China Bayles' Book of Days

by Susan Wittig Albert

round,

  And where it starts or ends cannot be found.

  —AUTHOR UNKNOWN

  Sweet Annie Wreaths

  When I first began crafting with herbs, I took a class in wreath-making that inspired me to design and create my own herbal wreaths. I like to work with grapevine wreath forms. To cover the form, I use sweet Annie (Artemisia annua), which has also been used extensively in China as a treatment for malaria.

  Valuable as sweet Annie is medicinally, I prize the decorative properties of its feathery, fragrant foliage, which is as attractive dried as fresh. Used fresh, when it’s pliant, it’s a perfect filler material for my wreaths. I simply let it dry on the wreath, along with the fresh decorative and accent herbs I’ve tucked among its ferny branches. It turns a lovely brown, a perfect background. If you prefer a silvery wreath, you’ll want to choose Silver King or Silver Queen artemisia; if a pale green, try oregano.

  YOU’LL NEED:

  filler herb: sweet Annie, Silver King or Silver Queen artemisia, or oregano

  decorative herbs: lavender, rosemary, statice, baby’s breath, ornamental oreganos, vitex, butterfly weed

  accent herbs: roses, lamb’s-ears leaves and flowers, gold yarrow, gold tansy buttons, strawflowers, bay

  a wreath form, 12‘-16‘ in diameter (grapevine is my favorite)

  a wire coat hanger, to make the hanging loop

  flexible florist’s wire

  wire wreath pins

  needle-nosed pliers and wire nippers

  glue gun (optional)

  decorative ribbon bow (optional)

  newspaper to cover working surface

  HOW TO ASSEMBLE YOUR WREATH:

  Collect herbs (filler, decorative, and accent) on a dry, cool day. Cover your working surface with newspaper, and lay the wreath form flat. With the nippers, cut the coat hanger into an 8-inch length, bend it into the shape of a hanger hook and insert it firmly into the grapevine form. Beginning at the bottom and working in both directions, push the stiff stem ends of the filler herb into the form, covering it very thickly. (All herbs shrink as they dry.) If the filler seems loose, secure with wire pins. Then hang the wreath and begin inserting the decorative herbs, pinning or gluing where necessary. Finally, insert the accent herbs. If you’re using a bow, add it now. Hang and admire!

  Read more about wreath-making:

  The Complete Book of Wreaths, by Chris Rankin

  SEPTEMBER 21

  In some years, this is the joyous Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah, celebrated on the first day of the month of Tishri.

  Rosh Hashanah

  Over the centuries, the first dinner of this harvest festival celebrated God’s gift of food in abundance, the seven blessed species that are cited in Deuteronomy 8:8: wheat and barley, vine and fig trees and pomegranates, olive trees, and honey. The celebration begins with a festive meal at which these foods are eaten, and always includes the challah, a loaf of bread that commemorates the offerings of the High Priest in the Temple at Jerusalem.

  There are as many recipes for challah as there are Jewish families, but most include wheat flour, yeast, oil, honey, salt, and eggs. Raisins are often included, and in some families, there is a tradition of using seven seeds, echoing the theme of seven blessings. Here are the seeds frequently used:

  • Sesame seeds are among the oldest condiments, dating to 1600 BCE. Tiny, flat oval seeds with a nutty taste, they may be white, yellow, black, and red. They are pressed to release a valuable oil.

  • Poppy seeds were used as a condiment as early as the first century CE. It is derived from the opium poppy, but the seeds contain none of the narcotic.

  • Nigella’s black seeds are spicy with a licorice fragrance, like anise or fennel. A favorite of early Egyptians, they have been used as a digestive aid, an appetite stimulant, and a cure-all remedy.

  • Caraway, distinctively aromatic, is often recognized as the most typical spice of German-speaking countries, used in baked goods, as well vegetables, especially cabbage. The “seeds” are really small fruits.

