Top Ten Inspiring Books for Gardening and Cooking

Top Five Books That'll Get You in the Spirit of Gardening or Cooking

It is blazing hot outside, so much that the hot temperatures zap the energy levels. I know that during a heat wave, all I want to do is to curl up quietly with a good book. Why fight it, when you can become inspired by gardening or cooking that happens in books, fiction and nonfiction, for adults and for children?

Claude Monet [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons  

Here is my purely subjective Top-Five list, in no particular order:

Wilder, Laura Ingalls. The Little House in the Big Woods. Yes, this is a children's book, but adults can get quite a bit of inspiration of the pioneer days as well. The entire series will give you inspiration for the garden and for the kitchen, and leave your mouth watering at many points, but it's more pronounced in this first book of the series.

Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee. The Mistress of Spices. This is a novel about an immortal woman who is trained in the powers, healing and otherwise, of spices and who has to choose between keeping her vows of chastity--and her immortality-- and choosing romantic love. The colors, smells, and textures of the spices come alive in this work of fiction.

Burnett, Frances Hodgson. The Secret Garden. This timeless children's book is about the blossoming of Mary Lennox: as she tends the locked-up garden that has suffered as much abandonment as she has. As the garden flourishes, so does Mary.

Spyri, Johanna. Heidi. Another children's book, Heidi features mouthwatering descriptions of melted cheese on bread, as well as breathtaking wildflowers on the mountainside.

Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Here's a classic nonfiction book that talks about how certain plants will help one another grow profusely.

Happy reading!

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.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Lemon_balm_2.JPG

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!

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! 

Welcome to Sensual Thymes: An Inaugural Post

With this first post, I eagerly launch my latest blog, Sensual Thymes, This blog is meant to combine two complementary passions of mine: gardening and cooking.  The garden and the kitchen are both sacred spaces where one can honor life, each and every day. With both pastimes, I am fortunate enough to honor the bounty that each season brings and to experiment with new ideas, in both spheres, as well as to adhere to proven techniques for success.

Both garden and kitchen bring sensual pleasures, a delight to the eyes, ears, hands, nose, and tongue. My goal is to celebrate this titillating of the senses. I invite each and every one of you to join me in this ongoing celebration. Salute!