praying mantis

At our last Backyard Herbalist class, one of my students gave me a bag of praying mantis egg cases... the praying mantis has a long Latin name just like plants do... Tenodera aridifolia sinensis. They are carnivorous insects that will feed on almost any other insect they can overcome, including their own kind.


The case is a mass of hardened foam containing from 50 to 400 eggs, that the female secreted on twigs in late summer or autumn.


Purchased cases can be kept in a jar in the refrigerator until you want to release them in the spring. Attach the egg case to a stem a few feet off the ground.


I can have fun observing this case for signs of a hatch while I work on cleaning up the flower bed this weekend. Actually, the case doesn't change in appearance once the young hatch, and it may take up to 8 weeks, but I'll be around and looking for these interesting "pet bugs."

emerging herbs

dutchman's breeches


angelica


lovage


pulmonaria (lungwort)


hepatica (liverwort) - unfortunately, my first hepatica didn't like the location where I planted it. However! it apparently sowed a substitute plant for me about 10 feet to the very middle of a clump of soapwort. The photo is awful, but it is what it is.

I'm ignoring the FDA controversy

to post a photo of my ginger coming up... an ugly photo, but the leaves are like furry cat's ears, soft enough to pet...

...and posting photos of my spring beauties. Transplanted, with permission, from private property along the Flint River.



Why no ranting about the FDA? It's not the first time the FDA has threatened the so-called "alternative medicine" biz.

Here are some of the spring ephemerals that made it through the weird weather blast from the Arctic that Michigan experienced last week.
At one of my Lady's Garden Clubs today, everyone was reporting their mushy hyacinths and narcissi.
You recognise this corner ... I had no idea the hardy cyclamen would be hardier than the native bloodroot. And look, some of the winter aconite actually are setting seed, even through the adverse weather.


My first bloomin' weed! A Buttercup, a.k.a. Ranunculus somethinornother... when the buttercups bloom, can the dandelions be close behind?

damage assessment

The arctic blast after all of those warm days in March 'did a job' on my spring bulbs. The snowdrops, crocuses, dutch irises and eranthus that usually enjoy long, cold early springs were hurried out in record time. The earlier than normal blooming hyacinths and daffs whose stems turned to mush will recover and bloom again next year.
May we all be here to see them bloom properly again.
The later to wake and rise bulbs in the same plantings will be fine, but the beds will be sparser.
The twinflower and bloodroots were hit hard, but surprisingly, the hardy cyclamen coum is still blooming prettily. The primroses are blooming fools. Scilla and pushkinia are perking up after laying down on their beds like femme fatales in a soap opera.
Spring Beauty, which the very mention of makes Herb laugh as being some kind of silly spring gardener joke, are just beginning to bloom.
And I'm out pruning woodies whenever I manage a conjunction of (my) schedule with outdoor temperature and sogginess of lawn. I wanted to tackle the roses yesterday, as the forsythia have been blooming for a few days, only the wind was turning the thorny stems into lethal weapons. But there is always something else to do.

a little arrow on tax day

I wrote an editorial this morning about pollution and paying taxes, but the political nature of it made me post it over on my environmental blog (link).

just sayin'

My very own piece of folk wisdom, "it always snows on the daffodils", has been validated once more... snowed last night. Here is a photo of some of my daffodils a few days ago, I'll have to take a snow picture after breakfast.

Happy Spring, Michigan!

ready for the rhubarb

This recipe makes topping for four fruit crisps. Use one portion and freeze the remaining three in separate containers, for preparing easy desserts on those days when you've spent all day out in the yard.

Crisp Topping for Fruit Crisps

2 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
2 sticks (8 ounces) chilled unsalted butter, diced
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 t. grated nutmeg
2 cups walnuts, chopped (opt: pecans)

Cut together the flour, sugar and butter as for pastry. Stir in the
oats, nutmeg, and walnuts. Work together (with your fingers)
until the texture turns crumbly.
Ready to use, or to package and freeze.

To use:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Crumble topping over a pie plate or shallow casserole of prepared fruit.
I like cinnamon spiced fillings of rhubarb, or apple, or peach, each
thickened according to my favorite pie recipes.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until topping turns golden and the fruit
starts bubbling. Remove from oven and cool slightly before serving.

Oh ye of little faith

Tried following a "winter sowing" technique this year, and the parsley is UP!

I had no faith... none of the lists I read listed parsley as a winter sowing candidate, and then, after I set the sown milk jug out on the patio, the temperatures plunged into the teens for days.
I chalked it up to a 'nothing ventured, nothing gained' experience. What a pleasant surprise!
Next year I'm winter sowing!

more photos from yesterday in the backyard: Twinleaf

A rare plant for Michigan... at least I never met anyone growing it. Or seen it shown in a lecture or discussion hereabouts. Named after President Thomas Jefferson, also called twinleaf.
Jeffersonia diphylla pops up early, and this year I caught it before it even begins to 'green up'.

(with flash)

first wave of spring in my Michigan backyard

The primroses from Januaries past... they are hardy.


I always call these Dutch irises, I. reticulata, I think... my memory for the Latin nomenclature is shot these days.


