Fall is in the air!

This morning, I woke to cloudy skies and a little chill in the air. And did I actually see a hint of orange on the topmost leaves of the maple tree, out back? Yahoo! The Autumnal Equinox comes this week, a cold front is on the way - time to get the hoodies out of storage and make way for Fall!

MULLED CIDER

My own recipe - perfect for a Sunday afternoon open-house in the Fall, or post-sledding party in wintertime.

1 gallon brown apple cider - clear cider will do, in a pinch

3-4 cinnamon sticks (about 3” in length)

1 Tbl. whole allspice

2 tsp. whole cloves

1 tsp. star anise, optional

1 Tbl. dried orange peel ( ¼” cut)  OR

1 whole orange lightly studded with cloves*

½ cup brown, white, or Demerara sugar, to taste.

(Cider can vary in sweetness - test it out!)

Mix all ingredients in a large pot or crockery cooker. Heat almost to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 to 45 minutes.  Test-taste along the way, to make sure the spice proportions suit you. Strain and serve in mugs with a cinnamon stick.  Adding rum is very optional!

* If using a fresh orange, omit dried orange peel and 1 tsp of the cloves.  Float the orange in the cider while simmering, 

Also, if you will be holding the cider at a simmer for a long time - as in a crock pot, for a party - the spices will get stronger and stronger. Either strain them out after 45 minutes or be prepared to add a little hot, unspiced cider, periodically. 

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This is an absolutely gorgeous cheese ball. The pomegranate seeds look like rubies against the green of the chopped cilantro, and the inside is a deep Fall gold. It's also delicious - a little bit sweet, a little dash of curry, a hint of heat. 

FESTIVE FALL CHEESE BALL

From The Herb Companion magazine, Oct./Nov. 1998 issue

16 oz. extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 Tbl butter

4 Tbl chopped crystallized ginger

1 bunch (4 to 8) green onions with some green tops, chopped

1 Tbl hot curry powder

¼ tsp crushed red pepper (or more, to taste)

2 tsp paprika

3 Tbl medium-dry sherry or white wine vinegar

1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped (substitute Italian parsley if you don't care for cilantro)

Seeds of 1 pomegranate (optional)

Process all ingredients except cilantro & pomegranate seeds in a food processor until blended.  Turn out onto plastic wrap, cover, and refrigerate overnight. (Can be formed into balls, wrapped in plastic wrap, and frozen for later, at this point.)

When firm, form into a ball and roll in the chopped cilantro.  Stud generously with pomegranate seeds if desired.  Serve immediately, or rewrap with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until about 20 minutes before serving.  Serves 12 as an appetizer.

Coming on next week's radio show... Herbal Comfort Food!

Enjoy, and stay Snug. ;)

Scented Holiday Gifts!

I've been playing with herbs for most of my adult life, and taught my first herb class in my living room, on October 16th, 1997. A group of my friends attended, paying 5 bucks each to listen to me talk. Oh, and there was food. (Did you doubt if for a second?)

From there, I branched out into classes at local churches. I started working for a local garden center in 1998, and taught more classes there. And for local gardening groups. And at a cooking shop. That was the height of "cool", complete with fully-equipped kitchen classrooms and cameras on my hands. FUN!

One of the most popular series of classes I've ever presented was titled "Scented Holiday Gifts". It was geared toward small things (think teacher/neighbor gifts and party food), and usually involved three sections: Gifts for the Home, Gifts for Bath and Body, and Gifts for the Taste Buds. Every year between 2002 and 2009, I'd come up with a new slate of recipes/ideas for the year - usually 20 or so different things per class. I'd make up samples of most of the food, some of the non-food, and we would make-and-take the remaining six or eight recipes during class. 

It was a madhouse. It was a blast. I'll have to do it again for real, some year.

In the meantime, here's this little forum for posting recipes and tips! I'd like to break it into several posts, re-sharing some of the things that seemed to be the most popular. And maybe adding a thing or two that I've found along the way. ;)

Ready? Set... GO!

Cinnamon Ornaments

"Cinnornaments" are one of my most popular craft-show items, and a great craft to do with kids. 

Most-asked question: 

"Can you eat these"?

