Lady Lavender and a Beastie Be Gone Class!

Madame Flamingo invites Lady Lavender for Tea Time.
Can you guess what flower will be in the herbal tea?

Good morning, All!  Cousin Sandra is finally home from Austin, and as always, she loaded up the Santa Fe with baby plants and not so baby trees (more like pre-adolescent trees).  We finally have all in the ground except for a few that will have to go in pots in the shade garden.


Wanted to share with you a little about the April herb class The Wild Side of Herbs.  We (me, my wonderful group of students and Chi) had a great time walking through the yard, garden and wild area identifying edible and medicinal "weedies".  There was a whole range of students from those who had never eaten the weedy plants to budding herbalists actually enrolled in herbal education programs.

This is part of the Saturday class
talking about Dewberry.  There is
a young plant growing there and
we talked about harvesting leaves
to use for tea.

Chi
Herb Dog!

Chi was very helpful, every time we would point out and talk about an edible plant, she would proceed to eat it.  Thank you, Chi.  Oh, and she totally enjoyed sharing her vast collection of sticks (to be thrown, of course!) with the students.  She obviously makes it quite clear that even though she is a Border Collie she is an Herb dog not a Herd dog.

A gorgeous field of Lavender,
can you imagine how mind blowing this
would smell!
photo by travelvista.com

Lavender

Lavendula

This week, well, actually tomorrow (Tuesday) I will be giving a little talk about weeds at a local garden club.  And the ladies really wanted me to talk about Lavender, as well.  So, let us see what we can find out about this lovely plant.  In a nutshell or lavender bud......

Lavender Essential Oil
This EO is a must for any home
herbal first aid kit!
photo from nodosh.blogspot.com

The English word lavender is thought to have come from the Old French word, lavandre, to wash or the Latin lavare (to wash).  I guess the Old French and Romans made an infusion for their baths.  

Lavender is in the mint family Lamiacaea and there are 39 species.  The native range extends from the Canary Islands and Madeira, North and East Africa, Southern Europe, the Mediterranean, Arabia and India

The plant is commercially grown for the production of essential oil.  Lavender EO is antiseptic (agent used to remove pus, blood, etc.) and anti-inflammatory (controlling inflammation, a reaction to injury or infection).  Only the buds contain the essential oil of lavender.

During WW1 the EO was used in hospitals to disinfect floors and walls.

Lavender oil heals acne.  Mix Lavender EO in a 1:10 dilution with water, rosewater, or witch hazel.  In other words, 1 tsp. of EO mixed into 10 tsps of the liquid carrier.

Lavender is not used in traditional southern French cooking but in the 70's the herb blend herbes de  Provence (which usually includes lavender) was invented by spice wholesalers, so lavender has become more popular in cooking.  The buds are sometimes paired with sheep's or goat's milk cheeses.

In the US, we make lavender syrup and use the dried buds to make lavender scones and marshmallows.

Lavender Wands
They are so beautiful!
Photo from chappellhillllavender.com

Marshmallows?  Interesting.

Lavender is and has been used as an insect repellent.  I had a friend that loved to make Lavender wands for her friends to hang in their closets.  

Here is a website on how to make lavender wands...www.gardengatemagazine.com/extras/62lvenderwant.php

Lavender is a must in dream pillows, aiding with sleep and relaxation.  You can even make an infusion of the lovely flower heads to drink before bedtime.  Infuse about 1 tsp. dried buds or 3 tsps fresh buds in one cup boiling water for about 5-10 minutes.  Add some Lavender infused honey.  Ahhh, heavenly!

Lavender Cookies
Sure wish I had these made!
Photo from allrecipes.com

Easy Lavender Cookies!


Buy yourself one of those great Sugar Cookie mixes.  There are even some gluten-free ones on the market!


You will be following the directions on the package, but to the dry ingredients add 1 Tbls Lavender flowers.  I would roll the flowers in the palm of my hand to break them up a bit.  I have found that I always need a little extra liquid.  Maybe 2 extra teaspoonful.  Bake according to directions.  Sprinkle lavender sugar on top or make a little glaze and if you have fresh lavender, stick a flower on each glazed cookie!  There, easy and delicious!


Lavender sugar?  No, I don't think you will find that at the local grocery store....well, if you live in the big city, you might, but not out here in the country!  Lavender sugar is so easy to make!  This is what you will need......


2 Cups (castor) sugar....I use regular old white sugar
1 Tablespoon, food grade dried lavender buds, you could use fresh lavender flowers if you have plenty in your garden.           Increase to 3 Tablespoons if using fresh flowers.


Now grind dried buds to a fine powder in the food processor or coffee grinder dedicated to herbs.  You will have to chop the fresh buds by hand.


