More on Drying Herbs, Some "Neighbors", & Seasonal Tips

Dear Folks,

I have been drying more herbs in the sun and have more information for you, but first some Seasonal Tips and "neighbors" for and in the garden.

Seasonal Tips in The Garden

Established fruit trees should be fed 3 times a year. Memorial, Labor, and Valentine's days are traditionally used as markers here in the desert.  Young fruit trees should not be fertilized the first year.

Harvest seed for sowing later.  Plants like arugula, cilantro, and the radishes and carrots are going or will be going to flower and seed if they have not already.  Catch the seeds for sowing later on in the fall -- recycling at its best!  Store in paper envelopes in a cool dry place and they will be viable for a couple of years.  Mark the date you harvest on the envelopes.

Speaking of seeds -- did you know the nasturtium seed is edible?  The fresh green seed after the flowers die off are a great bite of horseradish.  Just don't eat too many at once.  3-5 crushed and added to a dressing is good.  They can be pickled like capers.  They contain oxalic acid, which binds with minerals like calcium and make it unavailable to your body when eaten in large quantities.  Many of the foods good for you, like spinach and other dark green leafy veggies have the same caution.  Too much of a good thing, can be a problem.

I let many of the nasturtium seeds drop where they may, harvesting some seeds so I can fill in later next fall/winter where I need more color.  This year's freezes killed the first 2 crops of "nastys" but there were many more seeds in the ground that just needed the opportunity to pop up, so our fruit tree wells had lovely hems of brilliant colors and the textures of the exotic leaf shapes.

There is still time to plant sunflowers, soybeans and summer squash, cantaloupe and Armenian cucumber.  One of my recommended variations on the "three sisters" companion planting.  For more color, plant moss rose flowers (portulaca) - they love the heat.

Neighbors

We encourage the birds by putting out seed for them, but not all of them need the seed.  The Lesser Goldfinch is one of the acrobats of our feathered neighbors and a hoot to watch on our sunflowers.

Look closely at the photo on your visual right and you will see the male hanging upside down.  I always thought they were only after the seed, but a reading several years ago said they are after the tiny bugs which frequent sunflowers, as well as nibbling on other parts of the sunflowers.

I found out about the bugs one year when something I could not see bit me, and I tried to find out about what the heck it was.  One of the types of bugs found on sunflowers are thrips an annoying insect which has a nasty bit for such a small thing.  Healthy plants do not need our help to maintain vigor with these pests and having finches helps keep the bug population under some control.

One of our shy neighbors is the Cardinal.  I caught this handsome guy just before he flew away - I am usually not good with the camera, but this did not turn out too bad.  Deane is the photography expert who's pictures I use for this blog, but he was snoozing early the other morning and I only had about a minute to try and snap a picture.

It is also rare for us to see them on the ground.  They usually prefer to be "up."

We have been blessed this year to have the Gamble Quail come regularly to the feeders. For the last few years, they have not been around as much -- too much development going on we think.  Some years ago, Deane moved a large piece of lumber stored in the back drive and discovered a quail nest. He gently eased the wood back in place.  Later, we were treated to mom and dad taking the "eggs - with - legs" hatchlings back and forth through the yard for a week or two.

Drying Herbs

I have posted a couple of notes about sun drying some herbs while I was drying our apricots and apples.  As a general rule I prefer drying my herbs in the refrigerator, on a tray, paper towel or plate.  Why?  Because the modern refrigerator mimics the commercial freeze-drying process by constantly removing the moisture from the air (outside of the crisper).  This results in a greater color and essential oil retention.

But it is easier and faster to take advantage of our hot weather to dry them quickly, and in larger amounts.  I'm drying my garlic chives right now as I write this post and they will be done today, it has been so hot and dry.

You will notice from prior posts and also from the picture here that I dry them whole.  Using the picture I want to point out some tips about drying herbs for you.  The picture shows fresh then dried - it took about 3 days.

First, what you are looking at is one combination of Herbes de Provence.  From your visual left to right I have:  French Tarragon, Conehead Thyme, English Lavender, and Greek Oregano.  Next batch I'm going to add Rosemary to more closely align with the dried HDP blend recipe I developed some years ago*.

If you have dried herbs before, have you tried making your own blends?  You should try it.

Second, I leave them whole after giving them a good rinse.  Here is why:  have you noticed your ground spices and herbs don't keep their aroma and flavor as long as those that are whole?  Crushing or grinding the herbs and spices releases and "dissipates" all the essential oils.  That is a good thing when you are adding them to your food, but a bad thing if they are only going to sit in a jar or can after crushing.  All the wonderful essence goes away.  So I leave them whole -- and on the stem.

COVER -- you must provide some kind of screen to keep insects and birds off of your drying herbs.  I like the picnic mesh food covers, but netting from a fabric store will work too.

Once dried, store in a dry, cool. dark place. You can freeze them if you prefer, but they will store well in glass, if you can, or a ziplock bag in your dark pantry.  They can be stored in the refrigerator if you like.  The enemy of herbs, spices, coffee, tea, nuts, seeds and flours are:  air, light and humidity.   Cool - dry - dark.  Remember that.

Once you are ready to use these dried blends, or even single herb bunches, you merely have to tap or press to release a shower of dried leaves.  Our Italian heritage families grew up keeping a big bunch of oregano handy and just showering some oregano from the bunch over the sauce pot when they wanted to flavor.

The stems - use them for flavoring stews, soups and sauces.  Tied with cotton string or just placed in the pot while cooking imparts all that wonderful flavor and then you remove them before serving in the same way you remove a bay leaf.  (One of Deane's funnier observations of my string-tied herb bunches in sauces several years ago was my "herbs on a leash" -- kind of makes sense, took them for a 'walk' in the stew then pulled them back.)

About making blends of herbs.  Start with thyme.  If you have ever looked at the ingredients of many of the most loved herb/spice blends, many of them have thyme in them.  It is considered an "anchor" herb for blends.

Back to my Herbes de Provence blend above.  Traditionally HDP is made with Marjoram and not Oregano.  The flavor of Marjoram is more subtle because it lacks the carvacol essential oil which gives some of the hardiness flavor to Oregano and to a lessor degree in thyme and savory.  Marjoram has a citrus back-note prized by the chefs of Provence and Tuscany.

I just do not have any Marjoram growing right now, and I should remedy that!

I am trying one more drying experiment -- a variety of vegetables:  onion, sweet pepper and zucchini.  I read recently about drying zucchini as one method to 'use up the bounty' and decided to try for a vegetable blend which I will grind up and use as a thickening/flavoring agent in sauces - I will let you know how that turns out.


*Many of you have asked if I am going to bring back my signature dried herb blends.  I had to let them go out of stock as I could not maintain the level of freshness I desired for my customers due to time constraints of care-giving and related issues.  I can only state that if things can stay calm - I would like to begin return to offering some of the blends for sale again, probably in late fall.  I will let you know when that happens.

In the meantime, as usual I offer fresh cut herbs from the gardens at the Mesa Farmers Market on Friday mornings (Center south of University).  You can pick some up and use or dry for later use with my drying tips.


Remember - my books give more seasonal gardening information (Edible Landscaping in the Desert Southwest...) and lots of recipes in the cookbook (101+ Recipes from The Herb Lady).  The books are available in print and e-book for iPad and Kindle type readers.

Catherine's Publisher Site

Have a great Sunday!

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

What did I plant there? - June Garden Tips

Dear Folks,

If all the people who get help from my work and writings could see me in the garden, they might wonder how I manage to actually get the information out :-)   After a friend gave me an ornament with "Trowel & Error" as the name on the representative potting stand, I adopted it as my motif.

