Herb of the Month: Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm: A Blissful Herb for August

Each month we are focusing on a particular herb, looking at its growing and cooking potential. This month, the honor belongs to lemon balm, also known as melissa officinalis. This member of the mint family is great for inducing and inspiring calm and tranquility.The balm in the herb's name also hints at the health benefits that this plant offers. Lemon balm, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center,  helps to alleviate stress, insomnia, anxiety, and indigestion.

Nicholas Culpeper, the Early Modern author of Complete Herbal and English Physitian (1652), has further suggestions in how to use this herb: he says that it is good for women recovering from childbirth and may be used to disinfect certain skin irritations, among other maladies; not only can lemon balm be steeped as a tea but can also be steeped in wine.

How to Grow Lemon Balm

Pick a nice sunny spot: a large pot or planter box works fine. Either sow the lemon balm from seed or transplant the plants. Water well, as for mint. Once lemon balm is established--give it a couple of weeks--make sure that the herb is watered regularly. Like other members of the mint family, lemon balm will spread if not contained; also, like other members of the mint family, lemon balm is (happily) difficult to kill.

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How to Use Lemon Balm in Cooking

If you want an uplifting herbal tea, look no further than lemon balm. This light, citrusy flavored herb tastes great infused in a tea; sweeteners are optional. As an alternative, you can add the bruised leaves to a pitcher of ice tea and let it set for several hours before drinking for a refreshing beverage. As the Herb Society of America points out, the leaves are better used fresh than dried.

Lemon balm can also be used to flavor poultry and fish, and it can also be added to salad greens. The possibilities are nearly limitless.

Have you yet tried lemon balm? If not, I highly encourage you to try this herb. Bon appetit!

Preserving Options for Garden Riches: Making Chutneys

Making Chutney: A Taste of the Exotic

If you have a surplus of peaches or other fruit, or of vegetables, and you are wanting to do something different with the extra produce, try making chutney, an Indian condiment that offers a sweet-sour-spicy touch to chicken, pork, venison, or vegetarian dishes.

The word chutney comes from Hindi caṭnī.  This versatile accompaniment will delight the senses and the imagination. In honor of August being Peach Month, I recommend this recipe for peach chutney; you might also try mango chutney, tomato chutney, coconut chutney, zucchini chutney (to help prepare for August 8, which is National Sneak Some Zucchini on Your Neighbor's Porch Day), and cilantro mint chutney, to name but a few possibilities. As an added bonus, chutneys make tantalizing, unique holiday gifts.

By Simon Law from Montréal, QC, Canada (Chutneys) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Quotations about Spices (not many quotations about chutney exist): Food for Thought

“Variety is the spice of life” – American proverb

“Variety's the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor. – William Cowper

“Is not birth, beauty, good shape, discourse, Manhood, learning, gentleness, virtue, youth, liberality, and such like, the spice and salt that season a man” – William Shakespeare

“I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.” – Bible

“He who controls the spice controls the universe.” – Frank Herbert, in Dune

On that note, bon appetit! 

Bread and First Harvest

Bread as Staff of Life and More

This first weekend in August sees the arrival of Lammas, a time of early harvest. This is a time to celebrate the bounty of the season; since bread is widely regarded as the staff of life, this harvest time is also a time to celebrate the act of making and breaking bread.

Making bread is a time-honored process of transformation: the unassuming ingredients of flour, water, yeast or other leavening, sugar, and salt become a rising dough that, with the kiss of the oven's heat (or, as I discovered one summer, the barbecue pit's heat), becomes a wholesome loaf.

Many varieties of bread exist: you can choose, among other options, white or wheat bread, cornbread (my personal preference this time of year), multi-grain bread, even gluten-free bread. Flat breads such as tortillas, pita bread, or lefse bread are among the myriad of possibilities.