Most-given answer: 

"You could, but the jingle bells might not go down so well." ;-)

Ingredients:

1 pound cinnamon (about 4 ½ cups)

One 25-ounce jar applesauce (a little less than 3 cups)

Extra cinnamon for sprinkling on countertop

Reserve about ½ cup of the cinnamon and about one tablespoon of applesauce.  Mix the rest together, forming a loose ball.  Dough should not be sticky or wet (add more cinnamon if necessary).   Let dough rest for 15 to 30 minutes.

Now, work the dough!  Knead it, pound it, smack it, poke it with your fingers, until you have a nice smooth ball without any cracks.  Sprinkle a countertop with cinnamon, and start forming the dough into a smooth, flattened circle or oval.  Again, work out any cracks or rough spots that form. (If dough seems dry, work in small amounts of reserved applesauce.) Roll out with a rolling pin until it’s a little less than ½ inch thick.  Thick is best! Cut with cookie cutters, and dip the backsides lightly in cinnamon.  Next (here's an Important Thing), use a thin soda straw to poke holes for a ribbon.

Mini-cookie cutters make great pins! Just glue a 1" pin back on, after baking.

Transfer ornaments to an ungreased cookie sheet, and bake at 150 degrees F for 45 minutes.  Turn everybody over, then bake for another 45.  Turn ornaments over again, put them back in the oven, and turn it off.  Leave them in for 2 to 3 more hours.  Makes 30 to 50 ornaments, depending on thickness and size of cookie cutters used. When ornaments are completely dry, decorate as desired with craft paint, glitter, jingle bells, sequins - anything you want! 

Hints, tips and FAQ’s:

v All measurements are estimates!  Weather conditions, brand of applesauce, type of cinnamon, and the phase of the moon (just kidding) can affect how much of what you use.

v Cheap applesauce is just fine.  Ditto cheap cinnamon, if you can find it. (Sam's Club)

v If you only want to make a few ornaments, just use 4 ½ parts cinnamon to 3 parts applesauce.

v You might want to wear a dust mask while in the first stages of mixing.

v Have applesauce at room temperature.

v If you forget to make the holes for the ribbon, never fear!  Just go to your local craft store and pick up some sticky-backed magnetic tape.  Voila!  Refrigerator magnets!

v This ain’t cooky dough.  It doesn’t need to rise, so you don’t have to treat it gently.  Pound it till it behaves!

v Rinse & dry hands frequently while you’re working the dough.  Makes it easier, and keeps those little dried bits from mixing in with the “good” dough and causing speckles.

v Have fun!  That’s the whole point of doing this to begin with, right?

So, here you have just a taste of Scented Holiday Gifts. More to come, in the weeks ahead!

Preserving your harvest, Part 2: Oils, Vinegars, Butters, and Pastes

Homemade butter, ready to add a few herbs!

Save that flavor! There are more ways to preserve herbs for the winter than just drying or freezing - making herbal oils, vinegars, butter, and pastes (pesto).

• Herbal Oils: Not to be confused with “essential” oils. These are actually herb infused oils, used mainly for cooking. Gently heat olive oil, peanut oil, or other vegetable oil until it’s warm and fragrant. This will take three to five minutes, depending on how much oil you’re heating. Then pour the oil into a glass jar to which you have added fresh herb sprigs, herb leaves, garlic, or chilies. Use about three 2-inch sprigs, one clove of garlic, or one chili for each cup of oil. Let oil cool, cover, and store in the refrigerator for a week to let flavors develop. Use the oil to sauté and in marinades and salad dressings. Store oil in refrigerator and use within one more week.

• Herbal Vinegar: Choose white vinegar, white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or rice vinegar, depending on the herbs you’re adding. Be sure to choose a vinegar that will not overpower the flavor of the herb you’re adding. Heat the vinegar but don’t boil it; then pour it into a glass jar to which you have added fresh herb sprigs or leaves. Use about three 2-inch sprigs for each cup of vinegar. Garlic, shallots, or chilies can be used, too, by adding one for each cup of vinegar. Let the vinegar cool, then cover it with a plastic jar lid, since metal will react with the vinegar fumes and corrode. If all you have is a metal lid, place clear plastic wrap over the mouth of the jar before screwing on the lid. Store in a cool, dark place for up to a year. Use the vinegar in salad dressings and marinades and to deglaze pans.

• Herb Butter: Combine about 1 tablespoon of minced fresh herbs with ½ cup softened sweet butter. Wrap the mixture in plastic and store it in the refrigerator for up to a month or in the freezer for about three months. Use the butter on warm biscuits or toast, steamed vegetables, poached chicken, or fish. Or use it to sauté .

