Salad Recipe - Just Because!

Dear Folks,

I enjoy making salads and trying to come up with varieties to make them interesting.

Recently I decided to be more conscious of my weight and need to drop some pounds.  I generally eat quite healthy - comparatively speaking - but truth be known I gorge when I'm stressed with 'stuff', so I decided on a simple plan:  try to keep the starches to a minimum, focus on protein, vegetables and fruits and keep the small plate handy :-)  (There is no dearth of information on just how big our portion sizes, let alone the plate sizes have grown in the last 50 years.)

A while back I read an article about a trainer in Scottsdale (and sorry if I could find the exact info I would give you who and where) who came up with her version of a healthy, easy, way of plating up your food to focus on healthy and losing weight.  Imagine the plate divided in 3 sections:  Protein, low-starch vegetables, and fruits.  Works for me!

A note about salts and fats - we need some and the problem is not THE food item, it is what we do with it.  Swinging in extreme directions does our bodies no good.  Too little salt and we have water retention issues; too little fat and some of the good foods we eat are not properly absorbed.

I will put a little more about my general eating preferences below the recipe.

Catherine's Composed Salad

Romaine lettuce
Curly kale
Sweet Italian Basil
Sorrel
Garlic Chives
Arugula
Edamame, cooked and drained
Cantaloupe
Roasted Red Peppers

Lime juice, fresh squeezed (can use lemon, grapefruit, orange or vinegar)
Olive oil
Salt
Black pepper

Chop or tear the greens into bite-size pieces.  Toss together. Dice the peppers and cantaloupe.  Arrange salad in a pleasing-to-you manner.

Dressing is a 1:2 or 1:3 ratio of lime juice depending on how tangy you like your dressing.  I add salt to taste, roughly a 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon depending on how much liquid I wind up with.  Citrus dressings are nicer for not only the taste but also with a couple of shakes, they will stay mixed for quite a while at the dinner table.

Every couple of days I chop a mix of greens and herbs to keep as a base in a container in the refrigerator

Recycling: I kept one of those 'salad' boxes of pre-mixed greens come in from the grocery, and re-use for this purpose - I place a paper towel over the greens after chopping and spinning and putting the lid on, to keep the condensation from the greens.  This way I can make a fast salad when I'm short of time or ideas :-)

So, protein, vegetables and fruit makes a great salad meal for lunch or dinner.

. . .

My preferences on food are largely guided by nutrient density.

I have my guilty pleasures just like anyone else.  I LOVE excellent artisan bread, White Castle Hamburgers (or their cheeseburgers), Taylor Ham (both east coast favorites) and the occasional fast food sandwich.  Most of these I indulge in 2 or 3 times a year, except for the bread, which is why I had to re-consider how to go about losing some weight.

I also use whole goat or cow milk and yogurt (making my own yogurt when I can); a bit of bacon grease from uncured bacon, different oils like olive and avocado, real butter (organic).  I'm a lover of dark chocolate and find ways to make homemade versions of decadent treats (Fudge and fudge sauce).  I use organic cane sugar, agave nectar, honey and stevia, depending on what I am making.

I generally have a cast-iron stomach and can eat anything with no problem, but a while back I had an 'episode' of I don't know what.  I changed my morning yogurt routine from 'most of the time' to 'every' morning.

I have become very fond of Himalayan pink salt and buy it coarse when I can and grind as needed. I also use sea salt for fine salt needs.

For sauteeing I have come up with an excellent combination of flavor and tolerable fat combination that gives my food really good flavor without going into 'heart attack territory'.

I gently melt 1/3 cup of my stored uncured bacon grease, 1/3 cup of organic butter and 1/3 cup of organic olive oil.  Stir to mix well and pour into a mason jar.  Let cool on the counter before capping (so you do not have condensation) then store in the frig.  Literally a knife tip in the pan will flavor anything you cook - probably less than a teaspoon of total fat, but full of lots of flavor.

For my dieting purposes I have shifted to selecting a bread/cracker for the day.  I select or put out one serving and use it for whatever purpose during the day.  So for example I will use 4-5 crackers to scoop my yogurt in the morning; I may crumble some of the crackers over my salad (like croutons), or take a piece of meat or cheese with a few as snacks during the day.

For snacks, I also wrap slices of meat or cheese around: cucumber, carrot, sugar pea pods, green bean bundles, or fold the meat or cheese into a leaf of romaine.

I either make my own crackers - see link here for my seed/nut/cheese gluten-free cracker. or purchase 'good' options.

When selecting bread or crackers I use my 'nutrient density formula' - the protein and fiber grams are totaled and divided into the calories per serving.  The density has to be 20 or less.

My current go-to cracker choices are original Triscuit; Kashi's Original 7 Grain Sea Salt, or Kashi Toasted Asiago.

I also use the treadmill at the gym 3 times a week because I can adjust for a steep incline and a fast past, doing 60 minutes or about 4 miles.

. . .

And lastly I enjoy a glass of wine or beer and love all varieties, but they are not the lowest-calorie beverage options nor are they even remotely nutrient dense.  Also opening a bottle of wine without a stew or 'something' to cook with the remainder is not an option right now for me (unless I want to pull out the crockpot I'm not doing 'hot meal' type cooking now.

I have a 'beer' cocktail I came up with adjusting a fun drink a friend made for me recently.

The basic premise is to rim a large glass with lime juice and salt as you would a margarita - here is my version.  Makes 2 drinks.


Catherine's Beer Cocktail
Currently I'm fond of Sam Adams Cherry Wheat beer but any light beer will blend nicely with the lime juice


1 lime, cut in half
Himalayan pink salt
1 bottle of light beer
1 can of sparkling seltzer (not club soda - has more sodium in it) or water
Ice cubes

You have the option of NOT rimming the glass with the ground salt.  Instead you can add a small grind after you put the ice cubes in.

Squeeze one half lime into each of two tall glasses.
(Optional:  Run the cut lime around the edge of the glass before squeezing, and dip in ground salt)
Pour half a bottle of beer down the side (to avoid a head) of each glass.
Pour half of the can of seltzer in each glass
Add ice
Add a tiny grind of salt to the floating ice cubes if you choose.

Sip and enjoy.

I have some events and classes coming up.  Check out the "about" page on my website.

I hope you find these ideas and recipes enjoyable!



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

My books

Ibook

https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/catherine-crowley/id372564893?mt=11

amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Crowley/e/B002C1HWG0/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1367065857&sr=1-2-ent


Lulu

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/herbs2u



 

Lemon Verbena - August Herb of the Month / Ready Set Sow!

Dear Folks,

Although the month is almost over, I thought I would focus on this outstanding herb.  Lemon Verbena is the Herb Society of America's herb of the month and it is justly deserving of attention.

Aloysia citrodora (aka Lippia citrodora ) is a fabulous lemon-flavored and scented herb sometimes called the "lemon drop" plant.  Once you smell the bruised leaf you will understand why, the fragrance is amazing.

This member of the verbena family is closely related to Mexican Oregano another great herb for your garden.

Both are sub-tropical and will withstand some freezing, but not hard (killer) freezes without proper protect.  Both can grow to be very tall hedge/shrubs - which is a very good thing for all the opportunity to use them in cooking.

Like many of the other lemon-flavored herbs, Lemon Verbena gets its taste and scent from one or more of the essential oils found in the skin of lemons.  Except without the acid, so you can use these herbs as you would lemon in cooking, and it stands up to heating very well, unlike some more delicate flavored herbs.

In the desert garden the plant will go somewhat dormant in the winter.  Prune dead branches in late winter/early spring when you start to see new growth at the base.

Plant in early fall or early spring (February/March) for best success, in full sun and well draining soil.

Check out my prior blog post where I discuss lemon verbena along with other gardening and cooking aspects.

http://edibleherbsandflowers.blogspot.com/2011/05/dont-just-stand-there-plant-something.html

. . .

September Gardening -- Ready Set Sow!