Place sugar and lavender into a pretty, clean jar.  Label (always label!  This is the voice of experience talking to you!  Always label!)  Put in a dark cabinet for a couple weeks.  Add your beautiful, fragrant sugar to tea or sprinkle on top of your lavender cookies!

May Herb Class announcement!

Natural Insect Repellents

 Wednesday           Saturday

May 16, 2012           May 19, 2012

2-4 pm...................$30.00 per person

You can create you own insect repellents without the harmful chemicals that are found in commercial repellents!

• Learn natural ways to get rid of fleas and repel mosquitoes.
• Explore fresh and dried herbs that are good at getting rid of the little beasties.
• Make your own custom insect repellents.
• Learn herbal ways to ease the stinging and itching.

Please call or email for information or reservations.

Susan

903-866-3606                                                                                stdragonfly@yahoo.com

You might like to bring a camera, bug spray, notebook/pen and a walking stick!  We have Elderberry jelly and syrup, granola, fresh eggs, chicks, candied ginger, herbal teas and medicinals for sale.

Okay time to get to work!  Have to get ready for the herb talk tomorrow and don't forget Winnsboro, Texas Farmers Market, now every Saturday morning until October!  Get there early for the best produce!  Until next week.....I hope you can keep those little biting beasties away from your tender skin!  Herbally, Susan

Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference has never tried to fall asleep with a mosquito in the room!

Christie Todd Whitman

Larkspur in April
Hopkins County, Texas

January is Hot Tea Month! Sip a cuppa with me!

A woodland tea party
could possible attract some
magical friends!

Pour yourself a cup of hot tea and sit for a spell.  We are going to talk about  Camellia sinensis.  No, we are not going to gossip about some famous movie star or dish someone who lives down the street!  We are going to talk about Tea because January is Hot Tea month.

All "tea" comes from the same species of plant (Camellia sinensis).  Now there will be differences in the tea leaves because of different varieties of the plant, growing/harvest season, processing, part of the plant and origin.  And remember, Rooibos (redbush tea from Africa and herbals are not true tea, they are "tisanes".)

The western (has nothing to do with Texas!)  tea industry now recognizes 5 types of Tea.....

White Tea....

Minimally processed tea

 is an antioxidant-rich tea with a delicate flavor. The main white tea types are Silver Needle, White Peony, Darjeeling White and flavored white tea.

Fired Green Tea........

Chinese style (fired) green tea

Chinese-style green teas are often heated over a fire or coals, or they are fired in a convection oven. Long Jing ('Dragonwell') is the most popular type of fired green tea.

Steamed Green Tea.......

Japanese style green tea

Most Japanese-style green teas are steamed rather than fired.

Oolong Tea.....

Partially oxidized tea

Most oolong teas come from Taiwan and China. The main styles are Bao Zhong (a.k.a. 'Pouchong'), Semi-Balled, Oriental Beauty, Wuyi Oolong, Phoenix Oolong and flavored oolong.

Black Tea.....

Heavily or fully oxidized tea

Black teas are often classified by origin. 'Ceylon' is the former name of Sri Lanka, so many Sri Lankan black teas are simply called 'Ceylon teas.'

Pu-erh Tea...

Fermented Tea

Pu-erh tea is different from all other major tea types in that it is fermented.

Photo by
http://www.photographersdirect.com/
tea leaves drying...oxidation.

So you may be wondering, "What the heck is oxidized tea?  Oxidation in tea making essentially means letting the tea leaves be exposed without intervention to air, with varied periods of exposure being needed for different kinds of tea.

Tea leaves will begin to wilt and oxidize (a process caused by intracellular enzymes) as soon as they are picked. As their chlorophyll breaks down, they turn darker, and this accounts for the variation in tea types.

Oxidation can be stopped by artificially heating the tea leaves, which will deactivate those enzymes. Once oxidation has been stopped, the tea leaves are dried out.

                                                                   

Really, if you start studying about Tea the amount of information is mind boggling.  And have you ever gone to the grocery store with the intention of becoming a tea connoisseur and looked at all the teas on the shelf.  Yeah right, you have regular old black and regular old green....and some herbals, and if your grocery is larger than ours, well, you might have a few specialty teas.  Or if you are lucky enough to get to Winnsboro and stop in at Art & Espresso on Market street, Marilyn has a good sampling of tea, black, green, oolong, jasmine, chai, fruit and herbals.  So, next time you venture to the big city, (we go to the FRESH store in Tyler) then you can start to pick out some really good teas.  Where to start?  That really is a personal preference.  My favorites are the black teas....I love Earl Grey mixed with a smokey Lapsang Souchong.  But, Cousin Sandra does not like the taste of Lapsang Souchong but loves the mild fruity blends that you can achieve with White teas.

Let me give you a few places to go to start your tea education.....About.com has a mini email course about tea....coffeetea.about.com or check out Tea Time Magazine online....a little more frou-frou, but has gorgeous photos of china tea sets, lots of great recipes and good tea information.....www.teatimemagazine.com/



Yours truly as a
Tea Party Hostess!