• Herb Paste, or Pesto: Check out my Basil post for a good, basic pesto recipe. And then… broaden your scope with it by using other herbs, different nuts, omitting the cheese and or garlic, using different hard cheese, etc! Pesto keeps very well in the freezer.

You can also omit the nuts, cheese, and garlic entirely to make an herb/oil concentrate: Use 2 hard-packed cups of herb leaves to ½ cup good-quality canola or safflower oil. Blend in a food processor until you have a coarse paste. Will keep 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 1 to 2 years in the freezer. You can use the icecube-tray trick to freeze herb pastes: Simply fill a tray with the paste, freeze it, then pop the cubes out into a freezer bag for storage. (I'd suggest double-bagging or placing the bag in a sealed container for longest-lasting flavor.)

However you decide to preserve your herbs, be sure you give yourself a healthy pat on the back come January. You’ll be enjoying the fruits of your garden and the work of your own hands, adding in a small (but very tasteful!) way to the quality of your life. So, save that flavor and enjoy your herbs!

Preserving your harvest: Drying and freezing

Picture this: In the depths of January, you’re making a big pot of vegetable soup. You go to the cabinet, take down several neatly labeled jars, and shake out some dried leaves. Crushing them between your hands, you release all the scents of summer – basil, oregano, thyme. You let the fragrant pieces fall into your steaming soup, bringing your garden into your home in the middle of winter…

Ahhhh, Herbal Drama! But by preserving your own herbs, you really can add flavor and new interest to your meals throughout the year. You can also save some serious money – just take a look at how much grocery-store seasonings cost. Your own, home-preserved herbs will also be fresher, healthier, and taste so much better.

Harvesting your herbs

If you’re planning on preserving your herbs, it’s best to harvest them when their flavor is at its peak.

• Harvest just before the plant begins to flower. (For better yields all summer from herbs like basil and oregano, remove the flower stalks as they form.)
• Pick your herbs in the morning on a dry day, after the dew has dried but before the sun is fully on them.
• For most leafy herbs, clip stems rather than individual leaves, taking no more than 1/3 of the length of any stem.
• For parsley, clip the entire stem down to the base of the plant.
• Washing herbs is usually not recommended, since it actually washes away some of the essential oils that give them their flavor. If you feel you must, you can give them a quick rinse, then gently blot dry or run through a salad spinner.
• After washing, be sure they’re as dry as possible.

Drying

The main goal of drying is to remove moisture while losing as little flavor as possible. How best to do this depends on the plant itself. If using the microwave or the oven, remember: Heat evaporates essential oils, and essential oils are what give herbs their flavor. So, use as little heat as you possibly can.

• Keep only the most perfect leaves for drying. Discard any with yellowing, spots, holes, etc.
• For most plants, leave the leaves on the stems. Gather the stems into bunches and band the ends together with a rubber band. Hang bunches in a warm, dark place with good air circulation.
• If dust is a concern, you can punch holes (lots of holes) in brown paper sacks and place them over the bunches before you hang them.
• When the leaves are very crispy, strip them from the stems, leaving them as whole as possible.
• If you’d like, you can save the dried stems and throw them in the fireplace for a fragrant winter fire…or use on the grill for extra flavor.
• If leaves are too fleshy to dry in bunches, you can pick them from the stems and lay them flat in a single layer on a screen or paper towels. Check often and gently stir them around. This also works well for flower petals, chamomile flower heads, and anything else without a stem.
• Careful microwave drying can work for some herbs, especially basil. Place a single layer of leaves on a paper towel and cook on full power for short bursts of 30 to 60 seconds. Watch very carefully so that they don’t scorch. Cook until leaves are mostly dry, then let them air dry for a few days until crispy.
• Oven drying can work, too. Set oven at its lowest setting, and leave the door open for air circulation.
• Food dehydrators can be great for herbs. Follow manufacturer’s directions.
• BE SURE TO LABEL HERBS WHILE DRYING! Dead leaves all look a whole lot alike!

Store dried herbs in clean glass jars, away from light and heat. They should last for a year or more, and the taste will be far superior to store-bought seasonings.

Freezing

Many herbs freeze very well, giving you summer-fresh flavor in a convenient little package. Try freezing dill, fennel, parsley, chives, or basil (which should be blanched, or will turn black).