First off, if you are planning on planting garlic (October 1-31) or potatoes (November 30-January 1st) you may wish to start looking for sources for the starter 'seed' cloves or potatoes.  I like Potato Garden, but local nurseries like Harpers may soon have either of them for sale.

Next, if you have not done so or need to 'fluff' the garden, begin preparing the soil.

Fall is THE spring in the desert garden for heavy planting of not only cool weather annuals but also THE best time to transplant fruit trees (October-November).

Before you start looking for seeds to sow, think about how much of what, particularly root crops, you want to be harvesting.  Successive sowing means planting seeds every 2-4 weeks, generally through mid to late winter for continuing harvesting.

Successive sowing means, instead of planting 15 foot rows of carrots or beets or radishes, but 2-4 feet each and another 2-4 feet in 2-4 weeks. 

Choose short maturity varieties of roots and greens (lettuces, kale, arugula, spinach, chard, etc.) to have faster harvests.

Head variety vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts take not only a long time to get to harvest stage (90-120 days), but also each take up a lot of room, so consider size of mature plant when laying out your sowing/transplanting plan.

If you do decide to go with head varieties - when you harvest use the greens!  The leaves are edible like the 'flower bud' you are picking.

One of my all-time favorite vegetables to grow during the cool time of the year are sugar peas.  These prolific producers of sweet edible pods will produce for months if you keep the pods picked regularly.  (Sample the tasty growing tips from time to time in your salads, stir frys or omelettes -- just not too often you want all those healthy vines to keep growing and producing the pods :-)

Anise
Beans (bush and pole beans in first two weeks in September at latest)
Beets
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Calendula
Caraway
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard 
Chervil
Cilantro
Cornflower/bachelor Buttons (Centaurea Cyanus)
Cucumbers
Dill
Endive (and Chicory)
Fennel, Leaf
Onions, Green
Greens
Kale, Ornamental Cabbage
Kale
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lettuce (leaf lettuce, arugula, mustard greens etc.)
Marigold
Mustard
Nasturtium
Parsley
Peas
Radishes
Scented Geranium
Snapdragon (Antirrhinum Majus)
Spinach
Sweet Alyssum
Sweet William Aka Pinks (Dianthus Barbatus)
Turnips

Get out and get growing - what else is more of everything in life than growing some or much of your own food!

. . .

By the way - I finally got my website up and running again.  Check it out when you have a chance

www.herbs2u.netwww.herbs2u.net

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

My books

Ibook

https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/catherine-crowley/id372564893?mt=11

amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Crowley/e/B002C1HWG0/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1367065857&sr=1-2-ent


Lulu

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/herbs2u

Celebrate More Herbs - Less Salt Day! - August 29th

Dear Folks,

August 29th is More Herbs, Less Salt Day

Let me first say that salt (or fat) is not a bad thing, it is how we use it that comes into question.

The prosperity of post World War II began a succession of ‘time saving’ services and products which were mostly a good thing, but literally and figuratively took us away from our roots of having a small kitchen garden or herb pot out side the back door.  Entire generations followed, hooked on salt substituting for taste through frozen TV dinners, fast food, and prepared meals in a box.

Very simply, if you season first with herbs and spices you will get the real taste of the food popping in your mouth.  Then if you need to add salt, do so but to taste, not recipe.

There are exceptions.  Most starchy cooked or baked foods (like bread or pasta) need some salt, but even there you can try halving the salt and substituting herbs and spices which will really make the flavor stand out.

Like baked potatoes (Russet or Sweet)?  Try this the next time you are going to bake, roast or grill them.

Have ready a fresh lemon cut in half and finely minced rosemary (fresh or dried - fresh is best if you have it).

Cut open the cooked potato, sprinkle with the lemon juice, follow with a sprinkle of rosemary and taste - you may not miss the butter or salt this tastes so good!

Not sure what herbs or spices to use with what food?

Here is a simple tip.

Your nose is a gate way of determining ultimate flavor (sense of smell and taste differs from person to person) – put a small amount of an herb or spice in the palm of your hand.   Rub and sniff.  If you like it add another, and rub together, sniff again and determine if you like the combination.  You can stop with each separately or continue to add a couple more different herbs/spices to create your very own ‘go to’ blend for everything.  Trust me, if you do not like the smell of an herb or spice you may not like the taste, but if it smells good to you it will taste good on your food.

My personal “go to” flavor combinations are:

Rosemary, garlic and black pepper

Lime, basil and black pepper.

The picture is of three different types of basil - possibly the most loved herb in the whole world, literally.  From top to bottom - Sweet Italian, Lime (really, it has the scent and taste of lime with a light basil flavor) and Thai an incredible combination of basil and tarragon flavor.

Make this day your personal creating day to add more flavor and less salt to your meals.  Your family and you will benefit all the way around.

More Herbs, Less Salt Day = Happy Cooking!



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

My books

Ibook

https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/catherine-crowley/id372564893?mt=11

amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Crowley/e/B002C1HWG0/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1367065857&sr=1-2-ent


Lulu

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/herbs2u
 

Eggplant -- Why it is called 'egg'-plant.

Dear Folks,

Our eggplant is a little over 4 feet tall at its' tallest right now, and putting out lots of fruit and lovely, but toxic, flowers.

So why is it called eggplant -- the picture shows the whole story -- white, shaped like an egg :-)  The British call eggplant aubergine, a name derived from a Catalan word for the plant by way of France.

Eggplant is a member of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family which also gives us tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, tomatillos and ground cherries.  All of the fruit of these plants are edible, including the seeds, but the entire rest of the plant is toxic/poisonous because of the alkaloid Solanine.

Solanine is also the element that gives the green cast to potatoes exposed to sunlight during the growing time and cannot be cooked out, which is why it is recommended to toss (or save to plant later) any potatoes showing more than a minute amount of green.

Back to eggplant.  Many people are familiar with the native of the India subcontinent and has been cultivated since pre-history (according to wikipedia).  Most American know the large purple variety, particularly used in Italian cooking.

The varieties now becoming better known are the white, plus wonderful green, lilac or lavender, blush and stripped versions, along with physical forms that are long and slender or round and ribbed.

As a general rule the smaller varieties are sweet, less seedy and do not require the salt-pre-soak to remove bitterness.  Also the smaller varieties are generally eaten skin and all.  They are wonderful roasted or on the grill and the dishes prepared with them range from eggplant Parmesan to the Middle Eastern dip Baba Ghanoush.


GROWING:


In the valley eggplant like the rest of the family are tender perennials and can grow for multiple years if we do not get a hard frost/freeze (we have had 2 in the last 3 years).  You can protect the plant over winter by mounding leaves completely over the plant or at least 12 - 18 inches up the base.  Chicken wire will keep the leaves in, an additional towel over the top on freezing nights will help.  (I was able to keep a tomato and sweet bell pepper alive this past winter freeze by doing this - it worked where other types of just-covering did not.)


The primary reason for keeping the plant alive during the winter, since they produce no useable fruit, is to have a larger root base going into spring and the plants have a jump-start on growth.  They like the heat and respond accordingly.


Unlike tomatoes which stop producing in the middle of the summer (restarting again in late summer when the night time temperatures fall back below 80), eggplant (and peppers) will continue to produce all summer long and into first frost.


COOKING:


Eggplant needs to be cooked to be eaten.  I came up with the what I think is the best grilled cheese sandwich when I was grilling slices of eggplant several years ago as a side dish and then for some reason was thinking of a grilled cheese sandwich.  I had some sweet bell pepper, fresh basil and a cheese I like and viola - awesome grilled cheese sandwich.


Catherine's Grilled Cheese


The idea is to layer grilled eggplant and peppers with fresh basil leaves alternating layers with cheese, starting and ending with cheese between the bread slices.



