China Bayles' Book of Days (44 page)

• Hank Litton’s wool jacket reeked of Bubba Harris’ cigar smoke after Saturday night’s poker game. Lila filled the bathtub with hot water, added two cups of vinegar and a cup of strong rosemary tea, and hung the jacket to steam. She reports that it passed the sniff test.

• Mae Ruth Robbins had ants in the kitchen. “But I fixed ’em good,” she crows. “I made me up a cup of real strong tansy tea, mixed it with a cup of vinegar, and sprayed ’em. Figure if they’re brave enough to come back, I’ll hit ’em again.” Go for it, Mae Ruth!

VINEGAR OF THE FOUR THIEVES
⁵

Take lavender, rosemary, sage, wormwood, rue, and mint, of each a large handful; put them in a pot of earthen ware, pour on them four quarts of very strong vinegar, cover the pot closely, and put a board on the top; keep it in the hottest sun two weeks, then strain and bottle it, putting in each bottle a clove of garlic. When it has settled in the bottle and become clear, pour it off gently; do this until you get it all free from sediment. The proper time to make it is when the herbs are in full vigour. This vinegar is very refreshing in crowded rooms, in the apartments of the sick; and is peculiarly grateful when sprinkled about the house in damp weather.

—MARY RANDOLPH, THE VIRGINIA HOUSEWIFE OR,
METHODICAL COOK, 1860

JULY 30

In some years (not all) today is Deviled Egg Day.

Some Divine Deviltry

No doubt about it, deviled eggs are perfect for picnics, barbecues, and the Sunday church social. The tradition of stuffing eggs goes back to Roman times, while the word
deviled
came into use around 1800 to denote food prepared with piquant seasonings, such as cayenne and mustard. China says that Brian, McQuaid’s son, wolfs down three or four of her Classic Devils without taking a breath.

CHINA’S CLASSIC DEVILS

6 hard-boiled eggs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
2-3 leaves of fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
white bulb of 1 green onion, minced
green leaves of onion, thinly sliced, opened out to make
rings
freshly ground black pepper
salt to taste, or Savory Blend (August 29)
paprika for garnish

Halve eggs; scoop yolks into a small bowl. Mash well; add mayonnaise, Dijon, and vinegar. Stir in minced onion and chopped parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fill egg white halves, using a table knife

or small teaspoon. Sprinkle with paprika and sliced green onion rings. May be doubled or tripled to serve a gang.

To jazz up those Classic Devils, try these herbal additions, or experiment with your own:

•
Red-Hot Devils
: ½ teaspoon grated horseradish; 1 teaspoon minced cilantro; pinch cayenne; pinch chili powder; 1 small jalapeño pepper, finely chopped. Reserve half the jalapeño for garnish.

•
South of the Border Devils
: 2 tablespoons sour cream; ½ teaspoon cumin; 1 clove garlic, minced; 2-3 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese. Garnish with pimentos.

•
Pesto Devils
: 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil, 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme; 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley; 1 clove garlic, minced. Garnish with a caper in a green onion ring.

•
Dilly Devils
: 2 tablespoons pickle relish; substitute dill pickle juice for vinegar in Classic Devils recipe. Garnish with a bit of relish and a green onion ring.

•
Bleu Devils
: 2 tablespoons bleu cheese; 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley. Garnish with a green onion ring.

A bouquet of garden proverbs:

Fine words butter no parsnips.

A book is a garden carried in the pocket.

Tickle it with a hoe, and it will laugh into a harvest. God does not subtract from the allotted span the hours spent hoeing.

JULY 31

In some years, today is National Cheesecake Day.

Cheesecake: Not Just for Dessert

Savory cheesecakes are delightfully versatile. Here’s one you can serve as a brunch entrée, an appetizer, or a late-night snack.

MARGE CLARK’S BASIL PESTO CHEESECAKE

Crust

1 tablespoon butter, softened
¼ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Filling

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup ricotta cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 large eggs
½ cup pesto (recipe follows)
Chopped fresh basil and sun-dried tomatoes for garnish
Rounds of French or Italian bread, toasted

Make the crust
: Rub the butter over the bottom and halfway up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the bottom. Set pan aside.

Make the filling
: Preheat oven to 350°. Combine cheeses in a food processor and process until very smooth. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Pour half of cheese mixture into a small bowl. To the half remaining in the food processor, add pesto and mix well. Pour pesto-cheese mixture into prepared pan. Carefully pour plain mixture over pesto mixture and smooth to cover the entire surface. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until set in the center. Cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight. To serve, loosen from sides of pan with a knife. Remove pan sides. Chop some fresh basil and sprinkle over the top, with sun-dried tomatoes. Invite guests to slice cheesecake and spread it on rounds of toasted bread. Adapted with permission from
The Best of Thymes: An Herbal Cookbook

MARGE CLARK’S BEST BASIL PESTO

4 cups fresh green basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 cup pine nuts
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup butter, softened
2 cloves garlic, crushed
salt

In food processor or blender, purée basil with pine nuts, oil, cheese, butter, garlic, and salt to taste. Place in a glass jar. Pour a thin layer of olive oil over top. Screw on lid and refrigerate. When ready to use, stir the olive oil into the pesto.

More reading from Marge Clark (1934-1999):

It’s About Thyme
, 1988

Christmas at Oak Hill Farm
, 1994

The Best of Thymes,
1997

AUGUST 1

Today is the Celtic festival of Lughnasadh (pronounced
loo-na-sa
), anglicized as “Lammas.” It is the third of four seasonal cross-quarter days. Others: Imbolc (February 1), Beltane (May 1), and Samhain (November 1).