Hardy cyclamen has a nice big tuber this year... not the easiest plant to situate, but I think it likes this spot.

Back!

Dropped off the face of the earth... no e-mail for three days, and too much to do.
But I'm back: all it took was a bribe of a nice Italian dinner to get the computer guy over to do his voodoo magic on my "settings" which *somehow* got out of whack.
But Thanks, Tony!
Good grief, if I could only read fast enough over his shoulder to figure out what he did to restore my connection.
I should take a class.

Speaking of classes, I brought this quick Lemon Tea Bread last week for my class to sample. The recipe is one of favorites of the ladies of the Genesee County Herb Society, and can be found in our book, "Herbal Favorites."

Lemon Tea Bread
Yield: one loaf

3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh lemon balm
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh lemon verbena
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon thyme leaves
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. fresh grated lemon peel

Juice of two lemons
Confectioners sugar

Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease a loaf pan or 3 small loaf pans.
Heat milk, stir in herbs, let steep 15 minutes until cooled.
Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in lemon peel.
Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, stirring, alternately with herbed milk. Do not over stir. Pour into pan, and bake for 50-60 minutes.
While loaf is baking, combine lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar to form soft pourable paste.
While baked loaf is still hot, poke holes in top with skewer. Pour glaze over hot loaf and allow to cool.
Remove from pan, place on decorative plate. Here is where some sprigs of fresh herbs, preferably lemon-flavored, would make a lovely garnish. Slice to serve.

A spring peepers' chorus in Michigan

Saw this little guy in my backyard. He was sitting in a patch of Cerastium, a.k.a. Snow in Summer. The peepers are singing loudly in the wet spots out in the fields, the prettiest voice of all the amphibians. It's funny, all these years Herb thought I was talking about birds when I said 'spring peepers'.
Click on photo to see close-up. To get an idea of how small he is, those are spruce needles behind him.

As soon as the ground thaws

I found this recipe for Sunflower Soup in the archives of KGI, Kitchen Gardeners International (link).
Link back to the original for a good article about Sunchokes, a.k.a. Jersalem Artichokes, a native sunflower with an edible root.
The photo is from Monticello's website. Thomas Jefferson noted the native plant.

My personal favorite use for Sunchokes is to braise/roast them along with other root veggies in the pan with a pot roast of beef. Sunchokes have a flavor all their own, and with pot roast gravy they are outstanding.

Sunflower Soup

Two types of Jerusalem Artichoke are available in France, one white and thin, the other round and pale pink. Either one will do but both discolour if exposed to air so cover with cold water or cook quickly after peeling.

Start off by peeling and chopping a large onion and sweating it gently in a covered cast iron pan with a knob of butter and a pinch of salt.
Meanwhile peel and chop a good handful of Jersusalem Artichokes and add them to the pan.
If you want a thicker soup, also add a diced medium-large potato.
Continue to gently cook the vegetables, without browning, for about 10 minutes.

Now add 1 liter of chicken stock (or vegetable stock, if you prefer).
A shake of white pepper, a small pinch of dried sage, bring the pan to the boil and then let the soup simmer for about half an hour.

Turn off the heat, allow the mixture to cool a little and then put it through the blender. Add a little water if you think the mixture is too thick. You should have a soup that is creamy in both colour and appearance.

Test the seasoning, add salt and white pepper if necessary, and reheat. Now you can stir in different finishing touches, for example: a soup spoon of double cream (highly recommended) or a tiny pinch of saffron.
This recipe makes 4 generous bowls of soup.
"Bon appetit!"
About the author, Gill Thompson, is a roving reporter for Kitchen Gardeners International. She lives in the Midi-Pyrénées region of France where she and her husband live in a charming sun-baked house with a lovely garden.

Spring is springing

Winter aconite. I always wonder if they will return. The originals I planted are underneath an old lavender plant, and I can't get a decent photo, but this little patch is in a more accessible spot. The Labrador violets haven't woken up yet, and the Epimedium needs to be cut back before it begins to wake up as well. Reminder: If you click on the photo, you can see the full sized photo.

Another recipe?

Wowsers! Another recipe? I'll bet you thought this was supposed to be a blog about herb gardening. And what's with all the little inspirational quotations, and the poems! Well, folks, that's herbs for ya! The little "useful plants" can be just about anything you want them to be. And for a Michigan gardener, in the winter, we read and cook, and walk down our own figurative garden paths. Spring is returning, though...

First a little seasonal quote, what I call "inspiration." Then on, to the recipe.

"In a garden _ growth has its season. There are
spring and summer, but there are also fall and
winter. And then spring and summer again.
As long as the roots are not severed, all is well
and all will be well."
by Jerry Kosinski, from 'Being There'

Last evening my herb class focus was on growing herbal tea gardens and making herbal tisanes (including my take on medicinal herbs and safety issues. We also talked about low impact spring cleaning. Lots of handouts.)
Along the tea theme, I brought in my Rosemary Scones for sampling.

