Celebrating Martha Washington

I have celebrated presidents in the past in February but I thought this year I would celebrate Martha Washington. Martha Dandridge Custis married George Washington in 1759, was born 

June 13, 1731.

She is known for a few rather poignant quotes:

               The greater part of our happiness or misery               depends on our dispositions and not on our 

          circumstances. We carry the seeds of the one 

          or the other about with us in our minds

          wherever we go.

          I am fond of only what comes from the heart.

rarer image of young Martha Washington

Martha was also a normal 1700s housewife with books of recipes and notes for keeping a household. This example is for Honey of Roses is more of a honey infused with roses.  The intensity of the flavor from changing the rose as suggested would make this a wonderful flavoring and probably a good treatment for skin.

Martha Washington's Recipe for
Honey of Roses

Take a pinte of honey, boyle & scum it, & add as many bruised leaves of red roses buds (ye whites being cut of) as you may easily stir in. Yn cover it close & boyle ye pot in water, till you think ye goodness of the roses is in ye honey. Then change ye roses once or twice in ye same manner, & at ye last, strayn out ye roses & keep it for yr use. 

Her recipe is is bit more involved than mine, but I think you can get the same wonderful aroma and flavor with a simpler recipe.  The key is to make sure your roses have not been sprayed or treated with pesticides.

Rose Petal Honey

1 cup lightly packed rose petals—organic, pesticide free, rinsed & air dried
1 cup light honey—choose a nice, thick one if you can

Warm the honey in a hot water bath until it is easily pourable. Pack the rose petals into a 1 pint mason jar. Pour honey on top, stopping to rap the bottom of the jar on the counter to knock out air bubbles and make room for more honey. Once the jar is full, cap it and set it on a sunny windowsill.

Flip the jar once or twice a day to combine. Enjoy after at least a week, but leave the rose petals in the honey—they’re delicious, and the flavor will just get stronger

Use on hot buttered toasted tea cakes or just plain toast. Stir into oatmeal, or for if you are feeling adventuresome, drizzle over your lovers body and indulge.

Weekend Recipe - Tea & Champagne Punch

June 10th is officially “Iced Tea Day" in the US. I thought it would be fun to celebrate this occasion with one of the oldest iced tea recipes ever published. The recipe was published in 1839 in “The Kentucky Housewife” cookbook. There is a warning that comes with this though. Apparently, in 1839, being a housewife meant drinking a lot of alcohol because this one packs a pretty good punch.
 

"Tea Punch - Make a pint and a half of very strong tea in the usual manner; strain it, and pour it boiling (hot) on one pound and a quarter of loaf sugar. Add half a pint of rich sweet cream, and then stir in gradually a bottle of claret or of champaign (sic). You may heat it to the boiling point, and serve it so, or you may send it round entirely cold, in glass cups."

 (Courtesy of whatscookingamerica.net)

This is a classic pairing of champagne, sugar and cream. The effervescent bubbles of the champagne help to lighten the cream and the sugar really ties it all together. Adding the tea adds a certain bit of maltyness and astringency that really makes this a refreshing drink. And the best part about it, it is really easy to prepare in advance for those times you would like a nice punch for a gathering.

Unlike so many old recipes, I think you could easily make this, just as presented and use it at any summer picnic.  Here is a translation of the recipe for you:

Kentucky Iced Tea Punch
3 cups boiling water

3 tsp. black tea

1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1 750ml bottle of champagne or sparkling wine.

Brew 3 cups of black tea for 10 minutes, using 3 tsp. of any black tea with three cups of water brought to a boil.  Strain the tea and pour it over sugar in a large picture.  Add heavy cream, and entire bottle of champagne.

Muscle Saver Bath - Bath Blend of the Month

Much garden work is being done at my house as I put in gardens where none were before.  The shoveling, the raking, the building of raised beds, it is all good for me, but my muscles sometimes scream in protest.  This aromatic bath is good for relaxing muscles and relieving stress.  It is also valuable to those with arthritis.  I find this is very helpful when my hands start aching. Juniper berry’s essential oil breaks down the surface tension of the epidermis helping the skin absorb the beneficial aspects of the remaining herbs.

Muscle-Saver Bath 

1 tsp. juniper berries

2 Tbls. dried peppermint

2 Tbls. dried spearmint

2 Tbls lavender flowers and leaves

Place all the ingredients in a square of muslin or a handkerchief, tie up with string.  Or place in an unbleached muslin bag or coffee filter.  Place the bag in the tub while it fills with water.  The bag acts like a giant tea bag, turning your bath into a therapeutic herbal tea.  Use the soaked bag to scrub your skin.  If you prefer a shower, soak the bag of herbs in the shower and then use it like a washcloth.

New Garden Update - some raised beds are in!

