POTPOURRI December brings to mind Christmas!

POTPOURRI
The Austin Herb Society Newsletter
December brings to mind
Christmas!
The Supreme Court has ruled that they
cannot have a nativity scene in
Washington, D.C. This wasn't for any
religious reasons. They couldn't find three
wise men and a virgin.
Jay Leno
So Mary Mills suggests:
Let's be naughty and save Santa
the trip.
December 2011
and mola-appliquéd denim vests to herbal
teas, vintage goods, and aromatherapy and
skincare products. Herbs and other plants
will also be available for purchase.
Shoppers are invited to sample herbal
refreshments while browsing through books
on herbs, gardening, wellness, cooking and
more, offered at 45% off retail prices.
Savory Spice Shop-6th Street owner Karen
Aboussie will provide a brief introduction on
the history and symbolism of holiday spices,
including both culinary classics like
cinnamon and nutmeg as well as ancient
aromatics like Frankincense and Myrrh. In
addition, guests will have the opportunity to
create their own mulled spice blend using
fresh orange rind, cinnamon sticks, cloves,
allspice and cardamom for a nominal
charge. Recipes featuring mulling spices,
including Spiced Maple Syrup, Mulled Wine
Sangria and Creamy Rice Pudding, will also
be on hand.
Gary Allan
Holiday gifts, goodies and more!
Spice Up Your Holidays at Austin Herb
Society Holiday Bazaar Tuesday, Dec. 6
at Zilker Garden Center
Shop for sweet and savory breads,
lavender-laced sugars and jams, fragrant
spice blends, natural soaps and sundries,
handmade jewelry and other handcrafted
goods at the Austin Herb Society’s annual
Holiday Bazaar from 9:30 a.m. to noon
Tuesday, Dec. 6 at Zilker Garden Center,
2220 Barton Springs Road. Admission is free.
More than a dozen vendors will offer
products ranging from hand-woven baskets
Handmade soaps and sundries (bath
salts, sea salt scrubs, salve and
insect balm) from Farm Fresh Soaps
plus lavender edibles (sugars, jams
and spices).
Sweet and savory yeast breads,
including Italian Herb & Cheese,
Seedless Rye Loaf, Country French
Round, Roasted Garlic and Potato
and Buttery Brioche, from the Farm
Fresh Soaps new, licensed micro
bakery, Daley Bread.
Custom-designed necklaces and
earrings featuring semi-precious
stones by Lucinda Rudin and Cindy
Lu Creations.
Hand-woven baskets by Susan Thomas.
Skincare products, including oils and
waters, from Susan Norwood of All
Good Things.
Fragrant and tantalizing herbs, spices,
blends and festive gifts ideal for
holiday gatherings, courtesy Savory
Spice Shop.
Natural cold process soaps, sugar
scrubs, bath salts, lip balms, lavender
spray, gift sets and more from
Fleegal Farms Soap.
Jewelry and antique objects from
Babette Stevenson.
Herbs and other plants perfect for giftgiving from Gabriel Valley Farms.
Chinese herbal teas & information on the
Provence 2012 Lavender Tour,
hosted by Andra Millian.
Jewelry and vintage items from Jean
Bazar.
Teas and aromatherapy products from
Cindy Burrows.
Mola-appliqued jean jackets and vests
by Gay Klinger.
Fun and festive flea market finds,
including books, linens and
kitchenware, from Betty Williamson.
Herb-inspired books on cooking,
gardening, wellness and home décor.
For more information, contact Norise
Jastillana, 358-4542, or visit
www.austinherbsociety.org
<http://www.austinherbsociety.org/> .
Texas Herbal Holiday
submitted by M ary H. M ills, pgherbfarm.com
Growing herbs year-round is one of the joys of
living in Texas. In fact the fall and early winter are
great times to plant perennial herbs. Mulching will
help protect the roots from freezing and covering
tender plants during the brief freezes of south-central
Texas will start your herb garden off to a great start
in spring. Oregano, rosemary, thyme, bay laurel,
garlic, chives, sage, dill and cilantro grow well
throughout Texas winters. Dill, fennel and cilantro
prefer to grow in Texas during the cooler part of the
year. I was disappointed to learn that cilantro does
not do it’s best when tomatoes and peppers ripen in
my summer garden. I found that I could freeze the
tomatoes and peppers and create wonderful Tex/Mex
dishes seasoned with cilantro that warmed my family
during the cool weather.
