========
Newsgroups: rec.gardens,alt.folklore.herbs,rec.food.preserving,alt.answers,rec.answers,news.answers
Subject: Culinary herbFAQ (v.1.11) Part 4/4
From: HeK@hetta.pp.fi (Henriette Kress)
Date: Mon, 25 Nov 1996 18:46:15 GMT

Archive-name: food/culinary-herbs/part4
Posting-Frequency: monthly (on or about 20th)
Last-modified: 1996/11/25
Version: 1.11
URL: http://sunsite.unc.edu/herbmed/culiherb.html

Available by ftp: sunsite.unc.edu or sunsite.sut.ac.jp
 /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-medicine/faqs/

==========

3 Gardening

==========

3.1 Herbs for groundcover

Also see Growing chamomile, 2.7.1, above.
-----
From: jera@ksu.ksu.edu
I've found the following plants useful as groundcovers. Unless otherwise
noted, all are perennial, and hardy in my Zone 5 (north-central Kansas)
garden.

   * pennyroyal, Mentha pulegium
     Don't fertilize this regularly, it doesn't need the encouragement).
     NON-EDIBLE.
   * lemon thyme, Thymus x citriodoratus
     Otherwise known as the thyme that ate Cleveland; semi-evergreen in my
     garden.
   * mother-of-thyme, Thymus serphyllum
     Semi-evergreen, turns a lovely bronzed-purple color in the winter.
   * caraway thyme, Thymus herba-barona
     Used in the late Middle Ages to flavor baron of beef, hence the name.
     A very low, flat, spreading plant with a fascinating fragrance &
     flavor.
   * oregano thyme, Thymus sp.
     Grows much like mother-of-thyme, wonderful oregano scent and flavor.
   * common thyme, Thymus vulgaris
   * Aztec sweet herb, Lippia dulcis
     Low, sprawling annual; odd, resiny scent; it's supposed to self-seed
     readily, cuttings root fairly easily.
   * oregano, Origanum vulgare
     May be a bit tall for a groundcover, especially after 2-3 years;
     spreads vigorously; attractive flowers.
   * germander, Teucrium chamaedrys
     NON-EDIBLE but fun, a broadleaf evergreen; great for rock gardens and
     retaining walls; attractive flowers.
   * mints, Mentha sp.
     These may be a bit tall for many uses, but for a moist spot that's
     hard to mow, or that washes out frequently, give them a try - I've
     found that the candy-scented varieties are somewhat less invasive.
   * chamomile, Chamaemelum nobile + Matricaria recutita
     These don't grow well in my area, it's too hot and dry; one is annual,
     one perennial.

-----
From mflesch@mail.coin.missouri.edu (Mary A. Flesch):
I can't believe no one has mentioned the mint family in this group. At my
last house, I planted a tiny spearmint plant to have in iced tea (I'm
originally from Louisville, KY and was also planning on juleps). By the
time I moved 2 years later, I was able to dig it up and give to four
friends while still leaving plenty for the new owners!

==========

3.2 Herbs you can't get rid of (= easy gardening)

-----
Also see Growing horseradish, 2.20.1, above.

From: ecoli@cix.compulink.co.uk (Peter Harris)
Marigold and nasturtium. Just sprinkle a few packets around and your only
future problem is thinning them down each year.

From: HeK
Then there are the mints, horseradish, and comfrey. Both should be planted
in containers which are dug into the ground to avoid them taking over the
garden, and to make it possible to get rid of them if you decide to.

==========

3.3 Tall herbs

-----
From: ecoli@cix.compulink.co.uk (Peter Harris)
Fennel is the obvious one, the tinted variety is nice although I only have
the ordinary. Really good fun is Lovage, it can be huge. It is known in
Germany as the "Maggi Herb" and is a constituent of that proprietory food
enhancer. It has a pretty strong "dark" taste and was used to "extend"
stews. I.e. it made a stew taste as thought there was more meat in it than
there really was !

Latin names: Lovage = Levisticum officinale. Fennel = Foeniculum vulgare.

==========

3.4 Herbs for shade

-----
From: eberts@donald.uoregon.edu (sonny hays-eberts)
sweet cicely and woodruff are two i've had good luck with, in heavy shade.
most culinary herbs prefer full sun. those that are shade tolerant, as a
general rule, are not as heavy on flavor.

From: mrooney@mrooney.pn.com (Michael Rooney)
Many of the broader leaf herbs will grow in the shade, especially the ones
that tend to bolt. A good example of this is cilantro or parsley.

==========

3.5 Growing herbs indoors

-----
> I love cooking with fresh herbs so I tried growing my own. I planted
basil, chives, dill, and parsley in June. The chives are doing fine.

From: Catherine A Hensley <hensley@lims1.lanl.gov>
I have bad news. The chives will eventually begin to look sickly, because
they will become root-bound and they will also be expecting a cool spell.
When this happens, remove them from the pot, break off a chunk of plant and
roots, and move these to a new pot. Then put them in the refrigerator for a
week or two, and then back out on the window sill.

> The basil is OK; however, it is not growing as tall and thick as I had
imagined. I suspect that it needs more sunlight.

Basil that needs more light tends to get leggy--long spindly growth and few
leaves. Is that the problem? Another possiblility is that the basil is
root-bound. How large is the pot, compared to how large the
plant is? If the pot is in danger of falling over from the weight of the
plant, or if the plant is dropping leaves, move the whole thing to a larger
pot.

> My parsley looks like it is dying a slow death. It is not really growing,
and the leaves near the bottom have yellowed and sort of mushed into the
soil! Did I overwater? Is it the temperature? I keep the AC on.

Parsley in the soil grows a long tap root, like a carrot (same family). In
a shallow pot, it can't do that, so the root splits into many thinner roots
and go around and around the pot until it runs out of soil. Yup, root-bound
again. Next time try to find a narrow but deep pot.

> My dill looks about the same as the parsley. I know I should not have
planted it in the summer. It went to seed almost immediately. Should I
throw it out? Is there anything I can do?

Going to seed immediately is a sign of stress, although I don't know if
dill usually has a tap root too. Anyway, as an annual herb, it's now past
its prime and can't be made to get young again. <g>

> Should I not be growing these herbs inside? Are there any herbs or
peppers that are good to grow indoors? If so, what are they, and when
should I plant them? I am especially interested in cilantro, mint, and
jalapeno peppers.

In spite of its problems, many people grow parsley inside, so that's okay.
Dill grows to about 3 ft, so that is probably not a good choice. Basil is
good, but it is an annual, so expect to sow some more as the seasons pass.
I grow rosemary inside successfully, but before I gained some experience I
killed three in three years. Peppers can be grown inside, but they like
bright light, and in order to have fruit the flowers must be
hand-pollinated (not as hard as it sounds, sometimes you can just thump the
flowers with your fingertip to encourage self-pollinating). I also grow
lemon-scented geranium and ginger inside over the winter, although they
live outside during the summer.

Anyway, good luck

Catherine

==========

3.6 Growing herbs from cuttings

-----
> Has anyone ever tried to root lavender before? I am trying it and I'm not
quite sure if I'm doing it right. I have taken long woody stems from my
outdoor plant and have placed them in damp sand in potting pots indoors. I
believe I am just to keep the soil moist, is this correct? Also, how long
should it take before roots develope and I am able to transplant them?

From ceci@lysator.liu.se (Ceci Henningsson):
This is something about lavender that I wrote for rec.gardens some time
ago. It works well with most herbs. For particularly watery-stemmed plants
(think impatiens) putting them in a jar with water, like you describe works
well. If you add just a teeny-weeny pinch of rooting hormone to the water,
you'll be surprised at how quickly the cuttings develop lots of roots.

Lavender is one of the easiest plants (along with fuchsias) to take
cuttings from, so it's a good idea to start with them if you're not
familiar with the technique.

In addition to what you do, I do the following: I take fairly new stems and
pinch out the flower buds. New stems root easier than older, woodier stems.
For this reason cuttings are often taken in spring when there are lots of
new stems. If your cuttings fail now, try again in spring. (Disregard that
if you're in the southern hemisphere.) The reason I pinch out the buds, is
that I want the plant-to-be to concentrate on making roots, not on
flowering and setting seed. I cut the stem from the plant just above a leaf
pair, and then I cut the stem just below a leaf pair. It may seem wasteful
to throw a large portion of the stem in the compost, but it won't grow any
roots anyway (or at least not as easily as the part just below the leaves).
I also remove the leaves below soil level.

Start by watering the growing medium. I usually water it so that water
comes out at the bottom. That means it is fairly wet. Then I level the
surface before coming back to the cutting. I use what my local nursery
sells as "sowing soil". It is potting soil with 1/3 sand added.

Before I insert the stem into the growing medium, I dip the lower part (the
one that will be below the surface) in a rooting hormone, that will aid the
formation of roots. If you don't have any rooting hormone at home, you can
get it at your garden center. It doesn't cost much, and lasts a lifetime,
so it's really a cheap investment. Because you now have the powder on the
stem, you can't just push the stem into the growing medium, or you will rub
off the powder. Instead you poke a hole into it, and insert the stem. Make
sure there is contact between the stem and the growing medium. That is
called "firming in". Then I take a clear polythene bag, cut a few small
holes into it and put it over the pot. Place the pots in the shade. Too
much sun and heat will dry out the plants before they have formed any roots
to take up water with. Rooting usually takes a few weeks.

