in this issue
All
Aflutter Over Herbs
One very enjoyable use of herbs is the attraction of butterflies.
The sight of butterflies fluttering over herbs adds another delightful
element to your herb garden. The leaves of herbs provide food
for the caterpillar (the larval stage of butterflies) and flowering
herbs provide nectar, the main food of adult butterflies. Each
type of butterfly chooses specific plants and lays her eggs on
them. The caterpillars, with a few exceptions, are adapted to
eat only this plant.
Some butterfly nectar plants: Anise hyssop, hyssop, dandelion,
lavender, mint, beebalm, catnip, basil, coneflower, oregano,
rosemary, garden sage, summer savory, coltsfoot, chives, and
thyme
Some caterpillar food plants: (followed by the type of butterfly)
Dill (black swallowtail, anise swallowtail); Russian tarragon
(swallowtails); butterfly weed (monarch); fennel (swallowtails);
lovage (swallowtails); curry plant (painted lady); mallow (painted
lady); parsley (swallowtails); sheep sorrel (coppers); rue (swallowtails);
nasturtium (cabbage white); licorice (silver spotted skipper);
nettles (red admiral, Milbert's tortoiseshell), and violet (fritillaries).
One of the added benefits of attracting butterflies to your
herb garden is that it gives you an excuse to be a "messy" gardener.
Butterflies prefer a natural look rather than a tidy garden.
Those weeds you don't have time to pull may be just what the
butterfly is looking for! By Nancy Richter, thymeonmyhands.com
Nancy's
website
Quick
Links...
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Greetings!
It's
finally warmed up here in central Iowa, but it just keeps
raining, and raining, and raining some more. It's making
it hard for us to finish our new walkway, and paint our
buildings! But we work between the rainstorms, and wait
for it to get dry enough for us to plant our herbs.
Hopefully
you're in a spring mood too! We've got a great spring recipe,
as well as a wonderful article written by our friend Nancy
Richter of thymeonmyhands.com about herbs and butterflies.
Hopefully you'll feel inspired to use some of this information.
Here's wishing you a happy and healthy month of May!
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New Luxury Soaps - on sale!
Nancy Peterson of Marissa's soaps makes these big (5+ oz.),
beautiful luxury bars, and we couldn't resist stocking up
for the spring. Nancy has a wonderfully discerning eye and
will only sell the most beautiful looking and smelling soaps
- and the labels are just amazing! Each handcut label looks
as though it has been individually watercolored. That's why
her soaps are unbeatable as gifts.
But do make sure to try some for yourself too... these luxury
soaps are chock-full of special ingredients such as shea
butter (check out the all-shea White Ginger bar!), real
pureed cucubmer, gorgeous rhassoul clay, creamy coconut
milk, and luscious, uncommon essential oils such as bergamot
mint, black spruce, and mandarin. Nancy makes very long-lasting
bars, so these are well worth the extra dollars.
For a real bargain, purchase three or more bars and the
price drops to $6.00 a bar. An excellent value - so stock
up, and enjoy!
Need
some luxurious lather? »
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New
Item - Smudge Sticks
These smudge sticks are fat little bundles of fragrant goodness.
Naturally dried native Iowa herbs such as sage, mugwort, artmesia
and mint make a gently fragrant and cleansing smoke that is
used as a cleansing and purifying incense. Each smudge stick
is about 6 inches long and at least 1 inch in diameter. To
use, gently light one end of the smudge stick and let the
aromatic smoke cleanse and purify. Excellent for removing
negative energy or clearing your space....or if you just like
the odor. :) They're useful to have on hand and make a great
gift, especially a housewarming gift!
Herbs
for your Home »
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Lavender
Rhubarb Lemonade
We served this sweet-tart flavorful punch to our open house
customers this past Saturday and Sunday, and people really
seemed to enjoy it! The distintive flavors of rhubarb and
lavender do seem to compliment each other, and the lemonade
was a beautiful light pink color - perfect for a spring celebration.
Enjoy!
You will need: 8 stalks rhubarb, chopped, 1/2 cup dried
lavender, 8 cups water, 1/2 cup lemon juice, and 1 cup (or
more) sugar. Carbonated water is optional.
Bring water, rhubarb and lavender to boil in a large pot.
Let simmer for about a half hour, then turn of pot and let
sit until cool (or until you get tired of waiting). Strain
out rhubarb and lavender, and put them in your compost pile.
Add 1/2 cup lemon juice and sugar, to taste. Add carbonated
water, in any proportion you desire, if you like your lemonade
"fizzy". Pour over ice, and serve!
More
Herbal Recipes »
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Website
Changes & Recipes
We've added a couple of new sections to our website - a "Herbal
Home" page, where we have herbal items for your home such
as sachets and smudge sticks. We'll be adding some more items
such as moth repellent sachets and perhaps candles, so check
back if you're interested in more herbal items for your home.
We've also added a "recipes" section - the link is on the
top, by the logo. We hope to compile a fun list of herbal
recipes - both for food products, and bath and body producs.
If you have a favorite herbal recipe you'd like to share,
email us and we will post it! It's a great way to learn
more and share your favorite recipes and ideas with others.
We look forward to hearing from everyone!
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