So Succulent Gardens

The vodka helps with easier scooping.

• 4 cups lite half and half milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split
  
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons lavender honey  (Click link to buy lavender honey)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 T.  Vodka

Directions:
1. In a medium pan, heat the half & half milk and vanilla bean to simmer. Do not boil. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, brown sugar, lavender honey, and salt until light colored and frothy. While whisking constantly, slowly combine the hot milk with the egg mixture. Transfer the mixture back to the sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until mixture reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit,  when tested with a candy thermometer, or becomes thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat.

2. Remove the vanilla bean from the mixture and reserve. Strain custard into a large bowl. Scrape seeds from the vanilla bean into the custard, add the Vodka.  Cover the surface of the custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

3. When cold, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's 
directions.

4. Optional:  Sprinkle with fresh English Lavender Buds.

Hypericum perforatum
St. Johns Wort
Height: 15"     Zone: 5     Light: sun to part shade
Description:  Historically the astringent and antibacterial leaves were used medicinally and are still used externally by herbalists to treat burns. St. Johns Wort is gaining popularity as Nature's Prozac. For centuries, northern European women wore hyperium to repel demon lovers. With the spread of Christianity the plant was associated with John the Baptist; it was said that it flowers on his birthday and bleeds red oil in August on the day he was beheaded. Yellow and red dyes are obtained depending on the mordant used.

ST. JOHN'S WORT
In ancient times, the summer solstice was believed to be a magickal day. St. John's Wort was harvested on that day and used to ward off ghosts and evil spirits. It is also known as the "witches' herb" - witches used it to ward off the evil spirits, and Christians used it to ward off the witches!  

How to make  St. John's wort oil to sooth rheumatic pain as well as sprains and strains, cuts, wounds, as well as muscle and nerve aches and pains.

Simply pick the yellow flowers (dry them ) then place in a mason jar cover with olive oil, store in a cool dry place for two to three weeks.  Strain and add a vit E capsule.

As parents we all heard it before ---- if you get me this new pup, kitten or bunny, I PROMISE,  I PROMISE I will take to care it every day - that last about a week. So maybe you should allow your kids to start out with a nice huge glob of sour dough starter, if they can keep the goo alive for six to eight months they may just be old enough. They only have to feed it every 7 to 10 days and
you never know they may find the gooey glob of dough is just the companionship they need.

Basic Starter Without Yeast:
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar

Mix all ingredients. Place in a loosely covered container and refrigerate for several days until mixture doubles in size. This may take 4 to 14 days. When doubled, the starter is ready to use or store in the refrigerator. "Feed" once or twice a week with 1 cup milk, 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup sugar.

Basic Starter With Yeast:
2 cup flour
2 cup warm water
1 pkg. dry yeast or 1 yeast cake

Mix all ingredients. Let stand uncovered in a warm place overnight or up to 48 hours. The longer the mixture stands, the stronger the ferment will be. After fermenting, the starter is ready to use or to store in the refrigerator. "Feed" as above.

Important to note:
Always start in a glass, pottery or plastic container.
Store the covered container in the refrigerator when the starter is done. The starter dough may smell quite sour and a liquid may form on its surface but this is normal. Stir the starter before each use. After using some of the starter, always leave at least  1 cup of starter.  To keep indefinitely, feed the starter every 7 to 10 days. Do not use the starter for 24 hours after "feeding".

Lavender in many parts of the country will be bursting in full bloom, so go to the local craft store, grab yourself some 1/4 inch ribbon in colors, make yourself some lavender lemonade (recipe below) and do some crafting for christmas stocking stuffers. If you do not own any of these fragrant gems click here to order yourself a lavender lovers herb garden.

Lavender Wands
To make these you will need at least 13 (use an odd number) long stems of lavender, freshly picked from your garden on a dry day, and about 3 feet of pastel colored 1/4-inch ribbon. Make a bunch, lining up the base of the flower heads. Leave an 8 inch length of ribbon free at one end, then tie the stems together just below the heads. Gently bend back each stem until the flower heads are enclosed by the stems. Take the length of ribbon you saved and weave it under and over each stem, traveling around the bundle several times until the flower heads are covered with ribbon. Tuck in the short end of the ribbon and tie a bow with the other end. Trim the stalks and the ribbon.

LAVENDER SYRUP
2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh or dried lavender blossoms
Directions
Bring all ingredients to a boil in a large, stainless steel saucepan. Remove from heat and allow to steep 30 minutes.
Strain, chill and refrigerate, tightly covered. Use to sweeten hot or cold drinks. Delicious in ice tea or lemonade.

This is a recipe from Colorado State Extension Office.
The commercial brand of Deer Repellant is quite expensive, I thought you may benefit from this tried and true recipe.   It is quite weather resistant and needs to be sprayed again in 30 to 60 days. 

