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July/August/September 2017
“For Use and For Delight”
Kentuckiana Herbal Thymes
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :
Chair Letter 1
Meeting Info 2
Lemongrass 3
Book Review 4
In Memory 5
Minutes 6
Potpourri 7
Webinars 8
From the Chair It has been a month since the
Summer Solstice and I am wondering what happened to Spring and the earli-er part of Summer? Looking back at my meeting agendas I see that we had a very successful Spring Education Day. In April we went out to Thiene-man’s Greenhaus and to lunch at Mammy’s Kitchen. Also, six members and two spouses attended the HSA meeting in Little Rock, Arkansas. I most enjoyed going to P. Allen Smith’s Moss Mountain Farm; he is such a gracious man. This HSA meeting was one of the best. The speakers were excellent, the marketplace a bounty of goodies, the silent auction a find, and I very much enjoyed talking with “herbies” from the other units. Dutiful-ly, I attended the Central District meet-ing with Pat Greathead and the Chairs meeting with the HSA membership chair. These meetings provide much information and sharing of ideas. Back to KHS. During May , we ate dinner at the Kingfish Restaurant and went to visit Janet Miller’s roses. Our Pioneer Garden benefited from the June meeting. A brief rain shower sent us running to the cabin porch where we had our meeting followed by a little more garden work and then over to The Overlook Restaurant where we ate lunch and shared a huge piece of coconut pie with six forks. For the July meeting we shared a picnic lunch and toured Jo Ann Luecke’s ros-es and garden paradise. Thank you, Jo Ann! It is always a treat to see your beautiful plantings and yard art. The roses were perfection. Seems like we have been gone a lot these past few months so it will be good to get back home for
awhile. The program committee has met and we are planning on being back at our regular meeting place for most of the meetings this next year. We will also plan some “side trips” for those who like to galavant. The com-mittee will need to meet a few more thymes but we hope to have the pro-gram book out by Fall (thanks Kim). Until then, check the Upcoming Meet-ing Section in this newsletter for up-dates and watch your emails for re-minders. Many thanks also to this committee for your good ideas and time spent planning our year. The Herb Growers Association has designated Hops as the Herb of the Year 2018. Think dream pillows and beer and having a “Hopping Good Thyme with Herbs”. I actually listened to a cooking program and they were sautéing Hops blossoms. Who knew? The unit voted in our new slate of officers for the 2017-2018 year. Thanks so much to all of you who stayed on and to Marjo for becoming the co- secretary. You are the back-bones of our unit. We might just have a booth at the Farmer’s Market again this Fall. I have been asked about this. Did I just write the word Fall? I did. The Au-tumn Equinox is just over eight weeks away. That is at least eight weeks that we have to gather and use all of our fresh herbs and to begin hoarding a store of preserved ones for the colder months. Enjoy these last days of Summer! And see you at the meetings.
Sunflowers, Joan Burton, Catnip Lady & Chair
P a g e 2 K e n t u c k i a n a H e r b a l T h y m e s
August 8 @ 6 PM
“A Silver Vase ” Central Christian Church
Members Millie Chapala and Maggie Oster will Demonstrate herbal floral arranging. Hostesses: Kim Davis, Deb Knight
Herb of the month: Herbal bloomers - Millie & Maggie
September 12 @ 6 PM
“A Silver Bounty - Canning, Crafts & Coriander” Central Christian Church
Each member will share their summer herbal projects - a craft, a jar of something canned, a cordial, a new recipe, sewing project, cosmetics, etc.
Hostesses: Clovis Hayse, Marjo Howe Herb of the month: Cilantro/Coriander - Cynthia Hardy
October 10 @ 6 PM “Silver Flames & History, Too”
Bonfire at the home of Lorraine Hughes. Details TBA. Herb of the month: Mugwort - Joan Burton
Hostesses: if unable to participate, please find someone to take your place and notify the other assigned hostesses and the Chair.
