Earth Day April 22, 2009 - Some Thoughts and Ideas

Dear Folks,

Earth Day presents an opportunity for various organizations, both charitable and for-profit, to give you the consumer, worker, family member, and citizen opportunities to make things better for yourself and others.

With that basis in mind I have some things to pass on and a new "Party" to suggest.

FIRST, MOTHER EARTH NEWS (Ogden Publications) has launched a new site for those seeking "green jobs" - how neat is that idea!

"Despite the current recession, there are more green job opportunities now than ever before, including hot careers in wind power, HVAC, environmental engineering, transportation, facilities retrofitting and more. You can find the opportunity you want today at http://www.greatgreencareers.com/"

Since they are just getting started, I would not be deterred if you do not see something in your local or field of interest. It is free to post your resume on the site.

RECYCLE Reminders:

Any carbon or soy based ink on the paper you print on your home computers — don't use the color stuff, only black and white, -- can be shredded and added to the compost pile as part of the ‘brown' stuff. (Compost: 50/50 green and brown - green examples are vegetable and fruit parings, non-seeding weeds and grass (non-seeding) clippings, - brown examples are dried leaves, twigs, egg shells, tea bags, coffee grounds, and printer paper, white paper plates (non- coated), towels and napkins - as long as there is no grease or meat attached. All this breaks down into usable garden fertilizer in 3-12 months depending on how small the components are.)

. . .

Got old clothes that are too torn to re-use? Recycle into strips for rag rugs or one of the neatest uses I've read about in a long time - ‘yarn' for knitting, crocheting or weaving. Cloth (preferable natural like cotton, linen, or wool, but the synthetics will work too) is cut into thin strips, for producing very fine textured whatevers.

For the idea behind turning rags into fine knitting or weaving visit the New Mexico Women's Foundation. http://nmwf.org/index.php?s=farmington.

In the current issue of MaryJanes Farm magazine (http://www.maryjanesfarm.com/) the tip for making the ‘yarn' when using t-shirt material is to make a small half inch slit at one end of each piece of material and pull the next one through to make long pieces of yarn — the technique is similar to putting two rubber bands together.

. . .

Do you like to pass on meals or leftovers from gatherings to family and neighbors? And would you like an alternative to paper and plastic? How about visiting the local Goodwill or similar thrift store and find pyrex glass pie plates or plain dishes — like white — to keep handy as the leftover carriers?

I like the pyrex glass pie plates (or Corning casseroles) because the neighbor can just pop the thing in the microwave and reheat without trying to use another bowl or plate.

I read the tip by a chef who keeps Thrift store dishes for leftovers and decided the pie plates made better carriers — they have sides!

We and our neighbors like to do the old fashioned courtesy of returning a meal or leftover dish with something in it, so the dishes get reused over and over again.

A NEW "PARTY"

I want to start a GARDEN PARTY. I would like it to be all about gardening, cooking the bounty and sharing it. It should be non-political in that it crosses all beliefs and cultures. Because our climate allows us to grow, and use most of the food items which can be grown anywhere else in the nation or world, this is a great place, not to mention a important time, for the sharing of food at its source — your backyard, and your neighborhood. The benefits will expand beyond your and your neighbors needs and into the greater community.

So I've created a new concept -- a "Progressive Community Garden" where you do not have to have 10 acres in one spot.

I've mentioned before the idea that you do NOT have to grow all of it in your own backyard. Gather with your neighbors to, particularly in small lot neighborhoods, and divide up the produce you would all like to grow. A "Progressive Community Garden" is one where Mary grows tomatoes, Eric does eggplant, Juan is a wizzard with hot peppers, and Jennifer knows to grow the sweet peppers at the end of the block so they do not cross with the hot one's Juan is growing.

Don't forget to make sure to include the children. The 3 "Rs" may be necessary to financially succeed in life, but the big "G", I believe, is necessary to enjoy life and be a good friend to all.

Each neighbor grows 1 or a few of the things you all like. At each harvest time you gather and have a harvesting festival, share the bounty and recipes, and don't forget to save seeds! If you have an abundance of harvest you can share it with a senior or crisis center or food bank.

We got into canning last year and if your "progressive community garden" is a huge success, one of the way to preserve the bounty is to can it and it is a great project to do as a group.

If your neighborhood garden is doing better than you expect, consider "adopting" a service organization, have a fun raiser and donate the proceeds to your adopted group.

Individually, or as a ‘community' you can even take your over-abundance and go to one of the local farmers markets and sell your home-grown-truck-garden produce!

I will make you a deal folks, if you organize your neighborhood block to grow your own progressive community garden, I will come out and spend an afternoon with you all, going over what and where you can grow things. A 5-6 hour consultation and I will do it for free, and maybe even throw in some seeds! Any takers? Email to info at herbs2u dot net.

(Note: I do have to limit this to the valley area, and we will have to do it after the end of May, as I will be continuing caretaking until then with my relative who is having heart surgery.)

I'm suggesting the basic symbol for the GARDEN PARTY will be the graphic at the top of this post, but I'm going to look for something which also shows people sharing:

American is great, and we can still follow some examples of economy and self-sufficiency and community by following the practices of small villages around the world where most every piece of unused ground has vegetables or herbs growing in it

And finally if you are a black-thumb gardener (we can fix that, you know, but we can deal with that later), you can still participate in the progressive community garden. Offer to purchase seeds (preferable) or plants, you can still compost even if you do not garden, you or your children can weed or even help harvesting (some fruits and vegetables have to be harvested delicately). Find a way to be part of your neighborhood's progressive community garden, all will benefit, I truly believe.

I will have to come up with a slogan for the Garden Party - I will cogitate on that for a while, but if you have any ideas, I would love to ‘hear' them.

A MOVING INTO HOT WEATHER TIP:

Remember to adjust your watering schedule as needed for the hot weather coming. Use that moisture meter to check soil moisture. Some wilting of leaves in the afternoon hot sun is normal, as plants such as tomatoes do this to retain moisture. Check soil moisture in the early morning or evening for accurate reading.

Have a wonderful time in the garden this spring!


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Who knew the white distilled vinegar Grandma and Mom put in the apple pie crust might be made from petroleum?

Dear Folks,

Reading a magazine yesterday, I learned about Heinz touting their natural — not from petroleum — vinegar ad!!!!

Just goes to show you can be old and still learning things.

So of course I hopped on the world's encyclopedia — the Internet — and sure enough — white distilled vinegars and possibly other types can be legally formulated from petroleum and sold in the food aisle. See the link to the FDA page below. When you read that page you will note that the FDA abdicated all responsibility for letting consumers know their white distilled vinegar may be synthetic. If I read between the lines correctly, drug, flavoring, and drinking alcohols (ethyl alcohol), can be and are synthetically produced from petroleum, and labeling in most cases is not required to indicated the source.

For years I have used white distilled vinegar not only as a food ingredient but for cleaning, believing that I was avoiding industrial chemicals — don't you just love our governments efforts to keep us safe!

Many references to white distilled vinegar make statements such as, "not generally used as food..." — so why is it sold in the food aisle and not the cleaning aisle?

Many have supported the research and use of corn ethanol (and other plant-based alcohols) as a petroleum-gasoline alternative and now it appears the chemists have been working all-along on putting plants into cars and petroleum into us!!!

Please read my post of several days ago on HR875, which is trying to put more of our right to not only garden, but grow gardens in natural ways, into the laboratories and chemistry shops. The legislation also would make it difficult if not impossible to have local farmers market participants, or to produce organic foods.

We always have choices. "Better living by chemistry" should be OUR choice of ‘when and what' and not some chemistry companies directives to our government.

http://www.fda.gov/ora/compliance_ref/cpg/cpgfod/cpg555-100.html

Please pass this on to friends and family members.

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Herb Festival-Rain Special Offer

Dear folks,

Those of you who made it to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum yesterday, found vendors and music AND rain! It was wonderful to see all of you who braved the weather (aren't we just like desert rats, not liking the rain).

My herb blend RosemaryPlus was my featured salt-free spice, and due to the weather and economy I'm making an offer I hope you can take advantage of. This is one of my very first blends, a mix I call "thrillin' grillin'" because it is great on anything on the grill and anything starchy.

Two four-ounce packages for $6 and shipping is free to any USA destination. Click on the link below to take you to the payment page, don't forget to give your address and email so I can ship it to you, or contact you with address questions. You can pay with your credit card or paypal.

Payment Link

Have a wonderful day,

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Boyce Thompson Arboretum - 15th Annual Herb Festival

Dear Folks,

I have participated in this annual event at the wonderful Arboretum in Superior, Arizona for, I believe 8 or 9 years — I think this is the first year we may have potentially-bad weather for it. Usually we have balmy high 80s-low 90s, but it is so worthwhile, benefiting the Arboretum and giving visitors a chance to visit with herb-related vendors and experts like myself, plus lovely music provided by the Levno duo flute and guitar. The Arizona Herb Association always has plants and experts available. Susan Corl, a folk artist, always brings her amazing talent and creative wares to the festival. Her email is susancorl@hotmail.com

Jean Groen, my friend the desert foods and herbs expert, will be there today with her co-author and research partner Don Wells. Jean's foods are always super and amazing. Check out their website http://www.wells-groen.com/

If you don't get the chance to come out (today, April 11, 2009 — 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.), do plan on visiting another time. Visit their website http://ag.arizona.edu/BTA, or call 520.689.2723.

