2012 ~ The Year of the Herbs

Hi everyone!

Did you know that 2012 is “The Year of the Herbs”?

The National Garden Bureau and the Herb Society of America have teamed up to name 2012 Year Of the Herbs.

This is the first time the not-for-profits have partnered in their missions to promote gardening and educate people about growing plants.

How exciting is that for Troy and I! We are hoping that this year DTL Herbs will be a fun and prosperous year.

And since this is the year of the herbs, I plan on sharing tips, ideas, how-to’s, recipes and lots of other fun things.

Spearmint from our garden

As part of owning an Herb Business, we do a lot of educating. And we love doing that! We give presentations, classes and just talking to folks who stop by our booth at the Farmer’s Markets.

Here is a pretty good summary definition of herbs:

What the word “herb” really means
A very fitting definition that defines herbs by their usefulness rather than by their appearance or botanical structure was coined by Holly Shimizu, director of the U.S. Botanic Garden. Holly says, ―Herbs are defined as plants (trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, biennials or annuals) valued historically, presently, or potentially for their flavor, fragrance, medicinal qualities, insecticidal qualities, economic or industrial use, or in the case of dyes, for the coloring material they provide.

Source

I am going to be “dabbling” in some different herb uses in this coming year. Most of our business is in the culinary area of herbs. We do offer a fantastic Herbal Salt Scrub but, I have been wanting to experiment in other non-culinary areas. So, I thought 2012 is the perfect time to play with herbs!

Right now, Troy and I are pouring over seed catalogs and online seed sites decided what new herbs we will add to our gardens this year. This is one of our favorite times of the year~~Dreaming and preparing for Spring!

If you are into gardening whether it be flowers, herbs or vegetables, this is the time of the year to start planning out your gardens, beds, pots etc.

 

This week, I am giving a presentation along with a demo on Victorian Tussie Mussies. I will be discussing the different usage, meanings and history on herbs and flowers from the Victorian Era. I am excited. It should be a lot of fun. It will also be our first non-culinary herb presentation.

So, have you been dreaming of Spring? Can’t wait to get outside and get your hands into the soil?

DTL Herb Blends Make Great Spreads!

Hi everyone!

New years day we created a fun finger food dinner for my parents. One of the things we made was a platter of different spreads and breads. With Super Bowl right around the corner, I thought I would share the different spreads that we made using our blends.

Super simple to make because all the ingredients are already in the package of blends except the cream cheese!

1 packet + 1 block of cream cheese = spread

How easy is that!

The blends we used were:

Mediterranean Style Seasoning

Chive and Dill Vegi Dip

Poultry Blend

Dipping Oil Herb Blend

It is best to make the spreads a day or two before you want to serve them. It gives it time for all the flavors to fully develop.

***Note: Although we used one package of herbs to one 1/2 pound block of cream cheese, you could actually use one package to make up to one full pound. The longer they sit in the refrigerator, the stronger they get, and after about a week, they were pretty intense, so if you have time t make them a week in advance, you wouldn't need as much. So, this weekend is the perfect time to get them ready for Super Bowl Sunday.

We shaped them into logs and rolled them up in wax paper, you could use plastic wrap instead if you wanted.

Serve with breads and/or crackers for a delicious and different spread!

Your guests will love them!

I have to confess we all decided that both the Chive and Dill Vegi Dip and the Dipping Oil Herb Blend were our favorites! We like them all but, these two really stood out as new favorites!

If you want to purchase any of our products, Troy will be at the Lincoln Park Indoor Farmer’s Market the day of Super Bowl from 12:30-4:30.

If you want to purchase before then, just call us at:

734 265 0358

or email us at:

dtlherbsltd@gmail.com

If you can't make it to the market, give us a phone call or an email and we will work out a way to get you the product you need. 

Off to School We Go!

Hi everyone!

Troy and I have decided to return to school and get our Master Gardener Certification. It just made sense to us since we have a herb business.

Our table at a local Farmer’s Market this past summer. 

We both love to grow herbs, veggies and flowers so, going back to school to acquire new skills and knowledge is exciting to us.

Our Future Master Gardener taking care of “her” herb bed.

A big part of getting the M.G. certification involves volunteering with the community and educating others.

One of our herb presentations

We do presentations at different venues.

Growing Basil at the local high school greenhouse (hydroponically)

We are a volunteer business partner with a local high school agriculture program.  Troy has been working extensively with the kids regarding herbs and composting.

End of the year tea herb harvest.

In the Spring I will be working with the kids in creating tea gardens and how to create blends.

We love working with the public and educating as much as we can. We have a small herb garden in the Princess’s preschool class. Kids are so eager to learn. So, working with children is one of our favorite volunteer projects.

So gaining more knowledge and being able to share that is something we are really looking forward to!