"Mixed bread loaves" by Flickr.com user "FotoDawg" - http://www.flickr.com/photos/fotodawg/111052842/. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mixed_bread_loaves.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Mixed_bread_loaves.jpg

Quotes about Bread: Some Inspirational Food for Thought

“All sorrows are less with bread. ” -- Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

“Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,/A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse - and Thou/

Beside me singing in the Wilderness -/And Wilderness is Paradise enow.” -- Omar Khayyam

“The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“In the Lord's Prayer, the first petition is for daily bread. No one can worship God or love his neighbor on an empty stomach.” – Woodrow Wilson

“Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.” – Ursula K. Le Guin

“It is not accidental that all phenomena of human life are dominated by the search for daily bread - the oldest link connecting all living things, man included, with the surrounding nature.” – Ivan Pavlov

“‘A loaf of bread,’ the Walrus said, ‘is what we chiefly need: Pepper and vinegar besides are very good indeed.’” - Lewis Carroll

“If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.” – Robert Browning

“Deliberation, n.: The act of examining one’s bread to determine which side it is buttered on.” – Ambrose Bierce

Here's to making and breaking bread with those we love this weekend. Bon appetit!

Preserving Options for Garden Riches: Canning and Pickling

Canning and Pickling: Preserving Possibilities

Two popular, and related, methods of preserving the bounty from the garden and/or the farmer's market are canning and pickling.

Canning is preserving fruits or vegetables by partially cooking them, putting the cooked produced into sterilized glass jars with tight-fitting lids, and then processing them in a hot-water bath or pressure cooker until the lids are hermetically sealed to the jars.

Fruits and vegetables that have a high acid content, such as tomatoes, or where vinegar is added (such as in  my recipe for green salsa) can be safely canned with the hot-water bath method.

Vegetables with a low acid content, such as green beans or corn, should always be processed in a pressure cooker: the hot-water bath method is not safe for these kinds of vegetables.

Pickling is preserving vegetables, such as cucumbers or onions, with a a strong vinegar or brine solution.Some pickles preserve slowly in the refrigerator, as in this recipe for Refrigerator Dill Pickles. while other pickles are processed in a hot-water bath, as in this recipe for Garlic Dill Pickles.

By Dvortygirl (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

With all of these methods, it is imperative that you sterilize the jars and lids beforehand. Also, plan to take your time with the processing: devoting half a day to canning and/or pickling is not unheard of. Do not try to hurry the process.

What are your thoughts about canning and pickling? Are these preservation methods new to you, or are you a seasoned veteran? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. Bon appetit!

Preserving Fruits and Vegetables: Freezing and Drying

Two Easy Ways to Preserve the Harvest: Freezing and Drying

It's that time of the year again: the garden is producing beyond your wildest dreams, more than enough to eat fresh and to have some left over. Two ways to preserve those garden riches are freezing and drying.

Freezing

Freezing is a great option for many fruits and vegetables, especially if you can pick them at the peak of flavor: in a home garden, this should be easy enough. For vegetables, I cut them up, as necessary, blanch them, and then lay them out on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Once the vegetable pieces are frozen, I transfer them to freezer bags. Colorado State University offers an excellent guide in choosing the best vegetables for freezing.

I treat fruit similarly, when I dry pack them, except for the blanching: instead, for those that are prone to browning, I dip them in lemon juice before placing them on the cookie sheet. Another option is the syrup pack or sugar pack, depending on the fruit. For a more extensive guide in freezing various types of fruit, it's hard to beat the National Center for Home Food Preservation's document Preserving Food: Freezing Fruit.

By Tiefkuehlfan (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Drying

Another easy option for preserving fruits and vegetables (as well as herbs and seeds) is drying. This method needs no refrigeration and is especially handy in preparation for the aftermath of a natural disaster, such as a hurricane or tornado, or in preparation for a zombie apocalypse.

While I am a fan of my Nesco dehydrator, other variations exist. sun drying is possible for many fruits, especially if you are blessed to live in an area with plenty of sun and low humidity. Oven drying is another option for most fruits and vegetables. For additional tips in drying fruits and vegetables, be sure to consult the Virginia Cooperative Extension's page Using Dehydration to Preserve Fruits, Vegetables, and Meats.