Upcoming Meetings
Happy Birthday! July
Marjo Howe Julia Warf
Barbara Lusco Judy Cato
August
Edith Davis Jett Rose
Cynthia Johnson Deb Knight
September
--
Joan Burton Chair & Historian
(812) 738-8352 [email protected]
Lorraine Hughes Vice-Chair
(812) 738-7944 hugheshomestead
@gmail.com
Jett Rose Treasurer
(812) 590-4604 [email protected]
Millie Chapala & Marjo Howe
Recording Secretaries (812)923-3361
[email protected] (812) 734-0799
Barbara Lusco Corresponding
Secretary (713) 208-5383
2017-2018 Officers
Kim Davis Newsletter Editor
(812)347-0050 [email protected]
Home Remedies - Bug Bites
Prevention: Most commercial repel-lents contain DEET, a chemical that quickly penetrates the skin and has not been proven to be safe. Many essential oils effectively repel bugs, some better than DEET. Try a blend of your choice of basil, citronella, lemongrass and most citrus oils dilut-ed in a carrier oil like olive or grape-seed oil (pure oils can burn).
Treatments: If you get stung/bitten anyway - remove any stingers, watch for allergic reaction (seek medical help). Itching is usually the primary problem; treat with calendula or chamomile salve or a plantain poultice. A warm bath with oats can bring relief, too. Diluted lavender essential oil can be added to salves for antiseptic properties and relief.
P a g e 3 K e n t u c k i a n a H e r b a l T h y m e s
Lemongrass Cymbopogon citratus
Best known for use in Thai and Indone-sian cooking, lemongrass grows best in Zone 10 areas or, for our climate, best as an annual or in a pot to be brought in for the winter. The sharp-edged, blue-green leaves can reach up to 6 feet tall and will turn rusty red in the fall. It rarely flow-ers, but when grown in the tropics, lemongrass bears large, loose compound flower heads. Har-vest at any time, cutting the stems at ground lev-el. Discard the outer woody layers and remove the leaves. Stalks can be crushed and placed in the bottom of meat or vegetable dishes for flavor-ing and provides a rich source of vitamin A. Once the stalk is cooked, it can be sliced and used in a variety of dishes. Leaves can be used to flavor teas, soups and sauces. Lemongrass can be fro-zen up to 6 months and the leaves can be dried. Take care to store away from other foods and spices, as they may pick up its aroma.
Other uses of lemongrass include per-fumes, soaps, makeup, hair products, herbal baths, incense, potpourris, cleaning agents, and antifungal agents. In days gone by, the variety C. nardus had been widely used as a source of cit-ronella oil for repelling insects and lemongrass oil, too, has been used as an insect repellent.
Traditional medicinal uses are reducing fever by inducing sweating, alleviating cold symp-toms and headaches, calming upset stomachs, and relieving spasms. It inhibits the growth of fungi and bacteria and is used externally to treat ringworm, lice, athlete’s foot, and scabies. Mildly diuretic and a stimulant, promotes digestion of
fats, and in Ayurvedic medicine a preparation of lemongrass and pepper has been used for relief of menstrual troubles and nausea. In aromatherapy, lemongrass has a relaxing quality, especially in an herbal bath.
Plant lemongrass in full sun in well-drained, moist soil, leaving room for expansion, about 3 feet apart – in ideal conditions, a small clump can grow to 2-1/2 feet in five months. Old-er stalks should be harvested first to promote new stalk growth and division of older clumps will im-prove productivity. It is drought resistant, but pre-fers regular watering. Addition of rich compost worked 4 to 6 inches into the soil before planting keeps this plant happy, although it will tolerate most soils as long as watering requirements are met. Fertilize weekly with a half-strength solution of a balanced soluble fertilizer from June through September. Hand-weeding may be necessary when the plant is small, but weeds don’t compete well with mature lemongrass.
