May is National Salad Month -- Make Salads!

In celebration of the National Month for Salads, I turned up some unique herb-related recipes that that make unique salads.  I cannot guarantee that all of these are low in calories, however!

Borage & Cucumbers in Sour Cream Dressing

3 long cucumbers

Salt

1 cup sour cream or fresh plain yogurt

2 Tbls. rice vinegar

½ tsp. celery seed

¼ cup chopped scallions

1 tsp sugar

¼ cup finely chopped young borage leaves

Salt & pepper to taste

Borage or chive flowers for garnish

Wash, score and very thinly slice the cucumbers.  Salt lightly and let stand in a colander for 30 minutes to drain.  Rinse off the salt and pat dry with paper towels.

In a bowl, mix remaining ingredients, adding salt and pepper to taste.  Add cucumbers and toss lightly.  Garnish with borage flowers or chive blossoms.  Refrigerate 1 hour before serving. 

Black Bean Salad RecipeServes 6 to 8

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, thoroughly rinsed, and drained (or 1 1/2 cup of freshly cooked black beans)
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, defrosted (or fresh corn, parboiled, drained and cooled)
1/2 cup chopped green onions or shallots
2 fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced, or 1 whole pickled jalapeño pepper, minced (not seeded)
3 fresh plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
2 Tbsp lime juice (about the amount of juice from one lime)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Make sure to rinse and drain the beans, if you are using canned beans.
In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, onions, jalapeno chile peppers, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, basil, lime juice and olive oil. Add sugar and salt and pepper to taste. (The sugar will help balance the acidity from the tomatoes and lime juice.) Chill before serving.

Broccoli Salad

Serves 6

This great recipe is a spring and summer pleaser with Backyard Patch Ranch Dressing.

 

4 cups raw broccoli. Cut into pieces

1 large mango cut into chunks

½ cup cashews

½ cup red onion , thinly sliced

1 can mandarin oranges drained (11 oz)

¾ cup prepared Backyard Patch Ranch dressing/dip mix

3 Tbls orange juice

1 TB horseradish (optional)

 

In a large bowl, toss broccoli mango, cashews, onion and oranges.  Blend dressing orange juice and horseradish well to make salad dressing.  Pour over salad before serving, then toss.  Yield 6 servings.

Enjoy!  And if you want some crowd pleasing salad dressings you can make at home, try these links:

Backyard Patch Salad Dressing Herb Mixes

Backyard Patch Samplers with Salad Dressings

Herbs to Protect Your Bones

The bone breakdown that leads to osteoporosis is a normal event that occurs in humans as we age.  To slow its progression medical science suggests regular exercise, ingestions of calcium-containing foods or supplements.  A diet rich in vegetables, especially onions, has been found to decrease bone loss.  Recent research has found a few Bone enhancing herbs that can also be added to that regiment of bone protection.  Herbs and plants have been studies extensively for their value at reducing the risk of osteoporosis.  Some of the common herbs like sage, rosemary, and thyme have been found to inhibit the bone breakdown that contributes to osteoporosis.

rosemary

Because these herbs are high in essential oils researchers also looked into the essential oils and component of these oils to inhibit bone breakdown.  This coupled with the knowledge that the minerals found in plants like calcium, potassium, and magnesium are important to bone health.  Also the vitamins K and C as well as phytoestrogens can contribute to bone health.

The essential oils that were found to inhibit bone deterioration, included sage, juniper, pine, eucalyptus, and rosemary. The components of these oils which was discovered to be doing the work were thujone, eucalyptol and camphor which can all be found in sage oil.  Menthol, thymol and medicinal turpentine were also found to inhibit bone breakdown.

So what to do with this information

thyme

The dried herbs used in the study were given at a does of 1 gram per day to a rat so scaled up that is 150 grams per day or 10 Tablespoons of dried herd.   The problem with large quantities of an herb is that taking too much can result in levels of toxicity, so until more studies are done, I would not try to use quite this much.  However there is probably nothing wrong with increasing the use of sage, rosemary and thyme in cooking and in teas. 

