Carolee's Herb Farm

Carolee's Herb Farm

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February E-Newsletter 

I’m hoping Punxsutawney Phil got it right this year on Ground Hog Day.  He did not see his shadow or scurry back into his hole for six more weeks of winter, so spring should be on the way.  I say that as the white wilderness, a deceptive white blanket that has sheets of slippery sleet layered between even slipperier ice is melting to form a river through the back lawn.  As soon as some bare earth was exposed, I ran out to search for signs of life.  I’m more than ready to see some snowbells or crocuses, but at this point I have to be satisfied with just the tiny pointed spears of crocus leaves barely emerging through the soil.

 

Mr. McGregor in the Peter Rabbit Garden on stage!

“A Winter Day in the Garden”
     Spring seemed a lot closer after attending an absolutely fabulous Master Gardeners’ gathering in Robinson, IL. on January 29th.  The event was held at Lincoln Trail College, whose horticultural classes contributed to the day with lavish bright green lettuce and parsley plants with Peter Rabbit plant picks as the table centerpieces, a full sized garden of cabbages, onions, lettuces, carrots, radishes and more plus a tool shed, quaint garden cart and darling hand-painted Peter Rabbits to help set the scene on the stage.  Plus they had an entire room of plants for sales along with gorgeous hypertuffa containers, birdhouses, and garden décor. The sumptuous breakfast buffet was huge, filled with quickbreads, sweet rolls, fresh fruits and more and it just kept being refilled.  Shoppers were in a great mood, and arrived early.  Believe it or not, the first session began at 7:00 a.m. for the Early Birds, and it was packed. The Hershey Company located right across from our hotel, provided a bushel basket of chocolates and miniature Pay Day candies.  There were lots of helpful Master Gardeners, and cute college guys to manage the computers and sound system.  The home-cooked soup and sandwich luncheon was more than ample, and there were lots of practical door prizes.  The speakers were excellent!   The presentation on seed saving was one of the best on the topic I’ve ever heard, with gorgeous slides of Mac Condill’s “The Great Pumpkin Patch” decorations at the White House.  There were seven presentations in all, and each of them was lively, entertaining, and educational.  The evening before the event, a lovely reception including three tables of appetizers and wines donated by local vineyards was held for speakers and guests.  I have to say, “Hats off and a rousing cheer to the folks in Crawford Co., IL.  You really, really know how to throw a great party!  It was one of the most-organized, attractive and informative events I’ve ever attended, and all that for only $35! (P.S. If you haven’t already marked the last Saturday in January for this event next year, you’ll be sorry!)

IMA  Perennial “Passion and Pursuit” Day
     Another outstanding event was held at the Indianapolis Museum of Art on Feb.10th.  Six nationally, and in some cases internationally, known speakers brought a wealth of information and beautiful slides to tantalize a winter-weary audience.  There was a continental breakfast and excellent luncheon, and beautiful facilities.  We hope that this will become an annual event.

March 5:  Paul James & others!
     I’ll have a booth at the “Gateway to Gardening” Show in Warsaw, IN sponsored by the Kosciusko County Master Gardeners, who emphasize “You don’t have to be a MG to attend!”  The featured speaker is Paul James, of HGTV’s “Gardening by the Yard.”  This year’s location is much more accessible, and it’s only $30 for 4 presentations, continental breakfast and a luncheon, plus handout materials.  There will also be door prizes!  E-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information or to see if there are spaces left.

March 19: I’m Speaking!
     Meet me in at the fairgrounds in Lagrange, IN (8-3:30) for another Master Gardener event. This one is $20 and includes morning refreshments, lunch, vendors, door prizes, and speakers on “Pollinators in the Garden,” “Herbal Beginnings to Herbal Blessings,” “Organic Practices,” and “Composting.” For more information, call (260)499-6334

Opening Day:  April 1st
     Mark your calendar now for the Opening Day at our farm, Friday, April 1st.  Enjoy new displays and refreshments in the Big Barn Gift Shop.  We’ll have a display of culinary herbs ready for your windowsill, door prizes, and more.  The full schedule for this season (April1-July 10 only this year!) will be posted on the website in March.