The weather is being more cooperative, so I put in two of the four planned raised beds.  I think the third will go in this week too!  I also have put in a "rock garden" of sorts as a walkway from the house to the garage planted with thyme. And I repotted and brought outdoors the scented geraniums I overwintered inside.

So first to the raised beds

Here they are in place.  We put cardboard in the bottom to stop weed and grass penetration then filled them with a soil mix of my own creation.

Soil Mix:
   1 part top soil (in this case from the rain garden - see previous post)
   1 part bagged soil (I would use leaf and other compost, but we have not lived here long enough to produce any yet, so I bought bags of "raised bed or vegetable garden soil" to add to my top soil)
 1/2 part compost - in this case Moo-nure, which is aged cow manure.  I find mushroom compost gets to hot for the roots of some plants so I have stopped using it as much.




I spread the top soil, the bag soil , then top soil again, then compost and raked it all together in the bed.

Then I let it sit for a week. I might have watered it also, but we had rain on the way so I did not bother.  In fact we had 3 inches of rain over several days.

With that impending rain, I felt it was the perfect time to plant those wild flower seeds, so I sprinkled more than a dozen different kinds of seed, from Sunflowers to larkspur on the prepared soil in the side yard.

You can almost see the seedlings poking up through the dirt.

Repotting Geraniums

I brought the scented geraniums in for winter and placed them in a sunny window., but they get leggy so when it comes time to take them back outside you have to do some extra things.

Steps to repotting a geranium (also works for other wintered over herbs, like rosemary and the like)

Step 1.  Make a potting mix just for the geraniums.  They like a sandy soil, so even if I use pre-made potting mix, I add course sand (also known as builders sand) to the mixture so the soil can dry out properly for the geraniums.


Soil Mix for Containers:
  1 part peat or coconut coir
  1 part leaf mold or other decaying compost / soil
  1 part nutrient rich compost like worm casings or commercial aged manure
  1 part course sand (omit sand if planting other herbs of flowers)

mixed soil with organic matter, soil and sand

Step 2. Fill the new container at least 3/4 full with soil and reserve more for filling in around the plant.

Step 3.  Remove the geranium from its current container and loosen the roots, removing as much existing soil as possible.

Step 4. Place in new pot and fill in soil around the plant being sure to cover all of the root with soil.  Firm the soil around the plant, but leave it a bit spongy.  Leave about 1/2 to 1 inch space at the top of the pot to catch watering water and allow it to soak into the soil in future waterings.

Step 5.  Water thoroughly, then place in a shady location for a few days before moving to the sunshine for the summer of outdoor living.

Make a Famous Salad Dressing

Joe Marzetti introduced Americans to his now-famous dressings (from his native Italy) when he

opened his Columbus, Ohio, restaurant in 1896.

Richard Hellman, who owned a deli in New York City and had won numerous culinary awards, began bottling and selling his mayonnaise in 1912, first in wooden containers, then in glass jars. The

Hellman's Real Mayonnaise that we use today is basically the same recipe Hellman originated.

Caesar Cardini is credited with inventing Caesar salad in 1924 in Tijuana, Mexico (although there are

those who believe it was more likely invented by Giancomo Junia, an Italian chef in Chicago, around

1903).

Ranch dressing - arguably the most popular on the market today - can be traced back to the Hidden Valley Guest Ranch near Santa Barbara, California. The owners began serving the dressing in the 1950s. Guests liked it so much that Hidden Valley began producing its instant, dry mix.

Thousand Island dressing, traditionally made from diced green olives, peppers, pickles, onions and hard-boiled eggs in a mayonnaise and chili-sauce base, dates to the early 1900s. Although often credited to a chef at New York City's Waldorf Astoria Hotel, actress May Irwin actually brought the recipe to the chef there from George and Sophia LaLonde's fishing resort in Clayton, New York.

Green Goddess, made from mayonnaise, anchovies, tarragon vinegar, parsley, scallions, garlic and spices, originated at San Francisco's Palace Hotel, where George Arliss stayed while performing the play The Green Goddess.

I always try the “house’ dressing when I go to a restaurant.  I want to know what the local chef or cook has made to dress his or her salads.  Usually a vinaigrette with a special combination of herbs and a certain acid like a flavored vinegar or a local balsamic I have never been disappointed ordering house dressing.  I think it was this virtually endless array of possibilities that first got me interested in making herb mixes. My first two blends were Dill Dip and Italian Dressing – my own version of a house vinaigrette. Since that time I have developed 11 more dressings, including my own RanchBlends and a Lemon Chive Combo that can be made into three different dressings.

Some recipes for dressing cannot be easily made into a mix however, so I thought I would share a couple of those recipes with you today.

