The Herb Lady Announces Herbal Celebrations Contest

The Herb Lady Announces Herbal Celebrations Contest

Mesa, AZ (PRWEB) November 12, 2005

Without celebrations many of us would have no traditions or joyous occasions. Whether it is a public holiday like Labor Day, a religious holiday such as All Souls Day (Day of the Dead), Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan or Diwali), or personal — weddings and births, we celebrate with food and decoration.

The contest is a way for folks to share their traditions of food and decoration with a theme of edible herbs and edible flowers, to have a chance to win a blend of herbs and spices, and to build a calendar of Celebrations.

Herbs and flowers have been used in celebrations for millennia beginning with harvest festivals and honoring the cycles of life, death, and seasonal change.

Contest rules and ideas for submitting entrees are posted on the Celebrations & Holidays page at the website http://www.herbs2u.net. The contest will run with weekly winners through mid- January.

The Herb Lady says “We already associate herbs with certain holidays and celebrations. Folks may simply accept what has always been, without knowing the origins of the use.”

Some ideas from the website included:

Thanksgiving: A roasted turkey with a dressing made of herbs is a classic example of herbs used both for flavoring and with a purpose. Like many of the aromatic herbs Sage is a digestive aid. But more than that it was discovered during the middle ages in England that Sage was particularly useful in the digestion of the very fatty meats which were a normal part of the huge meals they partook of – much like our current love affair with our sumptuous Thanksgiving Dinners. The rest of the usual poultry seasoning: thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram are also digestive aids. So pass the turkey and always include the Sage!

Bitter Herbs: Used in Jewish feast dinners, bitter herbs remind them of the bitterness of their slavery under Egyptian rule. Historically the bitter herbs were chicory, dandelion, endive, lettuce, sheep sorrel, watercress and by association Rocket (arugula). Again all these herbs are digestive aids, contain high amounts of Vitamin C and even calcium.

Ramadan: During this feast of Islam special desserts and teas are prepared with Hibiscus Flowers or Rose Flower Water (and rose essence is also used as a perfume). Aside from their special attributes for desserts, Hibiscus Flowers contain high amounts of Vitamin C and Rose Flowers are an uplifting and rejuvenating fragrance.

Christmas: Rosemary and Lavender have long been associated with Christmas. Legend says that during their flight to Egypt, Mary and Joseph stopped to rest and Mary spread her cloak on Lavender and Rosemary bushes. As a result Lavender was given its beautiful fragrance and Rosemary’s originally white flowers were turned to blue.

Herbs 2 U was founded to educate and inform folks on gardening with herbs, edible flowers and other edible plants, and then bringing those useful and flavorful plants into the kitchen and creating mouth-watering meals.

Catherine, The Herb Lady is the author of “Edible Landscaping in the Desert Southwest: Wheelbarrow to Plate.”

Her column appears monthly in the East Valley and Scottsdale Tribune, and her classes on growing and using edible herbs and flowers are offered in locations around the Valley of the Sun, including the Desert Botanical Garden and Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

http://www.herbs2u.net

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More Herbs Press Releases

Master Herbalist Launches Web Site

Master Herbalist Launches Web Site

(PRWEB) March 27, 2005

Since 1985, Teeter Creek Herbs has stood out in the field of herbal health products by providing herbal extracts that are of a consistent high quality, not by enhancing or extracting herbal ingredients, but by great attention to the details of growing, harvesting and processing the highest quality herbs at the peak of their potency. Most herbal manufacturers import the majority of their herbs, with little knowledge of the care with which they were grown and harvested, or even if they were harvested at the right time. Many herbs available on the bulk market have been overdried, grown with pesticides or herbicides and/or sat too long in storage.

The great majority of Teeter Creek Herbs’ plants are organically grown or wildcrafted right in the environs of their farm, situated in a wild valley in the Ozark Mountains in a pollution-free environment. The Ozark Mountains are one of the most botanically rich regions of the world. Many of the most popular herbs grow here naturally: Ginseng, Echinacea, Golden Seal, Black Cohosh and St. John’s Wort, to name just a few. Many others can be organically grown here in areas close to their natural environments, due to the remarkably varied environments to be found in the Ozarks. A handful of our extracts are produced from herbs that cannot easily be grown here; but great care is taken to find reliable sources for these herbs.