Let's Have a Tea Party!

Don't you just love a tea party?  I do.  I always have and always will!  When I was just a wee lassie I would have tea parties with my little plastic horses.  I guess I wasn't into dolls but give me a plastic horse any day.  And I must have been a budding herbalist because I can remember brewing grasses, pine pollen and whatever was blooming for the horse tea.

I will put the water on to boil.....oh, and by the way, you can get as fussy as you want with the following procedures. But, I like to keep things simple.  We have filtered water which is best for tea making.  Doesn't add any strange tastes to the tea.

While the water is getting hot, let's "prime" the tea pot.  And having a tea pot is so much fun!  Actually, we have several nice pots, but my fave is just a simple green ceramic pot.  Anyway, priming the pot, means warm the pot with some warm water.  I usually add some of the water heating on the stove but you can always use warm tap water.

Now, the temperature of the water is where you can really get technical if you desire.....

Black tea: 4 to 5 minutes at 212°

Oolong tea: 4 to 7 minutes at 195° to 210°

Green or white tea: 2 to 5 minutes at 165° to 175°

Since I am not going to take the temperature of the water, this is my rule of thumb...

for black or oolong teas

bring the water to a boil, take off heat, let sit for a bit, then put in tea pot.

Steep about 5 minutes

green tea or white tea

bring the water to almost a boil, take off heat, let sit for a bit, then put in tea pot

steep about 2-3 minutes

herbal teas (which I like really strong flavored)

Bring the water to a rolling boil and then immediately add to pot.

steep at least 10-15 to whenever minutes

And PLEASE do not heat your water in the microwave.  I am not anti-microwave, but tea or herbal tea is where I draw the line!

Ladies taking afternoon tea.
 Mary Cassatt, artist
courtesy ofen.wikipedia.org

Now the tea is made, the table is set and we are ready for a relaxing afternoon of sipping and munching!

"Oh, dawling, what is this delightful tea you are serving this afternoon!?!" 

Well, dear, let me see.  This afternoon I am serving some wonderful herbal teas (tisanes).....

My favorites....two StarDragonfly Herbal blends....

Evening in the Garden....Roses (from my favorite rose bush), Chamomile and Lavender

Garden Calcium....Thai basil (from our gardens), Oat tops and Nettle

Or how about a blend of....say, Chamomile and Cinnamon or Lemon balm and lemon peels?

Then there are some very simple teas, some we have talked about in past posts.....

Ginger.....add a little organic lemon juice and some honey...very satisfying on a cold evening, especially if you have tummy ache.

Cinnamon tea...(steep a cinnamon stick in boiling water for 15 or more minutes) or make Ginger/Cinnamon tea.........1/2 c. thinly sliced fresh ginger

              6 c. water

              2 cinnamon sticks

              2 tbs. honey

This tea is actually my favorite winter time herbal tea.

Really, I could go on and on about tea, tisanes and any combination of tea and tisanes, but, we will cover these in future posts.

And it really wouldn't be a tea party without some delicious snack!  Here again, you can get as fancy as your little heart desires!  From sandwiches to fancy desserts, to actual meals, anything can be served at a tea party!  NO RULES!  Dontcha just love that!

Shortbread cookies!
Photo by
www.companyscoming.com

I like my tea with a piece of homemade short bread or a lemon scone.  Life is good!

Well, thank you so much for stopping by....wish I could have all our readers out to the farm for a tea party!  Hope all is well in your world!

Yours, Susan

If you are cold, tea will warm you.  If you are too heated, it will cool you.  If you are depressed, it will cheer you.  If you are excited, it will calm you.

Gladstone, 1865

Daffodils are starting to emerge!
Is Spring really coming soon?

Beauty and a nice Scrub, too!



Lavender and Squash Blossoms
November 11, 2011
My Black Beauty surveying all the
delicious greenery!

 I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with lots of good food and family!  Here at StarDragonfly Herbals, Cousin Sandra, L, and I had Chicken Tortilla Soup, and to add to the  soup, we had Cilantro and Jalapenos from this years garden.  In fact, we had Cilantro volunteer to sprout and now have a whole raised bed full of baby cilantro plants.  An Apple pie made with Tennessee Winesap apples was for dessert.  I know, I know, what happened to the Turkey and all the accompanying delicious sides and desserts?

Last week, I featured the Winnsboro Emporium and it's proprietor, Conrad, because he so graciously has let me set up a mini store to sell my herbal wares.  So now I would like to tell you about these herbal wares, talk about the herbs used in the products and how to use the products.