Some general advice:
* Think about hygiene. This is something to do on the clean kitchen
counter, rather than on the lawn, because you want to introduce as few
germs and fungus spores as possible. Since soil and plant material from the
garden carries a lot of microbes which are harmful to people (tetanus and
parasite eggs for instance), it's vital for your health that you clean the
counter afterwards. If you have a greenhouse or potting shed you can do
this in, that's probably the best place.

* Check on the cuttings from time to time. They won't need any water for
the first few weeks until they have formed roots if you have them under
plastic bags. You can see that roots have formed when there's new
(light-green) growth on the cuttings. Have patience and don't put them in
the garden at once. They need to be a bit more established first. I suggest
that, depending on the size of the pot you're using and how exposed to sun
and winds the site is, to wait for maybe 1 month after new growth is
showing before planting out.

* Place as few cuttings as possible in each pot. That way, if you get a
fungus infection in one pot, the whole lot won't be ruined. Also, use small
pots. Soil that is not "used" by roots has a tendency to get stale, and
that's something you have to avoid here.

* When planting out, remember that lavender plants get quite big, although
the cuttings seem tiny. I know from experience that it's easy to be tempted
into putting them quite close to each other.

This is getting to sound quite complicated, though, in real life, it isn't.
I've taken maybe 10 lavender cuttings at 3 occassions, and none of them
failed. Lavender cuttings seem particularly tough. Some times I've been
convinced that they had died when they were bone-dry, but they've always
come back to life with the help of some water.

==========

3.7 Warning signs of soil nutrient deficiencies

-----
From: Jennifer A. Cabbage <fxjac@camelot.acf-lab.alaska.edu>
This is information obtained from Charles Knight (my soils professor).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ELEMENT      FUNCTION                 DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS in plants
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Macronutrients:
-----
N-           Component of all amino   Uniform yellowing appears first
nitrogen     acids, enzymes,          on lower leaves. Growth ceases.
             proteins, etc.
P-           Essential for ADP, ATP,  Purple veins. Some plants:
phosphorous  DNA, RNA. Involved in    unform ashy color. Stunted
             protein synthesis.       growth.
K-           Regulates water uptake.  Tip-burn, brown spots appear
potassium    Component of cell walls. first on lower leaves. Weak
                                      stems.
Ca-          Component of cell walls. Uniform yellowing appears first
calcium      Involved in cell         on young leaves. Growing tips
             division.                (roots and shoots) die. Plants
                                      dwarfed.
Mg-          Component of chlorophyll. Yellowing of the veins. Yellowed
magnesium    Enzyme activator.        areas die.
S-           Component of all         Uniform yellowing in whole plant.
sulphur      proteins. Important in   Thin lateral stems (exception:
             enzyme reactions and     Cruciferae).
             photosynthesis.
-----
Micronutrients (only a few GRAMS per acre needed)
-----
Fe-          Component or co-factor   Yellowing of the veins. Larger
iron         of many oxidases.        veins stay green.
Mn-          Essential for photo-     Yellowing of the veins in younger
manganese    synthesis, N-metabolism, leaves
             N-assimilation.
Zn-          Promotes growth          Rosette. Small yellowed leaves.
zinc         hormones, seed           Scalloped leaf edges.
             maturation and production
Cu-          Important in photo-      Pale yellow-bleached leaves.
copper       photosynthesis, protein  Leaves and stems not firm. Tip
             and carbohydrate         and stem dieback.
             metabolism.
B-           Essential for cell       Yellowing of younger leaves.
boron        division + development   Internal browning of cork of
             Synthesis of nucleic     stems and fruit. Many flowers
             acids, plant hormones.   abort.
Mo-          Essential for N-fixation Uniform yellowing of whole plant.
molybdenum   and assimilation.        Extreme curling of leaves.
Cl-          Influences photosynthesis    Unknown.
chlorine     and root growth.
Co-          Essential for N-fixation.    Unknown.
cobalt

==========

4 Processing herbs

==========

4.1 Vinegars

-----
Also see at least 2.4.3 / Chive Vinegar, 4.6.3 / Rose Vinegar, 2.27 Borage
Vinegar, and 2.9.3 / Mint Vinegar.
-----
From: adawson@ehs.eduhsd.k12.ca.us
Hmm...I have made many herbal vinegars for my own home use and have always
used cidar vinegar. This, for me, has always seemed quite sufficient and is
very economical. Is there any reason why cidar vinegar is not acceptable?
Have I unknowingly been commiting a culinary crime? Also, I have found bay
leaf and rosemary to produce a very well flavored vinegar.

-----
From: HerbalMuse@aol.com
Not at all...I use either apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar, depending
on what kind of herb/flower is to be infused.

-----
From: christopher@gn.apc.org (christopher hedley)
I use cider vinegar.
How about Rosemary vinegar which can be used as a hair rinse as well as in
cooking and Garlic vinegar which is a good general antiseptic as well as
excellent salad dressing.
Good looking labels are an important final touch.

-----
After asking about uses for a combination of parsley, sage, rosemary and
thyme I got the following reply:

From: kate@netway.net (Kate Blacklock):
It makes great flavored vinegar!

Which of course sounds intriguing and has to be tried. ;)

-----
From: mrooney@mrooney.pn.com (Michael Rooney)
Basically, if you like it as an herb, put a good sized sprig of it in some
white vinegar and wait a couple of months and try it. This works with sage
(don't leave it too long), oregano, tarragon, thyme (may have to leave it
longer) and chives that I can think of.

Rose petal vinegar
From: Baker.325@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Gwen Baker):
1 c rose petals
3 whole cloves
2 c white wine vinegar

Trim away white part of rose petals. Wash and drain thoroughly. Slightly
bruise petals and place with cloves in a wide mouth canning jar. Place
vinegar in a medium saucepan bring to a boil. Pour vinegar over petals,
cover at once with metal lids, and screw bands tight. Let stand at room
temp for 1 week. Strain vinegar into decorative jars, discarding rose
petals. Seal jars with a cork or other airtight lid. Makes 2 cups.

-----
From: Silkia@aol.com
Herbed Vinegars

Cayenne Vinegar

Put from a 1/4 to 1/2 ounce of the best cayenne pepper into a bottle. Pour
on it a pint of strong vinegar. Cork it closely, and shake it well every 23
days. It may remain any length of time but will be ready in about 2 weeks.

Celery Vinegar

Add to a pint of boiling vinegar a few grains of cayenne pepper, or 1/2 oz
peppercorns, a teaspoon of salt and 2 C white portion of the roots and
stems of fresh celery, sliced thin. Let boil 2-3 mins, turn into a stone
jar and close tightly as soon as cold. It may be strained off and bottled
in 3-4 weeks with out injury.

Chili or Capsicum Vinegar

Put an oz of chilies or capsicums into a pint of vinegar, cover closely and
let stand 2 weeks. After straining the vinegar will then be ready to use.

Cucumber Vinegar

First wipe then without paring, slice young cucumbers into a stone jar.
Pour on sufficient boiling vinegar to cover. Add a t of salt and 2/3 the
quantity of peppercorns to 1 1/2 pints of vinegar. The mixture may remain
thus for a month, or even two months if well protected from the air. It
should then be strained, allowed to settle, and poured quite clear into
small dry bottles, which should be tightly corked. A mild onion may be
mixed with the cucumbers, if it is desired.

Horseradish Vinegar

On 4 oz of young and freshly scraped horseradish pour a quart of boiling
vinegar, and cover closely. The vinegar should be ready in 3-4 days. But
the mixture may remain for weeks or months before straining. An oz of
shallot, minced may be substituted for one oz of horseradish if the flavor
is preferred.

Mint Vinegar

Slightly chop or bruise the young leaves of freshly gathered mint pack in
bottles, filing nearly to the neck, pour in vinegar to; cover the mint. In
50 days strain off and bottle for use.

Nasturtium Vinegar

Loosely fill a quart jar with clean nasturtium flowers. Add a finely
chopped shallot, a very small piece of garlic, and a piece of red pepper.
Fill the jar with cold vinegar, and let stand 2 months. Add 1 t of salt,
strain through several thicknesses of cheesecloth and store in sterilized
jars closely sealed.

Raspberry Vinegar

Crush 4 qts raspberries and cover with 4 qts mild vinegar. After 2 days
strain through doubled cheesecloth and pour the same vinegar over a further
4 qts of berries. Let stand again for 2 days. Strain, measure. Add 2 #
sugar for each quart of liquid, bringing slowly to boiling point. Boil 10
minutes then skim, turn into sterilized jars and seal. (Use 2-3 T in a
glass of icewater for a pleasant summer drink)

Raspberry strawberry Vinegar

Use the same recipe as for Raspberry Vinegar only half the quantity for
each fruit.

Shallot Vinegar

Over 46 oz shallots peeled and bruised, pour a quart of good vinegar. Cover
closely and in 23 weeks vinegar may be used after straining. A few drops is
sufficient flavor for sauces and dressings.

Onion Vinegar

Same as for shallot.

Garlic Vinegar

Make the same as for shallot using only 1/2 the quantity of garlic.

Tarragon Vinegar

Strip the tarragon from the large stalks. Put into small stone jar or wide
necked jar, and in doing this, twist some of the branches so as to bruise
the leaves and tear them apart. Pour in enough very pale vinegar so as to
cover the top. Allow to infuse for about 2 months or more. Strain into
small bottles and cork.

=====
4.1.1 Vinaigrette
-----
From: Pat Peck <arpeck@FREENET.SCRI.FSU.EDU>

A vinaigrette is just a simple quick and easy way to dress a salad without
sacrificing the taste. Usually a vinaigrette call for oil in a 3 to 1 ratio
to the vinegar. That's what's so much fun about using vinaigrettes. You can
experiment and use all of those vinegars and oils you've made from the
herbs in your garden.

