November Meeting

The Herb Gardeners will meet Monday, November 8th at 10 am in the Community Center in The Woodlands, TX. Iris Leon, a former club member, will present a demonstration program on making Tussie Mussies (talking bouquets).

Green Eating- R. Morgan Lockwood

Dietitian, Ann Mahon, spoke of how our diet has a direct impact on our bodies and environment. The carbon footprint of our food is a subject not many of us consider. When it comes to production, harvest, transportation, processing, temperature control, and storage, it can take 7-10 calories of fossil fuel to bring 1 calorie of food energy to the American plate. That's not even considering the energy to dispose of packaging or waste afterward. We can reduce energy consumption by eating locally grown food, minimizing packaging of food, ban bottled beverages, and by having a predominantly plant based diet. Thanks Ann for sharing your Mother Earth wisdom.

Iranian Cooking

Maryam Abbasi, graciously invited the Herb Club into her home for an up-close cooking lesson. The menu included chicken and chocolate cookies, but the feature was a rice dish. Great care was taken in the different steps of preparation. Maryam emphasized the importance in the Iranian approach to rice cooking is that each individual grain is separate than the other. Thanks again to Maryam for your hospitality.

Summer Vaction

Herb Gardeners will not be having any programs during the summer months, but will resume in September. If you are a member and would like to host a pot luck luncheon this summer, contact San, our program coordinator, or Robbynn, our president. Hope everyone enjoys the bounty of their herbal gardens this season.

-Rosa Morgan Lockwood

Aromatherapy Lecture

From Egyptian tombs to present day warfare, Ruth Penney knows how essential oils have been used. She has had a colorful and varied work past from being a naval officer, working with marine mammals, a science adviser to Global Children's Fund, a toxicologist, and developing nonlethal "stinky" land mines. During her lecture, she focused on several essential oils that everyone should have in their house to help with different medical conditions. This is the kind of program that we members are lucky enough to hear. Thanks Ruth for presenting your program and being a valued member.

May Activities for Herb Gardeners

The Herb Gardeners have a scheduled clean up day for the herb demonstration garden at the South Branch Library at 9:30 am. Summer dates for clean up are July 12th and August 23rd beginning at 9:30 am.

Also, the May 10th meeting will be a program presented by club member, Ruth, on Essentail Oils and Aroma Therapy; lasting about 40 minutes. Please bring an 8 ounce container with a lid to the program.

Going Bonsai- R.Morgan Lockwood

With humor and knowledge, Master Gardener Clyde Holt
revealed how the diminutive world of bonsai
can produce a BIG impact.
Here he is with just a few of the 300 specimens that he grows.

Like most gardeners, he was generous with his expertise
and eager to share the secrets
of this ancient Japanese art form.
It's easier and less expensive than many
would have you believe.
And many plants that are suited to our locale, such as junipers, yaupon holly, and even azalea can be worked into mini-masterpieces.
The gnarled trunks that look like aged trees are really relatively young specimens.
Clyde was very modest about his abilities,
but in truth he was a true artist of bonsai.

April Meeting for Herb Gardners of Montgomery County

The Herb Gardeners of Montgomery County will meet on April 12th at the South Branch Library at 10 a.m. Clyde Holt from the Houston Bonsai Society will present the program.

March 8th Meeting

Herb Gardeners will meet on March 8, 2010 at the Community Center, the building west of the South Branch Library, at 10 a.m. Diane Cabiness will present a program on Native Plants, offering plants for sale after her presentation.

Tea Party

Savory and sweet treats were laid out for the party. Including scones of course.

Our club gathered for the photo op. Thanks Carlos for the great shot.

Lots of concentration goes into what indulgences to enjoy.

The silver tea set shone brilliantly. And the different teas were delicious.

And there was lots of gabbing going on, herbal and otherwise.

Thanks Fronica for hosting! And our hearts are with you Robbynn.