Case in point is that while I constantly experiment in the garden on where and how best to grow something -- I am not real good at marking what I planted.

While thinning out the epozote, I finally remembered the leeks I planted - in February!  I had actually started them as seed a month or so before and then transplanted the little darlings into the epozote bed.  As soon as the warm spring air warmed the soil the leeks took off but so did the epozote (which can top 4 feet if I let it), obscuring the growing leeks.  Don't they look great!

If you look closely at the one at the top you will see the baby bulbs - which I removed and transplanted back in the garden.  With the warming weather, they may not make it, but I know where they like it when I plant next fall -- the actual proper time to put the seeds in.

Think of leeks as a scallion on hormones --  they make a great addition to soups, stews and the grill.  As tender as scallions, if you are going to use them within a week or two, harvest them, otherwise leave them in the ground for another couple of weeks, they store better there (or in a bucket of sand stored at refrigerator temperatures).

We grilled Memorial day and I tossed a halved and cleaned leek (they really do get a lot of debris and grit between the growing leaves) on the grill with squash and onion (from the Mesa Friday Farmers Market - my squash is just getting started - I planted late - come to think of it I didn't mark that either) for our side dish.  I like Queen Creek Olive Mill's blood orange EV olive oil for grilling or roasting vegetables.

Speaking of Farmers Markets (of course you are supporting your local farmers, right!), for you East Valley-ites, there is a new farmers market - at a farm - in the far east valley.

Superstition Farms is a working dairy - family owned for generations.  They have gradually increased their family-farm-friendly experiences and have now added a weekly Thursday afternoon/evening indoor farmers market.

This brand new, cool, indoor farmers market takes place on an actual farm every Thursday from 4:30 to 7:30 with the Grand Opening Thursday, June 2nd. Superstition Farm is conveniently located off the 202 and Elliot at 3440 South Hawes Road, Mesa AZ 85212.

Superstition Farm is a fun and educational working dairy farm run by the Stechnij Family, now raising its third generation on the farm. The farm offers tours to school groups, scout groups, and the general public. The farm also provides a dairy CSA, horse riding lessons, a petting zoo, Wednesday night Chicken Dinners, Moosters Mootique, a milk bar, as well as a tie-in to a great local ice cream shop, Udder Delights. The family believes in helping to create a strong sense of community.

Did you see the Summer 2011 issue of Edible Phoenix?  Too many great articles to list here, go check them out, find them at your local farmers market information tables or subscribe and support them and the local farmers and ranchers they support.


. . . 


About the farm in YOUR backyard -- as we head into the warm summer months, check your watering cycles, use that water meter to make sure you are giving the plants enough but not too much.  If you are seeding in anything the stop soil does need to be misted each night until you see growth, then you can back off the misting to encourage deep root growth.

GARDEN TIPS for June
June through August in the Desert Southwest is the equivalent of winter in North Dakota — you maintain what you have planted, taking special care of young or sensitive plants. With the exception of August when the heavy pre-fall seed planting begins, it is a good idea to hold off on any major transplanting until the fall when the temperatures (below 90 daytime) drop back to prime planting weather.

Our Flower Mulching technique can be used to protect young plants by canopying the soil around them, placing the flowering plants very close to the base of the young plants.

Heavy watering requirements may result in yellowing of leaves due to iron deficiency, especially of fruit trees (Chlorosis).  Apply Ironite before next watering to correct - or a more natural option is "Green Sand."

JUNE PLANTING:  Cantaloupe, Corn (for fall harvest), Cucumber, Armenian ; Eggplant, Gourds, Luffa Gourd, Melons, Musk; Okra, Peas, Black Eyed; Peppers, Chiles, Portulaca (Moss Rose), Potato, Sweet; Purslane (Portulaca X Hybrida), Sunflower.

Luffa gourds are great to grow - BUT be aware of the size of a happy plant - 30 feet of vine - they make a good arbor cover, the young squash (yes all gourds are squash family members) can be eaten like zucchini and the vine produces lovely, large yellow flowers.  Deane was photographing them when I grew them a couple of years ago and the bees love them - so much so that a carpenter bee arrived at the same flower as a honey bee drinking and the carpenter kicked the honey bee off the flower!

Sweet potatoes are fun to grow - they grow the opposite season of regular potatoes and the young leaves are edible - you get a 'two-fer!  (Sweet potatoes are NOT from the solano family.)  Make sure you give them room - another large vine plant.


. . .


Finally, Thanks to all of you who took the time to answer my survey question (upper side bar here on the blog)  The survey is now closed but I will leave the results up for a few days.  In looking at the results, I am going to put together a "program" of some sort and get the information out to you - my probable time frame is early fall, when the weather is more conducive to being outside.  I am leaning towards a tour/sampling/Q&A combination based on how many folks wanted both "dinner/class" and a tour.  Numbers of invitees will be kept very small for each event to allow concentrated attention and enough time for all to enjoy.  I will keep you posted.


If you need help with gardening and cooking - I'm always happy to answer questions.  For quick resources, consider my books available in both print and e-book/download form.  Publisher site.


Have a wonderful day!



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Memorial Day - "Emergency Steak" and Memories

Dear Folks,

In honor of our Veterans and current troops, I wanted to share a recipe from 1945, and a link for more memories -- old time radio programs focused on the Memorial Day holiday.

First the link for the radio programs.  Jon Hall over otrcat.com has compiled an incredible library of old time radio programs.  Everything from comedy to drama and "shudder" horror. Many, many of the programs in the library celebrate holidays through out the year.  Here is the link for the page showcasing Memorial Day.  Jon, always provides a free program for each theme to listen to or download.  And his compilations are very inexpensive, literally pennies per hour of enjoyment, and perfect for your iPod, mp3 player, computer or tablet.  Memorial Day on otrcat.com

DONATE:

In the sidebar here on the blog I list some of my favorite charities.  I always check out a charity with Charity Navigator for the best organizations -- those that put the most money into the program and not administrative  or fund raising expenses.  What that means is sometimes the really good programs do not get as much attention as they should.  One of them is Packages from Home.  Consider a donation, to honor your veteran, or someone else's or just to help out. Packages From Home

Remember every little bit helps, don't not donate because all you can muster is $10 -- every little bit helps!

RECIPE.

Back in November I blogged about "Emergency Steak" a war-time recipe using ground beef to make a 'steak' and that I was going to try it soon.  Well with one thing and another it was a recipe I just never got around to until this week.  Just in time for Memorial Day!

Read that blog post for the original recipe -- It was all about cooking shows are not new.  Old time radio programs included cooking shows.  As mentioned in the blog and before - the Victory Gardens of WWII were the source of about 40% of produce consumed in the US during the war.  And the frugal necessity of limited supplies stateside meant cooks had to be creative.

We should keep all of that home growing and cooking creativity always in focus.  Many people are still struggling.  Growing some of your own and being creative in the kitchen can be a money saver.  I personally believe the emotional and mental support gardening and cooking give a family is worth a lot more than the money it saves!  Also note in that blog post that the recipe serves 6 - they filled their plates with vegetables for a healthy AND frugal meal.

Here is the link for the post 

I adapted my recipe for Emergency Steak to create a more steak-like result.  I used locally produced grass-fed ground beef --  Red Mountain Cattle Company in Mesa They sell as several farmers markets around the valley.  Support your local producers!


Emergency Steak

Using ground beef is not a new 'steak' - chopped steak is an old time favorite of many people.  The trick is to limit how much you 'work' the meat so you do not wind up with meatloaf.  The other benefit is it takes about 2 minutes to prepare and only about 15-20 minutes to broil it - how's that for easy!

