HERB SAMPLER BOOK

 

Starting in May, 2025 the HERB SAMPLER Second Edition  (Autographed Copy) is available at the Hip-Gypsy Emporium, Duffield, , PA.

Herb Sampler Second Edition is still available on Amazon (no autograph)

In 2012, I finally self-published the first edition of the Herb Sampler. It sold well on Amazon but much better from my inventory to friends, neighbors, relatives and visitors to herb classes, fairs and festivals. It was small and published as a paperback. Barbara Petrucci, my friend and also an artist, provided art sketches for most of the book. 

The idea for the Herb Sampler began when customers at the Master Gardener plant sale herb table wanted to know what to do with the herbs they were buying. This book was written to provide a sampling of information about herbs and herbal uses. It encouraged readers to check the Webliography and Bibliography for other resources and books with additional information.

THE SECOND EDITION IS NOW DONE - April 2019

Since the 2012 publication of the Herb Sampler, and working with the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners in Franklin County, Pa., I have learned so much more about herbs, especially about their uses and care. Helping to oversee the demonstration herb garden has added practical experience that has improved the information included in the Herb Sampler Second Edition. Both books are excellent for beginners and the more experienced. 

As a Master Gardener representing Penn State I use research-based information to answer questions and present programs as well as working in the demonstration gardens. The information presented in the book has been researched.

In this Second Edition I have added more sections such as Selecting Herbs, Making Ingredients, Edible Flowers and more ways to Preserve Herbs.  I learned a new, convenient way to dry herbs and this method of refrigerator drying is described as well as the use of a dehydrator. Barbara has, once again, contributed many art sketches throughout the book. 

There is updated and additional information plus new recipes, many courtesy of our Herb Team and their creative use of herbs for refreshments at classes and events. 

What the book does not include is detailed information about individual herbs. Look for updated references for both print and on the internet as well as an Index.

The Second Edition Herb Sampler has grown from small paperback to a Trade Paperback with my photo of Sage and Rosemary.

 

GINGER Fragrant Zest

 

ZEST FROM THE GARDEN GINGER

GINGER (Zingiber officinale)

Ginger is the 2023 Herb of the Year™ of the International Herb Association. This is the tropical plant whose rhizomes are found in the grocery store. It is known as true ginger and is one of the oldest known spices. It has a peppery and sweet taste with a spicy tang and the smell of lemony citrus.

The plant grows from a tuberous rhizome. It is native to humid, tropical forests in Southeast Asia and thrives in hardiness zones 9 to 12. The rhizomes are brown to golden colored with a corky outer skin. The inside is a pale yellow and has a spicy scent. It grows 3 to 4 feet tall on a straight stem and has a 2-to-3-foot spread. The alternating leaves along the stem are tapered in shape and 6 to 12 inches long. It can flower in the fall on 1-foot-tall stems with yellow and purple flowers and capsules hold small black seeds. The rhizomes grow underground horizontally sending up sprouts and making new rhizomes.

With planning and a little effort, successfully growing and enjoying fresh ginger from your garden is possible.  Although this is a tropical plant, it can be successfully grown in Pennsylvania if started indoors in March and transplanted after the last frost date outdoors.  

If you are inspired to grow ginger, grocery store ginger may be treated with an inhibitor to prevent sprouting. Nurseries, garden centers, or seed companies are better sources for your rhizomes.

Growing

Bill Gifford, Columbia County Master Gardener, has written guidelines for growing and harvesting ginger.

Select pieces that are firm, healthy, with no signs of damage, and have growth buds from which the green shoots grow. Cut the rhizomes into 3-inch pieces having at least three growth buds. Allow the cut to callus over for a week.

For planting, select a potting medium that is loose, loamy, and rich in organic matter. Place the soil in a two-part container that allows watering from the bottom. A tray that is 11 x 21 x 4-inches provides room to propagate six pieces. Lay the ginger horizontally on top of 3 inches of moist medium and cover with an additional inch of moist potting mix. Since ginger prefers dryer soil when sprouting, you need only water from the bottom every five to seven days until sprouts appear. At that point, water sufficiently to keep the soil moist but not wet. A seeding heating pad and a grow light will provide the necessary warmth and 16 to 18 hours of light required for good results. Because ginger is very slow to sprout, your patience may be tested.

