Then do this:
• Spread newspapers over your working area. Squeeze or scoop a small blob of ink onto the plate, glass, or tile and brush it out evenly.
• Lay the plant material on the inked plate, veined-side up. With the brush, paint the ink evenly on the leaf, beginning at the center and working outward.
• Use the tweezers to gently lift the inked leaf and place it on the printing paper, veined-side down. Place a paper towel over the inked plant and gently press outward from the center. (Don’t rub—you’ll move the plant and smear the ink.)
• Remove the paper towel and use the tweezers to lift the plant. Let your print dry, frame it, and hang it where others can admire it.
Some project ideas: giftwrap, notecards, invitations, holiday cards, herbarium, calendars, printed fabric. Once you’ve begun creating your garden of nature prints, you’ll think of dozens of other exciting things to do!
SEPTEMBER 6
Maggie and I landscaped the patio and the lot beside it with pots and beds of annual and perennial herbs—a large bay tree in an old wooden wine cask and low hedges of chives, parsley, and winter savory for the kitchen; fennel and lavender and thyme for the bees; borage and catnip and monarda for the hummingbirds.
—LOVE LIES BLEEDING: A CHINA BAYLES MYSTERY
Blue Stars
The blooming borage is full of happy bees this morning. The bright blue blossoms, star-shaped, make this one of the prettiest herbs. It’s not fussy about soil, but it does like a spot that gets plenty of sun. And once you have it, you’re likely to have more of it, for it reseeds readily, pollinated by the bees and hummingbirds, which adore the starry blossoms.
CULINARY BORAGE
The leaves and starry flowers have a lovely cucumber-like taste. Use borage fresh; it loses its flavor when dried.
• Garnish cold summer drinks with borage flowers, and freeze them in ice cubes and ice rings.
• The flowers are pretty in salads and cold soups. Garnish cold tomato soup with thin slices of lemon, cucumber, and bright blue borage stars.
• The young leaves are a complementary garnish to cucumber soups.
• Sauté the very young leaves like spinach, or toss (raw) with other salad greens. Older leaves are tough and bitter.
• The flowers can be candied and used decoratively.
MEDICINAL AND COSMETIC BORAGE
“Borage for courage” people used to say, and the plant belongs to a group of herbs called “cordials,” which have a reputation for being “heartening.” (Since borage was traditionally steeped in wine, perhaps it was the wine that imparted the courage.) Borage is also a valuable diuretic, for it is high in potassium. Applied to the skin, the sap soothes itches and insect bites. Borage oil is used in cosmetics; you might try using the leaves as a facial steam for improving dry skin. Pour boiling water over 1 cup fresh leaves in a bowl. Drape a towel over your head and allow the steam to penetrate your pores.
For more about borage and all your other herbs:
The Rodale Herb Book, edited by William H. Hylton
Sprigs of Borage are of known virtue to revive the hypochondriac and cheer the hard student.
—JOHN EVELYN, 1699
SEPTEMBER 7
Sage never looks better, I think, than when I come upon it in the early morning and find the pebbled leaves silvered over with a summer dew. In its way there is nothing more quietly individual in all the garden.
—HENRY BESTON, HERBS AND THE EARTH
A Sage Choice
If we voted for our favorite herbs, sage (Salvia officinalis ) would probably come out very near the top. In the garden, sage grows into a low, rounded bush about 3-4 feet in diameter, so give your plant plenty of elbow room in a well-drained soil with lots of sun. It’s a natural for a deck planter or an outside window box, if you trim it regularly. And of course, you’ll be using those trimmings!
The seventeenth-century herbalist Culpeper said that sage “is of excellent use to help the memory” and “profitable for all pains in the head coming of cold rheumatic humours, as also for all pains in the joints.” In fact, the herb’s name comes from the word salvere, “to save.” Sage is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant. Modern research confirms many of its traditional uses.
Sage is a favorite seasoning for soups, vegetables, meats, fowl, and fruit. For a stunning appetizer, try these savory sage fritters, a modern version of a recipe that first appeared in a cookery book published in 1518, written by a cook who worked for wealthy families in Italy’s northern provinces. The first English version may be the one for “Clary [Sage] Fritters” in Elizabeth Raffald’s Experienced English Housekeeper, 1769. She suggests serving with “quarters of Seville oranges laid round them.”
SAGE FRITTERS
36 whole sage leaves, washed and dried (leave stems on,
for easier handling)
1 cup beer
cup flour
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper, to taste
1 egg white, at room temp
vegetable oil for frying
Select whole, unblemished sage leaves with stems left on, for easy handling. Combine beer, flour, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, making a smooth batter. Let stand 15 minutes at room temperature. In a large skillet, heat 1 inch of oil to about 360°. Beat the egg white until it is stiff but not dry. Fold it into batter, and pour into a shallow dish. Lay a dozen of the leaves on the surface of the batter. Using tongs or large kitchen tweezers, turn to coat both sides. Fry in hot oil until crisp and golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels; serve hot.
Read more about sage:
Growing and Using Sage: A Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin, by Patricia R. Barrett
SEPTEMBER 8
“Of course it’s real money.” Ruby was nettled.
