Hello Herb Lovers,

Last weekend was the annual Herb Awareness Weekend hosted by the Qld Herb Society. I visited on the Sunday and the turn out was great! Compared to the previous year there certainly seemed to be an increase in numbers of visitors, even thought it appeared that there were less stalls this time. Maybe it helped that the weather was brilliant.

Inside the Mt Cootha Botanic Gardens building there was a hive of activity and the smells that assaulted my nostrils on the way in told me exactly why I was there. I spied my favourite stall , the TuzzieMuzzie stall and quickly checked out which herbal arrangements I would buy on the way out. Then I wandered amongst the stalls to see what I could find for you, dear readers, that might be of interest.

Naturally there were organic herb nurseries displaying their wares (Hello to Best Little Herb House, Mudbrick Cottage Herb Farm, Edible Landscapes at the Northey Street City Farm ). There were also a few stalls displaying natural skin care products and the one that stood out among the crowd and which I spent some time chatting to was botanic Skincare. I was using their Ankle Biters Personal Insect Repellant long before I started to make my own.

I also spent a long time chatting to the ladies at the Tri Nature stall - but that will be a separate post.

Overall I had a fine morning out I did not have the time to attend the talks that were held while I was there (Jean Goodwin - Animal Care, Jade Woodhouse - Suburban Worm Farming, Valeria - Something Curry and Jade Woodhouse - Herbs to improve your soil) but I saw that they were quite popular with visitors.

I did however pop in to the Sage Cafe (a stand run by volunteers from the Herb Society) to have a bite to eat but I must say I was rather disappointed. There is so very much you can do with herbs to really make them a feature and make then stand out. If you want to raise awareness of how herbs can be used in a trillion beautiful, flavour and health enhancing ways then why oh why bring out the same boring, uninspiring fare? I was not interested in mundane cakes everyone knows about. Nor the sandwiches that had an edible flowers squished onto them to (presumably) emphasise the herbal goodness. Yes there were savoury muffins that I assume had herbs in them, but please - members of the herb society - why not take a look at some of the recipe books you had for sale on the table by the entrance and see what fabulously tasty and exciting foods you could have presented. *sigh* I know….I am ranting again….but I love herbs…and I love herbs….and most of all I love combining the two. It just hurts to see such great potential being wasted.

Oh, and speaking of the Qld Herb Society. I know I whined about their website but it appears something is happening on that front. The front page has changed somewhat and an ad for the above mentioned weekend had been added….so now I am waiting with great anticipation to see what changes (as promised on the site) will take place very soon.

Stay Herbal!

Markets & Herb Awareness Weekend

For everyone who wants to know more about growing and using herbs - this is the weekend for you!
- Discover a large variety of unusual and water wise herbs and plants for sale.
- Enjoy free demonstrations and talks.
- Browse a wide variety of stalls with herb related goods, products and food.
- Relax and revive at Cafe Sage for delicious,
herb inspired food and beverages.
- Come along for a chance to meet our patron and renowned garden adviser, Colin Campbell.

Please note: No EFTPOS or Credit Card facilities available.

When: 3 - 4 May 2008 calendar of dates
9am to 4pm

Where: Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens
Mt Coot-tha Road Toowong

How Much: $4.00 Adults $3.00 Concession
Contact: Debbie, Queensland Herb Society
email: qldherbsociety@ourbrisbane.com
phone: 07 5426 8299

I was going to launch the very first Herbology stall at this herbal event but as it turns out a very dear friend has chosen that weekend to be married.  Guess there is always next year

There is no point in giving you QLD Herb Society’s URL as the website has been promising to come soon for at least the past 18 months where I have been eagerly waiting for it to appear. *grumble grumble* I really must go to one of their meetings and ask them what the deal is. How hard is it to have a very basic information site? They dont need to change content often just have something there to make people welcome for goodness sake. Ok Ok, I know…ranting and raving again……

Stay Herbal!

