Carolee’s September E-Newsletter
      It’s been another busy month, with lots of travel and speaking engagements in between dragging hoses and harvesting.  I’m happy to have so many good things to eat from the Cook’s garden, but pickings would have been slim without continual watering.  No, we still have not had rain and the other gardens are not happy.  I saw a headstone in a Dallas garden that read simply “He Moved Hoses” and I have to agree that sometimes I think it might be the end of me, too!  At least the farmers have had good weather to begin the soybean harvest, so that’s good.  Just a couple more weeks left for the herb farm to be open, so be sure to check our schedule.  I hope to do lots of fall planting in the coming weeks, take lots of cuttings, and begin preparing the gardens for the winter with a final weeding and edging.  There’s always plenty of interesting work in a garden!

Garlic Day-Sat., September 18th
     The hardneck garlic from our garden is curing.  We’ll put a limited quantity out for sale on Garlic Day, Saturday, Sept. 18th.  It’s time to plant it in your gardens for a bountiful harvest next August!  It will grow a good root system throughout the autumn, and then go dormant for winter.  Come next spring, sturdy stalks and leaves will grow to feed the bulb.  You’ll have green garlic tops to harvest for salads and stir-fry in June, and big bulbs of zesty garlic to harvest in early August!  If you’ve never tasted home-grown garlic, you’ll be amazed at the flavor.  Most of the garlic found in groceries comes from China and is a soft-neck variety.
     On Garlic Day, we’ll have talks and planting demonstrations at 11:00 and 1:00; cooking with garlic demonstrations at 12:00 and 2:00, and special garlic refreshments.  Don’t miss it!

Saturday, Sept. 25th—Final Day of 2010 Season!
It’s hard to believe, but the season is nearly over.   Our final day is Saturday, Sept. 25th.  Look for clearance sales on lots of shop items, since we need to make room for new displays next Spring.  All plants will be 50% off on that day only.   It will be a good opportunity to pick-up gifts for gardening friends, tea lovers, or fairy garden fans.  Be sure to pick up copies of “Herbal Beginnings” or “Herbal Choices” for winter reading or gifts.  We’ll have free cider & doughnuts for anyone who makes a purchase, and lots of “good-bye” hugs. 

Woad
     Remember the scene in “Braveheart” as Mel Gibson leads the warriors into battle wearing blue paint on his face?  Long ago, the leaves of woad were used to make a lasting blue dye.  It was believed then that dyeing one’s body blue, the same color as the sky where the gods lived, would provide protection and if killed, the body/spirit/soul would immediately fly up to join the gods happily ever after.  In later years, blue cloth was fashionable with the wealthy.
     While I was in Germany last month, I visited Erfurt, an historically important city.  In the Middle Ages, Erfurt was as important as Rome.  All of the main monastic orders had branches in the city, with so many churches it was called the “city of spires.”  It was a university center, where Martin Luther and Adam Ries (the mathematician who developed multiplication) studied.  Many musicians, including most of the Bach family composed and performed in Erfurt.  At one time there were over 60 mills operating in the city.  Napoleon was so fond of Erfurt that he put it under his immediate, personal supervision and held a meeting there with Tsar Alexander of Russia and Goethe, who had an official residence there.

A beautiful German Woad House
     The fertile fields around Erfurt grew woad in abundance and merchants grew wealthy in its trade.  The city became famous for processing and trading woad.  Three huge, striking buildings, called Waidspeicher (woad store) still remain from the 14th century and shops still sell little packets of the dried plant as well as beautiful blue items dyed with the herb. One of the Waidpeichers is now a museum. Woad made Erfurt and its citizens rich, until it was replaced by the cheaper (slave produced) indigo from India.

N.L. Chrestensen Seed Co display booth

Erfurt has always been a center for horticulture, in fact it is called “the cradle of German horticulture.”  In 1780 a huge push was made to make plant, bulb and seed production a major economic factor in the area as the demand for woad waned.  In the 1800’s and 1900’s, the Erfurt supplied over half of Europe’s flower and vegetable seeds.  The quality of the seeds was world famous.  One of the seed companies, N. L. Chrestensen, still thrives today.
     You might wonder why you might want to grow woad today.  Well, woad produces airy clusters of beautiful yellow flower in spring, followed by flat brown seeds that birds enjoy.  It is easy to grow in average soil and full sun, reaching about 3’ in height.  It has never been bothered by pests in my gardens, and I love growing those ancient plants with lots of herbal history.  And, maybe someday I will even turn it into dye for some yarn, or my next major battle!

German Succulents

Visit to a German Garden Center
     Germany remains a world leader in introducing new plants and plant production.  Their tidy, jam-packed garden centers are magical to plant lovers throughout Europe.  I was fortunate to visit Bogie’s, my daughter’s favorite garden center in Meerbusch.  I could have happily spent an entire day there, photographing artistic displays and beautiful plants that were “new” to me, especially lots of unusual sedums and succulents.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring any of the plants home, but I made a list and will be searching for them.  Of course, I did find a few gardening treasures—some new hedgehogs to add to my collection, some pretty herbal wrapping paper, and a couple of lavender items.