So if you miss us today, I'm featuring one of my salt-free herb blends — RosemaryPlus. Here is the menu and recipes.

GRAPE TOMATO HALVES
Cut tomatoes in half and sprinkle with RosemaryPlus, serve with toothpicks.

ARTICHOKE HUMMUS
If you have not heard by now, artichoke hearts are number 7 on the top 20 antioxidant lists, and of course beans are always good for you. This light dip can be enhanced by more garlic (there is garlic in the RosemaryPlus).
2 tablespoons sesame seed, ground
2 cans garbanzo beans (15 oz.), drained
1 can artichoke hearts (not marinated) (13 3/4 oz.) liquid reserved (Can use frozen, reserve cooking water
1 teaspoon capers
Juice of one lemon
½ cup packed, fresh parsley, rinsed
1+ teaspoon RosemaryPlus

Tahini the traditional component of hummus is sesame seed butter - you can pre-grind* or even pre-toast the seeds before grinding

In a processor pulse all ingredients, using liquid from artichokes to create the desired consistency. This tasty dish can be a dip or a spread. Serve in hollowed-out cucumber boats or cucumber cubes, mushroom caps, in a hollowed-out roll, with crackers or chips.

*A dedicated coffee grinder - meaning never used for coffee - is a great spice grinder and it makes small batches of any seed or nut butter in seconds.

MARINATED TOFU
I always like to demonstrate the flavor-absorbing nature of bland tofu (its blessing and curse) — it you think of tofu as the cheese it is, then adding to foods becomes creatively easier. You always need to add a bit of salt to the tofu.

1 package of extra firm tofu, cubed
1 tablespoon RosemaryPlus
1/4+ teaspoon of salt, or to taste
Olive oil

Express/press out extra moisture from the tofu before cutting, but placing a heavy weight on it for about half an hour before cubing.

Place cubed tofu in bowl, gently toss with spice and half the salt. Let sit for half hour. In a clean jar pour a little olive oil in bottom, pile mixed tofu in jar, being sure to scrape bowl juices and spices into jar, add rest of salt to top, cover with additional olive oil, cap tightly and turn jar to mix well. Turn several times over one hour and serve or refrigerate — will keep for approximately 4-5 days. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

PINEAPPLE CHUNKS WITH SPICE
Sprinkle pineapple chunks with RosemaryPlus, serve with toothpicks. The brisk spice of the RosemaryPlus brings out the sweetness even more so of the pineapple. Can use fresh, frozen-thawed or canned (only in juice, not syrup). Makes a great appetizer or dessert.

Have a wonderful weekend!

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Green Politics - the new farm bill.

Dear Folks,

If you have not heard of US House Bill 875, you should look into this proposed legislation. As with all bills this one is long and laborious reading. However well-meaning any bill to increase food safety in our country is, this one is not it. I do try to stay neural on political stuff, keeping my focus on the importance of gardening and cooking with our families, but occasionally something like this bill comes up and I feel the need to let folks know about it and make their choices on the issue.

Many organizations are seriously concerned about:

1) who and why this is being sponsored (the initial sponsor's husband is associated with Monsanto), Arizona's own Representative Raul M. Grijalva (D) for Arizona's 7th Congressional District (www.grijalva.house.gov) is a co-sponsor (If you live in his district by all means contact him).

2) the provisions which may create unrealistic registration and oversight for backyard farmers, small farmers and organic farmers — under the worst case scenario overenthusiastic enforcement could put farmers markets out of existence.

3) the possible "requirement" to use chemicals.

I have pulled several (there are more) sections of the bill for you to read for yourself, and this link will take you to the government's page on it where you can read the full text.

While some provisions by themselves may not be of concern, when read in conjunction with others it is alarming.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-875

DEFINITIONS:
(14) FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITY- The term ‘food production facility' means any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation.

[External Note by Catherine: The act wording includes the full ability to 'inspect' any 'food production facility' but then conflicts with exclusions - the lack of clarity makes it appear that registration and inspection of any of the listed food production facility entities can be required to register and be inspected at will and then to be subject to various penalties under the law including criminal acts.]

(19) PROCESS- The term ‘process' or ‘processing' means the commercial slaughter, packing, preparation, or manufacture of food.

SEC. 202. REGISTRATION OF FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS AND FOREIGN FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS.
(a)In General- Any food establishment or foreign food establishment engaged in manufacturing, processing, packing, or holding food for consumption in the United States shall register annually with the Administrator.

PROHIBITED ACTS:
(3) for a food establishment or foreign food establishment to fail to register under section 202, or to operate without a valid registration;


(b) Purposes- The purposes of this Act are--
(4) to establish that food establishments have responsibility to ensure that all stages of production, processing, and distribution of their products or products under their control satisfy the requirements of this law.

(8) CATEGORY 4 FOOD ESTABLISHMENT- The term ‘category 4 food establishment' means a food establishment that processes all other categories of food products not described in paragraphs (5) through (7).

9) CATEGORY 5 FOOD ESTABLISHMENT- The term ‘category 5 food establishment' means a food establishment that stores, holds, or transports food products prior to delivery for retail sale.

I promise my next blog will be back on subject!

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Tomato Question

Dear Folks,

I had a comment and question from GG to my last post on what heirloom varieties to grow during the summer in the desert. The answer is not one of either or -- tomatoes stop setting fruit after night time temperatures are consistently 80 and above. They may continue to set flower, but you will not get fruit.

Any of the cherry, pear or grape size tomatoes will fruit longer into the heat of the summer. Last year our black cherry plum (actually a large grape sized fruit) gave us fruit into late July, then quit until the night time temps fell back down below 80 in late August/early September, when they gave us another crop until first frost.

Some sources for heirlooms are:

www.rareseeds.com
www.victoryseeds.com
www.territorialseeds.com
www.nativeseeds.org
www.reneesgarden.com

Google for heirloom and tomato and "safe seed pledge".

The safe seed pledge is important because whether a seed is heirloom or hybrid if the seller posts the SSP then they are promising to not knowingly grow, produce or sell GMO seeds.

Also check out www.richters.com and www.mountainvalleygrowers.com for seeds and plants.

Have a wonderful day,


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Tomatoes "Let ‘Em Sprawl"

Good Day Folks,

The tomato plant and all its varieties are a non-climbing vine member of the Solano (nightshade) family which fall into two categories: determinate and indeterminate.

(Photos show how to sun-dry your tomatoes - see recipe below.)

Tomatoes, like their eggplant and pepper cousins are tender perennials, meaning with frost protection in areas like the desert they will live for several years — they don't produce during the winter, but the larger root system gives them a jump-start in the spring growing season, a benefit because while our spring growing season for tomatoes is too short for beefsteak-type tomatoes, it is sufficient for salad and cherry, pear or grape size varieties — and we get a bonus of a fall production beginning in late summer and lasting through frost.

Determinate type tends to be more bushy and compact, usually called patio-type because they do well in large containers.

Indeterminate types can reach 18 or even more feet in overall length and are the usual tomatoes planted because they are more productive over a longer growing season.

The customary plant guide for growing indeterminate types says to stake or cage them and that works everywhere except in the desert garden — in our desert gardens we let them sprawl for maximum production. Also the fruit tends to be better hidden from birds.

We garden ‘experts' have been writing about this practice for a while now and I can tell you from first hand experience it is the absolute best way to grow tomatoes in the desert.

Here is the reason and my ‘testimonial' — consider that in our summer the air is generally hot and dry (I know, I know — an understatement) and if you consider that fact when you stake or cage your tomato plants you are bringing them up into the hotter, drier air, away from the cooler, moister air of the soil. In addition the sprawling vines provide a canopy to the soil, retaining the moisture better and longer and therefore mulching is not generally necessary.

I have been growing an heirloom black cherry plum (really more of a grape-shape) tomato for several years — it freely re-seeds each year and we let it because of the wonderful flavor and bounty of this little gem - growing like a cluster of grapes these mahogany, rich flavored tomatoes, fruit well into the end of July if allowed to sprawl (as mentioned above, we get a second crop beginning in late summer/early fall).

Last year I wanted to put some additional plants in near one of my volunteers so I caged the plant to provide sun to the others plants — that plant was limited in growth, and gave us little fruit, while the sprawling plants in other areas of the garden gave us bushels of tomatoes — I had enough to even sun-dry some for later use.

The vines on these plants are pretty sturdy and robust and generally the small fruit does not touch the ground. If fruit does rest on the ground while ripening, just slip an unwaxed plain, white paper plate under them until ready to harvest.

Compost Tip: Toss the plate into the compost pile when you are finished with it — white untreated paper products like plates and paper towels can be composted AS LONG as there is no grease or meat products on it).

Ripening Tip: Use paper plates in the same way with any fruit such as melons, squash or cucumbers, which may rest on the ground - keeps the bugs away from them, and they don't get damaged or rot.

Some final thoughts on growing tomatoes:

1) never water from above - tomato leaves tend to pick up soil born diseases when watered from above — also watering from above may contribute to blossom-end rot on the fruit.

2) if anyone in the household smokes — don't let them touch your tomatoes — there are reports of tobacco-born disease transmitted to the tomato plants by smokers handling the foliage.

