall a small army of Community service youngsters pile on leaves swept from the grounds. In spring the bins look full of stuff – What compost?? But it is there underneath, ready to be dug out. sifted through our big screen and mixed with garden designer Jean Gamble’s special formula. This year the new gardens will get an extra dose!

One level wheelbarrow full of sifted compost
2 quarts blood meal
1 quart bone meal
2 handfuls green sand
2 cups Epsom salts
1 quart gypsum

Mix well with shovel and apply to beds.

Awake, O north wind: and come thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.
– Song of Solomon 4:16