  

Shawna Coronado, The Naked Gardner!

Exciting News!
Plans are being finalized, but we can announce that the fabulous Shawna Coronado will be appearing at the farm on Saturday, April 30.  If you haven’t seen one of Shawna’s videos, watched her on TV’s “Growing a Greener World,” or read her fascinating book “The Naked Gardener” you’re in for a treat!  Shawna has turned her own front yard in Chicago into an organic vegetable garden, but persuaded nearly all of her neighbors to do the same!  Not only is she growing healthy food for her own table, but she harvests trunk loads of fresh veggies for local food banks!  She’ll give a presentation entitled ‘Planting a Sustainable Edible Front Lawn Vegetable Garden” (but of course the back yard will do as well!), give away some copies of her book, and encourage you to live a healthy, happier life through gardening.  I can’t wait!!!!!  Mark your calendar now!

 

Sweet Potato Starts...Step One

     It may be too early to start most spring planting, although I'll be sowing snow peas soon, but it is time to begin some preparations for another great veggie.  I suspended one of my mother's beautiful, organically grown sweet potatoes in a jar of water this week.  Very soon, bright green shoots will begin emerging, the future plants that I will put in the garden once the ground is nice and warm.  This is so simple.  Just be sure you select a sweet potato that has not been treated with a chemical to prevent sprouting.  Buying one from the organic section of the market should work.  You may need to use a couple of toothpicks to keep it from slipping down into the jar.  At least half of the potato should be underwater.  Place in a sunny location, and watch them grow! Watch next month's newsletter to see the progress.

Herb N Ewe Closes!
     Somehow in the flurry of life, I missed the closing of one of my favorite herb farms, Herb N Ewe, which was just east of Columbus, Ohio.  It was operated for many years by its founders, sisters Susan and Barbara.  All of our bus trips that were heading east always stopped there for a memorable herbal lunch or dinner and shopping experience.  My first contact with the farm was decades ago, when I called them for information about using woad to dye wool.  I watched their business grow from a tiny house trailer surrounded by herb plantings and sheep, to a beautiful environmentally-conscious building that housed an expanded shop and a lovely dining room with a large terraced garden stretching down the back.  They also added a greenhouse and an outdoor eating area that they decorated with yards and yards of flowing tulle and flowers for our bus group.  Eventually, they also added a day spa and therapeutic massage.  Now they are closed.
     I’ve watched this happen to herb business I’ve loved.  First Adelma Simmons beloved Caprilands, and then the fabulous herb gardens, huge barn shop, and B&B at Buffalo Springs in Virginia closed.  I’ve heard there are others hanging by a thread.  It’s a reminder that we vote with our dollars.  If there is a business, restaurant, or shop you love, support it and encourage friends to visit, too. 

Two FREE Tickets!
     I have two free tickets (a $20 value!) to give away to the first person that contacts me for the Indianapolis Home & Flower Show, to be held at Lucas Oil Stadium, March 4-6.  There will be 25 landscapes, lots of speakers, vendors, and horticultural booths.  Chip Wade from “Curb Appeal” will be there and Colts linebacker Phillip Wheeler will sign autographs.  There will be floral design demonstrations and a Butterfly House.  The first 500 attendees each day receive a free packet of seeds.  For more information on the show visit www.IndyHomeandFlowerShow.com