3) consider a light covering of bird netting over the plants to keep both the birds AND the sphinx moth off the plants. The birds are after the fruit (birds don't usually bother the green or yellow fruiting types of tomatoes such as green zebra or yellow pear). The sphinx moth lays the eggs which hatch into the tomato hornworm. Since the sphinx moth is also one of our pollinators I would rather she go lay her eggs on some other plants - even an intentionally unprotected tomato plant - than on my primary producing areas. I discovered the bird netting/sphinx moth relief one year when we covered the plants to keep the birds off the fruit and had NO horn worm problems that year - the moth is so big she can't get through the netting.

4) save some of the harvested, ripe fruit and allow to dry and collect seed for re-seeding where you want the plants next season.

5) sow seeds indoors in December or June for planting out 2 months later.

6) if you don't want to or can't use bird netting, hang metallic red Christmas balls here and there in the tomato vine BEFORE the fruit on the plant begins to color - the birds will tap the metal, and learn it isn't edible and may leave most of the later ripe red tomatoes for you.

7) if you or a family member have a problem with the acid content of tomatoes, try growing the white or yellow varieties — they are far lower in acid than their red cousins. The yellow pear is a prolific producer of sweet tasting fruit — children love them and they are great anywhere, anytime.

Bird Tip: Although some birds have a taste for tomatoes, usually they are after the fruit for moisture. Give them a water dish keep cleaned and filled AWAY from the garden area.

One of the most loved and good for you fruits, tomatoes should and can be in everyone's garden!

BEEFSTEAK — Fruit or Leaf?

I mentioned beefsteak tomato above — did you know there is another "beefsteak" — it is referred to in Japanese cooking as "beefsteak leaves" and the first time I heard that I said to myself ‘I don't think so" since the nightshade leaves are poisonous. Turns out the chefs were referring to Perilla Frutescens "Shiso" another member of the huge mint family, it grows and is used much like Basil, with all parts edible. Available in a purple or green leaf color, the flavor is variously described as spicy, cinnamon and/or minty. The seeds and plants are becoming more readily available in the US. Like basil it is also a tender perennial (frost sensitive).

Check out Richters out of Canada - one of the largest herb suppliers in North America - they have an incredible selection of seeds and plants BUT, because of our opposite growing climate it is best to order seeds from them — there is a limited window in spring (May) and fall (October) where plants will survive OUR temps during transit. Their customer service is super!

http://www.richters.com/source.cgi?source=6147885.16643

RECIPE:

Sun Dried Tomatoes are easy in the desert! Just wait until we are in the 100 degree days. It is a good idea to have some kind of a screen which will fit over the trays holding the tomatoes to keep flies etc. off them while they are drying. Even with that kind of heat it takes 2-5 days for the tomatoes to completely dry depending on humidity levels— they must have all the moisture dried from them to allow you to store them in the pantry.

Line a cookie sheet or large cake pan with plastic wrap — NO aluminum. Select perfectly ripe, unblemished fruit, rinse and dry, and cut in half lengthwise. Snug up the halves, cut side up, in a single layer, filling the tray (they will eventually be reduced in size by 2/3rds or better). Place in full sun with the screen cover. Bring inside each evening (so they do not reabsorb nighttime moisture) until completely dried out — they should be ‘leathery' — store in sterile glass jars in the pantry. Can also be stored in air-tight containers in the freezer.

Make your own sun-dried tomato anything! For an upcoming salad or pasta, select only as many as you will use for the salad a day or two ahead of time and place in glass jar and cover with olive oil — Reconstitute in water or wine for tossing with pasta, or baking in bread. Slice dried tomatoes into strips for adding to pesto/cheese-topped toasted bread for an appetizer.

For more recipes, check out my newsletter from October 2005, where I shared a tomato water and other tomato recipes.

http://www.herbs2u.net/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/herbs%32unl/20051017180754/


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Green Harvest Soup

Good Day Folks,

Most of these ingredients are available now from your local farmers market vendors. If you are not yet a locavore check out your local farmers markets for the freshest produce.

I adapted this from a recipe I saw in better homes and gardens. Since I am not overly fond of cooked spinach, I chose a sweet potato over a regular potato to sweeten the soup — worked beautifully and the arugula adds just a nice amount of nutty bite.

GREEN HARVEST SOUP
1 large shallot, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 teaspoons - 1 tablespoon dried Herbes de Provence or Italian herb blend
1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
2 cups defatted chicken stock - homemade is best - can substitute vegetable
1 large sweet potato, cleaned, peel left on, chopped
1 package (approx 4 cups) baby spinach (or mixed greens), rinsed well and dried - set aside 1 cup, torn into bite size pieces
1 cup arugula, torn into bite size pieces
Parmesan cheese curls
edible flowers for garnish (I used pansies, calendula petals and sweet alyssum)
baguette slices
salt to taste

Notes: I used spinach, shallot, onion, and sweet potato from the One Windmill Farm and the excellent seeded baguette from Classico Italian Breads. The arugula and edible flowers came from my gardens.

In a heavy pot, melt butter and olive, add shallot, onion and dried herbs and saute on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the stock and sweet potato, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook covered until the sweet potato is tender, about 10 minutes. Begin adding all the spinach (except for the reserved 1 cup) a little at a time until incorporated and wilted. Remove from heat and let sit to cool for about 5 minutes.

I used an immersion (stick) blender, but you can use a regular blender or food processor to puree the soup. Careful! Don't burn yourself - I do love my immersion blender - once you get the hang of it you are not dirtying another container (blender)*.

Taste the pureed soup for salt - you should not need to add any or only a very little.

Ladle into soup bowls, top with a bit of reserved spinach and arugula, edible flowers and cheese curls, and serve with baguette slices.

There are so many healthy benefits to these foods, it is almost a sin to not serve it whenever they are available from your local growers.

*Immersion blenders take only a minute to learn to use and about 2 minutes to do the job! First have your pot of hot whatever off of the burner — make sure the wand is locked on. Plug it in, and dip the blade all the way to the bottom of the pot, holding upright. Use the lowest setting - press and hold and begin to move the wand around near the bottom of the pot, side to side - do not raise it above the top of the liquid or you will have it all over the place. As I say, it will only take a minute to get the hang of it - move side to side and in a circular motion to make sure you are getting all the solids pureed. Release the button and you can now lift the wand - make sure there are no solids hanging out of the slots on the blade cover. Viola - you have pureed the soup in under 2 minutes.

Find more recipes like this one in my book "101+ Recipes from The Herb Lady"

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Frost Burn Damage - Ugly but Healthy!

Good Day Folks,

In the desert we have two types of direct weather related damage — frost damage (really a kind of ‘burn') and sun burn. Both do identical injury to the plants and both should be dealt with in similar fashion.

First — Don't touch the damage until the danger is over! If you are a gardener more interested in beauty than longevity of the plant, you should probably be gardening only with ornamentals, although you will miss the shear pleasure of harvesting your own bounty from your own gardens, while enjoying their beauty most of the year.

Unless we have a severe weather experience, most frost ‘burn' or sun burn are on the top of the plant only, and the damaged, dried out portions provide protection to the lower healthy foliage and fruit. If you cut the damage off before the danger is over it is like exposing new baby skin to full sun or cold - the damage will be greater and you could lose the plant.

Second — watch for new growth below the damaged area, sometimes beginning at the soil level, but often beginning at branching areas. This is a good indication that you can start the pruning process and that the frost danger is over.

Third — once the danger is over, you can begin pruning off the dead branches a "little" at a time — DO NOT cut it all off at once — give the protected growth time to acclimate to the sun and air by working around the plant pruning off about a fourth or fifth of the plant then waiting a day or two and do the next section — it should take you about a week to do all the pruning.

Some plants grown here in the desert such as basil or tomato, which you have successfully wintered over with cloth protection, will take a bit longer to get started — their growth is triggered by the warming soil, not just the lack of frost, so watch FIRST for that new growth at the base or nodes of the plant, before beginning to prune.

As we move into the warmer temps of spring, keep that water meter handy for checking soil moisture content.

Welcome to spring in the desert!

Accuweather is a great site for getting detailed weather forecast info by zipcode. http://www.accuweather.com — you can sign up to receive a 5-day brief forecast and go to the site for detailed long range (15 day) information.

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

P.S. With the rains we have had this year, we should have a spectacular wild flower display in the desert. To find out where wild flowers are showing up now and later on click here for the desertusa site.

80+ yesterday - get the frost protectors out, and chocolate flowers

Dear Folks,

As you desert gardeners know, or are learning, we tend to roller-coaster from summer to fall and winter to spring, and this year is no different.

Here we have had the most lovely high 70s and even low 80 day-time temps for the last several days and the long range forecast is for possible snow in the desert -- yes I said snow -- somewhere around February 15th.

We have a couple of systems moving in - one today through this weekend (7 and 8th) bringing clouds, cooler weather, and some rain. It is then supposed to warm up slightly then dip down - way down during the day and at night - in time for valentine's weekend.

Phoenix central area may remain warmer due to the heat island effect of all that concrete and asphalt, but all desert gardeners should have their frost covers ready. If the overnight forecast in your area is 40 or lower, you will have some frost.

There is a silver lining to these clouds, though -- we will mostly likely have a lovely wildflower season in the desert, where the hills and valleys are painted in desert colors of gold, blue, lavender and more. Look for the display to begin in ernest sometime in March and continue through at least a part of April. Last spring the hills leading up to Boyce Thompson Arboretum looked they were painted in solid gold, and sides of the road were in royal blues and purples - breath-taking.

To replace a chilly valentine weekend, promise your valentine a trip to the desert to enjoy the wild flowers and don't forget to add chocolate to the picnic.

