Sunchokes and what is happening in the garden

 Dear Folks,

Dear Folks,

Thought I would visually catch you up on garden activity.


First up is an updated (day 18) on the new garden bed reclaimed from a mint monster.  One of the crook neck squash plants collapsed.  Not sure why, you can see the other looks good and so does the lettuce.  Not shown, I transplanted another nearby and am leaving the other one in, in case it decides to revive.

You can read the original blog post on this new bed at this link.

 Next up I posted at the beginning of the year my recipe for stuffed nasturtium leaves indicating just how big they were and so suitable for the purpose.  I thought I would show off one of the areas of very happy nastys and the size of a leaf.

Click here for the original recipe post.

Some extra edible ideas for these great cool weather lovers.  The immature seed is a burst of horseradish flavor. suitable for making dressings and mustard/horseradish type sauces.  Just do not over do it.

If you like the idea of the stuffed leaves, consider stuffing the flowers also.  Very pretty.  Both the flowers and leaves can be shredded into salads or folded into mashed potatoes for their nice peppery bite.

And my newest garden experiment is Sunchokes, Jerusalem Artichokes -- a member of the sunflower family - not the artichoke family (Helianthus tuberosus).

They can be eaten raw or cooked.  I will be researching some fun recipes to try and write about.  For the time being I saved out some to shave raw into a salad tonight and I'm also going to roast a couple with some onion and try them that way.  I will let you know how they turned out.  The raw taste is nice:  Crunchy, slightly sweet, close to a jicama taste and crunch by lighter.

So one ONE MORE plant?  As I like to explain to folks if I eat it or drink it I want to try growing it here in the garden.  The more healthy, multi-tasking edibles in our gardens the better for us and hopefully for you to also try.

Some facts about the Sunchokes.

As a member of the sunflower you can expect a tall 5-7+ feet plant with sunny wild type flower heads.  A perennial repeater that means it will grow, produce more under-ground tubers, flower, seed and then die back.  Reportedly if it is happy in your garden it can be invasive, so my plan and recommendation to you is to harvest ALL the tubers in the fall, then replant what and where you want them, rather than let them run amok - I have been there with plants and it is not a good idea :-)

Because they are very high in the fiber Inulin as opposed to carbohydrates, they are very healthy alternatives to potatoes (although do not drop potatoes from your diet they are good for you also, particularly the colored ones and if you leave the skins on them).

At 110 calories per cup, their high nutrient density including potassium is particularly noted.  The wikipedia link below has complete nutrient content info.


You can read up more at the wikipedia site.

If you have a nice sunny, well draining spot in the garden, consider adding this tuber to your garden.

In addition to the in-ground spot I chose for mine I am also trying out a single tuber in a large pot, and will track that progress for you.

Have a great week,

Catherine, The Herb Lady

Farmers Market/Garden Beef Stew

Dear folks,

I made my version of Beef  Burgundy yesterday for our Valentine's Day dinner (Deane is your basic meat and potatoes guy who will try a lot of things, but I try to give him a 'guy' dinner when I can :-)

This stew came together so nicely with a selection of herbs from my garden (I am The Herb Lady :-) and meat, potatoes and carrots from the Mesa Farmers Market - also some additional carrots from my garden.

About the herbs.  From left to right, sort of, are red celery (see my post yesterday about this variety),  red scallion, green garlic, lavender, conehead thyme, golden rain rosemary, and flat-leaf parsley..

Since yesterday turned out to be a dismal day, stew was the perfect dinner for the day.

Some of the vendors I got ingredients from were:
Funny Farms
Chic-a-bee
Crooked Sky
Red Mountain Cattle (grass fed beef)
One Windmill

And we finished off dinner with Nicki (Cup Cake Cafe) chocolate cake pops - oh my!!

MY BEEF BURGUNDY
One of the wonderful things about stews is the ability to just wing-it with proportions.  Deane loves carrots so more carrots than potatoes.  I did this in a crock pot, so we could do some errands in the morning (one of those domestic realities - it is Valentine's Day, so we went shopping for things like paper towels, and some staple food items :-)

Stewing beef 1-4 pounds
1 cup of beef broth
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
5 red potatoes
7 medium size carrots
bottle of red wine (I used a Malbec - in the past I have used burgundy, Shiraz, and I would use an Italian Chianti or Valpolicella too)
flour
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
pinch of sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 each scallion and green garlic
small bunch each of parsley and celery leaves
1 sprig each rosemary, lavender and thyme

Chop carrots and potatoes into good size chunks.

Rinse meat, place in a bowl and sprinkle with enough flour to coat each piece.  Don't rinse bowl.

Melt butter and oil together in a good size skillet and brown meat on all sides.  Set meat aside.  Deglaze pan with broth or wine, scraping up all and pour into the crock pot.  Add wine or some of the broth to the flour used to dredge the meat, stir and set aside for thickening later.

Tie herbs in a bundle or push all down one side of the pot, place meat in bottom and add potatoes and carrots.  Add remainder of broth, all the vinegar and enough red wine to just cover.  Add peppercorns.

Turn crock pot on high for 1 hour, the reduce to low temperature and cook for about 6-7 hours more.  Beef should be fork tender.

Stir up reserved flour/wine mixture, add more flour and wine or broth as needed to make a slurry for thickening.  Ladle some of the stew liquid into a pot, bring to a boil and add slurry.  Stir until thick and add back into the crock pot.  Stir and serve with rolls, a salad if you like and enjoy!

Then have the cake pops!!

Have a great day,


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

My Newest Garden Bed

Dear Folks,

After allowing the wonderful Kentucky Colonel spearmint to completely overrun a bed (don't every do that!!), I decided we needed to take it back and use if for more food producing plants.

A note about the spearmint:  It is a glorious herb, I use it to flavor water, drinks, in egg, chicken or tuna salad mixes, sometimes in salads, always in tabouli and other dishes I can't think of right now.

It is just that I did not need an 8 x 10 foot bed of it :-)

Deane did all the really hard work - and I do mean HARD - as the roots had amassed to the combined size of tree trunks.  It required moving all the pavers you see to get every single root.  I then sifted the soil (you see it on the tarp at thee back of the top portion of the picture) to get all the rest of the roots out.  We then mixed back in about 50/50 good compost/soil mix and I planted - a lot.  You will notice the flowers.  If you saw my video post yesterday on setting up an container garden, I use flowers for multiple purposes.  And always edible flower options in food producing beds.

The flowers are pretty to look at while the garden gets going; they act as a soil condition and moisture level barometer; they attract pollinators to the garden and finally, you can eat them too!

You can see the chicken wire hats placed over seeded in areas.  This keeps the birds and critters out while the plants get going. After there is good growth I remove the hats.  The critters seem to forget the plants are there (although I am going to have to keep a watch for the squirrel).

The foreground part of the photo shows the crook-neck squash and just to the right you can see the lettuce seeds sprouting.  Since my tomatoes wintered over and are producing I want more lettuce for salads.

Here is what I planted in this garden.  I will try to post another update in about 45 days when much of the growth should be rolling along well.

Corn and sugar peas on the north side - running east to west.  (So the rest of the garden gets good morning to afternoon sun.

So far I have seeded in lettuce, carrots, radishes (up already and it is only at day 13), celery, two types of turnips, beets, and kale.  I transplanted a sorrel and catnip from the old bed.  I transplanted Green Zebra and a San Marzano tomato (trying the San Marzano for the first time here), a dark opal basil and Za'atar herb, purple tomatillo and orange bell pepper.  The flowers are a mix of johnny jump-up type and other violas.

