A Holiday Giveaway with a Lemon and Artemisia Twist! U.S. Readers Only!

I Know You Can Always Use Jam and Jelly!

A Cleveland Sage Potpourri (with Sweet Annie) and Tarragon Vinegar!

A Herbal Notebook for Your Recipes, Designs or Thoughts!

Herbal Tea Bags for the Winter!

OK, here it is what some of you have been waiting for.  It doesn't look like the traditional basket I give.  This year it is all herbal items from my herb garden except for the notebook.  So here is the list you will receive should you win and BTW there will be TWO winners this year!

Each winner will receive 1 of each of the following:

Raspberry Jam
Lemon Basil Jelly
Lemon Verbena Jelly
Pineapple Sage Jelly
Rose Geranium Jelly

1 Jar of Cleveland Sage Potpourri (made with Sweet Annie, an artemisia)
1 Bottle of Tarragon Vinegar (and you can use the tarragon in the bottle like fresh)
1 Notebook
4 different tea blends (2 teabags of each)  Kittatinny Tea, Love of Lemon Tea, Une Tisane Francaise and Rosemary House's Tranquilla Tea.

I think this is a great gift box in time for the holiday season and to thank you for reading about my love of herbs.

This is only for my United States readers.  This giveaway will run from now until 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time next Monday, December 15, 2014.  If you are on Facebook, you can like or comment on this post and be entered.  Only one entry per person.  Please if you aren't a blogger, give me some contact information.  If you don't, I will not accept your entry.  Good Luck!  Hope you win!

An Herbal Fix for Those Stinky Sneakers Just in Time for the Holidays!

Found An Herbal Recipe to Fix Those Stinky Sneakers!

Bought Some USA Made Crew Socks

Mixed Up the Recipe in An Old Casserole with a Wooden Spoon

Put the Sock in a Tall Glass to Fill It

Tied Those Socks with Festive Ribbons

and Put Them in a Festive Plastic Bag!

Always looking for good ideas for Christmas presents that I can make.  A few people who shall remain nameless may have stinky sneakers.  I'm here to help with that problem, herbally speaking.  I really like the book The Naturally Clean Home by Karyn Siegel-Maier.  I have done my take on her recipe.  Here is the original with my notations in parentheses.

Herbal Sneaker Tamer #1

2 cups of dried sage
1-1/2 cups of dried lemon balm (I used lemon verbena and some lemon scented geranium.)
2 cups of cedar chips
1/2 cup of baking soda
2 tablespoons grated orange rind (I didn't use this ingredient, but I think I would use lemon peel.)
10 drops rosemary essential oil
5 drops lemon essential oil

Combine the dried herbs, cedar chips, baking soda and orange rind in a glass or ceramic bowl.  Stir with a wooden spoon.  Add the essential oils and stir to blend.  Place half of the mixture in a clean sock and tie the open end shut. (I used a rubber band and then tied on a ribbon.)  Stuff other sock with the remaining mixture and tie off.  Place a stuffed sock in each sneaker overnight or when not in use.  NOTE:  These are 'dusty' because of the baking soda.  When you aren't using them in your sneakers, store them in a plastic bag.  You may have to replace the baking soda after a while.

Very easy.  Smells delicious.  Think it will work very well.  I may make them for myself and another person who shall remain nameless.  I did buy women's socks.  I think this will work equally as well for men's socks and sneakers as well. 

Getting a bunch of rain here.  Hope you had a great day.  Getting items ready for my annual holiday giveaway.  May post the items and start things over the weekend if I get the chance.  Talk to you later.

Almost At the End of Canning Tomato Sauce!

One of the Last Canners Full of Tomato Sauce!

Yes, I know I have GERD and I really shouldn't be eating tomato sauce! But I canned a lot of tomatoes back in the days when we grew a lot of tomatoes.  I still have to do something with those canned tomatoes.  Yes, they do survive years of being canned.  The Herbal Husband loves my sauce and so do I.  I just can't eat a lot of it any more.  So I spent last Saturday making tomato sauce and canning it.  I have one more recipe to make later on and then I will be done with quart canning.  I'm passing along my empties to my master gardening buddy who teaches canning and she will pass them on.  A rite of passage.  Let the young ones learn what our grandmothers and mothers did in the early days.  Although I learned to can on my own.

