Redland Evening Herb Society Online

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Posted by REHS_Newsletter at 11:53 PM | Permalink

This Month’s Speaker:  Karen

Karen works at the Fruit and  Spice Park, and will be explaining how she makes floral waters  for household and perfumery  use.
Herb of the Month: Meadowsweet

A Look Ahead:

June 6, 2007: Tracy Bossinger will be speaking
Herb of the Month: Vanilla

July 4, 2007: NO MEETING!
Herb of the Month: Lotus

August 1, 2007: Leila Werner  will teach us how to make  some of her fabulous kitchen creations!
Herb of the Month: Elderflower

September 5, 2007: Kristin  Jayd-Jimenez will be speaking  on butterfly gardening.
Herb of the Month: Dandelion

Meetings are held the first  Wednesday of each month at 7:30pm in the Fruit & Spice  Park Auditorium. All members and guests are welcome!  Our Tasting Table, Raffle  Ticket Drawing, and Door  Prize Drawing follow each  speaker.

Monthly Society Project:  Come garden with us! Meet in  the Park at 10am on the Saturday following each monthly  meeting. You get free park  admission and free herbs to  take home. 

Posted by REHS_Newsletter at 10:00 PM | Permalink

Other Names: Queen of the  Meadow, Meadwort, Bridewort, Bride of the Meadow

Description: A perennial  plant, meadowsweet can be  found in boggy or moist  soil. The foliage has a wintergreen scent, and the rootstock is highly aromatic. It  flowers in the summer, with  creamy flowers that have an almond scent.

Cultivation: Meadowsweet  prefers moist soil, in partial  shade or sun. It grows from  seed or division. It does not  like acid soil, and can be  prone to mildew in dry conditions.

Medicinal: Meadowsweet  has many traditional medical uses. It can soothe mucus  membranes (especially those  of the digestive tract), eases  heartburn, and can treat  diarrhea (especially in children). It is the plant from  which salicylic acid was first  extracted, and the name  “aspirin” derives
from its original name Spiraea ulmaria. The presence of this  compound makes meadowsweet useful for treating rheumatism, and the aches  from the flu. It is also a diuretic and is used for bladder,  kidney and respiratory issues. 

Other Uses: Meadowsweet  was a popular strewing herb  in ancient times, because of its sweet smell. It is still  used as an aromatic today.

Sources:

Encyclopedia of Herbs &  Their Uses by Deni Bown
The Complete Illustrated  Holistic Herbal by David Hoffman
http://www.bwca.cc/wildflowers/2005/ flowers20july05.htm


More About Meadowsweet:

•  The name meadowsweet is  derived from the  name “meadwort,”  rather than the habitat of the  plant. It was used  in flavoring beers  & meads.

• Meadowsweet was  one of the three  most sacred herbs  for the Druids. The  others were water  mint and vervain.

Posted by REHS_Newsletter at 09:01 PM | Permalink

The Secret Life of Plants by  Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird. Harper paperback  $17.00.

I reread parts of this book several times a year. It is a fascinating account of the physical,  emotional, and spiritual relations between plants and people.

It is mind boggling to consider  that plants have feelings and  that I can send good feelings to  a plant hundreds of miles away  and that plant will register a “feeling.” Knowing this has  given me a much greater respect for plants. I’ve always  loved gardening. I notice my  plants are healthier
when I talk  to them, tell them they are  wonderful, beautiful, etc.

There are other astonishing  stories related to Kirlian Photography, Nikola Tesla, dowsing to determine the health of plants, study of auras, etc. This  was written over 40 years ago  but is still quite interesting.  There’s so much more to this  book! I highly recommend it.      

Posted by REHS_Newsletter at 07:04 PM | Permalink

Christian Miller, a hydrologist (among other qualifications) with the IFAS extension, was our guest speaker  in April. He gave an informative and sometimes  shocking lecture on the water cycle, water use, and water conservation in Florida.

Christian teaches a class on how to create and use a water barrel in order to alleviate some of the pressures on  the ecosystem and to do our  part to use less treated water. Water caught in a water  barrel can be used for a variety of uses, but most notably for us, it is an excellent  source of
garden plant water. This can be especially valuable when we are under  water restrictions as is the  case presently.

Christian’s next class is June  9th at the Deering Estate,  but is booked. For information on upcoming workshops, try the IFAS extension website, www.edis.ifas.ufl.edu or call  305-248-3311 or email Christian at  millec4@ufl.edu.

Cost for the workshop is  $35 including the rainbarrel,  or $10 for the workshop  only (information as of this printing, subject to change).

For information from the  water management district,  visit their website:  www.sfwmd.gov

Posted by REHS_Newsletter at 06:09 PM | Permalink

 The website is still up and  forums are running. Members will be approved on a  person-by-person basis,  since this is a benefit of membership. Registering is easy, and no additional  charges are incurred for  joining the forum.

 Contact Tracy at: 305-4445612 or  tracy@triskeledesign.us

 Contact Tao at:  info@umaatantra.com

 The cookbook is nearing  completion, but if you have  some time to commit, Leah could use some assistance in entering the recipes. It is simple to do, and easily explained. Contact Leah at  shermlea@aol.com to sign  up.

Posted by REHS_Newsletter at 05:21 PM | Permalink

All members and guests are
invited (but not required) to  bring a contribution to the  monthly
tasting table. For  those not inclined toward  the culinary arts,
paper  plates, plasticware and beverages are also very welcome.

Dishes brought to the April table included: Thai Rice &
Vegetables—Tina Pavel;  Salsa & Chips—Leila Werner; Lentils & Brown  Rice—Val Mazon & Sue  Clark; Chopped Liver &
Spinach—Eliat Schmalbach;  Fruit Salad & Quiche— Leah Sherman;
Licorice Asparagus & Minted Pears— Gladys & Bruce Sutton;  After Dark
Herbal Tea— Tracy Bossinger.  

Donations are also encouraged for the
raffle table.  Tickets are on sale at the raffle table during each
meeting, and are fifty cents  each. Ticket proceeds benefit the
Society.  

Offerings on the Raffle Table included: Soap—Cheri  O’Neal;
Coleus Plant—Rick  Jacobson; White Amaryllis  Bulbs—Lisa Jacobson;
Butterfly Plant—Bruce &  Gladys Sutton; Many Baskets—David & Leah
Sherman. 

Posted by REHS_Newsletter at 03:26 PM | Permalink