Carolee's Herb Farm

Carolee's Herb Farm

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October E- Newsletter 2011
 The leaves have changed color and been swept away by the winds.  The walnuts have plummeted from limbs to lie in heaps on the ground.  The fields are once again flat and barren, resting until spring planting time.
     October began with a long, long stretch of warm, lovely weather that was ideal for weeding and cloud watching.  We did some weekend traveling to southern Indiana to watch our granddaughter’s marching band compete and attend a birthday party for my dear friend, Beth.
     On another perfect weekend, we drove our little cars in an MG rally through the hills along the Ohio River, with stops at several interesting places.  The photo of me at the top was taken at the Kapp Winery in Jasper, IN., where they make a huge variety of fruit wines.  I'm holding a bottle of elderberry wine, one of my favorite herbs! 

 

There was lots of laughter and pie, which is always a good thing!  We visited a huge auction in Amish country, spent an evening in Santa Claus, saw the famous shoe trees, and more. 

 

One highlight was visiting the historical baseball park in Huntingburg where “League of Their Own” was filmed.  There were lots of interesting antique shops, but no room in the MG for major purchases, so I didn’t buy a thing!  The foliage was gorgeous and we cherished every moment, knowing the beautiful weather wouldn’t last much longer.
     Back to home and reality, the windy, cooler weather told us it was time to start moving plants indoors, beginning with frost-tender stock into the greenhouse and then perennials into the cold frame, packing up the barn for the winter, and taking more cuttings.  This week will be spent tidying up, taking down shade cloths, and storing away signs, furniture, & statuary.  Soon it will be time to seed the pansies and violas.  The seeds arrived today, along with a big box of bulbs that need to be planted.  The job list just keeps growing,  but it sure is fun!

2012 Schedule
We are beginning to work on our 2012 schedule, which is tentatively being planned to be from April 1 through the end of June.  If there are events or workshops you’d like to request, please let me know.  Also, be aware that bookings for groups for that period are filling rapidly, so if your group plans to visit, contact me quickly.  The farm will only be open to the public for those three months.

Some interesting food facts:
     The Sweet Potato has more fiber than a bowl of oatmeal, more Vitamin A than a cup of carrots, and more potassium than a banana!
     Asparagus (2 T. of cooked puree taken morning and evening daily) has been found to be a miracle healer in many diseases, especially Hodgkin’s.
     Some researchers have found that a combination of 1 tsp. honey and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon in warm water sipped several times a day relieves the nausea, pain, and suffering during chemotherapy.
     Cucumbers contain most of the daily vitamins needed on a daily basis.  A few slices can relieve fatigue in the afternoon, or eaten in the evening after too much libation can avoid a hangover or headache.  And, rub the outside skin gently on walls to remove crayon and marker marks made by children!

Scented Geraniums
     I know I’ve proclaimed the merits of scented geraniums before, but there are few plants that provide so much pleasure and come in so many fragrances, shapes and sizes.  It’s time to give them a good inspection, a good rinsing of the leaves to remove insects and move them into the house before frost.  I always give them a good trim, too, so they’ll fit on shelves better and to promote bushier growth.  I remove about ¼-1/3 of the plant.  The leaves can be used for lots of projects, such as the jelly recipe below.  I don’t up-pot unless there are just roots with hardly any soil.  If that’s the case, I move them up to a pot 1” deeper and 1” wider on each side.  The plants will bloom more if they are slightly pot-bound.  Give the plants a sunny location and they will provide tasty leaves for teas & desserts all winter.  Just rubbing a leaf as you watch a snowfall will bring back lovely memories of warm summer days. 
     As many of you know, my favorite variety is Rober’s Lemon Rose, which I love for tea and cooking, soaps, & fragrant waters.  But, I also can’t live without Lime, Mabel Gray (an intense lemon), Frensham Lemon, True Rose or Old-fashioned Rose, and Peppermint.  The variegated Prince Rupert, Apple, and Nutmeg are also very useful.
     So, bring those wonderful plants indoors & enjoy them.  Here are some ideas for using the leaves you trim off.  If you have too many leaves to process right now, place them in a plastic bag (label!) in the freezer and do it later.

Scented Geranium Water
     Simply bring 2 c. water to a boil.  Place a handful of scented geranium leaves in a bowl, pour the water over.  Cover immediately with a saucer to prevent any steam from escaping.  Allow to steep for 2 hours.  Strain.  Store in the refrigerator.  This makes a great hair rinse, a reviving lotion, or the base for hand creams and salves.  If you want a stronger, longer lasting water, add ¼ c. vodka and 6-10 drops essential oil to match the fragrant leaves used. 
    

Basic Herb Jelly
     I can’t bear to waste the leaves that I remove from plants when taking cuttings.  Sometimes I dry them for potpourri or incense making, sometimes I can throw them into salads or vinegar, make herbal butters or sugars, and sometimes I make delicious herbal jellies!  This week, I made a batch of orange scented geranium jelly and two batches of rose geranium jelly.  Here’s the basic recipe I use. 
     Place 2 c. torn herb leaves in a glass bowl.  Pour 2 c. boiling water over, cover, and let steep 1 hr or overnight.  Strain.  If not making jelly immediately, refrigerate infusion up to 24 hrs.  Measure out 1 ¾ cup to make the recipe.
     In a non-reactive saucepan, heat ¼ c. lemon juice (or orange juice for orange scented geranium leaves, pineapple juice for pineapple sage, etc.) with 4 c. sugar and the herbal infusion until it comes to a rolling boil, stirring constantly.  Add 3 oz. (one packet) of liquid pectin and continue to boil for two minutes (timing is essential.)  Remove from heat.  Skim off any foam that rises to the top.  Add food coloring if desired.  Ladle into prepared, sterilized jars.  Wipe off top edge carefully.  Seal with sterilized lids.  Jars should seal as they cool, but if not, refrigerate up to 3 weeks.  Makes 4 half-pint jars, plus a little extra for immediate pleasure!
     Any herb leaves can be used, so experiment.  Herbal vinegars can be substituted for the citrus juice.  Try thymes, anise hyssop, mints, opal basil, rosemary, cinnamon or clove basil, sage, lemon verbena, or the flowers of lavender or chamomile. 