Here are a few recipes to get you started:

I make a tea I called S&G which contains Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme, you get the connection right?  S&G is Simon and Garfunkle.  I love that song and those musicians, so making the tea was not a big step.

If you would like to make a tea with these herbs, here is another possibility:

Thyme to Heal Tea

Thyme is a digestive aid, as well as a cold symptum releiver, so this blend can assist with stomach and cold issues.

1 Tbls. Thyme

1 Tbls. Red clover

1 Tbls. Sage

1 Tbls. Rosemary

Mix together and store in a tin or jar airtight jar.  Use 1 tsp. per cup of hot water and steep 5 minutes.

Hearty Herb Blend

2 parts dried rosemary

2 parts dried savory

1 part dried thyme

1 part dried majoram

½ part dried sage

Grind fine to use in a shaker or leave coarse.  Great salt substitute.  Good rubbed on roasts or added to stews.

Herbal Tub Tea

The ultimate treatment is one in which you soak your entire body.  I make and market four different
tub teas/bath bags, but I have crafted many more.  They are a great way to enjoy the healthful benefits of your garden and really are simple to make.  You can use a muslin bag or a tea ball.  And if you are feeling gifty you can package them cutely in a tea cup or mug.

Making tub tea really depends on what benefits you want to access.  In this case since we want to increase our bone health I have chosen two blend with our needed herbs:

Stimulating - Rosemary, lavender, peppermint, lemon balm

Cleansing – sage, thyme, lemon verbena, green tea

Once you have crafted your combination of herbs, shoot for a total volume of about ¼ to ½ cup, place them in a cotton bag, coffee filter, or square of fabric.  This giant tea bag can be placed in the bath where the warm water will cascade over it as you fill the tub, or you can make a stronger more healing infusion by boiling the tea bag for 15 minutes in a small sauce pan with about 1 cup of water, then pouring the resulting tea into the filled tub.

~Marcy Lautanen-Raleigh
copyright 2011

Herb of the Week - Companion Planting

In keeping with National Herb Week, I wanted to focus on not just one herb, but many, so I chose

Companion Planting as the Herb of the Week.

Companion planting is placing complementary plants together so they help each other.  When I first started gardening, I understood this concept from books and lectures I’d heard, but I do not think I was convinced it would really work.  However my first garden was only 10 by 7 feet so if I wanted to put in everything I wanted herbs and vegetables had to be interspersed, so I tried a few companion planting ideas to craft my pairings and to my surprise, what I had read about really worked!

The reason this concept actually results in better gardens and plants is simple science:

• Some plants give off odors or chemicals that repel insects
• Some plants attract beneficial insects
• Some pants attract insect that will pollinate other pants.
• And some plants lure harmful insects away from valued plants

Here are some herbs that have companionship properties:

• Nasturtium repels aphids, squash bugs and striped pumpkin beetles, meaning it is great in a vegetable garden and mice in containers to keep other plants healthy.
• Catnip repels ants and flea beetles.  I like it out in large garden patches that are away from the house in sandy soil which ants love.
• Chives is another plant that discourages aphids.  It is also good at suppressing fungus.  Perfect addition to containers.
• Feverfew will attract aphids, so you can place it near flowering plants aphids normally enjoy so they bother it instead.
• Yarrow attracts hoverflies lady bugs and wasps, all of which prey on aphids.

Experimentation is the only way to find the best companion herbs for your gardening needs, but here are some general guidelines to get you started.

