This year we honor the rose as the herb of the year. Perhaps you think of the rose only as a beautiful fragrant flower, but it is much more than that. The definiton of an herb is that it is a plant valued for flavor, scent, medicinal use, and having other qualities. There are many qualities that the rose is known for that characterizes it as an herb.
First, the rose, because of its beauty is the most popular flower purchased on Valentine’s Day. Roses are found in a variety of colors and each color means something different. The red rose signifies immortal love, the yellow joy and mature love, white stands for purity, and pink for innocence. The most popular rose is the red rose.
Secondly, there are many uses of roses. Some of the uses for roses are in lotions and creams, in perfumes and pot pourris, as decorations for cakes and other foods, and also the rose is actually used in cooking. There are many recipes for using rose petals and rose water. Some of the recipes I found use roses in making jellies, syrups, sauces, butters, vinegars, teas, cakes, soups and ice cream. In many Asian and Mideastern and African countries, roses are used to flavor foods much as we use cinnamon and vanilla here in the USA. A popular tea is rose petal tea.
Recipe: Rose Petal Tea Makes one quart
Ingredients:
1/2 cup tightly packed rose petals*
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 orange, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 quart water
Place rose petals, nutmeg, sugar and chopped orange into a pitcher. Pour boiling water over petals and steep for five minutes. Strain. Serve hot or cold. If using pink petals, the tea will have a fine flavor and a nice dark pink color.
*When using roses for food, they should be free of pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers. Florists’ roses have been sprayed with pesticides and should not be used as food. Many have been imported from third world countries where pesticides and other chemicals are used.
The best roses to use for food are the fragrant, old-fashioned or antique roses such as the Cabbage Rose, Rose Gallica, and Damask Rose.
When using rose petals as food, always cut away the white portion at the base of each rose. This imparts a bitter flavor to foods and beverages.
Officers and Committees for 2012
For the new year 2012, the officers and committee chairs are listed below. If you wish to contact any of them, do so by referring to their addresses in our Membership Directory.
2012 Officers are:
Co-President’s…..Mary Farley, Shiela Thomas
Vice Presidents/Program……Renee Dallas, Marilyn Welborn
Secretary……Mary Campbell
Treasurer…..Libby Boldt
2012 Committees
Ways and Means
Plant Sale…..Gerry Crouse, Carol Edgeworth
Heralding the Holidays…..Renee Dallas, Elaine Roy
Garden……Mary Farley
Garden Volunteers: You will find MVHS members working in the Herb Garden at the Toledo Botanical Garden each Tuesday, April-October, beginning at 9:30 am
Historians….Gerry Crouse, Carol Edgeworth
Library……Marybeth Landis
Membership and Publicity…..Nancy Durnford
Community Outreach….Facilitated by the Officers
Social…..Sue Anderson, Joyce Day
Newsletter……Brenda Sheely
Publications and Graphics…..Tom Durnford
Heralding the Holidays Is Next Week December 2 through 4, 2011
The members of the Maumee Valley Herb Society have been busy getting ready for Heralding. The dates and times this year are Fri., Dec. 2 from 5-9 PM, Sat. Dec. 3 from 10 AM to 5 PM and Sun. Dec. 4 from 10 AM to 5 PM. You will find us in the Conference Center of the Toledo Botanical Garden with our herbal products, craft items, bath and body products and pet products for sale. These will make wonderful gifts, especially if you are looking for something that is a little different. Another gift opportunity is our Silent Auction which is on Friday and Saturday. This will give the lucky winners time to pick up their items on Sunday. Don’t forget we also have a bake sale. There will be plenty of delicious foods for you to enjoy. A new feature this year will be a sale of used herb and gardening books. These books will be in a bookcase near the cashier’s table. Come and join us. We will be happy to see you and can promise that you will not be disappointed!
April Meeting Wednesday, April 20 9:15-Noon
Our April program, “GRANDMA’S OLD RECIPES, REMEDIES, AND OTHER CURIOSITIES” will be presented by Jackie Rosebrock. Her extensive background of herbal knowledge includes owning an herbal store in Grand Rapids long before the use of herbs became so popuar. She has also published an herbal booklet, and will discuss one of the chapters at our meeting. All meetings are open to the public. Come and join us for this interesting program.
