The Twelve Herbs for the Holidays

Bedstraw

                

Our Lady’s Bedstraw at The Cloisters

Skylands is hosting a themed Christmas called:  “The Twelve Plants of Christmas.” 

Not to be outdone, I wish to install a virtual “Twelve Herbs of the Holidays.” 

The first four:” Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme”---they are of the refrain from the Simon& Garfunkle song from the Graduate (1969). Each has medicinal use and symbolic meaning.

It’s likely they were seasoning for your holiday meal. 

In the 1930s, we only saw one of them: Parsley---garnishing the turkey. It was the pre-eminent herb in the grocer’s.

The scented ones include Bayberry, Lavender, and Bedstraw. Folk lore has it that bedstraw was used in baby Jesus' manger, It has a sweet aroma released when it is warmed. See it at the Cloisters next summer.

One herb for the unexpected: Mistletoe stands for life out of death, and is a social highlight of holiday parties. Another unexpected herb is used to protect our guests: Santolina. Health herbs (Chamomile, Peppermint and Spearmint) are part of the twelve herbs of the holidays to make teas for stress-free holidays.

January? Probably health herbs teas .

--Pat Libutti, The Urban Herban

Herbs in The Midnight Garden of Good and Evil

The Poison Herbs: From top: Mandrake, Mandrake small, Foxglove,Belladonna, Arium, St. John's wort, Belladonna, Foxglove, Arium,Thorn Apple, Thorn apple botanical drawing, Wormwood label, Wormwood.



Bewitch and Beware the Whole Year Through!

The setting for Behrendt’s novel is Savannah, with noted squares and graveyards; but the gardens are pictured as dark, very dark. Could these toxic herb have been part of the eerie settings?  All three outlined below live in Georgia---and New Jersey--- It might have been.

The Thorn apple (Datura stramonium)  is also known as Moonflower and  Locoweed. It is part of the Poison Family---lower left hand side. It is both poisonous and medically useful, as are its relatives in the nightshade family, Belladonna (Altropa belladonna) and Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum).

If you handle the Thorn apple’s seed pods carelessly, you will get pricked painfully. But when the pod opens, the seeds do their dastardly work. Toxic reactions are due to alkaloids that cause vision distortion, hallucinations, and can be fatal. Such is true with Belladonna and Mandrake as well. These are not plants to display in a garden club show and tell! Many of the parts of the plants are toxic; check your local poison plant directory.

The medicinal uses of these nightshade members are surprising: Datura was formerly an asthmatic medication, Belladonna is an eye medication, and Mandrake was used for stomach ills. 

Cornell notes their debilitating effect on livestock, USDA lists them as ‘noxious plants’; and Native Americans from long ago used them as hallucinogenic aids for ceremonies. 

You will find an exhibit in the Cloisters herb gardens in their "Magical Herb" section. There are many others which could have been part of the same Garden, such as Foxglove and Mayapple---but this will wait till another Halloween.

A closer view of the Thorn apple---see the prickly pods?


Sources (some) 
U. Michigan: Native American Medical Plants Database 
FDA: Poisonous Plants Database
 A Modern Herbal 
Cornell University’s Ag Extension publications 
USDA .

Just Basil

FROM THE URBAN HERBAN’S NOTEBOOK: 
BASIL

Basil & Tomatoes are the Peanut Butter and Jelly of Vegetable Land. 

The last basil needs to be harvested before it disappears into the frost, to be grown in the home garden---next year.

The best tasting basil, if plucked, in July or August can be part of Sicilian Tomato and Basil Salad. Take a tomato, quarter it, drizzle freshly made  oil and vinegar dressing over it, and top with sliced thin basil.  

Also, try a Many-Basil Pesto: use Genovese Basil with others, such as Cinnamon, Lemon, or Pistou, the French contribution. Each blends for a piquant pesto.

Basil is past its prime, which was July 21; it lost some of its volatile oils. It would be best in stews and sauces. Just dry it carefully and store in a brown glass jar (Why? Chemists have figured out that the volatile oils will not seep through the glass, as they do with plastic. )

Or, store in the fridge, to be used a bit at a time when you wish.