 
They state 20 percent of whole eggs and 80 percent water is most effective against our hungry friends.  But to prevent the spray from clogging the white membrane attached to the yolk must be removed.  Or you can cheat like me and use a product such as eggbeaters to skip this messy step.

As a spreader sticker I always add after filling the sprayer with a very small squirt of dish soap.
 
Other home made remedies have included human hair and Irish spring soap hung in used onion and potatoes mesh bags.    But remember if the animals are hungry enough they may eat anything.....   I wish I can say that for my boys in the family.

I HAVE HAD GOOD RESULTS AND FRIENDS HAVE ALSO!

We harvest our herbs at the peak of freshness and infuse in white wine champagne stock vinegar.  Our Herbes de Provence Champagne Vinegar changes with the growing season, Tarragon, basil, lavender, chive, fennel, thyme, bay leaves, lemon thyme, and garden burnet. With a dash of lavender honey. Since the herbs change monthly the color of the vinegar changes also.
Click here to view our new product Herbes de Provence Champagne Vinegar
Vinaigrette du Provence
Ingredients:
2/3 cup Olive Oil
2 1/2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard (I like Grainy)
2 1/2 tablespoons Herbes of Provence Champagne Vinegar
Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste
Preparation:
Whisk all ingredients until well blended. Serve vinaigrette at room temperature.

Do not limit your yourself to just leafy greens.  If you like a little sweeter dressing add a 1/2 teas sugar.

Growing up in a family greenhouse business, my grandparents put everything on hold at 3 o'clock....  Grandpa would always serve the women employees (of age) the classic highball and Grandpa would drink his weidleman's beer.   Now I prefer to have a deep dark great lakes porter, that my waistline has to show for it,  so I have made up this refreshing low cal virgin cocktail, that makes 3 o'clock break a special time.
Since I grow and sell over 15 varieties of fragrant mint, I try a different flavor every other day in my club soda.

Mint Surprise Refresher
6 Washed Mint leaves  You choice of variety.
1 key lime squeezed, add rind in glass (or 1/2 regular lime)
1 leaf of Stevia plant OR 1 tablespoon Slenda
Muddle the above together
Then add lots of crushed ice to the top of glass with club soda water. allow ice to to mingle and serve with straw.
Enjoy a moment to reflect on the day!

In ancient Rome the tradition of breaking bread over the brides head right after the wedding ceremony.  The wheat in the bread symbolized fertility and the crumbs were considered good luck. This is how the wedding cake evolved.

Looking for unique wedding toss visit our members listings for Herbal Wedding Confetti

WE ALL HEARD THE FOLLOWING RHYME:
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue
and a sixpence in her shoe.
~An old English rhyme

If you are near Westlake, Ohio you may want to attend the following fundraiser.  It is a wonderful afternoon to spend with your friends, daughters, sisters or invite an elderly widow.   I know you will not be disappointed.  Make sure you get your tickets soon-they sell out fast.

The Herb Guild 25th Annual Scholarship Luncheon 
August 5, 2009
Wagner’s Country Inn  
30855 Center-Ridge Road, Westlake, Ohio 
    
Speaker: Parker Bosley, past owner of Sammy’s and Parker’s restaurants, chef extraordinaire & sustainable farming advocate.
Mr.Bosley will give a PowerPoint presentation on Local Seasonal Foods, Saving the Farm and Restoring the Family.

Entertainment: Gary Richards at the piano

Menu: Chicken crepes, glazed carrots, green beans almandine, herb rolls, salad, chocolate mousse for dessert. Beverages included. The Herb Guild Herb tea blend 2009 will be served as an option. A wine cash bar will be available.

Basket Raffle & Silent Auction.

The Boutique will include Herb & Garden related Gifts, Vintage treasures, culinary herbs, teas, herb mixes, herb dips, herb vinegar, herb jelly, Bakery and more. Our own herb bread recipe baked exclusively for us by the Breadsmith of Lakewood. The featured Herb of the Year: Bay Laurel.

                 Donation: $30.00.  Tickets go on sale May 12.

Contact Joyce Hayward, ticket chair for reservations
330-801-7202
Mail checks payable to: The Herb Guild
7229 Songbird Lane
North Ridgeville, Ohio 44039

All money raised is towards an educational scholarship for students entering college to study horticulture related fields.

In Europe and colonial days May Wine was a traditional popular drink served in spring and early summer when the Sweet Woodruff is fresh and in full bloom and was traditional served in Germany on May 1.

Celebrate with May Wine on Mother's Day with this simple recipe.

Simply gather Sweet Woodruff (makes sure it is SWEET WOODRUFF) and allow to dry, this concentrates cumarin (vanilla) which gives its fragrance and flavor.  You can cheat and dry it in the microwave.