Need to put together your box for my Christmas giveaway.  Stay tuned!  It's that time of year!  Hope you are having a great day. Talk to you later.

They Said What About My Favorite, Lemon Verbena? Part Three

The Verbena Oil in Concentration May Be the Issue in Photosensitivity!

Well, I had a light bulb moment the other day while reading about my favorite, lemon verbena.  BTW, we are going to take a break from this series of posts until after the first of the year.  I have too many other posts to do and not enough time!  Here are the last bits of information for now, including that light bulb moment.

Ruth D. Wrensch in The Essence of Herbs (1992) says that using a strong infusion fromm the [lemon verbena] leaves as an extract to substitute for the zest of a lemon."

Roger Phillips & Nicky Foy in Herbs (1992) says "This [lemon verbena tea] can be drunk three or four times a  day to relieve acidity, indigestion and flatulence or as a stimulant for lethargy or depression.  The smell of lemon verbena tea just makes me happy!

Barbara L. Collins and Floyd A. Giles in Landscaping Herbs (1998) says that outside lemon verbena is insect and disease resistant.   I would say disease resistant, but I have problems now with the stink bug.  So not totally insect resistant for me.

This was my light bulb moment from Arthur O. Tucker & Thomas DeBaggio, in The Encyclopedia of Herbs (2009) when they say (And I don't totally understand this, but I think this is where it led other authors to say that lemon verbena can bring issues with photo sensitivity of the skin.  "Oil of verbena was widely used in fragrance compositions, but the presence of up to more than 1 percent (Z) - and (E) - is ocitral (artifacts of steam distillation) produces photo sensitization of skin, so concretes and absolutes are preferred in perfumery."  If someone can explain this, I would appreciate it.

So it really wasn't an very old passage in a very old herbal, but more as the process of making perfume that they discovered the photo sensitivity of lemon verbena oil.  Fortunately, I don't have that sensitivity!

Hope you have enjoyed this series of posts.  I will do more in the coming year.  I need to do a few Christmas related posts before Christmas comes and goes!  It is cold and blustery here!  Hope you are having a great day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later! 

Didn't Know A Fig in a Container Could Produce So Much!

111 and Counting!

Two of Our Figs Almost Produced 200 Figs!

The Brown Fig Getting a Bit More Sun

One of the First Brown Figs of the Year!

Neither of Our Figs in the Ground Produce Any Figs!

Really these are The Herbal Husband's babies.  We have a green fig, a brown turkey fig and he just bought an LSU purple fig from Well-Sweep Herb Farm that has not yet produced.  He first nipped a cutting (the green fig) from a famous garden in Washington, DC to start our first fig.  No, not the White House!  Figs in the mid-Atlantic or Northeast need a southern exposure or a south facing wall to grow against for best results.  We have tried everything sort of burying our plants and that's what they really recommend.  We had an elderly Italian gentleman who buried his fig tree every year and got plenty of figs.  Then he passed away and his widow tried to duplicate his efforts and it wasn't as successful.  We have tried many combinations of trying to get our trees through the winter and we have just given up.  The Herbal Husband turned to containers.

Well, I guess The Herbal Husband has finally come up with the correct combination of fertilizer, water and temperature to produce figs.  He has also read an article published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by Susan Silverman called You Also Can Grow Fig Trees in Containers.  Because she lives in our area, it works for us.  The Herbal Husband tends to baby his containers especially the figs.  If it is too sunny, they go into the shade and if it is too windy, they go into the garage for a timeout. The brown fig which I had at breakfast this morning was small but had such intense flavor.  It was very delicious!  Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We certainly did.  Cooking the turkey is a process and we only cook it once a year, so it is worth it!

Have a lot to say over the next couple of weeks.  Hope I get it all accomplished.  It is very cold here today, but sunny.  Warmer over the weekend.  Hope you are having a great day.  Talk to you later.    

