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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