1 pound of ground beef
Herb blend of choice - I used a mixture of rosemary, garlic and black pepper - in this case dried
2 tablespoons of red wine
4 or 5 very thin slivers of butter

Preheat your broiler.  I used my toaster oven (hot day) in which I have baked bread, pies and cooked whole chickens.

I placed a piece of aluminum foil on the pan, sprayed with a bit of olive oil spray and patted the meat into a one inch thick long 'steak shape' -- I purchased a roll of meat so it was easy to simply pat it down into the size I wanted.  I also pressed my thumb down on top in several places to create the depressions needed to keep the meat from swelling up and cooking unevenly (technique usually used with burgers).  Sprinkled with a generous amount of the dried herbs.  Dribbled the wine over it and popped it under the broiler set at 500 for 15 minutes.  As soon as I pulled it out I laid the butter slivers on top.

This produced a great caramelized top and a rare interior - you may prefer cooking longer to 20 or 25 minutes at 425, to cook well done.

Deane and I agreed that it turned out great (and he is the real meat and potatoes person who wants substance in his food).  Not a meatloaf at all but somewhere between steak and a burger in texture and what the food people call 'mouth satiety', and the flavor was awesome.

Grass fed beef needs to be handled a little differently than grain fed, and it is worth learning that since the grass-fed are healthier animals and better for you and your family.

And finally today, check out my newsletter site for my answers to a reader's question on using chives.  Tips you can put to use this weekend too!

Chives - What are they good for?

Have a wonderful holiday weekend, and be safe, hug your veteran, salute our troops and get out into the garden!


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Preserving The Bounty - Sun Drying

Dear Folks,

In the past we have canned our fruit. See also a note near the bottom on "pie kits."

And when I dry my herbs, I use the refrigerator (the modern refrigerators mimic the commercial freeze-dry process by constantly removing moisture from the air, thus drying the herbs in a process which keeps both more color and essential oils).

Our fruit production was way down this year due to the demise of trees and a more aggressive pruning of the remaining fruit trees.  So I decided to sundry some of the fruit and while I was at it - I dried some herbs in the sun also.

See my post from 2009 on sun drying tomatoes and letting the plants sprawl for maximum production in the desert garden.  http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/2009/02/tomatoes-let-em-sprawl.html

We should take advantage of the free energy our Desert sun affords us (one of these days I'm going to get around to making a solar cooker).


Keep some things in mind when sun drying foods:

Bugs
Animals
Any weather other than hot and sunny

With fruits like apricots you need to dunk them in acidulated water (light lemon water) to keep them from browning too much.  Commercial dried fruit is usually sulfured and the lemon water works in the same way to keep them from browning too much.

You can see the fresh fruit just put in the trays, and the finished fruit along side of some dried conehead thyme and Syrian Oregano.  You will note that the fruit shrinks about half, and that I left the herbs whole (keeps more essential oils intact until ready to use).

The Process.  After rinsing off, and removing any damaged parts of the fruit, I cut the apricots in half, pitted them and dunked them in the lemon water (1 squeezed lemon to 1 quart of water).  You don't have to leave the fruit in very long.  I let them air dry cut side down so there was no moisture on the bottoms (skin side) of the fruit, then nested them into trays, cut side up.  It took 3 whole sun days to dry them to almost leather consistency - there was still a bit of give in the center of them.  I am storing them in the refrigerator as a precaution, but I'm very pleased with the way they turned out.

You will note that I used a pryex (Glass) tray and a metal tray lined with plastic wrap.  I would recommend that you try to use only glass.  I did not want the fruit coming in contact with the metal but the plastic draped over the edges of some of the outer fruit and spoiled them, before I noticed what was happening.

I used picnic bug tents to keep the bugs off the fruit while drying.  Since we did not have any humid or rainy days while this drying was going on, I left the trays out over night.  If you have overcast, rainy, or humid days, you should plan on bringing the trays in overnight and put them out again in the sun.  The process will take anywhere from 2-5 days depending on temperatures and humidity in the air.

Herbs will dry in 1-2 days depending on temperatures.  You will note I used paper towels to keep the bugs and debris off them while drying.  I simply rinsed them well and set them out between a layer of paper towels.

Once you get into sun drying your bounty, you may want to devise a hanging screen compartmentalized set up.  If you have ever seen shoe and sweater hanger storage arrangements for closets that is what some folks like to use.  Use weed cloth or screen material to build them.  Be aware that if fruits leak while drying cleaning the screening material may take a bit of elbow grease.  That is why I chose glass baking dishes.  Perforated grilling or broiling pans will work also, if you don't mind the metal to fruit contact.

The first batch of apricots I put out to dry several weeks ago made me think of the old adage "if you want to be a better house keeper get a cat" - if you forget anything about securing the food, the critters will find them!

I placed the dishes on the table and forgot to move the bench away from it and the squirrel promptly helped herself to the drying fruit!

Hope this gives you some idea of taking advantage of the sun for drying the bounty of your garden.

This morning I put out some of our summer apple slices. Since these are the crisp green kind and Deane likes his apples sweet I sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar after dunking them in the acidulated water.  Should taste wonderful!

One other 'preserving' technique I started using last year was making 'pie kits' mixing the cut up fruit with the suggested (from your favorite recipe) proportions of sugar, spices and a some flour, toss gently put in a zip lock bag, label and freeze.  If you have more freezer space than we do (why I use the ziplock, even though I prefer glass), use quart size canning jars to freeze.

When I made the pie kits and used them the first time, I discovered the thawed fruit produced too much juice to make a decent pie -- it tasted great just wound up looking like pie-soup!  So the next time I thawed the pie kit I drained the juice and boiled it down about a third and glazed the fruit with it before popping it into the oven - worked great.

Make the most of your bounty, share, use, and preserve!

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

My books including recipes using fresh and dried ingredients for real flavor and gardening help for the new-to-the desert gardener.  Check out the publisher site http://stores.lulu.com/herbs2u

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Spring!

Dear Folks,

I harvested my garlic yesterday (May 23, 2011).

The typical planting season for growing head garlic is October 1 - October 31.  This past planting season, I was so far behind and did not get a new order of fresh garlic to plant, I used my last season garlic - stored as I typically do in the crisper of the refrigerator.  Because I really did not think I would have enough for a full crop (the prior year I harvested over 90 heads, but sold or used most of them) I planted 12 cloves near the end of the planting time, and reserved the rest of what I had left, still storing in the crisper, for successive planting of 'green garlic'.  (The green garlic is harvested when the cloves swell slightly and are more like a scallion and do not form a head.)

To grow head garlic you need the full winter cool cycle - about 6 months.

So to grow my green garlic I planted successive sets about every 2-4 weeks apart beginning in early December.

Theoretically all the ones planted for green garlic should not produce flowers or go to 'head' stage because they are not in the ground long enough, or get cold enough.

Well..... remember our freezes this year?

We got cold enough over a long enough period of time (Deep freezing in early February and near freezing temperatures off and on through early April) that all the unharvested green garlic began to show flower buds (called scapes) the beginning of May!  When growing the head garlic you cut the scape off then pull the plants several weeks later.  I cut the intended head crop scapes on schedule and looked back down the green garlic plants and low and behold - scapes!

So I harvested everything yesterday, I have a whole bunch more head garlic to hang and dry then I originally planned. Not a problem certainly but one of Mother Nature's whimsical jokes.