The first products we will be talking about will be:

Sister Susan's Natural Skin Care Products

I love to make these homemade beauty products!  I like to use fresh, natural or organic herbs and oils because they are gentle and healthy for the skin.  When learning to make these products, I was using my teacher, Rosemary's basic recipes.  She states when you are using these products that you should always be thinking the thought "I am beautiful" as you apply them!  Honestly, we don't tell ourselves enough how beautiful and special we are, we feel we must wait for someone else to say those words to us.  Well, believe me, folks, we are all in the same boat! So from us at StarDragonfly Herbals, let us assure you that you are beautiful!

These are the basic instructions for using the: a.  Cowgirl Face Wash & Scrub

                                                                    b. Chamomile Flower Astringent

                                                                    c.  Cowgirl Face Lotion

1. Make a paste in the palm of hand by adding a few drops water to 1-2 tsp Cowgirl Face Wash & Scrub.  Apply to face in gentle, circular motions. DO NOT GET IN OR NEAR YOUR EYES!  Leave on and relax in a bathtub full of bubbles or just rinse face off!
2.  Put Chamomile Flower Astringent on cotton ball and gentle clean face.  DO NOT GET IN OR NEAR YOUR EYES! 
3.  Apply Cowgirl Face Lotion.  Start with just a small amount on the tip of your finger.  Your skin will seem oily at first but will absorb the lotion.
4.Always think of yourself as beautiful and now have a wonderful day or a restful evening!

Sister Susan's
Cowgirl Face Wash & Scrub

Sister Susan's

Cowgirl Face Wash & Scrub

This is such a nice face scrub.  When I first discovered this scrub, I had been using an Apricot scrub that was very harsh.  You better be very careful using that scrub!  You definitely could scrub a couple layers of skin off in a hurry!  Use the Apricot scrub on your heels or a dirty cooking pot but use the Cowgirl Face Wash and Scrub on your lovely and tender face and hands!

The Cowgirl Face Wash and Scrub contains:

Powdered milk....think Cleopatra!  Really, powdered milk has the same benefits as good old camel milk!  "Over two thousand years ago, Cleopatra filled her elegant tub with camel milk to maintain her notoriously supple skin.


Milk naturally contains Vitamins A and D, which helps to make your skin soft, yet strong. Further, the lactic acid in milk has natural beta hydroxy acids which not only exfoliate your skin, but soothe it. The natural ingredients found in milk improve the appearance and condition of your skin. As milk eliminates dead skin cells from the surface of your skin, it adds essential moisture."  www.natural-skin-care-info.com/milk-bath.html

Ground oats... "Oats are  highly absorptive, hypoallergenic, and help to soften skin. They have the best amino acid balance of all the cereal grains (amino acids work as water-binding agents in skin care products). Oats have been clinically shown to help heal dry, itchy skin."  www.pioneerthinking.com/oatmealbeauty.html    Beauty (the horse) maintains that oats beautify her from the inside out! 

Ground almonds...Exfoliation Gone Nutty – Finely ground almonds can be used as a gentle and natural exfoliate, great for rubbing away dead skin cells and sprucing up the complexion. Almonds contain linoleic acid which is a fatty acid that helps soften and moisturize the skin.

Ground lavender...Lavender is really known for its calming aromatherapy effect but lavender contains powerful antioxidants that prevent and counteract the irritating effects of pollutants on the skin.



Blue Corn
tofu-n-sproutz.blogspot.com



Ground blue corn...Blue corn is one of the oldest varieties. The Pueblo tribe in the Southwestern United States was using blue corn at least as far back as 1540, when Spanish explorers discovered the region. Corn meal is a natural and gentle exfoliate.




Thelma's Rose
A beautiful cabbage type rose given to us
by our dear neighbor, Thelma



Ground rose petals..."The use of the rose is far and varied. It has a long history in its use in folk remedies, especially in the area of skincare. It is suitable for all skin types, but it is especially valuable for dry, sensitive or aging skins. It has a tonic and astringent effect on the capillaries just below the skin surface, which makes it useful in diminishing the redness caused by enlarged capillaries.

The rose also offers a soothing property to the nerves and emotional /psychological state of mind. It is regarded as a mild sedative and anti-depressant. It is increasingly used in treatments for conditions of stress: nervous tension, peptic ulcers, heart disease, among others." www.rosemagazine.com/pages/therapeutic.asp

                                              
Wow!   I am always amazed at the healing properties of the plants!  Not only are they beautiful but so generous.  They feed us and the animals, cloth us and give us medicine and beauty!  Sister Susan's Cowgirl Face Wash & Scrub is available at the Winnsboro Emporium, located on Main Street in  Winnsboro, Texas or contact StarDragonfly Herbals at 903-866-3606 or stdragonfly@yahoo.com.  Until next time, remember you are beautiful and so, think beautiful thoughts!  Herbally yours, Susan

Beauty is not in the face;               

beauty is a light in the heart.Kahlil Gibran