Happy Halloween!

A special thank you to creative and artistic sister Marj for her most recent addition to our haunted gardens.
Oh what a tangled cocoon she has woven.

Happy Halloween!

Come in Costume!

Part of our Garlic dinner tradition is to ask our guests to come in costume for this Halloween event. Some play along... the waitstaff always does.... as you can see here... the medieval m'lady Nancy, Steelers fan Colleen, and the ready-for-bedtime momma Susanna. We're holding the appetizer plate we served. It included Rosemary Garlic Jelly with Pear & Brie Crostini, Stuffed Mushrooms in Garlicky Wine Sauce, Garlic Salsa with sweet pepper 'chips', and Sauteed Chicken with Garlicky Blueberry Dipping Sauce. Several guests requested the mushroom recipe... so here it is.... enjoy!

Stuffed Mushrooms in Garlicky Wine Sauce
2 Tbsp. butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 c. dry white wine
2/3 c. chicken broth
1 5.2 oz. container semi-soft cheese with garlic & herbs (Boursin perhaps)
2 doz. whole mushrooms

Melt butter over medium heat, in a medium skillet. Toss in shallots and garlic and saute until slightly browned. Add wine and broth. Bring just to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove stems from mushrooms. Top each mushroom with a portion (slightly less than a teaspoon) of semi-soft cheese. Place filled mushrooms in a rectangular baking dish, cheese side up. Pour wine sauce around mushrooms. Bake, uncovered, for 10 - 12 minutes. Serve hot. Garnish with finely snipped fresh herbs.

From the Garden to the Kitchen

Recently, Nancy, of Lemon Verbena Lady's blog, gifted us with five beautiful jars of homemade jelly. Nancy is an avid herb gardener, lecturer, and guest blogger for the Herb Companion. Her blog clearly demonstrates her love for both herb gardening and her herbal husband, with whom she happily shares the garden and the kitchen. Nancy has been busy both in the garden growing the herbs for the jelly, and then in the kitchen making and canning this wide assortment of tasty jellies, and I'm so thankful to be a happy recipient of several of her jams and jellies. I was happy to share the Rosemary Garlic Jelly with our guests at the Garlic Garlic Garlic Dinner on Tuesday evening.

Nancy has kindly shared the Rosemary Garlic Jelly recipe on her blog.

To use the jelly as an appetizer, I sliced a French baguette and toasted it lightly in the oven. (350 degrees, about 5 minutes). Spread some Brie on the baguette, and then top with the Rosemary Garlic jelly to which I had mixed in minced fresh pear. It was a nice combination, and enjoyed by many.

Thanks again Nancy! We are enjoying your fabulous homemade gift! Nothing better!

Oven Roasted Garlic

Oven Roasted Garlic is a very easy process that produces a sweet yet slightly mellow almost nutty flavored paste. Simply slice the top off the entire head of garlic, and remove as much of the papery outer skin encasing the cloves without causing them to break apart. Place the heads in a baking dish to which you have added about 1/4 c. water. Drizzle olive oil over each garlic head. Cover entire pan with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for one hour. Baste after 30 minutes. Monitor the oil and water level, adding a touch of each if necessary.
The garlic is done when the cloves are soft and easily pierced with a toothpick.

After they have cooled, squeeze the garlic from the casing. This can be used 'as is' and smeared on warm toasty bread for a superb garlic spread. Roasted garlic is also a great addition to mashed potatoes for a delicious flavor combination. This garlic was roasted, pureed in a food processor, and baked into a Garlic & Black Olive Quick Bread (actually 3 loaves) for dinner tonight.

This recipe has many variations... from oven temperature (325, 375, 400) to cooking time (45 min., one hour) to whether you should slice the top off or not (I prefer slicing off the top, makes it easier to remove the roasted garlic when they are done.). Essentially a no-fail recipe, any method will produce a delicious garlic paste to be enjoyed in any number of ways.

If you aren't using all of the garlic paste, it will keep for one week in the refrigerator, or for longer storage, freeze for later use.

Sealed with a Clove.

Our Annual Garlic Dinner is tomorrow evening - a Halloween tradition around here. Almost everyone in the family *loves* garlic along with a crowd of Rosemary House/Sweet Remembrances guests. The cook, however, prefers garlic in moderation. Tomorrow evenings dinner is anything but 'garlic in moderation'. Typically, by the end of the meal, each guest will have consumed three heads of garlic (yes, heads, not cloves). In order to continue with this annual event, we made a deal years ago... if Susanna peels the garlic, I will cook with it. Here's the first bowl full of peeled garlic... ready to be chopped~minced~roasted~marinated~chocolate covered etc.... all in preparation for the Garlic Feast. She'll be peeling the rest of the garlic later this evening. It's a deal.

Pictures from yesteryear...

“Just living is not enough,” said the butterfly, “one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.” ~Hans Christian Anderson

It's Saffron Crocus Time!