Eggplants sliced and brushed with olive oil
Sweet bell pepper cored and either halved or quartered depending on how big they are
Optional:  Hot pepper if you want some heat
Fresh basil leaves
Cheese of choice, sliced - American, provolone, mozzarella, gruyere or whatever one you like
2 pieces of bread for each person


Have the sliced cheese and rinsed basil leaves ready.
Grill the eggplant and peppers until done, with some bit of charring for flavor.
Toast the bread.


Assemble while hot.  Start with one bread slice, layer with cheese, a layer of eggplant, some basil, layer of cheese, layer of peppers, some basil, layer of cheese - you can really stack these - end with last slice of bread.  Return to grill if you want to melt the cheese, turning once - it will take only a minute or so on each side to melt the cheese slightly - don't over due it or you will lose the cheese into the coals.


Slice and enjoy,  Serve with sliced apples.


Enjoy!





-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

My books

Ibook

https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/catherine-crowley/id372564893?mt=11

amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Crowley/e/B002C1HWG0/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1367065857&sr=1-2-ent


Lulu

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/herbs2u
 

RIP Prescott Granite Mountain Hotshots!

Dear Folks,

One of the saddest sights in recent memory.

The 19 Prescott Granite Mountain Hotshots - going home.

Last Alarm:  June 30, 2013



You can make a donation to the families of the these fallen heroes through the Arizona 100 Club which assists the families of fallen or injured first responders.

http://www.100club.org/web/100Club

No real words.  I am from a first responder family and my love is a retired EMT/Firefighter.

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

TELL THE EPA to lower not raise acceptable levels of "Round-Up" on your food crops.

TELL THE EPA to lower not raise acceptable levels of "Round-Up" on your food crops.

The comment period is over July 1st.

Despite more and more studies showing consequences of roudup use on our food crops (not to mention all the homeowner users of roundup) the EPA gave preliminary approval to Monsanto. EPA is now accepting comments from anyone. A brand new study adds hormonal cancer exacerbation to the list of toxic effects of roundup.

Please share this - the EPA needs to know the public does not want more chemicals we want less.

One of the many, many consequences of the continuing use of chemicals to control pests and weeds is the resulting SUPER weeds and pests, the very reason for Monsanto's request to increase the levels.

Please add your voice.

 You can just fill in your comment, preview and submit - the Deadline is July 1st.  You can put "Citizen" in the Organization box if you like.


 EPA Commennt Link on Round-Up

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Senator Stabenow on GMO Labeling "Runs counter to...the public interest"

Dear Folks,

The Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee on GMO Labeling.




In other words the consumers are idiots.

I think Senator Stabenow needs to hear from us idiots, don't you?

Tell Senator Stabenow what you think



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Who Loves Basil? Around the Garden, and more on Monsanto's Shenanigans.

Dear Folks,

The Herb Society of America has a wonderful 45 page booklet out - all about basil, lore, facts, recipes and varieties - this is a booklet every gardener should have.  I think I have grown at one time or another all 46 or so varieties and I have my favorites: Dark Opal, Thai, Cinnamon and Lime are at the top of my list, but they all have something wonderful that answers an age old conundrum:  Chicken again!!  If you HAD to serve chicken each night of the week, for weeks, how could you get it to be 'oh boy' instead of 'not chicken again!'  Herbs are always the answer but with a plant like basil the flavor options create a real pallet to choose from.

Herb Society Basil Guide

Around The Garden:

Harvested the last of our beets (Deane loves beets) and sauteed up with some our crook neck squash.  The squash and tomatoes are still producing and I'm trying to encourage the last of the fruit set on the tomatoes before the nighttime temperatures stop fruit set.

My decision to plant 60+ yellow onion sets last fall has provided me with 'scallions' these last many months, and I have about 3 which I will let got to good storage bulb size before harvesting when they set flowers.  I may double the planting or at least go to 100 sets.

The method is this:  plant the sets in the fall (late September - November) about 3-4 inches apart.  After about 6 weeks you can begin harvesting 'green onions' by pulling every second or every third onion.  Gradually as you work your way through the winter and spring the distance between sets gets bigger and therefore the bulbs have room to expand.  As you get towards the end of their season  7 - 10 months later - the remainder are at 'storage' size, and can be pulled and cured (dry out of direct sun until skin turns papery) and you have storage onions like you would buy in the store.

Critters In The Garden:

We encourage many critters in the garden, occasionally we also encourage them to not stay long and other times we want them to take up residence.  Bees are one of the ones we want to hang around, although we do not want a hive in the yard (Deane is a former bee keeper and knows their needs and management considerations), so I bought a 'bee house' to encourage the independent Mason and leaf cutter bees to move in.  We have one tenant and that is after I moved the bee house to an area I thought more to their liking.

About the time we think we have critters figured out they surprise us.  Each year we know the leaf cutters are around because of the 'watermelon smiles' cut outs they leave behind after taking a wedge out to shape their cells for depositing eggs.

FYI for you folks who are too in love with your precious flowering plants - bees pollinate those flowers so give them some slack when they take pieces of your plants leaves - you are being blessed by their presence!

So anyway, 1 tenant in the bee house and no other indications of where they might be setting up housekeeping -- until . . . Deane has a work bench on the patio, on said work bench is a piece of carpeting he keeps there to cushion projects and also keep the bench from deteriorating.  So the other day he took the carpet off to get some sawdust or debris or something  off of the carpeting and look what he discovered!!!!  An entire straightline condo of leaf cutter bee nests!  If you have never seen these before - focus on the line of green running along the edge of the bench in the bottom photo.

We laughed and laughed - that is a lot better choice than the spout on our drinking fountain where in the past when we did not use it for a time, turn the faucet on and out shoots a bee nest like a projectile from a gun!.

So Deane carefully put the carpet back and there it will stay until the bees hatch and fly off.  And so goes our Garden TV as we call it - always something interesting going on in the garden. :-)

Monsanto 

The chemical giant who turned our farms into chemical experiments are apparently now reaping some payback.  Lawsuits have been filed as class-actions in Washington state and Kansas on behalf of US wheat farmers.  I would not be surprised if more do not join in.  Normally I am not happy when lawsuits are filed - there is a lot of harassment-by-lawsuit in this country, a situation I do not endorse, but I have to say I am almost doing a happy dance over these filings.  Monsanto has developed a reputation for suing farmers, this may be payback.

But there is actually worse news --  After the discovery of GMO wheat in an Oregon field, Monsanto repeatedly stated: 1) they stopped the trials of GMO wheat years ago (references varied from 7-10), 2) they had no idea how the wheat seed go into the Oregon field, 3) made thinly veiled references to 'activists' maybe being responsible for the seed, and 4) re-affirmed what the USDA has said - there is not approved GMO wheat in the US.

WELL GUESS WHAT - Monsanto has been trialing GMO WHEAT in two states THIS YEAR 2013!!

Sorry for 'yelling' I am fuming at not only Monsanto's actions (after all they are the poster-child of corporate greed and Machiavellian rules -- the end justifies the means) but also the Monsanto 71 - Our Senators  who sided with Monsanto over our right as consumers to know what is in our food.

Monsanto 2013 GMO Wheat Planting

We as consumers have another chance to get our voices heard with Congress - a bill introduced at the end of April 2013 is specifically focused on labeling Genetically Engineered foods.

Currently it is considered 'unlikely' to make it out of committee.  Let's see if enough people want to change that to get it out of committee.

Below is the government track on the house and senate versions of the bill.  I've listed the page for the Chair of the committees assigned the bill.

"Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act"

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr1699

Chair of the House Committee assigned this bill

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/joseph_pitts/400320


http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/s809


Chair of the Senate Commiteee assigned this bill

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/thomas_harkin/300051


Absent ANY effort by our elected Congressional representatives - I would continue to encourage everyone to contact their favorite grocery chain and ask them - politely - to follow Whole Food's lead and require GMO ingredient labeling on all foods they carry.  Whole Foods has committed to a 2018 target (because these things do take time).