“What do you expect to pay architects and contractors with? Vanilla beans?”
—CHILE DEATH: A CHINA BAYLES MYSTERY
Vanilla: Worth Its Weight in Silver
Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) is so flavorful and fragrant that it’s hard to imagine dessert without it. And in its native Mexico, it was so valuable that the Totonac Indians (the first to cultivate it) thought that it sprang from the blood of a princess, who was captured and slain when she fled with her lover. When the Totonac were conquered by the Aztecs, they were required to pay taxes and tributes with vanilla beans. Vanilla was literally worth its weight in silver.
The Spanish first became acquainted with vanilla as an ingredient in the bitter Aztec aphrodisiac drink, xocolatl, which was brewed with cacao beans and chile peppers. The tropical plant, a member of the orchid family could only be cultivated in Mexico, for the tubular flowers could be pollinated only by a tiny bee and a humming bird. In 1836, a twelve-year-old African slave in Madagascar figured out how to hand-pollinate the blossoms with a bamboo splinter, a method that is still used today. Vanilla is widely grown throughout the tropics, but it is still highly valuable. Some two thousand tons are produced each year, but that is still not enough to satisfy people’s desire for it, and many have to be satisfied with synthetic vanillin.
China enjoys making her own vanilla extract, using vanilla beans. This is her recipe:
CHINA’S FAVORITE VANILLA EXTRACT
Using a funnel, pour 1 cup brandy or rum into a small-diameter bottle. Split 2-3 vanilla beans lengthwise, then cut the split pieces into halves, retaining the aromatic seeds. Drop pieces and seeds into the bottle and cap it tightly. Set on a dark shelf for several weeks, shaking frequently (and sniffing deeply whenever possible). Use when the flavor suits you, topping off each time you remove some. Every now and then add a piece or two of split vanilla bean, to enrich the flavor.
Read more about vanilla:
Vanilla: The Cultural History of the World’s Favorite Flavor and Fragrance, by Patricia Rain
Vanilla: Travels in Search of the Ice Cream Orchid, by Tim Ecott
Ah, you flavor everything; you are the vanilla of soc
iety.
—SYDNEY SMITH, 1771-1845
SEPTEMBER 9
Roses to be used for potpourri should be the most fragrant ones. First in choice is the old cabbage or Provence rose (Rosa centifolia), large and, true to its name, has at least a hundred petals of a rich pink hue.
—ROSEMARY E. CLARKSON, MAGIC GARDENS
The Sweet Pot
There are two ways of making potpourri: the “moist” method and the “dry” method. Dry potpourri is a quick, easy way to create a pretty bowl of fragrant dried floral buds, petals, and other pretties. The moist method is the true potpourri, however, for the word pourri literally means “rotted” or “fermented”: hence, a pot of fermented flowers, sometimes called a “sweet pot.” This traditional method takes more time and the result isn’t pretty enough to display. So it is usually kept in an opaque container, with the lid removed to allow the fragrance to diffuse. The fragrance is more subtle, however, and it lasts longer.
TO MAKE A SWEET POT
What you need:
a half-gallon wide-mouthed glass jar or crock with a lid
a wooden spoon
about a cup of coarse salt (kosher or sea salt, mixed half-and-half with noniodized table salt)
6 cups of fragrant flower petals, dried until leathery ¼ cup vodka
essential oil of rose, lavender, orange (if the flowers are not sufficiently fragrant)
3-4 tablespoons of mixed spices: nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, crushed anise, coriander, or cardamom seeds, crushed vanilla bean, orange or lemon curls
How to do it: Put a ½-inch layer of petals in the bottom of the jar and cover with 1-2 tablespoons of salt. Over this, sprinkle a teaspoon of vodka and a drop or two of essential oil (if desired). Repeat. With the wooden spoon, press down the mass and put on the lid. Set aside to cure for 10 days, stirring daily. At the end of the 10 days, add the spices and stir thoroughly. Put the lid back on and set aside for six weeks. To use, put into pretty china or an earthenware pot with a lid; remove the lid to scent the room with the fragrance of your summer garden.
Read more about using the fragrance of flowers:
Potpourri and Fragrant Crafts, by Betsy Williams
Take a glassful of Rose Water, Cloves well beaten to a powder, a penny weight; then take the fire panne and make it red hot in the fyre, and put thereon of the said Rose water with the sayd powder of Cloves making it so as to consume little by little, but the rose water must be muskt [musk], and you shall make a parfume of excellent good odour.
—A QUEEN’S DELIGHT, 1665
SEPTEMBER 10
The Merryweathers Pick a Peck of Pestos!
At their September meeting every year, the Merryweathers set out a big basket of mini-crostini, line up their pots of pestos, and have a pesto-tasting, with each one voting for her favorite. This is always an exciting event, because nobody can predict what fantastic new recipes people are likely to come up with. “Pesto isn’t just for pasta,” Patsy Pride always says.
“And basil is definitely not the only pesto herb.” To which Fannie Couch always adds: “Whoever said ‘The soul of pesto may be basil, but its heart is garlic’ has a limited number of taste buds!”