When you look at the picture here of what I harvested yesterday, you will see a great size difference in the heads.  The ones on the right are the intended 'head' crop.  The ones on the left are the intended "green garlic" crop and the one in the middle was a hold over from last year and set connected, good sized heads in one clump.  Sometimes I will miss a plant when harvesting and it will stay un-noticed until the next spring because the top growth dies back completely in the heat of the summer.

I love to garden, don't you!

Don't let anyone tell you what you can not grow here in the desert.

Have a great day in the garden.



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Get the beginners guide to successful edible landscaping in the desert  http://stores.lulu.com/herbs2u

Available in print or as an ebook for iPad, Kindle and other e-readers

Solid Gold - A New Definition - Apricots -- and Around The Garden

Dear Folks,

I decided while biting into one of our ripe apricots that eating these luscious morsels is like eating solid gold!  You really need to get to your local farmers market to get them ripe, OR, grow you own.  The season is short for apricots usually only about a month per variety.  We have Katy and Gold Kiss.  The Gold Kiss was planted in 1998 and still (we are happy to say) going strong.  It is getting a bit long in the tooth, but so far Deane has had to take only the occasional dead wood from it in addition to an annual pruning.

Check out my booklet "What's A Chill Hour..." to learn how to choose stone-fruit trees, including apricots, for the desert garden.  Available as print or PDF download - the download file is only $2.95.

. . .

One of the fun things that happen in our garden, and since I am not a stickler for orderliness - is finding the random pleasant surprise that is always a treat.  Deane is far more interested in keeping a park-like look, but he also enjoys the blazing display of edible flowers and other garden delights.

We have a small patch of summer lawn (bermuda) designed specifically to encompass the dry wells for our septic system should the plumber ever need access.  While walking through the garden the other day, I noticed a yellow violet and figured the birds had dropped a flower on the lawn.  NO, the plant was growing there - serendipity!  It has also given me the idea to over-seed the lawn in the winter with pansies and violets this winter since we do not grow a winter lawn.  I can't wait -- Deane is just rolling his eyes, but I think it will be beautiful!  This technique is generally referred to as 'naturalizing' and is frequently used with spring flowering bulbs like tulips, by the time the winter/spring bloom is faded the summer grass starts to grow and you can mow down the leftover greenery (I, of course, hope the flowers will reseed for the next opportunity of serendipity).

Another 'happenstance' is the random visitors to our gardens.  For several days we have both heard a whistle and the woo, woo of it made it sound like a person, maybe calling a pet.   Well it was not human, or a regular visit to our gardens.  Deane quietly snapped pictures of this beautiful Bob White Quail, named for their surprising "BoooB, Whittteee" call.


Today, May 15th, is the feast day of Saint Isidore Patron Saint of Farmers, Field Hands & Livestock




Have a wonderful Day in the Garden!

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Please take my survey.

Dear Folks,

Please take a moment and answer the "poll" at the stop of the sidebar here on the blog.

I am giving some thought to maybe, perhaps, thinking about it, offering cooking classes in a home-based environment or similar.

I would like to get a feel for how much interest there would be for this, offered by me, Catherine, The Herb Lady.

Thanks for your input.

Have a great day.

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Don't Just Stand There - Plant Something - Update #2

Dear Folks,

My friend Brenda writes a regular newsletter and blog on gardening, cooking and "homey" attitudes on family, home and life in general.  She is as much a lover of old time gardening and cookbooks as I am and she has some real gems in her library.  We also both appreciate the old time way of looking at things - nostalgia to many - but maybe a little simpler, more thoughtful and in some cases, kinder than the modern 15 second internet 'buzz.'

In a recent edition of the newsletter she shared a great quote for gardeners from Victory Garden Manual by James H. Burdett, published in 1943.

During the war years victory gardens were not a hobby but a necessity accounting for as much as 40% or more, of the national consumption of produce.

If we were all perfectionists, there would be few gardens. I have made fine vegetable gardens for many years in soil which the experts assured me was not suited to vegetables. If your property does not provide a plot which seems right in all respects, do not give up the idea of the garden. Pick out the most suitable space and take steps to correct its deficiencies.  -- James H. Burdett

Read more of Brenda's post and sign up to receive them regularly at:

http://oldtips.blogspot.com/2011/04/tips-from-victory-garden.html


I've adopted the declaration "Don't Just Stand There Plant Something" as not only a gardener directive, but also as a life directive.  In stead of saying to myself, what can I do about ... I go out into the garden and 'Do Something.'

I'm not being frivolous about life's travails, I am trying to show readers that growing some of your own food is 'A' solution to many of the challenges in life.

Has the economy taken a hachett to your budget? Plant some food.

Are your children too focused on electronics and 'instant gratification'? Plant some food and help them learn patience.

Are you concerned that your family-member does not have compassion?  Plant some food and teach them to share it.

Do you have a need for a peaceful and quiet place to de-stress?  Plant some food whether in the ground or a large pot.  There is no place more peaceful than your own garden for decompression.

A recent Mother Earth News magazine had several really helpful references for the gardener whether new-to-gardening or experienced.  Many times I am frustrated with national publications complete lack of information for the desert gardener.  MEN had some better than usual information.

Mother Earth News National Survey on Top Home Grown Foods

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Best-Regional-Crops.aspx

MEN - Best Garden Foods for the Southwest Survey

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Best-Southwest-Region-Garden-Crops.aspx






And, finally a good article on shade-tolerant vegetables.  BUT FIRST - I want to reiterate the desert gardening reality fact -- if you plant at the right time in our desert garden for the variety of vegetable, fruit, or herb you will not have to provide special shade during our hot summers - most of the time.  The reason is the plant adapts according to its own needs when planted at the right time of the year.  And keep in mind, it is the sun exposure that builds the luscious fruit, tasty vegetable or flavorful herb.  The fact that some of these can tolerate less amount of sun is not meant to convey that you can have a huge amount of success by planting "in the shade" but only that some of them will produce.  Shade means less air circulation which can invite pests, dust and diseases to settle on your plants.




http://www.motherearthnews.com/shade-tolerant-vegetables-zm0z11zsto.aspx

. . .

So you get this great harvest of veggies from the garden.  And you can't eat it all.  What to do?  Obviously you can share it with neighbors, friends and family - and if you and your neighbors formed a 'loose' community garden you can get together and swap at harvest time.

Or you can sell the extra at the local farmers market.

Or you can preserve them.  I was recently gifted with a 1940s era pressure cooker, exactly like one my mom used when I was a child - except this one is a little smaller.  I have a new gasket on order and will be ready to pressure can my homemade tomato sauce and soup broths when it arrives.


Preservation of the bounty can be done by freezing (I make 'pie kits' of our fruit), boiling water canning (fruit preserves with our apricots and peaches), and non-acidic vegetables like asparagus with pressure canning.  And do not forget dehydrating many of the foods and herbs.  While you can certainly purchase a dehydrator or use your oven (expense involved) our summer sun does a wonderful job on food like tomatoes - see my blog post from 2009 on how I dried my tomatoes here.

If you garden successful, at some point you are going to have to 'do something' with the bounty.  Give some serious thought to how you will deal with, so you do not get discouraged and decide that gardening with food is too much work!






Canning sounds like a lot of work, doesn't it?  The reality is yes and no.  At harvest time on the farms, canning is a days and weeks long project to get the harvest 'put by' for the winter, because the references you usually see are to the 4 season locations where they had 3-4 months to grow and preserve everything.

Our desert gardens give us a more leisurely approach to preserving extra harvest.  If you want to can 16 quarts or pints at a time, you can certainly do that, but sometimes I use my small soup stock pot (with a rack in the bottom) to can 4 pints at a time.