A note about the celery.  I am experimenting this year with a red-stemed celery variety.  So far what happened in another bed was the realization that the bed did not get enough direct winter sun.  The plants came up, they are healthy, but not nearly as tall as I expected.  Good flavor, just not a lot of the plant.  BTW this variety called "Red-venture" is grown in part because of the lycopene in the stems, but also because you can harvest a few stems at a time working from the outside, instead of having to take out the whole bunch.

I am Very Late in trying more of the seed but this new bed has great sun exposure so I can see the kind of growth which I can expect next fall when I plant again, at least from a 'how-does-it-grow' with enough sun standpoint.  Celery is a real challenge in the desert garden because of the long growing season requirement.  I don't expect this late season experiment to produce the reputed 2 foot plants (because we will be moving into the heat), but any growth will be useable.

A note about the Za'atar herb.  I got the seeds from Bakers Nursery and it is reported to be 'the' za'atar herb native to the Middle East for which the spice mix is named.  Until the leaves are a good size, I won't know if this is a new-to-me plant or Syrian Oregano, and plant often described as za'atar (a great plant, but botanically I am not sure it is THE herb in question).

That's all for now folks,

Have a great day in the garden.

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

My first video post on youtube!

Dear Folks,

I just posted my first video - actually a narrated slideshow - on youtube.  I have been wanting to do instructional videos for a long time. The challenge has been what to start with, when and all the 'first time' things with using a new tool.

Since I recently decided to do a container project to demonstrate "how" to grow successfully in a pot in the desert, this turned out to be a good launch to what I hope will be a serious of helpful posts on youtube.

I hope to keep all future ones relatively short in the 3-8 minute or so range to make quick, but detailed discussions of the subject matter.

I welcome your thoughts and questions.

Have a great time in the garden!

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

My Pasta Sauce

Dear Folks,

I made up a batch of my sauce yesterday, and thought I would share it with you.  Near the bottom of this post I have a link to a Lasagna recipe I posted last year using the sauce.  I add and subtract herbs as I have the urge or what is fresh in the garden.

I froze some of our tomatoes last fall, a couple of pieces of Parmesan  cheese rind (the part that is too hard to grate makes a great flavor enhancer for sauces), and then added some fresh tomatoes from the garden, a sprig of oregano, some basil (both left whole), a whole white onion diced, and a whole stick of unsalted butter.  Yes, I know not low-fat, but this luscious recipe is a treat every once in a while.  It is my interpretation of Marcella Hazan's famous "Crazy Sauce" where she used butter, an onion cut in half and canned tomatoes, cooked down to an incredible amalgam of flavor and texture.  Marcella removed the onion and tossed it at the end of the cooking, but I thought that was a bit wasteful, so I went with dice and keeping it in for additional flavor.  I initially added herbs at the end, but now I like to leave sprigs in during the cooking, remove the hard stems at the end and sometimes sliver some fresh basil in right before serving.

I make up for the fat in sauces like this by going with a very high protein/fiber pasta component.  I like Barilla Plus for their very high protein and fiber Angel Hair pasta, and in yesterday's dish I added chopped sugar peas from our garden to the pasta while cooking, strained and added to the sauce with some cooked Italian sweet sausage.  (The pasta takes only 6-7 minutes to cook so adding the peas at the same time resulted in a nice crisp cook texture of the peas and their wonderful sweet flavor.)

MY SAUCE

Several pounds of tomatoes (the volume is flexible) I do not peel my tomatoes - I want the fiber of the skin, but if I have very large tomatoes I will core them.-- you can cut them into small sections if you like.
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 onion diced
a piece or two of Parmesan cheese rind (these freeze great for the next time you make sauce)
A spring of Greek Oregano
some basil if you have it

Place everything in a pot bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer, uncovered, until as thick as you like it (mine took about 3 hours yesterday).  I mashed a bit at the end because I wanted some chunks, but mostly a thick sauce consistency.  Use the largest pot you can to avoid splatters, the sauce will bubble.

I am looking forward to a big harvest of tomatoes this summer and planning on canning my sauce for the winter.

I use whatever tomatoes I have growing or find interesting at the farmers market.  I have done a golden sauce with just yellow tomatoes and it was heavenly, with a far lighter tomato almost sweet flavor.

I am trying a roma style tomato in the garden and we will see what I get :-)

LASAGNA RECIPE

Here is my vegetable lasagna recipe posted last year.  Think "out side the noodle" for delicious variations.

http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/2011/04/lasagna-different-version.html

. . .

Our asparagus are coming up - oh boy!

What's growing in your garden that you are bringing to your table?

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Apple Pie - Oh My - Blossom to pie - What's a pie kit?

Dear Folks,

Yesterday I made an apple pie from one of my frozen pie kits, and yesterday Deane took the photo of the new blossoms on our Golden Dorsett apple tree.

Last June and July I experimented with "pie kits" as a way of preserving the bounty of our fruit trees.  I made peach, apricot and apple.  The apple pie yesterday was the last of the kits, so now I can't wait until fruit maturity this summer to make some fresh and more frozen to enjoy through the year.

What's a pie kit?  Basically you prepare the fruit with all sugar and spices as you would for fresh, and then freeze it.  I used ziplock bags although if you have quart mason jars you might like that as a better option if you have the freezer space.  Label with date and fruit type.

Now comes the time when you want to make the pie.  First (disclaimer) I buy commercial pie crusts - I REALLY have to kick myself into learning how to make a good crust.  I've just always been a better cook than a baker :-)

Have your pie crust(s) ready.  Then thaw out the pie kit, in a colander, in a bowl to catch the juices.  When completely thawed, pour the juices into a sauce pan, bring to a boil and reduce by 1/3 to 1/2.

I found the first time I just poured the whole thawed kit into the crust there was too much liquid (as the freezing/thawing process releases a lot of juice) and a lot of it was lost oozing out of the pie while it baked.

THE Pie Recipe

Have a bowl of water with a bit of lemon juice, to keep fruit from darkening after cutting.

Core and cut up 6-8 apples into half inch slices (I personally do not peel my fruit - I like the texture and fiber it gives to the pies).  I found with thicker slices there was a lot of 'air' in the filling and the pie would collapse once the apples began to bake down.  You want about 3-4 cups of sliced fruit.  For apricots or peaches you will usually need more fruit to make the volume.

Once you have all the fruit cut, drain in a bowl
MIX well together
sprinkle of salt (about 1/8 to quarter teaspoon)
2/3 cup of mixed 50/50 white and brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (Use the real good stuff - Ceylon)
2 tablespoons of flour

Sprinkle over the cut fruit, toss well but gently.   Spoon into freezer bags or quart mason jar, label, date and freeze.

TO BAKE

Have your crust ready.  Keep the crust that will be the bottom, chilled or frozen.  I like to make cut outs from the top crust and then use the cut outs to decorate the pie.

Have about 1 tablespoon of butter cut into slivers ready, chilled
1 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar

Thaw the fruit, catch the juice and boil the juice down by 1/3 to 1/2.

Preheat oven to 450 along with any tray you will be putting the pie on.

Place fruit in pie shell, pour reduced juices over, dot with the butter.
Place the top crust on, crimp edges to retain juices, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 and continue baking until you can see the juices bubbling and the crust is nice and brown.  Ovens vary - it will be another 30-45 minutes (for a total of 45-60 minutes).  Check at the 30 minute mark (at that point a total of 45 minutes) after you turn the oven down.

For peach pie you have the same process.  If apricots, Deane likes the pie with more sugar to compensate for apricots nice tang.

Use your freezer to take full advantage of the bounty your fruit trees give you.

Last year I also did a blog on sun drying the fruit - they turned out really well.



http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/2011/05/preserving-bounty-sun-drying.html

Enjoy our spring!