The key to blending your own world famous dressing is to use the freshest ingredients possible.  Choose freshly squeezed lemon juice over bottled and try fresh herbs over dried. The spring cuttings from the herb garden are the sweetest and most wonderful for making and herbal dressing. Choose your vinegar based on the kind of dressing you're making: red wine, champagne, rice, white wine and apple cider vinegars all have excellent flavor. Avoid using a plain white vinegar because its flavor is sharp and severe, but if you have a white vinegar infusedwith herbs (LINK) this is a perfect time to use it.  Use a light vegetable oil, like sunflower or a canola blend, or a good-quality olive oil. Typically, dressing recipes call for two to three times the amount of oil as the amount of vinegar. I like less oil, especially if using a flavored vinegar, such as a raspberry or tarragon. Experiment to suit your taste.

Dressing in a Hurry

Fast enough to put together even after dinner guests have arrived, this is great on any combination of greens.

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano or 2 sprigs fresh, chopped, stems discarded

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley or 2 sprigs fresh, chopped

1/4 teaspoon dried dill or 2 sprigs fresh, chopped fine (no stems)

1 clove garlic, minced

Whisk together vinegar, lemon juice, honey and mustard in a bowl until blended. Slowly pour in oil, whisking constantly. Blend in the herbs and garlic. Makes 3/4 cup.

Herbed Buttermilk Dressing

2 cups buttermilk (is best, but if you do not have it you can use 2 cups milk less 2 Tbls with either 2 Tbls white vinegar or 3 1/2  teaspoons cream of tartar)

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

1 sprig fresh parsley, diced

5 to 10 strands of chives, sliced thin

2 green onions, diced

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in blender and pulse blend for a few pulses. Chill before using. You can toss this with any salad.  Especially good with an abundance of vegetables. Makes 2 cups.

If you want more information on blending herb dressings and making salads they check out the book by Jim Long “The Best Dressed Salad” (Long Creek Herbs, 2006). Jim is an herb grower and lecturer who has been around longer than me and he has much information to share.

New Garden update - starting from scratch

Man I forgot how much work starting from scratch is with a garden.  And the weather is not cooperating.

Here is the space where the raised beds are to go... Grass obviously not dead.

Here is the converted sand box.  The herbs you see were rescued from my community patches last fall after we moved.  Some were transplanted late so I worried that they might not make it.  Some did not, others are coming up well.  To my surprise it was the Lemon Balm that died.. Lemon Balm, really?  The L-shape is for the new herbs for this year.

One leaf may be lemon balm, but I am not holding my breath.








This side garden is for cutting and wild flowers, but the soil is not warm enough yet to germinate the seed, so I have not actually planted anything!














This is the rain garden, doing its job after 1 1/4 inches of rain this past weekend.  It overflowed, so hubby admits that perhaps I should have made it bigger.  He convinced me to make it only 150 square feet.  We will be expanding it soon!


I wanted to cover that sewer clean out (upper right corner of rain garden photo) and got a great pot.  However, the color did not stand out at all against the green of the hedge, so I spray painted the set of pots terra cotta (actually "Cinnamon" according to Rustoleum) and they are so much more striking from the road now!

I will post another update when I finally have some good weather and can plant something.  This weekend is the Garden Club of Villa Park Native Plant and Herb Sale, so by Monday I will have all kinds of things to put in the ground.

Relaxing Herbal Bath Mixture - Bath Recipe of the Month

Aromatherapy and Health Benefits of Certain herbs

Lemon balm: calming and soothing

Lemon peel: increases immunity from disease

Calendula: healing to skin cells, reduces inflammation and heals injured skin

Rosebuds: increase happiness with the release of endorphins; soothe irritated skin

Lavender flowers: reduce stress and relax large muscles

Chamomile: healing to skin cells

Catnip: mild sedative

Sea Salt: adds needed minerals to promote skin cell health

Relaxing Healing Herbal Bath Mix

Enjoy a relaxing bath with this fragrant mixture of dried herbs especially formulated to relax tense muscles and soothe the soul. The warm water releases the healing properties of the herbs which are then absorbed by your skin. The therapeutic effect of a relaxing bath will result in 20 minutes. Light a candle, sip a cup of herb tea and relax in a warm bath. A spa treatment right at home!

6 Tbls. lavender

6 Tbls. lemon balm

2 Tbls. Chamomile

2 Tbls. Roses

2 Tbls. lemon peel

2 Tbls. calendula

2 Tbls. catnip

2 Tbls. sea salt 

Directions:

Mix herbs in container and store in a tightly lidded jar.  Makes roughly 1 ½ cups

To Use: Place one tablespoon of relaxing bath mix into a muslin bag, coffee filer or even a tea ball and close securely. Add the bag to warm tub water and infuse while tub is filling. Remove bath sachet from tub and allow to drain. Therapeutic effect of a relaxing bath will begin to be seen in about 20 minutes.