Transitioning into Winter

We had our last market yesterday; the Boulder County Farmers Market Holiday Market. I readily let out a big sigh of relief when markets end. Its hard work packing things up every Friday and then getting up early every Saturday to set up at Farmers Market. However. Even though we love getting to meet new people every week and show off our Colorado Aromatics products every Saturday, come December I am more than ready to call it quits and start to focus on my own family and our Christmas.

This week we will cut a tree down from our yard, bring up the boxes of decorations from the basement, put up outdoor lights if the weather permits. I'll need to think of Christmas gifts for my husband and two boys (any ideas?) and drop hints for what I want (which of course I don't know, I really just want to spend good time with my family relaxing). This year will be special as 3 of my siblings will be visiting. I wish they all could but its rare to get everyone together. I'll have fun coming up with things we can do around town and surrounding areas. Maybe we'll even go skiing for a day.

Since we had our major frost I haven't had a chance to roll up the drip tape in our field, nor have I cleaned out the goat pen. So although the work load may be lighter for growers in the winter, it never goes away. In the extra time I might find, I hope to formulate new products, read some books (both fiction and non-fiction), figure out an exercise routine, and maybe do some knitting.

I'm well stocked on herbs this year and might experiment with some nice herbal tea recipes. I'd like to use lemon balm more. I'm attracted to its gentle citrus taste/aroma. It is used as a nervine to renew and strengthen the nervous system. For me, its a good uplifting herb for this transition time into winter. This is the tea I am planning to make tonight:

Lemon Balm Tea
1 part lemon balm
1/4 part chamomile
1/8 part orange peel
1/8 part oatstraw
pinch of lavender

Summer Skin Care with Herbs

Sunny beach

The dog days of summer are upon us. That hot sun not only dries out our skin causing premature wrinkles, but is can also increase the risk for skin cancer. Herbs can help skin in a number of ways, including cleansing, cooling, and protecting. 

Make an infusion or strong tea from herbs that can be applied to the skin or put in the bath. Also try herbs as a steam facial by putting them in a bowl and pouring boiling water over them. Lower your face into the steam being careful not to burn yourself. Feel your pores open and your worries drift away. Yet another way to use herbs for your skin is to make a tall glass of iced herbal tea to relax with.  These are some common plants for summer skin care:

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) – Some call it a weed, but it is a very good source of vitamin A which is important for maintenance of the skin’s epithelial layer. Vitamin A is also found in stinging nettles, parsley and violets.

Rose Hips (Rosa spp.)– After the rose flower fades you still have the hips, which are high in vitamin C. This vitamin is essential for making collagen, the foundation upon which the skin rests. Rose flowers also make a good face cleanser and are considered hydrating for the skin. Parsley and strawberry leaves are also high in vitamin C.

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) –The phytoestrogens in red clover can help diminish wrinkles, giving your skin that plump youthful look. It has also been used to treat several skin conditions including eczema. Since it is a legume, it can also feed your soil!

Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)– It's anti-inflammatory properties can be soothing to the skin, especially after a sunburn. It is also antiseptic which can help prevent infection of minor scrapes.

Mint (Mentha spp) – The cooling properties of the mint family are refreshing on a hot afternoon. Make a tea to drink as well as to apply to the skin in a mister or with a cotton swab. Mint can also help relieve dry cracked skin.

Green Tea (Camillia sinensis) – Although you probably don’t have this one in your garden it is an important one for summer skin care. Many animal studies have shown that green tea can prevent skin cancers when applied topically. Try making a strong infusion to put in the bathtub, or apply it directly to moles on the skin. It also provides beneficial properties as a drink. Better safe than sorry.

Calendula (Calendual officinalis) – This orange flower is great for dry skin and can hasten the healing of cracked hands or abrasions of the skin. It is also antiseptic and anti-inflammatory and has been used to treat eczema.

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) – This herb can bring relief from sunburn and has also been used as an insect repellent and to treat skin allergies and rashes.

Recipe

Rose water toner

2 c rose petals

1 cup water

2/3 cup witch hazel

2 tsp honey

Bring water to a boil and add rose petals. Remove from the heat and steep for one hour. Strain out the petals. Add the second cup of rose petals to the water and again heat to just boiling, steep for one hour and strain. Mix in witch hazel and honey. Keep this refrigerated and use within three days.