This short scone recipe is quite old, I was making these before the trendy food people popularized the scones that look and taste like big oatmeal cookies. Not that I have a problem with trendy foodies. I can't! because Comcast doesn't provide Food tv on its basic plan, just a lot of very bad programming. But back to the scones.
These are more along the lines of a biscuit, and like biscuits, their success depends on your technique.
Practice makes perfect. Last night they were pretty good.
Oh, shoot! I forgot the photo. I'll take that right now. Mind these are day-old.

Back. Call me shakey...

I just ate one, still very good. Nice fresh rosemary flavor. My Scottish grandparents (via Nova Scotia, CA) would be proud.

Short Rosemary Scones

Yield: 16 scones.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine in large bowl:

2 cups flour
1 T sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. ground black pepper
1 T. chopped fresh rosemary

Cut in:

1/4 cup butter (chilled)

Combine in small bowl:

1 egg yolk (reserve white for glaze)
8-oz. container 'real' sour cream (NOTE: I've also used 'real' 1/2 yogurt (not 'lite') in place of the sour cream. You could experiment with heavy cream or buttermilk.)

1/3- 1/2 cup reconstituted dried apricots, snipped into small bits

Method:
Make a well in dry ingredients. Add egg-sour cream mixture all at once and stir until combined . (Mixture will seem dry. But stir until all ingredients are incorporated.) While stirring, add fruit.
Turn dough onto floured surface and quickly knead 8-10 times, until smooth.. Divide into four pieces. Form each piece into a ball, and flatten slightly.
Cut each piece into 4 wedges. Arrange on baking sheet 1" apart. Brush with egg white, sprinkle with sugar and finely chopped rosemary.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until light brown. cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, serve warm.

NOTE: I like to add reconstituted dried cherries, dried cranberries, or snipped dried apricots. The batch I made yesterday had apricots.

Get yer pepper seeds now...

...so that next March you can be doing what I'm doing, grinding my own chili pepper, ancho powder, and ground paprika.

1. Plant a variety of pepper seeds indoors, grow the plants out in your garden when the soil warms up.
2. Pick pecks of peppers when they're ripe.
3. Dry what peppers you don't eat. I dry ancho, paprika, and cayenne.
4. Store them in a dry place and grind them as you need them.

A few hints:
Cayennes are small and thin enough to string and dry, but if the air is at all humid (and sometimes Michigan is very humid in August and September), then you'll need to use a dehydrator or your oven. Anchos and paprikas have thicker flesh, so they should be cut open to dry. Again, you can do them on screens, but for best quality you can't beat the dehydrator.
Anchos can be smoked in a grill or smoker to add flavor.
I read somewhere that I trust, and it makes sense: grind the pepper seeds with the pepper - they add nutrition and there is an antioxidant element in the seed that helps the ground pepper retain it's color and vitamin content. It also eliminates the step of seeding the peppers. You don't even know they're there when the pepper is ground.
Quality Control.
I know how my peppers are grown, harvested, dried, and ground, and I've never opened up a container of home-ground peppers to find larvae or beetles. I sure can't say that of purchased paprika.

Herbed Potato Rolls

I made these to share with my class. Herb Sr. thinks they are wonderful, and I don't tell how unbelievably easy they are to make. I like them warm with butter and rosemary honey for a real treat.

Herbed Potato Rolls
(Adapted from a recipe found on www.breadworld.com)
Start in bread machine, finish in oven.
Yields: 12-18 rolls.

1 cup plus 2 Tblsp. warm water
2 Tblsp. olive oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tblsp. instant dry milk
1/2 cup instant potato flakes
1 Tblsp. sugar
1 tsp. dry rosemary, crumbled (optional: use chicken seasoning)
1 tsp. salt
3 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoon yeast (for bread machines)

Reserve another egg to brush on rolls.
Optional: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or crumbled herbs of your choice for topping.

Method:
Add all of the ingredients to your bread machine pan in the order given, or in the order suggested by your manufacturer.
Process on dough cycle. (1:30)
Remove to floured surface when processed. Divide into 12-18 pieces.
Roll each piece into a rope, tie each in a simple knot and place each on a greased baking sheet, 2” apart.
Cover and allow to rise in warm spot until doubled (30-45 min.)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Brush tops carefully with egg wash. Sprinkle with herbs or seeds if desired.
Bake for 12-15 minutes (depending on size).
Cool covered with a towel.

Photos from the Michigan Herb Associates 20th Annual Spring Conference

It was a bright March day at Michigan State University during spring break... we parked near Spartan stadium and walked a short way to Wells Hall.
I suspect this fellow followed me home.
Jane Taylor, keeping the ship afloat one more time.
Dr. Lownds, Caroline Holmes...
Class with Julie Krist
(Hi Della!)

Jane's farewell, hope we see her again!

Photos from the MHA 20th Annual Spring Conference

Betsy Williams, one of my favorite herb speakers, with books. Her talk was "Green Connections - Old Plants in a New Land."



Ellen Spector Platt spoke on lemon herbs and lavender.
A "zesty" speaker indeed, and all the way from England, Caroline Holmes.



Michigan's very own Colleen French who among her other herbal talents makes the very nicest soaps I've ever used.