A classic french vinaigrette is:

2 tablespoons wine vinegar (any type of herbal vinegar you might like)
6 tablespoons olive oil, extra virgin preferred (sometimes I'll use 2
tablespoons of the 6 with garlic oil, rosemary oil, basil oil, lemon oil
(homemade of course)
1 teaspoon salt (I use less - to taste)
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Put vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Beat the mixture with wire
whisk or fork until the salt dissolves. Add the olive oil and beat until
creamy. Let stand for 5 minutes and beat again.

For garlic version Add a clove of crushed garlic after the olive oil has
been beaten. Let stand for 10 minutes, remove garlic and beat again. As I
stated above sometimes I'll use 2 tablespoons of garlic oil instead of
clove of garlic. Makes 1/2 cup.

Another tangier type of vinaigrette

3/4 cup olive oil, extra virgin
2 tablespoons wine vinegar (here again experiment with herbal vinegars)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon mustard (dijon) or 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Put vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper in bowl and whisk until
salt dissolves. Add olive and and mix well. Let stand 10 minutes. Whisk
again before serving. Makes 1 cup.

A lot of times I just use a jar and shake it all together. Makes it easy
and quick.

If you really feel lazy, dump into food processor. This mustard & thyme
vinaigrette is especially good done in a food processor.

7 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar (this one plain red wine vinegar is best)
1 Tbsp. Dijon
1/2 tsp. dried thyme or 2 tsp. fresh thyme (lemon thyme is nice or oregano
thyme (I really have such a thing)
2 tsps. soy sauce
1 small clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Put vinegar, dijon mustard (again use dried mustard 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. is you
prefer), thyme, soy sauce, garlic and pepper into food processor.

Pulse for 3 seconds or until well blended. Add the olive oil and pulse
again until fully integrated. Makes 2/3 cup.

==========

4.2 Herb oil

-----
From: edbw@unixg.ubc.ca (Edgar Wickberg)
All homemade herb or vegetable flavoured oils have doubtful safety if they
are not refrigerated immediately and kept in the refrigerator. The reason
for concern is botulism. Clostridium botulinum, the organism that makes the
deadly poison that results in botulism, grows in airfree environments. It
is only when it grows that it produces the toxin. Putting anything up in
oil produces a really great airfree (oxygen-free) environment and therefore
the risk of toxin production. Clostridium botulinum is a very common
organism in all of our environments, but the organism itself isn't
dangerous to us. It requires, besides the airfree environment, a low acid
one and temperatures above fridge temps. This is probably more than you
ever wanted to hear about why not to make garlic flavoured oil. Why not dry
most of your garlic so it will last and make just a little oil and keep it
in the fridge. To make the kind that you store in the fridge, just heat a
small quantity of oil (of your choice), put a few peeled cloves of garlic
in a small bottle, pour the hot oil over, cool for half an hour, cover and
refrigerate.

-----
From: baker.325@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (gwen baker)
Take the cleaned herbs and place into a jar (a mason jar will do). Heat the
oil to just warm (too hot and you will cook the herbs instead of extracting
the taste), pour the warm oil over the herbs and let set. Check every 3
days to once a week, straining and adding additional herbs until the
desired flavor is reached.

HeK comment to above: keep in refrigerator until desired flavor is reached
and thereafter.

==========

4.3 Drying your herbs

-----
From: aks3@cornell.edu (Amy Smith):
You don't need anything terribly high tech to dry herbs...

For leaves you can use old window screens in a DRY DARK place (like the
attic). If you are growing seedlings, place the screens on the top of the
fluorescent lights.

For roots you might want to use the oven on low. Chopping the roots first
helps. Food hydrators are better for roots.

Flowers are like leaves but you MUST be careful about keeping it dark. (the
sun leeches the nutrients out of herbs and they disintegrate too.)

You can also hang bunches of leaves on string in a dark place outside (if
you are in a fairly low humid climate) Or put flowers or leaves in paper
sacks and hang them to dry (shake them or stir them periodically so they
don't stick together inside the sack.)

-----
From: ?:
Never store herbs in completely airtight containers unless you have access
to a desiccant (like you get in pill bottles) to store with them since you
will never perfectly dry them and therefore they need to breathe.

-----
From: jrogow@ridgecrest.ca.us (Judith Rogow), in response to above:
An old remedy - tie a few grains of rice in a bit of cheese cloth and add
it to the bottle if you must keep it tightly closed.

-----
From HeK:
Never use a microwave to dry herbs. First, timing and stuff is different
for different microwave ovens, second, the taste isn't that good, and
third, you can end up with a fire in your kitchen.

If you use a dehydrator never go above 40 deg. Celcius. Most herbs are
tasty because of volatile oils and in high temperatures these volatile oils
get volatile and your herbs get tasteless.

And, if you use the bunched-herbs -method outlined above, strip the leaves
off the stalks after your herbs are dry. Stalks aren't that tasty in soups,
and can be tossed on barbecue coals to give some taste there.

==========

4.4 Freezing your herbs

-----
From: mrooney@mrooney.pn.com (Michael Rooney)
The best way to do it is to cut the leaves off and then put them into a
tight container and freeze them. If you are in a hurry you can put in the
stems too and cut the leaves off later.

From HeK:
I've found the best way to freeze parsley is to cut it fine before
freezing. Then you can scrap some directly from the jar into your
soup/sauce/whatever without having to cut it while it's frozen / going
mushy on you. I've done this for the others I've frozen as well - dill at
least is way too stringy to be easily cut when frozen.

From: baker.325@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (gwen baker)
Chop the herbs into the desired size and place into a ice cube tray. You
can fit a premeasured amount in so you know how much in each segment (I use
a tblsp). Then add just enough water to cover the chopped leaf and freeze.
You can pop out the cubes and store in bags and have the flavor of fresh
herbs year round.

-----
From: mrooney@mrooney.pn.com (Michael Rooney)
Another great way is to make them into pesto. Try different herbs with
pignoli nuts, pecans (dill and pecan is one of my favorites), walnuts,
almonds, hazelnuts, etc. until you find the combinations you like. We
freeze the pestos by putting saran wrap over a pint ice cream top (yes, the
plastic one from a Dutch sounding one made really in NJ :-)), forcing in as
much pesto as we can, and putting the saran wrap over the top. Then we wrap
it in aluminium foil and label it and put it in the freezer. The best part
is we have it all winter long and it tastes great on many things,
especially pasta, chicken, pork, shrimp, fish, etc.

(also see Pesto, 4.9.2 below).

==========

4.5 Herb butter

-----
From: "Janice D. Seals" <DianeTN5@AOL.COM>, who quotes "The Herbal Pantry"
by Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead - seems like a good book, go get it:

Basic recipe for Herb Butter

1/2 pound(2 sticks) unsalted butter
5 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs and/or herb flowers, or 5 teaspoons dried
herbs or 2 1/2 teaspoons herb seeds.
1 teaspoon lemon juice or a few gratings of lemon zest (optional)
Salt and white pepper to taste or dry mustard, paprika, cumin (optional)

Chop the herbs very fine or pulverize the seeds. Cream the butter and blend
in the herbs and seasonings. Shape as desired and chill or freeze up to 6
months.
Makes 1/2 pound.

Suggested combinations:

Dill, mustard seed, parsley, and a touch of lemon rind or a few mustard
seeds for fish and potatoes.
Thyme, garlic, chives, oregano, and parsley for tomatoes, zucchini,
eggplant or beef.
Sage, parsley and chives for chicken, veal, rice, and pasta.
Tarragon or fennel, lemon zest, and parsley for fish, chicken, or eggs.
Chives, mint, and chervil for fish, tomatoes, carrots, peas.
Basil and garlic for lamb, chicken, or fish.
Salad burnet, garlic chives, and parsley for potatoes, tomatoes, veal,
salmon.
Savory, marjoram, and parsley for beans, veal, beef, corn.
Caraway seed and parsley for cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and bread.
Aniseed, grated ginger, and orange zest for pork, chicken, or carrots.
Cilantro, cumin, parsley, and dried red or fresh jalapeno pepper for a
taste of the Southwest on rice, chicken, pork, potatoes, peas, or corn.
Basil, tomato paste, and oregano for fish, chicken, pasta, and rice.
Rosemary, chives, parsley, and garlic for potatoes, rice, pasta, beef,
veal, chicken.
Tarragon, chives, chervil, and white wine for fish, chicken, or eggs.
Basil, thyme, and parsley for bread, vegetables, tuna, salmon, and shrimp.
Anise hyssop, parsley, and chives for fish, chicken, veal.
Mint, garlic, and parsley for lamb, mussels, swordfish, chicken, peas,
carrots, green beans, or eggs.
Rosemary, savory, thyme, oregano, marjoram, lavender, and garlic for
grilled meats.
Calendula petals, chives, and parsley for chicken, rice, or eggs.
Scented geranium, rose, or pinks for toast, scones, waffles.
For a pretty presentation, cut herb butters into decorative shapes and
garnish or wrap a block of butter in rose geranium leaves and let stand
overnight to absorb their sweet flavor.

-----
From HeK@hetta.pp.fi:

Herb Butter

1 part butter (room temperature)
1 part oil (room temperature)
2-5 parts water (room temperature) (optional)
either finely chopped fresh herbs, or crushed dry herbs, to taste
salt?