Below are the facebook pages for some of the largest chain companies.

https://www.facebook.com/Kroger?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/Albertsons?ref=ts&fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/winco.official.page?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/Safeway?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/walmart
 

Mesa and East Valley residents - mark your calendars and save the date FREE SEED SHARE - Friday, July 5th, 9 a.m. - Noon at the Mesa Farmers Market.  Get together your home-harvested seed or organic or heirloom varieties you would like to share.  You do not need to have seed to get some seed :-)  Our heavy sowing season for fall begins July 15th through the summer. -- more details as we get closer to the date.

Be safe out there - make sure there is water for any one or any critter outside.


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Ask Your Senators to adopt certain amendments to the Farm BIll

Dear Folks,

There are some amendments which are / will be considered this week or soon that will aid GMO labeling efforts and small farmers.  Below are a list of the amendments (provided by Farm To Consumer Defense League).  Please consider calling your Senators on these.

Also yesterday I sent out a google newsletter listing the facebook page of some of the major grocer chains.  If Congress can't or won't act to require GMO labeling, maybe we consumers can get the corporate stores to do it for us.  Whole Foods has committed to requiring GMO labeling by 2018 (it takes time to ramp up).  This can be done, and has been before when Krogers was one of the first to require rBHT dairy products be labeled even with the threat of lawsuits from suppliers.

Ask your favorite store to require GMO labeling

1. YES on Senator King's Amendment #1042 that helps protect more small-scale, direct-marketing farmers from burdensome new federal regulations. The FDA has undermined the original intent of the Tester-Hagan amendment to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) by basing farmers' qualifications on all the food they sell, rather than the food subject to FSMA. Senator King's Amendment restores the original intent and brings more farmers within the protections of the Tester-Hagan provision, preventing them from being driven out of business by new federal regulations.

2. YES on Senator King's Amendment #1033: The FDA's proposed rules under FSMA are not based on sound science. Instead, they assume the worst of every situation and force farmers to find science on their own to prove that their farming methods are safe. Many traditional and sustainable methods of cultivation will be guilty until proven innocent. Senator King's amendment would require the agency to do an analysis of the scientific information used to develop the proposed rules, as well as analysis of the rules' economic impacts. The analysis would specifically include the impact on local food systems and the availability of local food.

3. YES on Senator Tester's Classical Breeding Amendment #972 to provide alternatives to genetically engineered crops. Senator Tester's amendment prioritizes public cultivar and breed development through classical breeding. The amendment doesn't call for any new expenditure by the government, nor does it stop all funding for GMO research. It's a modest approach that allocates some existing research funds for non-GMO research.

4. YES on Senator Merkley's Amendment #978 to repeal the Monsanto Protection Act. In the last continuing budget resolution, pro-biotech forces inserted a provision that allows companies like Monsanto and DuPont to continue to sell genetically modified (GMO) seeds for planting even when a court of law has found they were approved illegally. The provision forces USDA to grant temporary permits and deregulate GMO crops even if a Federal court has ruled that USDA hadn't adequately considered the environmental or economic risks to farmers. Senator Merkley's amendment repeals the provision and restores judicial review of GMO crops.

5. YES on Senator Begich's Amendment #934 to ban GMO salmon. The FDA continues to consider the application for AquaBounty's genetically engineered salmon, and it appears likely to approve it despite objections from hundreds of thousands of Americans and many scientists. Since it will not be labeled, people will have no way of choosing to avoid genetically engineered salmon in the stores if this fish is approved.

In addition, the GMO salmon poses a threat to those who wish to eat wild salmon or other seafood; scientists have predicted that escaped GMO salmon would likely wipe out wild salmon populations, which will destroy the livelihood of coastal communities that depend on fishing. Senator Begich's amendment protects both consumers and our important wild fish populations.

6. YES on Senator Boxer's Amendment #1025 that expresses support for labeling of GMOs, although it does not directly mandate labeling. "It is the sense of the Senate that the United States should join the 64 other countries that have given consumers the right to know if the foods purchased to feed their families have been genetically engineered or contain genetically engineered ingredients."

7. YES on Senator Wyden's Amendment #952 that allows American farmers to once again grow hemp to the extent that it is allowed under state laws. Industrial hemp is the non-psychoactive, low-THC, oilseed and fiber varieties of the Cannabis sativa plant. Hemp has absolutely no use as a recreational drug.

Hemp is planted in many countries, and it is legal to use in the U.S. - but it is not legal to plant it in the U.S. The seed is known for its healthy protein and rich oil. The outer fiber from the stalk can be used for clothing, canvas and rope; the inner core fiber can be used for construction and paper production. This crop provides excellent opportunities for farmers for a sustainable, profitable crop. 

 

8. YES on Senator Boxer's Amendment #1027 to protect honeybees and other pollinators. Senator Boxer's amendment would require the USDA, the Department of Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency to protect the long-term viability of honeybees and other pollinators. Honeybees are disappearing at an alarming rate, and the federal agencies have been just sitting by and watching it happen. This poses a threat to all food production and we cannot afford to let it continue.

9. YES on Grassley's Amendment #969 to create a USDA special counsel on consolidation and fight back against the corporate takeover of our food system. A small handful of companies control the vast majority of our agricultural system. This unprecedented level of consolidation has gone almost entirely unchallenged, allowing these companies to squeeze out farmers. For consumers, this means lower quality food at higher prices. Senator Grassley has filed an amendment that would create a USDA special counsel to monitor consolidation in agriculture. The counsel would coordinate antitrust enforcement and efforts to improve competition in the industry.

10. YES on Cruz's Amendment #1083 to prohibit mandatory check-offs. Under the current "check-off" programs, anytime a farmer sells a cow or a gallon of milk or any other covered commodity, the farmer is required to pay a fee to industry-run organizations. These funds are used to pay for things such as the "Got Milk?" and "Pork, the other white meat" advertising campaigns. The problem is that these advertising campaigns benefit primarily the retailers and grocery stores, not the farmers, but the farmers are stuck paying the bills.

When it comes to raw milk, the industry adds insult to injury by promoting only pasteurized milk products and running ads against raw milk - yet raw milk farmers are still required to pay into the check-off to support those ads. And now there is a proposal for an organic check-off, to tax even more farmers. The Cruz Amendment would bar any check-off program from being mandatory. If producers wish to fund a joint advertising campaign, they still could, but they would no longer be coerced to support advertising efforts that are not in their interest.

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Greening - Did Monsanto Know -- that their testing of unapproved GMO wheat would be made public -- Eventually?

Dear Folks,

I am outraged as are others over the revelation that GMO wheat was found in an Oregon Field.  I have been urging the labeling of GMO to give consumers a choice.

This is about more than voluntary choices by consumers -- this is about Monsanto's total desire to do whatever they want, when they want.

There are all sorts of conspiracy theories in this day an age.  Most of the time they are nothing but repeats of no-source verbiage.

Well I have a conspiracy theory to consider:

Did Monsanto know their unapproved testing of GMO wheat would be made public?

(GMO wheat is NOT approved for planting, sale or otherwise in the US.)

Is that why they got Congress to pass the so-called "Monsanto Protection Act" which allows the sale and planting of any GMO or GE product whether it has been approved or not?

(Only a lawsuit demonstrating damage would supersede this law.)


Senator Roy Blunt (R-Missouri) said the Monsanto Protection Act was made law to protect farmers.  Baloney!! It was put in place by Monsanto, through Congress, to protect Monsanto.

The Japan and the European Union have now entered the controversy with Japan halting all wheat shipments from the US until testing is done.

How did that protection for the American Farmers work out Senator Blunt?  You and Congress just gave the American Wheat farmer a black-eye and a double-cross.

The rest of the world is trying to tell us the United States of America has a problem with GMO regulation and we have not been listening.  Maybe this will be the real wake up call.

Unapproved GMO Wheat in an Oregon Field and Monsanto has no idea how it got there!?!!!??!

Here are some current articles on this mess:

Unapproved GMO Monsanto Wheat found in Oregon

Senator Blunt defends protecting Monsanto

Japan halts shipments of American wheat imports.

