Lemon Herbs my favorite Herbs of the Week with Info from Kathy Musser

 In a recent article in The Essential Herbal Magazine, Kathy Musser of Cloverleaf Herb Farm shared a thorough list of lemon, lime and orange flavored herbs.  It was a great article focusing on the many uses and the distinct flavors of each.

Lemon Verbena

I loved the fact that her first herb in the list was Lemon Verbena, as it is one of my favorite go-to lemon herbs. In her description, she suggested  “Try steeping lemon verbena leaves in warm milk, then cool and strain. Use the infused milk for muffins, quick breads, cakes, puddings, etc. for a wonderful lemon taste.”  I had never tried this before, so I decided an experiment was in order. I Infused Greek yogurt with fresh lemon verbena leaves overnight and then created this savory muffin to serve to the garden club board members.

Savory Lemon Herb Muffins

• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano grated
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt infused with 6 to 12 fresh lemon verbena leaves overnight
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup fresh basil minced
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest grated\

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 6-cup muffin tin.

Measure the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl. Stir together with a fork until blended. Add the cheese and stir the blend.

In a second bowl, add the lemon juice, infused yogurt, olive oil, and egg. Blend together to combine.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the yogurt mixture. Stir by folding over only until just combined. Add the basil, chili powder, and lemon zest last, folding them in only once or twice to distribute evenly. Divide between the six muffin cups.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a knife tip or toothpick emerges clean. Let the muffins cool for about 10 minutes before removing them from the tin and transferring to a wire rack.

 

Lemon Balm

Kathy’s article also focused a bit on Lemon Balm.  Knowing it is in the mint family she addressed the spreading issues that some people experience and gave a solution I have never tried before.

“It (lemon Balm) produces loads of small, white flowers which become masses of seeds, which go everywhere, giving lemon balm its bad reputation. As soon as I see flower stalks developing, I cut the plant back hard - nearly to the ground. It recovers quickly and this eliminates the uncontrolled reseeding.”

Lemon Balm Cut back hard

I’ve trimmed mine to eliminate flower stalks, but never cut it back hard, so I decided she might have something and decided to give it a try.  What I got when it came back, were great fresh bright green leaves that were large and very scented.  I will be doing this from now on.

Lemon Balm coming back

Sorrel

Another lemon herb Kathy mentioned was Sorrel  (Rumex acetosa).  I grow a version of this perennial that has distinctive red veins, rather than the plain green style.  I grow this strictly for personal use to put in salads.  Kathy pointed out it has a tart lemon flavor and when you cook it, it “will moderate the tartness. When cooked, it can be eaten like spinach or used in sauces and soup. Sorrel soup is very popular in Europe, eaten as an early harbinger of spring. It’s high in vitamins A and C and produces a clump which increases in size each year.”

Here is a great recipe for Sorrel soup that is a French version.  My husband is a French-style cook, so this is a favorite of his which allows him to use his emersion blender.

French Style Sorrel Soup

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions, ramps or other wild onion
• 4-6 cups of chopped sorrel, packed
• Salt
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 quart chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup cream

Directions:

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the green onions or ramps and turn the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and cook gently for 10 minutes. While the onions are cooking, pour the stock into another pot and bring to a simmer.

Turn the heat up, add the sorrel leaves and a healthy pinch of salt to the pot with the onions and stir well. When the sorrel is mostly wilted, turn the heat back to medium-low, cover and cook 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Mix in the flour and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.

Whisk in the hot stock, stirring constantly. Bring this to a simmer.

To finish the soup, whisk together the egg yolks and cream. Temper the mixture by ladling a little soup into it with one hand, while you whisk the egg-cream mix with the other. Repeat this three times. (You are doing this to prevent the eggs from scrambling) Now start whisking the soup. Pour the hot egg-cream-soup mixture into the pot with the soup, whisking all the way. Add the final tablespoon of butter. Let this cook -- below a simmer -- for 5 minutes. Do not let it boil or the soup will break. Serve at once.

Conclusion

I always suggest that if you love herbs and want to learn from people who are just like you, like Kathy Musser, try subscribing TheEssential Herbal Magazine.  It comes to your email box every two months and is filled with a variety of articles and great photos for beginners and seasoned growers of herbs.  I have been writing for the magazine for years and every issue always gives me new nuggets of herb info.  I am sure it will do the same for you.

 

Great Grilling Butter -- Weekend Recipe

 Using herbs that are left over from the garden or the grocery to make an herb butter is a great way to make something you can use with the grill.  This recipe uses parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme because I have them growing in my garden. If your family prefers a different combination, go ahead and substitute what they like. The ratio is 1/2 cup of butter to 1/4 cup minced herbs, so use any herbs you like. Simply place a portion on top of a cooked steak, just like a fancy steakhouse would do.