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Update on Bait Dog Rescue

Dear Folks,

I wanted to update you on the story of Belle/Beau the bait dog rescued by urbanrescues.com in Phoenix.

He is doing incredibly well for the condition he was in when rescued.  They did have to amputate his leg as the injuries were so severe.  His recovery thus far is awesome.

I would also like to note that Facebook removed the awful dog fighting promotion pages - YIPPEEE!  Hopefully no others will find their way there.

If you would like to get an update on Belle, click here.

This link has several elements to it.  You can click on "Belle" and get his story.  But on the opening page you can see that Belle's story has created such an amazing outpouring of donations that Urban Rescues has created "Belle's Fund" to assist other rescues.

Consider donating a few dollars if you can.

I will get back to the green gardening and cooking in next posts, but I felt this was worthwhile to pass on to you all.

Have a great day,

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Charity Addition

Dear Folks,

I am adding another charity to my favorites.  There are so many worthy causes, I'm sure you all have your favorites.  Sometimes a cause also highlights a terrible human-caused issue and this is one of them.


Urban Rescues in Phoenix, rescues from the 'to-be-euthanized' lists at the shelters.

The most recent case was not just about saving a stray but a 'bait dog' used by dog fighters to train their dogs for their horrible fun.

The most recent good news is the vet believes Belle/Beau will make it. The videos and descriptions are difficult to watch, but I'm putting a link below for you to donate to their work.  The money is going to the special fund for Belle/Beau, but funds needed over what they need for Belle will continue their work.  VIEWER note the pictures are difficult to watch and the reason I am using the female/male name is they thought the poor dog was a female initially - enough said.

http://www.adoggieinthewindow.com/urbanrescues.com/belle-the-bait-dog/


To make a donation




I learned about Belle/Beau and the continuing dog fighting practices because I decided to follow one bait dog rescuer on facebook - through them I learned not only about this poor baby, but also that there is at least one facebook page devoted to encouraging and supporting dog fighting. Horrible.  If you have a mind to, find the page(s) and report them to FB as graphic violence and hopefully they will be removed.

I have also added one of my favorite kitty rescue organizations, which works hard to find and place homeless cats.


http://www.kittykatrescue.com/



On a more positive note today is "leave a note" day.  Leave a note anonymously anywhere (on a table, desk, restroom mirror) with a positive message to give the finder a smile.  Something like "you are important to people in your life" or "you are loved, be kind to yourself"

Have a great day, folks,

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Learn To "Grow" a Community Garden - Mesa Residents

Dear Folks,

iMesa Community Garden Initiative is moving forward with a meeting
coming up.

Sat. Jan. 21, 1:30 to 4 p.m. at Mesa Main Library, 64 E. First St.

Before you dig up some dirt and put a seed in the ground, there are many things to think about to create a community garden in your neighborhood or on any vacant piece of property. If you are interested
in starting a community garden, but aren't sure where to begin, you can start with this program designed to teach you how to get a garden up and growing. Topics include finding a site, fundraising, creating
garden guidelines, garden committees and handling some of the challenges, too. Long-time community gardener, Doreen Pollack from the Valley Permaculture Alliance will provide a brief presentation, and
then will facilitate a discussion with other community garden members and the audience

http://www.mesaaz.gov/sustainability/CommunityGarden.aspx

Use the link above to go to their web page and see what is available to you and / or how you might want to get involved.

I will be attending the meeting, to help encourage everyone who has an interest in building this kind of great community support benefit.

A community garden can be a or THE focal point in a neighborhood.  If you are already happily gardening in your own backyard, consider becoming involved in assisting a community garden to "grow" in your
neighborhood.



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Greening - Advertising's Illusion of Information

Dear Folks,

Did you happen to see any of the Chevy Christmas commercials featuring "Nick"?  I can't get the jingle music out of my head.  This very well done, attractive and inviting commercial is the kind that sticks with you.  And it got me to really thinking about all the messages we are bombarded with daily, even hourly about what to buy, why to buy it and how it will change our lives.

I participate in surveys from time to time involving existing or possible products and it really infuriates me when they ask questions like "how does xxxx make you feel" but they are talking about something like a purse or iPhone or a sports drink.  They are looking for answers like "important", "winner", "successful."

Dorothy L. Sayers was a writer in several gendres, most notably to the general public her Lord Peter Wimsey, mystery series.  Sayers was known by her audience for her research into the settings for her books.  In "Murder Must Advertise," the "immorality" of advertising was described in an excellent passage:

Emphasis added by me:

Bredon shuddered.


“I think this is an awfully immoral job of ours. I do, really. Think how we spoil the digestions of the public.”


“Ah, yes-but think how earnestly we strive to put them right again. We undermine ’em with one hand and build ’em with the other. The vitamins we destroy in the canning, we restore in Revito, the roughage we remove from Peabody ’s Piper Parritch we make up into a package and market as Bunbury’s Breakfast Bran; the stomachs we ruin with Pompayne, we re-line with Peplets to aid digestion. And by forcing the damn-fool public to pay twice over-once to have its food emasculated and once to have the vitality put back again, we keep the wheels of commerce turning and give employment to thousands-including you and me.”

I was thinking about the whole paradox of our reliance on advertising to help us make decisions on purchases, and all the information LEFT OUT, while focusing on only the points the advertiser wants to make to sell the product.  Much (but not all) advertising is an illusion using "slight of word" to direct the audience from information they might otherwise want to know.

I was curious about what big companies may be selling with the right hand, and also with the left hand.  I decided to go to the site of Cargill one of the biggest world-wide companies with ownership of dozens of companies.  They most recently teamed up with Coke Cola to produce "tru-via" a supposedly natural sweetener made from Stevia, but the won't tell you what the other 'natural' ingredient is, while touting that it is natural

Cargill not only sells high fructose corn syrup components they also sell Barlív™ barley betafiber safe for diabetics and to lower cholesterol.   I find that some how a too-apt example of Machiavelli's deception and manipulation.    I would feel the same way if I found out one of my favorite organic seed suppliers owned stock in Monsanto {shudder}.

How about that "natural flavoring"?

From a Huffington Post article:  Natural flavors come from nature, but that doesn't mean they come from what the label says. In other words, a strawberry flavor doesn't have to come from a strawberry.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/28/artificial-natural-flavors-givaudan_n_1116081.html

The "art and science" of advertising is to have you think something very specific when it does not want you to think generally, and to give you the definition of what a word or phrase means rather than whatever it meant before.

The producers of high fructose corn syrup a product that is as processed as refined oil in my opinion, want the public to understand that they are "just like xxxx" - only different.

From "sweet surprise" There FAQ on their version of a myth and reality

Myth: sugar is healthier than high fructose corn syrup

Reality: high fructose corn syrup is nearly identical in composition to table sugar

Did you note the qualifier "nearly"?

Myth: High fructose corn syrup is not natural

Reality: High fructose corn syrup is made from corn -- a natural grain produce. High fructose corn syrup contains no artificial or synthetic ingredients or color additives and meets the Food and Drug Administration's requirements for use of the term "natural."

The term "natural" has been almost completely re-made according to corporate and FDA/USDA guidelines so that the consumer really has no idea what "the company" means when it uses the word "natural" on its labels or in advertising -- except that they can't play around (too much - there is always a way around things) with the word Organic.

The FDA which says it has no real guideline on the use of the word natural, has said this:

However, the agency has not objected to the use of the term if the food does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances.  -- http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/Transparency/Basics/ucm214868.htm

Now did you notice that it exempted 'processed' from the sentence and they did this because -- From a food science perspective, it is difficult to define a food product that is 'natural' because the food has probably been processed and is no longer the product of the earth. Ibid.