Speaking of chocolate -- do you know there are chocolate scented flowers? There is even one that tastes like unsweetened cocoa!

Most chocolate scented flowers are not edible, but the exception is the Chocolate Flower (Berlandiera lyrata) with the flower head tasting of unsweetened cocoa and smelling like dark chocolate when opened in the morning.

Some medicinal uses were found among the Native People of the southwest (the plant is native here) along with references to use of the flower heads in sausage -- kind of like a Native mole flavoring. --(Castetter, Edward F. 1935 Ethnobiological Studies in the AmericanSouthwest I. Uncultivated Native Plants Used as Sources of Food. University of New Mexico Bulletin 4(1):1-44 (p. 19).)

This plant is also called chocolate daisy, greeneyes, lyre-leaf greeneyes, and brooch flower.

Look for seed packets or plants for sale now into late spring. They will take full sun, but for a longer growing season, find a spot in the garden where they will get some afternoon shade moving into the summer.

With the temperatures eventually moving into spring conditions here I will share tomato growing tips in the desert in my next blog.

Have a great day,

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Food as Medicine - Prevention, Not Cures

Let your food be medicine and your medicine be food.

This oft-used admonition is credited to Hippocrates of Kos (c. 460 BC - 377 BC) an ancient Greek physician who is referred to as the "father of medicine" — it is his ‘oath' which our modern doctors take as their vow of healing — "...with regard to disease, namely, to do good or to do no harm ..." Epidemics, Book I, Ch. 2 (Source: Wikipedia).

Do you take supplements? Purchase the cheapest food? Do you go to the store with a recipe and not an open mind? Do you unmindfully accept the package labeling as to what you are buying? Do you know what is seasonally available in the produce section? Do you garden? Are you teaching your children to garden?

And finally, are you trying to save money? Ahhhhhhhh!

You know, all of the first questions really relate for many us, to the last one — and of course in our current economic climate the money question begs some answers and they can be found in the first questions.

SUPPLEMENTS:

First let me say that I am not saying that all supplements are wrong, or that you are making a mistake to take any supplements.

The point I want you to ponder is this: If you purchase unripe, out of season (by local standards) produce, packaged goods which say they are good for you but are not (you take the manufacturer's claims at face value), and then take supplements either because your doctor says you are lacking, or because you don't feel ‘up to par," are you not creating the need for the supplement, and perpetrating your own vicious cycle?

When Hippocrates admonished his patients to treat their food as medicine he meant for them to eat properly all the time and it would be their medicine - helping them stay healthy.

SEASONAL PRODUCE:

What's in season now where you live? Here in the Phoenix area, for produce raised within 100 miles of us, we have a lovely selection of at the very least:
Anise, Beets, Bok Choy , Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Cilantro, Diakon, Dill, Fennel, Greens, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuces, Onions, Parsley, Radicchio, Radishes, Rapini, Spinach, Squash, Winter, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes, Turnips, Apples, Grapefruit, Lemons, Limes, Oranges, Tangelos, Tangerines and for some areas we have peppers and eggplant, and kumquats are coming ripe.

Seasonal, local produce is better for you nutrient wise, it is usually far cheaper because it is local and does not have to be shipped far and if you cook seasonally you get a nice variety in your diet. (As a side benefit you are supporting your local producers and community.)

If you think you do not know how to prepare many vegetables, or ways to use fruits, keep this in mind:
Any combination of vegetables and herbs can be roasted with a bit of olive oil.
Any combination of fruit makes a wonderful compote, salad or side dish.
Go to the market not with a recipe (except the basic idea you want produce of some kind at each meal), but with your mind's eye open for the tasty and colorful possibilities. Roasted vegetables make a great base for stews, soups, or sauces. Prepped fruit is a fast snack.

PACKAGED FOODS:
Where do I begin with the challenges of buying nutritious manufactured/processed foods?
In an earlier blog posting (November 17, 2008) I gave you, my readers, a short method of determining nutrient density of packaged foods.

Recently, I purchased and read "Eat This Not That: Supermarket Survival Guide" by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, after catching Zinczenko on a Rachael Ray show.

The focus on this book is weight loss through better choices - not just in packaged foods but the authors also include information on produce selection.

The difference of the focus between my early posting on nutrient density and this book is their primary concern is fats and sugars, with a strong emphasis on fiber (excellent!!!), while my emphasis is on fiber and protein. The "Eat This..." authors give you specifics on which foods to choose over others and my focus was on an easy (I think) formula for evaluating the foods.

I do want to emphasize — this is a great book for getting an understanding of what the processors are doing to the food you purchase and the often misleading labeling on the packages. They point out a nice little guideline to go by - how many ingredients are actually in a package — the less the better - they suggest you aim for 7 or less ingredients — and what are the first couple of ingredients (avoid like the plague anything which starts with sugar, high fructose corn syrup-- always a no-no). The authors go a little further and discuss avoiding foods which have more than one sweetener. This is a great education tool. To read more about the book and/or purchase click on the amazon link below.



The formula I worked up (the earlier posting has some examples of foods I regularly have in the house showing how the formula works) was something I felt the need to work out because of the quick way I/we all try to get through the grocery shopping experience.

Take the total grams of fiber and protein, added together and divided into the calories and you have a factor — that is the nutrient density of the product. Example: Green Soybeans-Frozen
(Edamame) Protein 10 Fiber 4 = 14 Calories 120 = Factor 9.

You are looking for a factor of 20 or less — the lower the factor the higher the nutrient density. One of the best cereals for many reasons (fiber, lowering cholesterol, maintaining level blood sugar) is old fashioned oatmeal — Old Fashioned Oats Protein 5 Fiber 4 = 9 Calories 150 = Factor 17 — and it only takes 5 minutes to cook this oatmeal.

If you take the formula to the store with you, you can easily and quickly compare products.

Please educate yourself and your children on prepared foods. Make a game of it - keeps them creatively occupied too - have them do the math on "my formula" and compare foods. Tell them to goal is the math ‘answer' needs to be lowest of all the options you look at.

On the opposite end of the nutrient density spectrum is dessert — and you need to engage the children is this formula comparison too. There are horrible dessert options and better ones. Try to keep the dessert factor to 40 or lower. Have the children make sure there is fiber in the dessert they are looking at.

Example of horrible: Kellogg's Granola Bar, Crunchy Almond/Brown Sugar Protein 2.96 Fiber 2.3 = 5.26 Calories 604 = Factor 114 !!!!!

Example of Better: Kroger Ginger Snaps Protein 2 Fiber 1 = 3 Calories 120 = Factor 40
(One of my favorite quick snacks is a small piece of cheddar cheese between 2 ginger snaps — nice complimentary flavors--an after school snack couple this plus some apple slices.)

GARDENING

First when you look to purchase seeds, find companies which have signed the voluntary "Safe Seed Pledge" begun in 1999 by High Mowing Seeds http://www.highmowingseeds.com/the-safe-seed-pledge.html

The pledge is each company's stance on "...commitment to non-GMO (genetically modified organism) seed. We feel that the regulatory framework for the introduction of genetically modified crop varieties is flawed, and that GMO seeds themselves present a threat to plants' genetic diversity through their ability to pollinate non-GMO plants."

I would add, also, that the producers of GMO seeds (Monsanto among others) are attempting to buy up seed source companies. While they have not withdrawn those producers from commercial activity - if you were a company wanting to control source materials and replace them with your higher profit, monopolistic substitutes, what would you do?

Heirloom, hybrid, and organic will be phrases you see when seed and plant shopping.

Heirloom refers to an old or even ancient plant variety which cannot be patented, and is still around because 1) it produces consistently, with great flavor and, 2) people worked at keeping or reviving the strain for use.

Hybrid plants are crosses produced either spontaneously in the wild or garden, or intentionally created by horticulturists, farmers, gardeners or laboratories. Usually hybrid plants are patented which means you do not, as the purchaser of the plant, have a legal right to propagate it. This, by the way, is the underlying profit motive for the GMO producers, you only have the legal right to use the seed once and may not propagate it intentionally or ‘unintentionally' - chew on that one for a while.

Organic means the seed or plants were raised under certified conditions for organic plants meeting Federal organic standards.

Not all heirloom plants are raised organically, and not all hybrids are raised non-organically.

As a general concept — organically raised seed or plants are a good thing, but not necessarily needed in your garden if you garden with natural (meaning organic-like) practices - no chemicals. Plants not raised organically will have most of the offending chemicals out of their systems in 90-120 days.

As stated at the beginning of this section, if you purchase your plants or seeds from providers who have signed the safe seed pledge, then you can be reasonably assured you will be getting quality products, with no laboratory interference.

What to plant in February in your garden:

Herbs: Basil, Epazote, Hardy Herbs: oregano, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, lavender, sage, savory, bay, mint
Edible Flowers: Bee Balm (Monarda Didyma), English Daisy (Bellis Perennis), Hollyhock (Alcea Rosea), Marigold, French (Tagetes Patula), Marigold, Gem (Tagetes Tenuifolio), Marigold, Tangerine Scented (Tagetes Lemonii), Marigold, Signata, Marigold, Citrus Scented (Tagetes Nelsonii), Pansies (Viola X Wittrockiana), Primrose (Primula Vulgaris), Purslane (Portulaca X Hybrida), Safflower (Carthamus Tinctorius), Scented Geranium, Sunflower
Other Edibles: Artichoke, Asparagus, Beets, Bok Choy, Cantaloupe, Carrots, Chard & Mustard, Collards, Cucumbers, Corn, Fruit Trees, Green Onions, Jerusalem Artichoke, Lettuce & Greens, Musk & Winter Melons, Onion Sets, Peas, Peppers, Potatoes, Radishes, Spinach, Strawberry, Summer Squash, Tomatoes, Turnips, watermelon.