• Seal small quantities, about 2 to 3 tablespoons, in freezer bags.
• Freeze herbs alone or in your favorite combinations – soup herbs, for example, or blends for poultry, fish, or salad dressing.
• Label bags clearly, and group them all together in a large freezer container. This keeps them from getting lost or damaged.
• You can also freeze herbs in water: Finely chop the herbs, fill ice-cube trays half full with them, then top off with water. When frozen, pop them into freezer bags and label. (Chopped, frozen leaves all really look alike!)

So... this is how you can get started with "putting up" your herbs for the winter. Next week, we'll be talking about more methods - Herbal oils, vinegars, butters, and pesto. Hope you'll check back - until then, enjoy!

- Jules

Beautiful Basil

There’s not much better than fresh basil, any time! It's summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and basil will be reaching its peak flavor. 

Try basil in your cottage cheese, with pasta, with anything tomato, or in these recipes:

Very Basic Tomato Salad.  Fresh tomatoes!  Slice up the reddest, ripest tomato you can find.  Chop a few fresh basil leaves and sprinkle over the top.  Cover with plastic wrap, let sit a bit at room temperature, then serve.   Salt is very optional. Slices of fresh mozzarella cheese and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil makes it Caprese Salad - paradise!

Genovese Pesto Sauce

4 large cloves garlic, peeled

1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed

¼ cup pine nuts, walnuts, or pecans

Pinch of salt, or to taste

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Combine garlic, basil, nuts and salt in food processor.  Process until chopped fine and formed into a paste.  Gradually blend in olive oil alternately with the cheese, processing until well mixed.  To store, place in covered containers in small quantities, cover with more olive oil, seal and refrigerate.  To avoid spoilage or “off” flavors, you must freeze pesto if it will not be used within two days.   A handy way to freeze for future use:  Spoon sauce into plastic ice cube trays and freeze.  (You probably will want to dedicate the ice cube trays just for pesto, since they’ll reek of garlic forever!)  Pop pesto cubes out, and place into a freezer bag.    (Double-bag for long storage.)   Use a thawed cube or two over buttered pasta or noodles, drop a couple in a kettle of veggie soup, or perk up ready-made spaghetti sauce. 

Basil Vinegar

From Herbs: Cultivating & Cuisine by Carol Asher

1 quart jar, wide-mouthed

Basil, bruised

Wine vinegar

Fill jar with bruised basil to about ¾ full. Add vinegar to cover. Cover jar tightly (do not use a metal lid). Place in a warm, dark place for 2-4 weeks, shaking periodically. After vinegar has reached the desired flavor, strain into a decorative bottle, adding fresh basil to denote the flavor.

BROILED FLOUNDER WITH PESTO

From Herbs – Cultivating & Cuisine

3 Tbl. butter or margarine, melted

Four 6-oz. flounder fillets

1 Tbl. lemon juice

1 Tbl. lemon thyme, minced

¼ cup fresh pesto 

Line a shallow baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly brush foil with half the butter. Arrange fillets in the pan and brush fish with remaining butter. Sprinkle fish with lemon juice and spread with pesto. Broil 5 inches from heat for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Serves 4.

Enjoy - and stay cool this summer!   - J.

Lavender Recipes!

As promised, here are a few little ways to bring more lavender into your life.

LAVENDER HONEY
This is great drizzled over toast, English muffins, granola, or stirred into a cup of tea!
1/4 cup English lavender buds
1 cup honey (not the creamed kind)

Place lavender and honey in the top part of a double boiler and simmer for about an hour, checking water to make sure it doesn't boil away. Remove from heat and strain out the lavender while the honey is still warm and thin. Pour honey into a clean jar with a lid, and store at room temperature.
Note: You do not ever want to let honey reach its boiling point. It will bubble up in a flash, leaving a sticky mess all over everywhere. Ask me how I know. ;-)

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CEDAR CHEST (MOTH-AWAY) SACHET

Adapted from the Atlantic Spice Company's recipe

The original recipe called for "Tilia Flowers", which Atlantic Spice no longer carries. They do carry the cellulose fiber fixative, which is basically ground-up corn cobs. Their link is listed to the right, and the San Francisco Herb Company is their sister company for all our western U.S.A friends.
You can omit the cellulose fiber if you'd like - just increase the amount of cedar chips by one cup, and drip the oil onto them instead.

Caution: Essential oils are potent and should be handled with care. Be careful not to get the oils directly on your skin or in your eyes! When mixing, use only non-reactive bowls, spoons, etc. (glass, ceramic, or stainless steel - no aluminum, plastic, etc.), and dedicate them to craft use from that point forward. (I like to get bowls & such at Goodwill for craft purposes!)

