Everlasting Gardener’s

Improving Your Herb Know-How

Publisher: Joanie Lapic        Volume Number 1        Issue Number 6        Date: June, 2008
 

“Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth. . . And to . . . Everything that has the breath of life in it I give every green plant for food.’”                Gen.1: 29,30

IN THIS ISSUE:
~ June Events, Classes and Appearances
~ Herbal Highlight - "Lavender"
~ June DRAWING --  Lavender Goodies
~ Edible Herb Flowers
~ Prayer is Stress-Relieving
~ What I Believe About Herbs

June Events, Classes and Appearances

Joanie’s Courses at the Heritage School at Succop Conservancy

 
NATURE’S MEDICINE
June 23 - 24

Explore the history of using herbs as nutrition and medicine to maintain and restore good health. Examine ancient through present day uses of herbs to bring about physical, emotional and spiritual health. Each session begins with herb tea. Learn about herbs used by civilizations including American Colonial, Native North American and Slave era traditions. Discover the global origins of herbal medicines used today and the botanical root of pharmacological medications. Topics covered include herb identification, growing herbs, culinary herbs for flavor and to boost nutrition and herbs used for first aid and stress reduction. Hands-on projects include making Lavender Soothing Tea, a therapeutic Bath Bag, a tincture and Queen of Hungary perfume or aftershave splash. $150. A $20.00 fee for materials applies for the June course. 
 
Please click on this link for registration and other information:
http://www.heritagefolkschool.org/course-schedules.asp

Herbs: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

June 10, 17, and 24 (Tuesdays)
6:30 – 8 pm
The three-week sessions will be conducted at the Monaca Senior Center
The cost is $15 for all three weeks.
 
Have you ever thought about how herbs can be used to treat and prevent disease?
Or have you thought about growing herbs and preserving them?
Join Mary Alice Gettings, registered dietitian from Penn State Cooperative Extension, and Joanie Lapic, from Everlasting Gardener in New Brighton for this herbal medicine and gardening class. We will review various herbs used for medicinal purposes, along with their possible side effects and interactions with other herbs, medications, and foods.
You will be provided with tips to ensure a successful garden along with how to preserve herbs and use them for aromatherapy.
Each Tuesday evening, you will make a product with herbs – tea bag, bath bag, and facial masque – for your relaxation and enjoyment at home.
Light refreshments will be served each week.

For a registration form, call Monaca Senior Center at 724-774-1422 or 724-774-5654
or download at http://beaver.extension.psu.edu/Nutrition/YourHealth.html

HARMONY HERB FAIR

Saturday, June 14
9 am to 3 pm

JOANIE IS PRESENTING AT THIS EVENT - at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm
She will also be SELLING HERB PLANTS and PRODUCTS 

Mercer Street Barn
300  Mercer St.
Harmony, PA  16037
(contact Harmony Museum 888-821-4822)

Plant Exchange and Sale
Informational Seminars
Specialty Vendors
Garden Flea Market
Homemade Lunches Available

Happy Flag Day
 

LAVENDER DAZE
 
Fri.,  June 20,   4 - 8 pm  AND  Sat.,  June 21,  Noon - 5 pm
        FREE ADMISSION (and parking)
        Free Garden Tours at 12:15, 3:00, 5:00 and 7:00 pm


        MANY Lavender Plants, Products and Foods (possibilities: Lavender Cookies, Jelly, Lavender Shortbreads, Chocolate Lavender Pound Cake) are offered for sale.
        FREE Lavender Lemonade
        “Pick Your Own” Lavender flowers - $3.00 per bouquet

Mini -CLASSES  ($5.00  per person)
RESERVATIONS ARE NECESSARY FOR CLASSES -
please e-mail or call Joanie by 9 pm Thursday evening (June 19) to receive confirmation (for either or both days).

Class Schedule FRIDAY  (June 20) —
6:00 – “Lavender Bouquet” - Fragrant fresh herbs, a lovely rose and, of course, the "star" --  Lavender flowers. A posie scent-sation!
7:30 pm – “Cooking with Lavender” - Learn techniques and recipes for using this unique flavor. Sample some of the Lavender culinary delights (which will be for sale at Everlasting Gardener during Lavender Daze).
Watch Joanie make Lavender jelly - and take home a jar.

Class Schedule SATURDAY (June 21)  —
1:00 - “Therapeutic Scent of Lavender” - make & take a personalized, stress-relieving essential oil blend, used in massage. Learn the many ways that Lavender is healing for your body. Watch Joanie make her famous Healing Salve and take home a generous sample.
2:00 - “Aromatherapy” – make and take a lovely Lavender potpourri, AND your own personalized Lavender cologne
4:00 pm - “Lavender Tussie Mussie Bouquet” - a lovely, fragrant, old fashioned bunch of flowers, nestled in a shaped lace doily.