After the danger of frost has passed and the evening temperatures are above 40°F, it is time to harden off your plants for five days and prepare for planting outside. A sunny site with loose, loamy, well-drained soil and a pH of 5.5 to 6.5 provides ideal growth. Place the rhizomes in a three-inch shallow trench, 3 inches deep and 12 inches apart with the sprouts just visible above the soil.

Containers

Ginger may also be grown in a large container and brought inside in the fall.

The rhizomes may also be planted in containers; plant one rhizome in each 12-inch diameter or larger container. When you see new shoots forming or when the pink shoulders of ginger start to appear, hill your plants with an inch of soil and add a granular fertilizer. The plants will require deep watering two or three times a week.

Harvesting

In autumn, after a frost kills the leaves, your ginger is ready for harvest. Gently dig up the beautiful cream and pink-colored ginger. Save the small rhizomes for use in stir fry or salads. After putting ginger in a resealable plastic bag, press the air out and store it in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for up to two months. Also, you may store whole or grated ginger in airtight containers in the freezer for up to six months.”

Uses/Storage

Young rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with a  mild taste and are used in stir fry or salads. After putting ginger in a resealable plastic bag, press the air out and store it in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for up to two months. Also, you may store whole or grated ginger in airtight containers in the freezer for up to six months.

Research has determined that ginger can help alleviate nausea. Ginger candy and ginger tea are good ways to get ginger in your system.

Make ice cubes with 3 Tbsps of grated ginger, 4 tsps lemon juice, 3 Tbsps each of honey and water. Whisk together and freeze. Makes 4. Add 1 to a cup of hot black tea (Oh, Earl Grey. Yes.), cover and steep for 10 minutes. Soothing for a sore throat with the added honey. Or just go for the classic Ginger Tea recipe,

CKagan, Master Gardener

* * * * *

Interested in herbs? Looking for a gift?

Perfect for a hostess gift, or birthday or housewarming.

And there is a price reduction as we look forward to spring gardening.

 Check out the Herb Sampler on this Blog  

SPECIAL Price reduction on this 5  *  *  *  *  * book

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it.

Heirloom Vegetables

 Heirloom Plant Varieties Provide More Than a Good Harvest or Beautiful Blooms

Home Gardeners can select plants with better flavor and interesting history.

Heirloom tomatoes by Kim Schwind UCANR

Heirlooms provide a sense of history. The wardrobe from Great Aunt Rose’s attic, an antique hand-carved chair, and a rusty tool from a local auction carry a sense of history, of the people who used them. This holds true for heirloom plant varieties.

“Heirloom seeds are usually more than 50 years old and have been passed down from generation to generation,” said Kathy McFarland, Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. “This means they come with fascinating stories and heritage from years past.”

Many gardeners are drawn to the stories behind the names. ‘Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter’ tomato came from radiator business owner, “Charlie,” who came up with a large, meaty and productive variety that he sold during the depression. He used the money from this side business to pay off his mortgage.

‘Aunt Lou’s Underground Railroad’ tomato has been traced back to Kentucky through Ripley, Ohio. The seeds were carried by an escaping slave as he traveled the Underground Railroad. The tomato is characteristic of those grown in that era.

While the stories don’t enhance flavor, shelf-life, color, or fragrance, they are a way to connect to our plant and flower heritage. “Heirloom seeds have often been handed down as family favorites,” said Chris Mayer, Director at Wilson College’s Fulton Center for Sustainable Living.

Home gardeners, unlike commercial growers, have the luxury to choose what they grow. Many choose these vegetables and flowers for taste, shape, hardiness and color not found in hybrid selections.

