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:
- She has B.S. and M.S degrees in horticulture from Ohio State.
- She is a practical working designer for public and private places working just 150 miles south of us.
- Zone wise she is one of us!!
- She doesn’t just say “deadhead” (she says it a lot actually), she tells you how and when to deadhead each perennial.
- You are told “Cut down for winter” or “Don’t cut down for winter.” Authoritative!
- Drawings and photographs graphically show what she is talking about. (The drawing on the first page is an example.)
- 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.)
- We want current members, past, members and “I’ve been thinking.”
- An exciting new year is coming up.
- Gardening together develops friendship and is a learning experience.
- 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.
- We have developed complete pruning guides for the gardens.
- Our Oak-Savanna garden is flourishing.
- A children’s garden is in progress and the butterfly garden attracts.
- We have dramatic pillar roses to admire.
- Thyme carpets the bird bath and our big bay laurel boasts new leaves.
- We work with the Wood County Historical Society and the WC Park District.
- We will be a host garden for the Hospital Guild Tour of June 2001.
- The Chicken Coop is being totally upgraded with new floors, walls, electricity, and ceiling.
- An active committee is working on the Interior Design of the Chicken Coop.
- 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.
- The Chicken Coop is stocked with gardening tools.
- The watering system has new hoses and fixtures and works with minimum frustration.
- Our library is growing and members are using the resources.
- We are a multigenerational group from all over Wood County.
- This is going to be a year of learning as we look at gardening techniques right for us.
- Nothing more is healing to the spirit than planting, pruning, deadheading, composting.
- Publications include a Members’ Guide, a monthly newsletter and friendly postcards.
- 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.