February 8th Tea Party

Pull your fancy hat and gloves out of the mothballs and get ready for our annual Tea Party. It's a time to dress up and socialize. And there's nothing like a hot scone to bring Herbies together. This year's gathering is hosted by long time member, Fronica Gonzales. Information as to location and time will be emailed to members. If you are interested in joining the club and attending the event, email herbgardeners@gmail.com.

Christmas Party

We had a great Christmas party at Stephanie and Robert's home. Sixteen guests attended bringing food and fun conversation. We gathered around for the gift exchange.

Stephanie opens her first gift and it is stolen, but she looks pleased with the next gift.

Anne, my-o-my, had so many gifts stolen. It was noted that she was having some bad luck, but in fact she was having the best luck opening so many desirable gifts. She was a great sport.

Barbara opens her gift while Robert, Anne and Ancha watch.

The men get together for a group shot. Thank you Stephanie and Robert for hosting our party. We had a great time.

The Art of Salad- R.Morgan Lockwood

I had my doubts someone could keep my attention for an hour, talking about salad. Mary Versafelt proved it is totally possible. With life long experiences and having lived around the world, Mary brought a lot to the table, besides her tasty dish. Beginning with the cultivation of the salad ingredients, discussion of the different herbs, and including the history of salad, I gained new respect for this meal staple.



A few interesting tidbits: Edible flowers are a beautiful and tasty addition to the salad. Use a teaspoon of baking soda in cooking your asparagus or green beans, to keep their vibrant green. Asian vinegar is a less acidic alternative to the usual vinegars. Use garlic chives fresh, never cooked. Flat leaf parsley is more flavorful than the curly variety. In olden time, they used a bunch of willow twigs for a whisk, and a rabbit's foot for a pastry brush. That poor rabbit!

So, throw out that tasteless iceberg lettuce, and discover the variety of mouthwatering ingredients that can make up your next salad.

Landscapers Solution 2009- Rosa Morgan Lockwood

What a fun and busy day we had at Landscapers Solutions. Despite summer-like temperatures, the crowds were wonderful and we sold every single one of our plants and almost all of our teas, sachets, culinary herbs, and potpourri. Everyone kept saying that they were led by their nose to our deliciously smelling display.

Rosa, Robbynn, Ann, Fronica, & Natasha were some of the Herbies
who manned our booth.
Jon Krenytsky (Project Manager of Woodlands Parks & Recreation)
came by to give support.

Other Herbies, not pictured, but who also helped out were Ancha, Stephanie,
San, and Barbara.

A highlight of the day was when a young man came by with a stuffed up nose from allergies and discovered from us the herbs which helped him breath. His mom went away with a Vicks plant. The best part of the whole experience is that we met lots of people interested in herbs. We hope they will come join the club and learn more.

Thanks Pres. Robbynn for coordinating everything and keeping us hydrated. And thanks to Natasha for getting the plants.
P.S. We miss you Camille. You would have been gratified by the sell of our products.

Herb Gardeners to Host Booth at Landscape Solutions

On September 26th, the Herb Gardeners will have a booth at Landscape Solutions. The event will be at 8203 Millennium Forest Drive, from 9 a.m. - Noon. We will be selling an assortment of herbs, as well as herbal crafts made by club members, such as herbal sugars, citrus and rose potpourri, lavender dryer bags, rose and lavender sachets, and bagged rosebuds.

Contact Natasha is you are available to help.

Nature's Way- Rosa Morgan Lockwood

We had a great September lecture with Linda Robbins from Nature's Way Resources in Conroe. She taught us how it's really easy and economical to do the right thing, environmentally speaking, for our homes and gardens. Whether our questions were about corn gluten meal for our lawn, or citrus oil to repel ants, Linda had the answer.
I can't wait to go to Nature's Way for my next load of mulch.
http://www.natureswayresources.com/

Peckerwood Garden Lecture Series

Peckerwood Garden Conservation Foundation will present their 2010 Winter Lecture Series during the months of January and February. A guided tour of the garden, a garden slide-show lecture and their plant sale is offered for $20 per person which consists of at least a 15 person group. If the minimum group size is not possible, on January 28, 2010 at 1:00 P.M. the garden will be open for a mixed-group date. The cost is also $20 per person.

2009 Open Days and Plant Sale:

October 17, 18
November 7, 8

The plant sale offers special select plants and cultivars collected or propagated by the garden and will be available for sale during the open days at the garden. The garden fee will not be required during their plant sale. Plant sale hours are 12:00 P.M. until 5:00 P.M.

Garden tours are at 1:oo P.M. and 3 P.M. and admission is $10 per person.

Mexican Folk Art Tours are at 2:00 P.M. only and admission is $15 per person.

Or you can do both tours for $20 per person.

For further information, visit their website: http://www.peckerwoodgarden.org/

Going Green Lecture Series

"Green Living" will be the topic for the 2009 - 2010 series of evening lectures presented by The Woodlands G.R.E.E.N. Monthly topics, October through May, will feature a broad range of sustainable living. For further information go to their website: http://www.thewoodlandsgreen.org/

July Meeting

Club members enjoyed meeting at the library for a wonderful lunch featuring herbs and vegetables from their gardens. We had a great time chatting, offering advice on gardening, cooking and future club programs.

The next meeting will be August 10th at the South Branch Library at 10 a.m. Mike Mendeck, a master gardener, will present the program on Harvesting Rainwater.

Keeping Cool in the Kitchen with Summer Herbs

Our second day program was another success. Because we were in the children's room at the library, were in a bit of a fishbowl, and this turned out to be advantageous for us. All the moms with their tots were also at the library and intrigued by the fun we were having. Four women came in to inquire. It was a great way to increase membership.

Stephanie, our Program Coordinator, kicked off the summer with a delicious culinary program. First up, she showed us how easy it is to create refreshing herbal teas and a spicy dip with cucumbers and jalapeños.

Next was Robbynn who made a wonderful appetizer with fresh herbs and goat cheese. It took real willpower for me to stop popping those tiny balls into my mouth. Recipe for the Herbal Chèvre Rollups follows: 3 Tbl. Parsley, 2 ½ tsp. Thyme, 2 tsp. Rosemary, 3 leaves Basil, 1 tsp. Coarse pepper, ¼ tsp. Salt. Roll balls of cheese into herbal mixture. Simple, but elegant! She also demonstrated a handy way of chopping herbs with the HerbPro, by Progressive. I found one for sale online at http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/product.asp?pn=FP0050&bhcd2=1244677946

Camille made a delicious Panzanella Bread Salad that will keep you from heating up the kitchen. A recipe is at the following website; http://whatscookingamerica.net/Salad/Panzanella.htm

With the chive blossoms, her presentation was really eye catching.

Even though Natasha had just returned from a whirlwind vacation, she brought a healthy Brown Rice/Curry Pilaf - recipe is as follows:
Cook Brown Rice as directed. Add 2-3 T chopped curry plant, chick peas, salt and pepper.

Thanks Ladies! And Bon Appetit!

-Rosa Morgan Lockwood

Going Green With Herbal Cleaners

Our new line up of day programs started off with a bang with our very own Fronica Gonzales. She began by saying she had not prepared as thoroughly as she would have liked, then went on to entertain and educate us for almost an hour on Going Green with our household cleaners. She pointed out the dangers of toxic cleaners not only to our environment, but to our health as well. And talked about how herbs often have powerful antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. Utilizing some of the recipes and suggestions in her handout, we are all inspired to use safer and often less expensive cleaners in our homes.

-Rosa Morgan Lockwood

May 11th Program

The May 11th meeting will be at 10 a.m. at the South Branch Library. Fronica will give a program on Natural Cleaning and Beauty Products.