Do you have any favorite practices when it comes to freezing or drying produce? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. Bon appetit!

Peach-Strawberry Pie

Pie of the Month: Peach-Strawberry Pie

Happy Bastille Day! At first glance the anniversary of French independence may have nothing whatsoever to do with peach-strawberry pie. However, much like the events that led to the storming of the Bastille, this pie came about through a series of timely and haphazard events (okay, I know this is a stretch, but let's work with it).

This month's pie was born quite by accident. I was planning to make a peach pie for July but then found that I did not have enough frozen peaches; however, I did find that I had enough frozen strawberries to add to the peaches. I tweaked the spices a bit, and came up with this pie.

As always, I suggest serving this pie warm, with a scoop or so of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream.

Recipe for Peach-Strawberry Pie

Crust: You can either buy pre-made crust or make your own, depending on time and inclination. If you prefer to make your own, here is a good recipe.

Filling:

3 cups frozen sliced peaches
2 cups frozen sliced strawberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
splash of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the frozen fruit in a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice; stir. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, flower, and cinnamon. Mix the dry ingredients with the fruit until well blended, and then add the vanilla extract.

Line a pie pan with the bottom crust. Perforate the bottom of the crust with a fork. Add the fruit mixture and spread evenly throughout the pan. Roll out and place the top crust onto the pie; seal the edges and then flute them. Make decorative slash marks in the pie so that pressure does not build up inside the pie.

Bake for about 45-55 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Bon appetit!

Peach-Strawberry Pie (own photo)

Make Weeding Fun--No, Really!

Weeding Can Be More Fun, with a Little Imagination

When most people think of weeding, the word fun rarely comes to mind. After all, weeding is drudgery, a chore, a punishment that ranks up there with the rack and the thumbscrew, right? With a little imagination (okay, more than a little imagination), weeding can become enjoyable, even amusing. Read on for some decidedly tongue-in-cheek suggestions.

* Go Shakespearean on those weeds. Practice reciting the "Alas Poor Yorick" speech by Hamlet in The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark:, holding aloft a tuft of pulled weeds:

"Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow
of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath
borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how
abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims at
it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know
not how oft. Where be your gibes now? your
gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment,
that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one
now, to mock your own grinning? quite chap-fallen?
Now get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let
her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must
come; make her laugh at that." -- Act V, Scene 1

Really ham it up. As a variation, try reciting this speech in a falsetto voice. 

* Sing "Let It Go" from the Disney movie Frozen, at the top of your lungs, while you are picking weeds--preferably with a flourish. Even better: visualize an icy frost emanating from your fingers as you touch those weeds. Note: If you have small children or if your neighbors do, they will probably join you in singing "Let It Go." While they are singing, you might be able to get them to weed a bit on your behalf.

* Play poker, using the weeds as currency. This works better if you can convince up to three other people to join you in this activity. Seven Card Stud or Texas Hold'Em, anyone?

* Create a mini-bonfire for those pulled weeds (use a fire-safe container) and dance around the fire with wild abandon.

Happy weeding!

"Tripleurospermum perforatum 20041012 2572". Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tripleurospermum_perforatum_20041012_2572.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Tripleurospermum_perforatum_20041012_2572.jpg
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Basil: Herb of the Month

Basil, Take a Bow: Herb for July 2014

Each month, I'll be featuring a herb, chosen seasonally but otherwise randomly. This month, the herb of honor is basil, or Ocimum basilicum L. 

By Quadell (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons Basil 

Basil is easy to grow and difficult to kill: an attractive feature for beginning gardeners and seasoned gardeners alike. Basil is easily sprouted from seed or transplanted from established plants.This herb prefers a sunny spot in the garden; water once or twice a week to keep the plants healthy without diluting the essential oils that give basil its characteristic aroma and taste. There is no need to fertilize the basil plants: less is definitely more here. Grow basil and tomatoes together: basil is an excellent partner in companion planting. 