When grown correctly, lemongrass is gen-erally free of pests and diseases. Spider mites may appear mostly on indoor plants and can be treated with insecticidal soaps or sprayed with a forceful jet of water to dislodge the insects. Leaf Blight (reddish brown spots on leaf tips and mar-gins - appears to be prematurely drying), Little Leaf or Grassy Shoot (stunted growth) can be treated with fungicides if positively identified. - Kim Davis
1/2 c. sugar 1/2 c., plus 4 c., plus 3 c. water 1 large stalk lemongrass, dry tops and tough
outer leaves removed, stalk cut into small
rounds (about 1/4 cup) 1-inch x 2 inch knob of ginger, peeled and
chopped (about 2 tablespoons) 4 mild black teabags, like Darjeeling or Assam
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, 1/2 cup water, lemongrass and ginger. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to the dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the lemongrass and ginger to steep in the sugar syrup for at least half an hour. For more pronounced flavor, place in the refrigerator and allow to steep several hours or overnight. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the teabags, turn off the heat, and allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the teabags and discard. Pour the brewed tea into a heat-proof pitcher. Strain the lemon-grass ginger syrup through a small sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much flavor as possible. Discard the solids, and add the syrup to the pitcher of tea. Add three cups of cold water to the tea, and stir well. Chill the tea, and serve over ice. Enjoy!
Lemongrass Ginger Iced Tea
P a g e 4 K e n t u c k i a n a H e r b a l T h y m e s
2 cups chopped zucchini (I use half moons) 2 tomatoes - chopped 1/2 onion or more -- very coarsely chopped 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 3/4 cup biscuit baking mix 1/2 cup milk
3 eggs salt and pepper to taste garlic powder to taste chopped fresh basil & chopped fresh oregano (I use a lot)
Zucchini Tomato Pie By Judy Cato
Combine zucchini, tomato, onion, Parmesan cheese, and chopped herbs in a lightly greased 9 x 11 baking dish. You can use a slightly smaller pan for this amount, but 9 x 11 works. In a small bowl, combine biscuit mix, milk, eggs, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Beat until smooth, then pour over vegetables and herbs. Bake at 400 degrees roughly 25 minutes. Watch it to make sure it doesn't get too brown. Garnish with fresh basil.
The Kentucky School for the Blind A dozen pelargoniums and pizza herbs were planted in May. We did lose a couple of the new thymes but the other plants are growing. During June, the weeds, the passion vine and the chaste tree thrived and the garden looked somewhat like a jungle. It has since been cleaned up, weeds pulled, the chaste tree pruned, and the passion vine cut away from the sidewalk and out of the beds. The yarrow, false indigo and the iris are now visible as is the side-walk back by the recreation door. It is in need of more pruning and weeding. The priority now is to
keep the annuals watered. School begins in Au-gust. Thanks to Barbara, Millie and Cynthia Har-dy who have come by to water, sweep and dead-head. Your help is much appreciated. The Pioneer Garden Our workday in June at the gar-den was very productive. The rows were hoed and weeded, herbs and marigolds were planted, some thinning was done and when we left it looking much better. Hope the deer have not enjoyed it as a salad bar. Thanks to Edith, Clovis and Marjo who have been the main caretakers.
Book Review -“The Creative Herbal Home” Submitted by Marjo Howe, KHS Member & Librarian
“The Creative Herbal Home” is a paper-back, beautifully illustrated. I attended the Herb Society of Ameri-ca’s Educational Conference and Meeting this year in Little Rock Ark. It was a wonderful meeting and had great speakers. One of the most popular was Susan Belsinger. While attending, I purchased this book for our herb library. The book is co-authored by Susan Belsinger and Tina Marie Wilcox. The book has 216 pages with 40 black and white plates. Susan and Tina Marie have over 50 years of herbal experience between them. Both live in rural settings and incorporate
herbal products in their everyday cleaning and maintenance routines. This book is divided into descriptive chapters, i.e.: an herb chapter, a plant chemi-cal chapter, an essential oil chapter, infusion and decoction, household preparations, body care, herbal kits, a tincture chapter, an ingre-dient chapter, definition of terms, and bibliog-raphy. Susan Belsinger is a well-known herb-alist and I definitely recommend this book. The book is very informative. It will be at all at our church meetings or contact me if you want to check it out at any time - I will get it to you.
Contact Marjo to
borrow this or any books in th e
library.
