Immunity

Hello All!

Hope everyone is enjoying this absolutely glorious cool down. Can you believe that just one week ago, we were sweating it out in temperatures over 100 degrees? Now here we are enjoying crisp cool mornings/ evenings and daytime temps that encourage everyone to get back outdoors.

This autumn like feel brought me back into the kitchen where yesterday, I actually started the oven. How weird is that for the end of August? [Soap box moment: For all of you out there who still don't believe something drastic is going on in our global environment - please think again!]

Back to the strange desire to cook in the dead of Summer. While the weather did help encourage my menu of a baked turkey meatloaf, simmered collard greens with cayenne and garlic , bay infused garlic mashed potato's and a freshly baked peach pie complete with a Cinnamon & nutmeg crust, it really was my daughters cold that began last Thursday that was the main motivator.

Corrina came home Thursday with a very bad sore throat. Immediately, we went into our "someone is sick" mode. For us, this means lots of fluids, freshly squeezed local citrus [Thanks, Mr & Mrs. Farquhar for the fruit stand at Wabash that was open last Friday and ready with the oranges we needed!] local honey, no processed foods [sugar, packaged foods] and lots of rest [staying in pajamas is not only encouraged, it's mandatory!], changing the bedding and bleach to surfaces.

By Sunday, this virus was still holding on strong! We shifted into phase two which included sitting in a steam filled bathroom inhaling essential oils of oregano, red thyme and eucalyptus, adding Dynamo juice to the diet [Trader Joes], and lots of garlic, onion and home cooked collard and mustard greens! [simmered for hours in fresh turkey broth infused with cayenne pepper].

We have all heard that food is medicine. Sometime it is the antiviral properties of foods like onions and garlic that help to make us feel better. Sometimes it is the mega dosage of pure raw vitamins, minerals & enzymes found in local oranges and honey [Thanks, Annie for the honey from your "girls" - it is one of the few things making Corrina's throat feel better instantly.]Sometimes, just filling the house and our bodies with the warmth, aroma and nourishment from lovingly prepared foods allows is enough to encourage the healing process.

This morning, I read an interesting article on MotherEarthNews all about building immunity. This article should be a must read for all of us- and it could not be more timely. With most schools and universities back in session, the warfare on bacteria and illnesses has resumed. Just last week while in the market, I noticed that the flu shot is once again being offered. NOW is the time to familiarize ourselves with ways to boost our immunity BEFORE the official cold and flu season hits!

Another word on colds. They are not always a bad thing. Sometimes, they are our bodies way of releasing stored toxins. Many "summer colds" fall into this category. Honor the process. Take in lots of clean pure water. Rest! Laugh. Nurture yourselves.

And for the last words of the day, here's a list of our favorite things for when you don't feel good:

Fresh orange juice - Farquhar Farms, Wabash & Highland Ave - Redlands
Dynamo Juice - Trader Joes
Green Juice - Trader Joes [not the name of it, just the color]
Local Honey
Bee Pollen - Winchester Cheese Co at Thursday Night & Saturday Morning Redlands Farmers Markets
Collard Greens [email me for recipe]
Steam inhalations of herbals - Eucalyptus [take fresh branches and drop into boiling water. Place pot in heat proof surface, cover head with towel and inhale vapors]* Can add oregano leaves as well.
30 Rock

All day in PJ's

warm chamomile tea [any kind will do , it's the soothing heat you will love]

Enjoy the day,

Carrie-Anne

http://www.rollinghillsherbs.com/

Bugs!

Last week, my friend Ann came to help out a bit in the nursery [Thanks, Ann!]
She was interested in learning more about propagation so we headed into our home landscape to take cuttings. What an eye-opener that was.

I knew that I had been neglecting my garden a bit. Watering has gotten a bit erratic. The sprayer broke weeks ago so no insecticide has been applied recently. Same holds true for adding compost or fertilizer - just haven't done it.

Boy could you tell. It didn't take long to see that bugs/pests/fungus of all kinds have moved in. The bright lights chard was covered in aphids. The red veined sorrel next to the chard was now an ant hotel. The kale was crawling in little black beetles with white dots on their backs [no, pest identification is not my strong suit, so if you know what they are - please share].

As to the other pest, it has four legs and eats the tomato while on the vine. He/she/it leaves lovely teeth marks on the half eaten fruit. Some weird white mildew had covered the chard.

Have I ever mentioned that FALL is my favorite time to garden??? This is exactly why!

Even with my love of nature, gardens, fresh foods...late summer in the garden can be too much. The heat drains me [and the plants] of nearly all resources. I know that I need to get out there and water/weed/fertilize but somehow, no matter how much I try, it seems like it is never enough.

And then the cycle begins. Without proper water/fertilizer, the plants become stressed. Stressed plants are the perfect host for bugs and diseases. One bug comes and then they all do [well, it just feels that way]. Before you know it, much of your hard work can be eaten away [literally] and you are left to toil in the hot sun with very little reward [unless you call a full can of green waste a triumph].