Hello Herb Lovers,

Do large multinationals, who use a multitude of chemicals in their products, really think that by adding a herbal compound and marketing that fact heavily, will make people fall over themselves to buy the product because it is suddenly healthy?

Last night I was watching TV and in one of the ad breaks saw an advertisement for a new antiperspirant/deodorant by Rexona. In it a 2-dimensional paper woman while searching for clothes tears her armpits - that’s never happened to me I have to admit but according to the ad it is something women can expect to happen. As a way to fix this painful looking problem Rexona has added Calendula to one of its products. They claim that it “…. helps skin restore itself from damage caused by underarm shaving.”

Brilliant! Calendula (also known as Marigold) is a skin hero. Cream made from Calendula is infinitely versatile. Use it to treat any skin problem involving inflammation or dry skin, dry eczema, sore or split nipples from breastfeeding, and minor burns including sunburn. A compress soaked in Calendula infusion is great for slow healing wounds and varicose veins, or you can gargle it to ease mouth ulcers.

As to Rexona’s claim above…yes, Calendula would help heal shaving damage, but what about the aluminium salts making into the broken skin first?

Now what I pondered last night - and Light of my Life was unable to shed further light on - is this:

Does a small amount of a good ingredient, negate some of the bad ingredients and thus is some good better than none?

OR

Is a small amount of a good ingredient totally overrun by the bad ingredients thus making the addition of said good ingredient totally redundant?

I use natural, preferably herbal products wherever I can. Reading the labels on products has long become a habit when I shop. The terminology used, the abundance of number combinations, some really bad some not so bad for you but are you going to learn them all out by heart? I do wish more people would take the time to educate themselves in what they are putting on and in their bodies, but the manufactures and labeling laws do not make it easy for the consumer.

Personally, I found the ad last night totally laughable. The people who will respond positively to it are those that have no idea what Calendula is so why use it as a marketing tool? Maybe it just sounds good, maybe they hope that people will recognise the name from the plants they put in their flower beds…or maybe it is on a par with the “flexi bouncy technology” for a shampoo ad not too long ago and people actively want to believe something that is utter nonsense invented by a creative marketing department.

Well that’s my herbal rant for the day, have a great weekend …..

Stay Herbal!

Hello Herb Lovers,

Black Cohosh has been used for centuries to reduce menopausal symptoms and to bring on a slow labour in the late stages of pregnancy. Preparations of this herb are commonly sold in European pharmacies to relieve hot flashes.

Traditionally warnings for this herb have included cautions that it will bring on early contractions so should not be used early in pregnancy and only in very small doses later and adverse effects on blood pressure.

More recently, black cohosh has been linked to reports of liver damage. In May 2007 the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) updated its labelling rules for products containing black cohosh. Preparations containing this herb must be labelled with a cautionary advice of possible risk of liver damage.

The TGA’s expert advisory found that “…..Black cohosh is still suitable for use in complementary medicines, but recommended that the current warning statement on the medicine label be revised to better inform consumers about the risk and also to provide sufficient information to assist in the early detection of liver damage and, if detected, to seek medical attention.”

Yesterday I can across this article in The Medical Journal of Australia – “Liver failure associated with the use of black cohosh for menopausal symptoms”. By the sound of it the authors of this article are reporting on the same Australian cases of liver failure that had already been investigated by the TGA, but it does provide more information on the individual (9^th) case.

It is an interesting read…..particularly the “….Two safety reviews have found black cohosh extract to be well tolerated and adverse events to be rare when it is taken for up to 6 months. However, the seven case reports of hepatotoxicity potentially associated with black cohosh use in the past decade raise concern. Currently, there is no known biologically plausible mechanism to explain this hepatotoxicity, which is likely to be multifactorial.” I find their statement of“The most likely cause of our patient’s liver failure was her use of black cohosh,…” to be quite a leap although they do point out that she did not take the preparation according to instructions and exceeded the recommended duration of treatment by taking black cohosh for 3 years instead of the recommended 2 months.