                                            
Herb Butter for a Grilled Steak

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

Place 7 tablespoons softened, unsalted butter in a small mixing bowl. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir cooked garlic into reserved softened butter. Mix the minced fresh herbs into the garlic-butter mixture using a fork, stirring and pressing until evenly distributed. Season with sea salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate until slightly firmed up, about 20 minutes.

Turn mixture out onto a 9x12-inch strip of aluminum foil or parchment paper. Form mixture into a log, about 6 inches long and 1 inch thick. Roll herb butter up in the foil or parchment, twisting the ends and closing with a twist tie or rubber band. Return to the refrigerator until firmed up, about 40 minutes. Slice into 8 equal portions and serve on top of steak or other dishes. Wrap and refrigerate any leftovers up to 4 days. Logs can be frozen up to 3 months.

Herb butter is great not only on steak, but works with any grilled or roasted protein, steamed vegetables, or on baked potatoes.

Health Benefits -- Tea Ideas for the Month of August

Health Benefits of Herbal Tea

With a handful of herbs, many of which can be found in your kitchen cabinets or garden,  and a few basic techniques, you can brew up healing teas for everyday ailments.

There are lots of ways to enjoy the goodness of plants, but for accessibility and simplicity, it’s hard to beat a good cup of tea. I especially enjoy it when it the tea contains herbs I grew, foraged, or blended myself. 

There are also so many health benefits to drinking tea that can’t be denied. Here are a few of the known benefits.

ginger

Improves Digestion 

Several herbal teas have been shown to help with nausea, constipation, indigestion, and more. Fortunately, most of them are widely available and easy to make. Some herbs that are known to help include: ginger, peppermint, gentian root, fennel, angelica root, dandelion, senna, and marshmallow root

Mint teas are great for the stomach so tea with strong mint favors will help with digestion.  At Backyard Patch Herbs we have Shakespeare and Rest Easy Teas which will give you the mint flavor in an amount to help with stomach issues.

Peppermint and Green Tea

• 2 parts peppermint
• 1 part green tea

Combine together and store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, use 1 to 2 tsp per cup of hot water. Can be served hot or iced.

chamomile

Reduces Inflammation 

There are a variety of beneficial compounds present in different kinds of tea that can help to soothe inflammation, including tea itself as well as rose petals and rose hips, ginger, turmeric, chamomile, and more.

Backyard Patch Herbs has several types of tea that will help with inflammation - like Hibiscus Rose Blush, Turmeric Chai and Therapeutic.

Ginger and Hibiscus Tea

• 2 parts ginger
• 1 part hibiscus
• 1/2 part cranberries (if you want some extra tart)
• honey to taste (for some sweet)

If you use dried cranberries check to see if they added sugar before you add honey.  Combine all the items in a jar and use 1 to 2 teaspoons for 1 cup of hot water.  Great served hot or iced.

lavender

Relieve Stress and Anxiety

Herbal teas calm and relax the mind, relieving stress and anxiety. Since it calms the mind, drinking herbal tea before going to sleep also helps people who suffer from insomnia.

Chamomile is one of the best herbs for sleep and the reduction of stress.  Along with lavender, these two herbs can help with difficulties sleeping and the comforting effect may also act as a mild anti-depressant for some as it stimulates the brain to reduce feelings of depression and stress.

We have several teas to assist in this way.  Nerve Soothing is high in Chamomile, Dreamtime has both chamomile and lavender, and Calming Spirit gives the relaxation of lavender, mint and chamomile.

Anti-anxiety Herbal Tea Blend

• 2 tablespoons dried lemon balm
• 2 tablespoons dried rose hips, cut & sifted
• 1 tablespoon dried chamomile
• 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender

Combine materials and store in a lidded jar or tin. For a single serving hot cup of tea, place 1 tablespoon of the tea blend into a tea ball or bag. Add the filled tea ball or bag and fill with 1 cup (8 fl oz) hot water. Cover & let steep for 8-10 minutes, then enjoy! (Sweeten if desired!)

 

Come see us at the Farmer's Market - Lombard, Illinois

We are going to be at the local farmer’s market this summer.  I have not done Farmer’s Markets since about the year 2000, so I decided to start slow and easy.  This is just down the street from our new place in Lombard, Illinois on Tuesday 2 pm to 7 PM (St Charles Road east of Main Street in the village lot.)  There is a great sourdough bread vendor Papa Bears Bread Co and we picked up a loaf.  Then there is an awesome organic garlic farm called Garlic Breath Farm, so I decided to create a bread spread with one of my blends.  I went with something very robust, my Bean Soup Seasoning.

Bean Soup Seasoning Flavored Sour Dough

1 10-inch round loaf sourdough bread
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
3 Tablespoons. Backyard Patch Bean Soup Seasoning Mix

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice loaf in half giving you 2 rounds. Butter cut center. Place under broiler until lightly browned. Mix remaining ingredients and spread over toasted bread. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until top is puffed up and light brown. Cut into wedges and serve.

