Dandy Lions, Tigers and Bears...oh my!

OK, there aren't any tigers and bears in my garden, but there will always be dandelions nearby. Just as one man's trash is another man's treasure, so is it true that one woman's "terror of the lawn" is another woman's valued herb.

Not only do I love the bright cheery faces on a dandelion, but I have always been mesmerized by their seed globes. I once labeled one of Peter's photographs of a dandelion seed head "Wishes Waiting to Happen" and that is what I think each time I see those gray balls of fluff. While some gardeners will tackle you if you pluck one and pucker up to blow, I will likely try to beat you to it. I don't care how much they selfseed, I will cherish each and every plant. One of the great joys of being in my garden is taking time to puff on a dandelion head and make a wish. Then watch as the seeds drift across the garden buffeted by the breeze, taking my wish along with them until they get settled and can go to work making it come true.

Why grow dandelions on purpose? Why not! What other plant can do as much as the dandelion and look so darned cute and perky while it's doing it?

First off, the dandelion is not only edible (meaning it won't hurt you to eat it) but it is very tasty. You can toss the young tender leaves into a salad (either with other greens or by itself) Chock full of vitamins, a cup of dandelion greens will give you half again more Vitamin A than the daily requirement...more Vitamin A than a carrot! Actually, they're higher in beta-carotene than carrots too. The iron and calcium content in dandelion is phenomenal, greater even than spinach. (Wonder how much press Popeye would have gotten if he'd been gnawing on dandelions instead of popping open cans of spinach?) You also get vitamins B-1, B-2, B-5, B-6, B-12, C, E, P, and D, biotin, inositol, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc...prepackaged by Mother Nature with a delightful green and yellow label.

Making soup or stew? Toss in a few leaves. They add a zesty flavor and are always a welcome addition. Eating them has an added benefit as well...weight loss. Animals in a case study lost 30% of their body weight when fed dandelion leaves. They are high in fiber and of course, low in fat, making them a perfect diet food for weight loss and for treating high blood pressure as well because of its dieuretic qualities. You can pick dandelion safely, as there are no dangerous "lookalike" plants out there. Just be sure that you pick plants that have not been sprayed by chemicals (or the neighbor's cat!)

Not only are dandelion leaves tasty and good for your daily vitamin requirement, but because of their antioxidant qualities, they are considered a good deterrent against cancer cells, and are suggested as an addition to a cancer patients diet as a treatment. The leaves aren't the only useful part either, the roots can be dried and used as a coffee substitute. Actually, if you prefer tea, you can steep all the parts of the dandelion (flowers, leaves and roots) for a tasty way to warm up this winter. Any flowers that are left over you can float in your bathwater for not only the smile it will bring to your face, but for the softening agents that will be released into the hot water. Since dandelion is an anti-inflammatory, your long hot bath will likely make your aching joints feel much better than soaking in plain water.

You can eat the flowers in a salad (what a lovely colorful addition) or get creative with them and try your hand at winemaking. Who wouldn't want a chilly glass of Dandelion Wine? If you're not into the alcohol route, they make delicious pickles. You can saute them, batter and fry them, or steam them with other vegetables in stir fry.

In addition to adding yogurt to your diet if you are suffering from a yeast infection, try adding some dandelion leaves to your diet. With their antifungal agent working with the yogurt, you should be quickly back to normal. If you got that infection from taking antibiotics for a urinary tract infection, next time just go straight for the dandelion and you'll avoid a lot of trouble.

If you are a diabetic you may be interested in some late studies that are proving that dandelion can be beneficial for controlling sugars in our body. Most herbalists will tell you limit your intake to 3-4 cups of tea a day, but so far I have found nothing that gives any reason for limiting the fresh leaves (just be sure to eat them while they are young, they can be very bitter as they get older).

Today's recipe comes from a fabulous book by Steve Brill. Since dandelion sometimes tastes a bit bitter to those not used to truly natural foods, he suggests this as a great way to learn to appreciate the taste of dandelions.

Dandelion Saute

4 cups chopped dandelion leaves

3 cups chopped onions

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups grated wild or commercial carrots

1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce

1 tablespoon of wine.