April Meeting Notes

The monthly meeting was April 20, 2009 at the South Branch Library in The Woodlands, Texas. Ann Wheeler presented the program, Growing Herbs, with interesting facts regarding herbs and beautiful photos from her garden as well as photos from The Arbor Gate herbal gardens.

Margaret is stepping down as Membership chairman. Camille asked for any member who is interested in this position to contact her. Ann reminded members to pay their $25 dues and to fill out the membership information form. Due to extremely bad storms, Earth Day was cancelled and will not be rescheduled. Elissa passed around clip boards requesting special interest group ideas from members. Thank you Kiki and Natasha for the refreshments. The next monthly meeting will begin the new day time schedule, meeting on May 11th at 10 a.m. in the Big Room at the South Branch Library.

March Meeting Notes

Herb Gardeners met in the library on March 23, 2009. Business notes are as follows:
1. Service Project / Donation Ideas - Suggestions given for members to consider were purchasing books for Tamina and making a monetary donation to the Friendship Center. Past donations have included purchasing books for the library and giving to the food bank.
2. Special Events - Earth Day is scheduled for Saturday, April 18th, at The Woodlands High School parking lot (off Research Forest). Set up will begin at 9 a.m. and the event runs from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Contact Natasha if you can work the herb table that day and also if you are growing herbs to be sold at this event.
3. Community Garden - general consensus of membership was not to continue maintenance of this garden.
4. Library Garden Work Day - April 25th will be a work day at the library garden. Contact Ancha for details.
5. April Refreshments - Natasha and Kiki
6. April Meeting Program - Ann Wheeler will discuss herbs.
7. February Tea and Herb Fair Discussion - general consensus of membership was not to continue with a community wide tea and herb fair. Fronica will present options to the club for a community tea and / or herbal lecture event for later 2009 or 2010.
8. Monthly Meeting Time Change - several club members expressed a desire to hold monthly meetings during the day rather than at night and wanted membership to discuss and vote. 12 members voted to change to day meetings, 6 members voted to keep night meetings, and 3 members abstained. The April meeting will be April 20th at 7:00 p.m. Since the program speaker has been scheduled for many months, it was decided not to change the time of the meeting for April. Day meetings will begin in May, meeting the second Monday of each month from 10 a.m. - Noon at the Library.

Herbal Tea and Fair at The Friendship Center

Herb Gardeners of Montgomery County hosted a Herbal Tea and Fair at The Friendship Center in The Woodlands, Texas on February 28, 2009.

Camille welcomed members and guests and introduced the day's planned event. Ten decorated tables filled the Friendship Center with herbs, fine china and flower bouquest where each table highlighted one herb: spearmint, basil, oregano, rose, bay, parsley, lemon balm, rosemary, lavender and dill.

The luncheon included egg salad sandwiches, cheese and broccoli quiches, cucumber sandwiches, cheese and sage muffins and turkey and ham with herbed cream cheese. Also, an assortment of chocolates, cheesecake with lemon balm, lavender cookies, white chocolate ginger truffles, brownies, scones, meringues and fresh fruit were served. Earl Grey tea, Darfeeling tea and Lemon Hibiscus Tisane were served at each table.

Elissa, the key note speaker, related stories of the history and culture of tea and how in our modern lives we find solitary delight in a cup of tea or share in the joy of 'taking tea' with our friends.

Rosa thanked guests and members for the successful day. She presented our president of the herb club, Camille, a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. Prior to the tea, all members and guests were asked to vote on the best decorated hostess table and that prize went to Nancy. Her decorated table was equisite with fine china and silver pieces. Three people were selected as wearing the 'best hat' to the tea. Herbal gifts were given to each winner.

Elissa, a talented artist and club member, donated a watercolor to be given as a doorprize. The lucky winner was Barbara B., a member of the club.

Guests were invited to visit the Fair, where herbal crafts, plants and gently used herbal books were for sale.

Herbal Tea and Fair - Rose

Rosa decorated a lovely table featuring roses.

Herbal Tea and Fair - Bay

Robbynn at her decorated tea table.