Mr Sticks and Strings Strikes Again!

Now I just think he is showing off!  The Herbal Husband aka Mr. Sticks and Strings planted his beans finally last week or the week before!  Some years it just takes forever!  He is very methodical!  Here is another view!

We hopefully will have a lot of beans!  Got to go!  The neighbors went on vacation and we have an apple tree that is invading their space that we have to cut back.  Their dogs will be going crazy!  Should be noisy if nothing else!  Hope you have a great day!  Talk to you later!

oh, the things you'll see

A few years ago my daughter and I were going somewhere in the car when I gasped and pulled over to stop and look at some cloud formations over the sunset. We sat and watched for a few moments.
As we drove off, Molly thanked me for being the kind of mom who saw those things and made her aware of them. Her friends enjoy it now when she is the one showing them the natural world. It really never crossed my mind that other people forget to look, but since then I've watched and noticed that she was probably right. Of course, I should mention that there are lots of things that other people think that I miss. Fashion, for instance, is beyond me.
The other day we were at a local restored homestead that gets a decent amount of tourist traffic. While everyone took the tour, my sister and I spent our time wandering by ourselves, looking at the authentic plantings on the grounds and talking about why people needed them 200 years ago.
This year, trees have really been catching my attention. In the spring it was Linden, in the mid-summer it was mimosa and cherry, and now the nut trees are calling to me.
So as we walked past the fruit orchard, we started noticing the different nut trees lining the lane leading to the farm. The chestnut trees can not be the original American Chestnuts; 99.9% of those were killed by disease in the early to mid 1900's. It's a little unusual to see lots of English Walnut trees around here, but there they were. In fact most of the trees have probably been planted during the last 50 or 100 years, but it made me think about how valuable those trees would have been to homesteaders all those years ago. The food, the wood for building and burning, and also the fact that plantings would have been planned to bring in different wildlife for the supper table.
Mints grew along the side of the one barn, and hops grew up a rustic lattice on the side of the herb garden. The herb garden itself was surrounded by a 5 foot rough hewn stockade fence. I didn't see vegetable gardens, but they would have been large and orderly on a PA German homestead.
We'll probably tour the buildings sometime in the near future, but the grounds were fascinating and thought-provoking. It's easy to forget that most living took place outside not so very long ago.
Not too many years ago, I was at a gas station and looked up to see a bald-eagle perched on an electrical tower, looking down at us. For at least 10 minutes I stood transfixed, watching this magnificent, rare (in this area) bird. It was a busy place, and I am pretty sure that nobody else ever looked up. Be sure to look up every now and then.

One of My Favorites This Time of Year!

We hardly ever have our own lettuce and tomatoes at the same time.  The lettuce is usually on the way out and the tomatoes are just starting to ripen.  The Herbal Husband's salad this time of year are wonderful.  We still have lettuce because we have a lot more shade.  The heat didn't make it bolt.  The beets, radishes, flowers and tomatoes (They are hiding under the greens.) are all ours.  He puts chives, salad burnet and basil in as well.  It is delicious!

I always talk about my favorite herbal authors who are no longer with us like Adelma Simmons and Bertha Reppert.  I would like to talk about one of my favorite contemporary herbal authors, Jim Long.  This is one of his many booklets he has published, The Best Dressed Salad and yes, that is a half naked man on the cover!  But getting back to the subject of my post, salads.  That is what is my favorite this time of year, SALAD!  Jim has written the definitive book of salad dressings!  Some dressings you have used a lot and others that you might not have thought of.  I know you can still purchase this book at his website, Long Creek Herbs.  Jim Long's column in The Herb Companion magazine is the first thing I read when I receive each issue.  He is a true herbal treasure and has been so generous with his help tweeking his own recipes for my presentations.  Thank you, Jim for your inspiration, your herbal writings and your friendship!  Hope you had a great day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later!

Cheep Rooms on Thursdays!

OK, OK I know these really aren't real Cheep Rooms, but it's close.  My best friend's daughter colored this for me for my birthday a couple of years ago or may be it was last year.  The mind is going.  Hope you had a great day!  Talk to you later.

Tricolore Salad Reminds Me of London!

You say, but Lemon Verbena Lady, you have lost what's left of your mind!  Well, certain food we eat during the day reminds me of places on our trips.  For instance, fruit salad reminds me of Boston.  Because every morning we woke up at our bed and breakfast in Boston, we had a fruit salad to share.  We have had that tradition at breakfast ever since.