Nice out.  That basically means companies can call something natural as long as it complies with the proscriptions sited in the first quote.   So flour that has been hulled, de-germed and bleached can be called natural.  Or corn that has been reduced to corn syrup - at this point it is simply a juice reduction and then "undergone enzymatic processing to convert some of its glucose into fructose to produce a desired sweetness." -- from wikipedia.

If you want to consider the health affects of HFCS, consider this -- when beekeepers decided to use HFCS as a winter supplement for their bees replacing sugar syrup, the bees died because of a buildup of HMF, a compound produced in high heat conditions of sugar containing foods.  HMF is present in many foods - in small quantities, insufficient to cause problems.  But when too much is consumed?  Well, what the scientists are saying right now is "no correlation of intakes of HMF and disease could be demonstrated yet." ibid

The interesting note I find in the sited research supporting HFCS as 'okay' is "Although pure fructose can cause metabolic upsets at high concentrations and in the absence of glucose, such experiments are irrelevant for HFCS, which is not consumed at extreme high levels and contains both fructose and glucose. " emphasis added -- http://www.ajcn.org/content/88/6/1716S.long

While White's research states there is no significant increase of HFCS over sucrose (sugar) I have difficulty accepting where his information came from - as a shopper you need only look at the labels on every or every other processed product from bread to cereal to find HFCS, sometimes with other 'sugars and sweeteners' but many times the first in the list of sweeteners.

The way I read that - and I do look at other reports which most recently have given HFCS a pass on relation to obesity and diabetes as early reported - is that when you have a substance which is touted as okay in moderation, but is found in many if not most processed foods, how to you moderate your intake except to make everything fresh yourself?

Where I am going with all this is about how much of our lives become reliant on some entity telling us what we need or want or should have/do (I have to include me in my writing and thoughts in this too :-) and how 'important' or 'successful' it will make us feel.  From TV advertising to lobbyists giving legislators the 'facts' of an issue, most of us do not do our own research.

I have become obsessive about reading labels, particularly for food, but also to find out if there is a USA made option to the 'thing' I want.

My bottom line is, an ad may get my attention, but unless I know the product very well, I am going to do a little more checking before I 'buy into' or purchase something an ad is telling me I "really" need.

I hope you all will do the same for your and your families over-all health and well being.

Okay, climbing down off the soap box :-)

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

New Year Snack - Stuffed Nasturtium Leaves!

Dear Folks,

Happy New Year, Everyone!  I wish you all a wonderful, better, peaceful and productive year.

Along with my passion for growing edibles I am also always trying to figure out new ways to use some of the bounty.  Our gardening success can frequently be overwhelming with foods that are used only as condiments or simple additions/garnish -- like nasturtiums.  This beloved old fashioned garden favorite is truly a gem in our desert winter gardens, growing and blooming from late fall to early summer.

Because of their peppery bite (leaves, flowers and young seed pods) they have long been used to flavor foods with taste and color. (see note on restrictions near bottom of blog)

So two thoughts crossed in my mind recently:  1) I LOVE stuffed grape leaves (Dolma) and could (but don't) eat an entire container of them by myself, and 2) I was staring at ALL THOSE nasturtium leaves in our garden and wondering about stuffing them!

A little research online and I found several references to stuffing nasturtium leaves instead of grape.  Great!  Now, I thought, how can I make it a little more nutrient dense?  Traditional Dolma use rice.  I am always trying to find tasty ways to use quinoa because of its protein power pack (and fiber) content.  So that is what I did.

Two points about the recipe I need to point out:

1)  It is VERY important to fit the stuffed leaves tightly in the pot - you will see some space in my picture and that turned out to be a mistake as two of the nasturtium bundles separated.

2)  Use the largest leaves you can.  We are incredibly blessed in that our "nastys" freely re-seed each year and they grow huge.  The leaves I used were 7 inches across, about the size of a grape leaf.

Note for future blog post:  I had planned last year to use some of our fig leaves for this kind of recipe, after researching and finding many references to ancient stuff leaves using fig leaves.  I plan on really trying them this spring and if I do I will post my results.

These turned out so wonderful I can't wait to make them again and try some different ways.  My meat-and-potatoes guy really enjoyed them - that is a huge plus!

While it looks like a lot of work, it actually goes very fast in preparation.  Total cooking time for quinoa and finished stuffed leaves is about 40 minutes.  Putting the mixture together and stuffing takes about 5-10 minutes, so most of the work is actually cooking time.

Catherine's Stuffed Nasturtium Leaves

1 cup of cooked quinoa (cook in salted water), cooled (see note on cooking quinoa near bottom)
6-7 large nasturtium leaves or 12+ small ones, rinsed and patter dry (note: cut the leaf stem off as close to the leaf as possible.)
8 kalamata olives, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced parsley
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Taste quinoa for salt but keep in mind that the olives will impart salt and taste.  Mix quinoa, olives and parsley together.  Mix olive oil and lemon juice together.  Pour 1/3 of oil mixture over quinoa and fold to mix in (don't mash the grains).  Pour another third of the oil mixture in the pot you will use.

Assemble the rolls.  With the vein side up, place 2 tablespoons approximately near base on the leaf (if using small leaves about 1 tablespoon).  Roll over, then fold over left and right sides and continue folding to create the bundle, place seam side down in pot.  Make sure they are snugged tightly together.  If you can't fill the pot, put a potato, carrot or some other vegetable in with bundles to keep them close together (that is what I will do next time if I do not have enough bundles.  The veggie will get a nice flavor.

Pour the remaining oil mixture over the bundles and add enough water to come up about half way the height of the bundles.  Bring to a low simmer and cook covered for 20 minutes.  Let cool and enjoy!

I am going to grate a little carrot into the mixture next time and one future batch will have to include fresh spearmint too.

Nasturtium Health Note:  Nasturtiums contain oxalic acid, with the seeds having the highest concentrations.  Pregnant or lactating women and people with kidney issues should not consume nasturtiums.  For others, like spinach which also contains oxalic acid, eating too much will limit calcium absorption.  As with most foods eat in moderation.

How To Cook Quinoa:  Quinoa is a great grain to try, one of only two plant sources of complete protein, ttis ancient grain from the same family as spinach and epozote is tiny, and when cooked separates into two parts a curly 'c' and translucent pearl.  The little C is the fiber outer coating.  It is VERY important to rinse quinoa before cooking.  There is a powdery coating on all types which is 1) bitter, and 2) contains saponin (also found in spinach and oats) and should no be consumed in large quantities.  To cook quinoa use a 1:2 ratio of grain to water = 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of salted water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook covered for 20 minute until water is absorbed, if you are not using right away, add a touch of oil oil to keep from sticking together (although quinoa is not like rice in becoming really gluey)

Have a wonderful day,


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Old TIme Radio Holiday Shows / Music for iPod and mp3 play lists.

Dear Folks,

I enjoy listening to old time radio programs and there are hundreds available for holiday-theme listening.  You can load your iPod or similar mp3 device, create a custom list from the available CDs for party and entertaining background shows/music, or play them on your computer while you are doing chores.

I personally enjoy having the shows and music on while I'm doing holiday cooking and chores.

OTRCAT.com is my source of choice for these shows

Jon, at OTRCAT, offers a daily free download.  The cost of the discs is pennies a show.

Have a great weekend,

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

P.S.  Check out my newsletter group post on upcoming classes on sustainability issues.

While Dealing With Your Life -- keep on tending your garden

Dear Folks,

In the last week or so I have read or seen a variety of thoughts on several different 'fronts' of life ranging from the political messages (or non-messages), who does and does not have a job, who is and is not taking advantage of the system, who is (And Is Not) making really meaningful contributions and solutions to our problems, and WHY most people are not satisfied with enough to be happy about their lives!