6 cups cedarwood chips*

4 cups lavender

1 cup cellulose fiber fixative

1 cup cinnamon sticks (1-inch)

1 cup cloves, whole

¼ to ½ ounce cinnamon or lavender essential oil

Drip essential oil onto the cellulose fiber nuggets, blending well. Mix with all other ingredients. Fill wide-mouth jars about ¾ full, cover tightly and store in a cool, dark place. Check fragrance after several days and add more cinnamon oil if desired. Cure for 2 to 6 weeks, shaking occasionally.

*Note: Cedar chips sold as bedding for small animals will work just fine, and are usually a lot less expensive than herb-store cedar!

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LAVENDER RIBBON BAGS

Dried lavender buds

Sheer wire-edged ribbon

Buttons or beads

Cut a 13” length of sheer wired ribbon.  Turn ends under about 1/4" and stitch.  Fold 5 ½ inches of the ribbon over on itself and stitch the sides together.  Put the lavender mixture into the pocket.  Fold over the remaining 2 inches to make the pocket flap.  Sew a button or beads to the pocket to secure the flap. 

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Have fun with your lavender!  - J.

Loving Lavender!

 

I love Lavender! It's been a favorite for centuries, and with good reason:

It's beautiful in the garden - no self-respecting cottage or herb garden would be without it.
It attracts bees and butterflies! (Ever tried lavender honey? Yessum!)
It smells heavenly - all clean and crisp and sweet and sunshine.
It keeps that scent when it's dried. For years.
Because of that scent, it keeps moths out of the closets.
Its oil soothes sunburn, burns, and scratches. And headaches.
It makes a fabulous syrup for making lemonade. Or iced tea.
It makes a load of laundry smell like sunshine.
It makes a soothing and refreshing bath.
It is a "balancer" in aromatherapy terms: if you're dragging, it's thought to pick you up. And if you're tense,  
          it's thought to calm you back down. Balance. :)
It's delicious in tea, in Herbes de Provence, in a cake with blueberries... let me count the ways...

In other words, I could go on and on and on.

Lavender's botanical name is "Lavandula", which comes from the Latin lavare, "to wash". I've always thought of it as an English plant, but it actually originated in the Mediterranean region. (Many thanks to Roman soldiers for spreading it and other herbs around!) Ancient Greeks and Romans added it to bath water, medieval folk carried it to ward off the plague, and it was historically recommended to treat “A light migram or a swimming ov the braine”.
 Yup, I'd rather not have my braine swimming, either! *innnnhale*

In the garden, lavender loves sunlight, warmth, and a well-drained soil that's on the "sweet" (alkaline) side. Here in my part of Kentucky, our soil has more than its fair share of clay - so the "well-drained" part is difficult at best to achieve. Our air is also extremely humid in the summers, which can be a little bit of a problem for some lavenders. 'Grosso' (pictured below) is an exception to this, and can grow to over four feet in diameter around here! I planted my lavender next to our concrete driveway - lime from the concrete tends to leach into the soil, making it a little more alkaline. Happy Lavender Campers.

Left: Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote'. Right Lavandula x 'Grosso' .

So, as I write this, it's June - full-on Springtime in the lovely state of Kentucky. The lavender has been blooming for several weeks now, keeping the bees happy. I cut quite a bit of lavender every year, both for my own use and to sell in little bunches at craft shows. The bees and I have an Understanding... when I'm harvesting bunches of stems, I move slowly and talk softly to them. I reassure them that I'm only taking some of it, and leaving plenty for them to enjoy. So, we work quietly and happily alongside each other. At this point in the season, whatever is left is all theirs - since I'm harvesting it mainly for ornamental use, I prefer to take stems that haven't bloomed-out yet. But I still go talk to them, of an early morning. :)

Bumblebee this morning, busy  in the 'Hidcote'

Freshly cut stems of  'Hidcote', which has the darkest-purple buds and blooms of any Lavender I know.

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In my own home, I love to dry it and put it in a certain little vase.  My Mom had the vase from my Granma (my Dad's mom), and passed it on to me long ago. It usually lives on the bathroom window sill, but sometimes I like to change it up a bit. :)

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Whoops - it's time to go set up for the radio show! I'll be back with another post, with some recipes. 

Promise. :)