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.

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!

The Scent of Herbs

This year I had a community garden where it became obvious that I am really good at growing herbs, but perhaps not so great at vegetables.  I put a small edging of herbs along the front of the 20’ x 20’ garden which prospered in this odd season of no hot weather and too much rain.

At my regular herb garden I have a special shed with a black roof to speed drying.  But I was not going to transport the herbs from the garden in Elmhurst to the herb garden 7 miles to the north, so I filled the gathering basket and took the herbs to the apartment.  I had forgotten in the years we lived in this apartment what it smelled like to have fresh herbs drying inside. 

I have bundled the herbs, and hung them on hangers, spread them on paper towel lined plates on my riser and spread them on cooking sheets. It has kinda taken over the dining room, but since we never eat in the dining room this was not much of a big deal.  

And the smell it is really wonderous.  The mixture of lemon and mint and thyme and basil and oregano is a heady combination.  Sometimes it makes me hungry.  Other times it just makes me relax.

They say that the scent of herbs is very healing. 

Mint and lemon balm are laid out on paper towel on my cookie baking sheets.  You can see the paper bags which hold the thyme.  This is the best way to dry thyme.  It takes only a couple of days and you can then strip it into the bag and pour into a jar.  It sure beats trying to bundle those tiny stems.  I have always tossed cut thyme into a bag, in the shed I binder clip the bags to the edges of the building interior.

The mint, lemon balm, fennel, dill, oregano and basil all hang from the hangers.  In a couple of days I can pull of the crisp dry bundles and toss them into a storage bag.

The healing power of the scents could account for the fact that Hubby’s fall allergies (and accompanying snoring) have been almost non-existent.  And my insomnia is easily cured by sleeping on the couch, which is right next to the dining room.

So if you have herbs that have flourished this year, cut them and hang them in your home, not only will you enjoy the healing power of the scents, you will be carrying on an ages old tradition of wise herb growing women for the last thousand years who know that herbs are good for us!

Indoor Crafty ideas for winter, How Tuesday

Terracotta Bird Feeder / Bird Bath

Make the outdoor animals happy and give yourself something fun to view.

Make a bird feeder from a terracotta pot.

These make good gifts too!

Using a plain colored terracotta pot with a tray, invert the pot and the tray.  Use the upside down pot as a base and the right side up tray on top of the pot bottom.  Super glue the tray onto the pot bottom. You can use any size you like.  Now using paints, stamps, or permanent markers, decorate the pot.  Fill it with seed to create a bird feeder.  In the summer fill it with water to be a bird bath.

Tortilla Snow Flakes

We have not had a snow storm of any consequence here in Chicagoland this year, much to my disappointment, so when I found this activity in files I just had to try it.  It is very fun to try with your kids.

All you need is a few flour tortillas, melted butter and colored sugar (or food coloring and white sugar)
    or for a more adult tasting treat use olive oil and a blend of dried herbs like thyme, savory, parsley and oregano

Fold the tortillas like you fold paper to make snowflakes.

Cut out all the little bits just like you would for paper snowflakes.

Then open them up.

Place them on a baking sheet and paint with melted butter.  Sprinkle on colored sugar and bake for a few minutes. It's a great snack and a craft in one!

Scented Stones

I tried these with the Girl Scouts a few years ago and they were a big hit.

1 ½ cups white flour
¼ cup salt
¼ tsp cornstarch
2/3 cup distilled water, brought to a boil
1 Tbls essential oil or fragrance oil (any scent you want or make smaller batches and use multiple scents.)
2 tsp dried herbs if desired

Mix all the ingredients together in a disposable container until a dough forms.  Roll the dough into balls about the size of a large marble.  Flatten them with your fingers to look like pebbles and rocks. 

They must be allowed to dry very thoroughly.  If you are not sure if they are dry spread on parchment paper on a baking sheet and set in low oven 200 degrees for several hours.  Once they are dry place a few pebbles in a terracotta tray with a few dried herbs or leaves and pine cones for a decorative display.

Using dried herbs in the blend will give them a more earthy coloring.

 

My Scent Surpise from the Lemon Verbena lady

Recently I entered a giveaway on the blog of my herbal freind Lemon Verbena Lady.  I enter herbal giveaways when ever I run across them because you never know what might happen.  Well, this time I WON!