  • Anise seeds (fruits) are mostly used to flavor baked goods and liqueurs.

  • Fennel seeds (fruits), native to the Mediterranean, were known to the earliest peoples. It is used in breads, sauces, and in pickling.

  • Coriander seeds (fruits) taste like lemony sage. In Exodus 16:31, the manna that fell from heaven is described as “white like coriander seed.”

  Read more about Jewish food:

  Eat and Be Satisfied : A Social History of Jewish Food, by John Cooper

  SEPTEMBER 22

  I am sorry to say that Peter was not very well during the evening. His mother put him to bed, and made some camomile tea; and she gave a dose of it to Peter! “One table-spoonful to be taken at bed-time.”

  —BEATRIX POTTER, THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT

  Comforting Chamomile

  Chamomile (Matricaria chamamilla) is a sweet-smelling herb that has been used for centuries to heal and soothe, both inside and out. Even though the plant is small, its pervasive, long-lasting fragrance—it smells like ripe apples—made it a favorite strewing herb. It was often planted around benches in pleasure gardens, so that the scent filled the air and comforted the weary garden-goer. And a sprig of apple-sweet chamomile tucked into the lapel or carried in a tussie-mussie provided a good antidote to the uglier smells of the city.

  Although chamomile was never used as a culinary herb, it has had a long reputation as a medicinal plant. The Egyptians and Romans made it into a wound ointment and drank it as a tea to treat liver and bladder ailments. In England, the Saxons used it to ease the eyes and to treat toothache. But chamomile’s most important medicinal application does not appear until the sixteenth century, when it began to be used for children’s colic, for dysentery, and as a calmative—just what poor Peter needed, after his exhausting adventures in Mr. McGregor’s garden!

  Chamomile is also valued as a cosmetic. In a facial steam, Ruby Wilcox finds that it soothes and refreshes tired skin. She places a half cup of dried flowers in a bowl and covers them with boiling water. Then she drapes her head with a towel and sits for ten minutes over the bowl, as she listens to her favorite country-western music. Other herbs she sometimes adds to this reviving facial steam: comfrey, fennel, sage, peppermint.

  And in case you’re wondering, there are various ways to spell the word: chamomile and camomile—and camomella, camayle, canalilla, and canamille. However you spell its name, the herb still smells sweet!

  Read more about chamomile and other herbs:

  Old Time Herbs for Northern Gardens, by Minnie Watson Kamm

  If acorns abound in September, snow will be deep in December.

  —TRADITIONAL WEATHER LORE

  SEPTEMBER 23

  Today, the Sun enters the sign of Libra. It is also the Fall Equinox, and the first day of autumn.

  The seventh sign of the zodiac, the feminine sign Libra (the Scales) is ruled by Venus. A cardinal sign, Libra is associated with aesthetic beauty, balance, culture, harmony, and enjoyment of social pleasures. It is an air sign, suggesting that while Libra people may be urbane, diplomatic, and charming, they may also be indecisive, changeable, and unreliable.

  —RUBY WILCOX, “ASTROLOGICAL SIGNS”

  Libra Herbs

  Venus-ruled Libra has traditionally been related to the endocrine system, the thyroid, kidneys, urinary tract, and bladder. Venus (which also rules Taurus) is responsible for the harmonious interrelationships among the various body systems. Here are some Libra herbs:

  • Thyme (Thyme vulgaris). Thyme is a powerful antiseptic used in many medicinal preparations. A tea may relieve menstrual cramps and help relax the muscles of the gastrointestinal tract. Thymol (thyme’s powerful phytochemical) has valuable antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. It is currently used as an ingredient in mouth-care products and feminine douche powders.

  • Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis). A native American herb, goldenseal was first used by the Cherokee
s. It is particularly useful in toning the glandular system. It has been used as a general tonic to treat inflamed mucous membranes of the mouth, throat, vagina, and digestive system, as well as a treatment for jaundice and ulcers.

  • Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon). Research shows that cranberry juice helps to prevent urinary tract infections. The berries are high in vitamin C.

  • Other Libra herbs. Corn silk tea is a soothing diuretic and has been used to sooth urinary irritations. Stone root and gravel root both have a centuries-old history of use in the treatment of gall stones and gravel. Barberry and Oregon grape are used to treat bladder diseases.

  We who have seen men walk on the moon are not likely to recover so much faith in the stars that we would entrust our health to them, yet we can still find fascination and significance in astrology, even in this skeptical, scientific age.

  —JOHN LUST, THE HERB BOOK

  SEPTEMBER 24

  The plants closest to you are those from your childhood; those are the ones you truly love.

  —V. S. NAIPAUL

  Garden Whimsies

  If you’re fortunate enough to share your garden with children (your own, your grandchildren, or a neighbor’s), you know the pleasure of sharing the child’s enjoyment of herbs and flowers—and you may play a role in shaping that child’s understanding of the natural world. Do you remember your own childhood delights in the garden? These are some of mine, gathered from hours spent playing with my cousin Mary Jean in our grandmother’s Missouri garden.

  • Hollyhock dolls. Grandma’s hollyhocks were ruffled beauties that made the most marvelous dolls. An upside-down bloom made the doll’s frilly skirt. Two closed buds, speared on a toothpick, made her bodice and head, and we pushed a short piece of wire through her bodice (ouch!) to serve as her arms. Bent, her tiny “hands” could hold tinier blossoms, and she wore a petal apron and hat, with pretty blades of grass for ribbons and bits of fern for lace. Sometimes our dolls carried purses made of bleeding heart blossoms, or pulled little boats made of nutshells.

  • Aunt Daisy. We pinched the petals into the shape of bonnets, with two long ones for ties, and drew eyes and a smile on the yellow center. Sometimes we impaled the faces on sticks stuck in the ground, making dozens of Aunt Daisies!

  • Clover, clover, come over. We picked clover flowers and slit the stem just below the head. Then we pushed another stem through the slit, continuing until we had a five-foot chain we could use as a jump rope (carefully). We’d jump, calling out “clover, clover, come over!”

  • Hideaways. We always had hideaways in the garden, under a rosebush or at the end of a row of cucumbers or in a pretty tent made of autumn leaves. We filled small cardboard boxes with treasures—snail shells, acorn cups, a butterfly wing, a piece of lichen—and hid them, with confidential notes written to our favorite fairies.

  Gardens and kids are a natural combination:

  Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children, by Sharon Lovejoy

  Never kill a beetle, but leave him to go about his important work in the garden. Folks say bad luck and seven days’ soaking rain is the penalty for stamping on a beetle.

  —CLAIRE NAHMAD, GARDEN SPELLS

  SEPTEMBER 25

  The fourth Sunday in September is Good Neighbor Day.

  As for Rosmarine, I lett it runne all over my garden walls, not onlie because my bees love it, but because it is the herb sacred to remembrance, and, therefore to friendship.

  —SIR THOMAS MORE, 1478-1535

  Rosemary and Friendship

  If you’re wondering what you might give your neighbors and friends in token of Good Neighbor day, here are a few suggestions using rosemary, the herb of friendship.

  • a rosemary plant in a decorative pot

  • a pretty bottle of rosemary and opal basil vinegar

  • notepaper printed with rosemary (see September 5)

  • a living wreath made with rosemary (see September 20)

  • a rosemary bubble bath (see January 8)

  • a plate of Rosemary Friendship Squares, with sprigs of rosemary and a bow

  ROSEMARY FRIENDSHIP SQUARES

  This recipe is reprinted with permission from Cooking with Herbs, by the Goose Creek Herb Guild in Leesburg, Virginia. I spent a memorable morning with the Guild a few years ago, helping to celebrate their 25th anniversary. I remember their friendly welcome with a great deal of pleasure.