Basil comes from India and spread quickly to the Mediterranean, thanks to travelers. It was used medicinally to cure coughs and colds, just like its relatives, the mints.

 It was originally considered dangerous, and it was believed that a pot of basil hid a scorpion under the pot base (Do you believe that one?)

Program at Van Saun for Children: "Just Basil"
https://www.scribd.com/doc/248655680/05232014-Latest-Van-Saun-Desc-Adults

Teaneck Community Gardens: Then & Now

Before renovation the fences were unsightly,  but the crops were lush


Spring yields green and right to the table. Note divisions between plots, individual fences.

One gardener, Joe Papa, noted that in Europe, there are "impeccably maintained gardens on the outskirts of cities. " Joe contributed several pictures of such gardens, taken in  Germany  

The move to renovate the Teaneck Community Gardens came from both the town and the neighbors. Pictures such as these from local papers were part of articles decrying a "shantytown" of mismatched materials fashioned into unsightly fences, planting stakes and idiosyncratic  decor.

Despite the fences, the deer, woodchucks, and rabbits still ran the land.

Was it so terrible? Some gardeners felt it was a GARDEN, neighbors did complain without ceasing.



Enter 2011, and the Town began renovation of the Garden, Phase One. Below, the picture shows one of the gardens in Phase One, the first area to be renovated.

This drawing shows  12 gardens encased by a perimeter  fence,  replete with a door size gate. There are no individual fences between gardens.  This is in use now in Phase One of  the renovations in the Teaneck Community Gardens.

The plots measure 16 feet by 15 feet, and the fencing surrounding the gardens is made of rubberized fencing material.

Models from Europe & Elsewhere

Community gardens in Europe have political and structural similarities to  their American counterparts.In Germany and Austria, gardens are carved out of industrial lands no longer used, railroad track areas and other fallow land. Groups that organize this vary from private parties to community activists. The photos below are from former Committee member Joe, and are taken in  Vechelde, a village 17 Km from Braunschweig, a major city in Germany.  

They  show the features abounding elsewhere. Note the perimeter chain link fence, footed with stone. There is no interior fencing. Also note in one other photo a shed/small house on the land. This is found everywhere. There is no internal fencing, although the gardener used hedging around the plot.

The photo to the lower left is a structure housing miner bees. A feature  also universally found is typical of the "fun" or "decor" aspect found in gardens in Germany.

LAND USE In the United States, community gardens with an open plan, no interior fences can be found. In Los Angeles, the garden is multi-purposed, being used for the community as an art space, as a play space, as a concert setting as well as a place to garden. This is not common, most community garden web sites display rules that specify fencing materials permitted.

GOVERNANCE differs as well. Some community gardens are maintained by landlords in a tenant at will arrangement. There is usually a fee or rent for the use of the land. In public organization management, most often you find community groups negotiating for public lands, often at a fee. One can find a number of such examples in New York City.

And then there is a municipal administration in whch a town takes on supporting the efforts of community gardeners with land, services and usually with the support of a citizen board. Teaneck uses this administrative style.

We can find examples of many kinds of governance and land use in several European studies, such as the Politics of Community Gardens, a university level study from Germany, and  The Northern England Community Garden Project.


The Present

2011 saw the beginning of the Renovations by the Township. Manager Broughton stated that "We want this to be a place to go for a certain kind of gardening experience, a place where you can garden with your neighbors."

The gardens were divided into areas, each to be operated on one year at a time. In 2011, Phase One began with a razing of existing gardens, preparation of 12 lots, edged with timber and enclosed with a perimeter fencing and gate. 

Each plot was unfenced, each gardener had the view of all other neighbor's gardens. And townspeople who came to  the opening of the section were pleased with the clean appearance of the area. Gardeners, too, were happy with the spare design and felt they could garden better without such clutter as seen before.

Phases Two, Three and Four followed in annual succession.

