Our December meeting was a delicious luncheon. There were so many different kinds of foods brought by our members, that it was impossible to try everything. The buffet table was so colorful, and the food all tasted so good. All gifts were given herbal names and everyone who drew one received the corresponding gift. Our turnout of members was excellent, and everyone enjoyed visiting with old friends.
Heralding Aftermath
Thank you to all of our members who helped to make heralding so successful for us. It was good to see so many old friends who came to buy our herbal products , to make new friends and also gain some new members. The many organizations that take part in heralding that we visited had many interesting items for sale, and yes, we did buy from them. There were wonderful donations from the various groups for the raffle, and two of our members were winners of raffle items.
Countdown To Heralding
I can’t believe that Heralding the Holidays is only a week away! Are you are looking for herbal gifts ranging in price from $3.00-5.00? We’ll have herbal jams and jellies, mustards, vinegars, spearmint closet sachets, lavender dryer bags (they last for 25 dryer loads), bath bags you hang on your faucet that will help you relax, and lavender sachet bags to place in your drawers.
Items from $6-16 include sinus pillows, herbal neck wraps, catnappers with removal covers and dog pillows (our catnappers and dog pillows will help keep fleas away). We also have catnip toys for your cats and dog bones for your dogs.
There are lovely Christmas stocking ornaments for $1.50. We also have many herbal blends and teas and potpourris. To decorate your home, we have wreaths and dried arrangements at various prices. There will be lots of goodies at our bake sale and beautiful gift items are included in our silent auction.
We’ll be waiting for you to visit us in the conference center on Friday, December 1 from 5:00-9:00pm, Saturday the 2nd form 10:00am-5:00pm, and Sunday the 3rd from noon to 5:00pm. Come see us. You’ll be glad that you did.
Heralding The Holidays 2006
We invite you to join us in celebrating Heralding the Holidays at the Toledo Botanical Garden. The 2006 dates are:
Friday, December 1st, 5:00-9:00pm
Saturday, December 2nd, 10:00-5:00pm
Sunday, December 3rd, noon-5:00pm
You will find The Maumee Valley Herb Society in the Conference Center. If you are looking for unusual gifts, this is where you will find them. This year we’ve made herbal jams and jellies, vinegars, mustards and salsas. We have beautifully decorated wreaths and baskets of dried arrangements for gift giving or keeping at home. You will also find herbal craft items including: neck wraps, aprons, lavender sachets and items for your dog and cats. At our bake sale, along with the breads and cookies, you will even find dog bones. Come join us and the members of the other Toledo Botanical Garden resident organizations. You will not be disappointed!
Yahoo Map and Driving Directions to Toledo Botanical Garden
If you have any questions, email herbsociety@karenlandis.com.
Tussie-Mussies The Language Of Flowers
By Geraldine Adamich Laufer
This beautiful book describes a tussie-mussie as a “talking bouquetâ€. A tussie-mussie is a circular nosegay made of fragrant herbs and flowers in a holder that tells a story according to the language of flowers. Such a bouquet may express sentiments as athletic victory, faith, friendship, forgiveness, generosity, good health, joy, love, protection, sympathy, wealth or wisdom. Eight pages of sentiments are found in this book. The word tuzzy mussy first appeared in the Oxford English dictionary in 1440.
Since the sixteenth century, these little bouquets have been considered essential. They were carried, worn in the hair, pinned to gowns, or suspended from chains. Where the tussie-mussie was worn changed its meaning. If worn in the hair, it meant caution, but when worn in the cleavage, the meaning was friendship. If worn over the heart, this was a declaration of love. So many sentiments could be included in these bouquets that dozens of dictionaries were published during the nineteenth century to help decipher the language of flowers. Continue reading Tussie-Mussies The Language Of Flowers
Our Herbal Market Cookbook
The new cookbook, Herbal Market, published by the Maumee Valley Herb Society is now available. This is a collection of 180 recipes submitted by members and friends of the society. All include herbs in their ingredients.The recipes are placed in a 7X9 inch three ring loose leaf vinyl covered binder. They are arranged in fifteen sections each divided by a title page which lists interesting facts about the specific herb featured in that section, a tip for cooking with herbs and an original drawing of the herb for identification. A nutritional analysis, per serving, is supplied for each recipe. Topics include Starters, Soups, Salads, Entrees, Vegetables and Desserts.
An additional division features twelve recipes for bath and beauty products developed with the use of herbs.
The book includes an article written to encourage the reader to consider planting an herb garden at, “Your Kitchen Door”. It is designed for entertaining reading and easy use. A great gift for you and others.
The cost of Herbal Market is $15.95 plus tax, $1.16, total $17.11. It can be purchased by mail. Please add $5.00 per book for shipping and handling and address the order to Maumee Valley Herb Society c/o Toledo Botanical Garden, 5403 Elmer Drive, Toledo, Ohio 43615. Checks should be payable to Maumee Valley Herb Society.
Proceeds support the Herb Garden at Toledo Botanical Garden.
A Handful Of Herbs
By Barbara Segall, Louise Pickford and Rosa Hammick – published by Ryland Peters and Small
This book is divided into five sections. The first section, Super Herbs, profiles the authors’ choices of twenty super herbs. Their list includes Basil, Bay, Chamomile, Chervil, Chives, Cilantro, Dill, Fennel, Garlic, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Lovage, Mint, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Sorrel, Tarragon, and Thyme.
Gardening with Herbs suggests various ways to grow herbs both indoors and out, such as planting herbs among vegetables, making herbal hedges, growing herbs in containers, and other ways to add herbs to your garden.
Living with Herbs discusses making such items as potpourris, sachets, pomanders, and a winter wreath. Herbs are used to provide a pleasant aroma to a log fire, as decorations throughout the home, in making cleaning products, and bath and body products.
Cooking with Herbs includes recipes for vinegars, dressings, oils, butters, appetizers, snacks, entrees, salads, desserts, and beverages.
The A-Z of Herbs discusses more than 70 herbs and tells the height and spread of each, the zones they grow in, and culinary uses for each herb. This book is beautifully illustrated and I believe you will find it a good read.
Written by Marybeth Landis
MVHS on Flickr
John Rogers’ Copper Trellis uploaded by herbgardener12.
We’ve just created our very own photo album on Flickr! It includes shots like this one of the MVHS Herb Garden at the Toledo Botanical Gardens. This photo was taken during the Crosby Festival of the Arts this past June (2006). If you’d like to see more of what we’ve been up to in our herb garden, take a look at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mvhs/