Big Sigh of Relief...

You know that kind of sigh that emanates from your toes when a three or four month project that looms daily is complete?The 2009 Herbal Hands Workshop Schedule is FINALLY finished, copied onto several calendars, published on the website and on several hundred paper copies that sit waiting for distribution today and tomorrow. The classes are always held on the first Saturday of every month, but this year, I decided to add in a sprinkling of Wednesday evening classes, as well, for those who don't want to give up a precious Saturday. Wait, did I just finish booking nearly every Saturday of 2009?? Gulp, well... yes I did, but I can't think of a better way to spend glorious Saturdays and Wednesday evenings, spanning three seasons than with cool friends who love herbs, too! Time to kick back for an hour or so on this dreary afternoon and revel in my accomplishment... At least until I go out to the barn and start unpacking all those enormous boxes with greenhouse parts in them that arrived today!!! I need one hour though...just one.

Let's Make Soft Cheese!

I've been a little behind getting the 2009 schedule onto the website even though my own 2009 calendar has been filled for over a month. Time to transfer the data!!First things first...let's eat! Saturday, March 7 from 10- 12:30 pm : Let’s Make Soft Cheese! First cheesemaking class offered in 2009! It's so easy to make fresh soft cheese with cow or goat milk and culture. We will go through the simple processes of making a fresh cheese like Chevre’ or Fromage Blanc. Unlike cheese that needs to be aged and carefully tended for months, fresh cheeses are ready to eat within a day and can be easily incorporated into any kitchen routine using basic kitchen equipment. After the basics are discussed and demonstrated, we will get our hands pleasantly 'dirty' by rolling freshly made cheese into fresh chopped herbs and toasted almonds. At the end of the class we will taste a variety of herbed cheeses served with fresh baked whey bread, fruits, nuts and beverages!! Informational handouts and resource list included. Packets of culture and basic supplies will be available for purchase. The cost for this class is $50 and will include a copy of Ricki Carroll’s Book “Home Cheese Making” and one packet of culture of your choice!! Register early…this class has been wildly popular!

Incense and Love Beads!!

COOL NEW CLASS!!! JUST ADDED!
Saturday, November 1^st from 10-3: Incense and Love Beads

We’re pulling out the tie dye and dusting off the old Joni Mitchell albums to hang out with groovy guest teachers ‘The Twisted Sisters’: Tina Sams (www.EssentialHerbal.com) and her sister Maryanne Schwartz (www.lancastersoaps.com ) and (www.torchsongstudio.com)
In the morning they’ll discuss the many different ways incense is made and burned and show us how to make incense cones using sandalwood and frankincense. You will take home your own hand-made cones and the knowledge needed to continue making your own incense for holiday gifts and home use. In the afternoon, we’ll learn to make fragrant herbal beads with dried plants from the garden or herb shop. Tina and Maryanne have developed a handy method that can be done during class hours that is limited only by your own imagination. Any plant at all can be used for bead making, and they look beautiful when used in conjunction with conventional glass, wood, or clay beads. You'll take home instructions and some beads that you've made - along with the knowledge needed to go on and make more beads on your own. Feed your herbal head with the Twisted Sisters at the Farm at Coventry pad! It’ll be outa sight! Cost including materials is $40
*Basic supplies for do-it-yourself will be available for purchase from Farm at Coventry on the day of class. Register soon....this is attracting some far-out attention !

From Lemons comes Lemonade

...or, in this case, organic apple cider slushies! Follow along, if you will. Saturday morning, I was scheduled to teach a two hour class on "Cleaning Green" at Willow Creek Orchards about 30 minutes northeast of here. I planned to leave an hour early to get there with plenty of time to spare. Pack car. Check. Handouts and supplies abundant. Check. Freshly ironed apron on , bucket filled with rubber gloves, natural cleaning supplies, herbs, vinegars, essential oils. Check. Leaving on time, gas tank full, say goodbye to goose on roof...Check. Smoooooth sailing, right? Wrong. Insert sound of figurative screeching brakes here...the sound of a perfectly scheduled morning coming to a screeching halt. Just fifteen minutes from home, the major highway going east turned into a sudden two lane parking lot for as far as my eyes could see. We're talking 20 miles. Fast forward through the next two hours through inching traffic which included 6-8 cell phone calls, sucking diesel fumes, ignoring angry motorists, appeasing 10+ waiting class participants and at least one frazzled driver fighting back tears. The decision was made from the highway: Class canceled...refunds issued. sigh. Everyone was disappointed. Traffic snarls are simply a 'natural' disaster of this crowded world that cannot be avoided. Once I finally got off 'Disaster Highway', I decided to forge ahead towards my final destination anyway, at the invitation of my most gracious hostess, Melissa Smith, whose cheerful voice at the other end of the phone helped to keep me from falling apart during the two hour trek. She offered a hot drink, a sweet treat and state-of-the-art composting bathroom facilities for the weary traveler. I was completely sold by the end of her sentence! Melissa and I had never met, communicating almost entirely by email since early February, but by the time I had arrived at the orchard, I was greeted with the sort of big warm hug shared only by those who have experienced an ordeal together! While I enjoyed my treats, Melissa shared the dream that she and her husband Drew had for this 140 acre tract of land and how they made that dream happen. The family farm is the first and only certified organic produce farm in Montgomery County. It's a true hard-working fairy tale of vision and commitment for this young couple...oh, and did I mention three little ones under the age of five?? And many loyal customers who are greeted on a first name basis? And a cheerful dedicated staff? Something great is happening here. Before I left to head back home, it was decided that not only would my "Cleaning Green" class be rescheduled, but an additional series of classes would be added along with a prominent spot for the Farm at Coventry product line, as well! This is the kind of 'good people' partnerships that make the world go 'round for me. After a nice walk around the orchard, blissfully enveloped in the scent of sweet apple blossoms, I was calm, satiated and ready to drive home...in the end,it was most definitely worth the time it took to get there. In fact, I can't think of a better final destination. Next time, though, I take the scenic back roads.

Dreaming the Herbal Garden

In anticipation of four inches of snow overnight, I had Farmer Tom lined up to come early to plow the driveway so that my "Garden Dreamers" could get to class this morning, no matter what the weather!! A severe case of cabin fever suddenly feels terminal under a brand new blanket of white stuff. This class would NOT be canceled. Fortunately, to everyone's surprise we got nary a flake and woke to a brilliant 42 degree morning. The perfect antidote to spring fever is workable dirt!
We pulled out inspirational gardening books and seed catalogs, began to mold and define our herbal wish lists and reviewed growing habits for a large variety of herbs and edible flowers. Even threw in a garden slide show for colorful visual identification.
We dreamed of damask roses and rose petal jam, anise hyssop flowers tossed into heirloom tomato salad, pesto (always pesto) , and goat cheese rolled in chives and chive blossoms. I have a distinct feeling that we will be eating really well at class this year. The photo recipes we looked at were so enticingly beautiful...
We talked about documenting everything in a garden journal from the size of the tiny seeds to the finished purpose of growing the plant. Today I accidentally said the "life style" of a plant, when I meant to say "life cycle". In retrospect, I feel alright with my faux' pas du jour. Successfully 'dreaming the herbal garden' is truly about getting in touch with our own natural life styles as much as that of the plants we wish to know and grow. The proper nurturing and cultivation of the two, make for a happy creative gardener and a happy fruitful garden...and that's what it's all about.