Our Senator John McCain just voted AGAINST allowing states to make their own mandatory GMO labeling laws, along with 70 other Senators.

What did your Senators do to AGAIN aid Monsanto?  Here is a link to see who voted against this amendment to the farm bill.

I am asking you all to:

1)  Please share this blog post.
2) Let your Congressional Representatives and Senators know you are the consumer and voter and you have a right to KNOW and a right to CHOOSE.

"If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it." - Norman Braksick, president of Asgrow Seed Co., a subsidiary of Monsanto, quoted in the Kansas City Star, March 7, 1994

The above quote is why Monsanto is bank-rolling every fight it can muster to avoid labeling and pre-approval of GMO / GE products.  They know the more the public (you and me) know the more we will be worried.

Their argument is they do not want to confuse the buying public.

I think it is time to let our elected officials know we are perfectly clear - we want labeling, we want all the testing required of any pharm-chemical, creature or seed before one unit of it is put in our food and lives.

There - got that off my chest.

. . .

Be safe this weekend, folks -- many parts of the country are under severe weather conditions.  Take care of your family and pets and be sure they are safe.


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Farm Bill GMO Labeling Amendments NEED to added

Dear Folks,

This is so important - whether you care about GMOs or not - we as consumers should have a choice and labeling is what will give us that choice.


Monsanto just won one in the US Supreme Court - make sure they don't get these amendments deleted.


Please share this with everyone.


Catherine, The Herb Lady

. . .

The full U.S. Senate is debating the Farm Bill, S.954, this week.

Like the last several Farm Bills, the proposed Farm Bill will generally support the large consolidated corporate agriculture system.

 There are several potentially significant amendments on specific topics that affect sustainable farmers and local food consumers.


Please take action--call your U.S. Senators about the amendments listed below!


Your calls really do make a difference!

Please share this alert with friends and family.

Action to Take Call BOTH of Your U.S. Senators

Here are Arizona Senators' Flake and McCain Telephone numbers:

Senator Flake:
By phone:
Phoenix - 602-840-1891
Washington - 202-224-452

Senator McCain:
Phoenix - 602-952-2410
Washington - 202-224-2235

Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121, tell them your State and
ask to be connected to your Senators' offices. You can also find your
Senators and their contact information at www.senate.gov.

When you reach the each Senator's office, ask to speak to the staffer
who handles agricultural issues.

Convey this Message:

"I am a constituent from ____ (state) calling about the Farm Bill and
I urge Senator _______ to:

1) Vote YES on King's Amendment #1042 to clarify the exemption for
small farmers under the Food Safety Modernization Act;

2) Vote YES on the Tester "Seeds & Breeds" Amendment #972 to dedicate
a portion of USDA's research to classical breeding;

3) Vote YES on all of the amendments protecting farmers and consumers
from GMOs:

Merkley's Amendment #978 to repeal the biotech rider, aka "Monsanto
Protection Act";

Begich's Amendment #934 to ban GMO salmon;

Boxer's Amendment # 1025 to support labeling of GMOs;

Sanders' Amendment #965 recognizing states' right to adopt GMO
labeling requirements at the state level;

4) Vote YES on King's Amendment #1033 to require FDA to do an analysis
of the science and costs imposed by its proposed regulations under the
Food Safety Modernization Act;

5) Vote YES on Boxer's Amendment #1027 to protect honeybees and other
pollinators;

6) Vote YES on Grassley's Amendment #969 to improve enforcement of
antitrust laws and address consolidation of our agricultural system;

7) Vote YES on Wyden's Amendment #952 to remove the prohibition on
planting hemp;

8) Vote NO on Johanns' amendment to eliminate Country of Origin
Labeling (COOL).



-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Pink Brandywine Tomato harvest

Dear Folks,

This is for those who want a 'beefsteak' tomato from the desert garden, and do not think we can grow them.  Generally that is true.  Folks usually have the most success with short maturity varieties (70 days and under).  I am won over on this one.  The plant set bunches of fruit and there are still many in various ripening stages, so I'm looking for more fruit to set before the 80+ night time temps stop that process.

Farmer Phil had some extra tomato plants I was selling for him at the Mesa Farmers Market and he raved about the Pink Brandywine, an heirloom with various origin stories.  So I bought one and planted it approximately February 15/16th (I did not mark the exact date).  On February 20th we had that incredible day of snow, rain, hail and grapple!!!  I did cover the plant with a chicken wire hat and towel - no damage.

Pink Brandywine is listed with 80-100 day mature range.  This is an interesting 'potato-leaf' variety with leaves quite different from standard tomatoes.  I have been letting the plant sprawl - planted in the same well as one of our small citrus trees - in full sun. We have been out of town for exactly 2 weeks and they were just getting to this size right before we left.  As you can see - "someone" was sampling them - could have been birds, bunnies or squirrels.  I will cut the damaged part off and harvest the seeds from the damage area.  I'm thinking BLTs for dinner :-)

So how did they do -- In the picture, you can see 4 huge fruit, harvested this morning and placed on a 9 inch paper plate for the photo.  I took the largest one (with the longest stem) and measured and weighed it.  4 inches wide and 11 ounces on my kitchen (non-digital) scale.  We sampled another damaged one yesterday when we got back from our trip and the taste is pure, lovely tomato.

Thanks, Phil, you were right - these are great.  (Phil is or will be selling his heirloom tomatoes at the Mesa Farmers Market (Fridays) until they stop fruiting.)

In the same well I am also experimenting with San Marzano plum tomato (got the plant from Phil also and planted it the next week) to see if I can get great paste tomatoes for sauce.  This was one of those 'gauntlet' thrown down when my friend Marcello said you can't grow good tasting San Marzanos in the US - I'm going to see how they turn out :-)  I love a garden challenge.  The plant has set fruit and some of it is starting to color - yeah!

. . .
With Memorial Day Weekend coming up think about using your herbs to enhance food on the grill.  Kabab skewers made from the woody parts of herbs like rosemary.  Herb infused oils for basting.  And layers of herbs to envelope filets of chicken or fish.

Have a wonderful and safe holiday.


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Books -- my books are available in either print or digital versions.

find them at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Crowley/e/B002C1HWG0/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qi...

There are available in ibookstore

https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/catherine-crowley/id372564893?mt=11

Or through my publisher either as print or ebook

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/herbs2u

Garlic Harvest and "Made Over" Artichoke Stalks, plus a Lavender Festival.

Dear Folks,

This morning I harvested my garlic.  This year (actually October 1st last year) I decided to try elephant garlic for 'real' (I've grown it sporadically in the past).  I had picked up several heads while in California last year and through them into the crisper with the saved garlic from last year's harvest.

I think they did pretty good.  I was also surprised by the 'bulbets' semi-attached or attached to the main sides of the elephant garlic.

In the picture from left to right as you look at it is:  purple glazer regular garlic, the elephant garlic 'bulbets' in the container and the elephant garlic.

Some background on garlic, what I planted and elephant garlic.

The purple glazer is my favorite - I like the flavor, nice without being fire-starter spicey.  I saved mostly small heads for replanting and decided on a new bed with more sun this growing season so most of the heads are smallish.  Besides the starting size, I think some of the up/down heat/cool of last fall may have had something to do with the size.  I'm going to sun dry some of the smallest ones so I have dried garlic for grinding and using.

The little bulbets of the elephant garlic are new to me, but not completely surprising.  I've saved the flower-produced bulbets of the purple glazer and replanted.  They need 2 years to get to head producing growth pattern so I will leave them in the ground and hope for nice sized heads next year.

Both regular garlic (Allium sativum) and elephant garlic (Allium empeloprasum) are members of the onion family.  Elephant garlic is not actually a "garlic" but rather a Leek on Steriods, and has a milder (some think too mild) garlic flavor.  You can't see the leaves in the picture, but they are 'strappy' like leek and could be used to flavor foods.  In fact, even the stalk and leaves of either plant, which are generally disposed of after harvest, can be used to flavor soup, stews, and broths.

