Thanksgiving Herbs

As I do every year at this time, I was looking for new recipes to try for Thanksgiving.  We are entertaining this year and I wanted to do a few new recipes.  My husband however, had other plans.  He said we would be doing traditional and that would not include doing something we have not done in the past.  So no brine for my turkey this year, even though I think it would be a great thing to try.  We will instead do a traditional butter, seasoned with herbs, pressed under the skin. It is not like that will be bad!

Here is the buttered turkey we did a couple years ago.  We blended 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter with 2 Tbls. BYP Poultry Seasoning.

Have you ever wondered why we have a taste for certain flavors at different times of the

year? For example, why do we look for foods like pot roast, baked turkey or roasted ham in winter? Why do foods like spicy chili, corned beef and cabbage, beef stew or chicken pot pie not appeal to us in the summer? The answer is in the need of the body for warmth or cooling and the inherent properties of the herbs to provide this warming and cooling.

In warm weather we crave foods and flavors that help cool us. In winter, our cravings turn to foods that warm us, and give us more fat, a bit like a bear before hibernating.  This may be why pumpkin pie is only a winter food.  There is the issue that pumpkins aren't ready to eat until cool weather, but the spices we traditionally use for pie making - cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg - are all warming herbs. In summer, those spices would make us feel hot and clammy. They're not spices that cause sweating (and thus cooling) like hot peppers do. So in winter, spice cake, pumpkin pie spices, spicy Indian chai tea is what our bodies crave. It's the way our bodies adjust to the changing seasons.

rosemary

savory - 2015 herb of the year

The herbs considered by many to be traditional holiday seasonings include rosemary, thyme, savory and sage. Not surprisingly, those are all warming herbs, seasonings that not only give us  a warm feeling spiritually, but also add a warming effect internally.

Winter warming herbs traditionally used with the heavy, fatty winter meats. Roast goose, a seriously greasy food, was traditionally seasoned with hyssop, winter savory, onion and thyme. Those herbs helped cut the greasy taste while still warming the meal.  The same holds true for pork. Back in the days when most people raised their own pigs and butchered privately, putting up pork loin, pork roast and bacon, each had more fat left on than you will find today. Historically, people used the fat for flavor and richness adding herbs that helped manage the fat and increased the warming. Rosemary, thyme, savory, sage and hot peppers went into sausage, seasoned roasts and was used in mixes for curing the meat.

Our tradition and tastes for the foods like dressing or stuffing, the seasoning in our gravy and on a roast turkey, all come down to us from those customs from the past that placed certain actions with needs of the body and the spirit.  Poultry seasoning, a must-have in the traditional dishes, is a mixture of sage, thyme, rosemary and savory. Even though today the modern turkey isn't as fatty, our yearnings for seasonings are still there.

So enjoy your winter season herbs and know that they are good for you and will help you enjoy the winter change of seasons.

Monthly Bath Blend - Sugar Cookie Bath Salts

There are few things that rival a nice warm bubble bath to reduce stress and find comfort. I have always advocated a nice soak in the tub and recently have found with the stress of moving, relocating the business and trying to keep up with orders, lectures and shows that I am in need of the healing powers of the bath.

I have also found that you can easily turn your tub into a spa like experience easily and cheaply.  This recipe is not only sweet smelling and fun, it makes a great gift that although it smells like a cookie has absolutely no calories!

The added benefit of these salts is they are full of magnesium sulphate.  This mineral reduces stress and eases muscle tension and inflammation.
 

Sugar Cookie Bath Salts 

6 cups Epsom salts

1 Tbls. canola oil

4 drops vanilla extract

1/2 cup unscented liquid soap

1 tsp cinnamon

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.  I have cookie sheets that are never used for baking and I used those, but I still lined them.  Spread the salt on the sheet.  Place oil, liquid soap and vanilla in a mixing bowl.  Use your hands to mix thoroughly.  Pour the wet mixture over the salts. Sprinkle the cinnamon lightly over all the entire mixture. Allow to air-dry until the moisture is completely gone. Store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.  Keep in a cool and dry location.

To use: Add a scoop into a warm bath and breath deeply. (When gift giving be sure to include a scoop!)

Cauldron of herbs for Halloween

When we think Halloween we think of witches.  Witches were well presented in Shakespeare’s Macbeth standing around a cauldron chanting this:

"Eye of newt, and toe of frog,

Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,

Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,

Lizard's leg, and howlet's wing,--

For a charm of powerful trouble,

Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."

Did you know that the items mentioned were actually phrases to symbolize different herbs?  Although there are variations of the plants symbolized in the chant, here is a mostly accurate presentation of the more accepted versions:

 

Peggy Trowbridge Filippone

Eye of newt – mustard seed

Toe of frog – buttercup leaves

Wool of bat – holly or moss (I lean toward moss, what do you think?)