Through the Garden Gate By Joan Burton, KHS Chair
P a g e 5 K e n t u c k i a n a H e r b a l T h y m e s
In Memory of Helen Trueblood By Joan Burton, KHS Chair
Helen Alene Richey Trueblood, a.k.a. “The Daffodil Queen”, passed away on May 30, 2017, 34 days after celebrating her 99th birthday (April 25). Helen was an honorary member of The Kentuckiana Herb Society from the beginning of our unit in 1983. She was a Certified Daffodil Judge and traveled across the states judging shows. She was an active Scott County, Indiana Master Gardener. She was a very talented floral arrang-er and furnished flowers for the altar at her church most Sundays. She al-so knew her herbs. Over the years, Helen hosted
many KHS meetings at her yellow home on top of the hill in Leota, Indiana. Her yard was filled with wildflowers, hostas, ferns, herbs, perennials, yard art and hundreds of carefully labelled and mulched daffodils. She delight-ed having guests visit, especially when the
daffodils were blooming and she was hosting the daffodil society show. Before her beloved husband Vern died in 1986, Helen enjoyed square dancing and attending barn dances where her hus-band played fiddle. She loved hot coffee and often carried a thermos to events and meet-ings. I was in awe the first time I went into her back porch room and saw that she had papered the walls and ceiling with magazine photos. As her health declined she accepted her aging with both grace and spunk. I will always admired her beautifully coifed white hair and her twinkling blue eyes. She was very generous in donating daffodil bulbs, some to individuals and some to public clubs and gardens. In the Spring, when all of the daffodils are in bloom, I will always think of her. She will be missed but remembered. In her memory the KHS has donated an inscribed brick to be placed at HSA head-quarters for “ The Daffodil Queen”.
• Small, shrubby evergreen native to Europe and southwestern Asia, hardy in the US from zone 5 to 9 – good for winter interest.
• Requires full sun, can tolerate poor soils and drought, but doesn’t like wet condi-tions – needs good drainage. Conditions similar to lavender – harsh winter can cause die-back to the ground or even kill the plant.
• No serious disease or insect problems, but susceptible to mildew, leaf spot, rust and mites.
• Fresh leaves are bitter and pungent, and have a strong odor somewhat resembling garlic. Deer and rabbit tolerant – probably don’t like the taste.
• Traditionally used as a stimulant, tonic, diaphoretic, diuretic. Has been used to treat gout, reduce fevers, good for “uterine obstructions”, and a decoction of leaves and honey to treat asthma and coughs, but
not considered safe to ingest by today’s standards. US allows small amounts as flavoring in alcoholic beverages – illegal in France, Canada.
• Has been used extensively in knot gar-dens - similar to boxwood, it can be cut and shaped. Uncut it can reach a height of two feet and pro-duce masses of pink or mauve flowers, which are very attrac-tive to bees and other beneficial insects. Can cut/deadhead once flowers are spent.
• Dozens of species, hybrids and varieties are available, including a dwarf and creeping varieties, and all thrive with little effort. Easily propagated by cuttings, division, or by seed, you only need to buy the one you like and create more.
March Herb of the Month Summary - Kim Davis
Germander Teucrium chamaedrys
Bruce & Joan Burton with Helen
P a g e 6 K e n t u c k i a n a H e r b a l T h y m e s
Meeting Minutes May
by Marjo Howe, for Recording Secretary
• Meeting at Janet Millers house - Janet is president of the Rose Society and a past speaker at one of our Spring Education Events. She is a friend of our Herb Society and a go-to expert on all rose questions.
• Attending were Joan Burton, JoAnn Luecke, Jett Rose, Cynthia Johnson, Edith Davis, Marjo Howe.
• We met at the KingFish restaurant on Riverside Road where we had a very satisfying dinner, then drove the short distance to Janet’s house. We arrived at 6:50 and Janet had liquid refreshments for us. Her gardens were beautifully maintained and the roses were in top condition as usual. Joan called the meeting to order and we decided to meet at Jo Ann’s house in July to view her fantastic gardens. Janet Miller has helped with the rose gardens.
• Joan mentioned that there was a write-up about our sensory garden at the School for the Blind in the lo-cal paper. Joan planted 10 pelargoniums, watered and weeded at her last visit.