You can find a good green tea herbal bath mix from Colorado Aromatics to use after exposure to sun here.

Brewers Herbs

Beer is an ancient drink (and food) that I happen to be quite fond of. I especially like beer with lots of floral hops. Hops were not always used in beer though, and may not have been used until the 9th century. Before that, a mixture of herbs referred to as gruit was used to flavor beer. Although I don't brew beer, I do grow hops and other herbs so am interested in what herbs are used in beer. I recently read "The Homebrewer's Garden" by Joe and Dennis Fisher to learn more about herbs in brewing, a very interesting book by the way.

Here are some of the herbs from this book that grow in my gardens.

Anise Hyssop - provides a licorice flavor to beer.
Basil - adds a slightly bitter, spicy flavor.
Bee Balm - often used as a tea, bee  balm provides a bitter, minty flavor.
Borage - gives a spicy, cucumber like flavor to beer. This herb can also be steeped in wine.
Chamomile (Roman) - is said to be one of the 'secret' herbs in Celis White beer. It gives an apple-like flavoring.
Clary Sage - provides a balsamlike aroma to beer.
Coriander - this is a flavoring in one of my favorite beers; Belgian Whites.
Dandelion - yet another use for this common weed. Use the tender spring leaves in your salad and the larger leaves later in the season to bitter your beer.
Elder - the berries are best know for making wine, but they can also be used to flavor beer. The flowers can be used for 'dry hopping' as well.
Oregano - adds a distinctive flavor to beer.

Horehound - this herb can add a warm, menthol flavor. I wonder if horehound beer can be used to control coughs?
Hyssop officinalis - this herb is used in Benedictine and Chartreuse. Using it in beer provides a minty, medicinal scent.
Juniper - commonly used in gin, juniper can contribute this taste to beer as well.
Lavender - oh, the many uses of sweet lavender. I would love to try a pale ale flavored with lavender. Let me know if you know of one.
Lemon Balm - this is used in many liquours and can add a lemon scent/flavor to beer.
Mint - there are many types of  mint, and although I love a mint tea, I don't know how this would be in beer.
Rhubarb - great in a fruit crisp, this is one fruit that would be interesting in beer.
Rose hips - apparently rose hips are used in some beers from Poland and impart a citrus flavor and red color to beer.
Rosemary - before the use of hops in beer, rosemary was quite popular.
Sage - was used in fifteenth century English beer recipes and adds bitterness and camphorlike scent.
Savory, Summer - provide a peppery, oregano-like flavor and aroma.
Spruce - was popular during the American Revolution spruce adds distinct, woods taste that is popular in winter beers.
Sweet Woodruff - this herb is what makes May wine what it is but can also be used to add a mild, sweet aroma to beer.
Thyme - used to give beer a spicy aroma.
Valerian root - is commonly used as a sedative so what better place to use it than beer?
Yarrow - both the leaves and flowers can be used to bitter beer.

I'd love to see more 'herbal' beers so I hope that if you are a brewer this gives you some ideas - and don't hesitate to share with me! I'd love to write reviews!

Herbal DeStress

Stress can save your life! Stress gives you more energy, increases your heart rate, and increases blood flow to the muscles. It can get you out of an emergency situation as fast as possible - such as out of the path of an oncoming car. However, low levels of stress that lasts for long periods of time can harm the body. This type of prolonged stress can be related to a number of diseases including heart disease, cancer, slowed wound healing, decreased memory & cognition, osteoporosis, decreased immunity (increased infections), depression, anxiety, even eczema.

Here are some ways to cope with stress:

Breathing: Focus on taking deep, slow breaths, expand your abdomen with each inhalation. Deep breathing provides more oxygen to your body (and can also clear your thoughts).

Exercise: Moderate exercise can decrease stress and improve the immune system. Exercise can stimulate the release of endorphins, the “feel good” hormones. A half hour walk daily can help tremendously with stress.