Reservations necessary for Classes - please contact Joanie by 9 pm Thursday evening (June 19) to receive confirmation (for both days).
To register, you MUST submit your name, complete address and phone number to Joanie. . . . .
 ~ IN PERSON AT EVERLASTING GARDENER
 ~ BY MAIL - 888 Tulip Dr., New Brighton, PA 15066
 ~ BY PHONE -   724.846.4787
 ~ BY E-MAIL -  joanie@everlastinggardener.com

JUNE'S -- HERBAL HIGHLIGHT

LAVENDER
Lavandula angustifolia (and other species)

This herb is the essence of serenity and cleanliness.
It is probably used in more soaps, shampoos and body cleansers than any other herb.
The name “Lavender” itself is derived from the Latin “lavare” meaning “to wash”.
Its healing qualities are contained in the flowers’ oil glands, so using the flowers gives you the most potent natural oils.            
It was a favorite in the baths of the Romans and Greeks because of its fresh, clean scent.
As it repelled insects and bad odors, it was a favored strewing herb, giving long-lasting scent.
It even has a tradition of medicinal uses. The English herbalist, Gerard, told his patients to take it for …“light migram or swimming of the braine”.
The essential oil of Lavender offers healing attributes, such as stress and headache relief, alleviate dizziness, fainting and bad breath, antiseptic, mild sedative and pain killer.
Lavender’s essential oil relieves insect bites and stings and is extremely healing for burns.
Added to a carrier oil, for massage, Lavender essential oil is therapeutic for throat infections, skin sores, inflammation, rheumatic aches, anxiety, and insomnia.
A favorite sleep aid recipe: put one drop of the essential oil on the pillow to bring deep sleep with pleasant dreams.
Use it to massage muscular aches, for fluid retention and cellulite.
In addition to its many healing qualities, Lavender has delightful cosmetic uses: as a tonic water for delicate, sensitive skins, speeds cell replacement and as an antiseptic acne treatment.
Around the house, Lavender is useful for repelling mosquitoes, moths and flies - very helpful for the upcoming summer evenings outside.
It usually blooms around the third week of June, in western Pennsylvania.
With all the wonderful qualities Lavender has to offer, you should try plants, dried flowers or essential oils very soon.
All of these will be available at Joanie’s Lavender Daze event.
Please see
http://www.everlastinggardener.net/lavender.htm
(If you cannot open the link, please copy and paste it into your browser.)

(Some info adapted from The Complete Book of Herbs by Leslie Bremness)

Joanie has begun a blog series called “The Chronicles of Lavender” - there’s so much information to share about it!
Check out . . .  
Everlastinggardener Blog         
. . . and feel free to subscribe.

June DRAWING -- 
Lavender Goodies

During the final hour of the Lavender Daze event at Everlasting Gardener,
(June 21, 2008, sometime between 4 and 5 pm) a winner’s name will be drawn and announced.

You could win a basket of Lavender Goodies!

For a list of what the prize includes, and rules of entry, please click on this link:
http://www.everlastinggardener.net/lavender.htm
If the link does not open, please copy and paste it into your browser.
 

EDIBLE HERB FLOWERS

Herbs are growing - and blooming - at a fantastic rate, this rainy Spring in western Pennsylvania.
What a great time it has been for budding culinary herbs!

Many folks are fascinated with using edible flowers in culinary dishes, such as salads, fruit salads, cakes, jellies, or simply to decorate a plate of food.

Herbs offer a great variety of tasty flowers to accompany our food dishes.
You might like to try some of these delicious herbal curiosities, all perfectly safe, of course --

Herb flowers for “SWEETS” like fruit salads, jellies/jams, decorating cakes, etc.:

Dianthus
Borage
Basil
Lemon Verbena
Bachelor’s Buttons
Viola
Scented Geranium
Lavender
Mint
Sweet Woodruff
Lemon Balm


Herb flowers for “SAVORIES”, like greens salads, herbal vinegars, breads, grilled or roasted with meats, etc.:

Chives
Sage
Thyme
Rosemary
Summer and Winter Savory
Calendula
Nasturtium

* * * Joanie SELLS ALL OF THESE HERB PLANTS, which can be mailed to you. Please see the Herb Plant list --

http://www.everlastinggardener.net/herb_plants.htm
(If the link doesn’t work, please copy and paste it into your browser.)
 

* * * Joanie will be teaching a class on Edible Herb Flowers on July 12.
We’ll look at and pick herb flowers from the Everlasting Gardener gardens and add them to our herbal lunch.
Please check the website, as the EDIBLE HERB FLOWERS class will be listed and described later in June.

http://www.everlastinggardener.net/index.htm
(If the link doesn’t work, please copy and paste it into your browser.)
 

What I Believe About Herbs:
I believe that a loving Creator gave all plants, which live alongside of us on Earth, for a purpose -
namely for our food, our medicine and our pleasure. Herbs are life-and health-giving to us all.
They are designed to be the most fitting for us as biological, psychological and spiritual beings -
to make us strong and happy.
Therefore, I believe it is important to be informed of their numerous invaluable benefits. My vocation and my joy is to help people realize what a precious gift we have been given.
-- Joanie Lapic
 

The most powerful mind-body relaxation technique, in our opinion, is prayer.
It offers an opportunity to communicate with the Creator and cast your doubts and cares upon Him.
This is the time to “Be still” and hear from God.
Make prayer a daily habit, and it will help you relax and achieve a more healthful life.

from Prescription for Natural Cures, by James Balch, M.D. and Mark Stengler, N.D., pg. 690
 

"He causeth to grow (the) herb ...that maketh glad the heart of man."
(Psalm 104:14, 15)
 

If you have questions about any information in these articles or if you need any supplies or products, please contact --

Joanie Lapic, Everlasting Gardener
Phone --  724.846.4787
e-mail  --  joanie@everlastinggardener.com
Following this link to my website may also get you what you are looking for:
http://www.everlastinggardener.net