Originally from India, Bullnose Peppers (Capsicum annuum) have been in U.S. gardens since the mid-1870’s. These sweet peppers were grown by Thomas Jefferson and are still grown at Monticello. They ripen early, withstand bad weather and their thick skins make them ideal for pickling, stuffing and raw with dips. While 20 seed companies offered these over 25 years ago, today vendors are rare and seeds often “out of stock.”

Heirloom varieties are open-pollinated which means that, unlike hybrids, seeds you collect from one year will produce the same plants the next year. “Using heirlooms helps preserve the gene pool and assure that resilience from pests, diseases and climate are built into the system,” said Mayer.

Tomatoes are the one vegetable that has a wide range of shapes, colors, taste and growing habit. Cherry, slicer, beefsteak, or canning types are available as are pink, orange, white and ‘Green Zebra’ striped varieties.

“Most heirlooms taste better than the hybrid and genetically modified produce because these have been bred and selected for generations based on how they taste,” said McFarland.

Pennsylvania heirloom tomatoes include Brandywine, reported to be introduced in 1885 by Amish farmers in Chester County. Other Mennonite and Amish heirlooms include Hahnstown Yellow, Amish Oxheart and Eva's Amish Stripe.

Mid-March is the time for seed starting for transplants in mid-May. Gardeners seeking heirloom or unusual varieties probably won’t find them at the local garden centers or nurseries.

The annual Master Gardener plant sale on May 20, 2023, will have some of the heirloom varieties ready to plant.  Best results for planting transplants is after the last frost date and when the SOIL TEMPERATURE is ready. Check out the soil temperature information and note that in our area the best time to plant is mid-May.  

Also see Heirloom Vegetables: Good Taste and Interesting Tales 

U of California. The Real Dirt Blog. Heirloom Tomatoes

CKagan, Master Gardener

**********

Interested in herbs? 

Looking for a gift?

Perfect for a hostess gift, or birthday or housewarming.

And there is a price reduction as we look forward to spring gardening.

 Check out the Herb Sampler on this Blog  

SPECIAL Price reduction on this 5  *  *  *  *  * book

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it.

 

New Year's Traditions

POMEGRANATE (Photo:Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 Wikimedia Commons)

For many, the first meal of the new year is a very important one while for others there are a variety of traditions. They  generate wishes for the new year to bring hope, riches, and travel. Or they may be just a celebration of light at this seasonal time of year.

PORK & SAUERKRAUT

A Pennsylvania Dutch tradition is pork and sauerkraut on New Year's Day to have good luck and growth in the new year. Pigs (pork) represent progress and forward movement as they root forward unlike other animals who scratch backward. Sauerkraut, made from round, green cabbage, may represent money while the long pieces of sauerkraut suggest a long life.

FIREWORKS & OLIEBOLLEN

In the Netherlands, like almost everywhere across the world, fireworks and explosions are a highlight. There is a traditional treat, oliebollen, that mimics the Faschnacts that show up on Shrove Tuesday in Pennsylvania. These are “oil cakes” or small bite-sized fried dough balls dipped in powdered sugar. 

BLACK-EYED PEAS & COLLARDS

A U.S. Southern tradition, eating black-eyed peas and collard greens on New Year's Day, will bring good luck and prosperity.  The peas carry good luck  while the collards, being green, may bring money.  One tradition common in the United States is that each person at the meal should leave three peas on their plate to ensure that the New Year will be filled with luck, fortune and romance.

Hoppin' John is a recipe that features black-eyed peas, and is now a favorite staple of Southern food. If, after the New Year's Day meal, you have leftovers they are called Skippin' Jenny.

OPEN THE DOORS

In Ireland it is traditional to open the back door at midnight to let out the bad and open the front door to let in the good. (Thanks, Annika)

GRAPES

In Spain eating 12 grapes during the last minutes before the New Year begins brings good luck. Eat one on each of the chimes at midnight.

ONIONS, POMEGRANATES & CAKE

In Greece hanging an onion outside the door signals prosperity, good luck, abundance, and rebirth. On New Year’s Day, parents may wake children by tapping them on the head with the onion. Breaking a pomegranate also brings luck, the more scattered seeds, the more prosperity.