So this tradition started in London many years ago.  There is a little Italian restaurant in the neighborhood where we stay that is very good called O' Sole Mio.  They have a tricolore salad that can be shared and is very fresh.  We hold our breath each year that it is still open when we go back because restaurants come and go so quickly!  The Herbal Husband makes ours with feta cheese instead of mozzarella and adds black olives for me.  How much more summery can you get then with a nasturtium flower to decorate it?  Hope you have a great day wherever you may be!  Rain on the garden this morning and our grass is growing like a field!  The Township will be after me!  Maybe I'll mow tomorrow!  More jelly to make!  Talk to you later!

quote night

In puffs of balm the night air blows

The perfume which the day foregoes,

And on the pure horizon far,

See, pulsing with the firstborn star.

- Matthew Arnold, from The Liquid Sky

A New Favorite Blue Flower from Argentina!

The Herbal Husband brought seeds back from Peru for this chicory like plant from Argentina.  The flowers open in the morning and close by the afternoon.  It took several attempts to get them to cooperate.  Not too much of an early riser!  Should be because of the heat, but when you wake up at 3 or 4 AM and can't get back to sleep!  Early is not as doable!  So we didn't get to try this in a salad because it quickly went to flower!  Hope you have had a great day wherever you may be!  Talk to you later!

Plant and Pest Hotline, may I help you?

"Why did your plant die?

You walked too close, you trod on it,

You dropped a piece of sod on it.

You hoed it down, you weeded it.

You planted it the wrong way up,

you grew it in a yogurt cup.

But you forgot to make the hole;

The soggy compost took its toll.

September storm, November drought.

It heaved in March, the roots popped out.

You watered it with herbicide.

You scattered bonemeal fr and wide.

You walked too close, you trod on it.

You dropped a piece of sod on it."

- David Godine, from A Gardener Obsessed

Guest Blogging for The Herb Companion Magazine! (CORRECTED LINK)

Geez, I used the same photo back to back and then I tried the link because I wasn't getting any comments, good or bad.  The link was flawed!  So now if you click the link, you will go to The Herb Companion site.  This was my lemon verbena a couple of summers ago.  Here is my latest post for The Herb Companion magazine, A Summertime Favorite: Lemon Verbena Jelly.  It also talks about moving plants around and taking advantage when a plant dies back in the heat of summer.  Hope you enjoy it!

My Ah Ha Herbal Moment!

Here is my basil bed!  The outer portion is the lemon basil.  I always have this ah ha (Is that one word?) herbal moment every year when I cut the lemon basil for jelly!  This year it has gone crazy and The Herbal Husband said to me, just harvest what you need!  I will be making lemon basil jelly until frost!  Maybe that's not such a bad thing!  Hope you had a great day!  It was a beautiful day here.  Went to Gardenline and it was a zoo!  Got to go eat dinner.  Talk to you later!

Late July in Lancaster County

We are continuing with the early season here. Lots of surprises and oddities. Yesterday there was an immense storm that I watched from the basement, leaning on the banister - which I could feel moving because of the high winds.The Munstead lavender is already having a vigorous second bloom, something we don't see typically for another few weeks. There is a lot more than usual too.
Fuller's teasel is everywhere, and I'm starting to see more of the white blooms which used to only be in neighboring counties.
The hibiscus is full of pollen for the bees...
And the butterflies have FINALLY made it to my house!
The deliciously fragrant moonflowers are very early this year, and have climbed halfway up one of the living room windows, scenting the room in the darkness.

The main vegetable garden is holding its own against the weeds, but in fairness, this is a few days old and has quite a few more weeds. Tonight I will work on them.
Elderberries are already ripening.
The holy basil is on a mission to bloom. I am on a daily mission to keep it from doing so.

The book should be here within an hour or so, and we'll be just about ready to swap the books for the magazine file - so that will be ready in another week or so and another spectacular issue will go into the mail for Sept/Oct.
This is the first really moderate day we've had in weeks, with temps in the 80's and low humidity. What am I doing inside?

Muffin Sunday!

I have been loosely following The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan by Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., and Robert A. Barnett to lose my weight and maintain it.  So for Muffin Sunday I made Carrot Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (but didn't use the frosting).  The Herbal Husband likes plain jello!  I love him to bits, but come on plain jello reminds me of the hospital!  OK, here is the full recipe including the frosting part.  We had them plain this morning.  We used just plain CoolWhip when we had our tea this evening.  Yes, if you're counting we had a third one this evening!