Liebert has studied the use of herbs for health for over 20 years. He grew up roaming the woods of the Ozark area. After living for a time in the desert southwest and learning the uses of plants from Native and Spanish American neighbors, he moved back to the Ozarks with his family. He became re-acquainted with and amazed by the diversity of plants to be found here and began experimenting with herbs for food and medicine. His studies have covered everything from local Ozark plant lore, Native American uses and the legacy of the Eclectic physicians, to Chinese herbalism and the latest in modern research. Bob is a professional member of the American Herbalist Guild.

He soon learned was that with a little care in the selection and harvesting of herbs, and especially in the use of fresh herbs, he could make products that were substantially more potent and of a higher quality than could be found in the general herb market. At this time, when so many are jumping onto the bandwagon and getting into the herbal products field, the ability to find high-quality herbs is becoming increasingly difficult. Many would-be herb consumers have been disappointed by the results they get compared to the hype that is now found in the media. A good deal of this disappointment is due to the large quantity of poor-quality herbs and herb products on the market.

Bob Liebert found that the best way to preserve the potency of the herbs was in making extracts according to time-honored plant pharmacy techniques. At Teeter Creek Herbs the focus is on the best representation of the whole herb. There is little need for standardization if the right herb is picked at the right time and processed as soon as possible. The fad for standardization has led to some unfortunate practices: boosting herbal ingredients with chemically extracted extracts; the stripping away of other plant constituents that have never been studied while second-guessing at what might be the active ingredient of an herb. Some herbal products become more like border-line pharmaceuticals than anything coming from Mother Earth. It is a way of thinking that might appeal to the rigid scientific/medical mind, but one that does great disservice to the amazing wholeness of the living herb. We believe the best, most balanced effects come from the whole herb.

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Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Introduction To Growing Kitchen Herbs & Herb Garden Kits

Article by Janet Suzalski

Kitchen herbs also known as culinary herbs are herbs used for cooking. Kitchen herbs are typically grown in the kitchen where they can be easily accessed. Culinary herbs are very easy to maintain and can be started quickly by opting to use herb garden kits. Not only can kitchen herbs be used for cooking but many of them can be used for medicinal and ornamental purposes adding even more value to your life.

When growing your kitchen herbs location is very important. You always want to choose a location that can provide your herbs with good air circulation. Some very essential additional things to note in having and maintaining a thriving herb garden is water, soil, sunlight and pruning.

Herb Garden plants require a minimum of 4-6 hours of full sunlight each day. The sun nourishes your plants, allows them to maintain a healthy appearance and provides them with that full strong flavor and fragrance.

Typically most herb plants require well-drained soil as this helps to prevent root rot and mold. Since herb plants are not the same across the board it is always advisable that you pay close attention to the care tag of your herb plant to ensure that you are in compliance with that particular plants water, sun and soil requirements.

Pruning your herbs is also important as you always want to remove any woody growth; when this is accomplished, you are always encouraging new growth from your herb garden plants.

The following is a list of common kitchen herb garden plants that you may want to consider growing.

Basil
Chives
Garlic
Oregano
Thyme
Parsley
Rosemary
Mint
Dill

When planning your kitchen garden you want to consider what you want to grow your herbs in. Of course the simple method would be to use herb garden kits. However you can opt to cultivating your herb garden in a pot/outdoor container or raised garden beds. If however, you a stuck on growing your herbs in the kitchen then your kitchen must be well lit providing your plants with full sun per its requirements, if not your plants will not grow the way you would like for them too.

If you are relatively new to herbs, and cooking with them, I would highly recommend you starting off slow with the use of your herbs, more like one herb at a time because of its potency. Yes, fresh herbs are quite powerful so you only need a little. Once you get a bit familiar with your herbs you can gradually add more.

Kitchen herbs are probably one of the first types of gardens that most gardeners begin growing. If you are a novice herb gardener I would certainly recommend starting with an garden kit as its very simple to maintain and very versatile. You can grow your kitchen herbs indoors all year around or outside during the spring and summer. Culinary kits usually come with more or less of the following flavorful herbs: Thyme, Oregano, Basil, Parsley, Dill, Garlic Chives, Sage and Cilantro.

It is an absolute joy to experience growing and caring for your very own organic herbs and the best part is you do not have to have a lot of space. Herbs can be grown in your windowsill, balcony, kitchen counter, etc; just as long as the area is well ventilated and receives the required amount of sunlight specific to your plants needs.

Happy Herb Gardening!

About the Author

Janet Suzalski is an herb garden enthusiast and enjoys spending her time writing & teaching others about herb gardening. For more great information and tips on kitchen herbs and herb garden kits visit her site at http://www.herb-gardening-info.com and while you are there feel free to sign up to her FREE Mini-Course on Herb Gardening Secrets.