In the beginning . . . life may have been hard but it was simple.  You needed food, comfortable shelter, clothing and freedom from fear.

When did bigger and more become so important we forgot about quality?

Listen to our friend Jim Pipkin's (Jim's facebook music store is here) new song "Primitive Minds" and contemplate this question:

Why do we as a society now consider that more and bigger is the golden-goal, particularly if more and bigger are really inferior?

Consider a zucchini - no I'm not making a silly statement - anyone who has ever grown or been blessed by friends and neighbors with zucchini, understands the more and bigger in a very micro view - young zucchini are more tender, tastier and more nutritious than older zucchini, and easier to use.  Yet some people want to grow their zukes to the biggest size they can to show how good they are at gardening.  A gardener picking young zucchini will have more, sooner, and better for them than someone who decides they have to have the bigger product.

Two recent articles really caught my attention:

1) an article discussing the degradation of the nutrient value of our food crops over the last 50 years (1950-1999) due to changes in varieties and farming practices -- Consider just one - corn originally a high protein grain crop which sustained cultures for Millenia dropped from a 1950s average of 3.22 grams of protein per serving down to 0.223 grams per serving -- a drop in nutrition by 70+%.  The fact that you would then have to consume something like 3 times as much corn to achieve the same protein content, means 3 times the calories to get that desired protein --  Journal of the American College of Nutrition

2) an article in the Mother Earth News by Bryan Welch (Publisher of MEN) - relating the continued unworkable requirement that the only way to achieve stability is to grow population and 'new' whatevers.




Mother Earth News - December 2011


The article ends in part "...but keep tending your garden."


And that brings my mind back full circle to what is important.

Welch's article got me thinking about ALL THOSE numbers the various economists, government, Wall St., and pundits throw at us daily about whether something is up, down or stable.  I have always questioned the wisdom, for instance, of including 'housing starts' in whether or not our economy is doing good.  Jobs - yes, but housing starts presumes more population is the only way to show progress.

Welch's article takes the premise that what currently fuels growth is not necessity (in its truest sense, like food, clothing, shelter) but the pursuit of luxury are what fuels most of our growth.  We can't be satisfied with what we need, but want to 'to keep up with the Jones," to feel fulfilled and accomplished.  The problem is we are running of out of 'new' resources.

Welch's article is entitled "Unplugging Our Economic Ponzi Scheme" and the idea of a growth fueled only by population growth is a real eye-opening definition of Ponzi Scheme.

If you say the word sustainable to the world at large the collective shudder implies that sustainable means going backwards and nothing is further from the truth.  If something is sustainable it is implied that it will continue on.  "Resources" that are finite can't be sustained, they can only be replaced with something different, rationed (until they are gone), foregone when they are gone, or given only to those in 'authority' or the ones with the most money.

The 2 most valuable activities an individual person or family could do for themselves, right now, would be to learn or hone a skill or trade, and two, tend your garden.

What do I mean by a skill or trade?  I mean something that is not necessarily modern but something that is a useful experience/expertise that can be sold, traded or donated.  If you are a doctor, lawyer or chief of some-company it would still behoove you to learn or re-learn a necessary skill or trade (and yes doctors you have a skill, but it would not hurt to learn how to raise chickens so you have eggs to trade).

Carpentry or wood-working
Simple electrical work
Mechanics
Sewing
Baking
Cooking
Gardening
Masonry
Tending livestock
Knitting

Skills or trade can certainly be high-tech, but consider what else besides high-tech would be tradeable in a difficult situation.  If the power is out knowing how to hook up a computer is useless, but knowing how to provide a sewn or knitted blanket is not.  Knowing how to cook over an open fire or any kind of a grill - and cook anything you need is useful when you do not have electricity.

If it sounds like I am talking in terms of survival - I am but not as a 'the world is coming to an end' but at what I see as a lack of any reasonable options for those who are without a job - short or long term.  If the stories that I've seen are any indication, losing a job is so mind-numbing for most hard-working people because they did not have a ful-back skill or trade.  The job they had was what they set their minds on having and no other 'what-ifs' were contemplated.

That is what complacency tends to do to us - most of us do not give enough consideration to the 'what-ifs' other than buying insurance to help our family if we die.  Losing a job or jobs is not contemplated because it is the unimaginable "won't happen to me" mentality because there is no back up plan.

How do you learn a skill or trade?  Schools of course, but you can also volunteer as a helper or apprentice to an organization you like. 

When I was a teenager, I volunteered after school several days a week at the local TB association.  I learned office skills there that aided me my whole life, and gave me a foundation for the jobs I later had.  There was the usual office work, but also the responsibility, mindfulness of what was needed to get things done, and concern for doing a quality job with a team, that instilled in me a belief that everyone should work together.  Looking back I was incredibly lucky in my choice of organizations to assist because they treated me with consideration that would normally be accrued to someone much older and/and a paid employee.

When I wanted to learn how to take proper care of the goats I wanted to get, I took 'lessons' from the gal I eventually purchased from.  The lessons included my desire to learn everything that was needed - mucking out stalls, hoof trimming, milking procedures, etc.  Later on I learned to assist while a friend did some of the less appealing things that temporarily cause a minute of pain to kids - not a pleasant job, but a necessary one.

I did not take for granted that learning how to take care of a goat was no different than taking care of a horse or cat or dog - the differences were IN THE learning, not assuming I knew what I needed to know - I wanted to make sure they were cared for by me, correctly, from the beginning, not as an experiment by me, on them.

Because I was a willing 'apprentice' my help and learning were appreciated by my friends and me.

While some of the above may not seem related, I see it all as part of not only the choices we make but as a portend of how we will manage or even survive, if we choose quality over quantity and skill over mindless 'progress'.  I do not think it is progress if we have more but the product is so inferior as to be all but impossible to survive on or with.

In many ways we have allowed ourselves to be 'told' what we wanted and needed.  Companies and ad agencies have perfected the 'entitlement' message.  I have become so suspicious of any use of the term natural or similar that I go look up information on 'it.'  Do you check the real purpose or quality of an item as much as you price check?


When we accept that only others can be the source of our necessities, then we risk having a roof made of paper, garment made of chemicals, or a meal of straw.  That is unsustainable.



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Sweet Potato Trials - And Arctic Express Coming On Through!

Dear Folks,

My experiment with two heirloom varieties of sweet potatoes has finished and overall I am very pleased with the results.  On July 10th, I planted "Barberman" and "Purple" sweet potato slips ordered from Sandhill Preservation.  The pictures show my harvest on November 27, 2011.

What I Did Wrong.

I had checked about 30-40 days ago for how the tubers were coming along.  Not wanting to 'invade' too much I did not dig my fingers down deep enough, so I decided to wait until Thanksgiving time to harvest (or first frost - which ever came first).  The challenge became that I should have turned off the watering a month ago, to prevent the splitting you see in the collage here.

Sweet Potatoes need a warm growing season, so they are perfect for growing opposite the Irish potatoes (I grow both).  Slips should be planted May through early July for the best results and you can start checking for harvestable size after about 60 days.  To avoid splitting, as I now know, you need to stop excessive watering for the 4 weeks leading up to final harvest (in our case - other areas of the country simply harvest at 90 days or first frost).  Since we generally start into our 2nd rainy season in November, the rain we had this month added to the split problem.

As you can see from the collage, not all of them split.  I am also showing that I'm cutting off some roots to replant.  I am hoping they will 'winter-over' okay - in past years it was a problem to NOT have them continue to grow when I grew them in the ground.  Since I am using large containers, I hope we do not get the killing freezes we had last year.