CLASS:

My 3-part "soil to table" class at the Desert Botanical Garden is coming up and filling up fast (there is a class limit) — First session is February 22. For information and registration (must pre- register) Call Steen Lawson Office 480.481.2066, or visit www.DBG.org.

SEASONAL RECIPES:

Check out my posting on January 1st for Rosemary Lemonade
Goes along nicely with the following seasonal recipes:

RED & GREEN COLE SLAW
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded green cabbage
1 red apple
1 green apple
11/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
11/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
5 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon celery seed, crushed
Optional herbs: rosemary, thyme, oregano, cilantro, about half to 1 tablespoon finely minced.
Salt & pepper to taste (taste first)
Add celery seed to red wine vinegar and set aside. Core, shred or finely dice apples (don't peel). Toss with cider vinegar.
Mix cabbages and apples (including the cider vinegar) in a large bowl. Mix red wine vinegar/celery seed with olive oil, pour over salad, and toss to coat well. Taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.

ALMOST EMPTY MUSTARD JAR RECIPES
...ah, the possibilities...frugal cooks once routinely saw the almost empty mustard jar as an opportunity for a salad dressing or sauce. Even 1 tablespoon left over could be turned into a tangy dinner enhancement.

SALAD DRESSING:
1 almost empty mustard jar
2 tablespoons citrus juice (orange or tangerine are lovely)
4 tablespoons oil
Dash of salt and pepper
1 tablespoons fresh herb of choice, finely chopped (rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram or combination)
Place all ingredients in the jar, cap and shake well, dress the salad.

Options: If you enjoy chunky salads aka chopped salad (where the ingredients are left larger sized) create your own ‘green goddess' dressing — in a blender place this salad dressing and add 1-2 cups of finely chopped salad greens (lettuces, kale, escarole, etc.), blend to combine and pour over coarsely chopped vegetables.

MARINADE/SAUCE:
1 almost empty mustard jar
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons vinegar, citrus juice or other fruit juice (pineapple, apple, etc.)
4 tablespoons finely chopped thyme, or 2 tablespoons finely chopped oregano, or 1 tablespoon of finely chopped rosemary.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Mix well and pour over boneless chicken or sturdy fish (tuna, shark, halibut, swordfish). Marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Grill until cooked through, about 10-15 minutes per side depending on thickness and heat of grill, basting with marinade periodically during grilling.

Find more recipes in my book "101+ Recipes from The Herb Lady"



Have a great day,

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

12 Days of Christmas - 12th Day of Christmas

12th Day of Christmas - January 5th

Twelfth Night, Eve of the Epiphany, or Little Christmas Eve

A day and evening of celebration closing out the Christmas holidays, and for some celebrating the traditional arrival of the Three Wise Men to the Child Jesus, on January 6th, the Epiphany. In the Eastern Orthodox Churches, January 6th is their Christmas, so this day is their Christmas Eve.

On the 12th and last Day of Christmas, I thought it would be a nice idea to tell you about the Arizona Interfaith Movement.

Their mission is, "to build bridges of understanding, respect, and support among diverse people of faith through education, dialogue, service, and the implementation of the Golden Rule."

Check out their site and look into the events they sponsor.

http://www.interfaitharizona.com/

GARDEN

Silver and blue are traditional colors used in Twelfth Night celebrations. They also make a lovely combination of colors in the garden. Right now my Mexican Blue Sage (Salvia Chamaedryoides) is blooming — with its sky blue flowers and silvery green foliage it is a bright spot in the rusty and umbra pallette of the winter leaves. The blue morph pansy is also an almost startling find when meandering through the gardens. The silvery leaves of Lambs Ears are coming up all over — I actually need to keep this lovely petable-not-edible plant under supervision or it will take over the entire garden.

Lemon and lime balms are bursting with new growth. On the aromatic side of the garden the fall-planted garlic plants are coming along nicely — I can't wait to harvest full garlic heads this spring.

Consider planting some ornamental kales and cabbages (which are edible). They have lovely silvery/purple and white leaves and make stunning mixes in edible beds along side of pansies and curly parsley.

Garden Reminder: Now through the end of February is your best planting time for all the cool weather veggies and herbs. If you want to try to keep some dill and cilantro going into the warmer time, determine where you garden will have some shade as the sun moves back towards the north, and seed in there. Finish pruning your stone fruit trees now — before the lenghtening days and warming temps produce flowers.

IF your peach and other stone fruit trees prunings have buds on them as you prune, save some branches and bring them inside, re-cut under water, and place them in a vase of luke-warm water. The flowers will open for you and create a lovely arrangement.

KITCHEN

The following three-tier recipe set can be used in many other ways, experiment and have some fun with the concepts — these are from my book "101+ Recipes From The Herb Lady."

MIDNIGHT EGGS

A poached egg over mixed greens is a midnight snack idea suggested on returning from a night out. The fennel seed condiment (see third recipe) was inspiration for a snack worthy of a stellar post-performance meal, and a nice ending to the Christmas season.

3 cups mixed baby greens
3 poached eggs (see poaching tip next page)
Sliced tomatoes
Warm Herb Yogurt Sauce (see next recipe)

Place one cup of greens in the middle of plate—creating a nest. Slice tomatoes and arrange attractively around the 'nest.'
Poach eggs (you can do this ahead of time—chill and re-warm by gently placing in hot water for 15-30 seconds). Place a poached egg in each greens nest, pour sauce over egg and serve.
Poaching Tip: If you are like me and your poached eggs are not stellar in appearance, an egg poacher is a life saver (the microwave kind work very well—just remember to put some water in each bowl and prick the egg yolk to permit steam to escape).

WARM HERB YOGURT SAUCE

1 cup of plain yogurt, gelatin-free
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 teaspoons corn starch
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons of Fennel Parsley Condiment (below)

Place yogurt in a sauce pan and very, very gently warm—stirring regularly (using a double boiler may be easier). Add in lemon juice and olive oil. Mix corn starch and water together and pour slowly into warmed yogurt—stirring to desired thickness. Add condiment and stir in well.

FENNEL/PARSLEY CONDIMENT

1 teaspoon fennel seed, ground
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons water
In a mini-processor or with mortar and pestle, mix fennel and parsley, add oil, and add enough water to make a paste. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week. Use in following recipes.
Other Uses: As a sandwich spread with sliced chicken; make tuna salad with 1 tablespoon Fennel/Parsley Condiment, 6 oz. tuna, mayo and a bit of salt and pepper; toss with 1 cup chopped tomatoes and a bit of salt and pepper if desired; 1 tablespoon mixed into scrambled eggs.

CILANTRO LIME SODA

With limes and cilantro in season, serve this sparkling homemade soda and toast the end of the 12 days of Christmas. (Coriander/cilantro is one of the Biblical herbs.)

1 1/2 cups of fresh lime juice
1/2 cup rinsed and dried cilantro
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup boiling water
4 1/2 cups of sparkling water, club soda, or seltzer
Sprigs of cilantro for garnish

Add sugar to boiling water and stir until sugar is dissolved, add cilantro and let steep until cooled. Strain into lime juice. Add sparkling, chilled water, stir and serve with a sprig of cilantro in each glass.

Option: By the glass — Stir and dissolve sugar in lime juice, add cilantro and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Strain, and use chilled still, water, club soda, seltzer or sparkling water. Ratio is 1/4 cup of lime syrup to 3/4 cups of water.

THE SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY

This 12th and last "spirit of generosity" is about the Leukemia Society.

Once called the ‘beautiful killer' because so many victims died looking great (no outward symptoms), this terrible disease took my mother in a horrible way, and my young cousin.

Many strides have been made since my mom died, in fact enough that she may have lived much longer had these medical breakthroughs been available then. But more, of course, needs to be done. You can make a donation on the site via a paypal option.

http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=8592

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Office of Donor Services
1311 Mamaroneck Avenue
White Plains, NY 10605

MORE: There are so many worthwhile groups which can use help — financially or through volunteer work. And while organizations like Leukemia Society have great and pressing needs to stop terrible diseases, sometimes the little things in life such as giving a box of hygienic supplies to a homeless person can have as great an impact (see the 8th day of Christmas for Shoebox ministry). Find the spirit of generosity that fits you — small gestures can make big changes.

Old Time Radio: http://www.otrcat.com/113.html

Dinah Shore was one of the very popular radio songstress' of radio, then going on to host her own show on TV. A very classy lady, she could still hold her own with the silly antics of comedians such as Groucho Marx. Listen free.

http://www.otrcat.com/113-DinahShore-26-custom.html

Merry 12th Day of Christmas!

Dear Folks, I sure hope you have enjoyed these 12 days of Christmas posts, and that you will come back soon to see what else I have growing and cooking. You can subscribe directly to this blog -- see the box in the sidebar.

Happy New Year!


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

12 Days of Christmas - 11th Day of Christmas

11th Day of Christmas - January 4th


GARDEN

You still have time to plant fruit trees in the garden, and look forward to all that wonderful fruit in a couple of years. We just had our first navel orange of the season — the peaches and apricots will begin ripening in late April to early May.