Blend butter and oil together, add finely chopped herbs to taste, add water
in drops (like you add oil when you make mayonnaise).
Can't say if you need to add some salt to this recipe, but I'm used to it,
as Finnish butter always contains salt.
My favorite herbs to add to this: parsley, or lovage, or celeriac leaves,
or fresh black currant leaves (Ribes nigrum) - Yum! Don't restrict yourself
to garden-grown herbs, there's lots of good stuff growing in the woods and
fields. And let your taste buds decide.
I make a larger batch and freeze what I won't use right away - if you add
water this will only keep for about a week or so in the fridge.

==========

4.6 Jelly, syrup and other sweet stuff

-----
From es051447@orion.yorku.ca (Joseph St.Lawrence):
An excellent book with info on edible flowers is *The Harrowsmith Salad
Garden* by Turid Forsyth and Merilyn Simonds Mohr. Another good one is
*Flowers in the Kitchen* by Susan Belsinger.

=====
4.6.1 Flower / herb jelly
-----
also see 2.17.3 for garlic jelly and 2.20.3 for horseradish jelly.
-----
> PS... Anyone like basil jelly? B-)

From: Sallie Montuori <foxdale@widomaker.com>

Haven't tried that yet, but I really like herb jellies. After trying
rosemary jelly, I will never put mint sauce on lamb again!!! And I found
that thyme jelly makes a terrific sauce for chicken.
But what does one do with basil jelly? None of my knee-jerk reactions for
basil includes "sweet."

-----
From: Judy Martin-Spiker <judyms@lsid.hp.com>

My fiancee puts it in peanut butter and basil jelly sandwiches! He loves
them! Personally, I think its a little revolting, but Basil jelly would go
nice with pastas or italian cuisine, maybe even on garlic bread. Maybe an
addition to pesto? The recipe is as follows:

Basil jelly

1 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves - the fresher the better!
1 cup white vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cups water
6 1/2 cups sugar
Two 3 oz. pouches Certo liquid pectin
Green food coloring (just enough to give it a nice emerald green color,
about 7 drops or up to 1 teaspoon full)

Place the basil leaves, lemon juice and vinegar in an 8 to 10 quart sauce
pot. The larger size is necessary since this recipe boils up a LOT. Let the
basil, lemon juice and vinegar stand while you are measuring the two cups
water. Add the water and food coloring. Heat almost to boil, stirring to
blend, then add all the sugar at once. Stir to dissolve sugar. Bring to
hard boil, add two 3-ounce pouches of Certo liquid pectin, 6 ounces total.
(Make sure to get as much of the 6 ounces as you can into the kettle, and
not all over your hands and stove, like I normally do! The jelly will not
set without all the pectin.) Bring back to boil, boil hard for 1 minute or
until jelly point is reached. Remove from heat. Remove basil leaves with
slotted spoon. Pour immediately into hot, sterilized 1/2 pint jars, seal
and process 10 minutes in boiling water bath. Makes 6 to 7 half pints.
This recipe produces a nicely set jelly that is sweet, but with a real kick
to it! Personally, I like to use 4 different types of basil leaves in the
recipe to add up to one cup, but you may use what you like. This receipe
can also be used for other herbs, like oregano, rosemary, mint, parsley,
thyme, etc.
Hope you enjoy it. I am proud enough of it to enter it in the county fair
this year.

-----
Basic flower jelly recipe - can also be used for herbs
From: bhaile@leo.vsla.edu (Bess Haile):

2 cups flower infusion: steep 2+ cups moderately packed flowers in 2 cups
boiling water at least 30 minutes
1/4 cup lemon juice (E. Toley says not to use bottled, but I do)
4 cups sugar
3 oz of liquid pectin (this will be 1/2 box of liquid Certo)

Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil you can't stir down. Add pectin and
boil 2 minutes. Ladle into hot sterile jars. Seal in preferred manner.

Note (Bess Haile): I prefer the liquid certo to the powdered. It seems to
jell better with flowers. Also, I find the extra minute of boiling helps to
create a stiffer jelly, though 1 minute will create a clear jam-like
texture. I always use the 4 oz canning jars because I can give away some of
the jellies without running out of all my stock. Not everyone likes jelly
from flowers. My own family HATES rose jelly which is one of my favorites.
Also, note, rose petals have a bitter white bit where the petals join the
flower. Cut these off. I do this by holding the flower, step up, and
cutting around the flower, leaving all the bitter bits on the flower. I've
used Rose, Honeysuckle, Lavender, and many herbs too. Rosemary makes a good
jelly for a glaze on roast pork (and probably lamb). Lemon verbena and
spearmint are great too!

Rose petal jelly

From: Baker.325@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Gwen Baker)
1 1/2 c rose petals
1 1/2 c white grape juice
1/2 water
3 1/2 c sugar
1 pkg liquid fruit pectin

Trim away white part of rose petals, wash petals thoroughly, and drain.
Combine rose petals and grape juice in a sauce pan. Bring to a rolling
boil, stirring constantly; cook 1 min, stirring frequently. Add fruit
pectin; cook stirring constantly, until mixture returns to a rolling boil.
Continue boiling 1 min, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and skim off
foam with a metal spoon. Quickly pour jelly into hot sterilized jar leaving
1/4 in headspace; cover with metal lids and screw tight. Process in boiling
water bath for 5 min. Makes 3 pints.

For fun leave the rose petals in and you can tell folks you are eating
roses - they end up with the funniest looks on their faces.

Rose petal jelly II

From: Baker.325@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Gwen Baker)
2 quarts fresh rose petals, loosely packed (about 3 dozen roses)
1 quart boiling water
4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Place petals in a large bowl. Add boiling water. Cover and steep for 20
minutes, or until all color is out of the petals. Strain liquid into a
shallow pan. Add sugar and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring
constantly until sugar has dissolved, and mixture comes to a rolling boil.
Maintain boil until mixture gives a jelly test (2 drops form on side of
spoon, then flow together). Skim. Pour into hot sterile jars. Cover with
melted paraffin (or use your preferred sealing method). Makes 8 x 6-ounce
jars.

Note (Gwen Baker): The rose petal jelly I have had used added pectin. This
recipe thinks rose petals have enough of their own.

Violet flower jelly

From: Baker.325@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Gwen Baker)
Violet infusion:
2 cups violet blossoms (don't have to pack tightly, just nicely full cups
will do)
2 cups boiling water

Pour boiling water on blossoms and cover 12-24 hours (If you can't get to
the cooking within 24 hours, store in the refrigerator).

Jelly recipe:
2 cups infusion
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 pkg. powdered pectin
4 cups sugar

Bring first 3 ingredients to a rolling boil (one you can't stir down). Add
sugar all at once and bring back to rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove
from heat and let boiling die down. Skim off foam with large spoon. Pour
immediately into hot sterilized jars and seal. Makes 4-5 cups of jelly. I
use the half cup jars so I can give away samples without giving away
everything.

Note (Gwen Baker): I've made two batches of this jelly and it is delicious!
The lemon juice turns the blue infusion the most glorious amethyst color.
No fruit jelly I've ever made has this color. It is tart and lemony, but
does not taste exactly like lemon. My violets are not parma violets, just
plain old Virginia weeds.

=====
4.6.2 Flower / herb syrup
-----
From: Baker.325@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Gwen Baker):

Rose petal syrup

1 c rose petals
1 c water
1 1/2 c sugar
3 whole cloves

Trim away white part of rose petals was and drain thoroughly. Combine rose
petals and water in a sauce pan bring to boil. Then simmer for 5 min. Add
sugar and cloves. Simmer until sugar dissolved (do not reboil) strain
petals, refrigerate. Makes 1 2/3 cup.

Use this for

Rose cooler

1/2 c rose syrup
2 c club soda
fresh rose petals.

Combine soda and syrup garnish with rose petals. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

-----
From: TOIVO@aol.com

Violet Syrup

You need to collect as many violet flowers as you can find. This is the
hardest part--I can almost never find enough. (recipe based on a quart of
violets, increase or decrease according to what you could find. You could
increase the proportion of violets to syrup, making a stronger syrup, but I
wouldn't recommend making it much weaker than this) You may wish to wash
the flowers, depending on where you found them.

The only important piece of information: go through and remove all the
green parts from each flower. Cooked, the green parts taste strong and
spinachy. Just a little green stuff can ruin your whole batch. We learned
this the hard way...

In a double boiler dissolve and heat 2 cups sugar and 3 cups water. If you
like thick syrup, add more sugar, or less if you like thin. Make sure it's
all the way dissolved and very hot. Fold in the flowers. Put on the lid.
Turn down heat so that bottom pan is just boiling - you don't want any
steam to escape from the top pan at this point (if you can help it). Let it
cook for another ten minutes. Take off heat. Let cool. Put it in a jar.

Ta-dah. You're done. You could strain out the flowers if you wanted. I
recommend keeping the syrup in the fridge. I bet you could use any edible
flower instead of/in addition to violets, but I haven't tried it.

-----
From: raghu@hocpb.ho.att.com (-K.RAGHUNANDAN)

Gulkhan - rose petal syrup

A delicious, medicinally effective recipe using rose petals, is simple to
prepare. Called "Gulkhan" in India, this is used as a flavoring in sweet
dishes and is also eaten as such or with butter. Among its virtues are a
nice flavor, mild sweet taste, good for reducing boils, keep skin and blood
circulation clean.

Procedure: Peel fresh petals of 1 Rose flower, spread them in a container.
Sprinkle a spoon of sugar. Repeat this process each day until, the quantity
is about 250 grams (or to fill a 10 oz jar). Choose only pink/red variety
of rose which has a fine flavor. Over a period of 10-20 days the petals dry
out and the sugar layer melts to form a syrup. At this stage, take out the
entire contents and make a paste (use mortar pestle). Put this mixture in a
jar with a lid. The GULKHAN is now ready to use.