A few cloves of minced garlic

Optional: Black pepper to taste
1. Sauté the onions in the olive oil.
2. When soft, add the carrots, dandelions, garlic, wine and soy sauce.
3. Cook for 10-20 minutes until all the flavors meld.

Goldenrod: Enemy or Friend

How many times have you heard someone sneeze or cough and with eyes watering complain "Damn goldenrods. I can always tell when they're blooming, even if I can't see them."

Sadly, goldenrods take a lot of heat from allergy sufferers, but in fact is their less showy neighbor, ragweed, that is the culprit. Because goldenrod is such a beautiful standout gold color, the eye is drawn to them, ignoring that innocent looking but very nasty little green and brown plant growing alongside it, and thus, the goldenrod gets all the blame. In fact, Goldenrod has been the primary ingredient in lifesaving cures around the world since herbalists first began keeping records. There are more than 130 species of goldenrod, including of course the one that lights our American roadsides with brilliant golden flares in the autumn. No matter from which side of the "pond" you hail, your ancestors likely treated disease and illness with tinctures and teas made of goldenrod. There is written proof that both the Chinese and the American Indian kept goldenrod as a staple in their stores of medicine, and it appears in British folklore as a healing herb for both the body and the pocketbook. The spike of the golden plants supposedly pointed towards hidden riches. Or hidden springs, depending upon which journal you read.

Sweet goldenrod was used as a coating on pills to make disgusting flavors go down easier. This was of course before Mary Poppins informed us all that it took a spoonful of sugar to do the same thing. There was a huge push in 1948 to farm sweet goldenrod on a large scale to process as an alternative to sugar. This notion never took, but it is still grown in herb gardens today for its sweet aniselike taste and beautiful golden fall flowers.

Goldenrod had one unusual use that is not largely reported although an article entitled "Goldenrod Rubber' can be seen in archived copies of the December 16, 1929 issue of Time Magaine. Thomas Edison created a fertilization and cultivation process to maximize the rubber content of goldenrod. His experiments produced a 12 foot tall plant that yielded as much as 12% rubber. He created a rubber from that goldenrod that he formed into tires for a Model-A given to him by his friend Henry Ford. It is believed that Harvey Firestone collaborated with Edison on the project during World War 2 as a replacement to domestic rubber, and they turned over their findings to the government a year before Edison's death. Although samples of this rubber remain in Edison's laboratory today, 50 years after his death, still viable and strong with no trace of rot or ruin, there seems to be no interest in producing rubber from goldenrod today. One would imagine that possibly the long arm of the petroleum giants reached even into Edison's laboratory?

You can usually spot poor soil by the profuse goldenrod. It seems to literally thrive in places where little else will grow. In rich soil, they grow so quickly that they fall over long before their golden rods can reach their full potential.

As a medicinal plant, it is grown for its use as a laxative or to stop vomiting or flatulence. It is also indicated in the use of urinary obstructions and infections. European goldenrod, the first cousin our American goldenrod has a longer list of uses, ranging from headaches, flu, sore throat, malaria and measles to treating peridontal disease, arthritis, and chronic eczema. Modern science refutes the claim that goldenrod has any medicinal qualities at all, however neither is there any indication that ingesting it can cause any adverse side effects.

Most people grow goldenrod today as an ornamental plant. The flowers dry to a nice golden color which makes them a great addition to craft projects. It has long been used as a dye plant, although the color may be a little brassy for some tastes. If so, try adding onion skins and sage to the dye pot to tone down the color a tad.

The goldenrod is the state flower of Kentucky, Nebraska and South Carolina. It was the state flower of Alabama until it was replaced by the camellia. Sweet goldenrod is the state flower of Delaware.

It's October 2nd here in Alabama as I write and goldenrod species are blooming all around. Our pasture is a brilliant gold and roadsides are literally awash with the color, which inspired this posting. I got very excited a few years ago when a friend who ran a bed and breakfast told me they'd made "Eggs Goldenrod" for breakfast for guests. I had never heard of a culinary use for goldenrod and I was very intrigued. I was a little disappointed when she shared her recipe, but it's worth sharing yet again, even though there is NO goldenrod involved. Perhaps a disclaimer? "No goldenrod was damaged during the cooking of this dish. Void where prohibited."

