The Pittsburgh Creche and Manger Herbs

The Pittsburgh Creche was first installed in 1999 through the efforts of the Christian Leaders Fellowship, and it was reinstalled in 2007 through gifts from labor unions, businesses, the religious community and other community leaders. It is the world's only authorized replica of the creche erected in front of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. It is a very inspirational work of art.

Some of these herbs were used in the manger bed. Bedstraw grows as a ground cover in the early spring. The legend is the flowers of the bedstraw were turned to gold from white when it was used in the manger for the Christ Child. Thyme was used in the bed for Mary to rest. Pennyroyal is said to blossom at midnight when the Christ Child was born. Rosemary flowers turned from white to blue as Mary layed her robe on the bush during her journey to Bethlehem. Juniper is a very herbal tree and protected Mary and the Holy Family in their flight from Herod. It is used particularly to decorate creches and shrines in Italy. Balsam was sought as the first Christmas tree because it was as high as hope, as wide as love and that bore the sign of the cross on every bough. It was the definitive symbol of Christmas.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, Where Art Thou, Christmas Tree?

OK, 19 years ago when the herbal husband and I moved into this house, we haven't had a Christmas tree. The last tree we had in our apartment, it caused the herbal husband to get a cold. We went to a tree farm in below zero weather. He doesn't forget those times! We moved into this house and we were filled to the rafters! When we had our holiday party the first year, party goers said the only place we could have a tree was in the bathtub! It was a really easy decision. Although I have a lot of Christmas ornaments that will have to be sorted out. We decorate very simply these days. A wreath on the front door.

A little decoration in our dining room. The clementines on our dining table. See I did get one more clementine, a little holly and santolina! The herbal husband thought those were the oranges. He said, "Where is that other orange?" "Well, dear, those are clementines not oranges!" No comment on the loss of his beloved fruit.

So here is a photo of a Christmas tree from the herbal archives! I made it when I was drying everything that wasn't nailed down. It is from a Yankee magazine I think, but I need to get up in the attic after the holidays and come up with the directions for you. It's from Adelma. It really came together fairly easily, but you have to have a lot of dried material. This tree was about two feet when it was finished. I have to say it was quite impressive. It is now in everlasting heaven!

The Rhodies are Even Cold!

When the rhododendrons are curled up like cigars, you know it's cold! The birds at the feeders wanted extra food today. The herbal husband put hot water in the birdbath and even the sparrows were in taking baths! I don't know how people in the north country stand it. Very hardy souls! I stayed inside with a cup of wild strawberry tea and worked on some special Christmas cards from one of the English cross-stitch magazines.

The Smell of Clove and Orange!

Well, here are the spoils of two days work! Not too much! But again, the house does smell heavenly from the cloves and orange fragrance. Little clove mountains! I will move these around each day for a week and we shall see next week how they look. The clementines and cloves are a much simpler process. I would go that direction for last minute decorating. Check out my post on December 18th. Happy Winter Solstice! Stay warm!

My Spice Box!

Look what I found all wrapped up in my spice (cardboard) box in my basement. My spice stash! There are bay leaves (2009 herb of the year), cinnamon sticks, allspice, whole cloves, nutmeg and rosemary. I bought these spices years ago and they are still aromatic! There is a spice business in Pittsburgh known for its different types of casings for sausages. It is called Pittsburgh Spice and it is located in the Strip District of Pittsburgh. The Strip is known for produce, ethnic markets, fish markets, bakeries and restaurants. There is a website now for Pittsburgh Spice and they have over 500 spices listed! Most have to be bought in bulk (or 1 lb. increments), but the prices are very reasonable. They do have smaller quantities, but not for all items. They also have an 800 number. So we will be busy in the coming months thinking of ways to use these spices so I can buy new next year. I will have a further update on the pomander post tomorrow. The house smells wonderful!

Seed Catalog and the Movies!

Took a break today and went to the movies with the Herbal Husband to see Seven Pounds with Will Smith and Rosario Dawson. It was intense, but very good! Also got the latest catalog from Nichols Garden Nursery in Oregon. They are celebrating 60 years of business and are taking a favorite seed from each decade and promoting them in this catalog. I'll be adding to the herbal gifts tomorrow.

Herbal Christmas Decorations--Pomanders (UPDATED)

Nothing is cheap these days. I was hopeful that this craft would be something that would be inexpensive to make for the holidays. I still think it might be. These dusty things are actually dried oranges studded with cloves called pomanders. I made them many years ago (more than ten years) and actually they still have some scent to them. I just happen to be reading the December issue of Good Housekeeping magazine yesterday while getting a haircut and came across an article using clementines and cloves. The decorated clementines as shown in the magazine may last for a little while. I still think they make a very natural decoration if you like that look at the holidays. Click on the Good Housekeeping link above and it will take you to the page. I think it is a beautiful presentation. I just did one so you can see. A box of clementines is $6.99 at our grocery store. The Herbal Husband said, "How many of my clementines are you going to use?" "Only one...at the moment.!"

