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

On the Horizon

Hello friends

Wanted to check in to update you a bit - lots going on!
First off, we will not be at this Thursday evening Market Night in Redlands. Isaac, our oldest is graduating from REVHS, way to go Isaac!
When we return to market, lots of basil, lettuce and melons will be on hand [plus all the other glorious heirloom veggie & flower starts along with the best culinary herb plants around] although I will be taking some much needed time away from market to focus more on the nursery. Be sure to send me any questions you may have although our family is quite knowledgeable on all things garden related. Growing up with a plant fanatic as a mother is finally a benefit in their lives.
If you are unable to make it to this market, remember we are also at the Redlands Saturday morning farmers market and the Wednesday Courtyard Square Market in San Bernardino [9:30 - 1:00pm]
On July 22nd, look for RH to be at the Fontana Arts Festival 6pm- 10pm. We will be on site a bit earlier for set up as will other local farmers- you are welcome to come down a bit earlier if you would like. No Redlands market that evening. Come down and see us on Saturday morning!

As it now looks, all markets will end for us this year in October. You will still be able to find our plants on the cart at Olive Ave Market [thanks guys, for your rock solid support of local business!]

Be sure to join our mailing list since we are planning some great things this fall exclusively for those on our email list. One thing I will share is this idea. How would you like to visit the nursery, munch on some yummy foods prepared from the garden, get your hands a little dirty planting a container herb garden and sit for a spell in our garden? Sound good? Email us today, since we will keep this small and intimate.

Enjoy the day!
Carrie-Anne
Rolling Hills Herbs & Annuals

End of Spring in the Garden

Hi Everyone,


Well, here we are at the end of a long holiday weekend. I hope everyone got a chance to play in their garden - I know we did!


Look at the purple of Sicily cauliflower we planted in early spring. Isn't she lovely? We will be harvesting the remaining cauliflower plants this week as most have already flowered. I am sad to see her go but with the heat, it is time. In its place, we will be adding our heirloom purple bell peppers.

And with the heat, yep, it's tomato time! The heirloom cour di bue, black krim and cherokee
purple tomato plants are putting on lots of flowers and fruits. We added some more composed chicken manure to our garden. Be sure to feed your garden every six weeks throughout the summer as they need lots of food to keep them growing healthy, strong and yields high. [Cherry Valley has great bagged compost, organic veggie food, organic potting soil just for veggies and flowers - thanks you guys for helping the valley grow for over 26 years!]




In place of broccoli and cauliflower, we put in lots of heirloom lettuce - rouge d'hiver, green and red salad bowl, may queen, freckles [yes, you can grow lettuce in summer - although shade cloth, an umbrella or even a linen sheet will be needed as the temperatures climb].


And what is this? For those of you who visited us early in the season, you may recognize this gem of a find - the heirloom cape gooseberry. Also referred to as a ground cherry, this amazing plant grows like a tomato or tomatillo plant. Each round, sour fruit is wrapped in a paper husk. We are looking forward to the pies and jams that our customers are planning on making with their gooseberries! We are sold out for the season [Thank you!] and will add a lot more to next springs plant list.

It's not too late for the amazing African blue basil! In fact, our mother plant is just now putting on some major growth [that means we are starting as many new plants as we possibly can!] Can you see all of the lavender /pink tips? With this perennial basil, it is a very good thing. The bees are so happy and oh, the plant smells and tastes so yummy. Look for it at market very soon [and in good quantity].


So, as the weekend comes to an end [and our spring gardens, for the most part], I stop to take in the beauty and look to the summer season with the great anticipation!

Enjoy the day!
Carrie-Anne
Rolling Hills Herbs & Annuals

Think Outside of the Box

Last night at the farmers market, a lovely woman who had her eye on our new crop of red salad bowl lettuce asked me a question that gave me great pause.

While holding the deep crimson, burgundy colored collection of lettuce, she asked me "why does this cost so much?"

I stood there speechless.For those of you that know me, you know how rare it is for me to be without words. Working to collect my thoughts and respond without reacting to a question that not only took me off guard but also elicited a rush of righteous indignation, I smiled and stated that "this is our price point."

