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. 1st,
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!].
GOOD THYMES
Publ. of The Fishing Creek Herb Guild
JULY & AUGUST 2011
Vol. 22, no.3
Thursday,
July 14th, 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 18th, 7 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!
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Your Talents are Wanted at the Bloomsburg Fair This Year
Scott
Edwards, the new Superintendent of the Horticulture Building is asking
for your help. An addition to the Horticulture Building this year will be
a demonstration stage. Scott is asking for volunteers to do demos of any
kind on that stage during the Fair. If you have a talent or skill and
would be willing to demo, please call the Bloomsburg Fair Association at
784-4949.
|
|
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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---97th 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 19th 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.
Homemade Lye Soap
Spray molds with cooking spray and line with waxed paper. In a small glass bowl add 1/2 C water. Slowly sprinkle and stir in 3 T lye. Set aside, this will heat to 200 deg.
In larger glass bowl, microwave to melt clear 1 1/2 C lard. Add 1/2 C glycerine or any oil, soy, olive, safflower, baby oil, etc. Cool lye water and lard mixture to 100 deg. Lard will be warm to touch, test lye water by touching bottom side of bowl. Slowly drizzle and stir lye water into lard mixture. Stir continuously til the consistency of thin cake batter. It will look creamy and will take at least 15 minutes. Stir in slowly 1 bottle "Elegant Expressions" (2 fl oz.) concentrated fragrance oil. Fill empty bottle 1/2 full with water and add to soap mixture. (you may use essential oils and 1/2 C of water, honey, cream, additional oils (etc.) Stir continuously for about another 15 minutes (longer if you have heavier oils like olive oil) until the consistency of yogurt. Pour into wax lined molds. Cover with cardboard then cover all with towel. 12- 24 hours later, cut soap into bars while it is still in the mold. If soft, leave in the mold a day or two.
Let soap air dry before using.
Clean up lye spills on your skin with vinegar - water will only make it burn more.
Lye soap is a good pre-wash shaved into laundry. It makes clothes come out clean and bright. It is good for sensitive skin and helps clear acne, eczema and psoriasis. For hunters it eliminates the human scent (lye soap with no fragrance). To eliminate the itching and burning of poison oak, poison ivy, or poison sumac, lather up the area and let dry on the skin. Also works on mosquitoes, chiggers, ticks, sunburn and athlete's foot. Cleans the language of children too. Lye soap will make your skin softer, hair shine, helps eliminate dandruff and kills head and body lice. For your pet it kills fleas and reduces dander.
Shavings in a nylon bags tied on the porch keeps bugs away. Spread outside the home and it keeps ants and termites away. Keeps snakes, spiders and roaches away from the house