Dream Pillow - Bath Blend of the Month

I have posted other recipes for Sleep or Dream pillows in the past.  A sleep pillow is actually a sachet.  Gather the herbs and place inside a small muslin bag and secure firmly. Place this sleep bag either on or under the pillow to aid sleep. It can also be used when travelling to aid sleep in a strange bed too.

Dream Pillow

Classic sleep-inducing herbs with a pleasant scent, all of which are said to bring pleasant dreams.

• 1 ounce mugwort
• 1 ounce lemon verbena
• 1 ounce chamomile
  
  
  
• 1 ounce pink rose buds
• 1 ounce peppermint
• ¼ ounce hops

Combine the herbs together and place ½ cup into a sachet.  Place the sachet inside your pillow case so the scent will help you to sleep.

Tea Ideas for the Month of July

July is the height of the gardening season.  The herbs are growing, the flowers are blooming, and the vegetables are ready for harvest.  Everything is in its prime. The perfect time to make a tea that is filled with flowers and aromatics.  So this month I have two tea recipes and a scone mix that will let you take advantage of nature's bounty.

Aromatic Tea

Chamomile provides calming effects, catnip for relaxation and marjoram for its sweet mellow taste. And if you use mint it will be both cooling and relaxing.

• 5 parts chamomile
• 4 parts marjoram
• 3 parts catnip
• 2 parts mint (optional)

Combine herbs if dried in glass jar for storage to use later.  If using fresh, tear the leaves from stems before measuring and use a small enough amount that you can make and use on the same day to get the best flavor from your fresh herbs.

For dry: Use 2 tsp per cup of hot water and allow to steep for 5 to 7 minutes.

For Fresh: Use 2 Tablespoons per cup of hot water and allow to steep 10 minutes.

Bright Mint Tea

This is a different way to make a mint tea.  You are in essence making a concentrate, then straining out the herbs and crafting an iced tea with the intense remaining liquid.

Wash 8 sprigs of mint, twelve inches long (any mint, spearmint, peppermint, applemint, orange mint, chocolate mint.  This one is perfect for the exotic varieties of mint.)

 Remove the leaves from the branches and place in a blender with four cups of water and liquefy. Allow it steep for at least 1 hour up to 2 hours and then strain out the solids.  The resulting green liquid can then be served with ice and diluted as needed to taste.

Here is a perfect recipe for making scones from fresh herbs,  you can use any combination you want. Chives are always good in a savory scone as is marjoram, savory, rosemary and dill.

Fresh Herb Scones

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 6 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter cubed
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup assorted fresh herbs, finely diced 
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream
• 1 egg beaten for egg wash or substitute heavy cream

Preheat your oven to 425 F degrees. Using a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Toss the cold butter cubes into the flour mixture and rub in the butter throughout the flour using your fingers. Continue until you have tiny pieces of butter throughout. And the dough looks like a coarse meal. Make a well in the center of your bowl, whisk the eggs together and add them directly into the center of the bowl, into the well, and pour in the milk (starting with a ¼ cup and use more milk as you need it. Add more milk if the dough isn’t wet enough or if needed.) and the fresh herbs. Using your hands like a claw, mix together all of the ingredients until just combined.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the dough as well so it’s easier to work with. Do not knead the dough but shape just enough to make round and flatten.

To make scone wedges: Once you have your dough in a round shape, use a bench scraper or knife to cut your dough into 8 wedges or triangles.

To make round scones: Flatten your dough by hand and use a round biscuit cutter to make round scone shapes. Continue until all of the dough has been used.

Transfer to a lined baking sheet and brush the tops of the scones with your egg wash. Bake for about 14 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!

Bath Vinegars - Bath Blend of the Month

In July the herbs are in their prime and it is the perfect time of the year to make vinegar.

The technique for making herb vinegar is simple.  Place fresh herbs in a sterilized jar, cover them with distilled white vinegar and allow them to steep for at least 2 weeks.

Once you make an herbal vinegar you can create great items for the bath.  This month I have two recipes for you, a Vinegar Bath and a Vinegar Hair Rinse.

To start these recipes you need an herbal vinegar.  The link above will give you more detailed instructions for making an herb vinegar.  For the bath, I suggest herbs with germ-fighting characteristics like thyme, lemon thyme, marjoram, basil, oregano, and sage.

Vinegar Bath

• 1 cup Epsom salts
• 2 Tbls ground ginger
• 1 cup herb vinegar

Combine these items together and pour immediately into warm bath water.  Soak as normal.

Vinegar Hair Rinse for Dry hair

Make a vinegar with 1 to 2 ounces of herbs, calendula, nettle, and marshmallow and red wine vinegar

allow to steep for 2 weeks then dilute 50/50 with distilled water.  

To use: Wash hair as usual, then apply after washing and smooth through hair to help remove soap residue.