Autumn Highlights.

Around our house October and November means lots of pumpkins, big fat orange ones, and dainty, and not so dainty, white ones, fat, skinny, perfect and totally warped ones. I never ever have enough pumpkins to satisfy my never-ending use for them. Of course the pumpkin isn't the only autumn fruit/vegetable that is worthy of attention in the colorful scheme of this most loved part of the year.
Gourds, corn stalks, and the different array of apples, from green to yellow to red and a combination of all the previous mentioned colors, it really is the most colorful season.

We enjoy using the colorful selection as an inviting grouping on the front porch, a lovely selection of pumpkins on the farm table in the dining room is very fitting.
A few scattered around the gardens provide a little touch of color to a somewhat fading look by this time of year.

And...of course we must not forget the Jack-O-Lantern.

What would October be without that special face sitting by the door greeting everyone who passes by or comes to call.

One of my very favorite uses for the pumpkin is in the kitchen of course.

For the family meal at Thanksgiving I use a medium size "Sugar Pumpkin"...(best for cooking)as a serving bowl for our favorite stew.

The options are many, just use your imagination for the stew.

Cut the top from a medium size Sugar Pumpkin, scoop out at least half of the pulp/without leaving the shell too thin. Set aside to use in the stew.

In a large deep pan place the pumpkin in boiling water, about 1/3 of the way up on the pumpkin.
Place in a very hot oven and cook until all the water is gone or until the pumpkin is just starting to get soft.(don't overcook)

Remove from oven, let sit for a few minutes to cool slightly.

Sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper or your favorite spices.

Saute' the firm parts of the pumpkin pulp, season according to your other ingredients. Stir all together and add to the pumpkin shell. Put it back in the oven and cook about 20 minutes, just enough to blend the flavors.

Makes a lovely centerpiece for the table and delicious too!

Enjoy this season, however you celebrate it...it is so special.

Bea Kunz
Sage Hill Farms

HERB and SPICE CHART

While cooking with herbs and spices really have no hard and fast rules, there are however some time-honored ways of using them that seem to be traditional.

HERB/SPICE-----------------SUGGESTED USE---------------------
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Allspice~~~~~~~~~~~Stews, peaches, apple dishes and tomatoes.
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Anise~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Baked Goods, fruits, and some vegetables.
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Basil~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Tomatoes, fish, lamb and soups.
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Bay Leaf~~~~~~~~~~~Stocks, stews, soups, chicken & tuna.
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Cardamom~~~~~~~~~~~Baking, good cinnamon substitute.
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Chervil~~~~~~~~~~~~Asparagus, eggplant, mushrooms, fish, poultry.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Chives~~~~~~~~~~~~~Eggs, salads, baked potatoes and soups.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Cinnamon~~~~~~~~~~~Baked goods, rice pudding, coffee, Mexican food.
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Clove~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sweet baking, sweet potatoes, apples, hot teas.
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Coriander~~~~~~~~~~Indian and curried foods, rice pilaf, chicken.
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Cumin~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Chili, curries, brown rice, black beans.
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Dill~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Fish, eggs, potatoes, pasta salads and squash.
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Fennel~~~~~~~~~~~~~Seafood, pork, squash, beets and pasta sauces.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Ginger~~~~~~~~~~~~~Winter fruits, Oriental dishes, carrots, hot teas.
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Marjoram~~~~~~~~~~~Vegetable soups, fish, poultry, most meats.(oregano substitute)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Mint~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Roast lamb, hot/cold teas, fruit dishes and salads.
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Nutmeg~~~~~~~~~~~~~Spinach, sweet potatoes, squash, cream soups, baked goods.
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Oregano~~~~~~~~~~~~Tomato dishes, vegetable juices, broiled fish, greek dishes.
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Parsley~~~~~~~~~~~~Eggs, meats, fish, cream cheese.
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Paprika~~~~~~~~~~~~Egg salad, pasta salad, fish, cajun cooking.
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Rosemary~~~~~~~~~~~Lamb, beef, roasted potatoes, grilled foods, eggplant, tomatoes.
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Sage~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Pork, stuffings, squash, cornbread, stewed peaches.
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Tarragon~~~~~~~~~~~Eggs, chicken, crab, mushrooms, herb vinegars, french sauces.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Thyme~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Chowders, soups, stews, stuffings, meatloaf, cheese & grilled food
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Beasbeatitudes Herb Blog, all rights reserved.