Fruit trees and chill hours — specifically stone fruit such as Peach and Apricot (citrus require no chill hours) — need a certain number of chill hours to set fruit. The wrong tree in the wrong climate (temperature zone) may give you lovely flowers but it will not set fruit if its chill hour requirement has not been met.

While heavily researching chill hour requirements in our desert gardens a couple of years ago, I discovered, after the fact, the reason why some of our plum trees, and one of our peach trees, never fruited well — we are in a warmer ‘zone' within the valley and the trees we got needed more cold. While we thought we were choosing the proper chill rated trees, we did not in a couple of cases

What's A Chill Hour, is the name of a booklet I wrote about this factor in choosing bare-root or potted trees for your garden. There is a lot more detail in the booklet, but the gist is this: a chill hour is the amount of hours, calculated from November to March, where the temperature falls below 45 degrees. Stone fruit trees like cherry require anywhere from 900-1200 chill hours in a season to properly set fruit. Our valley zones range from as low as 250 (some areas of Mesa etc.) to 700-900 — some areas of central Phoenix around the Encanto area to Queen Creek.

Varieties of fruit trees adapted for the mild desert climate (many were developed in Israel — remember how similar the climate there to here), require far less hours, and we have a very nice selection from which to choose, but you have to know not only the chill hours of the trees you are looking at, but also the chill hours of your neighborhood. The difference can be dramatic even within a mile of you, and therefore a neighborhood nursery may have trees which do well in the geographic range, but not do well in another section of the valley. For example if a peach tree rated at 400-450 hours, sold in an Encanto-area nursery, were to be planted in our gardens in the east valley, they would not fruit because our neck-of-the-valley is much warmer.

One ‘barometer' of cold in a neighborhood is whether bougainvillea bushes frost all the way to the ground each winter — if they do you are in a much colder area of the valley, if not a warmer area.

Herbs: If you love basil as I do, start seed now inside for transplanting later (late February) to give you a jumpstart on this glorious herb. A basil or chili butter-dipper peach half on the grill this summer is a cook's delight While starting the basil seed, start tomato, eggplant and peppers too.

We are only a month and a half approximately from transplanting these frost-tender plants, so save some well-cleaned gallon, water, or 2 liter soda bottles to use as cloches in the garden when you transplant. With the bottoms cut off they make great transition ‘green-houses' and you can use the cap as a humidity regulator. Take the ‘house' off on sunny days, put back on at night. They can be removed completed when all frost danger is past. How do you know when frost danger is over? Look for some signs in nature: consistent ant activity, flowering mesquite, or night-time temperature predictions that are not below -mid to high 40s into the outer lying areas.

KITCHEN

ORANGE FENNEL SALAD
A sunny salad with lots of flavor and good for you (and seasonal) ingredients.
2 oranges, peeled and sectioned (make sure to catch any juice)
6 red radishes, shredded or thinly sliced
1/2 cup fennel leaf "feathers" (loose packed)
2 tablespoons almond oil
1 tablespoon cider or rice wine vinegar
Pinch of salt
Use the ‘feathery' leaves from bulb or leaf fennel -- reserve bulb for other meals. Blend oil, vinegar and salt. Gently toss with orange, radish and fennel. Serve immediately.

MARINATED TOFU
Tangerines are in season now and add a lovely sweetness to this recipe. The challenge for most folks with tofu is its blandness, but that is what is great about it, because it picks of the flavors it is cooked/mixed with. You always need a pinch of salt with tofu

1 cup cubed extra firm tofu
½ teaspoon dried savory (or 1 teaspoon fresh)
Zest of 1 tangerine (or orange)
1 tablespoon tangerine juice
1/4+ teaspoon salt to taste
Olive oil
Place cubed tofu in bowl, gently toss with zest, savory, juice and half the salt. Take a clean 12 oz. jar and pour a little olive oil in bottom. Pile mixed tofu in jar (being sure to scrape bowl juices and spices into jar), and add rest of salt to top. Cover with additional olive oil, cap tightly and turn jar to mix well. Turn several times over one hour and serve or refrigerate — will keep for approximately 4-5 days. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
Serve over mixed greens, or on crackers or slices of apple.
TOFU TIP: Press extra liquid from extra firm tofu by placing in a bowl, covered with plastic of flat plat weighted down with a 1 lb can, then cube.

THE SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY

I grew up in a firefighter family (3 uncles and a cousin were Captains) and love a wonderful retired firefighter, so I have a very special place in my heart for our guys and gals who pull their boots on every morning ready to face whatever the day brings.

Deane is probably typical of the average firefighter or police office in that he does not think he is a hero or brave, because he has never actually saved someone's life at risk of his own. He bridles at the word hero and bravery.

I have a different take on it: Anyone can be a ‘hero' in the sense that they bring unlimited mental and physical fortitude to a sudden and horrible situation and sometimes make amazing rescues for which they should be given every honor society has to offer.

But I think someone is a hero and brave when they willingly go into a fire, face a crazed criminal and also when they put their boots on in the morning and are ready to do that for real that day whether it happens or not.

One of Deane's son-n'laws is a Fireman with the Mesa FD and I was so impressed during a swearing in ceremony of the appreciation by the department of the ‘bravery and sacrifices of the families' who support their guy or gal being a firefighter. I always thought of the families of police and firefighters in the war-time reference — they also serve who only sit and wait.

The 100 Club is a local organization supporting the families of fallen and severely injured Arizona Police and Firefighters. You can donate online via a paypal button.

http://www.100club.org/
100 Club
5151 North 19th Avenue
Suite 204
Phoenix, Arizona 85015
(602) 485-0100
Toll Free: 1-877-564-0100


Old Time Radio: http://www.otrcat.com/113.html

Some of my personal favorite old time radio programs are the detective shows including Nero Wolfe, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar and Nick Carter Master Detective. These type of detective or mysteries are considered ‘soft-boiled' as opposed to the tougher or suspense type, with some fun twists.

Here is an episode from Nero Wolfe "Deadly Sellout" starring Sydney Greenstreet.

http://www.otrcat.com/113-NeroWolfe-25-custom.html

Merry 11th Day of Christmas!


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

12 Days of Christmas - 10th Day of Christmas

10th Day of Christmas - January 3rd

GARDEN

If you are going to prune citrus trees, it needs to be done before they start flowering in late January or early February, BUT, consider the real necessity of doing citrus pruning. Many of the commercial citrus growers do not prune out all dead wood because those branches support the fruit ladened branches.

If you have a choice, do not pick your citrus until you are ready to use it — all citrus becomes sweeter the longer it stays on the tree, and the tree is storing it for you, instead of taking up refrigerator or counter space. I have picked my lemons and grapefruit into May with no deterioration in quality, and no reduction in next year's fruit setting.

By the way, that citrus fruit-drop many gardeners see in late spring or early summer is a naturally occurring ‘instinct' of the trees to ‘self-prune.'

If you have not already planted Nasturtiums, get some seeds in the ground for a great spring garden and table treat.

"Nasty" Tips: The hard, rough-surfaced seed of the nasturtium is designed to keep sprouting controlled in irregular conditions. First take a nailfile and gentle nick the seed, being careful to keep from getting too deep. Next soak the seed overnight.

Plant these seeds by burying them their seed depth in a well-draining, sunny location, water in. Unlike many seeds, nasturtiums need darkness to germinate (hollyhock seeds are the opposite they need sunlight to germinate).

You can sow seeds for nasturtiums as early as September by burying them under the edges of summer edibles because the overhead leaves will give them some heat protection when they get started.

Nasturtium flowers and leaves are edible with a nice peppery bite. The seeds can be pickled for a caper substitute — but use sparingly in meals.

KITCHEN

MARINATED OLIVES
Use some of that wonderful fresh citrus to make this great appetizer or salad topper.
Who doesn't need another appetizer - when I go to parties, friends/family ask me to bring this dish.
Make this at least 3-4 hours ahead of time or the day before and allow to come to room temperature before serving.

2 cups green olives (can be stuffed)
2 cups kalamata olives
2 cups medium sized black olives
(You can choose to leave pits in, but warn folks!)
1 orange, zest and juice
1 lime (or lemon), zest and juice
1/2-3/4 cup finely chopped mixed herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley, oregano, marjoram, dill, chives, etc. - use at least 3 different kinds - leaves, no stems)
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and minced or finely shredded
Optional: 1-2 cloves of garlic, pressed or finely minced
Olive oil to cover

Drain olives of any water, but reserve oil if oil packed.

Mix olives, citrus zest and juice, herbs, ginger and garlic, tossing to mix well. Let sit for 1/2 hour, tossing periodically to coat.

Place this mixture in an attractive tall lidded jar, making sure to scrape in all herbs and juices. Use reserved olive packing oil and fresh olive oil to almost completely cover the olives. Cap tightly and turn (up-end) every 1/2 hour or so to keep mixture coating the olives. Serve and enjoy. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 weeks — oil will solidify, so bring what you wish to use to room temperature before serving.

Serving tip: Use an edible bowl (seeded cucumber or squash 'boats', bread bowls, seeded- sweet peppers etc.) to serve the olives in. The bread bowl can be cut up at the end and nibbled on, and if the veggie bowls are still fresh, can be used in a salad later that day.


THE SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY

Do you have an old friend or acquaintance that you think of sometimes, but you don't have a lot of regular contact with? They are the one you think of when a problem comes up because they have answers and help when asked?

That is the way I think of the Red Cross organization. They are always there in the background ready to help and they have been doing it since 1881!