If this sounds familiar, you can always do what I am doing.

One, remove stressed, bug/disease ridden plants completely. I would rather replant something than give free room, board and meals to the insect/pest population.

Two, decide on keeping only what you really want. I know, in early spring we all set out to grow tons of amazing varieties of tomato, pepper, basil [etc] in our gardens - but now we need to get real. If we can not keep up with the maintenance of these plants, it would be better to focus only on a few and keep them growing healthy and strong. Seriously, are you really going to eat the kale that every creature has chewed their way through? I don't think so.

Now that I have pruned, dug out and thinned my garden - I am off to apply some insecticidal soap to the healthy plants that remain. My goal is to actually continue the process of deep watering that I have resumed doing this week on a regular basis and get some fertilizer on these guys today [early morning is best!].

So, if you are like me and find yourself are a bit overwhelmed in the garden this time of year - know that we can reclaim our crops [and our energy]. All is not lost. And if by chance it is, fall is around the corner [don't forget to send us your fall plant wish list!] Less heat, less bugs, less weeds - more lettuce, salad greens, leafy greens!

There is hope on the horizon.


Enjoy the day!

Carrie-Anne

RIPE! A Fall Garden to Table Festival

Hello All!

Mark your calenders. RIPE! A Garden to Table Festival is coming to the Olive Avenue Market this October!

RIPE! A free, community event will celebrate the edible gardening revolution and our region’s thriving commitment to local food. At the time when nature’s bounty is at its peak, this joyous festival will bring together food enthusiasts, farmers and local growers to help show the community what, when and how to grow and eat fresh, local and seasonal.

RIPE! Will feature:
The building and planting of a raised bed on the grounds of the Olive Ave Market
Local farmers & fall produce
Our locally grown herb & heirloom vegetable plants
Students from the Grove High School showcasing a Garden to Table Curriculum in support of raising funds for the Barton House renovation [the home of their new kitchen]
Ongoing children’s story time featuring garden/nutrition based literature
Garden based crafts for children
Jams and preserves created using locally grown produce
Growing blueberries in the home garden

Event Details:
Saturday, October 23rd 10:00a.m.– 1:00p.m. 530 West Olive Ave. Redlands, CA.

For those who want to get started with their own edible garden, this will help show them the way. For those who have limited space and still wish to plant lots of edibles, they will be shown how. For those who have no clue how or what to do with herbs and leafy greens, samples and recipes will inspire and enlighten.

Please help us get the work out about this exciting community event! Tell a friend or two. What a great day it will be.

Open House

We want to thank everyone who came out to our open house last Saturday evening and joined us in celebrating our nursery's first year anniversary! We hope you were inspired through the evenings cuisine to grow more tasty herbs and veggies for yourself and to do even more of your grocery shopping at our local farmers markets.

As promised, here are the recipes.

Fresh Peach Ice Cream with Tarragon

1.5 lbs of farmers market fresh peaches

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

2 cups of half and half

2 tablespoons fresh, finely chopped tarragon

1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar

Peel peaches, remove center stone and in blender, lightly puree all but 1/3 cup of fresh peaches. Remove and place in bowl. To this, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Add all tarragon. Add 1/4 cup of sugar and 2 cups of half and half. Mix and refrigerate until well chilled.

Meanwhile, mash remaining peaces [you want some chunks] with remaining vanilla and sugar. Place in bowl and chill for at least one hour.

Mix both mixtures together and chill according to your individual ice cream freezers directions. I like to take mixture and divide into two smaller containers when freezing. I let newly prepared ice cream stand in freezer for about 1 hour before serving. It will be soft - this is o.k.

Do enjoy the whole thing - left overs just are not the same.

Lavender Green Tea w/ Lavender

To a standard pitcher, add:

Filtered water

1/4 cup of sen-cha gold loose leaf Japanese green tea

4 tablespoons of dried organic loose English lavender buds.

Chill overnight or 6-8 hours. Strain loose tea/lavender buds out [set aside to reuse at least one more time - adding 2 tablespoons of fresh tea leaves ]. Add 1/4 cup of light agave syrup [Temecula Valley Cheese Co and our farmers market carries it]. Mix well and serve over ice!

Herbed Vegetables and Feta Lettuce Wraps

This simple, yet tasty treat can be a snack or a light summer dinner. The herbed feta will remain the same while the veggies used can change according to what is fresh at the market.

We used:

Summer squash

fresh onions

fresh zucchini

heirloom tomato [wait to slice these until just before grilling all veggies]

[all are sliced about 1/4 - 1/2 inch and placed in a large bowl]

For the herb seasoning:

2 tablespoons of freshly harvested, washed and chopped

Summer savory - stems removed

oregano - combination of hot and spicy, Greek and Italian

French & lemon thyme

finely chopped garlic chives

Combine all herbs and sprinkle over sliced veggies. Now drizzle olive oil over herbed veggies - enough to coat. Add pepper and juice from 1/2 fresh squeezed lemon. Combine thoroughly. Let stand several hours to overnight.

