Man in the Moon Herbs

Lavender wands are pretty way to preserve your lavender flowers. They make thoughtful little gifts and it is a most pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon! This is an easy project that is fun to do with children. Start with an odd number of stems of lavender. I usually use 11 or 13 to make a nice full wand. Pick the lavender on a dry day when the buds are nice and fat but haven't begun to open yet. The only other material is a piece of ribbon about 30 inches long. Begin by bunching the lavender together so that the base of each flower head is more or less even with the others. Tie the end of your ribbon at the bottom of the bunch and knot. Hold the lavender upside down and gently bend the stems over the ribbon to cover the lavender flowers. Weave the ribbon through the stems by going over and under alternating stems. Adjust the stems as you go to create full coverage of the flower heads. Pull the ribbon firmly but gently as you work your way down the stems. Continue to weave the ...

Mullein, verbascum thapus , is a stately bienniel with wooly, greyish green leaves and pretty yellow flowers that appear in the second year. I love the texture of the leaves and and enjoy its presence in my flower borders! It offers a nice contrast to the more refined flowers and the bees just love it too. It grows wild throughout most of North America and Europe. Ulysses took mullein with him on his famous voyage to protect him from Circe who changed his crew into pigs. In India it has been used as protection from evil spirits. Mullein also has some more everyday uses for those not plagued by enchantresses and evil spirits! Historically mullein has been used to treat respiratory ailments such as asthma and bronchitis. In herbal classification, it is considered an expectorant and demulcent. Topically it has been used to treat burns and skin irritations. The active constituents are mucilage, which soothes mucus membranes, saponins, which act as an expectorant and tannins. Mullein is vir...

The roses seem especially abundant this year- the perfect time to make a big batch of old-fashioned rose potpourri! Feel free to alter the quantities of botanicals to match what you have on hand and to make the recipe your own. Potpourri recipes are really just a guideline, a scent suggestion, a starting point for your own creativity! If you start with good quality botanicals and oils you can't make a mistake. OLD-FASHIONED ROSE POTPOURRI 6 cups of dried rose petals 2 cups of lavender buds 2 cups of rose geranium leaves 2 cups of lemon verbena 1 cup of rosemary 1/4 cup of frankincense tears 1/4 cup of whole cloves 2 cups of oakmoss 1/2 teaspoon each of rose, bergamot, sandalwood, rose geranium and lavender oils 1/4 teaspoon each of musk, patchouli and vanilla oils Combine all of the dry ingredients except the oakmoss in a large bowl and mix gently. Put your flower and herb mix into a one gallon jar with a tight fitting lid. Top with the oakmoss- don't mix it in yet. Sprinkle th...

" When you correct your mind, everything else falls into place." Mao Tsu

Seeing as the roses are so prolific this year, I thought I would share the directions for making beads out of the petals! Years ago, rosaries were made out of these fragrant little nuggets and necklaces of rose beads were often given to brides to wear on their wedding day. Legend has it that the fragrance will last a hundred years! I'm not sure how accurate that is, but I know the first beads I made over 10 years ago still smell wonderful! Start by collecting a grocery bag full of fragrant rose petals. Rugosas are perfect for this project, but any fragrant rose will do. Petals that have fallen to the ground are fine also. Just make sure they are clean and dry. Mid morning is a good time to gather. Next, grind the petals until fine using a food proc essor that you never want to use for anything else. (Your processor is going to get stained black) Place your petals in a cast iron pan and cover with a lid. Each day for the next 14 days, regrind the petals in the food processor. They ...

"All we are is the result of our thoughts." Buddha

Marjoram and oregano are in the same family of labiatae. The name of oregano comes from the Greek oros ganos , joy of the mountain as its sweet, spicy scent covers the hillsides there in the summer. Legend has that sweet marjoram was created by the goddess Aphrodite as a symbol of happiness. In the Middle Ages it was a popular herb for nosegays and sweetbags and its leaves were rubbed on furniture and floors as a fragrant polish. While I haven't tried that, I have used the dried leaves in a carpet herb mixture to deodorize my rugs in a modern version of strewing herbs. HERBAL CARPET FRESHENER In a blender, grind 1/4 cup dried oregano or marjoram with 1/4 cup of rosemary and 1/4 cup of lavender until very fine. Add 2 teaspoons of ground cloves and 16 ounces of baking soda. Mix well and let set in a container with a tight fitting lid for 3-4 days to let the scents combine. To use, put some of your fragrant blend into a container with a shaker top (a used parmesan cheese jar works g...