Ground Elder
     One of the blessings of winter weather is the opportunity to do more reading.  When the power goes off, it’s time to dig out the tiny LED light that clips to a book, hunker down, and enjoy it!  Recently, I browsed through some old books published in Great Britain.  Even after thirty-five years of studying and growing herbs, it seems there is always something new to me.  In this case, I read about Goutweed, which is also called Ground Elder in Britain, because its leaves resemble the elder tree.  In some regions, it is called Prayer plant, because the leaves slightly fold like a partly opened book or folded hands.  I read about its pretty white flowers that grow in dense umbels.  It sounded like a plant I needed to add to my garden, until I read its Latin name, Aegopodium podagraria.  Suddenly, I recognized it as that obnoxious weed that I’ve been trying to remove from the Shade Garden for over ten years.  When I planted this variegated shade-lover, which I knew as Bishop’s Weed I didn’t realize the mistake I was making.  At the old farm, it grew as a border on the north side of the old farmhouse, where few other things would grow.  It stayed within its boundaries, and I thought it was pretty, so I brought a clump with me and planted it at the edge of the newly tilled Shade Garden near the Cottage.  Little did I know that given better soil and more room, the plant would quickly lose its variegation, and its three dark green irregularly-toothed leaves would pop up ever further from the original planting, criss-crossing underground, intertwining with the roots of other plants, and become basically impossible to eliminate.
     A quick check in “Gerard’s Herball, written in the 17th century finds that ground elder “is so fruitful in his increase that where it hath once taken roote, it will hardly be gotten out again, spoiling and getting every yeere more ground, to the annoying of better herbes.”  Other sources informed me that the botanical name comes from the Greek word for gout, podagara.  Some sources said the Romans brought it to Britain as a vegetable.  Some said it was introduced from France after the Norman invasion. We know it was widely grown in monastery gardens as a medicinal herb to treat gout.  Nicholas Culpeper wrote that the plant certainly didn’t get the name goutweed for nothing, but that it could also be effective against joint-aches and other cold pains.  Other herbalists echo that claim.
     Apparently, in addition to its medicinal value, ground elder was a common spring potherb, especially among the poorer classes.  It is commonly eaten as a vegetable still in Russia and Lithuania.  The Swedish scientist Linnaeus also described it as a good spring green. I was able to find recipe for Ground Elder Soup, Ground Elder Rice Cakes, and Steamed Ground Elder with Butter.  And when I think that all those hours weeding could have resulted in dinner!!!  Oh well, I’m sure there will be plenty to gather next spring.  I’m sure even as I write this, that sinister plant is spreading its roots ever further under the snow!

 

Potato Towers

I have more time to experiment in the kitchen during the winter months.  Here’s a recipe that is easy, but impressive to make for guests.  I used fresh marjoram from the greenhouse, but dried marjoram would work as well.  Just use 1/3 as much dried (about 1/3 tsp.)
Potato Towers with Marjoram
Bake two large oblong potatoes until tender.  While potatoes are baking, cook 3 carrots that have been peeled and diced into “pennies” in a little lightly salted water with three 5-6” sprigs of marjoram.  When carrots are tender, remove from heat, remove the marjoram sprigs, drain and place in a small mixing bowl.  Remove the leaves from the sprigs and place them in the mixing bowl.  Discard stems.
    Remove potatoes from oven or microwave and slice through the center, forming two cup shapes.  Do not peel.  Carefully hollow out the potatoes, leaving approximately ¼” of meat all around. 
    Slice a small section from the bottom of each potato half so the cup will sit upright.  Place the four cups upright in a baking dish.  Peel the bit of skin from the section that was cut off, and place the “meat” of the potato into the mixing bowl, along with all of the potato that was removed to form the cups.
     Mash the potatoes and carrots together, adding a bit of milk or some of the drained carrot juice, 1 T. butter or margarine, and freshly ground pepper to taste.  Carefully spoon the potato mixture back into cups, dividing the mixture evenly among them.  Sprinkle with grated cheese and broil until cheese bubbles.  Sprinkle with a bit of fresh marjoram to garnish.  4 servings.

That’s the news from beautiful Blackford County for February.  I’ll be heading to Florida later in the month, where I can actually see some gardens and garden centers that aren’t covered with snow, and then off to the famous Philadelphia Flower Show.  I’m hoping there will be crocuses blooming in my gardens by the time I get back!

Herbal Blessings,
Carolee