Mugwort - Herb of the Week

For one final time this year I want to focus on Artemesia the Herb of the Year.  This time I have chosen 

MUGWORT Artemisia vulgaris as the Herb of the Week.

I have written several posts this year and in previous years about this special genus, so I do not want to myself.  You can check out the past posts here:

2012 Herb of the week Tarragon

2013 Herb of the week Artemisia

2014 Herb of the week Dusty Miller

2014 Herb of the week White Artemisias

I even included Artemisia in my list of herbs to try in2014.

Lemon Verbena Lady chose today to feature artemisia also, listing a few cocktails you can try.  I recommend the post highly!

Artemisia vulgaris (mugwort or common wormwood) is one of several species in the genus Artemisia commonly known as mugwort, although Artemisia vulgaris is the species most often called mugwort. This species is also occasionally known as felon herb, chrysanthemum weed, wild wormwood, old Uncle Henry, sailor's tobacco, naughty man, old man or St. John's plant (not to be confused with St John's wort). Mugworts have been used medicinally and as culinary herbs.

Mugwort was considered the 'universal herb for protection and prophecy' throughout the ancient world. Dedicated to Artemis and Diana, Mugwort was used for pain and healing, psychic powers and lucid dreaming. In ancient China and Japan, Mugwort was hung in open doorways to exorcise the spirits of disease. The ancient Europeans did the same to ward off evil spirits. These two separated cultures also believed that the supernatural powers of Mugwort were revealed by mermaids who came from the sea to present the herb for the good of humankind.   Also known as the 'traveller’s herb for protection',

Roman soldiers placed Mugwort inside their sandals for endurance on long marches. One Roman general recorded that his men marched 10 miles further, as well as faster, when on Mugwort. Mugwort was once the staple ingredient in beer before Hops was introduced. It was also known as Sailor's Tobacco, as it was used as an alternative when sailors ran out of tobacco at sea.   Mugwort tea was usually drunk before divination rituals and also burnt as a ‘transporting’ incense. Also known as the visionary herb, Mugwort is still used today for increasing psychic powers. 

Native Americans also burned Mugwort as a ‘smudge’ to purify the spiritual and physical environment. They believed that the rubbing of the leaves on the body are said to keep ghosts away, and a necklace of mugwort leaves is said to help protect against dreaming about the dead. It has been believed that John the Baptist wore a girdle of mugwort in the wilderness for protection.

To GROW

It is native to temperate Europe, Asia, northern Africa and Alaska and is naturalized in North America, where some consider it an invasive weed. It is a very common plant growing on nitrogenous soils, like weedy and uncultivated areas, such as waste places and roadsides.

It is a tall herbaceous perennial plant growing as much as three feet tall, with a woody root. The leaves are long, dark green, pinnate, with dense white hairs on the underside that look like cottony fur. The erect stem often has a red-purplish tinge. The rather small flowers are radially symmetrical with many yellow or dark red petals. The narrow and numerous flower heads spread out in long bunches. It flowers from July to September.  You can grow the plant from seed, cutting or root division.

A number of species of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) feed on the leaves and flowers.

To USE

Now, in keeping with holiday alcohol on December 31 I would be remiss if I did not suggest making your own vermouth, at home, from scratch. Vermouth is fortified wine, a wine based alcohol with additive and is very easy to make.  All you need to make homemade sweet vermouth is wine, grappa, sugar, star anise and Mugwort.  Be aware that mugwort tea or vermouth with mugwort should not be consumed by pregnant women!

HOW TO MAKE VERMOUTH AT HOME

As we said, to make vermouth you start with wine. White wine, to be precise, and best one made from grapes such as Catarratto, Clairette blanche, Piquepoul, or Trebbiano. There are in fact red and rosé vermouths, but we prefer to remain faithful to the tradition. These wines have a low alcohol content, so a small percentage of grappa is generally added to bring it up to about 14-16 proof. So, to make our vermouth we need: a liter of wine, 200 ml of grappa, 100-150 grams of sugar, three star anise, and a handful of Artemisia Vulgaris leaves. This last ingredient is an herb that now grows naturally around the world, but if you can't find it, you can visit an herbalist's shop. Put the wine and the Artemisia leaves into a jar, seal it, and leave it to macerate for a week. Next, filter the liquid as you pour it into another jar, to which you'll add the sugar, grappa, and anise. Stir gently, and then seal the jar, leave it to macerate for at least ten days, in a cool dark place. Finally, filter and transfer the liquid to a glass bottle and store it in the refrigerator.