Tongue of dog – hounds tooth

Adder’s fork – violet

Blind worm’s sting - Knotweed

Lizard’s leg – Ivy

Howlet’s wing – garlic or maybe ginger (but garlic was more common)

Happy Halloween!

Weekend Recipe - Crock Pot Potato Soup

Easy Crock Pot Potato Soup 

Use this crockpot recipe to feed your hungry crew before or after a chilly evening of trick or treating.

1 30 oz. bag of frozen diced hash browns
1 32 oz box of chicken broth
1 10 oz. can of cream of chicken soup

1 tsp. savory or thyme

1 tsp. sage

1 tsp. marjoram or oregano
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese (not fat free)
3 oz bacon bits 
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Put the potatoes in the crockpot. Add in the chicken broth, cream of chicken soup and half of the bacon bits. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook on low for 8 hours or until potatoes are tender.  An hour before serving, cut the cream cheese into small cubes. Add the herbs to crock pot. Place the cubes in the crock pot. Mix a few times throughout the hour before serving. Once the cream cheese is completely mixed in, it's ready to serve.  Top with cheddar cheese and some additional bacon bits.

Monthly Bath Recipe - Chamomile Arthritis Bath Salts

I have developed arthritis in one hand and my hip.  It is early yet and may be able to be controlled with physical therapy, but it does have occasion to interrupt my sleep, so since we now have a nice deep bathtub, I decided to work on bath salts for soothing  joint pain. 

This blend for the bath tub is a combination of Chamomile and Lavender with Epsom salts.  All of which are great for reducing inflammation.

I generally use heat seal tea bags for blends like this, but I know not everyone has access to those, so if you don't you might want to try sewing these up in a used dryer sheet. Just fold the sheet in half and stitch it closed on the two of the three open sides, if you have a sewing machine you can make quick work of this.  Then fill it and hand stitch closed the last side.

Chamomile has strong anti-inflammatory benefits, making it a great addition to the warm bath along with relaxing Lavender. Epsom salts also have an anti-inflammatory effect for soaking.  Combine the added benefit of hot water to increase circulation  and you have a great therapeutic bath that eases joint pain and reduces sore muscles. Some slow, deep breathing is useful as well for relaxation.

Chamomile Arthritis Bath Salts
1 cup Epsom salts
1 cup sea salt
1 cup baking soda
3 Tablespoons Chamomile flowers
2 Tablespoons Lavender buds
12 drops chamomile essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil

Use about 1 cup of mixture per sachet.

Your bath salt sachet gets tossed into the running hot bath and the fabric keeps the herbs from clogging the drain and making for messy clean up.  

Back in the groove - Herbs for Fall

We have finally finished moving.  I have the internet at home now for the first time in over a decade. And it is a good thing, because I am not working outside the home as much as before.  I am going to be spending my time growing the herb business!  Something I have wanted to do, but have not had the hours needed for such a long time.

Harvest was good this year, as water has been plentiful and flooding not an issue for a change. Here a a few shots of the inside and outside of the new shed.  Now I have two sheds.  One at the property and one at home so I can harvest twice as much on a work day.  This will be good int he long run because the more you harvest the more grows back!!

Since it is harvesting season, I thought I would share a few harvesting and preserving links from posts past as I gear back up to posting more regularly.

Happy harvesting!

Here is a post on Drying the Harvest

This one is an overview of of the technique of hang drying.

This one details how to make herb pastes - the best way to preserve the fresh basil flavor.

Of you can just Freeze the herbs too!

Herb Scented Bath Jelly - Monthly Bath Blend

It is canning time and my thoughts turn to making herbal jellies.  You can check out my how to on Purple Basil Jelly here if your thoughts are going there too!  But in keeping with these thoughts I found a great recipe for a Bath Jelly.

Jellies can be made as a luxurious adult home spa goody or they can be packaged for the kids (set with toys inside). They make great gifts. They may not bubble up as nicely as some commercial products, but definitely a nice treat.

Herb Scented Bath Jelly

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup liquid soap (unscented–shower gel, hand soap or bubble bath)
Essential oil (choose a favorite, use just a few drops)

Directions:

Bring 3/4 cup water to a boil, remove from heat then slowly dissolve the gelatin. Slowly pour in liquid soap and stir. Add essential oil, combine well.  Pour liquid into a clean clear jar or container, seal and refrigerate overnight.  Once it gels, it’s ready. This is not a long term recipe, it will keep for a few weeks if refrigerated and sealed airtight to avoid mold, but not much longer.

Optional: A couple drops of food coloring can be added when first mixing jelly to give it some color, don’t use too much though since it can stain tubs.

To Use:

Just put a spoonful under running tap for a bubbling treat (a tablespoon or two will do).

If you wish, skip the essential oil and use liquid soaps that have a fragrance.