Diet/nutrients: Eat a good, well balanced diet. Increase consumption of tryptophan by eating cheese, eggs, meat, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. Tryptophan is used to make the calming neurotransmitter, serotonin. Increase consumption of tyrosine by eating whole grains, seafood, meat, peanut butter and legumes (kidney beans). Tyrosine is used to make epinephrine, a neurotransmitter which is used up during stress. B and C vitamins are also important in coping with stress.

Herbs: Use herbs in teas, in the bath, as a foot bath, in tinctures, a dream pillow or as aromatherapy. In fact using herbal and aromatics in bath and body products can go a long way in relieving stress.

Here are some great herbs to try.

German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) and Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) – mild sedative, calms the nerves, promotes sleep, improves mood.
California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) – sedative and anti-anxiety, reduces muscle spasms.
Catnip (Nepeta cataria) – calming, relieves headaches, promotes sleep, good in the bath for sore muscles.
Hops (Humulus lupulus) – mild sedative, calms the nerves, promotes sleep.
Kava (Piper methysticum) – sedative, antidepressant, muscle relaxer (do not take with alcohol or antidepressants).
Lavender (Lavandula officinalis) – sedative, relaxant.
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) – sedative, relieves headache and tension, improves memory.
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnate) – sedative, promotes sleep
Skullcap (Scutellaria laterifloria) – sedative, for nervous tension (do not use during pregnancy)
Wild Oat (Avena sativa) – mild sedative, promotes sleep and relieves stress too.

Whatever you do find a way that is simple and works for you.

A Fairy Garden

I get anxious for spring this time of year so I made a visit to my local garden center. After seeing some of the adorable fairy gardens on display I decided making my own would be a great way to get through the rest of winter. I knew my fairy garden needed to be made from herbs alone. I choose Roman Chamomile, Gota kola, Thyme, Rose Geranium, and Rosemary, all have great aromas and textures. Some of these plants were pretty dense so I split them as I transplanted them into the wide clay pot I purchased. I'll save the part I split off to put in the garden in spring. As the herbs grow I will trim them so they will get denser. The rosemary and thyme will eventually hang over the side of the clay pot I hope. The rose geranium I trimmed quite a bit around the bottom so that it would look more like a tree and provide a shady place for the fairies to sit. The garden center had quite a few ceramic fairies and other 'paraphernalia' to choose from so if you decide to design a fairy garden be sure to get a pot big enough to fit all the fun options you'll want. But just looking at the miniature garden items; shovels, wheelbarrows, fences, chairs etc. was alot of fun in itself.

After filling the pot with soil I put a path down the middle made from crushed oyster shell. This was something we already had on hand for our chickens but you can find several bags of crushed stones at the garden center too. The fairies then went in right under the rose geranium tree where they seem to be comfortable. I found a frog outside that had broken off a globe in the garden and he wanted to be part of the garden too and talk with the fairies so he went in too; even though his size seems to be a bit out of proportion!
What do you do to help get through the last part of winter?

My New Rock Garden

Over the past year we have dug into the raised bed against the back of the house to put in a hot tub and a deck. This left a large area of weeds - one of those "I'll get to it someday" areas. Well, my brother and his family visited us last week and my hard working sister in law wanted a project we could do together. Now when someone makes an offer like that I am smart enough not to suggest scrapbooking or going through old photos. Yes, I suggested moving heavy rocks around which worked well since she is younger than I.

First we (or rather she) pulled out all the weeds and moved some rock out of the area. We then put in the cut flagstone path that goes up to the water faucet on the back of the house. We already had the flagstone as well as the other flatter "moss" rock (its really lichen, not moss) from taking down a water fall by the garden pond that we had filled in earlier. We laid the various flatter stones into the ground leaving spaces for plants between them. This is an area I do not want to think about watering so that was taken into account when selecting plants. I also only wanted low growing plants.
Several types of sedum were transplanted from other areas in the yard. A trip to the neighbors yielded some violas and garlic chives. Then from the garden center I bought creeping thyme and Roman chamomile.

Some sand was used to fill in the spaces in the walk to keep the flagstone from shifting too much. Since this area is close to the faucet we put a stand to hold the hoses in the front.