In Italian, the word pesto simply means “paste”—and many herbs can be “pasted.” For the classic basil pesto, check out Marge Clark’s recipe in the July 31 entry. But there are many other pesto possibilities. The Merryweathers picked three pestos as top of the pack:
First place: Felicity Firestone’s Fennel and Tomato Pesto (recipe below)
Second place: Ethel Gramling’s Caraway Thyme Pesto
Third place: Sandy Kinky’s Pistachio Mint Pesto
Voted too hot to handle: Cilantro Habanero Sunflower Seed Pesto
FENNEL AND TOMATO PESTO
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 cup hot water
1 large fennel bulb, chopped
1 cup fresh parsley
2 medium cloves garlic
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup pecans
½ cup olive oil
freshly ground pepper and salt or Savory Blend (August
29)
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
Cover fennel seeds with hot water and set aside. Steam chopped fennel bulb 4-5 minutes, or microwave 3 minutes. Put into food processor with drained fennel seeds, parsley, garlic, cheese, and nuts. Process to mix. With machine running, slowly add olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add chopped tomatoes and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. If serving over pasta, add a little hot pasta water or milk to thin.
Pesto isn’t just for pasta. Learn how to use it:
Pestos! Cooking with Herb Pastes, by Dorothy Rankin
He who eats pesto never leaves Genoa.
—ITALIAN PROVERB
SEPTEMBER 11
I should like to enjoy this summer flower by flower, as if it were to be the last one for me.
—ANDRÉ GIDE
Forever Herbs and Flowers
The garden is in full flower, the herbs are lush and fragrant, and you’d love to capture and hold those delightful shapes and colors forever. You can, simply by picking and pressing the plants in a phone directory or other large book and using them for flower crafts. (For ideas, see December 20.)
PRESSING HERBS
Pick the herbs on a dry morning, at their peak. Arrange them on a sheet of paper, giving some thought to how they will look when they’ve been pressed. Place a second sheet over the first and insert the sandwich into a large book (the phone book is traditional), stack more books on top, and do something else for a week or so. If you’re in a hurry, try the microwave method. Place the plant-paper sandwich between the pages of a hardcover book. (Avoid books that contain metallic materials.) Put the book in the microwave and weight with another book or heavy glass dish. Set at medium-high for two minutes. Repeat as necessary, letting the book cool before removing the herbs.
THE PRESSED FLOWER GARDEN
You’ll have your own favorite garden and wayside plants. These are some of the flowering herbs I enjoy growing and using in pressed flower projects. Parsley, dill, and fern are indispensable.
Read more about pressing herbs and flowers:
Pressed Flowers, by Pamela Le Bailly
Forever Flowers: A Flower Lover’s Guide to Selecting, Pressing, and Designing, by Bernice Peitzer
In this month the Gardener has great variety of Business and must employ his Head as well as his Hands toward furnishing his Kitchen Garden with everything necessary for Winter Use.
—THE GENTLEMAN’S AND GARDENER’S KALENDAR, 1724
SEPTEMBER 12
“Guess it’s time to make some more vinegar,” I said. Making and bottling herb vinegars is one of my favorite evening tasks, and I love looking at the rows of sparkling bottles. It must be the same satisfaction that country women have when they look at the rows of canned green beans on the cellar shelves.
—THYME OF DEATH: A CHINA BAYLES MYSTERY
Herb Vinegars
If you’ve made fruit vinegars, you’ll find that making herb vinegars is even easier. Start now, and in the next two or three weeks, you’ll be able to present each of your friends with a unique handmade gift.
What you need:
purchased vinegars: red-wine, white-wine, sherry, cider
herbs: choose among basil, garlic, tarragon, dill, chives, fennel, salad burnet, borage, mint, sage, lavender, nasturtium flowers and leaves, thyme, rosemary, parsley, chervil, marjoram, chiles
recycled, sterilized wide-mouthed jars (quart, half-gallon, gallon), with lids
glass or plastic measuring cups
plastic funnels
coffee filters
cheesecloth
plastic and wooden spoons
labels
pretty bottles with caps or corks
How to do it:
Put the fresh, clean herbs into a jar (1 cup fresh herbs to 1 quart vinegar) and add vine
gar. Label the jar and place on a sunny windowsill, where the heat of the sun will help extract the oils from the herbs. Turn frequently, and test for flavor in two weeks. Strain herbs, then filter the vinegar through a coffee filter into a pretty bottle. Add a sprig or two of fresh herbs, cap or cork, and a label. For gift-giving, use raffia or ribbon to tie on a gift card made with pressed herbs.
Some zesty combinations:
• Red-wine vinegar with basil, garlic, and savory; rosemary, sage, bay, and garlic; cilantro, rosemary, bay, and chile peppers; thyme, rosemary, oregano, and basil.
• White-wine vinegar with dill, lemon basil, lemon balm; orange mint, orange zest, cardamom seeds, and garlic; chives, chive blossoms, elder flowers, lemon balm.
• Sherry vinegar with allspice berries, cloves, cinnamon, rosemary; basil, tarragon, and garlic.
China Bayles' Book of Days Page 36