=====
4.6.3 Miscellaneous sweet stuff
-----
From bobas@freenet.vancouver.bc.ca (Waldek Trafidlo)
When I was a kid in Poland years ago my neighbor would prepare a rose petal
spread by simply grinding rose petals with sugar, adjusting the proportions
to taste as she went. I believe it required some days for the taste to
settle but even during preparation it had a wonderful, "elegant" taste. She
would often use in baking, also to sweeten and flavour tea.

==========

4.7 Potpourris and other non-culinary uses for herbs / flowers

-----
Meaning non-culinary uses, in this culinary herbfaq. ;)

From: baker.325@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (gwen baker)
Dried herbs can also go into herb pillows and sleep pillows.

=====
4.7.1 Stovetop potpourri
-----
From: clayton2@ix.netcom.com (Jeffrey Clayton):
My favorite potpourri recipe is:
dried orange peel, dried pine needles, dried mint, cinnamon sticks (broken
into pieces), cloves
This is a stove top potpourri -- the kind you put in water and simmer.
Aromatherapy says this combination of scents is supposed to keep colds
away.

=====
4.7.2 Dry potpourri
-----
From: hag@aisb.ed.ac.uk (Mandy Haggith):
I've been making pot-pourri since I was about 7 and still use the same
method I used then - shoe boxes under the bed. I find that the number one
ingredient is rose petals, best of all from wild dog roses, but any smelly
rose will do. You'll need MASSES of rose petals. Lavender is also
wonderful. Pick the flowers (and herb leaves) when they're warm and dry and
smelly, stick them loosely in the shoe boxes (either mixed up or not,
depending on what you want to do with them) and stir them with a warm dry
hand a couple of times a day (or more). The petals will gradually dry out
and you can use them in pot-pourri recipes after a few weeks. Under the bed
is a good place because it is usually pretty dry, it's dark (so the petals
keep some of their colour) and the smell of the drying petals gives you
sweet dreams! I find the airing cupboard is too hot and dries the leaves
out too fast leaving them shrivelled and not so sweet smelling.

From: christopher@gn.apc.org (christopher hedley)
Ideas for Christmas:
Potpourris made by mixing 20 drops of essential oils into 2 teaspoons of
Orris root powder added to a couple of handfuls of dried flowers - remember
you can use aromatic woods as well.

=====
4.7.3 Drying flowers whole for potpourri
-----
From: diana.politika@tenforward.com (Diana Politika):
If you want to dry the peony intact, either bury it in silica gel or use a
50/50 mixture of borax and cornmeal. Leave it buried for about 2 weeks and
then tilt the container to get the mix to shift off the flower. Silica
works best, but the other is a lot cheaper. If using the borax mix, use a
small soft paintbrush to get all the dust off. I've used many of these in
arrangements and everyone goes nuts over them.

From: baker.325@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (gwen baker):
When drying flowers using silica be careful. It can speed the drying
process, but it can also cause discoloration and leave a residue behind. In
about the same amount of time the flowers can be dried naturally. Silica
does allow you to keep a flower whole or to preserve a shape. There is also
a liquid ( I think it is a glycerine) that will preserve greenery and keep
it soft and flexible.

=====
4.7.4 Bath salts
-----
From: christopher@gn.apc.org (christopher hedley)
Bath salts made by mixing 10-15 drops of essential oils 'personally
selected' in 2 teaspoons of baking soda, mixed well with 3 handfuls of sea
salt.

-----
From: Ken Fitch <docfitch@telis.org>
Here is my recipe for bath salts. It is simple and great:
Mix 2 cups Borax, 1/8 cup Sea Salt, and 1/8 cup White Clay together. Use a
fork or fingers to thoroughly mix. Shake in about an ounce of essential
oil. Cover with a cloth for at least an hour. Mix the bath salts again to
distribute the oil. Store in glass.

I hope you enjoy. You can experiment with various essential oils, or pick
up a book on aromatherapy for some recipes.
-----
From: Henchpa@aol.com (donna):
To one box of epson salt mix 1/2 cup baking soda, 12 drops of lavender
essential oil, 3 drops each of red and blue food coloring. Add a scoop to
the bath water after the tub is filled, not during filling.
-----
From: JoAnne Hildebrand <hildebra@europa.umuc.edu>
While running warm water in the tub, add 1/2 cup baking soda. After filling
the tub, add a few drops of essential oil to the water, allowing it to
float on top where you can most enjoy the fragrance.

This is a most soothing bath. Easy too!

-----
From: SuseB@aol.com
These are recipes I have for bath salts and herb crystals, respectively,
although I have not tried making them myself as of yet:

Basic Bath Salts:

Put 1 cup rock salt in a container with a lid. Drop essential oil or
fragrance oil (about 20 drops) onto salt and stir or shake well. Next add
food coloring, if desired (approx. 15 drops per cup).

Herb Crystals:

1/2 c. sea salt
1/2 c. Epson salts
1/2 c. fresh herbs or flowers
1/4 c. baking soda

Blend the above in food processor. Add a few drops of food coloring. Spread
mixture onto cookie sheet to dry. Add essential oil and stir well. Try
several drops of spruce, lemon, patchouli, rosemary, ylang ylang and
eucalyptus.

Good luck, and let me know how they come out!

=====
4.7.5 Rose beads
-----
From Kcl58@aol.com (Kacey):
First thing to do is collect the rose petals in a brown paper bag so they
don't get crushed. Optimum time is in the morning just after the dew has
dried. I guess early evening wouldn't hurt either but I don't know about
that. You can use petals that have dropped on the ground, i.e. after a rose
has 'exploded' as my kids say, but don't use any brown edges of the petals.
I just snip these off with scissors.

Second, the way I used to do this was with mortar and pestle but now I use
a mini chopper. Take the rose petals, you can mix colors as they are all
going to turn to a dark shade of ebony anyway and you can mix scents too if
they are compatible, and put them in the chopper dish and chop until very
fine. Take out that bunch and put in a glass jar and continue chopping the
rest of the petals a dish full at a time. Put them all in a glass jar and
cover loosely.

Third, the next day you can chop more fresh or slightly fresh petals then
add them to what is in the jar and process the whole bunch again. Continue
doing this for the next few days until you get at least a cup of rose petal
paste. Then start the process over with a new jar. This takes a lot of
paste.

Fourth, once you've got the paste to the consistency of playdough take a
small amount and roll it in your hands to make a ball the size of a green
pea. For this step you will also need a large sheet of cardboard, I cut up
sides of cartons from grocery store, and some rustproof straight pins. Once
you have made the 'pea' stick a straight pin through it and stick this into
the cardboard but don't let the bead touch the cardboard.

Fifth, put them in an out of the way place as they have to dry until hard.

This time varies depending on the amount of humidity in the air but we have
AC in the summer so it is usually no longer than 3 or 4 days for me.

Sixth, once they have dried polish them with a soft lintfree cloth,
actually I have found that baby diapers work well, until they have a
lustrous shine.

They will be dark, depending on the color of the petals some are very black
and some are a little shade of black but I have always mixed my Duets,
(very pink) Don Juans, (very red), and some smelly yellow ones that I don't
remember the name of.

Lastly, I use beading thread and a small eyed needle and string them in
long enough strands to go over a head, as I make them for different people,
knot the thread well, put a small dab of hot glue on the knot and you are
off and running. Every once in a while I polish them up with another rub
with a cloth, perhaps once or twice a year, and when you wear these in the
summer months the fragrance of roses is pretty strong, not like being
doused with perfume but you can tell they are there.

My girlfriend's grandmother got some made by her mother when she was a girl
of 7 or 8, she is now 92, and you can still smell the fragrance of the
roses.

A wonderful side benefit is that as you are making the paste your kitchen
will smell like roses for most of the day until you cook something with a
strong odor.

Good luck

Kacey

BTW: If you are driving through your neighborhood at the crack of dawn
collecting fallen rose petals from your neighbor's gardens, you are on
litter patrol.

==========

4.8 Alcoholic beverages

=====
4.8.1 Wine
-----
From: Baker.325@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Gwen Baker) (who got it from
Terry Pelley on rec.winemaking)

Rose petal wine

One day before you prepare the must you should make a yeast starter:
For one gallon of wine:
4 oz. Water
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. nutrient
Pinch of citric acid
1/4 tsp. yeast
For five gallons of wine:
2 cups water
2 tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. nutrient
1/4 tsp. citric acid
1 package of yeast

Mix all the ingredients in an appropriate size bottle and shake to combine.
Loosely cover the bottle, do not seal it tight; a cloth held in place with
a rubber band will work fine. After sitting for a day this mixture should
be fermenting and can be added to the must.

The must:
6 cups rose petals (fresh) whites removed
1/4 lb. chopped white raisins
5 3/4 cups sugar
2 tsp. yeast nutrient
2 tsp. acid blend
1 Campden Tablet (crushed)
Yeast - All purpose or Rhinewine

Boil one gallon of water and combine with rose petals, raisins, and sugar
in your primary fermenter. Allow the mixture to cool to around 75 degrees
and add yeast nutrient, acid blend and campden tablet.