I'm hoping these plants set down good roots and not too many weeds grow. It rained heavily after we finished and I'll make sure the new plants get a good amount of water for the next few weeks. I have a few other flat rocks laying around that I can use to fill in more of the spaces too.

Well, you'd think this would be enough for one person to do, but she insisted on weeding some of my other beds too. Thanks Angela, it was great to see you (and Kelly, Kyle, Emi)!

Today's Harvest

I walked through my garden today looking for what to harvest. Savory, oregano, zucchini, basil, chamomile, feverfew, sage, calendula, arugula and roses were among the gifts I found growing. The herbs will be dried and put into herb blends later. The arugula we had as a salad for dinner tonight with a honey balsamic dressing. Not too many roses are growing right now so I am glad I cut alot of them earlier in the summer. I pick flowers from the chamomile daily to dry and use in a variety of products. Feverfew (next to the bowl) will become a tincture as well as an infused oil. Calendula is an important herb that I use alot of in skin care products. I'm trying to keep up on what I have dried to make sure I harvest enough culinary, medicinal and skin care herbs to last over the next year.

Chamomile blossoms

I have decided to 'remodel' the garden bed right in front of my door. It has become overgrown and is filled with plants I don't necessarily use. We have cut out several bushes and through FreeCycle I have been able to find homes for many of the plants in that bed. If you have plants that need a new home be sure to check to see if there is a FreeCycle in your town. Once there is enough room I'll put a path going through the garden space and then fill it primarily with culinary herbs. Having these herbs concentrated in one place rather than scattered throughout the gardens will make things easier for harvesting. I'll post some pictures in future blogs of the progress.

On another note, Kelly Bloom at Southern Soapers posted a blog last week that has been getting alot of discussion attention among skin care makers. It discusses the definition of a 'cosmetic' versus a 'drug' and suggests that many of us who make skin care products are actually making and selling drugs illegally by FDA standards. You can read it here: http://tinyurl.com/kl85ul

Parsley

Summer is well underway and between visitors, vacation and farm work I haven't had much time for posting! Plants are growing strong and everyday I am picking chamomile blossoms and calendula blossoms for drying as well as a variety of culinary herbs that will go into blends later. It is parsley however that has aroused new interests in me recently. Not only are its virtues excellent as a food, but parsley is also good as a skin care herb.

Parsley is very rich in vitamin K which has been shown to reduce dark circles under the eyes. It is also high in vitamin C which is necessary for collagen production and vitamin A which is necessary for skin cell regeneration. Essential oils are also found in parsley as well as flavonoids which are powerful antioxidants. You can reap alot of benefits from eating parsley in your salads and on your potatoes, including heart and joint health but also try it for skin care. Put a few tablespoons of ground parsley in some full fat yogurt and apply that to your face as a mask. Leave on for 10 minutes while you drink a cup of tea. Wipe off and rinse with water. Your face will feel great.

Colorado Aromatics newest product is a Parsley Eye Serum. This is a light oil to be used on the sensitive skin around the eyes. It is a very nourishing oil to help with fine lines and dark circles. You might also use it around the lips. You can find Parsley Eye Serum At Colorado Aromatics.

I hope your gardens are bountiful too!

Wedding Herbs

My younger brother finally tied the knot so to speak and got married. For his wedding I put together an assortment of herbs as an 'Herbal Blessing'. Sometimes these herb mixes can be used instead of rice to toss at the couple with wishes of good luck. They don't have the problems that rice has with expanding in a bird's stomach and they don't have the problems of causing weeds like seeds do. They can also be placed in a bowl for guests to scoop out some to put into small organza bags. However, the place where my brother's wedding was did not allow anything loose like this so they put the herbs in organza bags before the wedding and set them in the reception area for guests to take.

Each herb has a specific meaning. Although flowers and herbs have probably always had meanings, they were popularized during Victorian times when polite people would never openly talk about their feelings but would rather send their messages (especially those that dealt with love) in the form of flowers. Even though we tend to speak quite freely now, using herbs to send a message adds a nice touch.


Here are the herbs and their meanings that I included in this combination:
Rose for Love
Lavender for Devotion
Rosemary for Remembrance
Larkspur for Joy
Sage for Virtue
Chamomile for Patience
Thyme for Strength