GOOD THYMES

Publ. of The Fishing Creek Herb Guild

         JULY & AUGUST 2011     Vol. 22, no.3

Thursday, July 14^th, 7 p.m.

[please note this is the Second Thursday

of the Month]

PICNIC at the Barton House Garden,

on the Bloomsburg Fair Grounds. 

[In case of rain, meet at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church]

Yes, this is the annual Outdoor Picnic, held slightly later in the evening than in previous years. With some luck it will be cooler and more pleasant to feast and socialize. You may bring a spouse or family member, if you wish.

Please bring: --A covered dish to share

                         --Your own place setting: plate, silverware, cup, napkin, and/or other necessities

                          --Lawn chair or blanket, on which to sit

The Picnic Committee will provide the drinks.

The Gardener’s Yard Sale will be held at the picnic. Members who wish to contribute garden related items, books, tools or plants to the sale may bring them to the Fairgrounds [or to the Church, in case of rain]. All sale proceeds go to the Fishing Creek Herb Guild. Please be aware that you will need to take home any times which do not sell. Anyone who wishes to sell individual crafts or wares should bring his/her own table or set up.

In case of rain a notice will be posted on the website fishingcreekherbguild.org by 3 pm Thursday, August 18^th, 7 p.m.

Thursday, August 18...7:00 p.m. 

Program: “Starting Your Herb Garden”, presented by Gerry and Len Vileniki, proprietors of Vileniki Herb Farm

Host/Hostesses: Shirley Herb, Debbie Wilson

Greeter: Charlene Samsel

Herb of the Month: Mint, presented by Norma Chest

THE ANNUAL HERB SALE …. ALWAYS A SUCCESS

Thank you to Theresa Wotjon, first time chair, and the other old- and new-timers on the committee who worked so hard to make May’s plant sale a success. Thanks also to all the Guild members who grew, potted, and donated their treasures. Special thanks to our president, John, whose blooming chairs and floral birdcage were spectacular. Our treasurer reports that the sale made $460.56---you’ll have to ask Louise about the 56 cents!

OTHER GARDEN PROGRAMS

July 28, 11 am until afternoon. “The View from the Garden” By Petals and Pods Garden. at Ponduce Farms, 270 White Church Rd., Elysburg, PA 17824  (Numidia). Cost is: $3.00. Pay at the door. Please RSVP before July 24 to 799-0591, fairygardenqueen@gmail.com

Registration is from 11:00 - 11:30; Lunch available from 11:30 - 12:30. Programs include “Meet Garlic and his Family” & “The Perennial Vegetable Garden - Horseradish, Rhubarb, and Asparagus”. Free food samples & recipes. Plants/roots available for sale.

            Saturday, July 2, 9 am- 4 pm. Garden tour with the Back Mountain Bloomers Garden Club in Dallas, PA. See beautiful stone wall landscaping, sweeping perennial beds, ultimate country garden, a mix of artistry and landscaping, & Shakespeare themed garden displays at Misericordia University.  Call Julie McMonagle at 570-696-5082 or e-mail her at jjmcmon@frontiernet.net

FYIs FROM MAY & JUNE MEETINGS

Sharon Reichard suggested using an old lampshade’s metal “innards” as a plant cage. It’s sturdier than the traditional tomato cages. She also suggested trying to use women’s knee-high nylons to hold together the bunches of leaves of daffodils instead of tying them with string or ribbon.

How to keep deer out of the garden? Pull out old videotape tape and string it tightly as a fence, preferably in three layers. As the tape moves, it makes noise, and deters four-footed pests.

Did you know that Ruth Vaughan’s husband sharpens tools? Well, now you do!

Theresa Wotjon runs Whispering Pines Camping Estates, Stillwater, and her store is a delightful mélange of bulk foods, Aucker’s honey, and camping gear and gadgets.

If you have any other interesting tips of business ventures or trades or crafts for sale, please let the Newsletter Editor know, maybe we could have a Business page on the web!

IT MUST BE TRUE…I READ IT IN A MAGAZINE….

It’s not the cilantro that tastes bad…it’s really your taste buds. According to Shape Magazine, cilantro contains a chemical that, depending on your genetic makeup, can taste citrusy or soapy. If your taste buds say “soapy”, you can use leafy tops of celery to mimic the bright fresh flavor that others find refreshing about the herb.

Herbs such as parsley, thyme, mint, cilantro, basil and others contain the same nutrients found in leafy vegetables, including potassium, calcium and vitamins A and C. According to researchers it’s not how much you consume, but how often. Even a teaspoon a day will make a difference, according to Martha Stewart’s Living.