I would order these again for sure.  The reason I chose a purple variety was for novelty, but also like all blue and purple fruits and vegetables, they have higher antioxidants than their paler relatives.  However, the deep orange and red varieties are almost as high.  If you were to choose the top vegetable and fruit for ultimate nutrient density, fiber, and antioxidant capacity, sweet potatoes and mangos would be the choices.  I'm going to work on a mango again soon (frost killed it last year).

Speaking of Frost - Get Ready For The Arctic Express -- the end of this week the a cold and rainy front is moving on it and will be here at least for a week to 10 days.  IF THE OVERNIGHT forecast is for 40 or lower be prepared to cover and protect your tender plants with cloth or paper covers, and hope we do not get a hard freeze.

Back to the sweet potatoes.  I did have to peel off more of the split surfaces than I had hoped but what I had was a nice bunch which I chunked up, roasted and then mashed with a bit of apple cider and butter, for my post-thanksgiving turkey dinner this past Sunday.

Can't get any better than harvesting sweet potatoes Sunday morning and eating them that afternoon!

I have left the rest of the ones harvested to dry a bit in the sun/shade, and will bring them in to sit on my counter until I cook them up next week.  Sweet potatoes need to be 'cured' a bit and are more delicate than Irish potatoes for long-term storage.  I left some in the pots and will harvest the remainder in two weeks - I will probable prepare some for freezing so I have some a little later.  I also plan on selecting one or two which 'want' to root and seeing if they will store in my crisper, the way I store my Irish for later re-plantings. Will let you all know how that works out.

For those of you who want to grow IRISH POTATOES, get ready to plant later in December, but no later than the end of January.  I have a tradition of planting those on January 1st to finish out my holidays and head immediately into real gardening again. :-)

Have a great week, folks,



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Thanksgiving Ideas and Thoughts - Worth Repeating

Dear Folks,

I'm sharing some prior posts that I think are fun and appropriate for Thanksgiving.  First up is my Pumpkin Oatmeal side dish - the other aspect of this recipe that I loved was IF YOU have leftovers, they easily can be formed into patties and quickly heated in the frying pan the next morning to go with a hardy breakfast.  There are so many good-for-you things in this dish - you should try it - and let me know what you think.

PUMPKIN OATMEAL
Here is a side dish for any meal -- warming and satisfying.

1 cup regular oatmeal (not instant or quick cook)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie spice kind, just plain)
14 oz can of chicken broth (or vegetable)
1/8 teaspoon smoked salt (or sea salt)
8 large basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
Optional: other nuts such as pecans.
Stir pumpkin into broth in sauce pan, add salt and oatmeal and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for 5 minutes stirring regularly. Add nuts. Rinse and sliver basil leaves and fold into oatmeal just before serving. (Left Over Tip: form into patties and fry gently in a bit of olive oil, about 1 minute each side (just until warmed all the way through and slightly crusted on both sides.)
Optional: For a sweet version: Add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries, and omit (or leave in as you prefer) basil leaves, and use only plain (non-flavored) salt.

Stuffed Pumpkin

http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/2009/11/got-pumpkin-i-have-neat-recipe.html

First Official Thanksgiving

http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/2009/11/220-years-ago-today-first-official.html

Listen to old time radio Thanksgiving shows

http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/2009/11/thanksgiving-dinner-on-table-old-shows.html



May you all have a safe, healthy, blessed and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Hooked on "SodaStream"? Better mix choices and $ value.

Dear Folks,

If your family begged for the newest convenience device called "sodastream" that lets you make your own fizzy water, you may want to consider something other than their mixes for even better health choices.

Frozen Concentrated Fruit Juices!

The beauty of frozen concentrates is you can find a wide variety of no-sugar-added flavors with just the natural sweetness of the juice.  Add any fizzy water and you have soda!

Do the kids like orange soda?  Easy - concentrated orange juice + fizzy water = Orange soda.

The basic ratio is 1/4 cup (2 ounces) of concentrated to 3/4 cup (6 ounces) of fizzy water.  You can make the finished product a little 'lighter' by simply adding more fizzy.

If you are going to invest in a product that is touted at saving you money, being "green" and letting you make better soda choices for your family -- make it even healthier by using real fruit juices instead of formula mixes.

Sodastream's "natural" flavors are $9.99 for a bottle which makes 25 8-ounce cups.  That is $.40 a glass (cup).

A 12 ounce container of frozen juice concentrate (remember no-sugar-added varieties) is about $1.44 and makes 6  8-ounce cups.  That is $.24 a glass -- you save money and get better product.

I like ideas that reduce waste, limit additions to the land fill, and give you healthier choices.  If you just change the 'mix' you have the convenience of sodastream, limit landfill waste and give your family better flavor choices.  Anyone for pineapple/orange soda!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Catherine
The Herb Lady





-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Cyber Shopping - How About The Local Kind?

Dear Folks,

I am going to share some of my friends locally produced products and services. Keep them in mind and other locally owned businesses when you shop not only for the holidays but year-round.

Jean Groen with her partner Don Wells is an expert in the edible and medicinal plants of the Sonoran Desert. Together they have written 6 books:  "Foods of the Superstitions Old and new","Plants of the Sonoran Desert and Their Many Uses", 2 children's books-"The Adventures of Flat Cactus Jack" and "The Second Adventure of Flat Cactus Jack...the Mystery Mound", Cat's Claw to Cow's Tongue and Other Lesser Known Plants of the Sonoran Desert", "Grazing the Sonoran Sonoran Desert" (a loose leaf recipe book).

Jean is also a dedicated foodie and loves making jellies from all the wonderful variety of desert edibles - last count about 20 flavors.  She also produces pickles and BBQ sauces.  Jean conducts tours at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum.  The books can be found at Superstition Mt. Historical Museum, Tonto Visitor's Center, Tonto Monument, Casa Grande Ruins, Besh Ba Gowah, Book Bank in Miami, AZ,  or you can contact them at FoodsoftheSup@msn.com).



Kathy Marshall has her own dairy goat herd -- along with the 'cute' portion of the farm, Kathy gets to create her wonderful lotions and soaps using goats milk.  Goats milk is good for you both inside and outside.  Kathy's lotion customers have reported relief from dry skin, eczema, psoriasis and even diaper rash.  Double Blessings started in 2003 when Kathy wanted a soap that would not dry out her skin and a lotion that actually worked.  Find her on the web, at farmers markets around the valley and check the website for stores carrying her lotions and soaps.

Alice Nelson harvests dried flowers and leaves creating some of the prettiest bookmarks and pendants with them.  Every flower, leaf and petal is handpicked, trimmed and pressed by her.Each are unique and no two are ever the same.

But her main creative talent is her unique earwrap earrings suitable for those with and without pieced ears.  You can purchase through Alice's website, or find her at Fairs in the valley.  The wrap base is hypoallergenic 302 grade stainless steel, adjustable to fit any ear.

Coming up Alice will be at a fair at Greenway High School December 10th and 11th.

Jim Pipkin is a songwriter, story teller, and musician.  It literally runs in his veins -- Jim Pipkin carries on a family tradition of music and storytelling dating back to before the American Revolution.  Jim is a direct descendant of Revolutionary War Patriot Jesse Pipkin, and the grandson of Clifton White Pipkin, a Carolina roadhouse musician during the Great Depression. The Pipkin family has been writing and singing folk and gospel music in America since arriving at Jamestown in the late 1600’s.  Jim has 6 albums out and is working on his 7th.  You can purchase and download individual songs or whole albums.  OR, catch one of his shows around the valley and purchase the CDs.  Got to his website, or if you are on facebook his music shop.
Jim's show schedule is here.