Using an inexpensive bottle of German Riesling wine or other light white wine, steep the sweet woodruff in wine overnight, strain out the woodruff, Add 1/3 cup of sugar, shake to dissolve the sugar and chill.

When ready to serve, add one bottle of sparkling water, wine or Champagne to the mixture.  The May Wine is often served with strawberries or other fruit.

AN HERB TO KNOW:
Galium odoratum
Sweet Woodruff
Height: 10"     Zone: 5     Light: part sun to shade

Description:     Fragrant ground cover combining the scents of newly mown hay and vanilla. A calming scent used to stuff pillows and scenting linen. Prefers moist shade and is a sea of white in spring. Used to make May Wine (vanilla flavor) and is an essential in a fairy garden. The FDA has rated unsafe in foodstuffs (except wine) due to compounds closely related to blood thinners. Medieval churches prepared for religious holidays by hanging woodruff. In herbal folklore this plants signify humility.

    

Tuesday Night (May 5, 2009) is the last day to order  Garden Gift baskets for shipping.  We offer a large selection unique gifts for every type of MOM!  Butterfly lovers, lavender lovers, herb lovers, soap and lotions gifts, please visit our members listing. 

This is wierd but I wish my kids would send me some flowers?  You would think I would be sick of plants? But you know whatever they will get or don't get, I feel lucky to have such very respectful children.   Even when it is not Mothers day they still ask if they could get me another cup of coffee, now that is what I call a blessing!  Or is it just great training????

Happy Planting, Gayle

HERBAL INSECT REPELLANT

Grind 1 ½ cup of dried herbs or 3 cups fresh and place in 1 quart of water, let it sit for 24 hours, strain, add 1/4 t. of dish soap. A variety of herbs are known to repel a variety of insects. Experiment to see what works best in your situation. Here are some that may work: catmint, feverfew, marigolds, sage, thyme, pennyroyal, wormwood, chives, painted daisies, southernwood, lemon bam, tansy, lavender, bay and garlic.

The creation of a successful hummingbird habitat in your garden is easy. Like other birds, they need food, water, and spots for nesting, roosting and perching. Hummingbird metabolism dictates a diet high in sugar. A ‘typical’ hummingbird consumes half of his weight each day in sugar requiring several feedings per hour. They obtain their sugar and many other nutrients from flower nectar.

Providing a steady succession of nectar flowers from early spring until late autumn is the key to attracting these birds. Hummingbirds are particular about their flowers. These ‘hummingbird flowers’ are often red, a color which is visible to the birds, but is indistinctive for insects competing for the nectar. They often have long tubular flowers which also discourages most bees which cannot reach down far enough to get the nectar. Red is the color that gets a hummingbirds attention, but they also sample flowers of other colors and frequent them if they are good nectar producers. Although attracted to the color red flowers they won't come back if they is a poor food source.

Hummingbirds also consume many small insects which they find in the flowers. A diversity of flowers promotes a healthy diversity of insect life that is necessary for their diet.

A complete habitat also includes trees and shrubs for shade roosting, perching and nest sites. It has been suggested that willows trees are a multipurpose plant. Their flowers are a source for both nectar and small insects while the downy filaments which aid in seed dispersal are a good nest building material for the hummingbird.

Hummingbirds get their nutritional water from nectar, but they do appreciate a bird bath. The water must be shallow, to accomplish this in a regular bird bath line the bottom of the basin with flat rocks and fill with water.

Hummingbird Flowers
Anise Hyssop
Lobelia
Penstemon
Butterflybush
Rosemary
Foxglove Columbine
Honeysuckle
Salvia
Coral Bell
Trumpet Vine
Red Hot Pokers
Bee Balm
Lambs Ear
Lupine
Obedient Plant

Create a tapestry in a pot with sensational succulents! The plants have a way of capturing the imagination with beautiful flowers, and interesting foliage and textures, making them irresistible additions to the sunny, well-drained garden. Because of their small size, they are also ideal candidates for the urban garden, giving city gardeners the option of growing a wide range of plants in even the most confined of spaces. Perfect for containers where forgetting to water is not a problem. They thrive on neglect, so if mom or sending a special gift for someone that loves plants but tends to forget they need love too, this is a wonderful idea!

Rock gardens are not hard to maintain, which is great for gardeners. In fact, most care simply involves removing weeds on a regular basis. Even this task will diminish as the rock plants establish themselves and fill in any gaps where weeds might grow.

Folklore: Sempervivum and Sedum are considered ‘Old World Treasures’ and are associated with mythology. During early centuries in Scandinavian countries, they were called Thor’s Helper’ and were believed to drive off demons and guard homes if planted on roofs. The Romans called them "Beard of Jupiter" and planted them on roofs to guard against lightning.

THE BLOSSOM FARM GROWS OVER 40 VARITIES.