The word pomander comes from the French pomme for apple. It refers to the round shape of the early scented balls, and amber from the fixative, ambergris. Pomme d'ambre became pomander. They were traditionally medicinal and worn to counteract odors. I found Valencia oranges which have a thinner skin than navel oranges were easier to decorate with cloves. The clementines would be equally as good as the Valencia oranges. If you are doing this with children, using an apple may be easier for them to learn at first.

I did have to buy navel oranges which have a thicker skin (which may take longer to dry) and I will use an awl to poke holes in the orange to add the cloves. Everything Adelma tells you not to do! I use masking tape to tape the middle stripe off and then take my awl and put the cloves in. Once all of the cloves are inserted, I remove the masking tape. I have a plastic bag full of spices which hopefully still has the right amount of scent. Adelma talks about using 2 teaspoons of ground cloves, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of powdered orris root for each pomander. Orris root is a fixative that holds the scent for a longer period of time. If you have allergies, you may not want to use orris root. You might try using pieces of corncob or cellulose fiber along with clove or cinnamon essential oil instead of the orris root. I would place that mixture (corncob and essential oil) in a glass jar. Shake it until the pieces have absorbed the oil and no longer stick to the sides of the jar. I would combine the spice mixture with the essential oil mixture. You want to place the finished pomanders in a bowl or container (I use a glazed bowl or dish.) open to the air and roll them in the powdered spices for about a week. Change their positions each day. For 6 to 8 apples or oranges you will need:

1/2 pound whole long-stemmed cloves
1 cup (about) ground spices, including:
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
1/4 cup ground cloves
1/4 cup ground nutmeg and allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup powdered orris root (or 1/4 cup of corncob and 5 to 10 drops clove or cinnamon essential oil mixture)

Next week is Christmas so they may not be finished, but your house will smell wonderful at the very least. While they are drying, you do not want to store them in a closed container. They need to be in that open bowl. I use gold ribbon to add additional decoration. I will add a picture or two to this post to show you the finished product. Adelma says you can refresh your pomanders by washing them in warm water, rolling them in a fresh spice bath and adding a drop or two of clove or cinnamon oil and tying them with fresh ribbons. I think the only issue I would have is that after washing them, be sure they are dry before putting them in the new spices.

The finished pomanders can be given to guests on New Year's Day as a good luck wish. They can be used as a moth chaser also.

Our Holiday Greetings for Everyone!

I got a little sidetracked today by getting our Christmas cards written and sent. Sooo we are sending our greetings to all of you for a festive season! This card is a Pierre Joseph Redoute drawing of Amaryllis bresiliensis from Choix des plus belles fleurs. It is courtesy of Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. So if you are in the Pittsburgh area, you should visit their galleries in the Hunt Library on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University. Their current exhibit ends this Friday, December 19th and then there will be a break until the new year. Hope you enjoy the season with family and friends!

Herbal Gifts for the Holidays, Part 2!

Yesterday I gave you a tiny selection of herbal books for the herb lover in your life. Today I thought I would give you ideas for gadgets, spice blends, cookbooks and calendars that you may not have thought about in this busy season.

The Herb mill chops up both dry and fresh herbs and you don't have to be right-handed to use it! The Herb Keeper keeps three bunches of different herbs fresh and even keeps asparagus fresh. The mortar and pestle grinds all of those spices and there is also those small coffee grinders that work for spices also. I like hand powered gadgets! The garlic press is a must for anyone trying to mince their garlic cloves. You can also use a small grater like Rachel Ray. The nutmeg grater is a staple at The Rosemary House and on their blog, Rosemary's Sampler. A lot of these gadgets are at your local kitchen stores; but please if you have an herb shop in your area, patronize it!

I enjoy using herb blends. Two of my favorite places to get those blends are The Rosemary House (no surprise there) and The Village Herb Shop. The Village Herb Shop is a great herb shop in Chagrin Falls, OH outside Cleveland owned by Kathleen Gips. Chagrin Falls is a charming village with falls and lots of small businesses and good places to have lunch. Kathleen has great herbal classes (I helped her teach a class on lemon verbena!) and special events for her herb club members. It is a great way to spend a day. The pictures below show The Rosemary House's famous Roastmary, The Mayor's Magic Mustard and Susie's Garden Herbs and Garlic. There are two blends from The Village Herb Shop are for Herb Butter and a herb blend for pasta. They each have recipes and suggestions for uses.

Don't forget herbal cookbooks and calendars. Nancy Reppert's outstanding cookbook, Sweet Remembrances Recipe Collection can be purchased and I'm sure she would be glad to autograph it through The Rosemary House and her own website, Sweet Remembrances Tearoom. The other cookbook, It's About Thyme is by Marge Clark, who tragically died in an automobile accident several years. It is available through Bookfinder or your favorite search engine. Also, Amazon has a lot of herbal gadgets and herb books. The herb calendar is by Maggie Oster and is one of my favorites because it gives you herbal hints with a new topic each month.

Don't forget homemade items like jelly, homemade pasta sauce, apple sauce, herbal cookie mixes, breads, teas, and herbal blends to name a few. Your family and friends will appreciate the time you gave to put your herbal products together. I know mine do! Tomorrow more herbal gifts that you can do yourself! Hope you will join me.