Carrot Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting


1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple in unsweetened juice, undrained
1-1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1/3 cup low-fat or fat-free buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups finely grated carrot
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Drain pineapple in a wire mesh sieve, and press down on the pineapple to extract excess liquid.  Reserve the juice separately for the frosting.
Sift the cake flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large bowl.
Combine the egg, egg white, buttermilk, oil and vanilla and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in the sugar.
Add the egg-buttermilk mixture to the flour in the bowl, and whisk until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Fold in the carrot and reserved pineapple.
Spoon the batter evenly into paper-lined muffin pans. Bake 15-20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, and then remove them from the pans and cool completely on wire racks.
Spread 1 tablespoon pineapple cream cheese frosting on each cupcake or use a dollop of CoolWhip.

Yield:  12 cupcakes

Note:  After cupcakes are cooled, they may be sealed in heavy-duty reclosable plastic bags and frozen up to 1 month.  Refrigerate the cream cheese frosting.  To serve, thaw the desired number of individual cupcakes, let 1 tablespoon frosting for each cupcake soften, and frost.  (Really, we ate these so quickly, we didn't have to freeze them!)

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 ounces (1/4 cup) cold reduced-fat block cream cheese
1-3/4 cups powdered sugar, divided
1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the cream cheese in a medium bowl.  Sift 1 cup of the sugar over the cream cheese with a fine wire mesh sieve, and work the sugar into cream cheese with a spatula.  Stir in the pineapple juice and vanilla, and work in the remaining sugar until spreadable and smooth.

Yield:  12 servings of 1 tablespoon each (about 3/4 cup).

Nutritional Information Per Cupcake with Frosting.  Calories:  220 (without the frosting 150+/-). Energy Density:  1.7.  Carbohydrate:  39g.  Fat:  6g.  Protein: 3 g. Fiber:  1 g. Sodium: 139 mg.

Hope you had a great day!  Has gotten cooler here if only temporary!  Talk to you later!

Decorating the Herb Garden!

Came home the other day from some errands and The Herbal Husband was busy decorating my garden!

I get a little lazy this time of year and just try to coast.  Sorry in the heat I lose my way!  We were having our friends LaVerne and Jim over for a visit.

So no matter how late in the season it is, you should have a few decorations around the garden!   Hope you had a great day!  Talk to you later.

If You're Missing Some Bees, I Have Found Them!

You may need to click on this photo to make it bigger.  This is my spearmint in bloom and the bees are enjoying it immensely!  This mint is in the ground in the front garden.  Probably not the best idea, but the bees love it and that's a good thing.  It is so humid outside!  Going out to lunch with my friend to Chipotle!  Talk to you later!

Cicada Update!

I wanted to do an update for Little Messy Missy about cicada because she has never heard or seen them.  Here, Missy, is a link from a website called Cicada Mania.  I also want to give you an extension website because I'm a master gardener and we just want to give you an educational site to peruse.  Here is the Colorado State Extension site on cicadas.  I actually heard them singing when I was out in the garden today.  Most of the time I don't pay attention to them.  They really don't do damage.  They are loud, but not seen.  Somewhat like kids!  I guess they are loud and seen!  I wanted to update this post because Peggy R. reminded me that the periodic cicadas can cause damage to young trees.  They appear every 17 to 19 years and you do want to protect newly planted trees if you have any.  Oh, well, still hot and icky here.  Hope you are staying cool wherever you may be.  Having our friends Jim and LaVerne over for a visit.

Almost forgot to tell you my friend, Kathleen's article was in the New York Times not the Wall Street Journal.  If I had a brain I would be dangerous!  Here is a link to Making Tea from Plants Grown in the Backyard.  Congratulations, Kathleen!  You have hit the big time!

A Tomato with a Profile!

No, the FBI is not looking for my tomato!  I have seen other people's vegetables with distinctive markings.  I think this is the first time we have had a tomato with a nose!  The variety is 'Nyagous'.  Really it was delicious with some peanut butter on an English muffin for my breakfast earlier this week.  My favorite time of year for peanut butter and tomato sandwiches.  Maybe you have seen my other posting on this very subject.  If you haven't here it is, Favorite Summer Sandwich.  Hope you are having a great day wherever you may be.  I've got to go work in the garden while it is cloudy or exercise!  Talk to you later!

Cicada Disco!

The Herbal Husband comes up with the weirdest titles for my posts some days!  Here are cicada carcasses.  They are even coming out early.  Aren't they more an August insect?  The dog day cicadas remind me of August not July.  Although we are rapidly approaching the month of August!  I once was told that time would go faster as you got older and I said how can that be?  It is very true.  Time just flies by!


This is the photo that coined the phrase for the title of my post, "Cicada Disco".  I think The Herbal Husband is in the eighties a lot of the time.  Just kidding or may be not!  Maybe that's what is part of the problem!  Hope you are staying cool.  I'm certainly having a hard time in this heat and humidity.  Standing perfectly still and just being soaking wet!  It isn't fun!  Bought a pair of shoes on sale.  That rarely happens!  It's been a great day!  Talk to you later!

