|
Welcome
As this newsletter is written by lamplight it is difficult not to
be drawn back in time to when my mother, grandmother, great-grandmother
would harvest the wild herbs from the fields, forest and shore at
Cape Enrage. How many nights with these women at the end of the
day, hang herbs to dry make infusions to treat sick children and
climb to the attic to dry dulse for thyroid problems? There was
little time left to put in writing all the knowledge gained as they
struggled to live with the land so it had to be handed down by word
and practise. It is hoped that when electric lights are on once
again this lamplit window to the past will not be forgotten.
Inside this Issue:
· Welcome
· Product Information
· Upcoming Events
· Your Indoor Herbs
· Tansy Lane at the Farmers' Market
· Tear Off Reply
· Featured Herb - Rosemary
Upcoming Events:
Watch for notice of a workshop at the YWCA in early April. This
is a basic workshop focusing on Choosing herbs for and planting
the basic Herbal Kitchen Garden.
Other workshops available are: Herb Garden Design. Herb Drying,
& What to do with your Fall Harvest. These are available to
community groups upon request. Other workshops will be developed
as time allows.
Your Indoor Herbs
We hope many of you have been able to winter over some herbs inside.
Hopefully, you have kept each variety in a separate pot as watering
needs can vary. By now you have discovered that most herbs need
lots of light and will do well in a cool location.
|
Product Information
It is very difficult being a consumer today.
There are many multi-million dollar industries all wanting consumers
to buy their "natural products". "Natural" has
become a buzz word to attract buyers who are becoming concern about
the ingredients in their purchases, whether in food or health care
products. In several issues of our newsletter we will address some
of these concerns hoping it will help in product selection.
Many products will list pure ingredients then use the word FRAGRANCE
or PERFUME OIL. These are synthetics composed of up to 400 chemicals.
It is these to which many people react negatively. These reactions
rarely occur with pure ESSENTIAL OILS. All scents may not personally
please everyone but there is considerably less chance of headaches
and other reactions. These products are more expensive as the oils
are extracted from the plants themselves. Therefore, in choosing
products, beware of the word FRAGRANCE, regardless of the other
ingredients if you wish (pure) products.
Upcoming Events continued...
Misting helps with the dry air problem. Just rubbing the lemon thyme
brings a promise of warm summer days ahead
Tansy Lane at the Farmers' Market
Finally, the non-morning person has a booth at the Farmers' Market
on Barker Street. So many customers have lamented the difficulty
in getting their favorite products during the winter months that
this seemed the appropriate next step to take in our business. (Along
with the investment with a good alarm clock!) Our first day was
February 8 and we were delighted to see some of our old customers
there. So drop by to say hello, check out our NEW products and cup
of our NEW herbal teas.
|
|
Starting this issue, the featured herb will be on a separate page
so that it may be kept in a binder to develop your own resource
on herbs.
Featured Herb
Rosemary
Many people list Rosemary as one of the favorite herbs. This is
probably because of its clean fresh scent -just brushing past a Rosemary
plant can be invigorating. In our area Rosemary can be grown in
the garden in the summer and brought into the house in the fall.
Richters' catalog list 15 cultivars. It is interesting to try growing
a variety of cultivars as they vary in shades of green to grey with
pink or blue flowers. There are also trailing ones. I purchase several
Lockwood which are now indoors. We hope to see how they may work
in planter boxes this spring.
In the garden, plant in well drained soil in full sun. It needs
little care in our gardens and grows well. After harvesting in the
fall, pot the plant and bring indoors. I've been very surprised
at how much cold they will take (even snow!) before I rescue them.
Inside they do well in a cool light room watered from the bottom
and misted regularly. Do not let them dry out completely or over-water.
My plants are blooming a beautiful lavender blue in a very cold
sunroom. They are harvested regularly for the CRANBERRY ROSEMARY
VINEGAR and ORANGE ROSEMARY JELLY. The vinegar is popular in John's
Salad dressing recipe and the jelly makes a nice glaze or condiment
for chicken.
Try experimenting with these Rosemary Recipes:
|
|
Rosemary Oil
1/3 cup fresh rosemary leaves
1 cup olive oil
Rinse and dry rosemary.
Chop rosemary coarsely.
Combine oil and rosemary in a small saucepan. Bring to a
boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Cool and
slowly strain mixture. Pour strained oil into a sterilized
glass jar and cover tightly. Store in the refrigerator and
use within 1 week.
Use on pizzas or brochettes.
|
Thin Rosemary Crips
2 1/4 cups unbleached flour
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup fresh rosemary
1 tsp. Salt
1 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
Olive Oil
Coarse sea salt or kosher salt
In a food processor bowl fitted with a metal blade combine flours,
rosemary, and the 1 teaspoon salt. Stir together water and the
1/4 cup olive oil. With the machine running, add water mixture
in a steady stream, processing until dough forms a ball. Transfer
to a lightly floured surface and knead gently 10 to 12 minutes.
|
Roll out half of the dough at a time as thinly as possible (about
1/8 inch thick). Use a 3-inch cookie cutter to cut into trees or irregular shapes. Place
on ungreased cookie sheets. Brush dough with additional olive
oil, then sprinkle lightly with the coarse salt. Bake in 500
degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes, until brown and crisp. Cool
completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container for
up to 2 days or freeze. Makes about 48 crisps. |
|