Susan Decker is "Always A Little Behind Crafts" and I can totally understand that Susan could be always a little behind.  It is almost impossible to describe Susan's creative offerings in one little news piece here.  If there is something which can be hand made, Susan has probably created it!  From hand-made greeting cards, to aprons, toys (cloth to wood), home decorations, lunch box options, and purse accessories, you will find Susan's creative touch for every part of your life.  She is frequently at some valley farmers markets but you can easily order from her website  At my request, Susan came up with a 'toy' for my Homemade Kids Meals challenge (a homemade option to fast food meals).  Be sure to check out her crafts for all the gifts you need this holiday season.

To say that the holiday season can be stressful is to woefully understate the experience!  Give a gift to family or friends or yourself of a session with Rolfing Resources and regain your literally and figurative balance.  Rihab Yaqub is a certified Rolfer, Rolf Movement practitioner and Somatic Experiencing practitioner.  I know Rihab as a friend who just radiates positive energy.  Rihab's new studio in Scottsdale is hosting an open house.  This Sunday, November 20th  2-5 p.m. -- Historic Cattletrack Studio Compound -- 6207 N. Cattletrack Rd. #8, Scottsdale, AZ 85250 -- (480) 735-8875  -- stop by for conversation, refreshments and an opportunity to win a free session.  Visit her website for more information about Rolfing.  Gift Certificates are now available.




Patricia is "Feather Wolf" another creative friend who designs websites, beautiful precious stone jewelry and these unique fragrances shown here.  Find her at Mesa and Ahwatukee farmers markets in the valley or go to her website.  News fragrances just added are:  Lavender and Sunshine, Key Lime Pie, Eastern Treasure, Evening Rose,  Flower Mountain, and The Carpenter - I really liked the Lavender and Sunshine!  Click here for a description of each.

Last of my friends - but certainly not least - is Sue Harris a gifted musician but also a handmade soap specialist with a knack for thinking 'outside the bar' for scent inspirations.  I confess to giving Sue some ideas for soaps honoring the upcoming Arizona Centennial but she is the crafting wizard to actually figure out how to make them into cool soaps! My soaps are made in small batches, overflowing with such wonderful oils as olive, shea butter, almond, avocado, cocoa butter, and many others. I specialize in products reflecting the beautiful southwest desert where I live.  Find Sue at local farmers markets or visit her website to order direct.


Find more locally owned businesses and support your neighbors at


http://www.localfirstaz.com/

Find Farmers Markets around Arizona here 

Put together an ultimate gift basket with soaps, lotions, books, bookmarks, music, fragrances and lunch box accessories all local, all Arizona, all Great! 


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady
My Books

Fun Food Ideas for family and entertaining

Dear Folks,

I have some fun ideas for quick or interesting serving suggestions using foods you can find at your local farmers market.

Remember November 26th is SHOP SMALL BUSINESS/LOCAL SATURDAY!

Pictured is "My Toothpick Caprese Salad"

This is a great farmers market source and east to put together.  I am serving them on orange leaves for easy pickup and to 'catch' any juice from the tomatoes.  (Citrus tree leaves are edible - a little crunchy :-) but perfect for decorating and displaying foods.)

The cheese is Arizona Cheese Co's cheddar curds, wrapped in a fresh basil leaf and cuddled with fresh grape or cherry tomatoes - oh yum!


Need a fast and tasty meal?  Eggs poached in salsa arranged over a bed of fresh market greens, and served with crusty bread.  I enjoy any of the market vendors fresh eggs and Shirley's "Lil Sassy Salsa" for these - Whimpy :-) to beam me up Scott hot.


To wow your guests and grill Dry Bay Fish Company's Sockeye Salmon with fresh herbs and little white wine.  Use aluminum foil to great a package.  Herbs under and over the salmon - single layer - a little white wine for steaming. 20 minutes on indirect grill heat and amazing flavor.

Dr. Humus' tabouleh salad is a great base for dressed pasta, grain (rice, barley, quinoa etc.) or potatoes.  (Cold grain salads are a great side dish - or can be used to 'stuff' cherry tomatoes or mushrooms.)  Make a super nice dip with a quarter to half cup of the tabouleh to 2 cups of Greek style (or drained) plain yogurt - add a couple of chopped scallions and dash of salt and you have a healthy dip alternative.

Or use Dr. Humus' tasty pesto in the same way to make a different flavored dip.  Watching calories - use slices of cucumber in place of crackers.

Pita Bread or chips available from Dr. Humus - their chips go with any of their dips, but use the pita bread to make a super fresh pizza - separate the bread into two, top each with pesto or tabouleh, fresh tomatoes, cheese and bake in toaster oven on "toast" for 10 minutes or a conventional oven at 400 for 10 minutes.


Need some fast hamburgers?  Grab a package of Red Mountain Cattle's ground meat, a potato from One Windmill Farm, and some fresh herbs.  Pick up tomatoes, lettuce and onions for the burgers.  Shred a half of medium washed but not peeled potato for each pound of hamburger,  finely mince herbs.  Toss the herbs with the potato and mix the potato/herb blend with the meat - do not over work the burger meat.  Form into patties and grill as usual.  The potato keeps the grass-fed beef moist.

Bruschetta anyone?   Grab a crusty bread from the market, some of the amazing tomatoes and Dr. Humus' pesto or humus (many taste varieties - all great) - slice bread on diagonal, toast, spread with pesto or humus and top with slice tomato - so good!

Be sure and check out the other wonderful food and craft vendors at the markets and buy great products while supporting YOUR local community.


Have a great day!


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Salmon Cakes, and other recipe tips

Dear Folks,

I have been trying to come up with a take on 'crab cakes' using salmon.  Deane loves salmon - I like it best when I make my signature salmon steamed in herbs, but occasionally Deane enjoys the canned, and because I'm not that crazy about it I wanted to come up with something he would really love and I could 'enjoy' with him.

So, I had some left over cooked sweet potatoes, I got some pecans (one of my first thoughts to go with the canned salmon), and we still have fresh basil in the garden.

HARVEST TIP:  This time of year, make sure you harvest your basil AFTER it has been in the sun for a couple of hours, otherwise the flavor and scent will not be as nice -- cold damp air and soil makes the essential oils retreat.


CATHERINE's SALMON CAKES

Deane said this one is a keeper!

1 6oz can of boneless, skinless salmon (I used Alaskan pink)
1/2 cup cooked mashed sweet potatoes
10 basil leaves
1 slice of bread
a scant 1/2 cup of pecans
salt and pepper
Lemon wedges.

Process the bread into crumbs.  Grind the pecans into crumbs, don't let it become 'butter' - mix pecans and bread crumbs together - set aside.

Preheat over to 400 degrees.

Drain salmon and flake into small pieces.  Sliver the basil leaves and sprinkle over the salmon,  Sprinkle with salt and pepper (I used coarse salt and fresh ground pepper).  Spread the mashed sweet potato over the salmon.  Add a handful of the bread/pecan mix and thoroughly mix the salmon mixture together.

Take a small handful of the salmon mixture and press together to form a ball or patty, gentle place in bread crumbs and pat more crumbs on top.  Place patty on baking sheet and press down to flatten slightly.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with lemon wedges.

COOKING TIPS:
Last week when the temperatures dipped down, I was cold so I immediately think of soups and stews.  While I don't mind spending a couple of hours preparing meals, a lot of the time I want something fast.