Bay Laurel, a small tree or large bush is the source of
bay laurel, a fragrant flavor that freshens foods
cooked a long time such as slow cooker recipes,
stews and soups. The plant is slow growing and is
happy in a container on the patio or in a south facing
window in winter. The leaves make a fragrant
addition to holiday wreaths.
Rosemary is my favorite year-round herb. Although
our soil at the Purple Gate Herb Farm is slightly acid
and rosemary prefers alkaline soil, the plant does
pretty well here. It has survived the hot, dry, drought
of summer and continues to fill the air with a fresh,
pine-like scent in December. A wreath of rosemary
branches can be hung to greet visitors at the front
door. A swag over a fireplace or mirror on the wall is
festive and functional. The fragrance freshens indoor
closed rooms and rosemary contains a powerful
antibacterial, rosmarin, that may help keep winter
colds in check. Hospital staffs in France once burned
rosemary in sick rooms to cleanse the air of
pathogens. Throw some thicker rosemary twigs on
the fire in a fireplace to enjoy the rich scent
throughout a room. A few minutes in a microwave
just before visitors arrive will greet them with a
welcoming fragrance. (watch carefully and do not
catch the twigs on fire.)
The most wonderful part of growing rosemary in
winter is that it provides fresh herbal additions to
many of our winter culinary delights. Rosemary
branches added to the grill will impart a delicious
flavor to meats and vegetables. A little rosemary goes
a long way to make meat, salads, vegetables and
breads taste wonderful.
My daughter, Catherine has a favorite rosemary
shortbread that I make for her at Christmas.
Rosemary Shortbread
Preheat oven to 350
degrees
Ingredients
Butter a 9 inch cake
pan or lightly coat a 9
inch round shortbread
mold with vegetable
oil.
3/4 stick unsalted butter
(about 6 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking
powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh
rosemary leaves (finely
chopped) or 1 ½ tsp
dried, crumbled
rosemary
Beat butter, honey and
sugar with an electric
mixer until light and
fluffy.
In another bowl mix
flour, baking powder,
salt, and rosemary. Beat
flour mixture into
butter mixture just until
combined.
(Over mixing makes the
shortbread tough.)
Lightly flour a surface
and knead the dough
(about 8 times) or just
until it comes together.
Press evenly into pan or
mold with lightly
floured fingers. If using
a cake pan, score the
dough into 8 wedges
and with the floured,
flat tines of a fork press
the edges decoratively.
I hope you find more
wonderful ways to
enjoy herbs during the
Texas Holiday season.
Studying Texas Plants
submitted by Mary H. Mills
“Getting to know you,
getting to know all about you”
I began my study of Texas Plants by collecting
field guides. I wanted to know the names of the
plants I was seeing, what distinguishing features
made them different and alike other species. The
field guides described the plants, where they
were likely to be found and often provided a
drawing or picture to help us learn what we were
looking at. Often the picture showed a plant in
flower, an occurrence only for a short time in the
life of the plant. The rest of the year it looked
very different. How was I to get comfortable
recognizing any of these plants? There is so
much more to know about any plant than it’s
physical description.
Then I found a book that showed me that getting
to know a plant was much more interesting.
Reading about the remarkable, noteworthy and
interesting story of the plants in this book makes
each plant memorable. One is likely to seek out
the plant, get to know it and appreciate it in many
levels after reading about it’s history, unusual
biological information like does it contain
medicinal, psychotropic or toxic compounds?, or
was it used by pre-European Native Americans?
This book introduces us to plants in a remarkable
way. I highly recommend it as richly informative
and wonderfully written.
Remarkable Plants of Texas.
uncommon accounts
of our common natives.
by Matt Warnock Turner
University of Texas Press. Austin. 2009
From the books introduction:
This book is written for a broad spectrum
of people who are interested in Texas
native plants, from novices to experts,
from casual observers to plant
aficionados, from gardeners and
naturalists to landscape architects and
botanists, from city dwellers and
suburbanites, to ranchers and park
rangers. The book does not presuppose
botanic knowledge, and technical
terminology is kept to a bare minimum.
I purchased the book from Amazon.com and it is
available from the University of Texas Press.
NOTE: in reviewing my notes I came across this
email. I was sorry I missed this meeting!