With  restructure came responsibility.The Teaneck Community Gardens Committee, composed of six appointed citizens, worked on the  good and welfare of the Community Gardens overall. That could mean preparing rules sent to the town for approval and dissemination, working with the Town in communications with citizens about rules and responsibilities and walking the Gardens. 

They looked at the plots systematically,  noting any departures from proper use (no cash crops, trellises shading a neighbor's land) good appearance, ( no weed growth) and other common sense items. Gardeners would then be notified of any conditions needing attention, for the good of the appearance for all.

TEANECK COMMUNITY GARDENS COMMITTEE

 RULES & REGULATIONS 2014  Rev. 5/20/2014

ELIGIBILITY for a GARDEN: You must be a resident of Teaneck to obtain a garden plot. There is an annual, in-person, plot registration in which you must present proof of residency. Required: one (1) photo I.D. and one (1) of the following forms of I.D.:

a valid NJ Driver's License, mortgage statement, credit card or bank statement, or a utility bill.

TOWNSHIP ASSIGNMENT of GARDEN PLOT: The plot assigned to you must be worked by you or a member of the family residing at the same address (the address will be the one you note on your application.) Your plot must not be enlarged nor the plot boundaries altered. The Township will perform periodic monitoring of the gardens and reserves the right to remove participant privileges or reassign a plot as a result of a violation of these rules. The Township establishes and maintains a waiting list for plots to be reassigned.

COMMUNITY GARDEN RULES

1. Your plot must be cleared and prepared for planting by May 15th of each year. Then, your plot must be sufficiently planted by June 15th of each year (at least 50 %.) Your garden plot must be cleared no later than December 1st of each year. All dead vegetation needs to be removed from plots and all stakes shall be taken down and stacked neatly on the plot.

2. The Community Garden plots are intended for growing vegetables. You may, however, plant beneficial insect-attracting flowers in the plot, not to exceed 10% of the plot. Gardeners of plots 1 thru 7 may plant "beneficials" at the edge of the plot facing south, towards the fence to no more than 3 feet from the fence. (This area is the pathway.)

3. The Township reserves the right to restrict planting of invasive species, such as bamboo, etc.

4.  You must keep your plot free of weed overgrowth and maintain plantings within the designated plot. You are not to allow plants to go beyond your own plot.

5. Plant growth or any other items are prohibited on Township fencing.

6. Use of toxic chemicals, insecticides, or herbicides is discouraged in the garden.

7 Fences in the garden or surrounding a garden are not allowed. No interior or exterior fencing is permitted.

8. If you want to construct a horizontal or vertical trellis for your vegetables, it must be located in your plot so as not to impinge on your neighbor’s sunlight. Vertical trellises shall not exceed 5'.

9. Paths on all sides of your plot must be maintained by plot holders and need to be kept free of weeds (see attached map.) Only woodchips provided by the Township shall be placed on the paths.

10. All debris (vegetative waste, weeds, soil etc.) must be deposited in the designated composting area labeled “GARDEN DEBRIS”, adjacent to the Township dumpster. Trash, such as old wood, metal, etc. must be placed in the dumpster. The dumpster must not be used to dispose of any other trash, such as household garbage or rubbish.

11. Only non–treated lumber (boards) is allowed inside your plot boundaries. 

12. Nothing is to be attached to the 6” x 6” landscape timbers that mark off your plot.

THE COMMUNITY GARDEN COMMITTEE has been established for the Community Gardens by the Township of Teaneck. This Committee periodically monitors the gardens and corresponds with the Township on concerns raised by the Community Gardeners. The Committee also helps Community Gardeners participate in donations to local food pantries and celebrate local gardening events, both with the Garden Club of Teaneck.

Teaneck Community Gardens Committee 5/20/2014

HISTORY PRESENTATION TO PLOT HOLDERS ON 3/7 AND 3/28/2012 
Rev: 4/3/2012

"From people that I have spoken to, it seems that the current community gardens site as of 1973 was the town storage area for huge mounds of wood chips. There were also a number of large trees. Over 

time there were numerous complaints from neighbors about the odor and steam coming off the wood chips which led to frequent visits from the fire department. In order for the town to qualify for “Green Acres funding” the town had to remove the wood chips, which they did in the late 1970s. 