With most homes lacking a stand up freezer - freezing harvests is less of an option, and canning becomes far more appealing.






If you have never canned food it is VERY important that you read up on it and make sure you understand the standards and methods used for the various types of foods.  Poorly canned food is a serious health hazard.  Mason jar home canning has been around since 1858, so successful home preservation has a very long history of safety and usefulness.  You just need to make sure you know what is needed and follow the instructions and DO NOT use non-specific shortcuts.


After the harvest much of the enjoyment is eating, saving and sharing the food!

. . .

Kicking back in the backyard to enjoy our work is a leisure we love.  I usually have something to drink whether it be sparkling water (I'm not much of a soda drinker except my homemade ones with our fruit syrups), a glass of wine, or homemade liquors (I've made prickly pear and cranberry in the past).


I found a neat "Tea Thyme Cocktail" in Food & Wine Magazine to share with you.


http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/tea-thyme-cocktails-2011

Mixologist Kathy Casey of Kathy Casey Food Studios–Liquid Kitchen steeps vodka in English Breakfast tea for this drink.


When designing your garden for cooking themes you may wish to incorporate a 'beverage' theme.  During the warm months I begin my sun tea with sprigs of herbs for flavoring green or white tea.  So many of our fruits, vegetables and herbs make nice drinks whether alcoholic or not.


I developed a really light refreshing 'tisane' using spearmint and lemon verbena.  You can vary the ratio of spearmint to lemon verbena or try other herbs.  This kind of 'light tea' is served as a replacement for plain water at meals.


Lemon / Mint Refresher

5 sprigs of lemon verbena and spearmint (try 3 lemon 2 mint)
1 cup boiling water
Sweetener of choice (1/2 teaspoon of honey, agave nectar, or sprinkle of sugar or a leaf or two of stevia)
3 cups very cold water or water and ice combined

Add sweetener to boiling water, stir to dissolve, add herbs stir and steep for 20 minutes. Strain and add to cold water. Sip and enjoy.

Change around the ratio of lemon and mint to find your favorite!


Have a great week!



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Good People, Good Cause - Need a Little Help

Dear Folks, 

On Saturday afternoon (April 30th), local musician Joe Bethancourt and his wife Cher saw their home go up in flames.  In addition to the music Joe brings to the valley and state, he and Cher are part of the Grey Hound Rescue group - all the animals and the family got out safely, but the home is non un-inhabitable.

A benefit concert is being put together for this Saturday (May 7th),  location to be announced.

If you are able to send even a little bit, you can make a donation to assist Joe and his family (human and furry) 

Make a check or money order out to:

Joe Bethancourt

Mail to:

AMAZ Records
P.O. Box 1554
Queen Creek, AZ  85142

Any amount will be a help.

See the story:

Firefighters-save-animals-from-burning home

Thanks, folks,

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Asparagus Recycling and a special therapy offer

Dear Folks,

Asparagus -- one of those spring time vegetables that gets cooks and food-lovers hearts pitter-pattering.  We just finished 6 weeks of harvesting our asparagus (mature beds can be harvested for up to 6 weeks) and we had a bumper crop this year.  Deane was cutting as many as a dozen or more a day on most days.

And it is one of those vegetables that he and I have differing opinions on due to preferences for eating them.  Deane likes his vegetables cooked to super soft stages and if given the choice I like mine raw.

Raw asparagus?  Direct from the garden they are fabulous and sweet - I will rinse them off and eat them right there.  Or slice them into a fresh salad.  Deane "will" eat them that way, but he prefers them with mayo and cooked.

Now when the typical cook prepares this veggie they do the 'bend-break' method to secure the most tender tip part and many toss the harder stem end - my recycling mind won't let me do that - even if I could throw them into the compost pile.  I roast them.

Then they can be pureed with broth some additional flavoring like onion, garlic and herbs and voila you have a great soup or cut up tossed with a fresh tomato, sprinkled with a bit of lemon juice and coarse salt (fresh thyme or basil too) and you have a simple side salad.  (Or, if you are like Deane you grab the mayo jar and smear a disproportionate amount on the just roasted stems and have at them - "shudder" :-)

I roasted these stems with Queen Creek Olive Mill's blood orange extra virgin olive oil (a taste of OUR Phoenix-Mediterranean climate) at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.  Luscious.  (If you have never seen the purple variety, they are the really fat ones in amongst the standard green -- our bed has both varieties in it.)

By the way - I use my wonderful toaster/oven for roasting or baking in the warm weather - no where near the heat of the big oven and does a great job.

Gardening Tip:  Asparagus beds can take 2-3 years to get really productive so you need to limit harvest to 1 or 2 weeks the first year, about 3-4 weeks the second year and no more than 6 weeks in subsequent years.  Then you let the following growth go to feathers until late fall to put energy back into the beds.  The 'feathers' are cut down when the are mellow yellow about December or so.  You are then rewarded when the first tips pop up in late February or early March.  They can grow as much as 5 inches in one day.

. . .

THERAPY OFFER:

My friend Rihab is offering a free introductory session to Rolfing SI in return for a donation to the great organization Native Seed Search.

See the information here.

Have a great day,


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Container Gardening - My "BIG" Mantra

Dear Folks,

If you have been following me for a while you know when someone asks about container gardening or gardening with raised beds or pots - I ALWAYS say BIG!

The reason is always our temperature extremes.  We can swing about 100 degrees through the year, and while this year's hard freezing temperatures were unusual, our summer heat is not.  A small container is simply an exercise is how the Native Peoples made adobe bricks.

Choosing a big pot allows proper root growth, enough soil to act as an insulator to temperatures, and the ability to have several things in one place for those who need ease and simplicity.

AND, as always, if you plant at the right time you do not need to shade or protect our edibles in the garden.

Here is a picture of one of my big pots I use to experiment and/or grow different things.  The pot is approximately 2 feet wide and about that tall.  In it I planted parsnips (the real big leaves), Purple Dragon Carrots (the frilly leaves) and Johnny JumpUps, for fill (one of the many edible flowers).  I checked my calendar and the seeds went in December 6th.  The next picture is yesterday, April 25 when I harvested some of the parsnips and carrots for a stew.  By the way, the purple and red carrots have higher antioxidants than their orange cousins.

The ancient / original carrots were NOT orange, but  purple or red.  More modern carrots (500 years ago) were cream or white, before the Dutch developed the orange varieties to make them less bitter than their yellowish cousins.  The reds and purples we can grow now are wonderful sweet.

As with other red fruits and vegetables, the red carrots have lycopene and the purple ones have the same anthocyanins as blueberries etc. (so does the purple varieties of basil for you herb lovers).

Here is a fun site - the carrot museum in England. 

Cold does not normally effect our desert winter garden edibles.  I could have harvested the carrots a while back, but I kept looking at the top of the carrot forming (it protrudes above the soil line a little) and wanted some bigger.  I will let one or two of each of the parsnips and carrots go to flower and seed so I can capture the seed for planting late summer/early fall for the new winter garden.

When planting in containers or raised beds ALWAYS plant at least 6 inches from the sides so the soil can do its insulating job.

Check out my irregular newsletter for more information on gardening in the heat click here

Don't forget my "Edible Landscaping..." book contains a month-by-month planting calendar.  Also available as an e-book.  Publishers Site.

Besides the Mesa Farmers Market - Fridays - Center Street south of University - I am participating in a Farmers Market this coming Thursday for you folks in Gilbert.  The Mercy Gilbert Hospital is hosting a farmers market for employees and the public in their Healing Garden from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  See a facebook page here.