          Plant                          Goes well with                    Harmful to                     Benefited by

Basil	Petunias, tomatoes, asparagus, peppers, oregano	Common rue, sage & rosemary (deadly to rosemary)	Chamomile or anise
Borage	Tomatoes, cabbage (repels tomato hornworms & cabbage worms) strawberries, squash, fruits	nothing
Chamomile	Basil, wheat, onions, cabbage, cucumber
Chives	Tomatoes, carrots, apple trees, roses, mums, sunflowers (repel aphids)
Cilantro	Anise, caraway, spinach, dill (repels spider mites, you can even make a tea with the seed for a treatment)
Dill	Lettuce, cabbage, sweet corn, cucumbers,	Carrots, caraway, lavender, tomatoes (attracts hornworm) will cross pollinate with fennel
Garlic	Deters rabbits and Japanese beetles fruits trees (apple pear and peach), roses, cucumbers, lettuce, celery
Mints	Cuttings and mulch made from mint are great around turnips, cabbage, broccoli, and mustard.  Even works with mice.	parsley
Rosemary	Sage, cabbage, beans, carrots by deterring cabbage moths and bean beetles	basil
Sage	Beans, broccoli, cauliflower,  cabbage and carrots	Rue, cucumbers, onions	rosemary
Tarragon	Especially eggplant, but good anywhere in the garden for it repelling qualities
Chervil	carrots
Gopher Purge	Spread 20 feet of roots whose smell repels moles and gophers.
Lovage	Health improver for almost all plants
Rue	Deters Japanese beetles in roses and raspberries	sage
Tansy	Deters flying insect especially those attacking fruit trees, roses and raspberries
Wormwood	Dogs and other animals avoid this and stay away from your garden
Marigolds	Nematodes in the ground around any plants
Hyssop	Cabbage, grapes	radishes
Catnip	cucumber
Summer Savory	Bean plants

This is a bit of information to get you thinking about Companion planting as you plan your garden for 2011.  And if you want to learn more here are some of the places I used when doing my research.

Resources:
Companion Plants by Professor Stuart B. Hill Department of Entomology Macdonald College
Down Garden Services: Companion Planting
Gardening Know-How: Companion Planting in your Herb Garden

Great Garden Companions by Sally Jean Cunningham (Rodale Press, 1998)
Rodale’s Successful Organic Gardening: Companion Planting by Susan McClure and Sally Roth (Rodale Press, 1994)
Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening by Louise Riotte (Storey Publishing, 1998

Your Backyard Herb Garden by Miranda Smith (Rodale Press, 1997)

The Ultimate Book of Herbs and Herb Gardening by Jessica Houdret (Hermes House, 2002)

~Marcy Lautanen-Raleigh

copyright 2011

How Tuesday - Using a Plant Press

Writers in the Family

My husband is working on two books.  My Sister in Law crafts novels in her head.  I write articles on herbs and gardening and my Brother-in-Law was recently published in the Beacon, the magazine of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association (http://www.gllka.com/)  In the Winter 2010/2011 issue his article “Return to Crisp Point” included reminiscences from his time in the U.S. Coast Guard maintaining this lighthouse.  The article will soon be the cover article in another lighthouse publication.  If you enjoy lighthouses, this publication is one I would recommend as it supports restoration and history preservation of lighthouses.  Subscriptions start at $35.00/yr.

This month I had an article on how to make paper sachet’s published in the Essential Herbal Magazine.  (If you love eclectic writings on all things herbal from cooking to medicine and everything in between, check out this link to subscribe to this wonderful bi-monthly – only $25.00/year)

I wrote the article during the time I was experimenting with How To-sday ideas.  It was my first exercise in photographing something as I made it.  I think I am getting better at it, but let me know if you think I should take the photographs differently.  This Tuesday I am going to show how to use a plant press.

Pressing Flowers

Today I thought I would examine making pressed flowers and leaves.  This time of year the pansies, violas, and perennial herbs are at the perfect age for pressing.  The most important tool to press herbs is the press itself.

You can buy a press at craft stores or make your own.  I have a purchased press that my mother bought me as well as several that my husband made for me out of plywood cut in 10 inch squares.  You need two squares of plywood with 4 carriage bolts (al least 4 incheas to 5 inches long) and 4 wing nuts.  You can use regular nuts, but I hate getting those off, wing nuts make me much happier.