Another customary Greek tradition is consuming Vasilopita, or Saint Basil’s cake. This cake is baked with a silver or gold coin inside, and whoever finds the coin in their slice is considered especially lucky in the coming year.

SMUDGING

The word smudge comes from the Middle English word smogen -to smother with smoke. For thousands of years, recorded back to the days of the pharaohs in Egypt, smoke from burning materials has been used for a variety of spiritual, ceremonial, medicinal purposes, and cleansing. During the rise of the New Age culture during the 1970's and '80's, the Native American practice of smudging was appropriated for various uses and celebrations. Smudging a space, usually a home, on New Year’s Day is thought to cleanse the area of any bad spirits and negativity and prepare a place for the new year to start fresh. Most often white sage is used but other herbs can be added or used separately.

HOGMANAY & “FIRST- FOOTING”

In Scotland, New Year’s Eve is a big night celebrating the winter solstice as well as the beginning of the new year. There are the usual bonfires, torches, and fireworks.

There are Hogmanay is what we Scots call New Year's Eve - 31 December - the big night that marks the arrival of the new year. Its origins reach back to the celebration of the winter solstice among the Vikings with wild parties in late December.

Many festivals and celebrations include torches and bonfires celebrating the return of seasonal light. At midnight it is traditional to sing “Auld Lang Syne”.  

One of the unique traditions is known as  “first-footing.” The first person to cross the threshold should bring a gift of luck. According to the custom, the first person who crosses the threshold of a person’s home should bring a gift of luck. Traditionally, this gift was a coal for the fire or This was traditionally a piece of coal to wish for warmth but has widened out to include the addition shortbread to wish for food, a silver coin for wealth, and a bit of whiskey for good cheer.  

MISTLETOE

In Ireland, it's customary for single gals to put mistletoe under their pillows on New Year’s Eve to dream of their future husbands. Many cultures have picked up the practice of hanging mistletoe encouraging love and kisses.  

SUITCASES, MONEY & LENTILS

In Columbia, the traditions stand for wishes – for fortune, prosperity, travel and, of course, luck. Partygoers may arrive with empty suitcases looking for the coming year to include travel while others carry money in their pockets to bring prosperity.

Maybe originating in Europe, carrying lentils in your pockets is supposed to symbolize a prosperous new year.

WHITE FLOWERS In Rio de Janeiro, New Year's Eve revellers wear white and throw white flowers into the sea as part of Festa de Iemanjá, the goddess of the sea.

NEW YEAR'S PLANT GIFT

No doubt started by the horticultural industry, giving a plant as a gift is for the New Year may be a living symbol of good tidings and fresh beginnings. It isn’t any one species of plant. The recipient would most likely appreciate something unusual. It should be something that stands apart from the ordinary.

WHAT PLANT WOULD YOU GIVE AS A NEW YEAR GIFT & WHY?

* * * * *

Interested in herbs? Looking for a gift?

Perfect for a hostess gift, or birthday or housewarming.

And there is a price reduction as we look forward to spring gardening.

 Check out the Herb Sampler on this Blog  

SPECIAL Price reduction on this 5  *  *  *  *  * book

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it.

 

2024 WINTER SOLSTICE

Chambersburg, PA
Winter Solstice on Thursday, December 21, 2024
Winter Solstice Sunrise - 7:29 AM

Winter Solstice Sunset:- 4:49 PM

This is an astronomical event that occurs because our world is tilted on its orbit around the sun, a fact that explains the seasons in our temperate zones. The shortest day and the longest night of the year. It marks a turn in the seasons as the length of the days get longer.

IF THE DAYS ARE LONGER WHY IS IT SO COLD?

The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang reports that “even though daylight slowly increases after the solstice, many places don’t see their coldest days until mid-January. This happens because the Northern Hemisphere continues to lose more heat than it gains for several more weeks. The oceans – which take longer than land to heat up and cool down – play a role in this seasonal temperature lag. Only after the Northern Hemisphere starts to receive more solar energy than it loses do average temperatures begin their upward ascent.” 