Saturday's market featured an ever increasing variety of colorful vegetables. The rainbow Swiss chard at Lucky Dog Farm's ( luckydogorganic.com ) stall was especially pretty. I asked Kalan for a suggestion on how to cook it as I had never eaten Swiss chard before. Thai Style Swiss Chard 1 pound of Swiss chard, washed, trimmed and coarsely chopped 1 cup of coconut milk 1/2 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and grated red pepper flakes to taste Gently simmer the coconut milk and spices for 5 minutes to distribute the flavors throughout. Add the chard and toss to coat with the coconut milk. Toss and simmer until crisp tender. I served it with a stir fry chicken in peanut sauce over rice noodles. We topped our meal off with a delicious shortcake made with fresh strawberries from Hellers Farm and scones by Perry of T he Taste of Britain . I added a shot of orange liquor to the berries for added depth of flavor. (They are equally good with amaretto.) Let the berries set overnight ...

The part of New York I live in is so beautiful! Yesterday my husband and I took a scenic tour of the Catskill Mountains on his Spyder. Here is some of what we saw. Falls outside of Ashland On the road to the top of the mountain The top of the world Today I'm going to make a Thai style recipe using swiss chard that I got from Kalan of Lucky Dog Farm . I'll share the recipe with you tomorrow. In the meantime, see the beauty where you live! ~Gail~

The rosa rugosa in my garden are in their full glory now! The vibrant deep pink petals are covering the bushes with all their beauty and rich fragrance. The bees are quite happy to nestle themselves deep within the petals to gather all the golden pollen for their honey and are jealous of my desire to get close to take a deef sniff. (Luckily, there is plenty of plantain growing near by!) While roses are beautiful to look at and smell, they are also very useful. You can use the scented petals in salads, jams, vinegars and syrups. The fruit of the plant, the rose hips, are rich in vitamin C and make an excellent tea. Powdered rose petals can be used in facials, bath salts and scrubs, body powders and soap. Rosewater's soothing properties make the follow ing toner a good choice for dry or sensitive skin. Rosewater Toner Simply blend 3/4 cup of rosewater with 6 drops of glycerin and 2/3 cup of witch hazel in a bottle. Shake well before using. Food grade rosewater also makes a soothing m...

"Never underestimate your power to change yourself. Never overestimate your power to change others." H. Jackson Brown Jr.

My all time favorite bee sting remedy may be on your spice rack right now. It is Adolph's Meat Tenderizer! It a natural concoction that contains papain which comes from papayas. Simply sprinkle a little pile into the palm of your hand and add a couple of drops of water to form a thick paste. Gently rub onto the bee sting leaving a nice coating on your skin. Leave on until it dries. The papain , which is what tenderizes your steak, also breaks down the protein in bee venom! I keep a bottle on right in the first aide kit. My second favorite remedy is plantain. It is a readily available weed that can be found growing in most lawns, on the side of the road and even in the cracks of side walks. Pick several of the leaves and chew them for a coupl e of minutes until they are nice and wet and warm. Apply the macerated leaves to the bee sting and leave be for a while. It will keep the sting from getting red and itchy and I have no idea why this one works, I just know from experience that...

I chose two veggies I wasn't familiar with at the market last Saturday- pak choi and bok choi. Laura from The Farm (http:// thefarmandbandb.com/ ) was quite helpful when I asked "What do I do with it?" when I purchased the pak choi from her. She suggested a simple stir fry with a little garlic and olive oil. Now I was feeling very adventurous when I saw Crissie at Gaia's Breath Farm (http// www.gaiasbreathfarm.com) had bok choi for sale and picked up a bunch to combine with the pak choi to make a delicious Chinese cabbage stir fry. This is a qick, easy and nutritious side dish. I served it with some basmati rice and grilled chicken breasts that I had marinated in teriaki sauce mixed with Chinese five spice powder. Bok Choi Pak Choi Stir Fry 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped 1/4 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and grated 2 tablespoons of oil (canola, olive or sesame) 6 cups of mixed Chinese cabbage coarsely chopped 1/4 cup chopped red onion or scallions Heat ...