GOOD THYMES

Publ. of The Fishing Creek Herb Guild

SEPT & OCTOBER 2011     Vol. 22, no.4

 

Thought of the month: “As the garden grows, so does the gardener.”

 

Thursday, September 15, 7 p.m.

Program: “Beneficial Insects in the Garden”, presented by Joyce Brobst.

Hostesses: Karen Musitano, Dotty Moore, et al.

Greeter: Linda Nichols

Herb of the Month: Bergamot

Herb Study Presenter: Louise McCormick

 

Thursday, October 20, 7 p.m.

Program: “Playing With Your Food”, presented by Toni Farides.

Hostesses: Denise Gray, Susan smith, Cheryl Wilt, Emily Shultz, Karen

Reigel, Loretta Fulton, Barbara Craig, Karen Edwards, Sandy Downs

Greeter: Joanne Reichart

Herb of the Month: Horseradish

Herb Study Presenter: Dotty Moore

 

THE ANNUAL HERB GUILD PICNIC….was another success in July. The venue of the Barton House on the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds lets members eat, relax and stroll through the lovely gardens. For pictures from the picnic see the website www.fishingcreekherbguild.com

 

And, don’t forget to visit the Herb Guild’s other lovely garden site at the Bloomsburg

Town Park. All the gardeners on the Barton House and Town Park Garden committees

deserve a big bouquet of thanks for making Bloomsburg a lovelier place.

 

INFO FROM AUGUST’S MEETING

-----The Guild members voted to increase our yearly gift to St. Matthew’s Church from $300 to $400. We greatly appreciate being able to meet in this convenient location and want to help offset some of the church’s rising costs for maintaining the facilities.

-----One of the beneficial uses of mint, the herb of the month, is to keep mice away. Scatter fresh mint inside the house, especially in the kitchen, for no-more-mickey-mouse.

-----Because not enough members have been volunteering for hosting duties, September’s food will simply be desserts, just desserts. And drinks.

----We still do not have a complete 2011 membership list. The list passed out in June and again in August is missing the “L” to “S” page. Hopefully, the missing page or a full copy will be available at the meeting in September.

 

AUGUST’S presentation by Len Janis, who for many years owned Vileniki Herb Farm, was a brief look at how to start an herb garden. First, consider the type of garden, such as edible flower, medicinal herb, plants to dry, butterfly, or theme such as blue or yellow or other single color. Then, collect and research information from catalogs, books, magazines, and now, Internet, to find what plants and varieties you want. Make a plan on graph paper. Think about raised beds, mixing herbs and vegetables, using containers or pots for patios or balconies or small spaces. The following best tips from his 25 years experience follow. The best time to plan the garden is in the winter. A good shade plant is Sweet Cicely, with its anise smell and fern like leaves. Don’t use too much fertilizer on herbs; it reduces their oils. To start seeds, use vermiculite and cover with sand to keep them from dampening off. Take cuttings of woody herb such as rosemary, lavender, lemon verbena in the spring [especially in the month of May] and use at least ½” of old wood stock. When starting plants from cuttings, dip cuttings into a liquid” tea” made from young willow branches to help them root better.

 

GARDEN TOURS from members.

Thursday, Sept. 1^st, Deb Baigis is giving another one of her popular “Ten Best Gardens in Bloomsburg” walking tour. The last private garden on the tour ends at Herb Guild members Barb and Steve Colodonato’s garden with refreshments! Wear walking shoes, a hat and sunscreen. Meet at St. Matthew’s Church, 6 pm, our usual meeting location, on the front steps. Shine only.

 

Charlene Samsel gave several tours of her own lovely gardens to individuals and small groups in July and August. If you would like to venture to Nescopeck, you won’t be sorry. Just give Charlene a call for a delightful stroll.

 

PICTURES FROM THE SPRING BUS TRIP are now on the website, including the group photo of all the intrepid bus trippers at Chanticleer. The trip was sensational and inspirational!

OUR VERY OWN SOAP for SALE at the Bloomsburg Fair. Remember to visit the Barton House at the Bloomsburg Fair to buy the homemade lye soap we made at the June meeting! It’s a fundraiser for the Barton House. Rely on the lye!

LOOK FOR THE HERB GUILD EXHIBIT at the Bloomsburg Fair in the Agriculture Building. Joan Silver, Shirley Herb and Bonnie Burke, have stepped up to install the exhibit. John Shott is the provider of many of the plants.

 

The October Herb Study of Horseradish will feature the National Herb of the Year for 2011. Spring was the time to plant it, Fall is the time to harvest it. The Oracle at Delphi told Apollo that the radish was worth its weight in lead, the beet its weight in silver, and the horseradish its weight in gold. It’s hard to imagine red beet relish or shrimp cocktail sauce without horseradish! Roots are planted up to six inches deep and one foot apart in almost any soil, though slightly acidic is preferable. Then they multiply, once planted you’ll have this perennial forever. [Be careful what you wish for!].

Events of Interest:

August 26 & 27---Plymouth Kielbasa Festival, Plymouth, PA. If you’ve never strolled down streets with every ethnic Eastern European food, don’t miss it!