Doug Wenztel of Penn States Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center says there’s a bright side as well. This is an opportunity to go out and explore your local areas and see a different landscape. Each year the Center has a Winter Solstice Stroll.

A walk along a favorite summertime wooded path reveals the shapes of trees and their branching patterns. Sit still and quiet for 15 minutes and soon you will see the birds that stay with us all winter. Discover mosses and evergreen ground covers nestled against the rocks near the path or check the edges of a pond for ice crystals. Think about the bit of shelter they provide for wintering birds as they perch among the rattling leaves, away from winter’s wind.

WHY ARE THERE STILL LEAVES ON THE TREES?

You most likely will hear the rustle and rattle of dead leaves still clinging to the branches of some trees. Kathleen V. Salisbury, Extension Educator, asks,  "Have you ever noticed some trees hang on to their leaves after all the other have colored up and fallen to the ground?"  in her article "Why Do You Just Keep Me Hanging On?"

 “…there's a reason why some leaves keep on hanging on all winter. Marcescence (use it 3 times in a sentence today and you own this word!) is the term for this winter retention of leaves. Beech and oak are deciduous native trees, losing their leaves each fall. But young beech, as well as their cousins [the] oaks, not to mention musclewood, witchhazels and parrotia, hang on to some of their leaves throughout the winter. They are marcescent.

In the fall trees create a separation zone (abscission layer) between petiole (leaf stem) and branch. If the separation layer is complete, the leaves will drop to the ground, to add nutrients to the root zone as they decompose. 

Trees shed their leaves to prepare for harsh winter conditions by conserving valuable resources. They create this separation zone so the falling leaves do not damage the plant in the process of shedding. Marcescent trees do not form this abscission layer completely and so some of the leaves hang on through the winter.”

~ Carol Kagan, Master Gardener

References:

The Washington Post: Winter Begins Today-Answers About the Solstice

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2014/12/21/winter-begins-today-five-questions-and-answers-about-the-solstice/?arc404=true

Penn State: Winter Solstice Walk 2022

https://www.facebook.com/shaverscreek/winter-solstice-stroll/wentzel/819053985832668/

PennState: Why Do You Just Keep Me Hanging On? 
https://extension.psu.edu/why-do-you-just-keep-me-hanging-on

Pennsylvania State Climatologist: Greencastle, PA Max/Min Daily Temp: 12/21/2023 to 03/19/2024

https://climate.met.psu.edu/data/ida/index.php?t=3&x=cwop_hourly&id=CW4362

Weather Atlas: Monthly Average Temperatures

https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/pennsylvania-usa/mont-alto-climate

* * * * *

Interested in herbs? Looking for a gift?

Perfect for a hostess gift, or birthday or housewarming.

And there is a price reduction as we head into the holiday season.

 Check out the Herb Sampler on this Blog  

SPECIAL Price reduction on this 5  *  *  *  *  * book

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it.

 

I Write - An Unusual Character

 My writing group has monthly writing prompts. Here's my part true and part fiction writing for An Unusual Character

Duke Devlin

Prologue

After visiting the Bethel Woods Center for the Performing Arts, Bethel being the home of Woodstock, my husband asked, jokingly, “I wonder if anyone stayed and never left?”