Saffron, Crocus sativus, is a fall blooming crocus, and we have the bulbs available now! If you can grow regular spring crocus then you can grow Saffron. Considered the world's costliest spice Saffron is certainly worthy of a little corner in your herb bed. Under the ground more than it is above, Saffron is always a surprise to spot in the garden. In the spring the leaves come up in a "grass like" manner and then in the fall the leaves again pop up along with the purple saffron blooms. It is the orange thread like stamens that are harvested to cook with. Saffron is used to flavor rice, pot pie, chicken. Many folks feel it only colors the rice so often Safflower is used in cooking as a substitute for saffron. While the flavor of saffron is delicate is does enhance your meal with both color and flavor so accept no substitutes! A plant of the Bible, Saffron is in the Song of Solomon and one of the dye plants for a coat of many colors. Easy to grow and fun to have. If you would like to try your hand at growing Saffron, we have them available now in the shop and by mail order, visit The Rosemary House, and scroll to the bottom of the page for ordering info.

Triple Berry Lemon Saffron Loaf
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. saffron
1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. water
2 eggs
grated zest 1 lemon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 c. sliced berries (strawberries, blueberries & raspberries)

Powder saffron threads with some of the sugar. Add saffron-sugar to utter first. Cream butter and sugars together and then add eggs, one at a time. Sift dry ingredients together. Mix lemon juice and zest with water and add, alternately with dry ingredients, to batter. Add the 2 c. berries to batter also just before baking. Do not over mix. Preheat oven to 350 deg. Pour batter into greased and floured bread pan . Bake about 45 minutes. until lightly browned. Cool. Slice and garnish with fresh berries. We hope you enjoy this moist tea bread with its delicate saffron flavor.

This recipe from A Bountiful Collection - The Second Helping, published in 1992 is reprinted with permission from the Penn Cumberland Garden Club.

Spoook-tac-u-lar Gardens

The gardens have been haunted for the Halloween season....

stroll along with us....
if you dare...

Happy Golden Anniversary!

Penn Cumberland Garden Club is celebrating their Golden Anniversary this year. Established in 1959 and federated in 1960, they provide a gathering place for members to socialize, learn, and discover the joys and lessons found in the garden. They promote education, share resources and develop opportunities for members to participate in gardening, floral design and landscape design, as well as civic and environmental responsibility. They are a volunteer organization of women and men who share interests in gardening, civic beautification and legislative issues. Happy Golden Anniversary to this very active club!

And, as part of their celebration, we made 100 golden cupcakes... a true labor of love...

decorated with roses, daffodils, floral blossoms, all in various shades of gold and yellow. They were transported to the meeting hall this morning.

and to display 100 cupcakes, several levels were used with beautiful heirloom cut glass pedestals with shimmering gold plate charges.

May they continue to celebrate each passing year with success and joy!

Garden Surprises

Ya just never know what will pop out of the bushes.
Our herbal medicine cabinet is stocked with vinegar, sage honey, onions and elderberry syrup. Our gardens patrolled regularly.
We are well protected around here. We are prepared.

Preparing for Winter Colds/Flu: onion poultice

Add onions to your grocery list so that you have some on hand for any chest congestion that should arise. This was one of our mother's very favorite and might I add quite effective remedies for congestion and unproductive coughs. Simply dice the onions and saute them in a frying pan. Add a splash of olive oil and some garlic too if you have it. A dash of thyme and pinch of oregano helps too. When the onions are translucent then put half of them on the chest of your victim (err, I mean patient). We put down a wash cloth first, then the onions, then cover the person and onions with a towel or blanket to keep warm. Allow patient to rest and watch their favorite movie or TV show -- that's our bribe for cooperation for this treatment around here.

Now with the reserved half of the onion, garlic, and olive oil add some pieces of chicken, broccoli, cauliflower and continue to cook...... that's for dinner. Multi-tasking - that's how it all gets done!

This treatment is very effective. It is warming and loosens and moves the congestion that can collect in your lungs. Very safe to do on all ages, an external application so no need to worry about drug/herb interactions. If you feel a cold settling in your kidney area you could apply the onion there as well. One word of warning: Between the onion, garlic, olive oil and herbs we add such as thyme and oregano, you do end up smelling a bit like an Italian hoagie!

Preparing for Winter Colds/Flu: Yarrow and Boneset

Every fall, I always gather, dry, and tincture these two herbs and pray that we won't need them. Boneset (above) and Yarrow (below) are two of my favorite herbs to use in tea or tincture form for colds/flues. Boneset is helpful for that awful achy feeling -- you know where even your big toe hurts. Easy to recognize out in the field because it looks like the stems have been pushed up through the leaves. Boneset, Eupatorium perfoliatum, will also help to induce sweating in addition to helping with the aches and pains of a flu.
Yarrow, Achillea millefolium, is useful for treating severe colds and for ending fevers. It is a strong diaphoretic (promotes sweating).


To prepare mix 1/2 oz of each herb boneset and yarrow and steep covered in 1 pint of water. Drink it as warm as you can in 4 oz doses. Sweeten with honey if you like. Also, add some peppermint for additional flavor.

It's like carrying an umbrella. If you have some on hand-- you won't need it! But if you do need it -- you'll be glad you had it on hand!