Here is the amazing scent collection I received as a result.  It was actually in a basket (there was some question about that happening) and included a cute herb tea towel, I think I will take with me when I give lectures.

Many of the scented items were crafted at the Village Herb Shop in Chagin Falls, Ohio, where Lemon Verbena Lady took a recent trip.

If you look carefully you will find that there is a Jingle Bell Potpourri, a Simmering Spice Blend, a cleaning spray and a room spray and some reed scent diffusers with a great "strung popcorn" scent.

There was a short note inside which said look for a few surprises as well.  I am guessing these wonderful Herb Jellies were part of that surprise.

Now I have never been to the Village Herb Shop, even though it is not far from my hometown.  It opened after I moved to Chicagoland, but I have corresponded with Kathleen Kips the proprietor on many occasions and I recommend a trip to the shop if you are ever in the Cleveland area.  Kathleen is most noted for her knowledge of the Language of Flowers and Herbs and has a wealth of information on the subject to share.  The shop is located in a great victorian and surrounded by gardens.

There was one extra surprise that made me jump for joy!  You see that bright orange folder?  That is an herbal mustard seasoning from the Reppert's herb shop The Rosemary House  in Mechanicsburg, PA.

That seasoning is called the Mayor's Magic Mustard Mix.  The Mayor refers to Mr. Reppert the former Mayor of Mechanicsburg.  Since Mustard is a passion of mine, I cannot wait to try this and all the recipes included.  The Rosemary House is known for their special seasoning blend called Roastmary about which my husband says I make nothing that can compare to its perfect blend of seasonings for roasting meat and vegetables.  I've given up trying to copy it and just buy a proper supply each season.  Here is the link if you wish to do the same: Roastmary!

So a super big thank you to Nancy, the Lemon Verbena Lady, for this special package of herbal surprises that arrived just in time for the holiday!  That wonderful ornament/decoration is already hanging on my herbroom door!

Holiday Decorating with Pinecones

Recently Tina Sams, the editor of the Essential Herbal Magazine, was showing pictures of her chandelier decorated with pine cone ornaments.  I love pine cones as holiday decoration and have said on several occations that I want to decorate an entire tree with pine cones ornaments one year, but collecting only one or two a year, it will be sometime before I can fill an entire tree.

That got me to thinking.  I have made scented pine cones in the past and those are great ornaments.  How about making more brightly decorated pine cones?  Around my apartment complex are several different conifers giving a nice variety of cones.  I suspect you could try this too!

Collect cones from your yard.  It will get you outside for a walk and you can enjoy the season.  When you bring in the cones you must clean them.  Run them under cold running water and lay them out on a baking sheet covered with wax or parchment paper.  Place the tray in the oven at 250 degrees for 20 minutes.  This will open up the cones, remove excess sap, and kill any bugs or bacteria hiding inside.

Let them cool.  You will see re-crystalization of some of the sap which gives the cones a natural beauty, then get creative.

You can scent the cones with a mixture of ground spices (see this previous post) or you can decorate them for use in displays.  Here are a few suggestions for decorating pine cones.

1. Paint the tips of the pine cone wings. (Yes, that is what they are called!) With white poster paint paint just the tips of the wings to look like snow, then sprinkle with clear or white glitter or even granulated sugar for sparkle.
2. Spray the cones with clear acrylic or paint them with clear glue and tumble in a zip lock bag filled with colored glitter.  You can use one color at a time, like red, green, silver or gold on blend the glitter together for a combination effect.
3. Dot the cones with craft glue and press on colored sequins.
4. Wedge fun spices and herb twigs in between the wings, like juniper berries, allspice berries, star anise, broken cinnamon sticks, and cloves.  This is a rustic natural look that will also give off a scent.
5. Dip the cones in wax and use to decorate the mantle, then use them as fire starters for a Christmas night blaze.
6. For a crystal effect, paint on some clear glue then roll the cones in faceted or smooth glass seed beads.

Five ways to use Lavender in Your Home this fall

No other herb is quite so prized for its fragrance and beauty, or more evocative of romance than lavender.  The season for harvesting lavender has just passed and I have a number of screens full of dried buds.  