You can enjoy it as it is, cold in a wide-mouth glass, or you can use it as a base for cocktails. Clearly the most famous is the Martini, made of 2/10 vermouth and 8/10 gin, mixed in a shaker that has been chilled in the freezer. But if you like vermouth you can try also a Palm Beach (gin, grapefruit juice, white vermouth). If you hear connoisseurs talking about “dry vermouth”, don't be alarmed or be caught off guard. It's a French variant of this drink, in which the wine is left open to the air for a few days. In truth, you can simply use an aged wine to achieve the same results.

Finally, don't ignore vermouth's potential in the kitchen! Its best use is in roasts and braises: add it during cooking and let it cook down to bring a characteristic flavor to your dishes. You can also add it to creamy desserts to give them a more homemade taste. 

Advent How To - Last Minute Gift Bouquet Garni

One final HOW TO for the holiday season. And this is perfect for a last minute gift, you can whip these up in just a few minutes with herbs and materials on hand and yet craft a thoughtful and hand-crafted present.

The term Bouquet Garni refers to little bundles of aromatic herbs and spices used to flavor soups, stews and sauces.  You keep the herbs contained so that the flavor but not the flecks of broken herbs will permeate the food.  You can make the bundles with fresh herb sprigs tied together with string, or with dried herbs whole or crumbled wrapped in cheese cloth bags.

This summer I discussed them as something to make with the fresh herbs from your garden.  Now I want to detail a few recipes you can use to craft a special culinary gift.

Classically bouquet garnis contain parsley, thyme, and bay with any or all of the following: whole peppercorns, whole allspice, whole cloves, celery leaf, tarragon, or marjoram.  The best part about a bouquet garni is you can make them ahead of time.  As a result they make a great gift idea.

For a keen cook you can make a culinary herb gift set. Add a bottle of herb vinegar and a decorative bottle of olive oil, then include a selection of bouquet garni bags that will compliment different types of food.

To make a bouquet garni bag you need a double or triple thickness of cheesecloth (or drip coffee filters or even oversized heat seal tea bags) string and decorative ribbon.

Step 1 - Cut the cheesecloth into squares about 6 inches on each side or lay out and hand-flatten a drip coffee filter.

Step 2  - Measure the herbs into the center of each.

Here are three recipes to try, or craft your own:

For Meat – 1 teaspoon each Nutmeg, Thyme, Chervil and Tarragon.

For Fish – 1 teaspoon each of Tarragon, Dill, Mint and Lemon peel.

For Vegetables – 4 Bay Leaves, 2 teaspoons Parsley and 1 teaspoon Thyme.

Step 3 Gather each bundle and tie with string tightly so the herbs do not escape.  I generally use a rubber band then cover that with the string.  Leave a long tail on the string so the bundle can be suspended in pot tied to the pot handle. 

Step 4 – Label each bouquet garni or gather into a mason jar and add a label to the outside

For gifting --

Gather 3 to 5 bouquet garni and place in a jar with a tight sealing lid and instructions for use.  Gather 3 different jars into a basket with a sauce whisk and a kitchen towel to create a perfect gift for the foodie in your life.  Below are several recipes you can make with bouquet garni.

Include these instructions with the bouquet garni:

When using the bouquet garni, tie the bundle sting to the pot handle and dangle the bouquet in the pot with your cooking meat, soup, stew or sauce.  Once cooking is finished remove the bouquet.

(And do not forget to include an ingredient list – you never know about allergies and sensitivities!)

Here are a couple of recipes that go with bouquet garni you can include in your gift as well.

Garlic Consommé

6 cups beef, chicken, or vegetable stock
12-15 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Bouquet Garni Herb Bag
1 cup  tomato juice
1/4 cup brandy or sherry (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

Bring the stock, garlic, and bouquet garni to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer 

covered for 1 hour.  Add the remaining ingredients, stirring to combine well.  Strain the soup and 

discard the garlic and bouquet garni.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and adjust the seasoning 

before serving.  Serves 4 to 6.