I am no expert and I am certainly no scientist. The occurrence of liver damage in women who take black cohosh is very scary stuff. The TGA has this to say “… At the time of the review, there were 47 cases of liver reactions worldwide, including 9 Australian cases. In Australia, four patients were hospitalised, including two who required liver transplantation. Although some reports are confounded by multiple ingredients, by more than one medication or by other medical conditions, there is sufficient evidence of a causal association between Black cohosh and serious hepatitis. Considering the widespread use of black cohosh, the incidence of liver reaction appears to be very low. “

Here is my personal recommendation to all my readers who may be thinking of using black cohosh:

Black Cohosh has been used effectively for centuries – but that doesn’t mean that it may not also have some side effects. Before you take this herb, check with a professional herbalist, and if you have any liver problems (or have a family history of liver problems) I would find an alternative herb to treat my menopausal symptoms with.

Stay Herbal!

The weather has been perfect for planting. With all those lovely showers the water restrictions were no bother at all

After all that time preparing the soil, then waiting for my “Gardening with the Goddess” book and then extended herb buying trips it was finally time to put my little darlings in the ground.

Dont forget the mulch! In this pic I had just started to mulch (top of photo).

It still looks a bit barren but now I can get into the fun stuff of decorating the space to resemble the sacred space I wish it to become. Light of my Life is working hard at refurbishing a garden bench with heavy cast iron ends we managed to find on ebay. It’ll take awhile, but somewhere down the track I’ll post pictures of the finished product.

That’s it folks…..I’m tired

Stay Herbal!

The parcel arrived and on my birthday I took Little Trouble and the Light of my Life herb shopping.

Last year I went to the Herb Awareness Weekend hosted by the Qld Herb Society (I wont post a link because I have been waiting for their website to do something for the past year or so and it still says “coming soon”, so there really is no point promoting it here *grumble*) where I saw a local herb nursery display its wares. So that’s the one I chose. Best Little Herb House is located in Gumdale, which is on the eastern side of Brisbane. It’s open Friday and Saturdays.

My birthday was the Friday, the book said that planting time would be best in the second quarter of the moon which started that day as well…everything was very fortuitous.

I loved this nursery. It is run by a very knowledgeable man who took all the time in the world to answer my questions and select the most appropriate plants for my needs. The place is gorgeous…..here…have a look……

 

 Best Little Herb House: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Best Little Herb House: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

And of course I could not have done without the help of Little Trouble. His carrying and counting skills came in very handy indeed.

At the end of my 2 hour visit we drove home with a lovely selection of herbs. All up we got, a bay tree, lemon thyme,another thyme I cant remember the name of, pizza oregano, lemon grass, comfrey, gloss leaf angelica, rose scented geranium, citronella scented geranium, this really cool BLACK chilli, lemon balm, rosemary and sheep’s sorrel.

(yesterday at the local nursery I also picked up a meyer lemon, black passionfruit, pyrethrum, common thyme and Little Trouble got himself some nasturtiums to plant)

Almost planting time…..

Hello Herb Lovers,

As I have mentioned in the past - I am now officially a gardener. Recall Herb Gardening - Not Holidaying where I attacked an overgrown garden bed as a start to my new gardening venture.

This is what it looked like BEFORE…..

As you can see there was dire need to do something to rescue this space. The weeds are gone, the junk is gone and the Yucca’s have a new home in a different part of the garden (transplant worked a treat).

I had a very pleasant surprise while digging around in the dirt. Earthworms! Lots of them too. The soil that I suspected to be devoid of nutrients must be good soil afterall….yay.

So I added some more organic garden soil to build it up a bit.

And then I waited……

What was I waiting for? That darn parcel from Amazon that I told you guys about. There was a book in there I wanted before I started to plant anything.

Stay tuned……

Hello herb lovers,

Every now and then I read a post by another blogger I feel compelled to comment on, especially if it means that Herbology can come to the aid of someone who is in need of herbal assistance. The recipient of today’s herbal emergency is Lee from Urban Cultivation.