By www.openfootage.net (http://www.openfootage.net/?p=386) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Of course, basil is an essential ingredient in pesto: this recipe is a great one to try. I also like to make a basil vinegar that can be used to make salad dressing or marinade. Here's the recipe: 

Basil Vinegar

2 cups fresh basil leaves, washed well and slightly bruised
4 cups white vinegar

Place basil leaves in a gallon-sized canning jar. Heat the vinegar until it is hot but not boiling. Pour the vinegar over the basil leaves. Close the canning jar and give the jar a good shake or two. Let the vinegar steep for one month; shake the contents every few days. 

Strain the vinegar; compost the spent basil leaves. 

Bon appetit! 

Blueberry: Pie of the Month

June's Pie of the Month

Starting this month, I will be trying something new: featuring a pie of the month (What are the criteria for determining the pie of the month? Whatever sounds good at the time, although I do try to keep in mind what is in season). This time around, the pie of the month is blueberry pie.

Blueberries are a super food, full of antioxidants, fiber, and other healthy benefits: good for the heart and the brain (if someone looks at you quizzically while you are enjoying the blueberry pie, you can always say, "Don't worry: I'm getting my antioxidants") . Plus, they are delicious.

Recipe for Blueberry Pie

Pie Dough

You can either make your own or buy the commercially-made crust that rolls out

Pie Filling

4 cups blueberries, frozen or fresh
3/4 to 1 cup sugar, to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer the mixture until thickened. Let cool and then scrape the mixture into a bottom crust that has been perforated with a fork. Roll out the top crust and place it on top of the pie; flute the edges to seal. Slash the top crust at several points so that pressure does not build up in the pie while baking. Brush the top crust with an egg wash (1 egg, thinned with a splash or so of water and then beaten) to encourage a shiny crust; sprinkle the top with sugar if desired.

Bake in a 400 degree oven (Fahrenheit) for 35-45 minutes, or until the top crust is golden brown. Let cool for awhile (anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours: in my household, there is no way that pie is cooling for a full two hours, uncut). Enjoy with a dollop or so of vanilla ice cream. Bon appetit!

Homemade Blueberry Pie

Top Twenty List of Plant Ideas for the Small Garden

Limited Vegetable Garden Space? Try These Top Twenty Plant Picks

As gardeners, we often have grandiose dreams about creating the perfect garden that expands as far as the eye can imagine, let alone see. However, we may be limited by time, space, or both. Yet, we long for truly fresh vegetables as well as the unique kind of therapy that only a garden offers. Some plants, such as corn and full-size watermelons, will gobble up valuable garden space, so we need plants that are space-wise and productive: hence, my top twenty list of recommendations of vegetables and the occasional herb, in no particular order.

1. Beefsteak tomatoes
2. Roma tomatoes
3. Zucchini, bush variety: one or two plants will be plenty
4. Yellow crook neck variety: again, one or two plants will suffice
5. Green beans, bush variety or pole variety: the latter will make excellent use of vertical space
6. Wax beans, bush variety or, better yet, pole variety, for the reason mentioned above
7. Yard-long beans: these are a pole variety that produce well and look impressive
8. Swiss chard: once established, it is hard to kill and can withstand warmer temperatures
9. Jalapeno peppers
10. Sweet banana peppers
11. Baby watermelons, grown vertically
12. Japanese eggplant
13. pickling cucumbers, grown vertically
14. slicing cucumbers, grown vertically
15. dill, to go with all of those cucumbers
16. asparagus: these perennials, once established, will produced for up to thirty years
17. basil: this herb enhances nearby growing tomatoes, and it is a must for fresh pesto lovers
18. spearmint: grow this in a pot; otherwise, it will invade the rest of the garden
19. rosemary
20. Greek oregano

Feel free to mix and match from these ideas for a successful summer garden, small yet productive.

Are there any other space-saving plants I did not include here that I should have? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

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