Beef Bourguignon

1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup butter

3 slices bacon, cut up

2 lb. boneless beef, cut in 2" cubes

2 Tbls. flour

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 Tbls. tomato paste

1 1/4 cup red cooking wine

2 beef bouillon cubes

2 Tbls. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/2 lb. small white onions

1 Bouquet Garni Herb Bag

In large pot, sauté mushrooms in butter.  Remove mushrooms and set aside.  Fry

bacon until crisp.  Remove and set aside. Add meat to drippings and brown well. 

Blend in flour.  Add garlic, tomato paste, wine, bouillon and seasonings.  Add

Bouquet Garni Herb Bag, cover and simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Add

onions, mushrooms and bacon; simmer 1 hour longer.  Add additional wine if liquid

has evaporated.  Remove Bouquet Garni before serving over rice.

Split Pea Soup

1 ½ c split peas, soaked overnight

3 c. low sodium chicken broth

2 c water

1 pkg. Bouquet Garni Herb Bag

½ c. onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ c. carrot, peeled and chopped

¼ tsp. Salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients, including Bouquet Garni in a large stew pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 1 to 11/2 hours, adding more water and skimming foam as needed (Carrots should be tender).  Discard Bouquet Garni and puree.  Reheat and serve soup.

Advent How To - Making Scented Cork Decorations

For 2014 we have decided a two-fold Advent Calendar.  On the Backyard Patch Facebook Page we are posting a recipe a day beginning November 30 and continuing through Christmas Day.  Each week will be a different theme.  This week it is side dishes.  Stop over there around 6 pm everyday for the new recipe.

On the Blog we have decided to share a weekly HOW TO.  Each we will have a recipe, gift or decorating item to enhance your holiday and give you a moment to reflect. 

The first week we did Scented Pine Cones.  The second week we featured Herb Butter Cookies. This week we thought we'd give you something you can place on your wrapped packages to provide an herbal touch.

This is a fun, quick, scented item you can make almost at the last minute to tie to a gift bag and make it extra special. 

Scent the corks with rosemary and clove orange essential oil for a scented and colored wine cork gift topper ornament.  Wire them together with jewelry wire or glue them with hot glue.  Colored ends make them holiday festive.

I had several of those synthetic corks and I used those along with the real corks for texture.

The MATERIALS:

5 corks

ribbon in two colors

thumbtacks

hot glue sticks and a gun

colors (stamp pads, water color markers, even crayons)

scents  (Essential oil or perfume oil)

The STEPS

Step One - Soak corks in water for 15 minutes to keep from crumbling before you cut them.

Step Two - Cut 5 corks in half.  This will give you enough to make one wreath, which will use 9 halves. I used an exacto blade and scissors and  to cut them.  You can also use a sharp knife or even a box cutter.

Step Three - Color ends of corks, you don’t need to color all of them.  This allowed me to use some of those synthetic corks in between as they do not take color or scent, but did make a great filler. If you color the ends when they are still wet, you get a watercolor like shade.

Step Four - Attach corks in a circle with the hot glue.

Step Five - Scent corks.  You can only add scent well to a real cork.  Add 2 to 5 drops of essential oil to the uncolored sides of the cork and allow to soak in.  Pine, cinnamon, clove orange or rosemary are all good choices or a combination of rosemary and citrus scents.

Step Six – Add ribbon.  Using one color of ribbon to make a loop about 6 inches long.  A second piece of ribbon (about 9 inches in length) create a fold-over bow.  Attach both pieces of ribbon to the top cork with a thumb tack.   I used clear push pins, but I think a gold tack pin would have looked nice too.  You now have a bow and a hanger.  Attach it to your gift bag or wrapped present.

Weekend Recipe - Citrus Salted Olives

Not only is this a great items to serve at a party, but it makes a wonderful gift.  And if you make them now your family will be able to enjoy them through the holiday season.  Be sure to include a "Use by date." on your gift tag.

Citrus Salted Olives 

2 lemons

1 orange

6 cloves garlic

1/4 cups extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. dried thyme

2 pounds assorted brine-cured olives, drained

Directions

From each lemon, cut three 3/4-inch-wide strips peel; place in 1-quart saucepan. Grate any remaining peel from lemons, and place in large bowl. From orange, cut three 3/4-inch-wide strips peel and add to saucepan. Grate any remaining peel from orange, and add to lemon peel in bowl.

Peel garlic and cut each clove in half; crush with side of chef's knife. Add garlic, oil, and thyme to saucepan with citrus peel, and heat on low until hot but not smoking, about 1 minute. Remove saucepan from heat; let stand 10 minutes.

