Date: July 17th 2008

July 16, 2008

Dear Folks,

These are random notes, either responding to questions or related to any of the usual
and unusual cooking herbs or edible flowers and other edibles, many found at Farmers
Markets.* References to growing conditions are for Sunset Zone 13, USDA 9b. All
other information on use is applicable anywhere you wish to enjoy herbs!

*Please support your local farmers at these markets (locally owned, locally grown,
locally produced). To locate farmers markets in your area the USDA maintains a site -
click on the state and a pdf file comes up with markets listed by city.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/map.htm

For Arizona only Farmers Markets here is a special link:

http://www.foodconnect.org/farmers_markets/locator.asp

. . .

Locavore -- see near the end for locally owned shopping.

An On-Line Class -- see below

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Dear Folks,

See some notes at or near the end about happenings at the Boyce Thompson
Arboretum this Saturday and a special "Second Saturday" in Globe.

WEATHER
"Normal" temp range for July: Temperature Range Low 77 / High 110+
August temps will be in the 74 to 108 range

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GARDENING and WEATHER

Having a little weather at your garden? Woooeeee, the storms dropped a whopping
3.3 inches in our gardens within the 24 hour period beginning July 10th. I keep mostly
daily logs of high / low temperatures and rain fall, and that storm dropped the most
ever since, I have been keeping track, in one 24 hour period.

Last year's initial heat wave rolled in 115 degree area into the first part of August.
This year it was earlier. Our monsoon usually means an end to 108+ temps, with the
temps usually hovering around 102-108 degrees during the monsoon time. Higher
humidity means (usually) lower day time temperatures. BUT, night time temps can
remain high because the ground, structures, and pavement (heat-island effect*) are
not completely cooling off over night.

Some information about the 'monsoon' and high temps / high humidity.

Monsoon in the valley of the sun means something different than normally associated
with the word. Here it is a 'shift in winds' with accompanying high humidity. There
may be dust and thunder storms during the monsoon, which are called Monsoon
Thunderstorms. The distinction is that t-storms can occur any time of the year (we
had some in late winter here this year, a rarity).

Typically the real monsoon time period ranges from about the first week in July to the
last week in August.

In early 2008 the meteorologists and various officials decided that the above
information is accurate, but imprecise -- with the definition of the start and end as "3
days of 55 degree due point." Now the monsoon is based on a specific calendar
range -- June 15 through the first part of September.

So aside from alerting folks to the consequences of not paying attention to 'flooding'
signs -- see Note below -- for gardeners it is a heads-up on the increased overall
humidity. We can actually see near zero humidity during the winter, and 40+ in the
summer due to the monsoonal shift in winds.

What does high humidity have to do with gardening? As unlikely as it may seem, it is
possible to overwater your gardens during our summer here in the desert. Higher
humidity = less evaporation. And, some plants like many sages actually go into a
kind of dormancy following late spring and early summer flowering. In dormancy they
take up less water e.g., they can be overwatered in 105+ heat.

Here of course is the use for that favorite garden tool of mine, the moisture/water
meter. We set our gardens back almost a week rain delay because of that 3.3 inches.
Use your water meter to check moisture levels in the soil before restarting watering.

Typically if we receive .5 (half) inch of rain within 2 days of the next watering cycle
you can skip the next one for everything but trees. The trees would need something
like that 3.3 inches or a half an inch several days in a row to require cutting back on
your watering.

*"Heat Island Effect" is the retention of heat like a heat sink in 'things' like block
walls, patios, asphalt, concrete, boulders, and buildings. In the undeveloped desert
heat sinks like the "occasional" boulders retain some heat, and because this kind of
heat dissipates by dawn, there is minimal impact on plants etc. except for some
obvious benefits -- a young seedling desert plant growing on the southside of a large
boulder will have the benefit of that retained heat during the winter time.

In a city or suburban area, the heat island / heat sink effect of so many 'things' is
having enormous consequences on our summer time heat temps. Our gardens are
away from the main core of any city, while still suburban. Our year round
temperatures can be 2-9 degrees cooler than the inner city. Give that some thought
when planning future garden projects at your home.

Note: Arizona has a "Stupid" law now in place for several years due to the
overwhelming number of 'stupid' people who ignore warning signs and go into flooded
roads - anyone rescued now has to foot the real dollar bill for the rescue -- assuming
they come out alive. Another reason for enacting the law was the danger to the
rescue works to get someone out of a swollen wash etc. A suggestion for anyone
who has teenagers and 20 somethings in their household -- let them know the
consequences for being 'daring.' Part of the decision to make the 'monsoon season' a
calendar defined one is to start early on alerting folks to flooding potential.

AROUND THE GARDEN

THE HORSERADISH PROJECT
The plant is still hanging in there, has died back a little more, but now it appears I
have two plants - I'm hopefully that I will have horseradish in the fall and not have it
take over the entire garden too (from some comments from a farmer friend -- it seems
happy horseradish is everywhere!).

My arabian jasmine (the flower used in tea) is in full flower now, lovely...the banana
plants leaves have been routinely shredded from storm winds and we have not had a
flower stem come out yet -- I keep hoping...basil which loves the heat are taking off,
although my mammoth leaf variety has not shown up yet--I'm going to put in more
seeds and will hopefully have some by September...many of the perennial herbs like
oregano are in bloom...mints are starting to bloom...sun flowers, some of which were
9 feet or so tall are starting to go to seed -- my intention is to beat the birds to the
dried seed heads although the lesser gold finch and the peach-faced love birds are
having a ball with them...have had both good luck and problems with my sweet
peppers -- great tasting when I can beat the birds or the sun damage to the fruit...the
eggplants, particularly my white eggplants are getting huge and still producing
well...the black cherry plum heirloom tomato has been prodigious in output and
starting to just now slow down a bit -- by letting the plants sprawl we get a lot more
fruit and it is easier for the fruit to be hidden from the birds -- I tried sun drying some
of the tomatoes and it worked very well -- it is amazing, though, how much they
shrink!...my young rose atar and chocolate mint scented geraniums are doing just
fine...the lime scented geraniums planted last year are huge -- so nice...my meadow
garden -- an experiment in placing plants between an evergreen citrus on the west and
a deciduous fruit tree on the east has paid off wonderfully well -- the planting
arrangement give some summer afternoon shade to plants which like it and a lot of
sun all winter long from the east, so the French Tarragon and pineapple mint are loving
it, the winter pansies, dianthus and stock (all winter-lovers) lasted well into June
before dying back...my summer squash have been mostly successful -- the first plants
produced then died off and now my newer seeded in plants are doing great...my
experiment with several new varieties of potatoes did not go as well as I hoped and I
think much of it had to do with how late I got them in the ground (almost Feb 1st
instead of Jan 1st) due to freezing problems at the shippers end -- but the purple
potatoes planted on time did well -- I'm going to get the 'patriotic' red, white and blue
seed 'taters in earlier this fall along with some garlic -- I was really pleased with my
garlic growing experiment.

AUGUST PLANTING:

I'm sure it must always seem like a contradiction in terms to be talking about 105
degree temperatures and gardening in the same newsletter, but that is the case.

One minor difference for August is that you will be sowing seeds, not transplanting.
Easier, surer success and less 'husbanding' of the new garden area.

Seeds to Sow August 1st:

Anise, Beans, Snap, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Caraway, Carrots
, Cauliflower, Chervil, Cilantro, Corn, Cucumbers, Dill, Fennel, Onions-Green, Greens,
Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Marigold, Mustard, Nasturtium, Parsley, Pumpkin, Winter
Squash

Of those consider how much you want of a particular plant, like dill, cilantro, kale or
lettuce and sow those seeds every 2-4 weeks through the end of November for a
continuous crop.

CLIMATE ZONES within your own garden. In my last newsletter I mentioned how a
small garden under a citrus tree has a different 'climate zone' than other areas of our
gardens. How big is your gardening area? How many trees do you have and how
close are they planted to each other? Do you have a mix of evergreen (citrus) and
deciduous (peach, apple etc.) Do you have ground covers or a lawn? Do you have
large patches of bare ground? Do you have graveled areas?

If you have a mix of these aspects in your garden then you have different climate
zones depending on humidity retention, shade, and radiant heat.

I mentioned my 'meadow' above. The temperature and humidity of that area is
different than several other areas of our gardens which have minimal tree impact on
them. When a dying peach tree had to be removed, we decided on giving a meadow a
try. The decision of which edibles to go in there was entirely dependant on the fact of
a citrus tree on the west and a fig tree on the east. I knew that the summer growth of
both trees would give that meadow garden only a few hours (maybe 3) of direct sun
during most of the summer. It was a calculated effort to give the plants as much
overhead sun as possible while shielding them from the more intense afternoon sun.
To the south of the meadow is another set of deciduous trees. During the winter, that
same area receives sun most of the day with only minimal shading in the very late
afternoon winter day.

The effect is to have the meadow cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

I have let our parsley reseed each year under a stand of deciduous trees and that bed
of parsley is easily 8 x 8 feet - a lot of parsley but then I use a lot of parsley. It is a
sustainable, self-renewing garden. The seeds are warmed by the winter sun through
the leafless fruit trees and the plants are protected with dapple shade in the summer
time from the leafed out fruit trees.

When herbs, for instance, are located just in from the drip line of a tree, and you are
careful to ensure sufficient direct sun light (east, south or southeast exposure to those
herbs), the immediate air around those plants has a higher humidity level than if they
were exposed to direct overhead sun all day.

If I want my dark opal basil to be dark opal, I make sure I plant them where they will
have the full intensity of sunlight all summer.

See where this type of planning and planting can take your gardens.

Get the beginners guide to growing in the desert:

"Edible Landscaping in the Desert Southwest: Wheelbarrow to Plate"

http://books.google.com/books?id=uDio8-sC2wMC

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RECIPES:

THRILLIN' GRILLIN'

I had a frozen turkey purchased during the holidays for the express purpose of grilling
it during the hot weather - I know I will always crave roasted turkey later on -- but it is
too hot to prepare the darn thing inside. This will work with chicken or a pork roast as
well.

NOTE: know your grill. We use a webber charcoal and know we have to add charcoal
during the cooking time - this turkey was 19 pounds and took exactly 4 and half hours
to grill to perfection on indirect heat.

HERB CRUSTED TURKEY ON THE GRILL

Olive Oil
Butter
Herbs
1 large onion, peeled
2-3 stalks of celery, cut into 4 inch sections
2-3 carrots, halved and cut into 4 inch sections

The ratio of the oil, butter and herbs is going to depend on the surface you need to
cover - for the size of this turkey I used 1/4 oil, 1/4 cup of butter, softened, and
approximately 1 cup of herbs.

Get the grill ready with an indirect heat setup. Use a grill safe roasting pan.

Arrange the cut onion, carrot and celery in a 'bed' in the bottom of the roasting pan.

Mix the olive oil and softened butter very well, set aside. Have ready a strainer. In a
blender place 1 cut of rinsed herbs - you can you leaves, flowers and softer stems -
and 1 and half cups of water. Blend for approximately 10-15 seconds, chopping the
herbs very fine. Immediately pour into strainer and let drain for a minute or two. Add
the herbs to the oil/butter mixture and blend in very well.

Place the turkey on the bed of vegetables in the roaster, tuck the wing tips under, pat
the herb mixture all over the top of the bird, legs as much top surface as you can.

Tent loosely with aluminum foil and remove the tent for the last our of grilling.

The herb paste will give you the most moist grilled turkey you ever had. Notice I did
not include salt? Taste it first before reaching for the salt shaker - you may not need it
at all.

HOMEMADE SODAS
If provided recipes for homemade sodas before, but we had a wonderful left over
from our peach, apricot and plum canning - extra fruit syrup. If you can your own fruit
or know someone who does, here is a recipe for you. Options follow for non-canners!
(By the way I used organic cane sugar for the canning recipe and no pectin.)

1/4 cup Peach, apricot or plum syrup
3/4 cup sparkling water of choice (seltzer, club soda or sparkling)
Sprig of spearmint

Have both very cold and additional ice if you like. In a tall glass pour in syrup and
immediately add the sparkling water, stir to combine, add ice and a bruised mint sprig.
Enjoy!

Options: Any frozen juice concentrate will work as well and you get the benefit of no
additional sugar, just the fruit sugars. If you purchase fruit canned in juice as opposed
to syrup you can use that juice for making soda -- I would not use commercial canned
fruit syrup - they use high fructose corn syrup - not a good thing, ever.

