Date: November 10th 2005

The Herb Lady Announces Herbal Celebrations Contest

Herbs 2 U and Catherine, The Herb Lady announce their first ever contest inviting gardeners and cooks to submit their favorite tradition or recipe for holidays and celebrations, with a chance to win one of The Herb Lady's Private Blend line of herbs and spices.

Without celebrations many of us would have no traditions or joyous occasions. Whether it is a public holiday like Labor Day, a religious holiday such as All Souls Day (Day of the Dead), Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan or Diwali), or personal -- weddings and births, we celebrate with food and decoration.
The contest is a way for folks to share their traditions of food and decoration with a theme of edible herbs and edible flowers, to have a chance to win a blend of herbs and spices, and to build a calendar of Celebrations.
Herbs and flowers have been used in celebrations for millennia beginning with harvest festivals and honoring the cycles of life, death, and seasonal change.
Contest rules and ideas for submitting entrees are posted on the Celebrations & Holidays page at the website www.herbs2u.net. The contest will run with weekly winners through mid- January.
The Herb Lady says "We already associate herbs with certain holidays and celebrations. Folks may simply accept what has always been, without knowing the origins of the use."
Some ideas from the website included:
THANKSGIVING: A roasted turkey with a dressing made of herbs is a classic example of herbs used both for flavoring and with a purpose. Like many of the aromatic herbs Sage is a digestive aid. But more than that it was discovered during the middle ages in England that Sage was particularly useful in the digestion of the very fatty meats which were a normal part of the huge meals they partook of - much like our current love affair with our sumptuous Thanksgiving Dinners. The rest of the usual poultry seasoning: thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram are also digestive aids. So pass the turkey and always include the Sage!
BITTER HERBS: Used in Jewish feast dinners, bitter herbs remind them of the bitterness of their slavery under Egyptian rule. Historically the bitter herbs were chicory, dandelion, endive, lettuce, sheep sorrel, watercress and by association Rocket (arugula). Again all these herbs are digestive aids, contain high amounts of Vitamin C and even calcium.
RAMADAN: During this feast of Islam special desserts and teas are prepared with Hibiscus Flowers or Rose Flower Water (and rose essence is also used as a perfume). Aside from their special attributes for desserts, Hibiscus Flowers contain high amounts of Vitamin C and Rose Flowers are an uplifting and rejuvenating fragrance.
CHRISTMAS: Rosemary and Lavender have long been associated with Christmas. Legend says that during their flight to Egypt, Mary and Joseph stopped to rest and Mary spread her cloak on Lavender and Rosemary bushes. As a result Lavender was given its beautiful fragrance and Rosemary's originally white flowers were turned to blue.
Herbs 2 U was founded to educate and inform folks on gardening with herbs, edible flowers and other edible plants, and then bringing those useful and flavorful plants into the kitchen and creating mouth-watering meals.

Catherine, The Herb Lady is the author of "Edible Landscaping in the Desert Southwest: Wheelbarrow to Plate."
Her column appears monthly in the East Valley and Scottsdale Tribune, and her classes on growing and using edible herbs and flowers are offered in locations around the Valley of the Sun, including the Desert Botanical Garden and Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

www.herbs2u.net