Sharing a Little from Our Recent Show

Hi everyone!

We had a show last night in Wayne so, I thought I would share a little of our table.

Most of you know that DTL Herbs LTD stands for Diann, Troy and Lia. Well, the little Miss Lia part of this company decided she wanted her own product to sell. One that she could make by herself.

This is what we came up with.

She has packaged a blend of herbs and oats to feed Santa’s reindeer. She is so excited to have something to help out Santa on his big night!

She sat at her little table and asked people if they would like to buy her new product!  She is very proud of this!

We also introduced our new Herbed Salt. This salt blend is 50% salt and 50% freshly dried herbs, including a touch of onion and garlic. You are going to love it! As we worked to get the blend just right, we would test it on freshly popped hot popcorn. Oh, it is fantastic on popcorn! When those herbs hit the hot popcorn you instantly get the scent of the herbs! And the heat just opens up the herb flavors!

We also introduced our new service of offering Custom Labels. We will customize your label for free when you order a dozen or more of the same product. 

And we do presentations. We have different herb related presentations to offer your group. It doesn’t matter if it is just a small or a huge group, we are happy to work with you to customize the presentation to your needs!

That’s what is new with us here at DTL Herbs LTD. Hope to see you at some of our upcoming shows!

Taylor Town Trade Center

We have made arrangements to be at the Taylor Town Trade Center on Ecorse Road every Friday from Noon to 6:00 pm.

We had hoped to be able to start that this week, Nov 4. But a scheduling conflict is keeping that from happening.

Please accept our apologies.

And as always, if you need product and are in the downriver area, just give us a call and we will make arrangements to get you what you need.

Look for us at Taylor Town every Friday beginning November 11.

Rubbed Sage.

Have you ever seen a recipe that calls for rubbed sage and wondered whether there was any difference between rubbed sage, ground sage and dried sage?

Well, there is.

Sage, (salvia officinalis) is a Mediterranean herb with a very intense flavor.



Although many purists will tell you that the only good sage is fresh sage, there are actually many applications for dried sage.

If you buy Dried Sage, you will generally find dried whole leaves in the jar.
You can use them whole in chicken soups or other similar applications where you want the flavor but not the leaves. Leaving them whole makes it easier to remove the leaf after you are done cooking.

If the entire leaf is ground into a fine powder, this is called ground sage. It is dense and heavy, like any powdered herb.


Rubbed sage consists of dried sage leaves that have been rubbed between two hard objects, (your hands will work just fine to make your own) so that the soft outer part of the leaf crumbles away leaving the harder stem to be discarded.

Rubbed sage is light and fluffy and looks almost like cotton.

There are many reasons to use rubbed sage instead of ground sage.

Rubbed sage, because of the friction, has the oils already disturbed so they will release into your food more quickly.

Rubbed sage also is lighter, and less concentrated, so a teaspoon of rubbed sage will be less intense than a teaspoon of ground sage. Sage can be a very intense and overpowering herb, and using rubbed sage in place of ground sage allows you to keep the sage flavor more subtle.

If you are following a recipe that calls for ground sage, and you want the sage to be a dominant flavor in the dish, you would need to use twice as much rubbed sage to have the same amount of flavor as ground sage.

You can make your own rubbed sage by taking a dried leaf of sage between your hand, holding it over a plate, and rubbing it briskly between your palms. The powdery soft portions of the leave will crumble away onto the plate leaving the hard stem in your hand.
The stem part is edible and has flavor, but is tough and will feel like you are eating sticks and twigs if you get it in your mouth when you bite into your stuffing or sausage.

The stems can still be used to brew tea or in any other application that will be strained or filtered before serving.

Herbed Olives

Hi everyone!

I love olives. I mean looove olives! I could just sit and eat a jar of them while watching tv. And I really love the gourmet olive blends you can find at olive bars in grocery stores or specialty shops.

I took these pictures at our local Kroger store.

I try to stay away from this section of the store! Why?

That’s why! Now don’t get me wrong, I have had many lack of willpower moments. I am only human after all.

Today, we are going to make our own gourmet olives! Yum!

Here is my basic recipe. I do make different flavors with different added goodies. I will give you those ideas at the end of the post.

What you will need:

• And airtight container
• 2 Tbs Olive oil
• 2 cups olives (your choice)
• 1 Tbs fresh Rosemary (about 1/2 if using dried)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbs Fresh Oregano (1 Tbs if using dried)
• 2 Tbs Fresh Lemon Zest

In a bowl add olives and olive oil and mix. In a mortar (or bowl) add all the other ingredients and mash up. I add a little of the olive oil. You don’t need it to be completely paste like. You just want to bruise everything so the oils are released. Add to the olives and mix well. Refrigerate for one week. Of course, I have rarely let them sit that long. I just can’t help myself!

These would be so pretty in an old canning jar with a label and ribbon and given as a gift. I will be making gift baskets for the holidays and this is one of the things I plan to include.

With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, you can get good sales on olives. I used all fresh herbs from our garden plus garlic we just harvested. So, this is a very thrifty way to have gourmet olives. Way cheaper than the olive bar prices.

These are so nice to have when you have friends over. Create a little appetizer plate for everyone to nibble on.

 

Other things I add to  olives are:

Jalapenos

Lemon thyme

Pickled Cocktail onions

Marjoram

Roasted Red Peppers

Just go to your local olive bar and see what different things are added to all the olive combinations. Lots of fun ideas and tasty!

**Edited from original post at The Thrifty Groove.

Big Buck Contest

We are pleased announce our Big Buck Contest.

(And for those who got offended when I suggested they enter, please note, it is A Big BUCK Contest, not A Big Butt Contest.)

Here are the rules:


This contest will be coordinated through Facebook, so in order to enter, you,

must have, (or have access to), a Facebook account.

Here’s how it works.

Pick up a postcard with the DTL Herbs LTD logo on it from any of our market or show locations. Let us know you will be participating.

When you get your big buck, make sure at least one picture of you and your deer includes the postcard, (or any of our products,) with the Logo clearly visible. If we can see our logo, your face, and your deer, the picture qualifies.

Post the pic of your buck on Facebook, and share a link to that photo on our wall at

www.facebook.com/dtl.herbs.ltd. You are now officially entered.Winner

The first 5 people who enter by posting a qualifying pic will receive a free packet of Hunters Blend Dry Rub.

We aren’t Boone and Crockett or Pope & Young, so don’t worry about official scoring. All those numbers get confusing, (and don’t even get us started on normal vs. abnormal or typical vs. non-typical). Just count the number of points.

The qualifying entrant with the most points, whose photo is linked to our Facebook wall, will be deemed the Biggest Buck

The person who posts the Biggest Buck photo will be the winner of our Big Buck Contest, and will receive a Deer Hunters Gift Pack containing One package of Hunters Blend Dry Rub, 1 jar of Applemint Jelly and One package of Chili Seasoning.

In the event of a tie, a winner will be selected from among tied entrants by random drawing.

The contest ends and a winner will be selected Nov 18, 2011. The winner will be notified through face book.

A Big Thank You!

Hi everyone!

Just a quick note to say thank you to all our wonderful customers and the great vendors for making the Wyandotte Farmer's Market so much fun and such a great success! Today was our last market day for Wyandotte and what a beautiful day it was!

We are still at the Wayne, Livonia and Redford Farmer's markets.

Keep checking back here often to see where we will be throughout the winter months.

Thanks again Wyandotte!

The End of the Season

Hi everyone!

I thought I would walk around outside and snap a few photos of the last of the flower blooms on our herb plants. There is a soft misting rain happening and that just draws me to our plants. I don’t know why but, when plants are gently dripping with rain I find them the most beautiful.I know, I am odd.

You all know that I love herbs. Of course, since it is our business, I REALLY love herbs. However, I have been growing my own herbs since way before I even met Troy. Even if you don’t use herbs, they are beautiful plants to surround yourself in. The uniqueness of each plant, the scent and the flowering blossoms are worth planting them.

Herbs make up a huge part of English Gardens. They really became popular during the Victorian Era.

By Victorian times although physicians were the ones with the power as far as healing was concerned, the poorer folks still preferred herbs and while it might seem obvious that it was because it was all they could afford, it was also normal for rich people to have at least one of their servants to be skilled in the use of herbs so that they had remedies to hand for any illness that should strike.

There are just so many uses for herbs that have nothing to do with culinary uses.

So, come and walk with me among our herbs.

Oregano

Oregano has a very ancient reputation and has been used in both the kitchen and the sickroom since the time of the ancients. The Greeks used it extensively, both internally and externally as a remedy for narcotic poisons, convulsions and dropsy. Oregano oil and leaf are both strong herbal antibacterial agents due to the high thymol* content. Externally, the dried leaves and tops may be applied in bags as a hot fomentation to painful swellings arthritic joints and rheumatism, as well as for colic. Oregano tea is a strong sedative and traditionally used to treat colds, fevers, and painful menstruation.

Bonus Tidbits

We have been working on creating a line of herbal teas. I have played with tea that I used some Oregano. When steeped in a tea, it really does help in relaxation.

*Thymol is also the active compound in Thyme, hence the name.

Marjoram

The medicinal qualities of the oil extracted from Sweet Marjoram - Oleum majoranae - are similar to that of the Wild Marjoram. To get fifteen ounces of the oil requires 150 lb. of the fresh herb. On being kept, it assumes a solid form. It is used as an external application for sprains, bruises, etc., and also as an emmenagogue.

