PecanSpringsJournal

>>Ruby's post: Happy birthday, Miss Potter!

Beatrix Potter was born on July 28, 1866, which means that she's just had her 140th birthday--and she's still remembered with affection and admiration wherever her Little Books are read. (Hey, who among us will be remembered on our 140th?)

To celebrate this great occasion, we had a Peter Rabbit Block Party. It was Molly McGregor's idea. Molly, who owns the Hobbit House Bookstore next door to our shops on the east, is an equal-opportunity idea person. Which means that when she gets an idea, all of her friends get the opportunity to participate. She is also a huge Beatrix Potter fan. In her bookshop, she has a shelf of Miss Potter's books and figurines and toys and crafts. And she and China have made a Peter Rabbit garden in the back yard, complete with a scarecrow named Mr. McGregor (who reminds Molly of her ex-husband, Max), and a rabbit-sized wheelbarrow and a statue of Jemima Puddle-duck.

When Molly got her idea about the party, she invited all the shop-owners at the western end of our block to lend a hand. Of course, that means China and me, but also everybody at the Craft Emporium (in a rambling Victorian house owned by Constance Letterman), which houses nearly a dozen room-sized shops and boutiques. Everybody thought it was a great idea--not just fun, but a good attention-getter for all of our shops. So everybody pitched in.

China and I put tables out in the garden, and Molly decorated them with Miss Potter's books, baskets of rosemary and bunches of carrots and paper dolls of Miss Potter's famous characters. The food was easy and fun. Gretel, of Gretel's Candles, brought Peter Rabbit's Cucumber Sandwiches. Delia Murphy, from the Bead Boutique, brought Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle's Cheeseball, Constance Letterman baked several loaves of Flopsy's Favorite Chocolate Teabread, and Ruth Ann Gilman (Patchworks), brought Castle Cottage Carrot Cupcakes. I made gallons of Apply Dapply's Rosy Punch, which turned out to be a great hit, especially when a couple of teenagers who were kicking a soccer ball in the alley managed to score a goal in the punch bowl. Luckily, I had a reserve supply. We had to change the tablecloth, though.

There were lots of kids, of course, most of them too young to kick soccer balls into the punch bowl. Molly kept them busy with games and pictures to color. Her big white rabbit, Peter, was the guest of honor. Mrs. Tuttle, the librarian, brought her white duck, who looks just like Jemima (especially when she wears her bonnet and shawl), and the kids had fun acting out some of the stories.

While the kids were busy, China gave the grownups a tour of the garden, pointing out herbs that Miss Potter grew in her own garden at Hill Top Farm in the Lake District: St. John's wort, soapwort, houseleeks (here in the U.S., we call this hen-and-chicks), mullein, and tansy, and a lot more. To see some photos that Susan took in the garden at Hill Top Farm, go here and click on "Miss Potter's Garden."

When the afternoon got hot (this is Texas, after all), we climbed the stairs to the Hobbit Hole Story Room on the  second floor of the Hobbit House and listened while Molly (dressed up like Miss Potter, with Peter on a leash) read The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle. And then Susan read the first chapter of her new book, The Tale of Cuckoo Brow Wood. (You can read it too: go here, click on "Books in the Series," then on Cuckoo, and on the link to the first chapter.) 

The party turned out so well and attracted so much attention (Hark sent a photographer from the Enterprise, and China will be writing it up for her Garden Page) that we've decided to make it an annual event.

Read more about Miss Potter, in Beatrix Potter: Artist, Storyteller, and Countrywoman, by Judy Taylor.

Read more about Hill Top Farm, in At Home with Beatrix Potter, by Susan Denyer.

And don't forget Susan's Cottage Tale mysteries!

Your turn. What books did you read when you were a kid that still bring you joy as you remember them? Was Beatrix Potter among them? Other favorites?

>>the merryweathers pass it along

Every so often, the Merryweathers get together and pass along a few plants--herbs, mostly, but they definitely don't limit themselves. You'll find just about every kind of trade going on in the garden of the Merryweather House (which, as you may remember, was given to the Merryweathers by their esteemed founder, many years ago.)

Let me give you an example. Dolly Sanders had extra daylilies this year (so many, she was putting them into salads and soups), but her butterfly weed had disappeared and she desperately needed more. Miss King's butterfly weed had not only survived the winter, but had prospered--what she hungered for was a dozen dayliles to control the erosion on the slope at the rear of her yard. (She also coveted Dolly's recipe for daylily bud saute.) It didn't take a video dating service to put these two needy people together. They found one another at the passalong.

Or say you're in the market for perennials. Somebody's bound to have too much of exactly what you're lacking: a pot of yarrow, a fat clump of echinacea, or sage, rosemary, or Mexican marigold mint (the South's substitute for tarragon--plus, it has a perky yellow blossom). And lots of people bring seeds to trade: coreopsis, cypress vine, sunflower. Whatever you've got, somebody wants, and vice versa.