Eggs Goldenrod a la Jane

• 6 hard cooked eggs, halve, then separate and crumble the yolk and chop the whites


• 2 tsbp. butter


• 2 tbsp. flour


• 1 cup milk


• 1/4 tsp. salt


• 6 slices of bread
  
  Cut the edges off the bread, butter both side and place in muffin pan, pressing down in the center to form ‘cups’. Toast in the oven until golden brown. While the bread is toasting, melt butter in small saucepan over low heat adding the flour slowly and blending well. When it is blended, add milk slowly, stirring constantly. Add salt and cook until thick and smooth, stirring constantly. Add the chopped egg whites to the mixture and stir well. Pour equal amounts of white sauce into each toast cup and top with the crumbled egg yolks. Garnish with parlsey or chives. A dash of soy sauce can be added to the white sauce for a very different flavor.

Planned Gardenhood

Although it's tempting to visit an herb greenhouse or place an order for seeds and plants when you first make the decision to have an herb garden, you should always create a plan (on paper preferably) before you make any purchases.

As any real estate agent will tell you, it's all about Location, Location, Location. Whether you're buying a home, a business or plotting out an herb garden, you want to make sure you end up somewhere that you can be happy for years to come. Not only do you want a garden that's aesthetically pleasing when you're working in it, but you should also consider how it will look from the street, from other parts of your yard and when you're inside looking at it through windows.

While it's true that most herbs grow like weeds (and some in fact are classifed by many as weeds) and will thrive in almost any location, choosing a spot that has full sun at least part of the day will be the most likely choice for best results. Most herbs will grow nicely in partial shade, although they will not grow as fast or full as they would in full sun. Very few herbs will grow in full shade, certainly they will not grow to their full potential.

Drainage is important in an herb garden too. Although mints seem to not mind having wet feet, many herbs will fail to thrive if they don't get to dry their feet fairly often. A nice sunny slight slope or hillside is always nice for an herb garden, as is a level area with slopes nearby for drainage.

An herb garden doesn't have to be any exact size or shape. Some people have great success gardening in containers and hanging baskets on a porch or a deck. Others plow up great expanses and grow herbs as row crops. Others choose to create a design and focus on a smaller area, with room to grow if all goes well.

Once you've chosen the location and the general scale, it's time to decide what type of herbs you want to grow. Perhaps you want to create a simple tea garden, growing herbs that you can easily harvest and dry for tasty teas to help you while away the winter hours. Maybe you enjoy cooking and want to see what taste sensations you can create using freshly grown herbs instead of the processed herbs you currently are using. Are you a crafter anxious to try your hand at making wreaths, potpourri, fragrances, or beauty aids? Or maybe you want to dabble with growing herbs for medicinal purposes. Or, possibly you just want to create a "scratch and sniff" garden that sends you into near sensory overload by just walking through it and brushing against the plants.

Once you've made your decision, you must learn more about your individual choices to see if you've set aside the correct place for them to enjoy optimum growth, if they will be hardy in your zone and also be sure that your soil doesn't need to be amended before planting. Most herbs will grow in almost any soil, but some can be a bit persnickety. Do your homework to avoid losing valuable plants because you planted in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Now that you have the plan in your head, it's time to put it on paper. Even if you can't draw stick people (and I can't!) you can do a rough sketch of how you want your plants placed in their new home. It's much easier on you to move plants around with pencil and eraser than with shovel and rake, and it's certainly much easier on the plants. It's ok to make changes as you go along, if what you see in the garden isn't what you imagined in your head and on paper, but having at least a rough plan will save a lot of effort.

Today's usage of herbs is herb butter:

If you've priced herbal butters in specialty markets, you know the prices can be astounding. But, they're surprisingly easy to make and add so much to a gift-basket of muffins or homemade breads.