My Favorite Herbal Recipes for Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Dinner from Last Year!

Somehow we have gotten to the holidays already!  Is it me or has 2014 just flown by?  Of course, tomorrow is the big day, Thanksgiving and you probably have your menu already set, but if you haven't, here are some links to guest posts I have done for Mother Earth Living magazine in past years.

The first post talks about two of my favorite herbs for Thanksgiving, lovage and sage with recipes for Cream of Carrot and Lovage Soup and Feta-Sage Cornbread.  The second guest post is an herbal twist on cranberry sauce that my mother made at Thanksgiving called Herbed Cranberry Orange Relish.  Finally, one of my favorite ways to have leftovers is with a recipe that my mother made with turkey leftovers, Turkey Tettrazzini.

Hope you have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving.  As you can see from my banner photo, we have a dusting of snow here in the 'Burgh!  Busy in the herbal workshop and I'll post other those adventures soon!  Talk to you later.

The Perfect Containers for Drying Herbs!

The Perfect Container for Drying Herbs!

The Perfect Size for Branches of Tansy!

The herbs that were drying on my worktable are almost put away.  I'm getting ready to put together some more tea blends for the winter and some other crafts for Christmas.  I stumbled across this container in the thousands of containers we seem to horde and have found that it is the perfect size for drying herbs especially tansy branches.  Ziploc calls it a large rectangle.  Of course, this year's models are just slightly different, but they are perfect for storing herbs or I'm sure you can come up with your own ideas, herbally speaking.

We had a wild day in the weather department.  It was 70 maybe even more with 50 mile an hour wind gusts!  And I spent it in the grocery store buying groceries for Thanksgiving!  The garden is pretty much done any way.  Hope you have had a great day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later.

They Said What About My Favorite, Lemon Verbena? Part Two

Lemon Verbena Hanging Out in the Kitchen Sink!

Well, I didn't imagine I would become so engrossed in this topic.  I'm sort of obsessed with finding the source of the dermatitis remarks.  So here is a second wave of fun herbal factoids that I have found.  Yes, I did find another source of the sensitivity issue and it comes from across the pond.

I will start with the earliest factoid not about the sensitivity issue.  In Sybil Leek's Book of Herbs (1980) she says that lemon verbena "relieves harsh, barking coughs, which can be a strain on the heart."

Taylor's Guide to Herbs (1995) Edited by Rita Buchanan says "It is recommended for colds, headaches, colic, dyspepsia and fever.  Rub leaves in pets' fur to repel fleas and on yourself to repel mosquitoes."  I will be trying that last tip about mosquitoes and will let you know!

The Illustrated Book of Herbs (1996) by Barbara Hey talks about putting a handful of lemon verbena in the vacuum to perfume the air.  She also talks about stinkbugs in dry conditions are a problem for lemon verbenas.  She talks about using paraffin in a can with a stick.  I just use a jar with soapy water in it.  You do have to be adept at getting them.  I have gotten pretty good.  So good that they tattoo my hands with an orange coloring!  Ms. Hey says if you miss them, a lizard may take care of them for you.  I think I might get a pet lizard!

Paul Seitz in The Complete Herb Gardener (1996) says protect lemon verbena from rust.  My lemon verbenas never get rust (knock on wood) but I must remember that other parts of the country may have this disease affecting lemon verbenas.  He also says "use only small amounts and not over a prolonged period of time."

Deni Bown in Herbal (2001) and in her Encyclopedia of Herbs for the Herb Society of America (1995 or 96) says "the essential oil was once popular in perfumery, notably in a citrus-scented cologne know as eau de verveine. (My favorite summertime perfume!) Its use declined following evidence that it may sensitize the skin to sunlight."  I'm going to being looking into her bibliography and seeing her sources and if I can find a much earlier source.

Sarah Baker the Editor of Herbaceous (2003) talks about powdery mildew as a problem for lemon verbena!  In SW Pennsylvania, I have never heard of this disease as a problem for lemon verbena.