=====
4.8.2 Ginger ale / ginger beer
-----
From: Jeff Benjamin <benji@fc.hp.com>
I normally post this to homebrewing newsgroups or mailing lists, so for
those who are fermentationally challenged, here are a few notes on the
recipe below:

"Sanitized fermentation vessel" simply means a glass container, like a
gallon juice jug, that has been sanitized with a dilute bleach solution.
Fill the container with a mixture of two tablespoons of bleach per gallon
of water. Let sit for 15 minutes, then drain. Rinsing with clean water is
optional, although if you do not rinse, let air dry completely before
using.

An airlock, in this case, is used to allow CO2 produced during fermentation
to escape while not letting air (and airborne bacteria) in. There are a
couple of different varieties; you may remember the S-shaped ones from high
school biology. You can pick up one of these at your local home-brew supply
shop. If there isn't such a shop in your area, simply cover the top of the
jug with some plastic wrap and tie *loosely* with string, so that it's not
completely sealed.

On yeast: again, you can get packages of dry ale yeast from your home-brew
supply shop. The fancy varieties of liquid yeast are overkill; a 99-cent
package of dry yeast (Red Star, Edme, M&F, etc.) will do just fine. Bread
yeast would probably work fine, although I've never tried it.

On bottling: sanitize the bottles before filling, just like the
fermentation vessel. If you use any auxiliary implements, like a funnel, it
wouldn't hurt to sanitize them too. You can re-use the white plastic screw
caps on the 2l PET bottles; sanitize them as well.

Geez, now I've probably made the whole operation sound like nuclear
physics. Well, it ain't. It is a little more like canning or pickling, in
that there are some safety concerns, although the sanitizing is more to
prevent off odors and flavors than to prevent deadly diseases. Honestly,
it's really pretty easy to do. As the homebrewers all say, "Relax, don't
worry." Have a ginger ale.

Ginger Ale

1 gallon water
1 pound white sugar (either granulated or corn will do)
1/2 oz cream of tartar
1 oz grated ginger
1 lemon
your favorite ale yeast

Boil water, stir in sugar, cream of tartar, ginger, and zest of lemon
(yellow part of peel). Cool to pitching temperature (<75F), add juice of
lemon. Transfer the whole mess to a sanitized fermentation vessel, pitch
yeast, and cap with an airlock.

Bottle after 48 hours, using strong bottles (champagne or 2l soda pop
bottles work well). Let condition at room temperature for 2-3 days, then
refrigerate.

Helpful Hints:

You can use more ginger (up to 3-4 oz per gallon) to get spicier ginger
ale.

The jury is still out on whether it is necessary to peel the ginger. I peel
it simply because it's easier to grate that way.

Don't second guess the fermentation time, and don't be worried if the air
lock is still perking after 48 hrs. If you let it go past 48 hrs, you will
probably end up with somewhat flat, not-very-sweet soda.

Please don't use regular beer bottles. Champagne bottles are much stronger.
2l PET bottles work very well because you can squeeze them to see how
carbonated they are, and relieve pressure if you're worried.

Make sure you store the ginger ale in the fridge. This will help minimize
any unwanted further fermentation.

Make in small quantities and drink soon. The refrigerating will *minimize*
fermentation, not stop it, so eventually you will run the risk of gushers
or grenades.

-----
From Sam Waring <waring@infomail.com>:

Ginger Beer

6 oz Ginger, fresh; bruised
3 qt Water
5 lb. Loaf sugar
1/4 lb. Honey
1/2 c Lemon juice
17 qt Water
2 Drachms essence of lemon (about 2 ts)
1 Egg
Put ginger and 3 quarts water into a very large kettle and boil for 30
minutes. Add sugar, honey, lemon juice and 17 quarts more water.
Strain through a cloth and when it is cold, add essence of lemon and egg.
Let stand for 3-4 days before bottling. Yield: 1 serving.

From Sam Waring <waring@infomail.com>:

Homemade ginger beer

1 oz Ginger, fresh; peeled & -crushed
1/3 c Lime juice
Lime peel; of 3 small
1/2 c Sugar
3 3/4 c Water, boiling
1/4 tsp. Yeast
1/4 c Water, lukewarm

Combine the crushed ginger, lime peel, juice and sugar in a jar or at least
one quart capacity. Pour in the boiling water. Cover loosely and let cool
to room temp. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and add. Seal the
jar as tightly as possible and let stand at room temp overnight. Chill,
strain and serve. Yield: 1 quart.

From: yorksman@teleport.com (David S Inman)

Ginger Beer on Dried Ground Ginger

This recipe doesn't use ginger root - but it is good! First you need a
starter . . .

Either Half fill a jam jar with tepid water, stir in one teaspoonful sugar
and one teaspoonful ground ginger, plus one teaspoonful dried yeast; or, as
above without yeast. Add one teaspoonful sugar every day and leave
uncovered in jar until fermentation starts by natural yeast spores in the
air. Then add one level teaspoonful ginger and one of sugar to starter and
stir well each day for six days. On the seventh day strain and halve the
starter (keep one half for the next batch).

To strained liquid add twelve English cups (120 fluid ounces) of cold
water, three cups sugar melted in four cups boiling water and juice of two
lemons. Bottle and cork (do not use screw tops, bottles might explode) and
keep for four days. Result is mildly alcoholic!

=====
4.8.3 Herbal teas
-----
For 'tea' -tea (Camellia sinensis) check out the FAQ of rec.food.drink.tea.
For 'herbal' teas look here.
-----
From CKimb28370@aol.com:
For Autumberez who asked for herbal tea recipes. These are two of the ones
that I came up with myself. If anyone else has any to share with me it
would be much appreciated.

Spice of Life

Mix the following ingredients to taste.
Cinnamon Basil
Apple Mint
Chamomile blossoms (German)
Cinnamon Stick
Orange peel

Let 1 tsp. of tea steep in a boiling cup of water for approx. 5 min. Add
honey or sugar to taste.

Berry Punch

Dried Black and Red Raspberries
Lemon Basil
Cinnamon Basil
Pineapple Sage
Cinnamon Stick
Chamomile Blossoms
Orange peel

Prepare as in above.

==========

4.9 Recipes calling for lots of herbs

=====
4.9.1 Gazpacho
-----
From: phuyett@CCTR.UMKC.EDU (Donna Beach)

White Gazpacho

one qt buttermilk
2 tbs. cider or herb vinegar
1 tbs. sugar or honey
4-6 drops of Tabasco or one teaspoon white pepper
2 green onions
1 small sweet red bell pepper, diced
1-2 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery, cubed
1 large cucumber, Peeled & seeded
1 tbs. fresh dill chopped,
1 tbs. fresh tarragon, chopped.

Put garlic and white parts of onion into food processor and chop. Then add
cuke and celery with vinegar and process till fairly smooth. Combine
buttermilk, sugar and white pepper or Tabasco. Slice green parts of onion.
Combine all ingredients and chill before serving. May be garnished with
chopped red leaf lettuce or chopped tomatoes.

=====
4.9.2 Pesto
-----
Also see Using / preserving basil, 2.1.3, and Freezing your herbs, 4.4.
-----
From: jnilsen@minerva.cis.yale.edu (jnilsen)
1 cup fresh Basil leaves, tightly packed
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil

Process (or finely chop and mix) all but oil. Slowly add oil. Use.

-----
From: phuyett@cctr.umkc.edu (Donna Beach)
I never really follow a recipe when I make pesto. I usually put 4-6 cloves
of garlic in the food processor with 1/4 cup of olive oil and a couple of
tablespoons of herb vinegar and then chop the garlic. Then I add at least
3-4 cups packed fresh sweet basil leaves and 3-4 tablespoons of ground
almonds. Some people use ground pine nuts. And 1/4 cup or more of grated
parmesan cheese (I like it fresh best). All this gets processed till the
basil is chopped fine.

I have seen this basic pest recipe to include one-to-several peeled
tomatoes--which is a great way to use up an abundance of tomatoes from your
garden.

Later in the year when there's not as much sweet basil, you can put parsley
into the mix. I have even seen a winter "pesto" made with fresh sage, but
to me, it's not pesto without fresh sweet basil, with or without the
tomatoes.

-----
From: wfink@iastate.edu (Ruth J Fink-Winter)
This is one of my favorite pestos.

Asian Pesto

1 clove garlic
1" piece ginger root, peeled
2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
2 bunches cilantro, stems removed
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. mirin or apple juice
juice of 1 lime (about 3 tsp.)
1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce
3 tsp. sesame oil (or less)
8 oz. soba noodles, cooked

Turn on food processor. With motor running, drop garlic and ginger into
feed tube. Add seeds and cilantro; pulse til finely chopped. Add soy sauce,
mirin or juice, and then slowly add oil in steady stream until pesto is
desired consistency. Toss with hot noodles.

-----
From: stewball@utxvms.cc.utexas.edu (ANDREAS GUENIN)

Sundried Tomato Pesto

1/2 cup blanched sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs. tomato paste
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Combine everything except the oil in a food processor, and then slowly add
the olive oil while pureeing to the proper consistency.

-----
From: gcook@chem.Stanford.EDU (Gregory R. Cook)
For a low fat (or no fat) alternative, cut down (or eliminate) the olive
oil and add fresh squeezed lemon juice until you get the right consistency.
Personally, I like to use a little bit of olive oil for the texture. Also,
walnuts are often substituted for pine nuts.