The ancient mid-summer celebration of Lammas (Old English for “loaf mass”) consecrated the first loaves of bread baked from the new harvest. In honor of Lammas, I planned to teach a class on herbal breads.

—ROSEMARY REMEMBERED: A CHINA BAYLES MYSTERY

The Lammas Loaf

A braided or twisted bread is traditional for Lammas celebrations. China makes hers with herbs fresh from the garden. If you’re using dried herbs, use half of the amount suggested for fresh herbs.

CHINA’S BRAIDED HERB LOAF

1 envelope active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ cup warm water
2 tablespoons melted butter, divided
2½ to 3 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano
2 teaspoons poppy seeds

In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast and sugar over ¼ cup warm water. Stir to dissolve. Add 1 cup water and 1 tablespoon melted butter. Mix 2½ cups flour with salt and chives. Stir into the yeast mixture, adding a half-cup at a time, to form a slightly sticky dough. Add the additional ½ cup flour only if necessary. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (5-6 minutes). Spray a large bowl with cooking oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat. Cover with clean, damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 90 minutes. Punch dough down. Divide into thirds. Into each third, knead a single herb: thyme in one, rosemary in the second, thyme in the third. Roll dough into three 20-inch ropes. Arrange ropes on a greased cookie sheet, side by side. Starting at the middle, braid toward each end, pressing together at the ends. Cover and let rise 45-50 minutes, until doubled. Brush with remaining butter and sprinkle poppy seeds over braid. Bake 25-30 minutes, until golden. Cool on a rack 30 minutes. Serve hot, giving thanks for the great joy of eating nutritious fresh bread! (Hint: You might want to bake two of these beautiful herb bread braids; National Friendship Day is coming soon.)

Read more about Lammas and other holidays:
Celebrate the Earth: A Year of Holidays in the Pagan Tradition,
by Laurie Cabot

AUGUST 2

National Friendship Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in August.

Friendship: Ivy. Denotes something true and lasting, and not to be changed by the beating of the winter winds.

—ROBERT TYAS, THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS, OR FLORAL

EMBLEMS OF THOUGHTS, FEELINGS, AND SENTIMENTS, 1869

Friendship, Herbs, and Flowers

We can guess just how much friendship meant to the Victorians by glancing through the various herbs and flowers that were used to describe and define it.

• Friendship—acacia, acacia rose, balsam, cedar, ivy, marigold, yellow rose,

• Early and sincere friendship—periwinkle, honeysuckle

• True friendship—oak-leaf scented geranium

• Unchanging friendship—arborvitae

• Warm friendship—pine

• “I’m thinking of an absent friend.”—zinnia

• “A great deal is to be gained by good company.”—rose in a tuft of grass

• “I rejoice in your friendship.”—yellow rose

• “I will always be a true friend.”—azalea

• “I will be your friend in adversity.”—snowdrop

• “My time with you is a pleasure.”—lemon thyme

• “Friendship warms old hearts.”—chervil

• “You are the light of my life.”—feverfew

FRIENDSHIP GIFTS

On this Friendship Day, your friends will appreciate knowing how much they have meant to you. Send them a card or a note with a small friendship gift:

• a packet of herb seeds or dried herbs from your garden (see August 3)

• a tussie-mussie (June 6)

• a jar of herb jelly (August 8)

• a passalong plant (July 27)

• a bottle of floral vinegar (March 13)

• a copy of
An Unthymely Death & Other Garden Mysteries
(China’s short story collection, full of herb lore, crafts, and recipes)

Read more about the language of flowers:

The Meaning of Flowers
, by Claire Powell

The Common Rosemary is so well knowne through all our Land, being in every womans garden, that it were sufficient but to name it as an ornament among other sweete herbes and flowers in our Garden . . . Inwardly for the head and heart; outwardly for the sinewes and joynts: for civill uses, as all doe knowe, at weddings, funerals, etc. to bestow among friends.

—JOHN PARKINSON, A GARDEN OF PLEASANT FLOWERS, 1629

AUGUST 3

Gathering and drying home-grown herbs is one of the great pleasures of herb gardening. It is rewarding to use your own fresh seasonings, and if you dry them, you will doubly appreciate each savory leaf.

—ADELMA GRENIER SIMMONS, HERB GARDENING
IN FIVE SEASONS

Your Herbal Harvest: Part I

You’ve probably already begun harvesting and using the herbs in your garden. If you haven’t, plan now what you’re going to do—above all, don’t wait until the day before your first freeze to gather and preserve your herbs!

You can begin harvesting your herbs for daily use when the plant has enough foliage to ensure continued growth. Successive harvests throughout the season encourage bushy plants with stronger leaf growth, so plan to cut back your plants and preserve your harvest frequently.

Harvest in the morning, after the dew dries but before the temperature climbs, to ensure that you’ve caught the plant when its essential oils are strongest. Here are some things to remember:

• Herbs are at their best when they’re fresh-picked. For daily use, pick just what you need. Wrap herbs in a damp paper towel and put them in a tightly closed plastic bag in the refrigerator.

• Long-stemmed herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano, savory, dill, fennel) can be kept on the kitchen counter for a few days. Strip lower leaves for immediate use and put the stems in a narrow-necked vase filled with water, out of the sun.

• Herbs produce their most intense oil concentration and flavor after the flower buds appear but before they open. Harvest at this time for most uses. Blooming plants such as basil and oregano may still be suitable for vinegars, however.

• Harvest annual herbs until frost, making as many successive harvests as possible without damaging the plant. Don’t cut too near the ground, for lower foliage is necessary for strong, continuing growth. At the end of the season, harvest the entire plant.

• Harvest perennial herbs until about one month before the frost date. Late pruning encourages tender growth that may be killed by the frost, and plants need the regrowth to see them through the winter.