Spicy Bath Bag Mix or Potpourri
Blend together the following herbs & spices.  Place in muslin drawstring bags, of in the center of a pretty washcloth tied with a ribbon to hold the ingredients within.  All herbs are dried.
1 c. rose petals  1 c. rose geranium leaves 1 c. lemon balm or lemon geranium
1 c. lemon verbena or lemon geranium  1 c. pine needles
finely diced peel of 1 lemon    2 tsp. crushed coriander seeds
     If you want more bulk or added skin conditioning, add 1 c. oatmeal, ½ c. powdered milk, or both.  Do not add these if you want to make the potpourri that follows.
Or, you can turn the mixture into a potpourri for sachet bags to scent a room by adding 6 drops rose or rose geranium oil and 6 drops lemon oil to 1 oz. gum benzoin.  Allow this mixture to steep for a week before adding to herbs.  Because the geranium leaves turn an unattractive beige when they dry, this mixture is best used in dark containers rather than displaying in a bowl or clear jar.

Herbal Moth Repellent
It’s a good time to use some of the harvest from the garden to repel the moths that will be attempting to live in closets and drawers this winter, nibbling on woolen sweaters and such.  Simply mix a selection of dried repellent herbs such as mugwort, tansy, lavender, southernwood, artemisia, rue, mountain mint, thyme, rosemary, or santolina with crushed or ground cloves.  Fill small cloth bags and hang in closets to tuck into drawers.  Replace annually.

Halloween!  Herbal Protection
     For centuries, it was believed that Halloween was the evening when all the evil spirits of the world moved about the countryside, looking for a warm home for the winter.  Those folk who were wise in the way of herbs placed bunches of protective plants around all the openings to their home, and kept a good blaze in the fireplace to keep spirits from entering through the chimney.  Evil spirits were thought to search for unprotected homes, knowing it would be simple to live where the occupants were ignorant, unsuspecting, or lazy.
     If you want to be sure your home will not be occupied by evil spirits this winter, be sure to hang bouquets of rue, mugwort, southernwood, elder and dill.  Rue, elder and dill seed heads are especially effective against witches.  I like to add a little silver Artemisia and the dried heads of teasel, which are also protective and make the bunch especially pretty.  Tie it with an orange bow for pretty, or the traditional purple bow for added protection.

Garden chores:
*Remove any weeds—they’re trying to seed, and growing great root systems!
*Collect mulch, shred leaves, etc., but don’t put mulch on plants until after the ground freezes, or you’ll be inviting rodents and insects to live in your garden all winter!
*Dig dahlias, cannas, caladiums and other tender bulbs after frost.  I love to plant fall bulbs (crocus, scillas, guinea flowers, species tulips, etc.) in the holes as I dig.  It makes the chore serve double duty!
*By the way, traditionally when planting fall bulbs, one should repeat the following charm, once while placing them in the hole and again after covering them with soil to ensure good blooms in spring: “Seasons change—the Wheel turns round;
Bulbs, I plant thee in the ground.  Death-like bulbs, you’ll gain new life,
And in the Spring, will sprout and thrive.”
*Move any tender plants indoors before frost, giving each plant a good sloshing in a bucket of sudsy water (use insecticidal soap) to remove insects and insect eggs.  Do not up-pot plants unless absolutely necessary.
*Map your garden, taking measurements and locating each plant on your diagram.  This will be so helpful during winter planning/dreaming sessions.
*It’s a good time to check plant labels for faded writing, missing tags, etc. so you won’t mistakenly dig up someone next spring.

 

Fried Green Tomato BLT with Aioli Sauce
This is the time to pick all the lovely green tomatoes that will not have an opportunity to ripen before frost.  You won’t believe how delicious this sandwich is!
First make the Aioli Sauce by:
Placing 1 large or 2 small cloves garlic and 3-4 leaves fresh basil in a food processor, zapping until finely minced.  Add 2 egg yolks, a generous pinch of salt, 1 T. plus 1 tsp. lemon juice.  If your food processor has a well in the top that allows a few drops of oil to be dripped in at a time, you can use that.  Otherwise, transfer mixture to a bowl and use a wire whisk to SLOWLY mix in, a few drops at a time, ¾ c. olive oil.  Refrigerate until ready to make sandwiches. (Note, this sauce is wonderful with fish, veggies, seafood, etc. as well!)
Cook 6-12 slices of bacon (enough for 4 sandwiches) and set aside.  Rinse and tear lettuce leaves to sandwich size.
Heat 1 T. oil and 2 T. butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Slice 2 large green tomatoes ¾-1” thick.  You’ll need 4 big slices, or smaller combinations to fit the bread.  Dip into milk and then into a mixture of 1 c. bread crumbs, 2 T. brown sugar, a dash of salt and freshly ground pe6pper, covering the slice on both sides.  Brown slowly and evenly on both sides, being sure slices are hot all the way through.  
Toast 8 slices of thick bread.  Spread generously with Aioli sauce.  Divide the bacon and lettuce between the 4 sandwiches.  Add the tomato and top slice of bread.  Enjoy!

Happy Harvest Season and Halloween to all!  I’ll be doing some traveling soon, so be sure to watch for next month’s e-newsletter for a report! 

Herbal blessings,

Carolee