The cookbook is published, and looks great!! It is chock full of member-tested recipes, and is available for a very reasonable $12. Get your copy soon!
Kristin Jayd-Jimenez gave a lovely presentation about how to share your garden with butterflies. She gave advice on how to attract both adults and caterpillars to your yard with plants that are useful to all stages of a butterflies’ life. Nectar plants are most important for adult butterflies, while
other plants provide cover and food for the caterpillars. If you are worried about destruction wrought by caterpillars, Kristin suggested planting enough for you AND the caterpillars.
Butterflies are both attractive and useful—they act as pollinators for some plants, and can be a source of food for birds and other useful insects.
Also, do not forget the most important rule of butterfly gardening— do not use pesticides on your garden (although that probably isn’t much of an issue with our membership).
This Month’s Speaker: Kristin Jayd-Jimenez Join us as Kristin Jayd-Jimenez explains the art of butterfly gardening. South Florida has many butterfly species, and you can provide them a home while taking advantage of their natural beauty. Learn how to give your garden wings!
Herb of the Month: Dandelion
A Look Ahead:
October 3, 2007: Miguel Cisneros-Abreu will be speaking.
Herb of the Month: Rue
November 7, 2007: Karen Esty returns with her floral waters.
Herb of the Month: Sage
December 5, 2007: Holiday Feast!!
Herb of the Month: Mistletoe
January 2, 2008
February 6, 2008
March 5, 2008
April 2, 2008
May 7, 2008
June 4, 2008
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.
Description: The leaves grow in a rosette from a taproot that can reach up to two feet long. A hollow stem emerges with the bud, which opens into the yellow disk of the dandelion flower. Seeds with white parachutes emerge soon after, to scatter on the wind. Dandelions grow easily from seeds.
They prefer moist to dry soil, in full sun.
Culinary: All parts of the dandelion are edible. Young leaves can be added to salads as a green. Older leaves can be cooked like other green leafy vegetables. The roots can be roasted and ground for a coffee substitute. Flowers can be eaten raw, cooked, or made into wine.
Medicinal: Dandelions are highly diuretic, and therapeutic for liver & urinary tract. They are also full of vitamins and minerals. In Chinese medicine, they are used to treat abscesses, mastitis and other infections.
More about Dandelion:
• The blossoms of dandelions are actually made up of many tiny individual flowers.
• Dandelions have been discovered in some of the most ancient archeological finds.
• Fertility charms often used to contain dandelion
Leila Werner, as everyone who attends our meetings knows, is a fabulous cook. She is also a founding member of REHS, and was gracious enough to give a demonstration using fresh, seasonal fruits and herbs.
She began with a buttermilk panna cotta topped with spiced mangoes. Her mango and cantaloupe salsas went together quickly and easily, and provided a sweet and spicy accompaniment to the tasting table.
Another quick and tasty recipe Leila provided was for mango vinaigrette, which she whipped up in a flash and used to top a lush salad.
Many thanks to Leila for sharing her culinary secrets!
September 8: Vegetable Gardening, Container Gardening & Unusual Vegetables. 10am-4pm. $35
October 6: Authentic Thai Cooking. 10am-1pm. $25.
Held at the Buddhist Temple.
October13: Authentic Indian Cooking. 10am-1pm. $25.
October 20: Authentic Chinese Cooking. 10am-1pm. $25.
October 26: Hunter’s Moon Celebration. 7:30pm-10pm. $10 (under 12 free).
October 27: Tropical Hors d’ouerves. 10am-1pm.$25.
For more information on any of these events or to register, call the
Fruit & Spice Park at 305-247-5727. Registration is required for all
classes.