CULINARY GROUP TRIP— For those of you who
asked, on October 21 the Culinary Group went
to the Hill Country Herb Society luncheon to
hear Dr Matt Turner talk. He is at the
University of Texas. His book REMARKABLE
PLANTS OF TEXAS: UNCOMMON ACCOUNTS OF
OUR COMMON NATIVES, was the topic. It was
fantastic.
Charting An Unknown Path
submitted by Mary H. Mills
Studying herbaceous plants has become an
obsession. Who knew the group of herbaceous
plants was as extensive with so many diverse
plants?
I found out that many herbs are inexpensive and
easy to find for sale in my area. These common
herbs grow in many soils and conditions to
reward us in many ways. These herbs were the
ones I learned about early in my investigations.
The use of many plants were recorded in many
ancient cultures in the world and we are lucky
enough to be able to review the literature and
learn about plants used for culinary, medicinal,
cosmetic (including insect repellents), and rich
scented potpourri, wreaths, perfumes and dyes.
The Purple Gate Herb Farm
Caldwell, Texas 2001
My first herb gardens were designed as theme
gardens to display what I was learning in my
research. I had an ancient garden, medicinal
garden, fragrance garden, myth and magic garden
and I was richly rewarded with the enjoyment of
walks in the gardens with interested visitors.
A possible Christmas gift for yourself
or a valued friend?
My family moved from the location where I
developed these gardens and I am now faced
with creating new gardens in a new environment.
I began reviewing my notes and research to
develop planting designs.
Then I found myself in a long lasting, hot, dry
drought that lasted almost the whole year in our
new home. The plants I transplanted from our
old home (about 600) were stressed by the
excessive heat and dry environment and began to
die. Predictions from many sources were
discouraging and the consensus was this drought
could last for years.. A Texas drought in the
1950's lasted for 7 years! It was heart breaking
and almost made me give up on having
interesting herb gardens in our new location.
now absorbed in this interesting idea. I will
welcome suggestions to help me on my way.
My criteria for plants in this new design idea is
two or three of these characteristics:
Plants must be native to Central Texas or
be adaptable to our area
Plants must be drought tolerant, like dry
conditions
Plants must have culinary, medicinal or
other documented uses by locals or
Native Americans.
Plants must prefer sandy soil ( as this is
what we have in our new home)
Desirable plants will be somewhat cold
hardy for our area.
I began reading the books I have collected over
the years. I have had a long interest in the
historical use of plants, especially by Native
Americans since my Clan Grandfather in Alaska
introduced me to his healing practices for our
Tlingit tribe. He inspired me to study other
native healers who used local plants of Texas for
healing. I also had an interest in Texas
Archeology and my husband, Bud, my three
children and I participated in summer digs for 8
years.
My research opened new and interesting ideas.
Soon I began to be made aware of so many other
plant families that included vines, mosses, cacti,
succulents and even trees! An idea began
forming in my mind. I could combine all my
interests developing a native Texas garden. I am
An added bonus to planting herbs in any garden
is they often attract bees, butterflies and
hummingbirds. These pollinators increase
production of fruits, vegetables and seeds in the
garden. I plant to continue with herbs from other
cultural areas as well. For example lavender,
lemon, balm, lemon verbena, pineapple sage and
many other richly scented herbs will benefit my
garden by attracting these pollinators.
So......Here I grow again. The search is on.
Merry Christmas to all
and to all
a Good Night
Visit our sponsors!
American Botanical Council
Gabriel Valley Farms
www.gabrielvalleyfarms.com
www.herbalgram.org
Geo Growers
Ana’s Herbs
www.geogrowers.net
www.anasfoods.com
Great Outdoors
Austin Onsite Acupuncture and
Nutrition
www.austinonsiteacupuncture.com
www.gonursery.com
It’s About Thyme
www.itsaboutthyme.com
Barton Springs Nursery
www.bartonspringsnursery.net
Natural Gardener
www.naturalgardeneraustin.com
Becker Vineyards & Lavender Farm
www.beckervineyards.com
Ronda’s Montessori Garden
www.rondasgarden.net
Bonnie’s Greenhouse
254-799-7909
Savory Spice Shop
www.savoryspiceshop.com
Chez Zee
www.chez-zee.com
Vivero Growers
www.viverogrowers.com
Fleegal Farms Soaps (web orders
only)
Wheatsville Food Co-op
www.wheatsville.coop
www.fleegalfarms.com