In addition to the press parts you need:

• acid-free tissue or blotting paper (water color paper works well)
• absorbent paper (I just use newspaper)
• cardboard

All should be cut between 8 and 9 inches square so they fit inside the edges of your press. 

You can also use a phone book, an old encyclopedia or dictionary, or just a pile of old paperbacks if making a press is not in your plan.

Harvest your flowers and leaves.  You must collect them fresh and press immediately.  I use my sharp gardening shears to cut the flowers and leaves, removing them from the plants, and then trimming the stems as short as possible so they do not add bulk to the press.  Good choices include Queen Anne's Lace, pansies, violas, pineapple sage, or herb leaves like basil, tarragon, lemon verbena, thyme, etc.

To press plants, you are going to create layers of cardboard and absorbent material with a sheet of tissue to lay the flowers on.

Steps:

1.      On the base piece of plywood (with the bolts inserted into the corner holes), place several pieces of newspaper, then a sheet of cardboard, then a piece of tissue or blotter paper.

2.      Lay the flowers and leaves on the tissue or blotter paper.  Use tweezers to help position smaller items. 

3.      Layer tissue, newsprint, tissue, herbs/flowers, more tissue and another layer of newsprint then add a flat piece of cardboard and create more layers in the same way.  Continue layering in the same way, like making lasagna, until you have created 5 to 6 layers.  If using books, place flowers on tissue, top with another tissue layer and slip between the pages.  Leave 10 to 12 pages for space and add another layer to the book the same way.  Continue layering inside the book until it begins to bulge.

     4.    Once you have made a selection of layers that is about 3 inches to  

          4 inches high, cap the press with the second piece of plywood (fitting

          it down over the upright bolts), screwing it down hard.  If using a

          book, place weights or other heavy books on top of your press

          book. 

     5.   Leave the items in the press for at least 2 weeks, longer if it is humid. 

    6.     When you remove your flowers and leaves they will be nicely flat and

         should retain their color.  Folds and curls happen.  You get better at

         stopping that with practice. 

Once you have flattened the plants, you do not need to leave them in the press.  I take them out of the press and store them in small Tupperware dishes so I can refill the press with a new set of whatever is then in season.

Here are a few examples of projects you can use your pressed flowers to create.

~ Marcy Lautanen-Raleigh

Easy Chessy -- Artisanal Cheeses

This week is National Herb Week, deemed so by the International Herb Association back in 1995.  This week we will have a post everyday to help you explore herbs more fully.  I am going to start with how do you become familiar with cooking with the herbs.

I once planned to be a linguist, and I still have a fascination with words, especially those that come and go in popularity and roll off the tongue sounding unique.  One of the new phrases to say is easy peasy.  I think it is on par with peachy keen which was popular when I was in high school, much to my mother’s annoyance.  Another word that seems to be popular these days is “artisanal.”  That is just a fancy word for something in the food world that is out of the ordinary and considered upscale.  So today I took liberty with the both of these and create this post – Easy Cheesy Atrisanal Cheeses.

Cheese is one of the best ways to grasp the unique flavors of herbs and how they work blended together.  You can start with simple and easy to get cream cheese then expand to the more exotic and “artisanal” cheeses.

When I test an herb blend I first blend it in to cream cheese.  I actually use the low fat cream cheese called neufchatel. (doesn’t that sound “artisial?”)  Neufchatel, because it is lower in fat, is less likely to mask the flavors of the herbs so I can tell if a blend is right.  With more herb flavor you don’t miss the fat either which is a nice trade off.  If an herb blend tastes good in cream cheese it is simply impossible for it to taste bad when used elsewhere.  However keeping the following information I mind will help you not to make blends you dislike from the very first bite:

Strong flavors – I call these pungent and include herbs like rosemary, sage, cilantro, garlic and the like among the strong flavors.  These herbs can overpower anything if overused.  Never use two pungent herbs in one blend because they tend to fight one another.