The Herbal Husband's Structure in the Garden!

Sticks and strings are a staple in our garden.  You see if you have forgotten I live with an architect so we don't have drooping plants.  Anywhere!

 The main path in the back garden is getting smaller and smaller.  Maybe I won't have to mow it soon!  And sometimes you can hardly see the sticks and strings.  They are keeping my pineapple mint from lounging around and getting in the way.

This was hidden from view without the sticks and strings!  A beautiful variegated sage and a couple of thymes!  Don't forget to use some sticks and strings to give your plants lift and structure in the garden.

garden fence

I live in the middle of a field. Until this house was built 10 years ago, the land was part of the tree farm that surrounds it on 3 sides. The lawn has been seeded with grass, but in all honesty it is simply a uniformly trimmed selection of field weeds, which is fine with me!
Gardening in the middle of a tree field is a challenge. It is a wonderland for deer, rabbits, groundhogs, possums, skunks, and even foxes (and apparently now coyotes). From my hilltop deck, I can watch literal herds of rabbits running together through the rows of trees, and goofy groundhogs carelessly scooting along from weed to weed.
After years of frustration and disappointment, we put a fence up last year. What a difference it made!Instead of finding my heirloom beans nibbled down to pathetic nubs, they grow up the sides of the fence. The cucumbers are producing madly, also climbing the fence. Tomatoes use the fence for support, and most importantly, the holy basil is safe and sound.
I think we got it at Lowe's, and it was something like $150 with some stakes left over (15' x 40'). The corner stakes are metal and need to be driven in with a sledge-hammer. The side stakes are plastic, and have sharp spikes on the bottom that you just heel in. On the inside of the stakes, they have tabs that hold the grid of the fence snugly. Three of us got it up in a couple of hours.
I thought we'd have to take it down to roto-till this spring, but it wasn't necessary. Since there are some perennials planted along the sides, I just marked them carefully before setting my nephew loose with the machine.
This fall, I'll probably look for something similar but taller - like 6' - to go around the blueberry and currant patch. Then we could just drap it with bird netting.
Baby bunnies probably wouldn't have had much trouble getting in, but if they did they didn't cause much trouble.This has been a great solution to our garden nuisance problem. Although some of these animals can climb, I think the fencing doesn't feel sturdy enough to them.
Now, if I could just find a better solution for whatever makes the groundhogs want to build condos under my front porch steps, everything would be great.

An Herbal Miscalculation!

Yesterday as we were driving home, my Herbal Companion, Bonnie said, I think your bay tree in the container is older than 5 or 6 years old!  I had to agree.  The bay tree is probably 10 to 15 years old.  Not in that same container.  We have sized up as we go.  I think the last time we root pruned it to keep it in the same pot.  Here is a really good root pruning video link from Fine Gardening magazine.  Hope you are having a great day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later!

Herbal Paradise!

My Herbal Companion, Bonnie and I were asked to visit Kathleen's gardens at her house in Chagrin Falls yesterday.  Here is a stand that is chock full of troughs and potted lettuces and, of course, a beautiful rosemary.  My rosemary is doing well in a pot also.

This is a Fairy Garden with all kinds of cute furniture and plants that she sells in her shop.

As hot and sunny as it was, it was cool and calm in Kathleen's garden.

Would love to have this shed in my garden!

The fennel and butterfly bush are very happy in the front garden!  We had a lovely time visiting with Kathleen and glad that she is part of my herbal journey!  Thanks Kathleen for all you do for passionate herbal people like Bonnie and me!

A Great Herbal Day!

Here is Kathleen's wonderful display gardens at The Village Herb Shop.  If you haven't been able to get to Chagrin Falls, you need to go because besides Kathleen's lovely and wonderful shop, the village of Chagrin Falls is a classic hometown.  I grew up in the 50's and it so reminds me of my childhood.  Small family run businesses and very good restaurants are the foundation of Chagrin Falls.  Of course, there are the falls as well and they are very active unlike other years when we haven't had as much rainfall.  But I digress!

 

Here's Kathleen teaching us about how to set up and design your herb garden.  If it's your first herb garden, take small steps.  Even maybe plant a few herbs in containers.  Kathleen and her shop will be featured online in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal and in the actual paper on Thursday.  So I will try to remember to give you this Wall Street Journal link again on Wednesday and hopefully, you will find an interview with Kathleen.