For fast soups - ready in 15-20 minutes, but with all the home cooked taste and flavor, I rely on pre-cooked meats and my broths.  Here are easy proportion soups to make whenever.   By giving you some ratios you can easily double, triple or multiply to fit your family and company needs.  An old cooking wisdom is with unexpected company a soup or stew is easily and healthfully expanded with the addition of meat, pasta, potatoes or beans and some extra liquid.

PER PERSON:
1 cup of broth
1/4 cup of bite-size meat and/or cooked beans
1-2 tablespoons of uncooked pasta (I like Barilla-plus for its high protein / fiber ratio)
half a small new potato or 1/4 of a small baking potato, cooked and diced
half a stalk of celery, sliced or diced small
half a carrot sliced or diced small
1-2 tablespoons of diced onion
Salt and pepper to taste
handful of Fresh greens/herbs, coarse chopped (lettuces, basil, mint, kales, arugula etc.)
slurry 1 tablespoon of corn starch to 2 tablespoons of broth or water
Optional:  a teaspoon of olive oil, butter or bacon fat

Optional saute if you have time - saute the onion celery and carrot in the fat for five minutes.  Add broth and proceed.

Bring broth to a boil and add onion, celery and carrot.  If the past takes 10 minutes to cook add it now.  Set time for 10 minutes.  If the past takes 6 minutes add it at the 4 minute mark.

Meanwhile place a handful of the fresh greens in each soup bowl.  When the timer goes off add potatoes, meat and/or beans and cook 1-2 minutes to heat through.  If you want a thick soup, add the slurry before or after the meat etc. and cook 1-2 minutes.  Ladle into bowls over fresh greens.  Serve with a nice crusty bread or crackers.

In the next blog I'm going to give you some FAST AND FUN FOOD IDEAS for your family and holiday entertaining, using farmers market products and recipes to make quickly at home.

SHOP LOCAL FOR THE HOLIDAYS:  In a special newsletter next week I am going to highlight some of my friends and farmers market vendors who have great options of gift giving or something for yourself -- watch for it :-)

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Learn To Can Food! Tuesday, November 22nd

Dear Folks,

This is a lecture I am looking forward to, adding to my growing but not complete knowledge of canning.  Save space in the freezer and refrigerator, have wholesome and healthy choices you make yourself for "putting food by."

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

At the Dobson/Southern campus of Mesa Community College

Sustainable Gardening Workshop Series
"Passion for Canning" with
Andrea Robinson
Hosted by MCC Urban Horticulture Program
Tuesday 11-22-2011
6:30-8:30 pm Kiva Room (Under the Belltower)
$15.00

Pre-registration and Credit Card payment can be made by phone through
the MCC Cashier’s office at 480-461-7400 and select option 3.
Reference "Urban Horticulture Lecture Series" 


You must Pre-register


Join us as Andrea Robinson shares her passion for canning. Andrea has
been canning home-grown food for over 20 years and believes anything
you can grow or cook can be canned. She got interested in canning
because she wanted to be self sufficient and likes having pre-prepared
meals for a busy lifestyle.


Andrea will demonstrate different canning methods and some of her
favorite recipes in this 2 hour hands-on workshop.

A Community Garden Possibility in Mesa - Let Your Voices Be Heard!

Dear Folks,

HEADS UP!  This is your opportunity to show your support for a
community garden in Mesa.

Catherine 




iMesa meeting includes community garden and energy discussions

          Calling all green thumbs! The next iMesa village meeting
will feature a booth about bringing a community garden to Mesa. We are
in the beginning stages and want to determine community interest and
collect feedback from the gardening community about a possible
location, size, design and type of operation. Whether you’ve
participated in a community garden before or just want to hear more
about it, join us on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. at the Irving School
Historical Center, 155 N. Center St.

                The City of Mesa Energy Resources Department will also
be on hand to discuss the Electric Integrated Resource Planning
process, which assesses customers’ energy requirements and the best
combination of resources to meet the energy needs of the 5.5 square
miles in downtown Mesa.

                The iMesa Central Village Meeting is designed to bring
the top ideas submitted to iMesa out to the community for discussion.
A community garden is one of these ideas along with saving Buckhorn
Baths, revitalizing Pioneer Park and expanding the regional pool
program. iMesa is a grassroots citizen investment effort to develop
projects that will transform Mesa. To find out more about the iMesa
program go to mesaaz.gov/imesa.

                Submit your iMesa idea at the meeting and be entered
into a drawing to win an iPod Touch. You must be present to win and
the drawing is at 7 p.m.

                The final iMesa village meeting is on Wednesday, Nov.
16 in the Citrus Village at the Commemorative Air Force Aviation
Museum, 2017 N. Greenfield Road. Ideas in that village include
building a splash pad at Candlelight Park, expanding the regional pool
program and providing more programs for kids.

                After the village meeting process is complete, the
iMesa Citizen Steering Committee will compile the ideas, comments and
votes and present a package of projects to the Mesa City Council in
2012.

Donna DiFrancesco

Conservation Specialist

Environmental & Sustainability

480.644.3334 (tel):  480.644.4774 (fax)

PO Box 1466

Mesa, AZ 85211-1466

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____________________________________________________

Building a Sustainable Community  | www.mesaaz.gov/sustainability

Managing water and energy for efficiency, savings, and the
environment.

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

One Pot Meal - Potatoes, Beans, Pasta & Meat Stew

Dear Folks,

Back in August I posted a recipe for a 'made over' or left over soup/stew using pre-cooked chicken.  I was in the mood for comfort food yesterday, so I re-did the recipe slightly to cook everything in one pot - takes about 45-60 minutes total time.  Really satisfying and re-heats great.

For the first version - here is the link from the old post.

CATHERINE'S POTATO, PASTA, BEAN & SAUSAGE (or CHICKEN) SOUP

1 can of white or cannelli beans (14 oz. or so)
2 sweet Italian sausages (or 1-3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts)
1 large russet potato (or several new potatoes - about 2 cups when diced)
1/4 cup of tiny pasta (stellini or stars or couscous)
3+ cups of chicken broth
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 heaping tablespoons of corn starch
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt (to taste)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of any herb combination you like - I used dried rosemary, garlic and black pepper

Optional:  Other veggies can be added at the same time as the potato, be sure to increase the liquid to cover all while cooking -- carrots, celery, parsnips, sweet potato

Optional:  slice leek, scallion or onion (I used one thick sliced leek yesterday)

In a 3-4 quart sauce pan, heat olive oil, at medium high.  If using onion, add and stir for one minute.  Add sausage or chicken, set the timer for 20 minutes.  Sear one minute on each side, stirring onions.  Add 1 cup of broth, turn down to medium, cover and cook until timer goes off, turning the meat every once in a while.

Open can of beans.  Do not drain

Scrub and dice potato - leave skin on.   Scurb and dice any other vegetables you may be using.

When timer goes off, remove meat and set aside to cool - when cooled dice and reserve.

Add bean liquid - reserving the beans and 2 cups of broth to pot, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the herbs.  Bring to boil and add potatoes.  Cook for 7 minutes covered on medium.

Add pasta, cover and cook for 6 minutes more.

Make a slurry of some broth with the corn starch and set aside (I like to use a jar and shake vigorously - mixes it very well.)

When the pasta has cooked for 6 minutes, uncover, add beans and meat, taste for salt and adjust seasoning.  Add more broth to make sure everything is covered.  Cook on high for 1 minutes to warm the meat and beans.

While stirring pour in the slurry to thicken - cook for 1-3 minutes more on high.

Serve with crusty bread and a salad and you have a really satisfying meal.

One of the extra nice things about this kind of recipe is you can always add a bit more of 1 or everything and adjust herbs and salt proportionately to accommodate the unexpected guest :-)

Enjoy!


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady