No subject

also add lavender just for the color and fragrance.  The stalks need to be
6-8 inches.  Use rosemary as the base of your wreath, because it's strong,
flexible and doesn't shrink when it dries.   Tie 6-7 rosemary stalks
(branches) in a circle, attaching them (on the bottom) at 3-4" intervals, so
the final circle looks like a pinwheel with 3"-4" of each stalk/branch
pointing out from the circle.  Attach your other herbs to this pinwheel-like
circle.  When you stagger the placement of each type of herb around the
circle, it makes a flat wreath.  You break off what you want for cooking.

I use different size cords and ribbons for effect, but nothing smaller than
#10 cebelia crochet or it breaks the herb stalks after they have dried.
About the second day of drying the herbs have shriveled and are loose.  Wrap
a thin, colorful ribbon around the wreath to hold down the loose herbs and
hide the construction threads.  You can finish it with a bow.

These wreaths tend to get dusty, but you can remove the dust using the same
compressed air used for cleaning PC keyboards.

2 - Another easy way is to make herb bags from small netting or muslin, pink
the edges and tie off with white cotton cord.  I crochet, so this is one way
I use up all those little scraps of thread.  Place them in a clean jelly/jam
jar.  Put a label on the lid, so you know what's in them.  If it's a gift,
glue a circle of wrapping paper to the lid and put the herb contents label
over that.  They're pretty decorative on the countertop and I find I
actually use them more, than when I put them in the cupboard.  They last 8
months to a year before they start to lose flavor.

Aside, if you pick the lavender before it flowers, you can make lavender
wands as fragrant non-edible gifts.  They are non-period, but fun and easy
to make.  The instructions are in most newer herbal craft books.

have fun

Ariann
----- Original Message -----
From: Debra Hense <DHense at ifmc.org>
To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 19, 2002 8:00 AM
Subject: [Sca-cooks] a herbal related question


> I have lots of sage, oregano, rosemary, winter and summer savory, thyme
> and lemon-thyme, lavender, salad Burnet, parsley, basil, horehound,
> growing in my garden and my pots.
>
> I was thinking that I could gather and dry some of them into spice
> mixtures.  I can do a good green herbs mix, but how to fix it for gifts?
>   I have some tea bags that I can fill with the mixtures, but was
> wondering if there were other (low cost) ways of preparing it for
> gift-giving other than the plastic ziplocks.?