Place olives in bowl with grated peels. Pour oil mixture over olive mixture, and toss to coat well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate olives at least 24 hours to allow flavors to develop, stirring occasionally. (Or place olives in large self-sealing plastic bag, turning to coat olives well. Seal bag, pressing out excess air. Place bag on plate and refrigerate olives, turning bag occasionally.)

Spoon olives into tightly sealed containers or jars for gift giving. Store in refrigerator up to 1 month. Serving size is based on each 1/4 cup.

Still More Edible Gifts

Prepping for the Holiday

Wrap up some bread pans, bread mixes and flavored butters or spreads tied up in a table cloth or apron. 

Here is another idea for a bread basket that is a bit easier than baking bread.  Make seasoned pita chips.  In a basket provide several packages of pitas, a bottle of olive oil and a seasoning mixture in a shaker made with this recipe.

Seasoned Pita Chips

4 pitas, cut in 8 wedges

3 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil

Shaker of seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Arrange pita wedges on a rimmed baking sheet.  Brush top of each wedge with olive oil.  Sprinkle seasoning mixture evenly over wedges.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until nicely toasted but not hard.

Possible Shaker seasonings:

Blend #1

1 Tbls. sea salt

1 tsp. dried dill

¼ tsp. black pepper

Blend #2

Backyard Patch Pizza Seasoning

or Backyard Patch Pesto Blend

Blend #3

2 Tbls. Parmesan Cheese

2 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. basil

Products we recommend if you do not have time to make your own:

Cornbread in a Can (a savory cornbread mix you prepar in the ribbed can provided).

Lemon Tea Bread

Lemon Cream Scones

Scottish Shortbread

Friendship (chocolate chip) Scones

Cardamom Scones

Jam Surprise Muffin Mix

Advent How to - Herb Holiday Cookies

For 2014 we have decided a two-fold Advent Calendar.  On the Backyard Patch Facebook Page we are posting a recipe a day beginning November 30 and continuing through Christmas Day.  Each week will be a different theme.  This week it is appetizers.  Stop over there around 6 pm everyday for the new recipe.

On the Blog we have decided to share a weekly HOW TO.  Each we will have a recipe, gift or decorating item to enhance your holiday and give you a moment to reflect. 

To celebrate National Cookie Day (which was back on Dec. 4^th), I decided to do a how to with cookies.  (To see the scented pine cones from last week - click here.)

I like to make holiday cookies that are quick, easy and fun.  Most of the time I make shortbread cookies or butter cookies.  No frosting and minimal cookie cutters makes it easier and quicker but they are still tasty and of course, herby.

For this weeks’s Advent How To I have three techniques for making cookies I will share:

1.       Rolled out flat and cut with cookie cutters

2.      Rolled into balls and flattened before baking

3.      Rolled into a tube shape and sliced into rounds and baked.

If you like herbal cookie recipes here are some others you can enjoy too.  They can be found on my website in the Recipe archive.  I  put up two of my favorites.

The Steps

The steps for making cookies in this case all start out the same.  You cream the butter and sugar together.  Creaming butter and sugar is part of the leavening process making the cookies crisp and flaky and giving them some lift.

STEP ONE - You can cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer or by hand with a spoon or whisk.  For me it depends on the time of day and speed at which I want to get to the next steps.

STEP TWO - Add the egg, if used, would be next.

STEP THREE - Then add the herbs, extracts, salt, baking soda or baking powder as needed.

STEP FOUR - And finally add the flour gradually, making sure it is all incorporated and there are no flour lumps in the batter.

STEP FIVE – Chill the Dough. In these herb butter recipes you chill the dough before the next step.  Sometimes as much as 4 hours, others as short as 30 minute.  This firms the dough up and keeps it from sticking when you make the cookies.

Now the recipes diverge and each is completed differently.  So here are the recipes and the finishing steps included below each recipe.

Herb Butter Cookies

You can make this recipe unique and special by using herbed butters and or herbs sugars and matching the recipe herbs to those.  This cookie can be different every single time by changing the herbs contained in it.  This dough you freeze for 4 hours so we are starting after the "Chill" step with these.