Dallas Botanical Garden fall color

GWA Conference
     I’m just back from a fabulous Garden Writers’ of America conference in Dallas, TX where I visited dozens of amazing gardens, including both the Dallas and Fort Worth botanical gardens and many exclusive private gardens.  I heard great presentations, and did lots of networking with other writers, bloggers, photographers, publishers and garden product vendors.  It was fun to renew lots of acquaintances, visit with old friends, and make new ones.  I roomed with my friend and fellow herb writer, Ann McCormick, the Herb N’Cowgirl from Fort Worth.  If you aren’t familiar her delightful e-newsletter, Seasonal Living, check it out and sign up!
     I touched base with Jim Long and Theresa Loe, both busy herb people and fellow Hoosier gardeners, Jo Ellen Myers Sharp and Carol Michel.  I’m already looking forward to next year’s conference, in Indianapolis!
     More reports on trends, etc. after I get unpacked and caught up, but here’s a photo of one of the dozens of gardens I visited.  I took a second suitcase just to bring plants home…many vendors give out samples of their newest introductions for us to test.  I can’t wait to get my new babies planted, especially the new coneflower that looks like an apricot-pink version of “Hot Papaya” and a new Apricot-colored Knock-Out rose.  I’ve also got lots of new tools and products to test.  If I like them, we’ll add them to the Barn offerings next spring!

Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, Japanese

Sewing Cafe
     While I was in Germany, my daughter clued me in on a big trend in England, the Sewing Café.   The economy there has brought a revival of all the WWII trends of recycling, re-using, and making do.  Thus, the Sewing Café, where one can go to use a variety of sewing machines, and novice-sewers can get help.  Picture an internet café with sewing machines instead of computers!  Drop a few coins, and use a state-of-the-art machine to create a new gown, curtains, or a baby gift.  Or, go on a “Bring a pair of jeans to convert to a pencil skirt” evening and join fellow sewers in a fun evening of sewing, coffee or wine, and goodies.  At another time, sewers can bring a vintage dress and re-style it into a flattering sundress.  The goal is to teach people to re-use and recycle.  Sounds like a great idea to me! 

The Thrift Book
If you did not grow up with parents who lived through the Depression, who taught you to be thrifty, you may want to read “The Thrift Book” by India Knight.  Although the author is British, many of the ideas, and certainly the many websites she suggests will be helpful.  She covers everything from shopping, stretching the food budget, remaking clothes, recycling, making gifts, cutting travel costs, inexpensive make-up, and much, much more.

September in the Garden
1.  It’s a good time to collect seeds and store them for next year’s garden. 
2.  It’s also a good time to take advantage of season-end garden center sales to stockpile mulch to put on the garden after the ground freezes.
3.  It’s time to plant hardneck garlic….not the soft-neck that is available in grocery stores.
4.  It’s a great time to make a cold frame, so you can plant late-season salad crops (lettuce, spinach, kale, etc.)  that will last far into frosty weather with that little bit of protection it provides.
5.  Start thinking about creating a space indoors for tender plants that will come inside soon.  You may need to add supplementary lighting if there’s less than 8 hrs. of sunlight.
6.  Plant mums….the sooner they go in the ground, the better their chances of returning next spring.
7.  Enjoy the sedums that are blooming.  They add so much to the garden’s appeal this time of year, and butterflies love them!
8.  Plant hellebores in shady spots…they’ll begin blooming in late March.

Marinated Cherry Tomato Salad
     While the tomatoes are still plentiful in the garden, make this tasty salad, or use them as a side dish, or add them to other salads!  They last several days in the refrigerator, so make them to take tail-gating.
     Mix together:  ¼ c. finely chopped Italian parsley; ¼ c. olive oil; 3 T. vinegar (basil vinegar, if available or red wine vinegar); 2 tsp. finely chopped basil, 1 tsp. finely chopped oregano; ½ t. salt; 1 t. sugar; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1 T. chives, snipped finely.  Add 2 c. halved cherry tomatoes, using a mixture of red and yellow if possible.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hr. Spoon tomatoes over torn greens.  Drizzle marinade over top as a dressing.  Callie often adds avocado slices or hard-boiled egg wedges on top, with a snip of chives or a bit of basil chiffonade as garnish.  Serves 4.

Carolee’s Gift Barn Sept. E-coupon
20% off teas, teapots and tea accessories…Valid until September 25, 2010.
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Carolee’s Cottage E-coupon
10% off any item in our Country Cottage.  If you like primitive/country décor, you need to visit our Cottage!  Valid until September 25, 2010.
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Carolee’s Sept.  Plant E-coupon
20% off all herbs in the Culinary Section.  Valid until September 25th, 2010 or until we run out of plants!  Cannot be combined with other discounts.
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