-----
From: DonW1948@aol.com

Pesto (Sorrel-Chive Herb Paste)

1 c Sorrel
4 tbs. Shallots; finely minced
4 tbs. Pine nuts; ground
3 tbs. Parsley; chopped
3 tbs. Chives; chopped
Grated peel of 4 oranges
1/4 Onions, red; chopped
1 tbs. Mustard, dry
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper, black
1 pn Pepper, cayenne
3/4 c Oil. olive

Wash the sorrel and dry it well, by hand or in a salad spinner. Chop the
sorrel coarsely, and again squeeze away any liquid. Blend the sorrel,
shallots, pine nuts, parsley, chives, orange peel and onion in a food
processor or blender. (If using a blender, make sure these ingredients are
already finely chopped.) Add dry mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne, and mix
again. SLOWLY drizzle in the oil while the blade is moving. Transfer to
tempered glass jars and store in refrigerator (for up to 8 to 10 weeks) or
in the freezer for up to a year.

NOTES: Sorrel's peak season is summer, although you can find hothouse
sorrel year round in some stores. You may reduce the amount of orange peel
by 1/4 or 1/2 if you'd like to emphasize the sorrel or other flavors.
Walnuts or almonds may be substituted for the pine nuts.

-----
From mflesch@mail.coin.missouri.edu (Mary A. Flesch):
Yet another pesto idea. I am always trying to lower the fat in my diet, so
last summer I tried "Rosie's Pesto" from "In the Kitchen with Rosie"
(Oprah's cook) mostly because it had no oil in it (1 1/2 c fresh basil
leaves, 2-5 garlic cloves to taste, 1/4 c pine nuts, 1/4 c fresh parmesan
and 1/4 cup lemon juice). However, I only had bottled lemon juice (BIG
MISTAKE, I highly recommend fresh) and it turned out way too lemon-y. So I
diluted it with ricotta, and it turned out excellent over fettucini! I
think it would also be a good mixture to stuff manicotti with. The mixture
was approximately 1 tablespoon pesto to 1/4 c manicotti.

-----
> ... pesto turning brown...

From: Xiaoyan Ma <xma@haas.berkeley.edu>
I grow sweet basils to make pesto. But for some reason my pesto always
turns brown (the surface only) within 2 minutes.

This is the recipe I have:
1/2 cup chopped basil
3 tbs. parmesan cheese
4 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. pinenut
1 clove of garlic
salt
I put 3 times of each ingredient into the blender and blend it for 2
minutes then store the pesto in a jar. I have tried a few times, the same
thing happens each time. The pesto tastes good but looks awful. When I mix
the pesto with pasta, the whole thing turns brown right away. Can someone
tell me what causes the problem?

From: macrakis@osf.org (Stavros Macrakis)
Pesto (like guacamole) turns brown by oxidation. One way to prevent
oxidation is to pour a thin layer of oil on top, or cover with plastic wrap
(touching the pesto).

Your pesto will probably also turn out better if you use a mortar and
pestle instead of a blender. In fact, even a food processor seems to work
better than a blender. And the traditional cheese to use is not parmesan,
but pecorino sardo (Sardinian ewe's milk cheese).

Unfortunately, good pecorino sardo is hard to get in the US, so you might
have to substitute pecorino romano, also known as just "romano".

-----
> I would like to hear from others about alternatives for using pesto.

From: wlgardne@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Wendi L Gardner)
I grow lots of basil and make tons of pesto. what to do with all of that
pesto? yes pasta, yes bread, but other fun things to do with pesto...

   * smash it into cream cheese (the ratio of pesto to cream cheese that I
     prefer is 1:3, but you can go more or less, obviously.) add garlic,
     some plumped (blanched) sun dried tomatoes, whatever else you fancy -
     yum!
   * toss pesto with white beans and vidalia onions, serve this concoction
     hot on a bed of fresh spinach.
   * mix pesto with vegetable broth, toss in whatever veggies you have in
     the fridge and some macaroni, (I like broccoli, carrots, cauliflower,
     and rotini for this) and you have soup.
   * find the juiciest beefsteak tomato you can...slice in half, slather
     with pesto, broil till bubbly. messy, but with a good quality
     tomato--- more than worth the mess!
   * fill mushroom caps with pesto plus a cheese (the pesto cream cheese
     mixture in #1 is good for this) sprinkle with bread crumbs and broil.

-----
From: mmm@alpha2.csd.uwm.edu (Michelle Marie Manke)
Make pizza with a layer of pesto on the crust, then mozzarella cheese, then
dotted with feta. Try using reduced-fat mozzarella, and scattering black
olives & fresh tomatoes on top!

From: rscw081@uacsc1.albany.edu (Sarah G.)
Pesto and potatoes: On baked potatoes, swirled into mashed potatoes, mixed
into homefried potatoes, used as a dipping sauce for French fries.

Make soup and swirl a spoonful into each bowl before serving.

Blend the pesto with vinegar and oil, or your favorite vinaigrette, and use
as salad dressing

Make into soup... sautee some veggies, add broth and pesto, and simmer for
pesto soup.

Thin it and use as a marinade for tofu, potatoes and veggies, then grill.

Use it for garlic bread filling (or is that what you meant?) Or you could
use it to smear over homemade bread before it comes out of the oven as a
glaze

Sliced ripe tomatoes layered on a plate with pesto, and fresh waterpacked
mozzarella.

It's easy to make a dairy free pesto. Instead of using cheese, either use a
mild flavored miso paste or SoyMage pretend grated cheese, which is
completely vegan (no casein). I usually just leave the cheese out
altogether, letting the flavor of the basil, garlic, olive oil and nuts
show through.

From: norrisj@boalt.berkeley.edu (Jennifer Norris)
I make a potato salad with it. Instead of the usual mayonnaise, I add
pesto. Besides potatoes, I add fresh snap peas, green onions, and if I want
to make it a really substantial meal, black beans. Gets rave revues....

=====
4.9.3 Miscellaneous
-----
From: phuyett@CCTR.UMKC.EDU (Donna Beach)

Potatoes with Tarragon

one large onion
1 tbs. oil
4 medium potatoes.
1 bay leaf
3 tbs.-1/4 cup vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
one tbs. chopped fresh tarragon

Chop onion and sautee till transparent. Peel and slice potatoes, 1/4"
thick. Add to onions and sautee for a couple of minutes, then add bay leaf,
tarragon, salt and pepper. Add about 1/2 cup water to the skillet, bring to
a boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes or so--till the potatoes are
done. Stir from time to time to make sure they aren't sticking and adding
extra water if needed. Serve with the pan drippings.

I've seen a similar recipe using rosemary instead of tarragon.

-----
> I'm seeking a recipe for ginger salad dressing (like you get at a
Japanese steak house)

From Sam Waring <waring@infomail.com>:

Ginger Dressing

2 T Ginger, fresh; peeled & -coarsely chopped
2 T Dijon mustard
2 tsp. Hoisin sauce
1 T Balsamic vinegar
1 T Soy sauce, light
Cayenne pepper; to taste
1 T Sherry
2 T Sesame oil
1/4 c Oil

Blend ingredients in blender or processor. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

-----
From: DonW1948@aol.com

Fuvesleves (Herb Soup)

1 tsp. Marjoram leaves
1 tsp. Thyme leaves
1 tbs. 1" pieces of Chives
1 tsp. chopped Applemint
4 tbs. unsalted Butter
1 tbs. all-purpose Flour
6 c Water
1 tsp. Salt
a pinch of black Pepper
3 Egg yolks
1 tbs. Sour cream
3 hard Rolls, cut in half, toasted

Cook all the herbs in 2 tablespoons butter for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with
flour, then stir and cook another 4 minutes. Set aside. Pour 6 cups of
water into a pot and bring to a slow simmer. Add salt and pepper.

Mix egg yolks, sour cream and remaining butter; whip into the simmering
soup. Cook soup over low heat, stirring, until it thickens. Add herbs and
simmer another few minutes.

Place half of a toasted roll in a soup plate and ladle soup over it.

Notes: This recipe comes from Gyula Vasvary, master chef in the 1820's of
Hungary.

-----
From mflesch@mail.coin.missouri.edu (Mary A. Flesch):
I got this recipe from our local newspaper over Thanksgiving and used the
last of my summer sage, marjoram and thyme (dried of course) to make this:

Spice rubbed Turkey

2 T dry mustard
2 t ground sage
1 t garlic powder
1 t thyme
1 t marjoram
1 t paprika
1 t salt
1 t fresh ground pepper
1/2 t ground ginger

Mix together well. Makes enough to season a 10-12 pound turkey. I think
this would also be good on pork chops.

-----
From Mindy Vinqvist <mvinqvist@mta.ca>:

Herb Garden Dressing (uses dried, which will tide us all over til summer)

1 c dried oregano
1 c dried basil
1/2 c dried marjoram
1/2 c dried dill weed
1/2 c dried mint leaves
1/2 c onion powder
2 tbs. dried mustard
2 tsp. salt
1 tbs. freshly ground pepper

Combine ingredients, keep in sealed jar to use as needed
Dressing - 2 tbs. dried mix, 1 1/2 c extra-virgin olive oil, 1/2 c cider
vinegar.
Mix and let stand 1 hour before serving. Mix again just before serving.
Can also be used dried and sprinkled over things (I recommend food things)

=====
4.9.4 Spice mixes
-----
From: DonW1948@aol.com

Cajun Spice

9 tsp. Pepper, cayenne
4 1/2 tsp. Pepper, black
4 1/2 tsp. Salt, sea
6 tsp. Oregano, dried, ground
6 tsp. Thyme, dried
6 tsp. Fennel, dried
6 tsp. Cumin, ground
6 tsp. Cardamom, ground
6 tsp. Garlic powder
6 tsp. Chile powder
6 tsp. Coriander, dried

Whirl in blender or mix all together by hand and fill up jar to store.

Source: A Vegetarians Ecstasy, by Natalie Cederquist and James Levin, M.D.

