Time to Give Thanks

I was recently walking through one of the demonstration gardens at the nursery after a rainstorm, feeling sad that the gardens were finished for the year, when I was slapped rather rudely by long blooms of Salvia leucantha and Salvia leucantha ‘White Mischief’. They formed a gauntlet, one looming on each side of the path, with long fuzzy flower heads dripping with the magical cool wetness of rain water. Of course, at first I was taken aback by the smack down, but once I stopped thrashing around I realized I was standing among a sea of greenery and flowers.

The garden doesn’t seem to agree with me that it’s time to be quiet and rest. Parts of the garden are actually giddy with flowers. So many flowers for the end of November, I have to share a few photos, although they don’t really do justice to the amount of bloom that seems to be everywhere.

I could post many more photos, but instead I invite customers to come out and visit our gardens to see what perennials will bloom late in the season, to dodge all of the hummingbirds who seem to be driving drunk around the garden, and maybe get some ideas for some new plants for your own garden.

What to Do With All the Herbs Still Growing?

We are entering the season of the wreath. Beginning with pagan traditions, wreaths have been popular symbols of the cycles of the seasons, especially during the Winter Solstice. The circle of the wreath suggests harmony and completeness, and the promise of an eternal life. And all of the fragrant herbs happily growing at this time of year are perfect for bringing inside to enjoy as a fresh or dried wreath, with the added functionality of being able to use the wreath to flavor your winter cuisine. We still have wreath making classes with openings this Saturday, Nov 22nd, and Thursday December 11th and Saturday, Dec 13th. Edible or not, it’s a great chance to add some beauty from the garden to your home. You can sign up for wreath classes here.

Maybe you just have a few minutes to make a ‘wreath’, or want to make some fun party favors or fragrant gift add ons to a culinary basket or a bottle of olive oil. A fun project to use some of your herbs is to make small, 3 to 5 inch ‘soup wreaths’ which you can make fresh now, entirely from edible herbs, and then enjoy dried by adding the entire wreath to a pot of soup, or disassemble and use it as you need. And if a wreath seems still like too much crafting, a simple culinary swag is easy, beautiful, fragrant and useful.

Suggested Herbs for Soup Wreaths

Any of the seasoning herbs can be used. It’s best to use long-stemmed herbs, to make it easier and more fun to weave. I often construct the wreath for a specific kind of soup. For example, if I am going to attach a recipe to the wreath for chicken soup, I would choose 3 to 5 from the following herbs for the wreath:

• Rosemary, thyme, celeriac leaves, garlic chives, chives, sweet marjoram, small lovage leaves, parsley, lavender, lemon grass, winter savory, French tarragon, lemon grass, and lemon basil.

For a beef- or pork-based soup, I might choose from this list:

• Rosemary, chervil, thyme, sa­vory, chives, garlic chives, tarragon, oregano, basil, sage, bay and small hot peppers.

A vegetarian-based recipe could draw from any of the herbs on either list.

Also fun would be an herbal tea wreath, with herbs such as lemon grass, anise hyssop, rose hips, rose or lemon scented geraniums, lemon thyme, pineapple sage and mint. A 5 inch wreath would be plenty for a large size tea pot of 4 to 6 cups.

Constructing the Wreath

To begin the wreath, gather your ingredients. You will need 4 to 8 sprigs of herbs in varying lengths. Longer pieces can be woven into the wreath more easily than shorter ones. You will probably also want 3 or 4 shorter pieces to add into the wreath for bulk and variety.

Choose a sprig of rosemary, oregano or a similar woody, long-stemmed herb, about 8 to 14 inches long. Bend it into a loop that is about 4 inches in diam­eter, twisting the ends around each other. Be sure the branches are pliable, so you can wind them around each other. You can tie the ends together with cotton cooking twine, or simply hold the wreath together with your thumb and finger, then add another long-stemmed herb, twisting it over and around the first one and overlapping the ends of the first.

Continue adding additional sprigs — a piece of sage, some thyme, winter savory, garlic chives and others — until your wreath looks full. Keep in mind the wreath will shrink as it dries, so add enough herbs to keep it looking full after it dries.

You can add a long leaf, such as an onion top from winter onions or a leaf of lemon grass, at the very last, spiraling it like a ribbon all the way around to secure all of the herbs and give it a finished look. Or if you have twined them together tightly, tie the ends with cotton twine and a bow for a more finished look. You also may want to tuck in a nice, small red pep­per or a sprig of chive blossoms or oregano flowers. Tuck the stem into the wreath so it is secure.

Dry Your Wreath and Prepare the Gift

Now you are ready to dry your wreath. The simplest way is to put it in a dark, dry place, like a pantry or a cabinet, until it is dry. Even the oven, without heat, works well. It’s impor­tant to dry your wreath out of light in order to maintain the vibrant color and flavor of your herbs. In summer the wreath will dry in 4 to 5 days. You can also dry in a food dehydrator, which has a temperature con­trol and remains dark inside. If I use basil or parsley in my wreath, I dry it on a low setting to keep the herb’s good, deep coloring. Don’t, however, dry the wreath in the microwave. That’s the worst way to dry any herb, because the microwaving process vaporizes the essential oils in the plant. Also, hanging the wreath in the kitchen isn’t a good method for drying. Light and cooking odors will diminish your wreath’s flavor and color.

Once your wreath is completely dry, you are ready to attach a recipe card containing instructions for using the wreath with a ribbon or string (the card and string should be removed before cooking). Wrap the completed wreath in tissue paper or seal it in a plastic sandwich bag and store it in an airtight container, out of light, until ready to use or give away.

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Time For a Sale!

Like most businesses we will be closed on Thursday, November 27th for Thanksgiving, but November 28th through 30th we will be pulling out all the stops and have everything at the nursery on sale. With most plants 40% off (new sleeved plants from Dave Wilson are 10% off) you have a great opportunity to plant a few more perennials, maybe a citrus tree or stone fruit, and some last minute herbs to give for gifts. Plus everything in the gift shop is on sale, as well as garden art and pottery. More information is available on our website. Have some mulled cider, wander the gardens and enjoy some quiet relaxing shopping!

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The Christmas Fair is Coming!

This year we are hosting the annual Christmas Fair at Morningsun Herb Farm. We always cohost with our farmer friends down the street Soul Food Farm, but this year the festivities will all be at the nursery. It’s coming up on Saturday, December 6th.

More than 20 local farmers, bakers and makers will be joining us for the day, we will have food and live Christmas music, and the donkeys will of course be dressed up and ready to take photos. You don’t want to miss Leroy the Santa donkey.

This Week’s Project

Moving plants from here to there, especially moving plants out of the area where vendors will be set up for our Christmas Fair! All of the newly arrived berries, pomegranates and figs are now located in hoophouse #2, and all of our natives are in the front of the nursery, extra easy to find!