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour, all-purpose

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

fresh or dried herbs: lavender, tarragon, lemon verbena, mint, thyme, and/or herb seeds

    Use 1 Tbls dried 2 Tbls fresh and add to dough while mixing

    Use another 2 to 4 Tbls fresh or dried for decoration

Directions:

In a medium bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar; beat until combined. Add egg; beat until combined. Beat in flour, baking powder, and salt. Divide dough in half.  Shape each half of the dough into a 12-inch-long rope. Wrap and freeze about 4 hours or until firm.  Preheat oven to 325°F. Unwrap dough; carefully slice the frozen dough into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place the slices, cut sides up, on an ungreased cookie sheet. Top with desired herb or seeds; press in gently, if necessary.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Allow to cool for a minute then remove from cookie sheets; cool on a wire rack.

STEP SIX - Divide the resulting dough in half and shape into a 12 inch rope.

STEP SEVEN - Wrap each rope in Wax or Parchment paper and freeze for 4 hours.

Rolled dough in the freezer

STEP EIGHT - Once the ropes are frozen, slice them into 1/2 inch thick slices and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are golden in a 325 degree oven.

cut roll

Note that they are not so round after cutting, but when they cook they rounded into a circle nicely.

I generally make this recipe first on cookie baking night, then when the other cookies are completed this will be ready to slice and bake.

Lemon Thyme Cookies

Fortunately, certain intrepid herbs can be snipped all year round, even under the snow. Thyme is one of those.  I leave a plant in a pot by the back door until we have consistent below zero temps.  Then I bring it inside.  It usually fares better outside than in and having it by the door means I do not have to run outside in the cold to harvest a bit for a recipe like this.

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups flour
2 tablespoons freshly snipped lemon thyme

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the ­butter with the sugar until fluffy, then add the flour and thyme. Chill the dough for about 30 minutes to firm it up, but not too long or it is tough to roll.  Roll the dough 1/4 inch thick and cut out shapes (we like stars). Place the cookies on ungreased baking sheets and bake 10 minutes. Cool on racks.

STEP SIX - Place the bowl of dough in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.  Do not over chill this or it will be hard to roll out.

STEP SEVEN - Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness.  

STEP EIGHT - Use cookie cutters, any style will do to cut the dough into shapes.  Bake the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Cool on racks to keep the shapes uniform.

Mint Butter Cookies

Can a winter holiday be complete without peppermint?  This is an easy cookie to make and a crowd pleaser.

1 cup butter (or 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening – I use butter flavor shortening)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 tablespoons crushed dried peppermint leaves
2 cups flour
Sugar

Directions:

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the salt, extract, mint leaves, and flour. Mix thoroughly. Chill the dough for 1 hour, or until it is firm enough to handle.  When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Form the dough into 1-inch balls and roll them in sugar. Press each ball with your thumb. Place them on ungreased baking sheets and bake 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on racks.

STEP SIX - Chill the dough in the bowl in the refrigerator for 60 minutes or so, until firm and not sticky to the touch.

STEP SEVEN - Roll the dough into 1 inch balls. Roll the balls in sugar. I actually rolled them in mint sugar which gave them a great texture and enhanced the mint flavor.

STEP EIGHT - Place the Balls on an ungreased cookie sheet or parchment and press each ball with your thumb.  You can make them flat or create an indentation.  Bake them in a 350 degree oven for 12 to 14 minutes.

More Edible Gifts

Prepping for the Holiday

Tea and Muffins are a wonderful gift. You can make this recipe or any other muffin recipe then present it in a fashionable package as a gift.

Banana & Chocolate Muffin Recipe   Yield: 12 muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup quick-cooking oats

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)

1 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a standard muffin tin, or line with cupcake liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas, then whisk in the buttermilk, sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla extract.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, and whisk just until blended.
4. Remove one cup of the batter, and add it to a medium bowl. Whisk in the cocoa powder, just until blended.
5. Divide the main (non-chocolate) batter between muffin cups. It’s about 1/4 cup of batter per cup.
6. Scoop 1 tablespoon of chocolate batter on top of the batter in each muffin cup.
7. Using a toothpick, swirl the chocolate batter into the banana batter.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool for about five minutes.

To create an elegant gift, line a hat box with a tea towel and fill it with homemade muffins and flea market teacups you fill with herbal butter or cream cheese spreads (try each of these: Company Cream Cheese and Herb Flower Spread.)  Tuck loose tea and whole lemons around the box and include a pretty butter knife.