Autumn Delights!

Happy Autumn!
I'm about as pleased as a pig playing in the mud. I am so ready for some cool brisk days, and we have had those in my part of Tennessee for the last week or so. WEll, actually it has been brisk nights and mornings, heating up at midday through about 3 pm, but I'm not complaining at all.

I'm almost at a loss for something to do in the gardens, can you imagin!
The annual herbs are past the point of harvest and the garden is still producing, well, okra and tomatoes at least.
Soon we will till those under and plant a nice patch of turnip greens.
Nothing better than fresh greens for Thanksgiving.
Turnip greens are so good for you, do you know they serve as a natural detox for the free radicals that take up housekeeping in your body and make you sick.

A fine autumn dinner to please any anyone would be fresh turnip greens cooked with ham bone. Sugar beets simmered in a small amount of honey and dill, and sage cornbread cooked until it is crispy and brown.

Lets get cooking!!

Happy Autumn and be blessed.

Bea Kunz

PS: I've had a few request for a zone map, this is about as good as I could find.
As you can see it is compliments of the NGA.

A Day Of Remberance. 9/11/2006

Today was one of many different feelings for me.
I prayed early in the morning for all the people who were in the towers, the ones who escaped and the ones who did not. I prayed for strength to spend my day doing what would put something useful back into the universe. So it seemed rather natural when I found myself in the gardens digging in the dirt. I feel very close to my maker when I'm there on any given day....today was very special.

The air was warm, but not too hot, a slight breeze to temper the sun. There were no bugs flying around at all, I felt like an artist with a brand new canvas.......so I went to work.

I cleaned the thyme beds, cut the plants back to the ground level so they will be nice and strong by the beginning of winter.

I worked on some new beds for the spring and cut and dried lemon balm and lavender for tea blends.
I hauled compost and treated all the beds to a good feeding of fish emulsion.

I didn't watch TV today, not because I wasn't interested but because I felt moved to be outside "doing" something with my hands, something I could look at and see results when the day ended.

My thoughts ran a marathon during the course of the day....flash-backs to 2001, a friend who escaped the towers just minutes before it collapsed, why this thing happened-always the why...never an answer.

I ended the day with a loving tribute to my mother and father who gave me life, a life I am so grateful for.

May God have mercy on our world.

Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com

Herb Harvesting Tips for mid-August.

August is harvesting time for all herb plants.
Annuals need to be cut back as if this is the last cutting. If they give you another growth that will be a bonus, but most will die and you will want to turn those back into the soil and let them decay for good rich compost soil matter.

Perennials should be cut back to about a third of the plant, this will give the plant time to regrow and become strong again before the winter months set in.

If you cut back too late the frost will kill any new growth and your plants could easily die from the harsh cold on the tender plants.

Your basic perennials(ones that can be harvested all year)are:

Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Oregano, Lavender, and Tarragon.
Of course all of these will have different levels of tolerance, depending on where you are.

Your local farm co-op is a great place to get good solid plant information on weather tolerance.

Once you have harvested your herbs, then you must decide how you wish to keep them.
They can be dried by hanging in small bundles and left to dry at their own speed...doesn't take very long, a few weeks for most.
You will want to hang them in a cool, dry place such as an attic, a clean barn or inside a closet will work.
When I dry using this method, I cover the herbs with a fine piece of netting to keep flying bugs, dust, etc., from settling on them.