Lavender has a laundry list of good-for-you properties.  It is antiseptic, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-convulsive, and anti-depressant. Lavender benefits stress, anxiety, exhaustion, irritability, headaches, migraines, insomnia, depression, colds, digestion, flatulence, upset stomach, liver and gallbladder problems, nervousness, and loss of appetite.  With this in mind, I glanced through just a few notes in my file drawer and came up with five great ways to put lavender to work for you.

Relaxing Lavender Bath
Make a strong infusion by adding a handful finely chopped lavender leaves and flowers to a cup of boiling water. Let it steep 10 minutes, strain and add to your bath.  Lavender will not only relax you with its scent but will reduce the stressful feelings with it essential components.

Drowsy Potpourri
Fill a bowl by your bedside with rose petals and dried lavender flowers. Add a drop or two of lavender essential oil. Finger the bowl before drifting to sleep.

Sleepy Sachets
Put lavender flowers and a few drops of essential oil in sachets to slip beneath pillow or inside the pillow case for a soothing release of scent if you wake or turn in the night. Or if you don’t have time pick up a few Lavender Sachets from the Backyard Patch to slip into Birthday cards and hostess gifts.

Lavender Moth BagsMix equal parts of the herbs from the following list. Place them inside muslin bags or if you are feeling especially crafty, sew squares of thin cotton or use heat seal tea bags to create sachets.  Lay them in with your blankets and towels or put them in between your clothes in the drawer.

Dried Herbs to use:

lavender flowers

lavender leaves

mint

rosemary

southernwood

santolina

marjoram

  

The Backyard Patch makes two different Moth Sachets as part of our Green Cleaning line and one has a recipe very similar to this one, using lavender to combat bugs in storage.

Lavender Room SprayAdd 5 drops lavender essential oil to 50 ml distilled water in an atomizer. You will need to shake the atomizer vigorously before each use. Do not make large quantities as the keeping time is relatively short.

Hope you enjoy this short list and remember to use your lavender for all the seasonal effects of shorter days and time changes.

Make a Herb Car Freshner

One of my favorite comments when someone climbs into my car is “Wow, it smells so good in here.”  I have to admit what they smell I do not because the scent of herbs is in my home and car and on my clothing so much that I have learned or been conditioned to ignore it.

But if you would like to get these types of comments, it is really simple to do.  My car smells like herbs because of the scents left behind when I transport my programs, lectures and show supplies, but you can make an herbal bundle to do the same thing without all the hard work of hauling the crates.

Bundle some fresh herbs, like lemon balm, lavender, mints, or scented geranium leaves and hang them in the car or lay them in the back window.  I love the smell of scented geraniums and I often cut small twigs of leaves and tie them together to hang from the rear view mirror or tuck into the side door pocket if my car starts to smell like garden mulch from hauling supplies out to the garden.

Try it, you will love this better than a pine-scented freshner any day!

Scented marigolds - Herb of the Week

The heat has not bothered the Scented marigolds, which makes them the perfect herb of the week!

Yesterday I got out to the garden for the first time since last week. and to my great surprise the border planting of scented marigolds has popped into bloom.  We've finally had some rain and not quite so scorching of heat.

Don't they look beautiful?  And with the backdrop of my Lemon Basil they accent as a border.  My production garden does not always have the luxury of being "pretty," but yesterday it surely was!

The Tagetes family is a great selection of flavored marigolds that grow much better in zone 7 and above than they do here in zone 5, but I love to grow them as an annual.  (These are not your traditional French or African Marigolds - known as Tagetes patula.)

What I mean to speak about today are the scented (also called flavored) marigolds.  The flowers are small and the leaves and flowers are strongly scented and very tasty.  They fall into the category of edible flowers (which you can check out in a former blog post here.)

The marigolds I want to talk about have several names.  In zone 5 they grow wonderfully well as an annual and can be grown from seed.  When you scatter them like I did they bloom in July, if you start them indoors they start blooming in June and they are a continuous bloomer that will decorate for the rest of the season.

 Here are the various scented varieties:

Tagetes lucida - The species Tagetes lucida, known as "pericón," is used to prepare a sweetish, anise flavored medicinal tea in Mexico. It is also used as a culinary herb in many warm climates, as a substitute for tarragon, and offered in the nursery as "Texas tarragon" or "Mexican mint marigold" (Tagetes erecta).