But nobody wants a bully. For instance, one year Pansy Pride got some horsetail from an unidentified passalonger. She put it in the corner beside her goldfish pond and the next week, the entire pond was hip-deep in horsetail and her goldfish had flapped on over to her neighbor's pool. And even nicely-mannered plants have latent bully tendencies. Liberate that pretty little clump of mint under the hose connection in the back yard and you've got trouble. Sink it in a pot into the ground, and it will behave itself. (This doesn't mean you can't bring horsetail or mint to the plant passalong--just label it "bully," and put everyone on notice.)

The Merryweathers have been trading plants for long enough to know all the ins and outs, so they've come up with five important rules for a civil Passalong.

1. Your plant must come in a proper container. Do not bring it in a paper bag, a shoe box, a paper napkin, or a bucket with a rusted-out bottom. Cowboy boots are okay.
2. If you put it in a pot and call it a plant, it has to have roots. If it doesn't have roots, put it in a glass, add water, and call it a cutting.
3. Leave your aphids home alone. Nobody needs 'em. (You can bring your ladybugs, though.)
4. It is not okay to bring 10 dinky garlic cloves and take home 5 pots of basil and 5 rosemary plants.
5. Bring fresh seeds, not seeds you got from your mother-in-law summer before last. The fair exchange is 25 seeds for one plant, not 5. (You know who you are.)
6. Label everything. Put your name on it. Your real name.

A Killer Passalong Plant. Passalong plants are wonderful fun, even when you somehow lose the label. Here's a photo of a great passalong plant that our friend Chelsie Vandaveer, of Killerplants.com, passed along to us earlier this spring. It came as a tuber, about the size of a cup and with a texture like a loofa, sort of. It's growing up to be a Texas-sized plant.

Unfortunately, one of us (we won't point any fingers, but her initials are RW) lost the label. So we had to email Chelsie for the plant's name, which turns out to be Amorphophallus konjac (easier names: snake palm, devil's tongue, elephant-foot yam). Here's Chelsie's page about this plant, which grows in her garden.

Chelsie reports that our plant is the daughter of her plant (isn't that cool?) and that our plant's grandmother lives in the Selby Botanical Garden in Sarasota FL. Three generations of passalong snake palms! And if you want to solve the mystery behind the name Amorphophallus (clue: it's a visual thing), just click on the link at the bottom of Chelsie's page and study the photos. Closely. You'll get it.

And oh, yes, it's an herb. The vegetable fiber of the tuber (which can swell up to 17 times its original volume when it's soaked in water)is being studied as a possible treatment for obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol. Here's the low-down.

What's your favorite passalong plant tale? What passalong plant still makes you smile when you remember it? A rose bush from your great-grandmother? Hollyhock seeds from your college roommate who now lives in Nova Scotia? A "slip" stuck into in a soda-pop bottle? Plants have stories. Please share yours!

Read about: Passalong Plants, by Steve Bender and Felder Rushing

>>henna for beautiful bodies

Remember this scene? China and I had this discussion in Mistletoe Man. It's about me and my henna. As usual, China is telling the story. (Don't I ever get to tell?)

     The hair that showed under Ruby’s hat was such a vibrant copper that it looked as if she had put on her hat to snuff out a blazing fire.
      I opened the door and got out, blinking. “What have you done to your hair?”
     She jammed her hat down on her head. “Why? Is something wrong with it?”
     “It's very red." At the look on her face, I repented. “But on you, very red is very good. Gives you a little extra whoomf.” As if she needed it.
     “I henna-ed it last night,” she said. “With paprika and cinnamon.”
     I stood up on tiptoes to sniff. “You're right. Definitely cinnamon. You smell like apple pie.”
     Ruby smiled modestly. “Next time I'm going to try nutmeg and allspice.”

I'm not the first gal in the world to go gaga over henna. (Remember Lucille Ball? "My God, I'm outliving my henna!")

That's because this herb really works to enhance the hair tones of brunettes and redheads. And because it coats and smooths each strand, it tames unruly frizz (boy, do I know about that!) and protects the hair from damage. It is also said that henna helps to relieve tension around the eyes and forehead, as well as condition the scalp and reduce dandruff and oiliness. And it really is true that spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, as well as cloves, tea, and coffee can all affect the coloring process.

Want to henna your hair? Check out some great techniques, get the straight scoop on mixes and colors, and learn from the experts on the Henna For Hair pages. (Reliable information, too, on how to buy henna products.)