-----
From: DonW1948@aol.com

Cajun Spice Mix

1 c Sweet paprika
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tbs. Pepper, black
1 tbs. Pepper, white
3 tbs. Pepper, Cayenne
1 tbs. Garlic powder
1 tbs. Onion powder
1 tbs. Salt
1 tbs. Rosemary

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend together. I usually put in
twice the amount of cayenne for my taste.

-----
From: DonW1948@aol.com

Jim Echols' Cajun Spice

1 tbs. Paprika
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Onion powder
1 tsp. Cayenne powder
1 tsp. Garlic powder
1 tsp. Crushed chilies
1 tsp. Ginger powder
3/4 tsp. Pepper, white
3/4 tsp. Pepper, black
1/2 tsp. Thyme
1/2 tsp. Oregano

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Store in an airtight
container. Use in preparing blackened (Cajun) trout. -- A special surprise
for guests at shore lunches. Also try it in hamburgers, on sauteed chicken
or turkey, and on popcorn.

From Calgary Herald, by Terry Bullick (89.05.03)

-----
From: DonW1948@aol.com

Sazon Preparado (Prepared Seasoning)

3 medium Onions; chopped
1 green bell Pepper; seeded, chopped
1 red bell Pepper; seeded, chopped
4 large Garlic cloves; peeled, chopped
1 tbs. Oregano
1 cup Scallions; chopped, both green and white
1/2 cup Parsley; coarsely chopped
1/2 cup Coriander; chopped
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 tbs. Paprika, sweet
1 c Tomato paste
1 c Oil, olive
1/2 c Vinegar, white
Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients and blend, bit by bit, to a puree in blender. Pour
into saucepan and simmer, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Cool and
bottle. Used to flavor stews, beans, rice and vegetables. Easy to make and
useful to have on hand. Yield: 6 cups

-----
From: DonW1948@aol.com

Seasoning Mixture

2 medium Onions; chopped fine
2 tbs. Chives; chopped fine
3 Garlic cloves; crushed
1 red hot Pepper; seeded, mashed
1 tsp. Oregano
1/2 tsp. Cloves, ground
1 tsp. Salt
1 tbs. Lime juice

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly.
For suckling pig, use 1 cup rubbed well into the inside of the pig prepared
for roasting. To season whole cleaned fish, gash 2-3 times on each side of
backbone. Any fish or meat may be seasoned with this mixture. Cook as
directed in the individual recipes. Yield: 1 cup.

-----
From: DonW1948@aol.com

Sweat Sauce

16 habanero chilies; stemmed, seeded
1 can Plums (17 oz)
1 can Apricots (17 oz)
1 c Pimentos
2 c granulated sugar
1 c Plum Jam
1 c white vinegar

HEAT SCALE = HOT

This is a hot, spicy sauce for meats, poultry, or fish, or add it to soups,
like you would add Tabasco sauce. Place all the ingredients in a blender
and puree until smooth. Simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring
constantly.
From chili pepper magazine, reposted by DonW1948@aol.com
Yield: 6 servings

=====
4.9.5 Mustards
-----
Also see Using / Preserving Horseradish, 2.20.3, above.
-----
From: Christel Reeve <Creeve@banyan.com>:

Whole Grain Mustard

1 T. whole coriander seeds
6 T. whole mustard seeds (black and yellow)
1 T. green peppercorns
1/2 t. dried thyme
3/4 c. water
2 t. honey
1/4 c. red wine vinegar

Toast coriander seeds in dry skillet. Crush mustard seeds, peppercorns and
coriander seeds in a mortar. Mix seeds, thyme and water in upper pan of
double boiler. Let stand at least 3 hours. Heat water to boiling. Stir in
honey and vinegar and cook 10 minutes or until desired consistency.

Herb mustard

1/4 c. black mustard seeds
1/4 c. yellow mustard seeds
1/4 c. dry powdered mustard
3/4 c. cold water
1/4 c. dry white wine
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
1 t. dried herb
1/8 t. ground allspice

Mix seeds and mustard with water in upper pan of double boiler. Let stand
at least 3 hours. In another pan, mix wine, vinegar, herb and allspice and
bring to a boil. Strain the liquid into the mustard and blend well. Cook in
double boiler until desired consistency.

English Pub Mustard

1 c. dry mustard
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 t. salt
1/4 t. turmeric
6 oz. flat beer or ale

Put all but beer in food processor or blender. With machine running, pour
in beer in steady stream. Let sit in cool place for 2 weeks, then
refrigerate.

Horseradish Mustard

1 c. dry mustard
1/2 c . powdered sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. white wine vinegar
1/4 c. oil
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 t. grated lemon peel
5 T. horseradish

Blend all ingredients. Let age in cool place for 2-8 weeks, then
refrigerate.

Dijon mustard

2. dry white wine
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 c. (4 oz) dry mustard
3 T. honey
1 T. oil
2 t. salt

Combine wine, onion and garlic in a non-aluminum saucepan. Heat to boiling
and simmer 5 minutes. Cool and discard solids. Add liquid to dry mustard,
stirring constantly til smooth. Blend in honey, oil and salt. Heat slowly
til thickened (watch fumes!) stirring constantly. Cool in covered jar. Age
2-8 weeks in cool place, then refrigerate.

Bavarian Brown Mustard

1/2 c. whole brown mustard seed
3/4 c. dry sherry
1 c. dry mustard
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 t. salt

Combine seed and sherry and let stand 2-3 hours. Blend until almost smooth.
Add remainder of ingredients. Let age 2-8 weeks (in cool, dark place), then
refrigerate. The longer you let it sit out before refrigerating, the milder
it will be.

-----
From: Sam Waring <waring@ima.infomail.com>:

Sweet German Mustard

1/4 c whole Mustard seeds
1/2 c hot tap Water
1/4 c cold tap Water
2 T dark brown Sugar
2 small peeled and halved Garlic cloves
2 pinches ground Cloves
5 T Dry mustard
1 c Cider vinegar
2 slices of Onion
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. crumbled dried Tarragon
3 T light Corn syrup
1/4 tsp. Dill seeds

Soak together the mustard seeds, dry mustard, hot water, & 1/2 cup of the
vinegar for at least 3 hours. Combine in a saucepan the rest of the
vinegar, cold water, onion, brown sugar, salt, garlic, cinnamon, allspice,
dill seeds, tarragon & cloves. Bring to a boil, boil for one minute &
cover. Let stand one hour.

infusion, pressing solids into a strainer to extract all flavor. Process
the mustard (covered) till like a coarse puree with a definite graininess.
Pour mixture into the top of a double boiler set over simmering water &
cook 10 minutes, stirring often till the mixture is noticeably thicker.
Remove from heat, add the Karo and pour into a storage jar. Let it cool
uncovered, then cap and store. Can be refrigerated or not. Makes about
1-1/2 cups.

-- Better than Store-Bought by Schneider and Colchie

==========

5 Sites to see

==========

5.1 FTP sites

-----
I keep archives of alt.folklore.herbs on sunSITE by ftp, or try the mirror
in Japan: ftp sunSITE.unc.edu (or SunSITE.sut.ac.jp)
/pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-medicine/archives/afh/

Lawrence London keeps archives of rec.gardens on sunSITE by ftp, or try the
mirror in Japan: ftp sunSITE.unc.edu (or SunSITE.sut.ac.jp)
/pub/academic/agriculture/sustainable_agriculture/gardening/discussion-groups/rec.gardens/

There's a LOT of other newsgroups on sunSITE, too.

I also keep medicinal and culinary herblist logs on sunSITE by ftp, or try
the mirror in Japan: ftp sunSITE.unc.edu (or SunSITE.sut.ac.jp)
/pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-medicine/archives/herblist/
or
/pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-medicine/archives/culiherb/

Both alt.folklore.herbs and the medicinal herblist have more traffic on
medicinal herbs than on culinary herbs; for herb gardening and culinary
uses the usual place to find information is rec.gardens or the culinary
herblist.

==========

5.2 WWW pages

-----
The only pages needed here are those with comprehensive forward links. With
these you should be covered:
-----
Algy's Herb page's got most of the links that count. Go see it under
http://www.algy.com/herb.html (the version with pictures) or
http://www.algy.com/herb2.html (the version without pictures)

Garden Net's homepage: http://trine.com/GardenNet/

The Garden Gate: http://www.prairienet.org/garden-gate/

The Gardening Launch Pad: http://www.tpoint.net/neighbor/

My Herbal Homepage has some links, and there's more in the medicinal
herbfaq, also available here: http://sunsite.unc.edu/herbmed

There is a searchable database of factsheets on Ohio State University's
WebGarden. Search for specific herbs to find factsheets on them:
http://hortwww-2.ag.ohio-state.edu/FactsheetFind.html

A nice culinary herb site: http://www.teleport.com/~ronl/herbs/herbs.html

A FAQ about spices: http://csgwww.uwaterloo.ca/~dmg/faqs/spices/

The Internet Chef (Real Neat Site): http://ichef.cycor.ca/

Susan Hattie Steinsapir keeps recipes here:
http://www.andreas.com/susan.html

There's some fatfree/lowfat recipes here: http://www.fatfree.com - this
database is searchable.

==========
THE END.
==========

--
Henriette Kress             HeK@hetta.pp.fi            Helsinki, Finland
http://sunsite.unc.edu/herbmed FTP: sunsite.unc.edu or sunsite.sut.ac.jp
      /pub/academic/medicine/alternative-healthcare/herbal-medicine/
Medicinal and Culinary herbFAQs, plant pictures, neat stuff, archives...