By the way, if you ever heard or read the totally false story that the RC folks require recipients to reimburse the RC for help given — it is NOT true. Apparently that story has been around so long, even some of my friends and I had heard it decades ago. See snopes page for some history on the allegations. http://www.snopes.com/medical/emergent/redcross.asp

When I was a child (somewhere around 1959/1960 don't remember exactly when), I decided to hold a show to raise money for a Charity (my bad memory says I did it for the Red Cross, but it may have been for the Heart Association). I charged my neighborhood pals a nickel each and my girlfriend and I put on a show in her backyard (more room) and raised .76 cents, which with my mom's help I mailed off to the charity. I got a note back from them that I remember I was so impressed with thanking me for the money. (I was kind of imitating the Little Rascals with the show idea, but it worked!)

My little story is by way of saying anyone, in anyway, can find a way to give something to any worthwhile group. I have no idea what my .76 would be worth in today's money, but I did what I could with what I/we had to work with, and it felt great!

You can donate on line as little as $10.00 - add a buck extra to offset processing fees.

http://www.redcross.org/


Old Time Radio: http://www.otrcat.com/113.html

Before Spider Man, old time radio had its share of heroes: Superman, Green Hornet, Captain Midnight, Buck Rogers, Dick Tracy, Flash Gordon, Jungle Jim, Magic Island, Sgt Preston, Sky King, Speed Gibson, Terry and the Pirates, and Tom Mix.

From 1936-52, the "Flight of the Bumblebee" signaled another episode of the Green Hornet. The Green Hornet's saved the life of Kato somewhere during his travels in the Far East and Kato became a loyal friend. Listen free to this episode "Torpedo on Wheels."

http://www.otrcat.com/113-GreenHornet-24-custom.html

Merry 10th Day of Christmas!


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

12 Days of Christmas - 9th Day of Christmas

9th day of Christmas - January 2nd

Howdy Folks, hope you made it through the end and beginning of the year with little impairment.

January 2nd is also the Feast day of St. Basil The Great, Bishop during the later part of 300 AD, in an area where modern Turkey lies — "Hot-blooded and somewhat imperious, Basil was also generous and sympathetic. He personally organized a soup kitchen and distributed food to the poor during a famine following a drought. He gave away his personal family inheritance to benefit the poor of his diocese." — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_the_Great

There is a lot more to read at the Wiki site, including an almost humorous exchange between the Bishop and the Prefect of the Emperor Valens.

GARDEN
Sweet Bay, Greek Bay, or bay leaf (Laurus nobilis) is the 2009 Herb of The Year, as designated by the International Herb Association a professional trade association of herb specialists and other interested folks.

Many cooks would not have a complete kitchen without dried bay leaf, so it is more than appropriate to consider planting this shrubby ‘tree'.

This plant is a shrub, meaning its many trunks and branches can be pruned to desired shape — although you really want all the nice growth so you can pluck leaves anytime you want them for the kitchen*. Growing much like a citrus tree with multiple trunks rising from the root, it can be frost sensitive in the early years here in the valley, and also can sustain sunburn from hot western sun.

It also grows very, very ssslllooooowww the first several years so practice your garden patience. If happy, it can eventually get to 6-15 feet tall.

Choose a location with a southern, southeast or east exposure where you can gently cover it if need be in the frost winter nights - if you have a block wall fence or side of building with southern exposure that will give it needed extra warmth in the winter and shelter in the summer - - but give it room to grow! Supply it with well draining soil and standard herb watering — water well, then let it dry out some. It does not generally need extra fertilizer if the soil is of good quality to begin with.

It is possible to grow Bay from seed (I've done it) but I do not recommend it. If you can't find the plant for sale locally, you can order Bay plants from one of my favorite suppliers right now (I checked and they have them in stock now -- shipped from California):

http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/launobilis.htm?PHPSESSID=1b97f881bd7fb86e03f291 f5cdf791db

They do have a minimum number of plants to order (can be mix and match) to ensure careful packaging of plants (which MVG does superbly well — great customer service too!)

*Bay leaves and oregano are traditional insect repellants in cupboards or even in bins/containers of flour.

Weather this weekend is supposed to dip again temperature wise and also we may get more rain, then the long-range forecast is showing a rise in temps and sunny days later on next week — perfect gardening weather!

KITCHEN

Those ripening oranges in the back yard are just one ingredient in this lovely oil

BAY LEAF INFUSED OIL
(From "101+ Recipes From The Herb Lady")
1 cup of fruity olive oil
4 dried bay leaves
1 peel of orange, remove white pith

Heat oil to almost boiling. In a heat proof glass container, place bay leaves and orange peel, add hot oil, cap and let steep for 1 week on the counter. Strain and refrigerate.

Use to make salad dressing; roast fruit halves (like peaches, pears or plums) brushed with a bit of this oil, and a small sprinkle of salt; it is particularly wonderful when tossed with cut up vegetables such as sweet potatoes which are then oven roasted or grilled; try basting chicken or other poultry with this oil for a moister and flavorful resulting meal.

TIP: Store some leaves with your rice or beans in glass jars and pre-flavor them slightly. Also you can infuse wine with bay leaves to make a great tasting sauteing liquid for any foods.

THE SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY

One Step Away! — From What?
Statement, question and answer is the campaign profile of Change.Org a valley organization of help-groups trying to address not just the needs but the solutions, for homelessness. Is a family member, friend, or a neighbor One Step Away from being homeless?

The mission of the umbrella group Human Services Campus "is to use the power of collaboration to provide solutions to end homelessness. Our vision is our community without homelessness and our legacy is a model for collaborative community solutions."

You can donate on their site with a button — not paypal, but easier than other sites donation pages.

http://www.change.org/hscaz

Speaking of Neighbors, so much of the struggles going on for many people and because of the wars going on, has reminded me for a long time of the "Victory Gardens" of WWII and the rationing and metal collection efforts that went along with the war time years.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors — Community Gardens — Sanctuary From Stress — Peaceful Places — Home-Cooked Meals. What if . . .

You and your neighbors treated your neighborhood or street like a tiny village. What do you each do, who gardens with what, are their elderly or disable living along, do you like to cook, or knit, or sew. Could you . . .

--Use a neighbor for some of the work you need done
--Make an extra portion of any meal and take it over to the neighbor (better yet ask one of the children to deliver it, so they feel helpful and learn at the same time)
--Share garden planning with neighbors who also garden, divvy up the types of plants, then share the harvest — with gardening space in many modern neighborhoods limited in size, having Henry grow tomatoes, and Lucy grow scallions, chives or garlic, and Michael growing potatoes, image the tasty banquets possible with the shared harvest — trade citrus for other veggies in a street- swap-meet
--Knit something for anyone on your ‘village-street' — do you know you can ‘knit a coat' literally — out of worn out or outgrown clothes — it is a take off on an old-fashioned rag rug, or memory quilt. (I personally love lap throws, have made them, given them and received them.)
--IF YOU need help, make a flyer anyway you can and take them around to neighbors — be considerate and don't litter and be respectful no matter how terrible you are feeling about things, offer to trade anything useful for something helpful — in the olden days barter was as simple as making a home cooked meal for someone who repaired your fence or washing machine.

Older neighborhoods in cities became known for the commonality of their people, architecture and history. Any neighborhood or street can be a community/village of people who do things together when they can and try to be there when needed.

What if . . .

. . . you needed a friend and the people next door and on your street were friends you could turn to? Imagine a small village of friends and they live on your street.

Old Time Radio: http://www.otrcat.com/113.html

Neck-in-neck with popularity with Nashville's Grand Ole Opry was Chicago-based WLS National Barn Dance. Its toe-tapping listenership covered both rural communities and city dwellers for several decades. In the 1920's, people paid the 75 cent admission to see the performance with a barn loft stage and bales of hay for the musicians to sit on.

(Note: As mentioned in the post from the 8th Day of Christmas - Gene Autry got his start in part on National Barn Dance.)

This show is from December 12, 1942. Listen free.

http://www.otrcat.com/113-NationalBarnDance-23-custom.html

Merry 9th Day of Christmas!

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

12 Days of Christmas - 8th Day of Christmas

8th day of Christmas - January 1st

New Year's Day!

Time to dust the fuzzies from last year out of your head and look to the possibilities of this new day and new year.

Hogmanay is an old tradition of Celebrating January 1st and sometimes January 2nd.  The origins of Hogmanay are unclear, but it may be derived from Norse and Gaelic observances. Customs vary throughout Scotland, and usually include gift-giving and visiting the homes of friends and neighbours, with special attention given to the first-foot, the first guest of the new year. -- wikipedia

GARDEN

Time to plant my potatoes! I also will sprinkle in some cilantro seeds along the edges of the potato patch — they grow well together as companion plants.

However, if the only thing you and the family are up for on New Year's Day is sitting out in the garden, take time to enjoy the "betweens" — the stone fruit trees have dropped most of their leaves and some branches are even starting to show buds — the citrus fruit hangs like sunny ornaments ready for the first taste testing to see if they are ripe enough — the sweet alyssum is blooming its little heads off and the bees are coming out for their fragrant nectar — as too are the hummingbirds. The stark contrasts of fallen leaves and bare limbs to the colorful winter flowers makes a textured tapestry for viewing and enjoyment.

KITCHEN

A meal of black-eyed peas and ham hock are a Southern tradition for New Year's Day to bring luck and humility to the family.