She has worked hard to have her dream.  She has inspired hundreds of people to dive into the herb world.  Thank you Kathleen for inspiring me!  I did talk to the group about my gardening and showed pictures of our garden (had to include The Herbal Husband) and helped answering questions.  Two of those questions I'm going to answer here.

I did find an extension educator talking about milk and water and powdery mildew.  I began to doubt whether it was actually milk and water.  It is milk and water as a powdery mildew protectant.  I have seen 1 part milk to 9 parts water.  I also saw 50/50 milk to water.  You must use it before the plant has the disease.  It will not cure it once it has the powdery mildew.  It can smell bad when the milk breaks down.  It does work though.  So experiment with it.  You might want to try Neem oil.  This link is from the University of Connecticut.  The Neem tree is a tree from Southeast Asia and India.  A 1% solution of Neem has been found to help powdery mildew on hydrangeas, lilacs and phlox.  You need to follow package labels when you use it.

The second question was how to use Cuban Oregano.  I have blogged about it on November 29, 2008.  Here are some links that I found when I Goggled recipes using Cuban Oregano.  The first one is a November newsletter from vegetable herb.com.  The second one is a Cuban bean recipe from Lingle's Herbs.  The third link is oregano recipes that are Cuban inspired from old fashioned living.com.  The final website is more Cuban inspired recipes from cooks.com.

You'll have to wait to see her fabulous garden tomorrow!  It is an herbal treat!  Had a great herbal day!  Hope you had a wonderful day wherever you may be!  Talk to you later!

snapshot in time

Every so often, if I step back and look at life from a distance, the big picture can be a huge surprise. We all go along doing what we do, rarely noticing the ebb and flow that makes up our days, weeks, months, years...My own life is so entwined with my business that it is impossible to see edges and borders. That's ok, I think most people who are self-employed doing something they really love would agree that there are very few divisions. Considering that The Essential Herbal is a magazine that focuses on seasons, it keeps me grounded (if slightly ahead of the current season).
If I look at this month the way I look at a snapshot, it would have to go into the category of "humorous candid shot".
First, with 15 days until the next magazine deadline, it looked like a good window to finally finish the Balms and Salves book. It needed some photography, editing, and of course, Maryanne's immeasurable lay-out skills.
In the meantime, my sister and nephew were after me to watch the first 3 seasons of Mad Men, so that when the series starts up again towards the end of the month I'd be up to speed. 39 hour long shows cut down to about 45 minutes each because the commercials were cut. If you ever want to get a clearer view of the time leading up to the women's movement, the civil rights marches, and how very far back in the closet gay people lived in the 60's, this is great social commentary! Really well done. I had forgotten how it was then.
The soap shelves of Maryanne's wholesale soap biz were well stocked, and most of the regular customers had ordered towards the end of June, so we were feeling well prepared.
So here is the past week: The book is beautiful and exactly what I'd imagined, at the printer and will be delivered Monday. The option for pre-ordering has gotten a fabulous response, and stacks of envelopes are addressed and waiting to be stuffed and shipped. I'm eagerly awaiting the next season of Mad Men. The file holding articles for the Sept/Oct issue of the magazine is full and ready for us to start. And then.... all hell broke loose on the soap front! Over the course of 2 days, orders - BIG orders - started flying in, and now we have 17 batches planned by Monday, just to restock the forlorn shelves.
Then we can put the magazine together - in plenty of time. Somewhere in there I'll write the article I've been planning, the field notes, and put together a crossword puzzle. I usually wait to see if there is space.
In between, we've been trying recipes to use the cucumber glut, gathered herbs for drying, cared for the house and gardens, and done all the things that life requires - oh, and there's that sleep thing.
I want to save this particular "snapshot" for those days when I feel like I'm just not doing anything with my life.

quote sun

"The sun is coming down to earth, and the fields

and the waters shout to him golden shouts."

George Meredith

And The Winners Are....!

I first want to thank everyone who reads my blog.  You are all originals and it is a pleasure to blog with you.  Without you, I would still write, but it wouldn't be nearly as fun!

OK, in a very closely monitored selection out of my Greek cheese making basket, The Herbal Husband pulled out lifeshighway for the first set of buttons.  If you haven't stopped by her blog, you need to do it to give yourself a laugh.  Sometimes I'm just speechless!  Actually most times!

Little Messy Missy won the set of buttons in the middle.  Her blog is about all of her adventures and she has plenty and she has teenagers!  She isn't old enough to have teenagers!  She's also lost some weight and kept it off and is an inspiration for me to keep my weight off!

The last set of buttons was won by My Farmhouse Kitchen.  Kary and her dog, Teddy always bring a smile to my face.  So ladies, I will be by to get your mailing addresses.  Congratulations!