Hang your garlic to dry in the shade until the outside is papery - they will store will for a couple of months in your kitchen,  For longer term storage, place in a cardboard box in the crisper drawer of the frig.  This is also the way I store the heads I plant to split and re-plant next October 1st.  Do not store moisture containing vegetables in the same crisper - the moisture will case the bulbs to rot.

. . .

Next Up Artichoke Plants - all those leaves and edible flower heads. - "Made Over Artichoke Stalks.

Made Over is an old fashioned term for using left overs.  Now a days it refers to lowering the calorie content of a popular dish.

I like the old fashioned version because I'm always trying to find ways to use as much of a plant as possible.  I compost every paring from garden/produce that I can, but I would like to find ways to use as much of the 'parings' as food.  I save celery bottoms (when I don't replant them) and carrot bottom and tops, the peels of onions, woody parts of herbs etc. for making broths to make soups.

I've been busy harvesting the artichoke flowers and boiling and then marinating (like the marinated hearts you buy in the stores).  I also just froze some after boiling for use later in the year.

I've wondered about those huge artichoke leaves - until some wonderful person on the Valley Permaculture Alliance made mention of using artichoke leaves like cardoon leaves (the artichoke is related).  Then one wonderful cook posted on the subject about taking the celery looking artichoke leaf stalk and cleaning, dicing and cooking it up and voila - a wonderful addition to salads, soups and stews.  I am sharing the link below so you can see what she made.

I went right out and cut some stalks.  I pared the leaves from the stalks (some of them are 3 feet long even after you pare the leaves off.  I used the peeler to get any particularly stringy areas of the back of the rib (it really does look like a giant celery stalk) and then diced them up.  I tasted them - the notes said they were bitter raw - oh yes, quite bitter.  Filled a pot with salted water brought it to a rolling boil, dropped them in and cooked for 10-15 minutes (I done a couple of batches now - you want still crunchy not soggy), drained, cooled and tasted and was very, very pleased with the taste.  I call it "delicate" artichoke heart flavor.  It has been described as nutty maybe hazelnut - bottom line I call it wonderful.  I've added it to many salads now.  I may trying freezing some of the next batch just to see how well they stand up to freeze/thaw conditions.  I'm hooked on the "made over" artichoke stalk food.

The picture shows some leaves some trimmed stalk, some pared stalk and the diced stalk ready for boiling.  The color changes very little after boiling.

I did try even more made over by trying to create a green broth base from all the parings, but it came out bitter so I have to figure out what I did wrong.  Some folks were able to take more of the parings and create a flavorful vegetable broth base, so I'm assuming it was how I did mine.  More research needed :-)

Here is the link for the discussion on the Valley Permaculture Alliance site.  You can read any posts on the site, but if you want to participate in the discussions you need to join (free and easy) and become a member - I strongly encourage any of you in the valley (or similar desert climates) to join the discussions on gardening and cooking.

http://www.phoenixpermaculture.org/group/growinggourmet/forum/topics/artichoke-ribs

. . .

Next Up A trip to a Lavender Festival in June.

Folks, Promenade Travel out of Sun City has put together an over-night bus trip to the Lavender Festival at Red Rock Ranch in Concho, Arizona.  I am scheduled to go and provide some Q&A on the trip up.  I've been trying to make this trip for the last couple of years and something always came up.  Registration and payment are required ahead of time (as with most events they need a certain number to make it a 'go' and also can only accommodate a certain number on the bus).

Promenade has been doing these kinds of bus excursions for quite a while - I went on a day trip to Southern AZ wine country a couple of years ago and the whole trip was handle very well.

For all questions and registration use the contact info on the flyer - I am not involved in putting this together - I get to enjoy the trip and answer lavender questions :-)

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bz6z-WrYdnebZzQ0TF9BbkhETXM/edit?usp=sharing

Have a great day!




-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Harvest Time - Late March - Early April

Dear Folks,

There is nothing like 'grocery shopping' in your own backyard.  Here are some pictures of the harvest for the last couple of weeks.

I harvested this batch for Easter dinner and salads this week.  The strange looking spirals are 'scapes' from my garlic which I used as a bed for the roasted chicken.  Also in the picture are sugar peas (I made a pasta dish with orzo and the sugar peas), the asparagus I sauteed with a tiny amount of a fat combination of olive oil, butter and natural bacon fat.  The carrots I poached in our blood orange juice.

Next is purple cauliflower - I do not usually grow 'head' veggies because they take up so much room, but I couldn't pass up a tiny transplant from Vilardi Gardens when I was at Root Phoenix in January and look what it did!  The purple and orange cauliflowers have more antioxidants than their white relative.  Going to be part of dinner this coming Sunday - on the grill they get some amazing taste going.

This morning (April 3rd) I harvested some artichokes and a bunch of my white and red alpine strawberries.

I am going to cook up the artichokes and marinate the babies and use the 'parings' for a broth - I finally found a use for the tough leaves etc. through a tread on the Valley Permaculture Alliance, to make a broth base for soup and I can't wait to try it out.  I so hate to just compost 'leavings' when I could 'make over' into something - before composting anything but meat and fat - recycling at its absolute best!!

And finally, a picture of the Johnny Jump-Ups in the lawn.  I seed these in during the winter to give us something to look at while the lawn is dead - and of course they are edible so I can add them to salads or even the strawberries for additional visual delight.







I hope you enjoy this pictorial harvest.  Those new to gardening in the desert often think we can't grow things here either because of the heat or because of the chilly winters.  Even with the hard freeze we had this year the strawberries and lettuces were surviving just fine - thank you very much - and the artichokes and asparagus took off like green rockets as soon as the freezes were over.

Enjoy Spring!

P.S.  The wildflower season this year is great - we probably have another 2-3 weeks of spectacular blooms to see, so head out and catch the color.

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Seed Cracker Recipe and Frost Survivor

Dear Folks,

This recipe is one I know I tried out last year some time and for the life of me I can't find my notes, so I decided to give it another try and came up with this recipe for a Seed Cheese Cracker - it is also gluten free.

I first thought about this when one of the nice raw foods vendors was at the farmers market (they had a seed/nut cracker), then I found recipe ideas on the internet, some noted as gluten free others focusing on using good-for-you seeds and nuts, others on the low-carb forums.

The nice thing about this recipe is you can change out the seeds, nuts and cheeses or leave the cheese out altogether.  You can add any herbs of your choice.

A couple of points:  most of these come out like a 'mash' so you want to create a baking form that is even all the way around and the same depth all the way through so they bake evenly.  And you need to watch them so they don't burn.  It may help to turn the pan around half way through to more evenly bake.  They crisp up more as they cool and dry, so don't over-bake thinking they need to be bone dry at the end of the baking cycle.

Just a note of caution - these are addictive!  :-)

I've given the link for the original recipe that I modified mine from below the recipe.

SEED CHEESE CRACKER
1/2 cup of flax seed meal
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds (dried raw but not toasted), ground
1/3 cup of grated Parmesan Cheese*
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of water
Optional:  Any herbs of your choice either dried or fresh - if using fresh mince very finely.

Nuts/Seeds - use combinations that are appealing to you.  Stronger tasting seeds and nuts can be balanced with mild.  I think I might try a walnut/sunflower/basil/Parmesan next time.


Heat oven to 350.

I have a bullet grinder but you can use any kind of grinder you need to grind the seeds if not already ground.

Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir, then add water and mix well so everything is moistened.

Spread on aluminum foil or silpat.  Cover with a piece of wax paper and roll out to even depth - about 1/8 - 1/4 inch, and even up the sides a bit by squaring off.  Use a long straight blade to score - you don't have to cut all the way through - it just makes it easier to break up after they cool.

Bake 15-18 minutes and watch carefully - if they start to brown too much remove and let cool.