 Have a great time in the garden!


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Celebrate Herb Day at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, April 23rd

Dear Folks,


In honor of National Herb Week (May 2nd-May 8th) come on out to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum April 23rd from 11 p.m. - 3 p.m. where Catherine, The Herb Lady, and the folks from Arizona Herb Association will be providing samples of  herb inspired foods.  See more details below.


The Annual April Herb Festival at the BTA was rained out and they and the Arizona Herb Association have a great selection of herb plants that need homes.   Come on out for ideas, information, plants and food samples to inspire your own National Herb Week Celebration.

This time the weather for the day looks to be lovely!!


I have not finished my menu planning for the day, but you can expect foods flavored with fresh herbs from my gardens.


Carolyn Hills, President of AzHA said they will be providing a delicious sounding menu of:

Lavender Cookies, Lavender Lemonade, Lavender Shrimp, Thai Lemongrass Chicken and Lemongrass
Meatballs


They will have some plants for sale:  Lemongrass, Assorted Basils and Lavenders


The BTA has a great selection too


My books are available for sale in the BTA gift shop (you can find ebook versions of them at my publishers site http://stores.lulu.com/herbs2u


Boyce Thompson Arboretum
http://ag.arizona.edu/bta/


Arizona Herb Association
http://www.azherb.org/index.php


Come on out!  Ask questions, learn, taste - explore the beautiful Boyce Thompson Arboretum and go home with ideas and plants to make it happen at your home!


Catherine
The Herb Lady

http://www.herbs2u.net/

April 10th Menu Served at The Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Dear Folks,

Here are the recipes I served on Sunday the 10th -- The wonderful Annual Herb Festival was rained out on Saturday, but I still had all that food . . .

For more recipe ideas using herbs check out my publishers site for the recipe book "101+ Recipes From The Herb Lady" available in both print and ebook formats.  The books are also available at the BTA gift shop.

A final word about my recipes - treat them as a guide not a bible.  Make them yours and your family will talk about them for years :-)

. . .

All the herbs used the day of the BTA event were picked from my garden fresh for preparation.  You can used dried - decrease the amount of herbs when using dried instead of fresh by about 2/3rds.  Dried have more intense flavor.  While dried will work with the turkey recipe, instead of mixing the dried into the ‘fat’ spread the turkey with the fat first, then sprinkle the crushed and mixed dried herb mixture all over, gently pat in to make sure they don’t fall off.  The dried would not work well with the Tabouleh - it requires fresh herbs and dried parsley is not a good version of this always available herb.

Herb Crusted Turkey
Use this same type of herb-crust on any roast-type meat*

8 pound turkey breast (butterfly the bird by cutting through the backbone to open up the cooking surface)
2 tablespoons of butter - softened
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or other coarse salt (you can omit the salt if you prefer
2 cups of mixed herbs of choice, rinse well, small stems okay with leaves and flowers (I used rosemary, parsley, thyme, conehead thyme, and green (young fresh) garlic)

FAST HERB PREPARATION:  In a blender place the herbs and enough water to cover the herbs by about 2 inches.  Blend on high for 10-15 seconds - immediately drain in fine mesh strainer.  Keep the drained herb-enriched water for making soup from the turkey leftovers!

While the herbs are draining, place the turkey in a roasting pan.  If you like, instead of using a rack, you can make a rack of thick sliced onion, carrots and celery to act a bed.  They additionally flavor to the great broth/stock you can make from the leftovers (keep the drained herb water in mind for this also).

In a bowl place the softened butter and oil and mix together very well.  Add salt if using and make sure you get it thoroughly blended into the fat mixture.  Now add the drained herbs and mix the fat completely through the herbs - you want a paste.

Pat the herb paste over the entire top of the meat.  Try to get as much covered as possible.  The purpose is to both flavor the meat and keep it moist.

Place on grill with indirect heat, covered.  This 8 pounder took an hour and 3/4 to grill.  In the oven set temperature at 350 and check for temperature (or popup) at 1 and half hours.

Let the meat sit for 10-15 minutes before carving.

* Tofu Bars (very a firm tofu block into approximately 4-5 - 1/2 inch thick pieces) can be grilled, pan friend or roasted with this herb paste.



Quinoa/Barley Tabouleh
Traditional tabouleh is made with bulgar wheat, cracker or whole.  I like to mix and match grains for different taboulehs and this one is high in protein and fiber.

DRESSING:

Zest and juice 1 lemon (or 2) to get about 1/4 cup of juice
equal amount of olive oil
half a teaspoon of salt (you always need a bit of salt with grains)
2 cups each loosely packed parsley and spearmint leaves - can use tender stems.
Optional: 2 scallions very finely slivered; 1 spring of oregano leaves only.

Mix juice, oil and salt, shake well in a small jar and set aside.

Grind all the herbs as noted above in the turkey recipe for fast grinding.  OR, very finely mince all herbs. Set aside.

GRAINS:

1 cup of barley
1 cup of quinoa (rinse well in cold water and allow to drain)

Bring 4 and a half cups of salted water to boil.  Add barley, stir, reduce heat, cover and cook barley for 28 minutes.  Add quinoa, stir, recover and cook for 12 minutes longer.  Add additional hot water if the grains are getting too dry before finishing.  The water should all be absorbed by the end of 40 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Stir about a tablespoon of olive oil into the hot grains to keep them from sticking together.  You can dress the grains while hot, but I like to allow them to cool completely - takes about 35 minutes, fluffing occasionally.  Spread the drained herbs on top of the grains.  Give the dressing a good shake and pour over and gently fold in the herbs and dressing with the grains.

Serve and enjoy this complete meal with a glass of apple juice with a sprig of spearmint to give sparkle to the juice

Marinated Olives & Artichoke Hearts
I don’t know anyone who does not enjoy the marinated artichoke hearts sold in stores – and they are really good for you too, if you can control the ingredients.  Ditto with olives.

While I don’t have my own olive trees for curing my own (wish I had the room), you have many choices for finding whichever olives you enjoy for this recipe.  When invited to a party, I am often asked to ‘bring the olives you make.’

For the BTA event, I began with a half gallon of olives, and a package of frozen artichoke quarters,

21 oz jar of small spanish, pitted olives (can have pimento in them), drained.
2 12 oz jars of pitted kalamata olives drained, reserving only this olive liquid**
1 14 oz package of frozen artichoke hearts
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 orange, zested and juiced
half to 1 cup of fresh herbs, finely minced - for this recipe I did not grind them in the blender technique (I used rosemary, parsley, thyme, and conehead thyme – in the past I have also used a bit of fresh ginger, and garlic is always an option)
Good quality extra virgin olive oil
There is plenty of salt in the olives

Finely mince the herbs on a board or plate, zest the citrus over the herbs to catch the essential oils that are always released.  Squeeze the citrus juices together and set aside with the kalamata liquid.

Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the artichoke hearts for 5 minutes, drain immediately and let cool.

Fold the artichoke hearts and olives together in a container for marinating - I like to use a half gallon mason jar because I can cap it tightly for the shaking process.

Add the herbs to the olive mixture.  Mix the citrus juices and the reserved kalamata liquids together an pour over the olives and herbs.  Cap tightly and begin to turn the jar upside down and back again every 10-15 minutes to give them a good flavoring.  Let them sit turning as stated for about an hour - it is okay if you let it sit for a couple of hours.  Add the olive oil to cover completely, cap and turn a couple of times.  If serving that day, you can leave them out at room temperature.  If you need to refrigerate before serving, bring them out to sit at room temperature for an hour to soften the harden olive oil.  Give them a couple of good turns and you are ready to serve a great appetizer.