To create your custom herb butters, simply allow butter to melt to room temperature in a small bowl. Mix in your desired flavors [for a simple chive butter for instance, mix 6 tablespoons softened, unsalted butter with 2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon chives (I use scissors to snip mine into small pieces) and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice] and place in the fridge to chill and harden. You can use candy molds to make butter pats in interesting shapes, or wrap the slightly chilled butter in plastic wrap and shape it into a roll. This makes interesting circlets of butter when sliced. You can also leave it in the small mixing bowl for a nicely shaped butter mold that will perhaps fit in antique butter dishes. These will keep in the fridge for several weeks, and in the freezer for a few months.

But, What Do I DO With Them?

To some people, planting an herb garden is the equivelent of a dog chasing a car. Once he's caught it, what will he do with it? Many people get carried away with the heady aromas of an herb greenhouse and they end up with plants that have been a great addition to their herb garden, but, now that it's time to harvest them, they draw a blank. It's easy to get so busy with the growing that you forget that the end result of having an herb garden was supposed to include harvesting and using the fruits of your labor.

Whether you plan to use your herbs in the kitchen or on the grill (try putting a simple sprig of rosemary beneath almost any meat on your grill for a delectable smoked-in taste), as an addition to one of your crafting projects (dried herbs make beautiful wreaths, arrangements or stand-alone crafts such as woven lavender bottles etc), or perhaps as health and beauty aids (sage is a great addition to home-made shaving lotions, mouthwashes and gargles), you can likely find a use for almost every herb in your garden.

One of the most important purchases when planning an herb garden will be something that will likely spend very little, if any, time actually in the garden. Books on herbs to add to your gardening library. If you want to invest in only one book, my first choice would the "Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of HERBS" (ISBN# 0-87857-699-1). This book is an herbalist's dream! Chock full of information about growing, harvesting, using and enjoying herbs in almost every possible way. Beautifully illustrated and educational...a hard balance to find! My second personal favorite is "The Herbal Yearbook" byGillian Haslam (ISBN# 1-85833-010-6). This delightful book takes you month-by-month through a year of gardening with herbs. Hundreds of recipes, craft instructions and gardening tips are enhanced by lovely illustrations. Third on my list would be "Herbs for all Seasons" by Rosemary Hemphill (ISBN# 0-670-85041-1). The small size of this book belies the amount of information on its pages. It describes the culinary uses of herbs as well as medicinal qualities, along with (as stated on its jacket) "..new facts and old folklore, recipes and remedies, poetry and pepper."

Our recipe from today comes from the back cover of "Herbs for all Seasons."

Four-Herbs Vinegar

Cut basil, borage, mint and chives just before the plants flower. Bruise the leaves and pack them into a glass jar. Heat white vinegar and pour over the leaves. Cover and infuse for 14 days, shaking occasionally. Strain, then store in glass bottles with screw-top lids.

Opinions are like belly buttons, we all have one. Mine, in this case, would be to use apple-cider or red-wine vinegar. I don't like the taste from white vinegar...and I do like the additional health qualities from true apple-cider vinegar, especially if it has a "mother" (the icky slimy stuff that grows in vinegar. Many people throw away their vinegar when they see that "mother" thinking it has ruined, when in fact it is at its prime for medicinal and health-conscious usage. I also prefer using corks to screw-top lids, but that is truly just a personal preference. I save every pretty or unusual bottle I find (esepcially wine bottles that may have corks that match their label) and reuse them for bottling vinegars. If the label is attractive, I'll simply place my own descriptive label over the portion of the original label that described the previous contents, leaving the artwork and name in place. I also don't like putting heated vinegar over my herb leaves, stems and flowers, I always use room temperature. Sometimes I don't strain the vinegar, but leave it as it was originally bottled. If I strain it, I almost always place a stem or few leaves inside when I rebottle it.

One of my favorite herbal vinegars was made using lemon balm leaves and stems, pineapple sage blossoms and orange mint leaves. After I had packed the herbs in the bottom of the bottle, I poured the bottle half full of apple-cider vinegar, I then placed a curl of both orange and lemon peels and finished filling with the vinegar. After it had been bottled in a dark place for a few months, it had an incredible citrusy taste that made an awesome marinade for grilled chicken breasts. Yum!

Where Can I Buy Them?