In the Reader's Digest The Complete Illustrated Book of Herbs (2013) Barbara Booth, Editor talks about a common name for lemon verbena as lemon beebrush.  In cooking, the leaves are best used fresh and young.  Use sparingly, otherwise the flavor can overwhelm the food and be reminiscent of lemon-scented soap!  This book originally was published in Australia.  I just have never had the taste of lemon-scented soap in any cooking or baking where I have used lemon verbena.  I guess just stick with the recipes suggestions as far as amounts of lemon verbena used and you should be fine.

In Culinary Herbs & Spices of the World (2013) Ben-Erik Van Wyk talks about growing lemon verbena from seed.  He is from South Africa and maybe you can grow lemon verbena from seed there.  Have you ever seen a packet of lemon verbena seeds?  I would love to find them if they exist.  I would still suggest taking cutting from your existing plant to make new plants.

So Deni Bown is another author talking about sensitivity to lemon verbena.  I am on a quest.  Looking for that very old source.  I'll let you know what else I find.

It is very cold here in the 'Burgh.  We are going to moderate over the weekend.  So sorry for the Buffalo area!  Hope you are having a great day.  Talk to you later.

They Said What About My Favorite, Lemon Verbena?

An Interesting Insect on My Favorite!

I've gone into overdrive inside with herbal chores, but I took some time out the other day to pick up a couple or more books and checked out what they had to say about lemon verbena.  I was surprised by what I found.

In the Handbook on Culinary Herbs from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (1982) said under Horticultural Use:   "No special horticultural value" -- that hurts!  It is a very beautiful plant that doesn't overpower the herb garden and has a fabulous lemon smell.  Very special horticultural value if you ask me!

Jane Newdick in The Magic of Herbs (1991) talks about "infusing leaves to make a mouth cleanser; lemon verbena is said to strength teeth and gums as well as prevent tooth decay."  I will be using this tip!

In The Complete Book of Herbs (1994) by Andi Clevely and Katherine Richmond say "hot leaf pulp is effective against toothache.   Caution:  Large doses or prolonged use can cause internal irritation.  Also they have a recipe for a lemon verbena hair rinse.  It stimulates the pores and circulation.  1 handful of lemon verbena leaves and l cup boiling water.  1.   Pour the boiling water over the lemon verbena leaves and leave to soak for at least 1 hour.  2.  Strain the mix and discard the leaves.  Pour this rinse over your hair after conditioning."

Stephen Orr in The American Herbal (2014) talks about "large doses of lemon verbena tea can cause gastric irritation."  I would hope that would be an extreme amount!

But in the next book I read, Jekka McVicar says in Herbs for the Home (1995) "that a cup of tea before bedtime is refreshing and has mild sedative properties; it can also soothe bronchial and nasal congestion and ease indigestion.  However, long-term use may cause stomach irritation."  The next time I have sleep difficulties or indigestion, I will try a cup of my favorite, lemon verbena.

In Homegrown Tea (2014) which started this whole idea about this post, Cassie Liversidge gives a warning about lemon verbena that it "can occasionally cause skin irritation when touched, as the leaves are slightly rough.  Handle with gloves if your skin is sensitive.  Known to cause contact dermatitis, so handle with care."  I just have never heard of this in any other book until...

Rodale's 21st Century Herbal (2014) by Michael J. Balick gives the same caution as Cassie Liversidge--"Caution:  lemon verbena can cause contact dermatitis in some people."  I looked in an earlier version of Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs (1987) and it isn't mentioned in it.

So I am going to continue my research because I would like to get to the bottom of the causes dermatitis issue and because I have had dermatitis problems with angelica.  Fortunately, I have not had dermatitis issues with my beloved lemon verbena!  My search hasn't ended.  If any readers have a early dermatitis passage on lemon verbena, please share it.  Thanks!  

Hope you have had a great day.  The snow never materialized here.  There were flakes in the air but no snow on the ground.  A couple very cold nights and one cold day and we will be back to normal by the weekend.  Talk to you later.