RICHMONDROOSTER Thoughts for June Basil (Flowers Included) in Salads
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The Something toCrowAbout June 2019 RICHMONDROOSTER Thoughts for June basil (flowers included) in salads. Basil, tarragon, Karen O’Brien cilantro, and parsley, which taste best when used fresh, can be harvested, then chopped and put in ice cube trays Jottings in June with a little water or oil and popped in the freezer. Once AND what is so rare as a day in June? frozen, take them out and store in freezer bags for future Then, if ever, come perfect days; use. They make an excellent addition to soups, stews, Then Heaven tries earth if it be in tune, sauces, and other dishes in the winter months, or in stir And over it softly her warm ear lays; frys and other sauted dishes. Annual herbs, such as Whether we look, or whether we listen, sweet marjoram, summer savory, dill, and fennel can We hear life murmur, or see it glisten; be done the same way or dried. If you wish to dry your Every clod feels a stir of might, herbs, gather them together mid-morning on a dry day, An instinct within it that reaches and towers, and fasten them in small bunches with an elastic. (If And, groping blindly above it for light, you use string, as the plants dry and shrink, the string Climbs to a soul in grass and flowers; will not be tight enough to hold them, causing you to —James Russell Lowell either re-tie or otherwise secure the bunches.) The herbs need to be dried in a dry, dark, warm, and well venti- June in New England has to be one of the best months lated place – an attic is ideal. Light will cause the herbs of the year. There is possibly no greater time to enjoy to lose their color, so darkness is essential. I have heard the out-of-doors. June brings warm weather, lots of sun- that using a car trunk on a sunny day will produce good shine, and a surge of growth for plants. We can enjoy results – just lay your herbs on an old window screen the long days and savor the scents of the season. There or netting and put in the trunk. You know how hot it can is still time to plant, especially in the beginning of the get in there in summer – so check the herbs in a day or month. Heat loving plants, such as eggplant, peppers, two. The idea in drying herbs is to dry them quickly so tomatoes and basil, should be planted now. Remember that the oils concentrate in the leaves, giving you supe- to water if we hit a dry spell or stretch of very hot rior flavor. After they are dried, you can keep them in a weather. One good soaking is worth more than several dry place, or strip the leaves from the stems and place “showers,” so water heavily once rather than lightly a in jars or bottles. few times. A wonderful herb blend you can make is Herbes de Try to get ahead of the weeds – they will grow Provence. Sold often in specialty stores, it’s easy to faster than your plants and compete for moisture and make your own with herbs from your garden. nutrients. I have had great success with using grass clip- pings from my lawn as mulch for my tomatoes. Place HERBS AND NATIVE PLANTS FOR SALE some in handfuls around your plants, and keep adding Call or email for list of available plants. as the summer goes on. You don’t want to just dump Heirloom Tomatoes – Hot Peppers them in a pile, as they will get clumped and slimy and smell as they decompose. Fluffing the clippings as you WORKSHOPS and DEMONSTRATIONS place them around the plants will ensure that they are aerated and dry out a bit. If you have some shredded THE GREEN WOMAN’S GARDEN leaves in there, all the better. Karen O’Brien 413-225-2144 It’s time to start pinching back your herbs, too. This www.greenwomansgarden.com will keep them bushy and producing. Use the tips of 1 Herbes de Provence Using dried herbs, blend: 3 tbs. sweet marjoram 3 tbs. summer savory 2 tbs. thyme 2 tbs. rosemary 1 tbs. lavender 1 tsp. sage (It is interesting to note that lavender is not included in mixtures made in France –apparently they added it for the tourists who loved the fields of lavender! – I love the flavor of lavender in the blend, though you could substitute fennel if you don’t have lavender flowers) Looking down at the East Branch of the Tully River from the Jacob Hill Another way to make use of your herbs is to make Overlook on the Tully Trail herb pastes. If you have a food processor, this is a snap, top of the grade, turn right to get to the Jacob’s Hill but it can also be done with a mortar and pestle. Pulse overlook. the herbs (cleaned and dried and stripped of stems) in The overlook is spectacular. It is on a cliff several the food processor, then add some good quality olive hundred feet above the East Branch of the Tully River, oil, a little at a time, until you have a spreadable paste. looking down into the river valley. The river curves and I usually do this with basil, garlic scapes, and some meanders south into Long Pond and Tully Lake. Tully other herbs that I like to have on hand year round. I then Mountain, Mt. Grace, and Ball Hill (Warwick, MA) are take the paste and spoon it into snack-size plastic bags, visible in the west beyond the river. We could pick out spread the paste evenly in the bag, and then squeeze as Northfield’s Mt. Stratton by the snow-covered field in much air out as possible. These I put into another front of the NET shelter on the mountain. We were also freezer bag marked with the herb. These will keep well able to see one of the east-facing ski mountains in Ver- into the year. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions mont, identified by the ski trails that were still snow- you might have regarding herbs or gardening. I’m al- covered. Other distant hills to the south of the ski ways happy to share and would love to hear from you. mountain must be the Berkshires. We saw several [email protected] turkey vultures and a red-tailed hawk circling below us. Backtracking from the overlook, we continued Jacob’s Hill and Spirit Falls in Royalston – straight on the ridge path past our turn-off, heading the Tully Trail and the Tully Dam south on the ridge towards Spirit Falls and The Ledges. Flood Control Project This is a lovely ridge walk. You can see the steep drop- Carol Jameson and Jon Hill off to the west, down to the valley. In about a third of a Jacob’s Hill and Spirit Falls mile, the trail intersects Spirit Brook and Spirit Falls, This walk is about two miles with slight ups and downs which was racing with the wet weather we have had. and lots to see. To get to the trailhead, take Route 32 We walked down the trail towards the base of Spirit South from Four Corners to Route 68 in Massachusetts, Falls for a while. Very dramatic. If it had been less wet, turn left on Route 68 a few miles until you see the park- we would have crossed Spirit Brook at the top of the ing area on the right for the Jacob’s Hill trailhead. falls and continued on to the Ledges – another overlook There is an information board with a map at the trail- that has dramatic views to the west and south, and a head and the trail is well-marked throughout. granite bench on which to sit and enjoy a lunch. The The trail begins in a hemlock, beech and birch for- brook was too high to cross that day, although we have est with granite ledge and boulders. It was March 27 crossed it other times when the water was not so high. when we hiked and there was still some snow and ice If the brook can be forded, we recommend the ½ mile on parts of the trail. After a level stretch, the trail curves or so out-and-back walk onto the Ledges. to the right and climbs uphill at a gentle grade. At the From the top of Spirit Falls, we did not double back 2 Jacob's Hill ridge trail to Spirit Falls Looking down from the top of Spirit Falls on the same ridge trail we had walked out on from and the Tully Dam lie at the southern end. The trail Jacob’s Hill. We took a marked trail heading east that wends along the marshland of the East Branch of the curved north to parallel our ridge walk, past a marsh Tully River, around the shore of Long Pond and Tully and signs of porcupine, deer tracks and coyote scat. Lake, past Tully Dam, up Tully Mountain in Orange, This trail took us back to the Jacob’s Hill trail we had into Warwick and up Bliss Hill. The Jacob’s Hill trail been on earlier, about ¼ mile from the car. The loop portion is a ridge walk on the eastern part of the loop, was not apparent on our outbound journey although we looking down into the Tully flood control valley.