• We discussed the Pioneer Garden and it seems that 3 Master Gardeners have expressed an interest in maintenance of the garden to count toward their vol-unteer hours.
• Library-Marjo Howe mentioned the purchase of a book about herbs called “The Creative Herbal Home” while in Little Rock
• Cynthia Johnson brought a photo of Chataqua 2001 which evoked memories.
• News from the Central District mentioned Pat Greathead’s attendance in Little Rock.
• News from HSA; the Herbalist will go on line.
• A program called Green Bridges was discussed This program was mentioned in Little Rock It sounds very progressive as a way to combat habitat fragmenta-tion. This is how it works: a property owner fills out a form to register as a bridge to sustainability for wild plant and animal life. This combats the disruption caused by development, etc. The object is to create land bridges to enable life to safely move across the terrain. It costs $15.00 to register, if any of our mem-bers are interested we can research it and see if this would be a good deed for our unit.
• We discussed ways to increase our membership, Ideas were as follows: hardship funds to waive dues, 3 free meetings before new members join, and hav-ing some meetings on Sunday.
• Nominating Committee: Joanne Luecke, Cynthia Johnson. Officers will be presented at the next meeting.
• Dues & volunteer hours are due at the next meeting.
June by Marjo Howe, for Recording Secretary
• On June 13th our unit held its Silver Shovel monthly
meeting at O’Bannon Woods.
• We gathered at 11 am at the Pioneer Garden to work on and maintain the garden.
• Present were Clovis JoAnne, Barbara Lusco, Marjo, Joan, Lorraine and Edith.
• We planted marigolds, bronze fennel, rosemary and lavender, weeded and watered.
• After our labors we ate at the Overlook; food was great as usual. Thanks to all who helped.
July by Millie Chapala, Recording Secretary
• The meeting was called to order at 1:00 after a lovely pitch-in luncheon at Joann Luecke's home. Thanks to Hostesses Judy Cato, Joann Luecke, and Jett Rose for orchestrating everything.
• Members present were as follows: Joan Burton, Ju-dy Cato, Millie Chapala, Edith Davis, Kim Davis, Cyn-thia Hardy, Clovis Hayse, Marjo Howe, Lorraine Hughes, Deb Knight, Joann Luecke, Barbara Lusco, Juanita Popp, Jett Rose, and Julia Warf. Elaine and Olivia were guests of Lorraine, Jenene Bledsoe was Jett's guest, and Karen Adams was Joan's guest.
• Jett gave the treasurer's report, and Joan reported on the KSB garden.
• The newsletter deadline is July 20, and Kim request-ed articles.
• Marjo reported on new purchases for the li-brary: Urban Home Remedies by Susan Belsinger and The Herbalist, the Early Years. News from the National is that The Herbalist will no longer publish a hard copy; it will be available via the internet.
• The Nominating Committee reported that a slate of officers had been selected and are as follows: Joan Burton, Chairman; Lorraine Hughes, Vice-Chairman; Millie Chapala and Marjo Howe, Co-Recording Sec-retaries; Barbara Lusco, Corresponding Secretary; Jett Rose, Treasurer; and Joan Burton, Histori-an. Julia moved that we accept the slate and Marjo seconded the motion. The motion carried.
• A brick was purchased for the HSA headquarters in memory of Helen Trueblood, which not only includes her name but appropriately "Daffodil Queen."
• Dues are due and are $62.
• A program committee was selected, which includes Cynthia Hardy, Marjo Howe, and Joann Luecke.
• Lorraine talked about the herb of the month curry and also mentioned that she will report at the next meeting about Green Bridges.
• The next meeting will be at the church with Millie Chapala and Maggie Oster giving a presentation on herbal arranging.
• The meeting was adjourned to tour Joann's gardens, which are spectacular and include many interesting sculptures.