This made 42 crackers for a total of approximately 771 calories, 37.45 grams of protein and 22 grams of fiber.  I have used a formula I came up with to measure the nutrient density of a product.  The formula is  20 or less is nutrient dense.  These crackers came out at 12.97.  The formula is grams of protein and fiber added then divided into the calories.  Try it out the next time you are in the store staring at a snack item.  The primary cracker I buy is Triscuit because it comes out to 20 - every other cracker is a far higher number and therefore not as nutritious for the calories.

*  I'm pretty sure I used cheddar cheese in the recipe I tried last year.  If you go with a nice cheddar or any hard cheese use the fine holes on your grater, to get an even mix of cheese to ground seeds.

Original Recipe Link is here.

. . .

IN THE GARDEN.

I was delighted to discover that my orange bell pepper survived the killer freeze - I pulled away the leaves I mounded around the base and low and behold -- new growth.

I have some seedlings of these saved from last year but this larger root system will give me a jump start - I hope - on harvesting peppers sooner.

I'm just now beginning to remove dead top growth on shrubs and plants like the pepper.  While we are supposed to go down in temps this weekend I don't expect major frost damage in most of the valley, but if you know you are in a colder basin - plan on covering your tender plants like tomatoes, basil and peppers.  I recommend being prepared to cover whenever the night time temperature predictions are 40 or lower - just to be on the safe side.

The catnip around the base of this pepper plant was not damaged by the frosts at all.  Likewise your lettuces and kales will be fine.

Next year if we have frost potential with killer freeze possibilities I am going to do the leaf mounding with all my tender plants.  Worked like a dream with one of my tomatoes and this pepper plant.  Make a note for yourselves to have a plan for using the leaves.  I like my chicken wire cages/hats which I use normally to keep the birds, bunnies and squirrels away from young plants, but encircling a tender plant with the chicken wire and filling with leaves then draping a towel or cardboard over it all keep one of my tomatoes lush and green even though it was covered for 5 days.

Have a great time in the garden!

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

My books can be purchased via ibooks, Amazon, Barnes & Noble or the publisher's site in either print or ebook form.   There are also some links here on the blog on the side bar.

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/herbs2u

Volunteer Carrots and corning the beef

Dear Folks,

So, last year I planted carrots and let one of the plants go to seed - well okay, I forgot about it and it went to flower and seed before I pulled up last summer to prepare for fall planting.

The seeds randomly planted themselves, including in the pathway beside the bed, which is separated by bricks.  The carrots in the path came up this winter as a 'lawn' of green and I figured - what the heck - I will see what happens.  So periodically I would pull soil away to see if there was any appreciable growth.  Also the path is not watered directly - there is a little moisture spread from the actual growing bed, and of course we have had a lot of rain.  So yesterday I decided to poke around in the carrot lawn and guess what I found?

I carefully dug these out after softening the soil with some water, and there are still more to "grow" wider now that they more wiggle room.

You can see that the roots got kind of creative in working down into the harder soil.  I have not prepared these yet, but they may be a the heirloom short carrot Chantanay red core - you can't really see it in the picture but they have red "shoulders" -- anyway I'm delighted to have these volunteers to cook up.  There may be more ready that I can use for St. Patrick's day corned beef dinner.

One of the recommendations I give to folks about growing carrots here in the desert is very loose deep soil and choose short maturity varieties - you will have faster and better success, particularly if you successive sow them beginning in late summer/early fall.

So on to corning beef.  I tried it for the first time last year because I wanted to control the ingredients and I was completely pleased with the results - see link below for last year's post.

Last year I used Red Mountain Cattle grass fed brisket and it was great but I thought I would try a 'better' cut this year.  This year we purchased grass fed from Farmer Goose out on the west side and I decided to go with a roast.  I started the brining yesterday so it will be ready to go into the crock pot the morning of St. Patty's day.

About corning beef - my first post

The finished corned beef

Now that the weather is finally getting a bit warmer - don't forget to get your warm weather garden transplanting and sowing done ASAP so the plants have sufficient time to get good roots going before the heat hits.

Have a great week,

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Avocado Bean Salad/Dip-Oh Boy!

Dear Folks,

While paging through various food recipes/blogs I tripped across an Avocado-Bean Salad recipe on a vegan site that I just had to try out.  Got to use some of the celery from the garden too!

I went for a very simplified version of it, but you can just experiment with what you and your family/friends would enjoy.  Meat eaters and vegetarian / vegans will love this equally -- part hummus and part guacamole I think I just found my best go-to snack/lunch/appetizer when avocados are in season.

The link to the original recipe is below.

AVOCADO/BEAN SALAD/DIP

2 small/medium avocados or 1 really large one
1 can of white beans drained and rinsed well (I used Northern White but cannellini or garbanzos would work great too)
1/4 cup of celery finely chopped
1/2 small white onion finely chopped
1 small carrot finely shredded
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove of garlic put threw garlic press
OPTIONAL:
1-2 Tablespoons of finely chopped spearmint, rosemary, basil or whatever your favorite leaf herb is
1/4 cup of shredded arugula, spinach or kale

Peel, pit and rough dice the avocado.  Pour lemon juice over the avocado then add drained beans, add the garlic, and mash all together - I was looking for something the consistency of mashed potatoes myself but you could go for a more textured mix.  Fold in all the veggies and herbs to mix well but not 'mushy'.

For maximum complimentary protein serve on wheat crackers or breads.  Cucumber or tomato cups would be wonderful.  Vegetable chips/sticks would work.  I wound up slicing up some of my turnips from the garden and using them to dip this great tasting spread in addition to the crackers.  (BTW - I use Triscuits because they are some of the best protein/fiber options out there.)

Consider the avocado, lemon juice (necessary to keep the avocado from darkening and mellow the beans), and beans as your basic platform.  From there add any crunch, texture and flavoring elements you like.  So salt or pepper was needed to my taste.

About Beans: 
If you have 'issues' with beans - add some finely chopped Epazote to the mix and you should be fine :-)

I am one of those people who enjoy bean recipes as long as they do not taste 'beany' - I like the nutiness of edamame for example (may try that in this dish too), and the white beans have a mild flavor to blend in with this kind of dip.  If you like the robust flavor of colored beans but all means try them out.


Original recipe: veggie-loaded-avocado-white-bean-salad


Enjoy!


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Got Citrus? What to do with the peels.

Dear Folks,

I like to recycle as much as I can - and that includes food.  Using left overs use to be called "Made Over" - a nice old fashioned phrase.

It is citrus season in the valley and there is nothing better than peeling a sweet navel orange and enjoying it outside in the garden.  Then you have the peel left over.  What to do?  I toss some peels in the dish water in the sink (the essential oil helps the detergent work better).  I'm making up a batch of peel soaking in vinegar to make a cleaning solution (beside being edible orange essential oil is quite caustic so it needs to diluted in something), I chop some up smaller and toss them in the compost pile (they can take a LONG time to break down if you leave them in large chunks) and then I thought "candied orange peel" - a made over to really recycle this food!

The picture shows the candied orange peel and some which I dipped in chocolate.  Not the lowest calorie snack or desert option but really nice for a change.  You can candy any of the citrus.

4 good size oranges (you can use grapefruit, lemon or any citrus really).  I had about 3-4 cups of loosely packed sliced peel.
2 cups of organic cane sugar* for syrup
2 cups of water for syrup
1 cup of organic sugar for rolling

Rinse the peels well, and slice into about 1/2 inch thicknesses (this is really up to you as to how thin you want them.  I did NOT scrape the pith away.  The navels peel fairly easily.

Bring about 4 cups of water to a rolling boil, dump peels in count to 60 and drain.  Repeat twice.  This removes bitterness.

Bring the 2 cups each of the sugar and water to a rolling boil and dump in the peels. Stir, and drop to a low simmer.  It will take about 2 hours and the syrup will reduce down about half.  The peels should look a little translucent.  Remove from heat and let cool in syrup.

Arrange a rack or a large tray and a large container with the final 1 cup of sugar in it.  I air dried my peels over 2 days - inside.  You have the option of drying in the oven at 200 degrees until they loose most of their limpness.

