Catherine, The Herb Lady's Storefront

Edible Herbs, Flowers & Other Edibles - Grow Your Own Dinner!

• Recipe Ideas from Others

  2009 Jul 09

  Dear Folks,
  
  I love checking out recipes from cookbooks and magazines. Usually I find myself thinking 'this is great, now I would do it this way...' or I'm disappointed that the chef/cook missed the opportunity to make something really great. I find recipes which start out with "Herbed...." disappointing when their idea of "herbed" is to add a bit of garlic or parsley. There are sooo many great herbs which work well together that to use only one seems too limiting particularly when the recipe comes from a known chef.
  
  Well the following do not disappoint. In the current (August, 2009) issues of Body & Soul and Food & Wine they offer some of the neatest ideas.
  
  Food & Wine offers up Basil Limeade Slushies and several other great sounding recipes like Iced Basil and Lemongrass Tea and Herb and Endive Salad. The slushie is a variation on a Mojito with lime and mint.
  
  I've made a Cilantro infused Limeade for some of my demos at Boyce Thompson but the idea of a slushie version is great. Herb and Fruit flavors to try in variations of this would be:
  
  Apple -- basil, cinnamon basil, mint
  Berries, All -- basil
  Blackberries -- thyme
  Blueberries -- rosemary
  Cherries — thyme .
  Cranberries -- cilantro
  Lemon -- lavender
  Lime -- cilantro
  Mango -- cilantro
  Orange -- rosemary
  Papaya -- cilantro
  Peach -- basil (all flavors), chamomile
  Pears -- lavender, rosemary
  Pineapple -- mint, cilantro, rosemary
  Raspberry -- basil
  Tangerine -- rosemary
  
  Do not limit yourself to the combinations above. If something different sounds appealing, try it.
  
  When watermelon is in season, I make ice cubes from the juice. I found the infused ice cube recipes in Body & Soul magazine, August, 2009, super ideas as well.
  

  Cucumber Basil Puree
  Combine 1 cup water, 1 cucumber (peeled and seeded), 1/4 cup chopped basil, and a touch of coarse salt in a blender and freeze in an ice cube tray.
  
  Orange Lime Mix
  Mix 1 1/2 cups of orange juice, 2 tablespoons of lime juice, and 1 teaspoon of lime zest in a bowl, then freeze in an ice cube tray.
  
  Lemonade Raspberry
  Dissolve 2 tablespoons of sugar in 1 cup of warm water; stir in 1/3 cup lemon juice. Divide 6 ounces of fresh raspberries into an ice cube tray and place a sprig of mint in each cube. Add the lemonade and freeze.

  Both issues of these magazines seemed to be particularly full of ideas right up my cooking alley. Hope they are as interesting to you.
  
  If you have the freezer space, make sure you save some of these ice cubes for use later in the winter - a sample of summer time can lift the winter blues.
  
  ON THE gardening side of things, I am readying a new service newsletter for desert gardeners to help with the often repeated refrain I get "I don't know when to plant... in the desert" - variations of which are "I grew this back in .... but I kill it here."
  
  If you have an interest leave your screen name at the link below. It is for information only and there is no obligation.
  
  Edible Gardening Success in the Desert
  
  Have a great day,
  
  -- Catherine, The Herb Lady

  Thanks for reading, and have a great day! -- Catherine, The Herb Lady

  

  

• Growing Horseradish -- Success in The Desert Southwest

  2009 Jul 05

  Howdy Folks,
  
  I finished harvesting the horseradish on June 30th.
  
  In reading about horseradish growing in the usual areas (not the desert) this is not only not the time to harvest the root, but also that the root may not be nearly as "beam my up Scott" hot and pungent as usual.
  
  However, I was very pleased not only with the healthy growth on the plants, but also the resulting grated product.
  
  To grow your own horseradish in the desert southwest, you need to reverse the growth pattern, because the roots will not survive our summer heat. Plant in the fall beginning October 1st and harvest in the spring in Later May or early June. One of the plants I pulled was just starting to flower.
  
  I will keep about 10 healthy roots in my refrigerator crisper drawer to replant in the fall. I give the top of each root a straight cut, and an angle cut at the bottom to keep it straight in my mind which is which. I wrap them in a slightly damp paper towel and place in a zip lock bag and store in the crisper drawer.
  
  Following general directions for grating I peel the roots, cut them in small dice, place with ice water in a blender or bullet blender and process to the thickness I want. I wait about 5+ minutes and add vinegar and this time I will remember to add salt (although the first batch I did in early June was great without it). 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt per 1 cup of grated root.
  
  I am really pleased to be able to grow yet another food my grandmother used and also to find a way for the gardeners of edibles to more fully expand their gardening and eating pleasures in the Desert Southwest. I also found the plant very attractive with it's large leaves, somewhat resembling many large leaved ornamentals.
  
  RECIPE TIPS:
  
  Horseradish, like its mustard relative, goes with so many foods. Add some to mashed potatoes, in salad dressing, add to a dip for a little kick, some chefs shave the fresh root -- I think a little very finely shaved root in cole slaw would be awesome. Fun stuff and it is a good source of some vitamins and minerals.
  
  If you are not familiar with Gernot Katzer, he has the most incredible site for information on (mostly) culinary herbs and spices. Check out his page on horseradish
  
  Have a grate (great!) day,
  
  -- Catherine, The Herb Lady

  Thanks for reading, and have a great day! -- Catherine, The Herb Lady

  

  

• Last of the Garlic Harvest

  2009 Jul 04

  Howdy Folks,
  
  The last of my for-sale garlic is gone - sold like crazy at the farmers market. Just to try it, I braided some as I was cleaning them off and thought you would enjoy seeing my amateur work.
  
  For those of you who enjoy my fresh produce at the market and either got some of the garlic or missed it this year, I am planning on increasing the planting space for next spring's harvest. I was so pleased with the performance of the garlic, ease of growing and density of harvest, I'm going to plant the Purple Haze I grew this year and another variety.
  
  If you have some garlic and have never tried roasting it here are a couple of options:
  
  Roasting Whole Heads
  
  Most Preferred: Slice off the tippy top of the garlic head to expose just a small part of each clove. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the cut top.
  1) Roast on the grill on indirect heat for approximately 40-45 minutes - squeeze to test (don't burn yourself!) - it should feel softened.
  2) Oven: at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.
  
  Second Most Preferred: Separate the clove from the head and do NOT not peel. Toss in along side of any roast your are cooking, or place in a single layer in a pan and oven back at 400 degrees for approximately 25 minutes - squeeze to see if they have softened.
  
  Roasting garlic mellows the flavor, bringing an incredible nutty taste to it. Squeezing the pulp from the skins is the easiest way to express the roasted garlic out. Add to mashed potatoes, spread on toasted bread with or without added tomatoes, basil and cheese, add to salad dressing.
  
  Freeze in air tight container for long term storage. Refrigerate and use within a week for short term keeping.
  
  CAUTION: For health-sake do not freeze whole raw garlic or onions.
  
  Have a great 4th of July!!!
  
  -- Catherine, The Herb Lady

  Thanks for reading, and have a great day! -- Catherine, The Herb Lady