P a g e 7 K e n t u c k i a n a H e r b a l T h y m e s
Submissions Needed Your knowledge and experiences are valuable to the club! Here is your chance to “promote the knowledge, use and delight of herbs through ed-ucational programs, research, and sharing the experience of members with the community”, including other members. Experience in professional writing is NOT required; just hand write or type your “herbal” or gardening experiences (please don’t send other people’s articles). Examples could be:
• Growing a particular herb • Visiting a special herb garden • Review a herbal event • National Conference trip • Using herbs - medicinal, cooking,
household/cleaning, pets
• Holiday herbs and crafts • Unusual herbs • Herbal recipes • What made you interested in herbs? • How your grandparents used herbs • Herbal book or video review
Submit as many items as you like, whenever you like. Photos are welcome and will be returned. (Printing of articles will be subject to space available and will be held for future issues.) Send to Kim Davis at: [email protected] or by “snail” mail to her address in the club directory. Please contribute to your club newsletter!
Potpourri
• GREEN BRIDGES PROGRAM - Lorraine Hughes will be encouraging our KHS mem-bers to have your yard become Green Bridg-es certified. She will be speaking about this at a future meeting .
• WANTED - Davy Dabney would like some of our KHS members to come and herb sit and answer questions at the herb display area at the KY State Fair between August 17 - Au-gust 27, 2017. Hours are flexible but she says most of the traffic is during the afternoon hours. You would be receiving a Work Pass which would pay your admission and free parking. We will have a sign up sheet at the August meeting or you may call Davy for fur-ther questions or to schedule a time.
• SOLAR ECLIPSE - The Solar Eclipse is around 11 am to 2 pm or so on August 21,
2017. Do not forget to wear certified protec-tive eye ware. Heine Bros. Coffee Shops are giving away eye glasses with each purchase.
• HERB OF THE MONTH - It has been requested that when mem-bers are assigned “ The Herb of the Month “ for a meeting, that the presenter bring a short printed synopsis of your talk to be given to Kim Davis to print in the next newsletter.
• Barbara Warf’s sister passed away a few days ago; Barbara and the family are in our thoughts.
• THANK YOU - The cards and well wishes after my cardiac procedure were appreciated. Husband says that I am now paced, not driven. ~ Joan
The HSA Website has a wealth of information. Forgot your login? It is your email address as user name and HSA1933 for password.
Grow basil in pots and flowerbeds near your doorways
and windows - it's a natural way to repel flies and mosquitos and keep them from entering your home.
Postage
Kentuckiana Herb Society 545 W. Whiskey Run Road New Salisbury, IN 47161
What is paradise? But a garden, an orchard of trees, and herbs full of pleasure and nothing there but delights. – William Lawson, 1668
The Herb Society of America is a non-profit, educational organization dedicated to promoting the knowledge, use and delight of herbs through educational programs, research, and sharing the experience of members with the community. Since we are not medical practitioners, it is the policy of The Herb Society of America not to advise, recommend, or prescribe herbs for medici-nal use. Information and links are provided as an educational service, and The Herb Society of America can not be held liable for the content included in these resources. Please consult a health care provider before pursuing any herbal treatments.
Kentuckiana Herb Society
Webinar Archives
KHS & P. Allen Smith at HSA Annual Meeting, Little Rock, Arkansas
HSA has produced many webinars for members to advance their knowledge of herbs. Advanced notice for new webinars are sent directly to members’ email periodically, and if watching live, questions may be asked directly of the presenter. If unable to watch live, mem-bers may access the archives for all past presentations. Of particular interest may be the presentation on the Green Bridges program that Lorraine Hughes has been promoting at our meetings. It was presented in November 2015 and you may go to it by signing in as a member, then go directly to “Past Webinars”.
Below is a list of the past year’s subjects:
3/17 Medieval Herbs for Modern Gardens 2/17 Top Ten Favorite Herbs 10/16 Home for the Holidays 9/16 The Secrets of Saffron 7/16 Fire and Ice: Add Some Heat to Ice Creams and Sorbets 6/16 Peppers: Capsicum, IHA's Herb of the Year™
5/16 HSA’s Promising Plants of 2016 4/16 Herbal Safety 101: Using Herbs Wisely 3/16 Distilling History: The History and Production of Herbal Essences 2/16 The Power of Black 1/16 Pycnanthemum, Our 2016 Notable Native