That question called for a Google search. This is partly fictional and the information about his participation at Bethel Woods in true.

~~~   *   ~~~   *   ~~~

I Ain’t Stayin’ Long 

    In 1969, Duke Devlin, 26, was living on an Amarillo, Texas, commune. The heat was thick and dry. Some chairs and benches were strewn about in the cool spots under the low hanging branches of a honey mesquite tree. He was sitting in a creaky old rocker dressed in dirty overalls, a sweat-soaked t- shirt, and a tattered cowboy hat pulled low in front. His friend Ezra came along, scooched a bench over, sat, and stretched his legs out.

    “So, Duke, I’m chasing good leads for some jobs on the pipeline in Alaska. That’s gonna be quite a trip from here upta there. I’d want company to travel and there’d  be work for you, too. You interested?”

    “Yeah. I reckon I am. Got no plans now. Cooler than here, I ‘spose.”

    “Well, I won’t hear back until the end of next week, maybe a bit more. I’ll meet you here when I get word and I hope we’ll be heading north.”

    Duke was still sitting in the rocker later that day when another friend, Ritchie, drifted into the shade.

“Hey, Duke. I’m headed to Pennsylvania to visit my girlfriend. I need a travelling companion. Can you come along with me? I got some dollars to get vittles and such.”

    “Since I ain’t got no work seems everybody wants to drag me along where they’re going. I’ll go but I ain’t stayin’ long. Gotta be back here soon.”

    They set out, hitching rides. A VW van painted with colored flowers, hearts, and peace signs, pulled up.  The scent of pot floated out as a girl rolled down the window and offered a ride. They were headed to a music festival in New York, “3 Days of Peace & Music.” Duke and Ritchie rode along, lazing in the back on Mexican blankets and looking up at swirling, whirling colors and shapes on the ceiling. They got out on Route 40 in Nashville and hitched on to Pennsylvania.

    Ritchie discovered that long distance romance was near impossible. His girl had moved without telling him. He was down and needed a pick-me-up.

   “Let’s head up to that music festival. They said there would be some good music. Maybe catch a buzz or two. It should be fun.”

      “Well, okay,” said Duke, “but I ain’t stayin’ long. I gotta get back home. Might be some good work waitin’ for me.”

    They hitched up toward Woodstock but learned along the way that the festival was moved to a dairy farm in Bethel. Another car headed that way picked them up. As they got closer, traffic was at a standstill, gridlocked. They decided to walk in.

Woodstock Festival (Photo: Culturetrip.com)

   

   Once they got there the crowd was huge. Organizers expected 50,000 but 450,000 showed up. They got separated and Duke only had a few dollars in his pocket. Lured by the aroma of grilling burgers and hot dogs, he slogged through the muddy field until he found the food truck.  As the concert started he was offered work at the food truck. All you could eat and $2 an hour. He was in. When he had a break, there was always an open invitation to crash in someone’s tent or under a tarp. He enjoyed the music and the atmosphere. Despite mud and overcrowding, the nearly half million people were peaceful.

    When the concert was over, Duke stayed around to help clean up the grounds, salvaging some of tents, tarps, and other items left there. Yet, he still didn’t leave. He set up a small camp near the edge of the field and enjoyed a bit of celebrity in Bethel after everyone left. Strolling into a local bar they’d say “Hey, hippie, you still here? Set him up a beer.”

    He took odd jobs around town then a job at the dairy farm. He wanted to make enough money to head back south, but the beauty of the area and the friendly people held him. He met a girl and got married. He became the man who never left Woodstock. 

    In 1989, 20 years after the festival, a French reporter caught up to Duke for an interview with the hippie who never left. The interview was widely published and lots of people started coming to the Bethel site. Shortly after, a charitable organization purchased the site and put on a small show. Duke was asked to get involved, telling stories and walking people around.  

Bethel Woods Center for the Performing Arts
(Photo courtesy CDTrips.com)

    The show was a success, and this led to the creation of the Bethel Woods Center for the Performing Arts. A special monument was placed at the edge of the Woodstock field. Duke was hired to be the Center’s Site Interpreter and for years he would give golf cart tours to performers scheduled for the Center. At other times he could be found sitting at the monument, reminiscing, and sharing little known facts about the bands, the people, and the event.

    He may have said “I ain’t stayin’ long” but he didn’t retire until 2016 when he headed back to Texas.

* * * * *

Interested in herbs? Looking for a gift?

Perfect for a hostess gift, or birthday or housewarming.

And there is a price reduction as we head into the holiday season.

 Check out the Herb Sampler on this Blog  

SPECIAL Price reduction on this 5  *  *  *  *  * book

The Second Edition Herb Sampler (2019) is available through Amazon. 

Just click this link to find it.