Pictures of Herb Garden on Jim Long’s Blog
Jim Long, of Long Creek Herbs in Blue Eye Missouri, presented a very interesting program for the Maumee Valley Herb Society on March 11 titled “Eating Your Landscape”. He talked about many plants that you would not think are edible. That evening his talk was for the general public on “Cutting Edge Plants” that he found on his travels throughout the world, many that are now used in restaurants. He took photos of our Herb Garden at the Toledo Botanical Garden. You can find these photos there plus his thoughts about visiting Toledo. http://jimlongsgarden.blogspot.com. There are also photos from the Michigan Herb Associates Meeting at Michigan State University where he presented two programs before coming to Toledo.
Jim Long of Long Creek Herbs Program Open to the Public
On Friday, March 11 at 7:00 PM, Jim Long will be presenting a program in the Conference Center at the Toledo Botanical Garden. He will talk about “Cutting Edge Plants”. He will show us photos of many of the plants that he has encountered during his worldly travels and tell us how these plants can be added to our gardens for culinary and other uses.
Jim Long has authored the popular “Down to Earth” column for The Herb Companion magazine for the past 16 years and has written 26 books on herbs, gardening, and historical subjuects. He lives in Blue Eye, Missouri.
This program is open to the public.
Admission is $2.00 for everyone who is not a member of MVHS. Refreshments will be served before the talk at 6:30 PM.
Come and join us on Friday, March 11. You will not be disappointed!
Maumee Valley Herb Society’s March Meeting
Please note that our March meeting date has been changed. Our meeting will be on Friday, March 11 at 9:15 am instead of on the usual third Wednesday of the month. This is because we are bringing Jim Long, a nationally known speaker and author to speak to us. He will be the major speaker at the Michigan Herb Associates Conference on Wednesday and Thursday of that week. His program for us on Friday morning will be “Eat Your Landscape”. This is a timely subject, and should be of interest to all of us who are planning our gardens for this spring. Jim Long has written 26 books on herbs, gardening, and historical subjects. We hope that you can join us in the Conference Center at the Toledo Botanical Garden on Friday, March 11.
Michigan Herb Associates Annual Conference
We’ll soon be heading to Michigan State University for the twenty -fourth annual conference of the Michigan Herb Associates on March ninth and tenth. Jim Long, who owns and operates Long Creek Herbs in Blue Eye, Missouri, and is a nationally known speaker and writer, is returning as the major speaker. One presentation will be on “Cutting Edge Plants”. He will tell us about many unique plants that he has entountered in his world wide travels and how some have been adapted for culinary and other uses in our gardens. He will also demonstate “Making Bentwood Trellises”. Some of the talks by other speakers will be ” Ar Rainbow of Colors in the Garden”, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Horseradish, (the herb of the Year for 2011), but were Afraid to Ask”, and “Springtime Brunch Ideas with Herbs”.
There will also be herbal and garden items and books for sale, clay garden art and pots, pressed flower art, etc. We will have Herbal
Luncheons both days and a Banquet on Wednesday evening, a Silent Auction, Educational displays and much more. This is a trip that is always both worthwhile and enjoyable.
Horseradish, the Herb of the Year 2011
Horseradish is a more than 3,000 year old herb. Some uses in the past have been as an aphrodisiac, a treatment for rheumatism, and a bitter herb for Passover Seders. Early Greeks used horseradish both as a rub for low back pain and an aphrodisiac. This herb was also used to make a cough syrup and some people believed it to be a cure for almost anything. Even today, it certainly does clear your sinuses.
Legend has it that the Delphic oracle told Appolo” the radish is worth its weight in lead, the beet its weight in silver, the horseradish its weight in gold”. Evidence of this will be commented on throughout this year.
Other facts about this herb of many uses are that it has a lot of flavor, but only six calories in one tablespoon. This is a great h elp in planning flavorful foods if you are interested in losing weight. Horseradish can be added to many foods, and there are many recipes available. You will find some here throughout 2011.
February 2011 Meeting
Come and join us in the Conference Center at the Toledo Botanical Garden at 9:15 am on Wednesday, February 16th for our Annual Business Meeting that was snowed out in January. Jonathan Milbrodt from the Toledo Botanical Garden Horticulture Staff will tell us what is new and exciting in the field of Horticulture as he reports on his recent trip to the Environmental and Plant Trade Show held in Columbus, Ohio in January.