My favorite way to dry most things is by using a commercial grade dehydrater.(if you are drying small amounts, then a regular one will be just fine.)
I don't like using a microwave or the oven, and would not suggest that anyone else do so.
After your herbs are dry, store in dark colored glass jars with good fitting lids, away from heat and bright lights, inside a pantry, closet or any cupboard that is used for storage. Don't store over or close to the cook stove.

TIP: If you leave the leaves whole until you get ready to use them they will retain more of the essential oils.

Enjoy your harvesting !

Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com

August in the Herb Gardens.

August is vacation month for a lot of people. Some things to remember if you are planning to be away for more than a week.

1-Weed your gardens before you go, if you have weeds.
2-Pinch any blooms that are showing to encourage continued growth.
3-Water abundantly, herbs will be fine for a week or longer without water if you give them a good soaking.
4-If you have a problem with any pest, do whatever treatment you are applying before you go away.(and hope for the best when you return) Pest can get out of hand in one day, so a week is a long time to be left to feast.

Now, if you are staying home some things you can be performing in the herb gardens this month are:

Rosemary, Mints and Sage can be propagated now.

As you can see from the rosemary shrubs above they have very long stems.
Lay a stem on the ground as close to the bottom of the plant as you can get, just pull it over and hold it to the ground.(don't break it from the mother plant. Instead, clamp it to the ground with a garden staple( looks like a very large hairpin.) Push it down over the stem and it should be secure to the soil.
Apply a thin layer of good compost to the spot you stapled.
Water and in a day or so add some extra compost and water again.

In a few weeks or so the arm will have rooted. Cut it from the mother plant just above the stapled section. You can now dig up the new plant and re-plant in a new location or pot it and leave for next spring.

Mints can be taken up by the root or simply broken off and rooted in good compost.
Leave your mints in the pot until spring and you will have hardy transplants to start the season with.

If you have already cut your Sage back you are seeing new shoots cropping out by now.
You can break or cut these from the mother plant and pot the same as mint or plant then directly in the ground where you wish them to grow.
Sage is cold hardy and will survive the winter.

Sage is also one of those herbs that tends to get very woody stems after about the second or third year and needs to be replaced for the best results.

All other herbs should still be producing, although they are no doubt starting to flower, herb blooms are edible and look and taste great in salads and vegetables. They can also be dried right along with the leaves.

Don't forget too, they make an awesome summer flower arrangement for the table.

I hope you are saving all your compost material for your fall production. Grass clippings, shredded limbs, dead plants(no diseased ones) vegetable peels and coffee and tea grinds along with your eggshells. ( remember, never put cooked food or any meat products into your compost, it will turn rancid and spoil the entire pile.

Have an Awesome August and happy gardening!

Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com

Summers Peppermint.

Summertime has arrived in Tennessee !!
The heat is very intense and some days I forget to be grateful.

But, the good news is the hotter the better for the herb gardens. They thrive in the heat and most are very drought tolerant. So we are doing good in that department.

I have had the pleasure of cutting and drying peppermint for two days.......oh- the work is so welcomed, when the aroma is so nice.

Peppermint is good for so many things in the culinary world.

My greatest use for it is of course the tea blends, but I use it in a variety of ways other than the tea.

A few sprigs dropped into a pitcher of fresh lemonade is awesome.
Tear a few leaves and toss into the salad bowl when using fruits.
A few sprigs wrapped with a baking ham is just yummy!

And of course we must not forget the pleasures of the homemade ice cream treats.
Whatever liquid you are using, just soak the peppermint leaves in it and remove before combining the recipe.

My hubby eats oatmeal for breakfast and he drops a few leaves into the water for the oats, gives them a special little twist.

This is one of my peppermint beds, it is very healthy and the butterflies enjoy it too, as well as the bees.

Want to try my Peppermint tea? It's on my web-site as "SageHill House Blend" a blending of peppermint and lemon balm. Very, very good!

I trust everyone had a marvelous 4th of July and ready for what the rest of the month holds.

Blessings for a "Juicy July!"

Bea Kunz
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com