“Lavender blue dilly dilly...

“Lavender blue dilly dilly”

“Lavender blue dilly dilly” is a phrase from the lyrics  that Burl Ives did in the 60s. But its origins are way back: from  England in the 1600s;  lavender was neither “blue” or “dilly”. But the song is a soothing lullabye.

Lavender is actually a soothing plant, some are close to blue, and the aroma wafts from all 39 species of the genus Lavendula. It grows in France, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, Australia and  the Mediterranean region, as well as in the United States. But it is most often associated with Provence, France.

This is a multitasking herb, crossing aromatic, culinary, medicinal, cosmetic and even detergent purposes yet. Although used primarily for perfumes, it is also part of Herbes de Provence, a classic herb mix, an  acne treatment,  an antidepressant , dog medication and pet skin shampoo, washing and even an off label use: floor wash .

However, all is not well in the center of Lavender Country: Provence, France. You see, there is a EU proposal to require labelling of lavender essential oil products as dangerous due to skin sensitivity. The key chemical in lavender is linalool, alleged to have that property (C&E News, Oct 2014, p.19)

 Lavender farmers argue that their lavender should be classified as an agricultural, not a chemical, product. Web sites of lavender growers in Provence raise the alarm: “This is a call for help to save lavender, aromatic and medicinal plants from the destructive effects of new European regulations.” (http://www.lavande-provence-aoc.com/)

This news leads to agita, so ‘tis time to actually use lavender in large quantities. The best way to do that is to visit large lavender gardens and inhale deeply.

Three within a vacation’s reach are on the Eastern Seaboard.

Lavender by the Baywww.lavenderbythebay.com/

Cape Cod Lavender Farm www.capecodlavenderfarm.com/

Hope Hill Lavender Farm www.hopehilllavenderfarm.com/

There are festivals at most of them this month. Let me know of one you explored-it will appear

In The UrbanHerban (blog: http:/urbanherban.blogspot.com)

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Summer Garden Tours

Des Gardens, Brooklyn Botanic

Here are my top ten with one-way travel time:

 1.Kykuit  ---worth many trips, I have gone twice. 

Rockefeller collected sculpture, it is all over the outdoors. 1 hour plus

 2. NYBG herbs are now arriving, let's do what we tried, there is no snow 

   About 1/2 hour to 40 minutes in good traffic

 3.Well Sweep---Now over 1,900 species, well worth it and you can buy some. 

  ---Bring picnic Rt 80 West 1 hour plus a few minutes 

4.Des Gardens, Brooklyn Botanic---herbs a' plenty as well as a Shakespeare plant garden, including the herbs in his time. Travel time varies with driver and route.

5. Cloisters

6.And the best: Grounds for Sculpture---beautiful gardens, beautiful and unusual sculpture---Hamilton, NJ, Turnpike trip 1.25 hours''7,

8.

9.

10.

Green Verjuice Sauce

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ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

Tak percely, a good quantite, & a litel peletre, & mynte, sauge, dytayne, grene garlyk; wasche hem, grynde smal, & bred therwyt. Tempere it wyt verius or wyt sorel & serue it forth.

- Austin, Thomas. Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books. Harleian MS. 279 & Harl. MS. 4016, with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1429, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS 55. London: for The Early English Text Society by N. Trübner & Co., 1888.

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MODERN RECIPE:

• 1 C parsley
• 1 C mixed fresh, green herbs, including mint, sage, chives, and other green herbs
• 3/4 C white bread crumbs
• 1/2 C white grape juice
• 1/4 C wine vinegar
• Garlic to taste
• 1/4 tsp hot mustard powder
• Salt to taste

1. In a blender or food processor, combine herbs and bread crumbs, and grind them fine.

2. Add the mustard powder, salt, apple juice and vinegar, and blend thoroughly. Pour the sauce into a bowl and allow it to sit for about an hour. Stir well before serving.

Yields one cup of sauce. 

Medieval Herbs You May Not Recognize

French Mustard Recipe

Herbetella: An Italian Herb Omelet

The Greenhouse: A Building with Many Stories

Photo by Marty Steeil

The Greenhouse of Teaneck, begun in 1953, is the only municipally-supported greenhouse in the State of New Jersey. Town Council records show that the Greenhouse is based in the refurbished Vandelinda Sewerage Treatment Plant.

 Adapting that building for use meant,  according to Council Minutes,  “covering the concrete vats, repairing the roof, and installing a heating system. ”The Garden Club of Teaneck took on cleaning up glass and debris, as well as fundraising, by asking for $25 per family to turn the site into a greenhouse. It opened up officially in January, 30 1954. Members organized by interest area work groups (i.e., herbs,  geraniums) and propagated plants for the use of the Township in parks and malls.

There were 31 original benches that were assigned in the opening year; all members paid dues of $3.00. Members who joined the Greenhouse needed to be members of the Garden Club, live in Teaneck and join a group to develop plants for the Township. These rules are used today still. Greenhouse Directors have included Gene Hubbard, Lou Schwartz, Dania Cheddie, Len Schwartz and Stephanie Murphy.

The Greenhouse has developed outreach activities in the community, such as their  education programs for children, now over 20 years in existence. It is finished for this year, and included students planting seeds and learning about a plant’s growth and parts.

The Garden Club holds an annual Plant Sale in the Greenhouse, this year from May 2^nd to May 10^th,. Container gardens, herbs, tomatoes, hanging baskets, vegetables, annuals, and more can be bought. To find sale hours, check:  http://gardenclubfteaneck.org   New this year are special demonstrations of interest to gardeners. You will see knowledgeable Garden Club members preparing soil, arranging potted plants and using color in landscape design.