Henna (Lawsonia inermis) is a tropical shrub with ordinary-looking green leaves that, dried and powdered, work all that wonderful color magic. But hair isn't the only thing you can color with henna. Fingernails and toenails take to henna, too, but don't try this unless you're the sort of person who can live with orange nails for months. In India, women paint their hands and feet in traditional patterns in the art of Mehndi. In many Eastern and Middle Eastern cultures, the whole body was ritually painted--an art that is practiced today, as you can see in this gorgeous free calendar. Or you can read about it in the last chapter of Mistletoe Man, where China and Smart Cookie and our friends had a fabulous evening doing henna body art.

Henna was a valuable medicinal herb. In Algeria, henna leaves were placed in shoes to cool and sweeten feet. In the East, henna has been used to treat wounds, ease mild burns and stings, and heal acne. In Malaysia, a henna-leaf tea is gargled for sore throat and drunk for dysentery. Bedouins painted the soles of their feet to protect them from the desert heat, and women in Egypt used henna paste to preserve a smooth skin.

And speaking spiritually, henna is said to provide strong protection against evil influences, blessing the body and soul and keeping the wearer safe from harm.

Hey, we could all use a little of that.

Read more about henna's magic: Henna, from Head to Toe: Body Decorating, Hair Coloring, Medicinal Uses, by Norma Pasekoff Weinbert (lots of good designs, great photos, how-to)

Your turn. Have you ever used henna on your hair? What do you like/not like about it? Who's done henna body painting? What's fun about it? What's scary?

In the works. China's been busy helping the Merryweathers with their Passalong Plant Sale, and she and Molly McGregor (maybe you met Molly in "Bloom Where You're Planted," in An Unthymely Death or in Bleeding Hearts) are cooking up a big garden party to celebrate Beatrix Potter's 140th birthday. Molly owns the Hobbit House, the children's bookstore on the other side of China's herb shop, so Beatrix's birthday is a Big Event for her. Maybe we can get Molly to post something about Beatrix.

That's it for now. See you next week! (Oh, and if you have suggestions for future posts, let us know!)

>>not just for pickles!

What's happening at Thyme & Seasons this week?

There are plenty of fresh herbs ready for picking in the gardens, that's what, and we're having a Saturday afternoon workshop on herb vinegars. Everybody will make three different bottles of vinegar. You don't have to bring anything--we'll provide the herbs, vinegar, bottles, and how-to. So come on over and have some fun.

We'll start by cutting the herbs at mid-day, when the volatile oils are at their peak. Then we'll take them to Thyme Cottage (the old stable at the back of the Thyme & Seasons garden), where we'll wash and pat them dry and strip the leaves from the stems. You'll choose the herbs you want to use, pack them into the sterile jars, fill with the vinegar of your choice, and add a cap. At home, you'll put your bottles into a dark cupboard and shake them every few days. When your vinegar tastes right, it's ready to strain, rebottle, and enjoy! (Perfect for gifts, too.)

Here are some piquant combinations to tune up your taste buds. Try combining these herbs:

• nasturtium flowers and leaves, garlic, shallot, and a chile pepper with apple cider vinegar, for a zippy salad
• basil, oregano, marjoram, and lovage with red wine vinegar, to spike a vegetable plate
• lemon balm, lemon thyme, lemon grass, and lemon zest with rice vinegar, for a garden veggie stir-fry

And if you get really, really into this vinegar thing, here's something else you can try: making your own vinegar from honey, clover, dandelions. Got leftover wine? Make vinegar! One thing you need to remember, though. Vinegar looks pretty on the kitchen windowsill, but don't leave it there. Sunlight can destroy its acidity and change the flavor and color.

For lots more ideas about making and using herbal vinegars, read Maggie Oster's comprehensive book, Herbal Vinegar : Flavored Vinegars, Mustards, Chutneys, Preserves, Conserves, Salsas, Cosmetic Uses, Household Tips, by Maggie Oster

Now it's your turn! What are your favorite herb-and-vinegar combinations? How do you use your herbal vinegars? Post your ideas in the comment section.

In the works. Ruby says to tell you that if you have suggestions for future posts, all you have to do is pop us a comment and we'll consider it. Oh, and don't forget: the Myra Merryweathers are having their annual Passalong Plant Sale next Friday, in the back yard at the Guild House right here in Pecan Springs. Hot tip: I understand that Mrs. Barnscape is bringing some of those Egyptian walking onions she got two years ago from Alice Gomme. If you want some, better get there early. What? You've never met a walking onion? There's a great photo here. Time to get acquainted!

>>hey, y'all!

You're reading the "Pecan Springs Journal," an all-about-herbs companion website for the China Bayles herbal mysteries. Bloggers on this site include China Bayles, Ruby Wilcox, and their Pecan Springs friends, as well as Susan Albert, who writes these books.

Susan's going to be busy with a book tour and books for a couple of months, so we're taking a brief vacation from this blog. In the meantime, you can subscribe to All About Thyme, our free all-about-herbs weekly newsletter.