Mild Herbs – I call these the savory herbs.  Savory herbs are the gentle flavors we expect when we say herb seasonings, these would include thyme, savory, oregano, parsley, basil, tarragon, onion, and so forth.

Sweet herbs – sweet is a relative term in relation to herbs, because we are not talking about a flavor that is sweet like sugar but something that takes away acidic tastes or leaves a lingering lightness on the palate.  These would include, dill, lemon balm, lemon and orange peels, fruit leaves like raspberry and blackberry, scented geranium leaves, and any lemon herbs.

When you start blending go for a combination that includes one of each category, or two savories and a sweet or two sweets and a savory. Or even 3 savories, although I do not recommend three sweets unless you are making a fruit dish.

If you just want to dive into crafting artisanal cheese, here are a few recipes that can be made with Herb Mixes from the Backyard Patch.

Fine Herb Soufflé

3 Tbls. dry bread crumbs

¼ cup milk

8 large eggs, separated

4 Tbls. Backyard Patch Fines Herbes

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

1 ¼ cups shredded Gruyere cheese

2 Tbls. unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, stir bread crumbs into milk and soak until mixture becomes pasty, 10 to 15 minutes.  Whisk in egg yolks, herbs, salt and pepper.   Stir in ¾ cup of the cheese.

About 20 minutes before serving.  Beat egg whites with an electric mixer until they form very soft peaks.  Scoop whites into yolk mixture and quickly fold them in.  Heat a 12 inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat.  Add butter and swirl until melted and sizzling.  Pour batter into the pan and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Immediately put skillet into middle rack of oven and back 15 to 17 minutes or until puffed and deeply browned.  Serve soufflé immediately, using a large spoon to scoop it onto warm plates.

Cheese Filled Pastry with Herbs

12 oz. feta cheese

4 Tbls. parmesan cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten

Pinch nutmeg

1 pkg. Marcy’s Dill Dip Mix

2 Tbls. Mint, chopped

4 Tbls. Pine nuts, toasted

Salt & pepper

8 ounces phyllo dough

6 Tbls. butter, melted

Directions:

Make the filling by mashing together cheeses, egg, butter, nutmeg and herbs with pine nuts, salt and pepper.  Set aside.  With scissors, cut phyllo into 3 inch wide 18 inch long strips.  Keep moist with a damp towel. Melt butter.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place one strip of phyllo on a piece of parchment or wax paper and brush with butter.  Place another on top and brush with butter. Place one heaping teaspoon of cheese mixture in center of one edge and fold corner up to form a triangle. The fold the triangle over and over like folding a flag until the whole strip is folded into a small triangle. Brush the top with butter and place on baking sheet. Repeat until all phyllo and cheese is used. Bake triangles for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.

Herbed Goat Cheese Pasta

1 Tbls. unsalted butter

½ cup ricotta cheese

3 ounces mild soft goat cheese (cherve)

2 to 4 Tbls. Backyard Patch Butter N Cheese Herb Mix

2 Tbls. Backyard Patch Herbs De Provence

½ tsp. salt

12 oz. fettuccini noodles

Fresh ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Put butter in a large stainless steel mixing bowl and set it on top of the boiling water.  When butter has melted, removed bowl and stir in ricotta, goat cheese, herbs and salt.  Boil pasta until tender and slightly firm, about 2 to 4 minutes for fresh or 8 to 10 minutes for dried.  Scoop a cup of the cooking water from the pot to thin the sauce, then drain the noodles.  Using tongs, toss pasta with ricotta and herbs along with as much of the reserved pasta water necessary to create a creamy sauce.  Grind black pepper on top and serve right away in warm bowls.

All the products featured here can be found on our website http://www.backyardpatch.com/