Because of the acid and salt in this mixture they will keep for a couple of weeks.  Just make sure the liquid is always covering the remaining olive/hearts.  Add more olive oil if you need to.

** This brand of kalamata olives was packed in a wine and vinegar solution with some herbs, so I used that as part of the marinating liquid


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Lasagna - a Different Version

Dear Folks,

A note about the 'thrillin' grillin' substitute day yesterday at Boyce Thompson Arboretum (due to the Herb Festival being rained and colded out Saturday).  If you didn't make it out folks, the turkey turned out awesome!  I will post the recipes here in the next day or so.

. . .

I posted recipes for making ricotta and a unique reduction cheese several days ago, with the note that I made the ricotta for the vegetable lasagna I was making.  Here is the lasagna and what I did to make it.  Deane declared it has to be on the regular menu!  He also observed that without actually intending to, the lasagna turned out gluten-free!  Also low-carb.

First, why vegetables?  I saw a reference to making a garden fresh lasagna replacing the noodles with vegetables like zucchini and we had - among other ingredients fresh asparagus from the garden. I had some russet potatoes, and picked up some zucchini from the store.  I had fresh basil from the garden, "sauce tomatoes" from the farmers market, my fresh ricotta and my friend Kathy's mozzarella and I was almost set.

I spent a lot of time preparing the ingredients for this recipe, but you certainly do not have to.  Pick up really quality ingredients at the farmers market or favorite store.  In the future I'm going to can my sauce (we keep running out freezer space), so I have it ready to make this any time I want.

FYI - I did not have nearly enough cheese because I got overly generous with the veggies, but I made due.

For the sauce I adapted this sauce several years ago when I read about Marcella Hazan's "crasy sauce" famous for having only 3 ingredients.  (Her recipe called for canned tomatoes removing the onion from the sauce at the end.)

SAUCE:

6 pounds of tomatoes (mix and match for different flavors - cut into quarters or half
1 stick of butter
1 onion, diced
Optional: 1 whole sprig of oregano; slivered basil added at the end.

Melt the butter in a good size sauce pan, add the onion, stir and add all the tomatoes and juice.  Simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.  You will know when it is done.  It reduces down to a thick sauce. That's it the most incredible sauce you will ever taste.  This time I left my sauce whole, you can also puree at the end with an immersion blender.

MEAT - OPTIONAL
If you do not want to add meat, double the cheese.  OR, you can add grilled or ungrilled tofu in place of the meat.

1 pound ground turkey
1 pound of natural milk Italian sausage meat

Mix the two meats together and brown in a large frying pan.  Use a potato masher to keep them broken up.  Set aside when browned.

Potatoes (2 good size)
Zucchini (3 good size)
Asparagus (8-10 - depending on the width/length of your pan you want enough for a row)

Cut potatoes into long planks (I leave the skins on) about a half inch thick.  Cut zucchini into similar width planks (all length size). Trim hard ends off the asparagus by bending and snapping at the 'tender' point - save the hard ends for flavoring soups and broths.

CHEESES:

Ricotta - I had about 1 cup - I would double that
Mozzarella - I had about 2 cups shredded - I would add at least another 50%.

READY to assemble.
Have all ingredients ready:  Sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, meat, vegetables, fresh basil (optional).

You are going to start and end with sauce, so make sure you divide it accordingly for 3 layers.

Place a thin layer on the bottom, layer the potatoes (I do not show that layer in the picture above, just imagine the large lasagna noodles and you will get the idea.).  Place a layer of meat, top with ricotta, fresh basil slivers (put the basil on the meat, ricotta, or on the sauce - does not really matter), sauce and mozzarella.  You have the first of three layers.  Next arrange the asparagus in the opposite position (note picture), add layer of meat, top with ricotta, fresh basil, sauce and end with mozzarella.  Repeat with the last layer of zucchini arranged end to end as pictured, layer meat, basil, ricotta and end with sauce and mozzarella.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 60 minutes.  The timing will depend on whether the sauce and meat were hot when you assembled the lasagna.  If cold it will take longer.  If you want to shorten the time, you can cook the potatoes in the microwave for about 4 minutes (don't forget to pierce the skin) and blanch the zucchini and asparagus for 2 minutes in boiling water.  Then all the oven is doing is heating the sauce and melting the cheese.  I left mine in for 45 minutes - I could have taken it out about 5 - 10 minutes sooner.

This recipe can be a lot of work, so make a big batch because not only does it keep well, but it actually gets better tasting in the frig over the next 2 or so days -- the initial feast is delicious!

Because I did not puree my sauce there was 'juice' a factor I did not mind, but you may wish a very thick sauce to proceed accordingly.  We started calling it a "lasagna stew" - worked for us :-)

What vegetables do you have in the garden to make a vegetable lasagna?  Think outside the noodle!

P.S. There is no reason not to combine noodles and vegetables.  Lasagna is one of those recipes where you can be as creative as you want (purists please allow creativity in the kitchen - new / young cooks need all the encouragement they can get :-)



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Herb Festival Canceled Due to Rain - BUT ....

Dear Folks,

The Herb Festival scheduled for today at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum is canceled due to the rain BUT -- I am going to be doing the schedule 'thrillin' grillin' sampling of some of my specialties tomorrow (Sunday the 10th) at the BTA - sampling begins around noonish.

Still cool weather but supposed to be nice and sunny.

The BTA has many herb and other plants for sale, so come out.

http://ag.arizona.edu/bta/index.html



520.689.2723

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Whey - Lots of Options!

Dear Folks,


I have made my own yogurt for a number of years.  Last year I made a kind of Farmers (like cottage) cheese and last week I made a wonderful ricotta because I wanted to make a lasagna (next post will have the lasagna recipe and pictures), using some of our garden offerings, my ricotta and my friend Kathy's mozzarella, and using vegetables in place of the noodles.

Being one of those people who likes to either use up, recycle or find additional uses for things the thing you wind up with even with homemade yogurt and certainly ricotta is a lot of whey.  Whey is opaque liquid left from cheese making and has protein, minerals, sugars (lactose) and some calories.  If you are or know someone, who uses protein drinks made with whey powder, then you may be familiar with its nutrient qualities.  In the past I have used my whey in baking - always a good choice but there are more options, including a unique cheese recipe I tripped across while researching more uses for whey.

Below I give you the recipe for the ricotta, and also a number of ways to use the whey and a couple of helpful links

About Ricotta


Ricotta is the traditional cheese used in lasagna and other Italian dishes.  Similar to cottage cheese. When I first starting make lasagna decades ago I could not find ricotta, so I used cottage cheese (purists stop cringing).  First I have to tell you I have never been fond of either ricotta or cottage cheese unless it was disguised in something - like lasagna!  I am changing my mind after making my farmers and now this wonderful ricotta from goats milk.


I adapted this recipe from Chef Michael Symon's -- his recipe calls for the addition of heavy cream - since goats milk is higher in fat than cow's I skipped the cream.


CATHERINE's GOATS MILK RICOTTA

1 quart of goats milk
1/3 cup of lemon juice and fine zest (not the strip zest) from the lemons used
1/2 teaspoon each sugar and kosher salt (I use organic sugar for my cooking)

Bring the milk to 180 degrees on the stove, stirring to prevent scorching.

Take off burner and add juice, zest, salt and sugar.  Stir once or twice and let sit undisturbed for 20 minutes (or longer just as long as it is at least 20 minutes).