All night, I thought kept thinking of how I would have liked to respond, what I really would have liked to say. So today, I have decided to address our price point in this blog post- as a way of not only answering the original question but also of helping to educate and encourage our community to think outside of the box.

The price tag put on an item for sale has a great variety of components factored in. As a grower, even before we get to the seed, soil, water and fertilizers, there was the physical set up of the nursery. Early in 2009, we began building the racks that now hold our flats of plants. We paid the legal fees to become a state licensed nursery and a county certified grower. Next, we purchased certified naturally grown perennials that we then planted into our landscape and now use as mother plants [take cuttings from] in our nursery.

Then came the purchase of flats, containers, cell trays [to start anywhere from 72 to 341 plants at a time], tables to work from, row covers and hoops to help with germination and temperature regulation [no greenhouse yet], overhead irrigation, specialized misters [very young sprouts/plants have special needs] our soil medium [a professional plug and germination blend -not a potting soil and not even sold in our area - Thanks, Ag Supply of San Diego County for making our lives easier by now delivering to our door! - you guys rock!]

In winter, we began the process of seed sourcing - finding reputable sources of the finest quality, unique heirloom and or organic flower and vegetable seed. We take great pride using premium seed provided to us by family owned businesses and organizations dedicated to heirloom seed storage and biodiversity. We understand and honor the connection between the health of our local environment, our local habitats and ourselves as being intricately tied to the plants we as a community choose to put in the ground and in our bodies.

In late January, we began sowing many of the seeds which are now the plants you see at the markets. In early February, we began to take cuttings from our perennials - something we continue now on a weekly basis. Did you know it can take anywhere from 2-6 months before we are able to bring a plant to market based on rooting/germination time and the growth cycle of a plant?

A plant nursery is just that, we care for the daily needs of a living, breathing creation of nature that is completely dependent on us for its survival and well-being. Just like young children,these plants are 100% [minus the rain] dependent on the nurserymen and women who care for their every need. And just like children, is it really possible to ever account for all that we give to meet their needs and help grow healthy and strong?

Now that spring is in full swing, each day we enjoy being able to start new plants and watch how quickly they are growing. On an average day, we water twice, transplant starters that are well established and spend time removing spend leaves, unwanted pests, etc from our stock.

Weekly, we manually fertilize the heavy feeding plants a diluted omri approved chicken manure made as a tea [kind of yucky, but it works great!]. Through the irrigation, weekly we run a dilution of cold pressed sea kelp that has been sustainably harvested off the coast of California. When needed, we treat the nursery with omri approved insecticides/fungicides to keep pests and diseases at bay.

Then there is market. Beginning this week, we are at three markets weekly.This process consists of loading the wagon with tables, the tent, lights, cords, signage and of course the main event- the plants! That process alone takes a bit. I wander the nursery racks, hand selecting plants that are mature and healthy-making sure there is plenty of variety and at least a few new additions each week. Plants are then labeled [sometimes we need to write the variety on the back -especially true for lettuce, tomato and melons].

We are a family owned and run business. Completely. The nursery is our families backyard. The "help" you see at markets - it's our family. All of the marketing, displays, signs - yep, I do those with the help of Vista Print.

Perhaps when we look first look at a 4 inch vegetable starter, we can not see all that has been done to bring this product to market. I do get that. I also realize that over the past many years we have been conditioned to look first and foremost at an items price tag as the measure of value instead of what true value really is.

So let me ask you, when was the last time you purchased a garment directly from the person who made it - all the way from fabric selection to final alterations? Or purchased a chair directly from the carpenter themselves? When you meet your local growers, you are meeting the person who has tended that plant or yummy strawberry all the way from seedling to your garden and then table. When you meet us and purchase our products, you are not only helping to invest in the local environment, local businesses, local economies, and local communities - you are investing in the well-being and livelihoods of families, your own neighbors. Can we really put a price tag on that?



Enjoy the day! [and thank you for allowing me to say what I really wanted to say last night but didn't have spell-check and proof readers that brought me back from the longer rant-like version I originally drafted]



Carrie-Anne

Rolling Hills Herbs & Annuals