Herb greenhouses are becoming fewer and farther between with rising costs of maintaining a year-round greenhouse. When you do find a specialty greenhouse, don't expect a lot of bargains. Although herbs are easily grown and will thrive in places where most plants would toss up their branches and die, growing them on a large enough scale to open to the public can be very costly. You may find your pocketbook can't provide you with all of the plants you dream of to make your herb garden chock full of everything that catches your eye.

If your thumb isn't completely brown, you should be able to grow a lot of your herbs from seeds. Seed packets are relatively inexpensive and with a little bit of knowledge, proper tools and equipment and a little bit of luck, you may be able to not only fill your own garden to overflowing, but share some with friends as well. What a lovely way to fill a Saturday afternoon, swapping herb plants with friends and neighbors. Perhaps members of your garden club would be interested in combining orders so that you can each afford a great quantity.

Below is a list of some of the most popular herb catalogs:

• http://www.sandymushherbs.com/ Located in North Carolina, Sandy Mush Herbs offers a wide selection of herb plants, seeds and books. They are open to the public occasionally, and are a nice addition to a visit to Ashville's points of interest.
• http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/ Mountain Valley Growers, in Squaw Valley, CA offers certified organic herb and other perennial plants.
• http://www.seedsofchange.com/ All Seeds of Change seed packets are certified organic, and are a true link to the past.
• http://www.goodwincreekgardens.com/ Goodwin Creek, located in Williams, OR has a free print catalog offering herb plants, seeds and books
• http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/ One of my personal favorites, Nichols (also in Oregon) has a vast selection of herbs and rare seeds at affordable prices.
• Visit my neighbor, Larry Chandler of Sand Mountain Herbs near Fyffe, Alabama http://www.sandmountainherbs.com/ and be impressed by the variety of unique seeds he offers!
• I've personally visited White Flower Farms in Litchfield, Connecticut, and it was a lovely respite after a two-day drive. You can order a copy of their catalog at http://search.whiteflowerfarm.com/cgi-local/cataloguerequest.pl.
• http://www.gardeningplaces.com/seeds.htm This is just a good basic list of garden suppliers across the country

OK, now the gauntlet has been tossed. Go forth and buy seeds, plant seeds, harvest bounty. But, along the way, don't forget to relax and ENJOY!

Welcome to my Garden!

Glad you could stop by to rest a while and inhale the scents of my herbs and heirloom flowers. Have a seat in the old wooden swing over there, and close your eyes for a bit. What could be nicer than to spend an afternoon lulled to sleep by the warmth of the sun and the sounds of birdsong, being rocked by the gentle breeze.

Herb gardens don't plan themselves, or plant themselves or even grow entirely on their own (although they are certainly more hardy and time-effective than most other types of garden) so it's not going to be all about relaxing and keeping our feet up while we sip lemonade (or mint julep, this IS the south after all!) but it will be all about enjoyment. The excitement of going through seed catalogs and dreaming big dreams, the heady thrill of watching plants spreading roots and foliage as they get to know their new home, the overwhelmingly enticing scents of newly harvested herbs awaiting their final destination, and the joy of creating something special in which you have an investment of time from its very conception.

Creating and enjoying an herb garden is a bit like having a child. You first must decide if you have the time and energy to not only plan and implement, but to nurture throughout the years. It takes dedication, knowledge and a true love of what you are doing, but the end result will be something that will give you a lifetime of joy and will repay you tenfold for every moment's investment.

This blog is the precursor of what I hope will become the bi-monthly newsletter for our herb business which we plan to open in early spring 2009. We will be covering every aspect of herb gardening from planting to harvesting and beyond. Each installment will end with a special recipe or directions for a craft project starring something from our herb garden.

I'm looking forward to learning with you and from you. Please share your ideas and knowledge. If you'd like to become a regular contributor, please send me an email at cedarbrookfarm@gmail.com and I'll include you on our author's roster.

So, here's a snappy salute with a gardening trowel in hand as I make my way to the piles of dirt and mulch and rows of happy plants that is what I hope will continue to be a refuge for my family as it grows, taking us away from the everyday cares and stresses of life. Even if we never harvest a leaf or cut a blossom, just having a place to "scratch and sniff" and perhaps do a little grazing, makes an herb garden worth the effort.

Happy Gardening!