Once the peels are cool in the syrup drain - reserving the syrup for another use.

I laid out syran wrap on a big tray and using 2 forks dumped bunches at once in the sugar, stirred and then moved to the tray repeating until all the peels were coated nicely.  Try for single layer but you can gently move them around during the drying to ensure all are dried.

Chocolate dipping is optional.  I used a good quality of dark chocolate (I'm going to try making my own in the near future with a recipe from my friend Kathy).

I saved the left syrup and am going to make orange chicken one night this week.

Store in a covered container for 2-3 weeks (if they last that long).  I did see that some people have frozen them with success.

*organic cane sugar is different from your typical white.  I don't use sugar much except around the holidays.  The organic is pressed, filtered and evaporated (less processing than white) and retains some of the molasses taste and color.

Hope you enjoy this 'food recycling' idea!

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Valley Permaculture Alliance Programs - Plus a video recipe

Dear Folks,

Weather Report -- UGH!!!! as in Ugly -- just a quick FYI note DO NOT REMOVE any frost damage from permanent plantings like trees and shrubs until all danger of frost is over, except where danger from falling plant parts is possible.  You risk losing the plant completely.  Last frost danger is late Feb/Early March so just ignore the ugly and you may save some of your plants.

Things to do this Friday and weekend, see near the end of the post.

. . .

The VPA is offering more programs coming up.  Check out the new information here.

. . .

Home made Shrimp Scampi.

This easy method is demonstrated by Deane's Sister-in Law Mary and her hubby Doug wielding his new iPad3 to perform the videoing - a little humor as videographer figures out where to stand :-)

Scamp Video

. . .

Back to gardening -- consider re-sowing seasonal greens, roots and herbs as the freeze (may be a major one for the history books - even exceeding the massive one in the late 1980s) most likely damaged some of them.

If you have citrus - cut one or two fruit and determine if there is 'cell' damage - if so, juice quickly.

A great way to produce concentrate juice was posted on the VPA.  Takes a little time, but space-saving-wise it is worth it.

Make your own frozen juice concentrate

Things to do - if you are in the east valley:

Friday - January 18th - free seed share at the Mesa Farmers Market (I'm hosting) 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Saturday/Sunday at the Superstition Mountain Museum (if you have never been - you need to check it out).

My friend Alice Nelson will be one of the vendors selling her creative earwraps and pressed flower items.

Superstition Mountain Museum


Stay warm and have a great week.


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Recipes - Eggs in a Bread Bowl and a Two Flower Side Dish

Dear Folks,

I have been wanting to do something like baked eggs and just recently saw a great idea of baked eggs in a bread bowl!  Perfect (in fact I added to my pinterest board).  I wanted to add a shredded green to the bowl also, so I was able to use my arugula growing in the garden.


Baked Eggs in Bread Bowl

Per person
1 roll (about 3 1/3 to 4 inches wide)
1 egg - Fresh - I would not use older eggs for this - we used large/jumbo
1 heaping tablespoon shredded arugula (or any green)
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon (about) Fresh or dried herbs (I used some home dried rosemary and garlic chives) 
Sprinkle of  Parmesan Cheese (shredded or grated)
3 Slivered salami "chips"*

The ingredients on this are very flexible except for the egg and roll, so go with ratios that suit you.

* Salami or pepperoni chips were the new "chip" for the high-protein phase and it is still a good way to make a low-fat snack/condiment.  In the microwave on paper towels (and covered with a paper towel to avoid splatters - lay out single layer salami slices, microwave for 30-40 seconds, watch them carefully.  Let cool and you have Salami Chips.

Pre-Heat oven to 350.  Use a cookie sheet or pan to hold the rolls.  I like to use our toaster oven for a dish like this.

Slice the top off the roll (reserve top) and carefully remove most of the soft bread, leaving a shell (save the soft bread to make toasted bread crumbs or feed to the birds :-)

Place the shredded greens in bowl, add cracked egg, season with S&P, add herbs, slivered salami and top with cheese.  Bake for 20 - 25 minutes.  Ours cooked for 25 and the egg cooked through.  Shorten the time for soft eggs.  At the 15-20 minute mark place the roll tops on the sheet to crisp up.

This is a great way to try different combinations of greens, herbs and cheeses.

Enjoy!

Next is a recipe I developed in 2005 after reading about the "new" pasta for the low-carb folks -- Cauliflower.  And, cauliflower and chamomile are seasonally available now at your farmers market or other grocery stores (maybe in your own backyard :-)


Two Flower Side Dish (sorry no picture for this one)
    Cauliflower is the new "pasta substitute" for the low-carb folks.   

I meant this recipe to be a soup originally, and you can still puree this into a smooth soup, but we liked it as a side dish. Have everything cut, to keep the dish moving along. (Originally published in my newsletter November, 2005.)

3 cups water
3 tablespoons Fresh ( or 3 teaspoons, dried) chamomile flowers, crushed
3 cups of cauliflower cut, or shred, into very small flowers (no stalks)
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon, plus 1 thin slice of butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
    Bring water to boil with chamomile, simmer for 5 minutes and then add cauliflower, stir, reduce heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
    Meanwhile melt 1 tablespoon butter in pan add onion, celery, salt and pepper, and saute while cauliflower is cooking.
    Remove cauliflower, celery and onion to a bowl, keep warm - reserve cooking water.  Add 1/2 cup of chamomile/cauliflower water to saute pan, bring up to boil and reduce by half. Add thin slice of butter, melt, stir and pour over vegetables, toss to coat and serve.


-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

My Friend Jim's Pre-Order CD

Hi Folks,

I want to share with you some fun stuff from a friend of mine who has written and released several of his wonderful Americana music CD's.

Coming up is his release concert March 2, 2013 at Higley Center for Performing Arts for his brand new CD "Rollin' The Dice".

Visit Jim's Site 

Read about the new CD Project on Jim's Facebook event page on Pipkin's Porch

To listen to the track Tinted Windows from the album - click here.

You can pre-order Jim's Rollin' The Dice CD using this paypal button.  Don't forget to list your address for shipment.  Includes shipping and handling within the Continental USA.



Pre-Ordered CDs will be personally signed by Jim and mailed as soon as available.

-- Catherine, The Herb Lady

Gardening Help Coming Up in January/Early February

Dear Folks,

It is gratifying to me to see stories on the "growing" interest in backyard (or front yard) gardening with edibles.  Yeah Folks!  Coming up I'm hosting a SEED SHARE and conducting 2 classes to help desert gardeners get a jump start on seasonal gardening.  See the link below to my google irregular newsletter with details on the activities.  Seed share in Mesa, 1 class in Phoenix and 1 class in Far East Valley.

I don't know the artist behind this great poster (if anyone does I certainly want to give credit), but I truly love the message.  If there was ever a time to keep some calmness and perspective in our lives it is now.

I'm sure I am not alone in heading out to the garden when it is a bad day or bad news shocks me.  If I do nothing but stand out there where things are growing it comforts me.  To get my hands dirty putting in new seeds or starting new plants (I just put my potatoes in their beds) I can keep one form of the cycle of life thriving or at least trying to thrive.

And when I harvest I can make a meal, share with my darling and neighbors and feel satisfied that some of the basic elements of life are ongoing, despite frustration with ... (fill in the blank).

So here is my recipe for going forward:
1 big helping of family (including extended family of friends)
1 really large portion of respect and tolerance
A goodly amount of using things around you
A dose of caring about others

Mix well and be creative (we are all creative, some of us are traditional and some of us (me) are not).

And above all Keep Calm and Garden On!

If you do not (yet) have a garden of your own there are several areas in the Valley that are truly rejuvenating to visit:  Desert Botanical Garden, Reparian Preserve in Gilbert and Boyce Thompson Arboretum.


Seed Share and Classes

"Time Spent In the Garden, Does Not Reduce Our Allotted Time On Earth." -- Catherine, The Herb Lady