  2 eggs

  1 cup brown sugar

  2 teaspoons vanilla

  1 cup flour

  ½ teaspoon salt

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  1 heaping tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

  1 cup candied fruit and raisins

  cup chopped pecans

  Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour an 8 × 8-inch baking pan. Beat eggs vigorously, adding brown sugar gradually. Add vanilla. Sift flour and add with salt and baking powder. Stir in rosemary, fruit and nuts. Bake about 30 minutes. Remove from pan while warm. Cool and cut into squares.

  Other recipes from the Goose Creek Herb Guild:

  Cooking with Herbs, by the Goose Creek Herb Guild. To purchase, send a check for $10 (price includes postage) to The Goose Creek Herb Guild, PO Box 2224, Leesburg, VA 20177.

  The leaves of the Bramble boiled in water, with honey, alum and a little white wine added thereto, make a most excellent lotion or washing water.

  —JOHN GERARD, THE HERBAL, 1597

  SEPTEMBER 26

  Today is National Pancake Day.

  Sunday morning dawned bright and shiny, the cedar elms glowing gold against a cornflower blue sky, the clean, crisp scent of cedar in the air, the sort of day that is Texas at its best. McQuaid and I were lazy and slept late, then had a leisurely breakfast of bacon, eggs, and pancakes.

  —DEAD MAN’S BONES, A CHINA BAYLES MYSTERY

  Herbal Syrups

  Maple is fine, but for a tasty change of pace on your breakfast pancakes, China suggests herbal syrups. These delicious taste treats aren’t just for pancakes, either! Easy-to-make herbal syrups are equally luscious on ice cream, in dessert sauces, or frozen and served as a sorbet. Or for a zippy drink, you can pour syrup over crushed ice and add ginger ale, sparkling water, or lemonade.

  All these tasty delights start with a very simple syrup, made from your choice of herbs: mint, rosemary, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemon basil, lavender blossoms, rose petals, slices of ginger, cinnamon sticks, and more. You can mix them, too. Experiment and develop your own favorite recipe.

  CHINA’S BASIC HERBAL SYRUP

  3 cups boiling water

  1 cup fresh herbs

  2 cups sugar

  Make a strong tea by pouring the boiling water over the herbs and steeping until cool (1-2 hours, at least). Strain out the plant material and mix the tea with the sugar in a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes, until the syrup thickens. Store in a lidded jar in the refrigerator for up to three months. (It never lasts that long at China’s house!) Makes about 1 ½ cups syrup.

  Learn how to make more herbal syrups and other confections:

  Fancy Pantry, by Helen Witty

  SEPTEMBER 27

  Today or tomorrow is Native American Day.

  Civilization has taught us to build empires for Life Insurance Companies, numerous research, welfare, old age organizations, etc. In comparison, the Indians’ protection came from Nature, the “Mother Earth” being the most important. They learned to treat lives with plant life, the medicine from the earth.

  —ALMA R. HUTCHENS, INDIAN HERBOLOGY

  OF NORTH AMERICA

  Native American Herbs

  A great deal of our herbal knowledge and lore was brought to this continent by settlers from England and Europe. Because of the long written tradition of use, we often pay more attention to these herbs, and think of them as more important than our native plants. But our indigenous medicinal herbs should have a special
interest for us—not perhaps, to treat our ailments, but to broaden our awareness of the value of the plants around us. As an example, here are ten plants that various Native American tribes used to treat colds, coughs, and respiratory ailments, depending on where they lived and what was seasonally available.

  • Creosote bush (Larrea divaricata or tridentata)

  • Pleurisy root (Asclepias tuberosa)

  • Wormwood (Artemisia sp.)

  • Boneset (Eupatorium perforatum)

  • Wild cherry (Prunus serotina)

  • Willow (Salix sp.)

  • White pine (Pinus strobus)

  • Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)

  • Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton americanum)

  • Yerba santa (Eriodictyon californicum)