Pour into a colander lined with 4 single layers of cheese cloth (if you have true cheese making muslin use that instead - much of the curds were captured between the layers).

I let drain for about 15 minutes and then caught up the corners to make a bag, suspended it in a tall pyrex measuring cup and let continue to drain overnight in the refrigerator.  I ended up with 1 cup of cheese and 3 cups of whey.  The zest and sugar gave the cheese a really nice flavor.  Since the curds are "dry" in this kind of cheese making style, you can add a bit cream to the cheese the next day to make is smoother and creamier.

So now had this wonderful ricotta which I used in the lasagna and 3 quarts of whey - what to do?

Gjetost!  If you are of Scandinavian extraction you might recognize this cheese made from whey or it's cow's milk cousin Mysost, also called Prim-ost.

I would describe this best as a 'reduction' where the whey is boiled down to a thick or even hard cheese.  Described as sweet, salty, caramel - that is exactly how it tasted to us.

If you want a unique treat trying making this from your leftover whey sometime. It is, however, not the most efficient use of the whey and energy, as the reducing aspect takes a long time, and you have to monitor it.  The picture shows whey and the finished product.  Some references refer to adding cream to the process and beating it at the end.  I did neither as I wanted to see what the straight reduction would taste like.

GJETOST RECIPE


Equipment:
1 anodized aluminum sauce pan (even heat distribution)
bamboo flat edge spatula (so I could keep the bottom of the pan properly 'scrapped')
Colander
Cheese cloth (as mentioned above true cheese making muslin would work better)
Container and method to suspend the bag of curds for draining
Buttered container to receive the finished product


Recipe:
3 cups of whey from the ricotta (I chose to use only the ricotta whey without adding yogurt whey - you can combine wheys for this -- if I try the recipe again, I will try it next time with only yogurt whey)


Brought to boil then reduced to next level down on electric stove.  You want to keep the whey at a vigorous boil, without boiling over.


It took 50 minutes to boil the whey down to a very thick sauce consistency.  I removed it at that point as I could really smell the caramel scent and did not want to scorch it.

Immediately pour into a prepared buttered container. Cool and store in the refrigerator.  Folks who love this cheese spread it on rye crisp.  I tried it on ciabatta bread and the contrast was very nice.  Any unflavored cracker should work nicely.


I wound up with about a quarter cup of cheese from 3 cups of whey.

When you check out the links I provide below, you will see a much denser and darker 'fudge' like consistency.  Using a whole lot more whey by volume will give you more finished product and you can boil it longer.  Be cautioned that boiling a gallon or more of liquid to reduction can take HOURS.


Some observations:


1) The Gjetost really had a unique sweet, salty, caramel flavor - intriguing.
2) Reminded me of the process I use to make caramel from sweetened condensed milk, where I use a double boiler to minimize monitoring of the process and prevent burning.  A double boiler might not work for the Gjetost because it would require far more time, but less stirring.  I think one of the diffusers for stove tops would help with minimizing the potential for burning/scorching.
3) I regularly ran my flat edge bamboo spatula through the whey during the 50 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot.  It did not burn.
4) You must use a heavy bottom pot stainless steel, anodized aluminum, or other pot for even heat distribution.  DO NOT USE teflon coated pots.
5)  The efficiency of this recipe is very low.  A scant 1/4 cup of product from 3 cups of whey with the monitoring care needed during the boiling process was an uneven energy/volume result.  But again, if you want a unique treat try is some time.


How to make Gjetost:

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/Gjetost/Gjetost.htm


Also check this site for a tiny bit of different recipe.

http://thepurloinedletter.blogspot.com/2007/06/making-mysost.html

Some history and help

http://cheesemakinghelp.blogspot.com/2010/02/prim-ost-anyone.html




USING WHEY--OTHER ECONOMICAL IDEAS




Some soup ideas using whey (discussion with recipes)

http://cheesemakinghelp.blogspot.com/2011/02/using-whey-in-soups.html


Simple soup stock using whey (video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbhSwwdRTgk

Other soup ideas:  Any soup which is a "cream" soup - add milk, cream or half and half to give it more richness.

Potato or Potato/Leek soup.

Mac 'n Cheese (homemade)

Cook potatoes in whey instead of water.

Other uses:

Feed whey to pets and poultry

Add to compost pile

Some folks feed plants with it - be careful of salt content in arid areas like the desert with adding to compost or plants.

Baking - use in place of all or some of any liquid for baked products.


Hope these give you some fun ideas in the kitchen.


Have a great day,


P.S.  17th Annual Herb Festival this Saturday at Boyce Thompson Arboretum - 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  The weather looks a bit iffy, but come out as I'm sure we will set it up to be visitor friendly!  Always great herb specialists there.



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Gardeners With Patience Are Rewarded!

Dear Folks,

Many, many times I have cautioned about maintaining patience in the winter to spring garden.  This year was no exception and with the hard freezes we had got many of you jittery about when to prune off the damage.  Occasionally some jumped the gun because of what appeared to be utter 'green death'.

I want to share with you how my patience paid off.  I did believe I had lost my beloved Mexican Oregano plant - over 6 years old and about 7 - 8 feet tall which took the freezes none to well.  The first one in January brought dead wood down to 4 feet, then the multiple freezes in February took anything green out of visibility and the branches started shedding bark -- not a good sign.  About 2 and a half weeks ago (middle of March), I began just removing some of the overhead debris, taking off the brittle top 2-3 feet.  Nothing was visible of new growth.  I waited a week, and broke off more brittle top growth, and then I saw the bright green new growth at the bottom.  Yippee!  (I really did not want to start over with this wonderful plant.)

All the plant was cut down to where you see in the picture - there are actually two plants similar in appearance about 3 feet apart.  Both are regenerating anew.

French Tarragon is another favorite of mine and I know it will come back in the spring - the plant pictured plant was taken the same time as the Mexican Oregano above and has been in that spot for 3 years - The plant tag is a tad weathered and I keep it there to remind anyone else that it is not a weed!  Today (April 5), the plant is now about 5 times higher in growth.  I cleaned the bed out to make more room for this great herb.

Speaking of weeds, I'm trying to get rid of the chocolate mint in that bed I mistakenly planted 4 or 5 years ago.  A reminder to everyone that if you are successful with mint you need to keep it under control.

Back to French Tarragon and Mexican Oregano for a moment.  Both have incredible fragrance and flavor.  Their respective essential oils are some of the most robust in the herb kingdom. Both need to be used in moderation as the flavor can be overwhelming.

I was not a fan of Tarragon 2 decades ago, because I had an over-powering tarragon chicken served to me one time it was awful - the anise/licorice overpowered everything else.

So the garden lesson here, folks is to be patient.  If you want to garden with favorite perennial edibles you need to put up with winter 'bad - hair' times for your plants.  NEVER take the damage off until the danger is gone.  I know it looks bad but you risk losing the plant.

Since we are coming into spring then our hot summer it is important to remember that "sunburn" on plants is the same kind of damage as frost damage in the winter.  Do Not Touch the damage until the danger is gone.  By the beginning to middle of September you can start taking some of the sunburn off a little at time so allow the tender growth shielded by the damaged plant matter to 'harden off' to the sun.

We had more roller coastering of the weather and will have some more this and next week. Be cautious of planting seeds right before a rain - if the rain is heavy it can wash the seeds out.  On the other hand, right before a rain is a good time to transplant seedlings, shrubs and trees.  You will always water in right after you transplant, but the rain will ensure a good soil to root bond.

And, don't forget one of the keys to desert gardening success is to plant at the right time for the plant variety!

Happy Gardening!



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

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