A more casual idea would be to provide a Christmas breakfast by placing the muffins in a basket with a container of muffin themed spread and some gourmet coffee.

I adapted this recipe from an article in the Herb Companion Magazine of December 2007.

Our Jam Surprise Muffin Mix.

Pineapple Sage Muffin Spread 

This is great on muffins, toast and crackers.

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 Tbls. milk

3 Tbls. confectioners sugar (or more to taste)
¼ tsp. cinnamon

4 fresh pineapple sage leaves, minced and rubbed between your fingers to release flavor or ¼ tsp. dried

¼ cup crushed pineapple drained

In a medium bowl mix ricotta and milk on medium speed with a handheld mixer for 1 minute.  Add confectioner’s sugar, 1 Tbls. at a time, mixing after each addition.  Stir in cinnamon and pineapple sage.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.  Stir mixture and gently fold in pineapple.  Refrigerator for another hour before transferring to a serving bowl.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Products we recommend if you do not have time to make your own:

Scones Mixes

Shortbread Mixes

Jam Surprise and other Muffin Mixes

Bergamot Black Tea

Victorian Lavender Tea

Cinnamon Spice Herbal Tea

Holiday Tea Blends

Advent How to - Scented Pine Cones

For 2014 we have decided a two fold Advent Calendar.  On the Backyard Patch Facebook Page we are posting a recipe a day beginning November 30 and continuing through Christmas Day.  Each week will be a different theme.  This week it is appetizers.  Stop over there around 6 pm everyday for the new recipe.

On the Blog we have decided to share a weekly HOW TO.  Each we will have a recipe, gift or decorating item to enhance you holiday and give you a moment to reflect.

Taken in Wisconsin, beautiful Hore Frost

I first shared this recipe in November 2010 on my blog. This year I mentioned that I wanted to make these as gifts and that I needed pine cones and suddenly people are sharing pine cones with me left and right.  I am loving it and made my first batch of scented pine cones last week. I have placed them in a bowl in my entry hallway and what a wonderful scent they have!

Before you make this recipe, I should warn you that if you collect pine cones outside there is a treatment you need to do before you can scent them.  It is quick and easy, but a must!  Place a sheet of parchment on an old cookie sheet.  Spread the cones over the sheet in a single layer and place in a 200 degree oven for 60 minutes. This will remove much of the pitch and all of the bugs.

Once you craft these they can be placed in a trifle bowl and used as a centerpiece. They also look great stacked in a basket on the mantle.  From there you can even toss them into the fire for a crackle and scent.  I have also placed them in a burlap bag just to give off the scent from under my tree.  This is especially good if your cones are less attractive or have broken and smashed side.  Then I know I am going to do this, I do not even worry about collecting "only the good ones!"

So let's get to the task.  Once you have baked the pine cones you are ready to mix.

I let the cones cool thoroughly, leaving them on the parchment paper which allows the pitch to continue dripping out.

Step One - Cool the cones completely.  

Notice how they open up after being in the oven enhancing their attractiveness.

Step Two -   Mix the essential oils with orris root or arrowroot flour in a jar, shaking well to blend. Set aside. I used a bit of clove, rosemary, clove and sweet orange (about 5 drops each) and those called for in the recipe.

Step Three - Combine the herbs and spices in a zip lock bag.

Step Four - Add the pine comes to the bag.  About 10 to 15 depending on size, but I generally fill the bag.

Step Five - Add the scented powder to the bag and shake vigorously.

Step Six - Using as much patience as possible, allow the pine cones to meld in the bag for a week or so.

Step Seven - Decorate with them, hang them on your door wreath, or wrap them in cellophane to give as gifts, especially to those you know with a fireplace.

Scented Pine Cones

      2 Tbls. orange peel

      1 Tbls. cinnamon pieces

      1 Tbls. Hibiscus flowers

      1 tsp. broken bay leaves

      1 1 /2 Tbls. orrris root

      10 drops cinnamon oil

      10 drops bergamot oil

      10 to 15 drops any other spice oils of your choice

      10 to 15 pine cones

Mix together the essential oils with the orris root (use arrowroot flour if you are sensitive to orris.)  Blend the herbs and spices together with the pine cones in a zip seal bag.  Add the scented powder and shake to cover.  Allow to meld as long as a week in the bag before using.

Enjoy the scents of the season and have fun this winter!

Come back next Monday for another Advent How TO!