August 27 & 28—Hot and Stinky Garlic Fest, Zanolini Nursery and Garden Center, Drums, PA. ‘Nuf said.

August 31^st—Invasive Species Control Workshop, 6 pm, Briar Creek Lake, Berwick Borough. Learn how to control multiflora rose, Japanese knotweed, purple loosestrife, autumn olive, and other plants which are likely to cause economic or environmental harm. Forester, Robert Marynowych, will demonstrate proper removal techniques and invite workshop attendants to participate in the removal of these invasives from our parks. To help. please bring gloves, safety glasses and a hand saw, axe, machete. or a shovel. Information on PA Invasive Plants can be found at: www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestyry/InvasivePlantBrochure.pdf. For info: Stephanie Singer at Columbia County Conservation District (570) 784-1310 ext. 123 or stephanie.singer@columbiaccd.og. 

September 10 - The River Front Park Summer Gardening Series in Danville continues to e a double-header. 

September 10—The River Front Park Summer Gardening series in Danville continues with a double-header:  The scheduled Composting at 9:00 plus Herbs, Growing, Harvesting, & Cooking at 10:30, which was postponed from August 6.  Bring a lawn chair.  $5 per session.  Call 800-851-9710 to register.
  
September 15—Susquehanna Garden Club, 50 Years of Golden Memories
11 am registration, luncheon 12 pm, at Susquehanna Valley Country Club, Mill Rd, Rts 11& 15, Hummels Wharf. $25.00. Please register by September 1st. Contact Grace Fellon, 151 Point Township Dr, Northumberland, PA 17857-9702, phone 570-473-3823.

Penn State Extension Master Gardeners in Columbia County Activities
September 17—The Penn State Extension Master Gardeners in Columbia County activities.  Program:  Fall into Gardening , 8:30am-3:00pm.  Presentations include Manure 101, The Perennial Vegetable Garden, Care of Christmas Plants, Putting the Garden to Bed, and Composting.  $10 per person is payable at the door.  Hort Hotline is staffed 8:30-9:00am and 12:00-12:30pm.  Bring in your questions & specimens.  Soil Test kits and Penn State publications are available for purchase.  Proceeds from the plant sale benefit our Master Gardener program.  Tour the Hunger Garden.  So that we can plan, Please register before September 14--call 570-784-6660 ext 18 or 800-851-971, but walk-ins are welcome.  View the flyer for details:   http://nepamg.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/44331537/Fall_into_Gardening_Columbia2011.pdf

Marvelous Mushrooms of PA 
September 25, “Marvelous Mushrooms of PA”, 1:30-3:30pm, PPL Susquehanna Information Center, Rt. 11 [634 Salem Blvd, Berwick]. Presented by Bill Russell, author of Field Guide to Wild Mushrooms of PA and the 
Mid Atlantic.

Mid-Atlantic District Gathering, “Gardens and the Arts" 
October 7 & 8, [options continue on the 9th] Mid-Atlantic District Gathering, “Gardens and the Arts”, at the Inn at Reading in Wyomissing, PA.  Begins Friday, Oct 7th at noon with Self-Guided Garden Tours, one public, three private gardens, with a reception in the evening at Penn State Berks campus. Saturday, begins at 8-9 am with registration. Speakers that day include Gene Burkhart, “Pressed Flower Art”, Karin Wulkowicz, “The Reading Museum Arboretum—25 Acres of Beauty” and Kathy Schlosser, “Moon of the First Frost: Green Bridges in Autumn”, along with lunch, exhibits and vendors. Sunday’s Options include Goggle Works—Studio Artists, Reading Public Museum, Arboretum & Gardens, and the Heritage Center. Registration: Friday only $10, both days $50 [includes lunch]. Inn room rates $99/night. Direct questions or request full information and forms to: Gail Seeley, 610-926-3749 or gailfoxhollow@msn.com.  

          Herbal Info from Valley View Farms, Garden Center & Nursery  

               Cockeysville, MD brochure (thanks to Nancy Dennis) 

                             "The Herb Garden throughout the Year"  

*January & February - Start planning what you want to grow.

*March - Plant annual herb seeds indoors. Begin working the soil, adding amendments. If you already have an established plot, cut back on your perennial herbs.    

*April & May - After the last frost, start planting.

*June - Cut and use your herbs all summer. In most cases, the herbs leaves are used. The flavor of the herbs leaves are at their peak just as the plants begin to form flower buds. Harvest herbs after the dew has dried but before it gets too hot. Generally you can cut back 1/3 of the plant without doing it any harm. In fact, many plants benefit from this harvest as it keeps it bush and strong. Take a bucket of cold water for the cuttings to keep them clean and fresh. 

*July & August - Continue to harvest. To dry, hang in a dry, warm , dark area for 5-7 days. 

*September, Oct, Nov, Dec - After the ground freezes, mulch your herb garden. Use preserved herbs to make oils, vinegars, potpourris, wreaths, soaps, candles, etc.