HAPPY PLANTING, GAYLE

There is evidence of lavender being used for centuries, in Egyptian times in perfumes and massage oils. The Greeks used lavender as medicine during the first century AD. The Romans used lavender to scent the public baths where it was believed to restore vitality to bathers.

Romans also used lavender oil to massage and heal the skin and to repel insects. There are even several references to lavender in the Bible. The Queen of Sheba offered King Solomon "spike," an early name for lavender. Judith rubbed lavender oil on her body before seducing Holofernes. In France, lavender flowers were strewn on the floor to freshen the air and mask stinking smells of the unsanitary streets. In the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I drank 10 cups of lavender tea a day to ward off headaches and promote her sense of well being. The history of lavender's benefits is long and well documented.

Emotion: With antidepressant and sedative qualities, lavender lifts depression, eases stress and anxiety, and is useful in overcoming headaches, migraine and insomnia.

Insomnia: The sedative quality of lavender can induce sleep and ease problems of insomnia, restlessness and agitation.

Skin: Lavender is antiseptic and anti-inflammatory; healing cuts, burns, sunburns, insect bites, acne, eczema and even dandruff.

Breathing: Lavender is an antiseptic and can kill germs. It is also an expectorant, which breaks up congestion. It can help fight colds, throat infections, coughs, sinusitis and flu.

Circulation: Lavender is a sedative and hypotensive, and reduces high blood pressure and palpitations.

Digestion: Lavender use aids in easing indigestion, flatulence and nausea and alleviates bad breath or toothache.

Muscular: Lavender is analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic; the oil is good for aches, pains, sprains, cramps and spasms.

Source: Lavender, Nature's Way to Relaxation and Health by Philippa Waring

 "Lavender's blue, diddle diddle"- So goes the song;  All around her bush, diddle diddle, Butterflies throng;  (They love her well, diddle diddle, So do the bees;) While she herself, diddle diddle, ways in the breeze! Lavender's blue, diddle diddle, Lavender's green;  "She'll scent the clothes, diddle diddle, Put away clean- Clean from the wash, diddle diddle, Hanky and sheet;  lavender's spikes, diddle diddle, Make them all sweet!

MOTHERS DAY IS JUST THREE WEEKS AWAY. SO IF YOU ORDER EARLY BY April 30 through Local Harvest, Any of our GARDEN gift baskets or ANY OF our LAVENDER gift collections your MOM will receive a FREE LAVENDER SACHET or 1/4 POUND OUR SIGNATURE LAVENDER HONEY SHORTBREADS. 
Please send me a message what you prefer, or a sachet will be sent.

Sweetgrass is used in prayer, smudging, and purifying ceremonies and is regarded as a sacred plant by the Native Americans.  It is not well known that it was also sacred to early Europeans and is still used in churches on festival days. Sweet-grass aroma is strong only when moistened or burned. As the grass dries the fragrance intensifies. When burned it does not produce an open flame but smolders. Just as the sweet scent is attractive to people, it is also attractive to good spirits. Native Americans often burned the grass at the beginning of a prayer or to attract positive energies. A tea is brewed by Native Americans for coughs, sore throats, chafing and venereal infections. It is warned that because the roots contain coumarin that it may be considered carcinogenic.

The botanical latin name Hierochloë translates from Greek as sacred (hieros) and grass (chloë) Native Americans  call sweetgrass the “grass that never dies.” Even when it is cut, it retains its fragrance and spirit.
Today, sweetgrass is used inter-tribally throughout the United States.
Sweetgrass was used ceremonially by many tribes, including the Omaha, Ponca, Kiowa, Dakota, Lakota, Blackfeet, Cheyenne, Pawnee, and Winnebago. The Cheyenne, Blackfeet, and Lakota use sweetgrass in the Sun Dance.   Sweetgrass symbolizes life’s growth for the Cheyenne.
Sweetgrass used as perfumery of the Blackfeet, who braided it and kept it with their clothes like a sachet or carried it in small bags. Blackfeet women also used it as a hair rinse for shine and the men drank the tea to treat VD.  

Among the Chippewa, sweetgrass was used as an incense or smudge in ceremony, as a spiritual medicine, and in basketweaving. The use of incense is more characteristic of the Plains Indians than of the Algonquian tribes. “Men would smudge before hunting to purify body and spirit. Medicine men kept sweetgrass in the bag with their medicinal roots and herbs. Strands of sweetgrass were made into coiled and tied with strands of string to create baskets.

Sweetgrass is extremely easy to grow and enjoys a well drain but lots of compost.   They spread by underground rhizomes, and you can harvest once to twice a year. 

This plant from the BLOSSOM FARM cannot be shipped to Washingtion, Oregon, California or Arizona due to there state regulations on grasses.

Source:   U.S. Department of Agriculture.