Sweet marjoram is known mainly as a culinary herb and is used to season soups, salads and vegetable sauces.

Basil

Cinnamon Basil

Basil is more than just a culinary herb for herbalists. They use it to improve appetite and gently combat fatigue. Like other herbs in the mint family it is carminative and disinfectant. The fresh picked leaves make a stimulating and refreshing tea. Basil has also been used as an aphrodisiac, and for melancholy and depression.

Basil First Aid for skin: Fresh basil leaves are an excellent first aid remedy for warts, insect bites and rashes. The leaves are the source of the antibacterial essential oil which gives basil it's uplifting aroma, and is the bane of insects as well. This is really handy when you are out tending to the summer garden, and are bitten. Just snip a few basil leaves and rub them on the itch for immediate relief.

Bonus tidbit

Also use Savory for insect bites. I was stung in the neck one evening by a wasp. It instantly swelled and hurt like a son of a gun. Troy grabbed several Savory leaves, smashed them and held them to the sting. Within 2 minutes the swelling and pain was gone.

Peppermint

Of all the mints, peppermint is now probably the most widely used of all, due to its high content of menthol. Peppermint has a antispasmodic effect that soothes stomachaches and is effective in colic and flatulence. Externally peppermint oil is used in pain relieving balms and massage oils. Menthol is cooling and analgesic, and increases blood flow to the painful area. Peppermint oil also contains azulene, which is known for it's anti-inflammatory and ulcer healing effects.

Spearmint

Spearmint has much the same properties as peppermint, but is milder and good for use with children's complaints. Spearmint tea will relieve hiccough, flatulence as well as indigestion. Generally, the sweetened herb tea is an excellent remedy, and is also a pleasant to use in case of colds, congestion or just as a pleasant beverage.

Interesting tidbit

Spearmint tea may help to control excessive hair growth in women, say Turkish researchers. Drinking the tea twice a day, reduced levels of male sex hormones, which can cause excessive hair growth (hirsutism) on the stomach, breasts and face.

Feverfew

Feverfew inhibits platelet aggregating in the bloodstream, thus preventing blockage of small capillaries. This action is one of the reasons behind feverfew's popularity in treatment of migraines. It has a mild tranquilizing effect and is especially good for headaches caused by tension or fatigue. Feverfew has been used in the treatment of headaches since the first century. It has also been used for inflammation, arthritis, menstrual discomforts, fever, and other aches and pains

Garlic Chives

This was our first year to add these to our garden. I love them. Last week these cluster of pretty white flowers were so dense and beautiful! I definitely want to divide these up next year and get a lot more growing! and the flavor is wonderful!Found in kitchen gardens since the early 1800s

Lime Mint

With so many flowers dying out for the season, some are just showing their pretty petals.

This pretty pink petunia just popped up in some mint. I never planted it.

Thank you for joining me in my walk through our garden. I know you are a little chilled and slightly damp so, come on in and warm up with some black tea infused with some cinnamon basil.

I used standard black tea bags and added about 6 large bruised Cinnamon Basil leaves. Once in the pot with hot water, let steep for 15 minutes.

Ladies Night

Hi everyone!

Well, my mom and I set up a table at the Ladies Night in Wayne, MI last night. Unfortunately, it was a very low turn out of people. However, we had fun anyway. Since Troy is generally the one at the markets, it was a great opportunity for me to meet other vendors and some of our regular customers. So, that made the evening fun for me.

This was before the event started. Vendors were coming in and setting up. That is our table in the right hand corner.

We need to figure out a way to keep our spare sign from curling up.

  I decided to take two of our sweet jellies and create a spread with them. I made one with Lemon Verbena & Rosemary Jelly and the Applemint Jelly. I used one jar of jelly and one block of softened cream cheese. I sampled them on Vanilla Wafers. Either one would be so good on a toasted bagel!

We ran out of ink in our printer so, I had to quickly make up handwritten signs. And if that wasn’t bad enough, in my rush to get the signs made, I misspelled one of our products! I didn’t even notice it until I got home and looked at the pictures!

We sampled Garlic Jelly and Jalapeno Jelly on crackers.

  I set up the table completely different than Troy’s usual Farmer’s Market table. That is the fun thing about being in an indoor venue. I never had the opportunity to demo the Salt Scrubs even though I was all set up to do so.

The Wayne Chamber of Commerce is having another event in November. I am still up in the air as to whether we will set up again. We had a lot of fun but, they need to have a lot more advertising and promotion of the event.

It really was fun to meet other vendors and some of our regular customers! I told Troy that I need to get out of the behind the scenes a little more and go out and play! LOL