Canners Note: If you enjoy canning your own fruit or want to give it a try, email me
and I will share the recipe I used, and the process.


MORE RECIPES at:

http://www.azalmanac.com

And, my recipe book "101+ Recipes from The Herb Lady"

http://books.google.com/books?id=27dG_KCwjBAC

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FARMERS MARKET
I am at the Friday market on Center in Mesa. (And One Windmill Farms has
some great fall/winter produce and as always wonderful tomatoes etc.)

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My newly re-packaged herb blends are available through the website.

Have fun in the garden and kitchen,

Catherine

http://www.herbs2u.net

Books available at:

http://www.lulu.com/herbs2u

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LOCAVORE
Are you a locavore? Simply put a locavore is someone who makes the
conscious decision to purchase goods and produce grown, made or produced within
100 miles of their home.

More Information:

Edible Phoenix is a print magazine, produced quarterly and is part of the edible
communities organization.

Find the current issue at your local farmers market or go on line to:

http://www.ediblephoenix.com

. . .

BUY LOCAL

http://www.localfirstaz.com

Here is the place to start when looking for locally owned businesses. Begun as
"Arizona Chain Reaction" to focus on locally owned businesses, this non-profit group
encourages support of your neighbors and friends who own businesses in Arizona.
Check out their site.

. . .

Queen Creek Olive Mill is the only olive mill in Arizona, producing traditional and
flavored extra virgin olive oils -- the blood orange olive oil mentioned above is created
in a single cold press where they put the oranges right in with olives for pressing (they
also have a lemon EVOO which is also excellent).

Super offerings and now they have a lovely little patio area with nice snack/lunch
options.

http://www.queencreekolivemill.com

. .

Personalized branding iron for grilling. 480-330-3619

http://www.tbonebrands.com

. .

San Dominique Winery, Arizona's oldest continuously operated family winery, is also
home to garlic paradise. 602/549-9787.

http://www.garlicparadise.com/

. . .

Another great locally owned Arizona farmer is Kathy Marshall and her goats' milk
lotions and soaps made with the milk of her dairy goat herd. Fresh eggs too!

NEW: For those of you in the East Valley, Kathy has taken her skills as a dog groomer
and is now offering grooming at her home in Apache Junction. Her fees are more than
reasonable and she has a real understanding of dogs and their fears.

http://www.dbgoatsmilk.com

. . .

A source for finding other local sources of food is Local Harvest. They have teamed up
with the Slow Foods folks.

http://www.localharvest.org

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CLASSES/EVENTS:

My work on the on-line class is progressing well enough I now have a target start date
- September 1st -- sign up for no obligation information. The information newsletter is
just a way to seek your input on the class and distribute information to you.

http://www.herbs2u.net/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/list/On_Line_Class/

GOOGLE BOOK SEARCH:
Copy whole link into your browser (or click on it) and then you can search for words
or phrases in box provided.

"101+ Recipes from The Herb Lady"

http://books.google.com/books?id=27dG_KCwjBAC

"Edible Landscaping in the Desert Southwest: Wheelbarrow to Plate"

http://books.google.com/books?id=uDio8-sC2wMC

My short booklet on choosing fruit trees like peach and apricot is now available --
choose print or download:

"What a Chill Hour"?

http://www.lulu.com/content/2185385

View the last newsletter and see prior ones at:

http://www.herbs2u.net/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/herbs%32unl/newest


Boyce Thompson Arborteum and Globe:

SATURDAY GALLERY OPENING AT THE ARBORETUM (BTA has a regular feature of
new artists)

Would you like an excuse to visit Boyce Thompson Arboretum's gallery and gardens
on Saturday, July 19? The new gallery show has a "meet the artists" opening the
morning of the 19th; drive up for a visit if you don't have other plans or a more
compelling invitation. you can print up a free pass from the Arboretum website, just
check out:

http://ag.arizona.edu/bta

then click the "featured artist" link --- then click one of the JPGs on the page


SECOND SATURDAYS IN GLOBE

An special event sponsored by:
The White Porch gifts & Antiques
101 North Broad Street
Globe, AZ 85501
928-425-4000
mollycornwell@hotmail.com

Call or email for more information