Conventional produce travels an average of 1,500 miles before reaching your home, according to Family Circle. So, be buy locally grown food, or grown your own.

A few more gems in the longer newsletter at

 fishingcreekherbguild.org website!

THANKS FOR ASKING TO READ THE NEWSLETTER ON THE WEB PAGE…..   Approximately 40 members, roughly 1/3 of the total membership will be reading the newsletter only on the webpage. Although there will continue to be an email reminder that the new newsletter has been posted, the newsletter is always posted by Shelley Crawford, website editor, by the first of every other month. The full website is available at fishingcreekherbguild.org 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 12 months a year.

The website is the only place to check on up-to-date information, announcements, and events.

There is no longer a complete email list of all members of the Guild for mass emailings. For example, when the April meeting had to change its date and program the information was posted on the website as soon as it was known, two weeks prior to the new date.

So, please remember to check the website, or, in case of specific questions, telephone an officer.

Recipes

NO BAKE CHOCOLATE COOKIES                                                            Leah

2 c sugar            ¼ c cocoa                        ½ c butter            ½ c milk

Combine and boil these ingredients for 2 minutes. Add a dash of salt.

1 tsp vanilla                        3 c oatmeal                        ½ c peanut butter

Mix and add to the boiled mixture. Drop on waxed paper. Enjoy!

FOUR BEAN SALAD with cranberries, almonds & feta cheese            Janet Dalberto

1 can green beans, drained                                   1 can wax beans, drained

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained    

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

¼ c slivered green pepper                                    8 green onions, thinly sliced

Marinade:   1/2 c. sugar; ½ c cider vinegar, ¼ c vegetable oil, ½ tsp salt

Toppings: slivered almonds, dried cranberries, feta cheese [the amounts depend on your taste]

Combine beans, peppers, & onions. Mix the marinade until sugar dissolves.

Pour over bean mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight, stirring several times.

Next day, drain the salad and transfer to serving bowl.

Top with toasted slivered almonds, lots of dried cranberries and crumbled feta cheese.

Seed Sowing…The Second Season

There are many weeks of good growing weather ahead. Seeds planted in July and August need at least the top ½ inch of soil to be kept moist. It may help to run a length of permeable row cover over the just seeded beds to conserve moisture. And if you see your seedlings wilting in the heat, block the afternoon sun with any sort of object you have—boards, bricks or cardboard boxes.

            Arugula—plant for a late-sown crop, which will be less assertive in flavor.

            Asian greens such as pak choi, komatsuna and others—can be sown ‘til late summer. Many will continue to grow well after hard frosts and under snow cover. Cool or cold weather suits them.

            Basil---sneak in a late crop until the first frost.

            Beans—for late planting, chose a filet bean you can harvest in 50 days.

Beets—count back 8 weeks from a hard frost and that’s your cutoff date for a fall crop. Even if the plants don’t have time to mature, you can add small leaves to your salads and steam the large ones.

Cabbage—July and August sowings will yield a late fall crop.

Carrots—you can get in a late-July sowing; they will be ok for the first frost. Dig up all carrots before the ground freezes.

Cilantro—cut back just 55 days from the first frost for a harvest of foliage. A light frost won’t necessarily do them in.

Kale—one of the sturdiest cold weather crops, kale tastes better after being frostbitten. Small leaves of the “Red Russian” kale can be harvested in just 25 days for salads and steaming.

Kohlrabi—look for the newer varieties that can be harvested in just 40 days.

Peas—will do well if planted 2 months before freezing temperatures.

Rutabaga—sturdy root crop can be panted up until the middle of summer---generally need 90 to 100 days to mature. In the fall, place straw mulch over them for warmth.

Shallots—plant the bulblets in the fall and you can look forward to green onions at winter’s end, followed by an early crop of mature shallots

Spinach—when temperatures moderate, you can start a fall crop. Or plant seeds from Sept. through a hard frost and pick next spring.

Swiss Chard---sow in mid summer and allow 50 to 55 days until harvest.

Turnips---plant from July though early August for a fall crop. Greens may be ready in one month; the roots need nearly 2 months to form.

From: Newspaper, Pennies, Cardboard & Eggs…

CHAIRPERSONS and Committee Volunteers…..NEEDED

There are still committees, host/hostess duties and other volunteer needs that are not filled.

Committee members are needed for Christmas Favors, Christmas Party, Nominating Committee, Bloomsburg Fair Exhibition Committee, and the Cook Book Committee, among others.

Please, if you have not volunteered this year, check the committee lists or speak with the officers and volunteer to be an active member!