Just before grilling, add sliced tomato and some salt. Mix in with other veggies. Grill until lightly softened.

For the herbed cheese filling:

one package of East of Eden feta [Trader Joes - a cheese from Isreal]

1/2 - 3/4 cup of fresh, finely chopped garlic chives

1/2 cup of freshly chopped Italian parsley.

1/4 cup of freshly chopped oregano

Salt and pepper.

Combine well. Cover and chill for several hours.

To assemble, layer freshly grilled veggies on freshly washed romaine lettuce leaves adding a teaspoon of herbed cheese. Roll closed and tie ends with garlic chives.

Iced Herbal Water w/ Local Citrus

Combine filtered water,

1 fresh orange and lemon - sliced thin

2 tablespoons of fresh lavender mint leaves.

Chill.

Enjoy the day!

Carrie-Anne

http://www.rollinghillsherbs.com/

Recipes from the 4th

Greetings!

So, what would any celebration be without food?
This week, when I was chatting with my friend Heidi about our menu for the 4th of July, she mentioned that I had missed my calling. Perhaps, but I could never choose between growing the best tasting herbs, fruits and veggies and preparing them. The truth is, I love to cook. This is perhaps the main reason I garden. There is nothing better than fresh ingredients and there are none more fresh than those you grow yourself!

So what was on the menu? Garlic crusted beef. Herbed chicken breast with yogurt and curry. Bow-tie pasta with basil, arugula, walnuts & Gorgonzola. Israeli couscous with bay, basil, oregano, onions and golden raisins. A grilled vegetable medley of farm fresh onions, red and yellow bell peppers, Spanish squash and vine ripened tomato. And for dessert, frozen yogurt with honey and fresh peaches.

Yep, I love to cook. So friends, break out that ice cream maker and enjoy the sweetness summertime brings!


Frozen Yogurt with Honey and Peaches

1 2lb carton of European whole milk yogurt [Trader Joes]
4 oz creamed honey [Arnott Citrus Ranch - Greenspot Rd, Mentone]
5-6 Fresh, ripe peaches, mashed [Local source: Ortega Produce, Riverside [they are at the Redlands and Yucaipa Saturday morning farmers market]
Dash of nutmeg and cinnamon

Cream together the honey and peaches. Mix in yogurt. Chill. Prepare according to individual ice-cream mixer directions. We use a kitchen-aid attachment so we pour the chilled mixture into the ice-cream freezer and set mixer on 2 for 30 min. Remove and cover in freezer. Best when served the same day.

Enjoy the day!
Carrie-Anne

Garden Celebration

Greetings! We hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. Just a quick post to update you on the garden which seemed to join in on this weeks celebration by sending up the most beautiful bursts of color and whimsy. These are the seed pods on our alum [onion & scallions]. Amazing.

Do you remember a few weeks ago when we replaced many of the spent spring-time plants with plenty of lettuce for summer. Take a look at them now! Amazing how fast [and large] the 4 inch starters grow in no time at all.

What would summer be without the delicious tomato? Just this morning ,we harvested our first ripe tomato. I left several on the vine for the kids to find later today, knowing there is nothing better than a vine riped tomato that the sun has gently warmed during the day!

Did you happen to notice our "tomato cage"? My husband has found so many clever ways to use the branches from our mulberry tree. For this, he used some branches from the tree and copper wire. They are as beautiful as they are functional.

Enjoy the day!

Carrie-Anne

Farmers Market Update

Hi Everyone,

Earlier this week, we posted regarding our Farmers Market schedule - specifically the Wednesday afternoon market in San Bernardino . We need to make some changes.

While we enjoy seeing returning friends , hearing the latest about their gardens and encouraging our new garden friends to pursue their dreams at these markets, we are desperately needing to spend more time in the nursery. So, after great consideration, we have decided to scale back a bit and concentrate exclusively on the Redlands Markets.

On Thursday evenings, our son Isaac will be on hand to assist you with all of your plant needs. If there is ever a question left unanswered, please do not hesitate to email me! I will be on hand for the Saturday morning Farmers Market along with our daughter Corrina. We will still be in attendance for the Fontana Art Festival event, July 22nd and hope to participate in other one day events as they present themselves.

This has not been an easy decision, by any means of the imagination. Our driving mission is to encourage our community towards greater health and well-being through edible and sustainable urban gardening - offering our naturally grown herbs & heirloom plants as a tool to help get there. We believe that by focusing on our local market, our cart at OAM, and periodic events, we will be able to continue on with our mission while providing our community with an even greater quality and range of product.

We look forward to seeing each of soon.

Enjoy the day!
Carrie-Anne

Rolling Hills Herbs & Annuals