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Tansy Lane Herb Farm
Newsletter October 2003
Welcome
As the days grow shorter and the fall rains whisk away the golden maple leaves
at the front of the house it is time for us all to bid farewell to another year
of herb gardening. Those with lots of herbs, time and energy will have dried
cooking herbs, made jellies, vinegars and tinctures on their shelves and found
many creative ways to use the aromatic and healing properties of herbs over
the winter months. Then there are those of us who do what we can at the end
of a long day or week ! We all get used to the many wonderful ways to use herbs
over the summer and want to capture as much as we can for the long winter months
ahead. Whatever you have been able to do congratulate yourself as you curl up
by the fire with a good book and a cup of herbal tea.
Our Gardens Now
It has continued to be a busy time harvesting to get everything cut and dried
in our drying house during the cold and rainy weather. There was a lot of anise-hyssop
for the Cold and Flu Tea and a great crop of catnip, which Spooky, our black
Himalayan cat, is hired to inspect . (The pay is great). Chelsea, the Princess,
is usually too busy getting her beauty rest to help with the inspections.
The comfrey and calendula were dried and infused for the healing creams and
salves. The last of the basil went to the Grape/Basil Jelly and the Garlic/
Basil Vinegar. The rosemary was cut for the Cranberry/ Rosemary Jelly and the
Cranberry/ Rosemary Vinegar. And on it went….. The buckets are stacked many
tiers high with dried herbs ready to be used in all the products we make during
the winter.
Bringing Herbs Inside
I am often asked about bringing herbs inside for the winter. Most perennial
herbs can be wintered over inside. Many people like to have them but I guess
I'm ready to take a break from the constant care they would require. My exceptions
to this are : rosemary, parsley and chives. Many references suggest changing
from garden soil to potting soil to avoid bringing soil borne diseases and bugs
in as well as having a medium more suitable for indoors . My recommendation
for rosemary is to find a cool room with lots of light and place the plants
on a bed of stones. It is the dry winter air in our homes that kills these plants
so easily. Water the stones frequently but don't let the soil become soggy .Mist
the
plant frequently. My rosemarys love it in my cold sunroom and bloom happily
in the
winter. I find parsley takes more frequent watering but is more forgiving than
rosemary which drops its needles when it is too dry.
Chives should be potted and left outdoors until they have had a couple of good
freezes, then bring them indoors to a cool place. Just don't leave them out
so long they get covered with snow and you can't find them or the pots become
frozen in the ground (like I have)
Trials and Tribulations of Herb Farming
Considerable research and problem solving went into the signage in our gardens
this year.
As you know, when your plants are small, the signs are clearly visible. As the
plants mature the signs are covered by foliage. The final decision, after many
trials, was to have
wooden stakes in the ground and mount wooden plaques on them that could be moved
to taller stakes as the plants grew. The wooden plaques could also be removed
for the winter as husband John had devised metal sleeves to connect the sign
to the stake. To make the signs clearly readable they were printed on the computer,
mounted on bristol board , laminated then glued to the plaque. They have on
them the common name, latin name and medicinal usage. Poems with references
to herbs were also displayed near the appropriate herb. We mentioned in our
September newsletter the idea of sitting on a bench in the Moonlight Garden
watching the grey and silver plants reflect in the moonlight. Well, we never
got there but something else did!! It appears that porcupines are the glue-sniffers
of the animal kingdom. They came into the moonlight garden by moonlight (how
ironic) and tore the signs off the plaques to get to the glue. So, if you see
some porcupines staggering down Rte. 114 with glassy eyes, you'll know where
they've been. Oh well, back to the drawing board !!
Product Information - Potpourri
Potpourri has held a prominent place in our history since biblical times. Aromatic
plants were burned in the homes and the floors were scattered with sweet smelling
leaves. Cleopatra had a carpet of roses ( rumored to be a foot deep) that Mark
Anthony went tripping through. In 16th century England, herbs were used to freshen
the stagnant odors in homes.
Floors were covered with herbs and herbal mixtures in bags were used to freshen
the air, sweeten closets and deter vermin. People carried nosegays to sweeten
the air around them. Sachets were strategically placed around the house. During
the Victorian era ( 1837-1901) ladies created their own potpourri using the
herbs, flowers and spices from their gardens, Early potpourris were moist blends
created from fresh petals, salt and herbs that were aged in sealed glass jars.
With the development of artificial fragrances potpourris have changed in that
they will last a long time and are cheap to make. Unfortunately, (or fortunately)
for many of us, the odor of these artificial fragrances in a package of dyed
woodchips with some florals is very offensive. This is a dramatic change from
the sweet scents of past centuries. With the availability of essential oils
we can now re-create the potpourris of olden days. At Tansy Lane we create potpourris
from dried flowers, berries, herbs, cones essential oils and orris root. We
created Romantic, Victorian and Christmas Potpourris which we call Real Potpourris.
You can create your own using your favourite dried flowers and herbs accented
with essential oils and orris root. The orris root is available at the Corn
Crib and we will be carrying small bottles of essential oils at the Farmers'
Market on Barker St. in Dec .
Basic Recipe for Potpourri
2 cups petals, herbs, spices etc.
¼ cup fixative such as orris root
20 drops essential oils
Upcoming Events
Christmas In the Country- December 7-9
This is a wonderful opportunity to get quality local gifts and spend a day in
the country. Our customers find this much more enjoyable than shopping in the
malls . There will be lunch specials along the way. Maps can be picked up at
Morning Glory Florals or Kay's Framing.
Last year some customers asked for private shopping parties for their family
, friends or co-workers. This way you can shop at your convenience for those
on your Christmas list. These evenings are available at Tansy Lane : Nov 26,27,28
Call to reserve a time for private shopping with friends.
Tansy Lane Herb Farm tansy@nb.sympatico.ca 734-3006 www.tansylane.com
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