The FISHING CREEK HERB GUILD is committed to helping the environment. Please bring your eating utensils to meetings. n general, remember to Reduce, Recycle, Reuse.

BUS TRIP PHOTOS still requested. Please send digital photos of the Guild’s May Bus Trip to the Phila area to Shelley Crawford for the Website & Archives.

The directions on making lye soap presented by Holly Beagle at June’s meeting are in

July/August’s newsletter on the website.

Additional Materials found only in the Newsletter on the Website

More CALENDAR LISTINGS… from our members

August 13-14---97^th Annual Lithuanian Days at Schuylkill Mall, Route 61 and I-81, Frackville. Website: www.kofl144.weebly.com. Ed. Note: I’ve been there in the past and it is lots of fun and food.

August 26-27—Kielbasa Festival, Plymouth, Route 11. Older than the Shenadoah Kielbasa Festival, but just as tasty. Ed. Note: I’ve also been here in past years and it is lots of fun and food.

August 27-28—Hot and Stinky Garlic Festival held at Zanolini’s Nursery and Garden Center, Drums, PA. [just off Rt. 93 and I-81]. Ed. Note: Will try it!

MORE….It must be true…I read it in a magazine….

Violets’ ability to soften offensive odors made them the most popular air freshener in stinky 19^th century London. A fresh picked cucumber is particularly refreshing because its internal temperature is several degrees lower than the surrounding air. Botanists consider every bump on a raspberry as an individual itsy bitsy tiny fruit, because each has its own seed. These gems are probably from Martha.

Finally….Use eggshells to get rid of stains in a teapot or thermos by pouring hot soapy water over them, then shaking. You can also sprinkle eggshell shards around the stems of outdoor plants to keep slugs and snails away. From Real Simple.

This and That…

A five-percent solution for Weeds

The Environmental Protection Agency approves vinegar as a weed killer. When weeds are young, spray them with vinegar based week killer available from the garden center or grocery store. White vinegar is a 5 per cent solution and it will kill young weeks. Use it undiluted in a plastic sprayer and weeds be-gone

Picnic Food Safety Info

Just in time for the picnic, thought I would share info from the USDA’s publication from “Safe Food to Go—A Guide to Packing Lunches, Picnicking and Camping Out”, 1968.

.

---Contrary to common practice, it is not safe to thaw meat or poultry on the kitchen counter. Take meat or poultry out of the freezer and put it on the refrigerator shelf a night or two before you need it.

--If there isn’t a faucet to wash your hands, when touching food, use wet handi-wipes.

--While all mayonnaise based salads should kept on ice, the mayonnaise you buy at the store is not a food poisoning villain. Its high acid content actually slows bacterial growth. But homemade mayonnaise, if made without lemon juice or vinegar, can be risky.

--When transporting food, put the cooler chest in the passenger area of the car. It’s much cooler than the trunk.

Spice Power

[And we’re not talking Posh or Scary]

Did you know?

Cayenne has capsaicin, which has been known to help reduce ulcer symptoms and has a related ability to lower the risk of stomach cancer.

Nutmeg—extracts were able to help cause a type of leukemia cells to self-destruct.

Rosemary has anti-inflammatory properties, which may help protect against colon cancer.

Turmeric may inhibit the development of cancers of the breast, cervix and uterus, as well as helping keep colorectal cancer cells from spreading.

Cloves contains substances which could protect against a type of skin tumor.

Cinnamon compounds may help prevent cell damage that increases cancer risk.

                                    From Spryliving.com, October 2009

Internet Sites to Help your Garden Grow

CompanionPlants.com---for people who want to know what “plays well together”, includes unusual culinary herbs such as amaranth, angelica, mace.

Gurneys.com—specializes in “high-yield and disease-resistant” varieties of seeds.

JohnnysSeeds.com---has videos on planting and pest control, as well as help you to  figure how many seeds to buy depending on your garden site.

ReneesGarden.com—focuses on hybrid and heirloom varieties.

                                                                                                From The Week

Monrovia.com—detailed growing instructions and zip-code searchable base for nurseries they supply.

Whiteflowerfarm.com—how-to videos and catalog of plants.

Burpees.com—famous, need we say more.

Plantjotter.com ($21/yr after free trial)—online garden journal to track plantings, chores, etc.

                                                                                    From Family Circle

From JUNE’S MEETING…Making Lye Soap with Holly Beagle

PLAIN LYE SOAP

Prepare molds

Sprinkle 3T lye into ½ c cold water

Melt 2 c. lard until clear

Check temperatures, slowly add lye to lard

Stir until like thin cake batter

Slowly stir in ½ c. water

Stir until it starts to thicken

Pour into molds.