When I read that Lee is about to have a a healthy crop of lemon grass that he does not know what to do with I ran to my herbal library to gather as much information as I could find (in 7 minutes).

Well Lee, fret no more, help is at hand……even for a herbivore like yourself

First, medicinally lemon grass has been used as a mild antibiotic for flu, fevers and pain, colic, gas and stomach problems. It relaxes the gut, is a mild antidepressant and helps lift your spirits when your mood is sour. The essential oil is an antifungal and antibacterial agent which can be used locally on ringworm.

You can crush the leaves and stalks to release the citronella - rub onto your skin to repel mozzies and other flying bugs. lemon grass tea is great for the complexion (listen up teenagers!!) The tea makes a great iced tea in summer too.

Culinary uses are many, but since Lee specified non meat versions, I will concentrate on those for now.

Coconut and Lemon Grass Ice Cream courtesy of The Kitchen & Garden Book of Herbs by J. Houdret and J. Farrow

Serves 5-6

Ingredients

4 lemon grass stalks (10cm pieces from the bottom)

400ml coconut milk

3 egg yolks

90g caster sugar

2tsp cornflour

150ml whipping cream

rind of 1 lime finely grated

lime slices to decorate

For the lime syrup:

75g caster sugar

75ml water

1 lime thinly sliced, plus 30ml lime juice

1) Cut lemon grass stalks in half length ways, bruise with rolling pin (or something else that’s heavy)

Put them in a heavy pan, add coconut milk and bring to just below boiling point (dont walk away, it happens quickly). Remove from heat and leave to infuse for 30mins - then remove lemon grass.

2) Whisk egg yolks in a bowl with sugar and cornflour until smooth.

3) Gradually pour the coconut and lemon grass milk over the mixture and whisk well.

4) Return the mixture to the pan andheat gently, stirring until the custard starts to thicken. Do not let boil!

5) Remove the custard from heat and strain into a clean bowl. Cover with a circle of dampened greaseproof paper to prevent skin forming. Leave to cool.

6) BY HAND: Whip cream until it has thickened but still falls from the whisk. Stir into custard with the lime rind. Transfer mixture to a freezer proof container and freeze for 2 hours. Remove from freezer and scrape with a fork to breaqk all the ice crystals that have formed. (Whisk or use a food processor to make it smooth). Freeze for another 2hours then whip it all up again.

USING ICE CREAM MAKER: Stir cream & lime rind, into the cooled custard - churn.

7) Spoon the mixture into 5 or 6 dariole moulds and freeze for at least 3 hours.

LIME SYRUP:Heat water and sugar in pan until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and let boil for 5 minutes without stirring. Reduce heat- add thinly sliced lime, and lime juice - simmer gently for another 5 minutes. Leave to cool.

9) Un-mould ice cream, spoon over lime syrup and decorate with lime slices.

Thai Vegetable and Coriander Curry with Lemon Grass Jasmine Rice courtesy of The Kitchen & Garden Book of Herbs by J. Houdret and J. Farrow

hmm…….this is a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge recipe. Lee, darling, if you want it, give me a shout, but for now I’ll just give you the Lemon Grass Rice part, ok?

For the rice:

225g jasmine rice, rinsed

1 lemon grass stalk, outer leaves removed cut into 3 pieces. (it will probably be the usual 10 cm piece from the bottom)

6 cardamom pods,, bruised

1) Tip the rinsed rice into a large pan, and add the pieces of lemon grass and cardamom pods. Pour over 475ml water, bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is tender and slightly sticky. Season with salt, cover and leave to stand for 10 minutes.

2) Remove the spices and serve with curry. Sprinkle with coriander leaves.

There you go Lee (and everyone else), a multitude of applications. So many possibilities to put your crop to use. Definitely give the lemon grass tea a go, it’s a very delicate and pleasing taste

Stay tuned for details of my visit to a local herb nursery and an update on my gardening adventure.

Stay Herbal!