Afterward, the town created a few plots in the front and later removed some trees and expanded the area for additional plots. Rumor has it that the town's first priority for use of the gardens was for senior citizens. Since that there were an insufficient number of senior citizens interested in gardening the town opened it up to all Teaneck residents. 

Unfortunately, the gardeners did not take proper care of their gardens. One person brought smelly fish, meat and other rotten items into the plots that created more problems for the neighbors. I had received my plot and worked it for about 1 year. One day I went to my garden in 1984 and found that the entire area had been cleared by the town without any warning to the plot holders. 

In December 1984, Carol Dolch & Bernice Smith (Members of the Teaneck Garden Club) and myself (on behalf of the Community Gardens) met with Milton Robbins Township Engineer, regarding the  Community Gardens. The meeting had two major purposes. One, to develop insights into how to improve the appearance of the Community Gardens and two, to develop rules & regulations for the Community Garden plot holders to follow. The three of us developed the first set of rules, which was approved by Milton Robbins.

Although I know of nothing officially in writing, the unofficial town rule for keeping a plot from year to year since 1983 has been that if the plot holder abides by the town's rules he/she can keep the same plot every year by annually certifying with the town that they will be working the plot themselves and/or by a member of their family residing at their residence. 

For several years the plot holders had an excellent record of keeping to the rules as the plot monitors had a major monitoring role. Monitors interviewed residents seeking a plot and laid out the ground rules and expectations. If the resident agreed, a plot was assigned. If the plot holder failed to abide by the rules, given a short time frame to make the corrections, the plot was immediately taken away from them by the town. However, this success was short lived as the engineering department took back all of their controls without notice. 

Since that time the Community Garden Area has progressively gotten worse; it is an eye sore because a large number of plot holders routinely violate the rules. For a number of reasons, the town has been unable to enforce the rules until now. 

There have been other town managers who have seen the garden problems; expressed a desire to clean up the gardens, but Mr. Broughton is the first town manager who is doing something about the problems. He has established a 11 member committee 7 of which are plot holders and monitors. We are extremely happy to have someone of Mr. Broughton's stature in Teaneck that is willing to help us achieve something that he, the town; the neighbors and we gardeners want."

---Don Wassum, Community Gardens Gardener

It has been a long winter...but look: The beginnings of spring

It's been cold and it's been long. Signs of change, though, they are 'a coming. Everything from the first seedlings to sprout up indoors to the NJ Flower Show in Edison, NJ, which I will go to today. 

For now: my back and side yard views, yesterday. This is color film, but the grayness is the real thing, inside and out.The very large oak tree, with a deck built around it, is straining with the snow. The side yard is festooned with freshly dug snow banks---all of which got covered with several inches more six hours later.

But-look---it's happening--signs of spring! 

The Greenhouse Committee of the Garden Club of Teaneck is getting ready for its annul flock of students from March 17 to about April 10. Students in the school will visit the Greenhouse and lean about gardening from four Greenhouse members. This annual migration started over twnty years ago.

Garbage Gardening shows children the surprising plants that come from pits, stems, roots and other parts of the plant we think of as garbage. There is a pineapple on display that is growing from another pineapple---the parent pineapple was a cut top, about to be tossed. There is a coffee tree, lemon, orange, and mango plants, and ways to do that.

Herbs are useful plants, indeed--dyes, food seasonings, medicine, perfume

---there are a few of each kind to  see. Lesson involves learning about herbs from different cultures, especially Native American. Kids will get to make a herbal teabag and sniff some wonderful scents (Smellies).

So how do you GROW these plants? Kids will be surprised to see how many ways a plant can be grown. Propagation can be from seed, from cuttings, from division...

And for the youngest kids, here is a new course this year-Seeds. They don't all give you the same plant, and they do look different from each other.But what makes them grow? (Have to be a first grader to find out.)

Next: The Childrens Gardening Program at The Boys and Girls Club of Hackensack