Tagetes minuta, native to southern South America is a tall upright marigold plant with small flowers, and is used as a culinary herb in Peru, Ecuador, and parts of Chile and Bolivia, where it is called by the Incan term huacatay. Huacatay paste is used to make the popular potato dish called ocopa. The taste and odor of fresh Tagetes minuta is like a mixture of sweet basil, tarragon, mint and citrus. It is also used as a medicinal tea in some areas.  I have never tied growing this one, but Lemon Verbena Lady has grown it.

I love the lemon and tangerine flavored the most.  I got hooked on them when I found the Lemon Gem at the Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory herb sale my very first year.  I bought them there for over a decade before they stopped carrying them.  If you are a seed saver, marigold seed is easy to collected and save so you can repeat the crop year after year.

Tagetes Lemmonii

Tagetes tenuifolia - lemon gem

Tagetes lemmonii  leaves are truly lemon scented. I like to put them on the border because when you brush past, you release the scent. Even a slight breeze will bring the scent wafting into my apartment from the potted ones on the patio.

Tagetes tenuifolia - Comes in two varieties, Lemon Gem marigold producing lemon-yellow flower heads and its sister Tangerine Gem with that hint of orange scent and pinkish orange flowers. Both are a natural insect repellant for herb and vegetable gardens. There are bushy dwarf marigolds that look great in a rock garden or in a border. Blooms are incredibly profuse on low-growing mounds of scented foliage. The petite, single blossoms of lemon and tangerine taste as good at the name suggests!

According to some I have read these plants can grow to 4 to 5 feet in perfect conditions in Arizona and TX, but here in the north they stay closer to 6 to 10 inches making them perfect for borders and pots.



Here are both Lemon Gem and Tangarine Gem at the Chicago Botanic Garden

To Grow

T. tenuifolia, which has 8-inch mounds of lacy, citrus-scented leaves and ½-inch red, orange, or yellow single flowers need only warmth to grow quickly. Sow seed indoors a few weeks before the last frost or direct-seed when the soil is warm. Give them full sun in average soil and moisture for best results, but don’t worry if the soil is poor or dry. Excess fertility may promote lush growth, few flowers, and soft stems, especially in the tall cultivars, which then need to be staked. Wash spider mites off with regular, strong hosings or control with soap spray. Remove spent flowers regularly to encourage more blooms.

To Use

Make a paste by mashing the flowers and a few leaves in a mortar and pestle with a few drops of oil.  Then use the paste to color the sauce in Ocopa.  My husband did his archaeology fieldwork outside Arequipa Peru where these flowers grow well and this dish is popular.  Called Ocopa Arequipena, the dish has some similarities to Papas a la Huancaina. It consists of boiled and sliced yellow potatoes covered with a sauce of made of aji (chili pepper), walnuts, a Peruvian herb called "Huatacay" (that gives it a vivid color), fresh or white cheese, sided with lettuce, boiled eggs and olives. It is usually served in restaurants specializing in Peruvian Food or restaurants serving food from Arequipa, a southern Peruvian City. 

Ocopa (serves 4)

• 3 chilies mirasol
• 1/2 cup ground walnuts
• 6 oz. farmer's cheese
• a maceration of scented geramiun leaves or flowers (first choice Tagetes minuta but you can substitute Tagetes tenuifolia)
• 1/2 cup oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 lbs. yellow potatoes cooked, halved

Directions:

1. Remove seeds from the chilies and let soak in water overnight.

2. Put in the blender the chilies, walnuts, cheese and oil. Liquify until a smooth sauce. Season with geranium leaves, salt and pepper.

3. Place the potatoes in a serving dish. Cover with the sauce and garnish with lettuce leaves.

You can also use scented marigold flowers in any dish where edible flowers are used, including cream cheese spreads and salads.  See the blog entry on Nasturtiums for some recipes you can substitute Scented Marigolds.

Day Before Thanksgiving Potpourri Simmer

Do you want your home to spell great when the guests arrive and set the stage for the holiday?

Try this --

Grab a small sauce pan or an old mug and a mug warmer.  Then slice 1/2 an orange and 1/2 a lemon.  Add ten cloves, two bay leaves, and two cinnamon sticks.  Add enough water to the container to cover.  Then simmer mixture on the stove or the warmer.  Add more ingredients as desired to keep your house smelling delightful for the holiday season even after Thanksgiving!

Come back Saturday to learn about our special Advent Calendar...