I have to confess that the idea sounds good, but I don't care for ham hock and wanted something which would cook up faster than the peas, so several years ago I developed my take-off for a wholesome and tasty option for any winter day.

LENTILS AND SMOKED TURKEY
1 carrot
2 inner (tender) stalks and leaves of celery
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs (ex: thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil, parsley)
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 smoked turkey leg
1 lb of lentils
Water

Rinse and pick over lentils, set aside. Finely chop carrot, celery, onion and garlic.
Heat oil in large pot. Add carrot, celery, onion and garlic, saute for 2-3 minutes stirring regularly. Add herbs and turmeric, stir to coat. Add turkey leg and enough water to cover, bring to boil and reduce to simmer cooking for 1 hour. Add lentils adding enough water to cover. Simmer until lentils are tender - about 20-25 minutes. Add water as necessary to keep all covered. Remove turkey leg and pick off all meat, dicing or shredding, return to pot, add salt if desired (but taste first!). Serve with rice or crusty bread.

How About A Pick-Me-Up Beverage to go with the Lentils?

ROSEMARY LEMONADE

Rosemary is a strong herb so you do not need much. If folks in the house have a cold or flu, make this recipe with thyme instead of rosemary. Thyme is long known for its helpful and healthful affects on the lungs. Citrus/vitamin C is good at cutting congestion too.

1 ½ cups of sugar
1 ½ cups of lemon juice
½ cup boiling water
5 cups of cold water (can be mix of ice and water to make the 5 cups)
1 4-inch sprig of fresh rosemary, rinsed and broken in small pieces (OR, twice as much of thyme)
1 tablespoon of lemon zest
Couple of slices of lemon to add at the end
Mix sugar and boiling water to dissolve, add herb and let steep for 15 minutes, strain and discard herb pieces. Mix strained syrup with lemon juice and zest, stir, then add cold water and lemon slices, stir and serve.

THE SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY

As if the homeless crisis was not bad enough before 2008, it got worse with entire families being added to this sad segment of society. Many agencies assist these folks such as United Way and Salvation Army (each wonderful in their own way).

Another you might not be aware of is "Shoebox Ministry" which hands out hygiene boxes to the homeless. This little act reaches folks who still need the dignity of feeling clean. You can donate directly with an easy paypal donation button on their site. This program works in conjunction with many other agencies.

http://www.shoeboxministry.org/


Old Time Radio: http://www.otrcat.com/113.html

Gene Autry, America's Yodeling Cowboy, was "back in the saddle again" for 16 years on radio, sponsored by Wrigley's Doublemint Gum.

By 1940 Gene Autry was one of the four most popular movie stars in America, a major network radio star, and a top-selling recording artist and proud to have be on the air doing "Gene Autry's Melody Ranch," a radio version of his pictures.

Gene had written many tunes, including "Here Comes Santa Claus," (written in 1949) but earlier in his career via his association with the Wrigley family of Doublemint and Chicago Cubs fame in Chicago, he had learned that owning sports teams was a great investment. Gene went west again, to rope the ownership of Major League Baseball's California Angels, along with a number of radio and television stations. (He owned ranches in Florence and Winslow, and TV stations KOOL in Phoenix and KOLD in Tucson in addition to other stations from time to time in Arizona cities.)

Today's program features songs from Melody Ranch folks and Gene's sidekick Pat Buttram loses Champion Gene's horse. Listen Free.

http://www.otrcat.com/113-GeneAutry-22-custom.html

Merry 8th Day of Christmas & Happy New Year's Day!


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

12 Days of Christmas - 7th Day of Christmas

7th Day of Christmas - December 31st

New Year's Eve!

The day when folks celebrate the achievements of the outgoing year, or the celebration of opportunities with the incoming year — either way, or both, it is a good time for the spirit of renewal to guide you and your choices.

Folks, I inadvertently left out the Spirit of Generosity section in the 6th day of Christmas post yesterday, so I'm putting two in today :-) — Catherine

GARDEN

Tomorrow is the day I traditionally plant my potatoes, so I get the frame out (mentioned before), loosen up the top soil inside the frame and have the compost or fallen leaves ready for tomorrow's planting. My potatoes have been stored in the frig crisper from last season's harvest, plus any new varieties I have ordered.

If that is more ambitious than you are interested in pursuing, consider sowing in some cilantro (coriander) seeds, there is still time to get a nice crop in for harvesting. Also pick up a spare bulb of garlic at the grocer, separate the cloves and plant 6 inches a part in a sunny spot with good draining soil. In about 3 weeks you will see the leaves growing up, when they are about 8-10 inches tall you can harvest your "garlic scallions" as needed — Use them the same way you would use dried garlic or green onions — their flavor is slightly milder than the dried clove.

KITCHEN:

What's a New Year's Eve (or New Year's Day) party without a dip?

CATHERINE'S SONORAN CAVIAR
My take off on the many numerous varieties of Texas Caviar, a bean and salsa ‘salad' this is not only good tasting but good for you. Some variations are:

1)use black-eyed peas at New Year's for a traditional good luck dish; OR
2) garbonzo beans, mint and parsley instead of black beans, cilantro and cumin.

Chips are always great, but I liked the toast points for a little fancier presentation.

3 medium tomatoes
5 green scallions
half a large yellow or orange sweet bell pepper
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
small bunch of cilantro, finely shredded
small bunch of garlic chives, finely shredded
zest and juice of one lemon
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
half teaspoon of salt
half teaspoon of cumin
6 turns of a pepper mill
Toasted bread cut in 2x2 inch pieces and brushed with olive oil OR Corn Chips
Optional: small jalapeno pepper, finely minced

Cut tomatoes, scallions, and pepper(s) into bean size pieces, catch all juices. Mix these with the cilantro, chives, lemon zest and juice, salt, cumin, ground pepper, drizzle with olive oil and fold/stir again. Serve on toast or with chips.

THE SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY (should have been in yesterday's post -- 6th Day of Christmas)

Heifer International OR Heifer Project International is an incredible organization. Taking the well-honed admonishon that teaching a person to fish feeds them for a life time instead of giving them a fish which only lasts for one meal, they have created an organization that tiers the initial gift, allowing the recipient to then turn around and give to the next in line (Passing on of the Gift) — a total win/win/win concept. They fund projects in 51 countries and 23 states in the US (One project Heifer participated in: a project with Navajo Sheep ranchers to bring in new rams to diversify the dwindling gene pool and raise production).

http://www.heifer.org

Read Barbara Kingsolver's article (author of "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle") on her journey to Peru to view first hand not only one of Heifer's projects but also the celebration of their mantra in practice "not just to get, but to give." Given my love of goats etc this article on the Heifer project's assisting a tiny village in reclaiming decimated farm land in Peru is a great example of what ‘teaching to fish' can do on the smallest level, rising with great power to impact many lives.

http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.1453523/

Heifer maintains several regional offices in the US — the address below is the one for the Southwest region.

Heifer Southwest Regional Office
330 Main St. Suite 203A
Seal Beach, CA 90740
Phone: (877) 663-1683


THE SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY

Sometimes folks have choices on how they share their spirit of generosity: they may time, but no extra money, or they have extra money, but no extra time. Some folks like a more hands-on participation in aiding others: Volunteering at shelters, food banks, and crisis nurserys (or even being one of the ‘cradlers' so valuable to new-born-with-challenges and premee babies in hospitals). But if you would like a more direct approach to sharing your spirit of generosity look into ‘micro-loan' programs.

To read up some on the concept and some of the various companies providing micro-credit see this New York Times article from 1988 — admittedly old, but still a great basis for understanding where it got started and why it works.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE3D8113FF932A15751C0A96E948260&s ec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

Wikipedia has a good page on FINCA, one of the micro-lending organizations a couple-friend of mine regularly donate to.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_for_International_Community_Assistance

Do the recipients pay interest along with their repayments - yes, BUT, not near what they have traditionally paid to local money lenders — loan sharks — up 20% per day vs. Commercially- comparable rates via micro-loans AND the recipients have two immediate benefits to these micro-loans — they do not have to come up with collateral as they would via a commercial bank, and they must participate in a group project to get the loan which in turn becomes a support/training/mentoring group holding them up while they improve their lives and the lives of their families and villages.

And finally for an even more money/hands-on approach to micro-lending, check out kiva.org. I recently read an article about this group, and it sounded so good to me as a person who sometimes likes to see the result of my spirit of generosity first hand (other times I enjoy being anonymous). Once your first loan is repaid you can turn around and lend again or donate out- right to Kiva. Check it out for yourself.

http://www.kiva.org

Old Time Radio: http://www.otrcat.com/113.html

Fibber Magee and Mollie are invited to the Country Club Dance on New Year's Eve. Find the link to listen to the show on this page.

http://www.otrcat.com/113-Fibber-NYEve-CC-14-custom.html

GARDEN REMINDER: In use and cultivation since ancient times, garlic, onions and leeks (the "Pungent Lilies of the Bible") have been both food and medicine. The Children of Israel lament the onions, leeks and garlic missing from their desert diet after leaving Egypt. (Old Testament Numbers 11:5.) "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food," said Hippocrates. And, of course, current science has shown the many benefits (cardiac, digestion etc.) of these pungent lilies in the diet.

January 4th. Plants-of-the-Bible Tour at 1:30 p.m. Boyce Thompson Arboretum

http://arboretum.ag.arizona.edu/events/bibleplants.html

Merry 7th Day of Christmas and a Happy New Year's Eve!


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady