The Herb Society of America,
Rocky Mountain Unit
March, 2016 Newsletter
Wild Mountain Thymes
March Field Trip
Still Rooms in Colonial America
by Pam Vogel
Still rooms have existed since the Middle- Ages. In the
Colonial period in North America these were places where the
harvests from the kitchen
garden and the field were made
into useful items for household
purposes. Depending on the
status of the house, the still
room could be part of the
kitchen or on larger estates a
separate room all to itself, or
sometimes an outbuilding. Here
edibles were preserved by
drying, pickling, fermenting, or
salting. Herbs were hung to dry
or used fresh to be processed
for cooking and dyeing or made
into medicinal infusions,
pomades, salves, poultices,
fragrant waters, sachets, soaps,
syrups, herbal pillows,
household cleaners, polishes,
and cosmetic products.
Doctors were often few and
Still Room at Haskell House
far between and shopping for
Photo from williamhaskellhouse.com
items was not an option in most
cases. It was then left up to the mistress of the house to provide all
of the above. Houses that had more wealth had distilleries where
beer was easy to brew from barley and hops or from roots such as
ginger, sassafras or spruce. When apple orchards were planted,
cider was drunk in great quantity as water was not fit for
consumption.
Still rooms were usually the domain of the woman of the
house where she either did the work herself or had servants to help
her with these tasks. On more prosperous estates the lady of the
house often carried a set of keys to chests that stored precious teas,
sugars, salt, wines, and laudanum. All of the households, whether
rich or poor, had a book of recipes that had as much importance as
the Bible. From this journal mothers taught daughters necessary
homemaking skills as well as traditions and knowledge used from
one generation to the next.
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Chocolate Exhibit
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
2001 Colorado Blvd
Lunch: 12:30 pm
Exhibit: 2:00 pm
Contact Betty Jo Page at
[email protected] for more details
RMU Booth at
ECHXPO Spring Garden Show
Friday, March 4 to Sunday, March 6
Echter’s Garden Center, 52nd and Garrison
in Arvada
See page 5 for more information.
March Herb Study Group
Monday, March 7, 2016
10:00 am to 12:00 pm,
Topic: Purple Cone Flower, Echinacea ssp.
Hands-On: Aromatic Mist, "Thieves" EO
Inquire at [email protected] for details
and meeting location
March Unit Meeting
Saturday, March 19, 2016
9:45am-12:00pm
Denver Presbytery Center
1710 S. Grant St., Denver
Program: Stenciling flower pots to sell at
the plant sale. Wear old clothes and bring
1 small/medium clean clay pot from home.
Two pots will be provided by the Unit.
Please arrive by 9:45am for refreshments
and social time. The meeting will start
promptly at 10:00 am.
April Herb Study Group
Monday, April 4, 2016
10:00 am to 12:00 pm,
Topic: Wild Bergamot, Monarda ssp.
Inquire at [email protected] for details
and meeting location
2
From the chair . . .
Spring greetings,
The recent warm spell made me want to get out and dig in the dirt. It is always hard to resist the urge to
work in the garden when it is still too early to do so. This yearning to garden made me think about the plant
sale in May. The member-grown plants are always so welcome, and I hope that everyone will check out
their seed packets and emerging plants with a view to contributing plants from your garden. The plant sale
committee will even supply you with pots and soil ready to use. Just call any plant sale committee member
to get supplies. Committee members are Betty Jo, Judy, Mark, Pat R., Pam, and Donna.
Have you checked The Herb Society’s website recently at www.herbsociety.org? If not, you will be
surprised at the information on the site. One amazing benefit of HSA membership is the webinars. Past and
future webinars are listed on the member page. There is a great write up on this year’s native herb of the
year, Mountain Mints (Pycnanthemum Michx), information about upcoming Society events and much
more. Check out the next webinar, Distilling History: The History and Production of Herbal Essences on
March 7, or watch one of the past ones. Right here in our unit, there are some exciting events in the future:
painting pots to use at the plant sale and for yourself, interesting programs, the spring cleanup at Hudson
Gardens, the June pot luck, interesting articles in The W ild Mountain Thymes, and the plant sale, to name a
few.
Happy spring,
. . . Donna
Announcement: Thymes Editors Jane and Phyllis are taking a Spring Break! The new publication
schedule will be monthly, except for May and December. There will be no May and December issues.
Please send articles and photographs for Spring events and topics by March 25 for the April issue.
About the Thymes
2015 - 16 RMU Officers
Write it! Send it in! We’ll publish it! If you are sending
something from a magazine, cookbook or other printed source,
don’t forget to include a reference. Please send
articles, recipes, photographs and other information by the
25th of each month to:
Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vice Chair: . . . . . . . . . . . .
Secretary. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Treasurer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Immediate Past Chair . . . .
[email protected]
The HSA Mission Statement
Alternatively, items may be mailed to:
The Herb Society of America is dedicated to promoting the knowledge,
use and delight of herbs through educational programs, research, and
sharing the experience of its members with the
community.
Jane Thomson, Editor
Wild Mountain Thymes
805 Compassion Dr, Apt 210
Windsor, CO 80550
or called in to (970) 686-7641.
If you would like a hard copy of the Thymes sent by U. S.
Mail, please send your request to the above address.
Donna Shelley
Mary Laser
Betty Jo Page
Mark Angelos
Karen Flanagan
The HSA Policy on Medicinal Herbs
It is the policy of The Herb Society of America not to advise or
recommend herbs for medicinal or health use. Information is
intended for educational purposes only and should not be
considered as a recommendation or an endorsement of a
particular medical or health treatment.
3
The 20th Anniversary Tea~ It Was a Wonderful Party!
Cindy & Rose
Bey Jo & Mikkie
#19. A Mystery! Can you identify
this herb?.
Speaker Margo Seymour
Pat F. & Bev
Tea Chair Marge
Catherine & Gertraud
Karen, Linda, Pam & Mark
Historian Dorothy K.
Pat R.
Phyllis watching a server
Beau)ful Tables
Scrump)ous Food
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A Journey Through Thyme: 20 Years of History
1996 to 2016
by Dorothy Kreps
[Editor’s Note: Historian Dorothy Kreps has produced an interesting, detailed and fun to read history of
RMU’s first 20 years. Members will receive the booklet at the 20th Anniversary Tea or by mail. The full
text is 35 pages and will be published in the April Thymes . However, here are a few quotations below to
whet your appetite!]
1996:
“In the first ‘Letter from the President’ by Karen Winans-Morgan. . . .What an amazing year we have had!
I am in awe of all we have accomplished. In one short year we have become a strong unit of 42 members,
designed and replanted Celestial Seasonings garden, designed and planted a good portion of Hudson
Gardens herb garden, raised over $900 through membership and plant sales after expenses, and had a lot of
fun in the process . . . ”
“ . . . With
visions of an herb demonstration garden of our own, the partnership with Hudson Gardens
granted HSA-RMU the opportunity to build our own herb garden. Melanie Goldstein headed the Garden
Committee and along with Lainie Jackson led the effort. The garden space was located near the Platte
River and gave us sandy soil, some shade from cottonwoods to the west, and a clean slate in a plot
measuring 45’x23’. Lainie and Melanie drew up a plan for a modified half pie shape, facing west from the
center pathway leading to the snack bar. A half circle plan was wedged into a rectangular plot, with 5
sections demonstrating a theme for tea, medicinal, native, potpourri, and culinary herbs. The center half
disc was for thymes and edible flowers. Each of the five members took one of these sections, planned and
planted the herbs: Melanie Goldstein, Linda Millican, Sandy Myers, Ruth Hart, and Jandee Camozzi;
Lainie Jackson and Pat Fitzpatrick took the center disc. . . . ”
2001
“President Donna Shelly wrote . . . ‘The demonstration garden at Hudson Gardens is lush and bright and
represents what we are about in a beautiful way’. She thanked everyone who helped with the Echter’s
2001 Gardening Echxpo in March. Many crafted, created and contributed to another successful DBG
Holiday Gift Sale. Also, thank you to those who helped a whole bunch of kids make Christmas herb
sachets for their parents at the Lakewood Heritage Center. The pomanders remaining after the Holiday
Potluck & Auction were donated to a charity for their residential program for women and children . . . ”
2004
“ . . . Crafting: The 41st Annual DBG Holiday Gift & Garden Market was November 12-14, 2004. Several
members of the Crafting Committee recently spent a beautiful sunny afternoon together on Norma
Harrison’s outside deck stuffing, sewing, and packaging catnip kitties. The catnip toys are just one of
many items that are being crafted for the DBG Holiday Gift & Garden Market. The busy crafters also
worked on rose and lavender-scented products, wreaths, dog soap, wrist rest pads, and much more. . . . “
2008
“. . . Field Trips: Included visits to The Berry Patch Farm, produced a bounteous harvest; days filled with
trips to The Rocky Mountain Spice Shop, Moon Dance Botanicals, art galleries, music, refreshments and a
mini-tour at the Byers-Evans mansion. Holiday visits were made to Apothecary Tinctura for a Yuletide
Gift Making class; High Tea at the Brown Palace Hotel; and Apothecary Tinctura’s “Aphrodisiac” class.
Toured Cindy Jones’ farm and herbal skincare product laboratory in Longmont; and toured Iris Bob’s Iris
Farm (Iris4u.com) at W. Amherst and Federal . . .”
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RMU Bulletin Board
Happy Birthday!
March: Tanya Faust
Nominating Committee Needs Members!
by Karen Flanagan
Per our Bylaws, at the upcoming March 19th meeting, a Nominating
Committee of thr ee member s (including me, Kar en Flanagan, as past chair )
shall be elected. That means that I need two volunteers to join me on this short
lived committee. We will then canvas our membership to find volunteers to
fill the 2016-2017 Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer positions. The elections
(by show of hands) will be held at the April 16th, 2016 meeting.
Please call Karen (303-756-7442) or e-mail her at [email protected] if you are
willing to serve on this nominating committee.
RMU Booth at the Echxpo Spring Garden Show
Friday, March 5 through Sunday, March 6
Echter's Garden Center, 52nd and Garrison in Arvada
RMU’s booth at Echter’s Spring Garden Show is a great opportunity for our
Unit’s outreach and education each year. Parking is available at the rear of the
garden center, the location is handicap-accessible and members are able to sit
throughout their shift if they wish.
Most workers shifts are now filled, but if you would like to help, please email
Mark Angelos at [email protected] .
6
RMU Bulletin Board, Continued
The Indoor Farmers Market is now open year-around from 9 am to 3 pm each
Saturday and 10 am to 2 pm each Sunday at 7043 W. 38th Avenue (W. 38th Ave &
High Court) in Wheat Ridge. For more information, please see their website:
www.fourseasonsfam.com. The website lists hours, news, upcoming special events,
gardening ideas and recipes.
Onions and Potatoes at the Indoor Farmers Market. Picture by Seth McConnell
from The Denver Post Your Hub Business Profiles
Help Wanted
Are you comfortable with computers? Webmaster Dorothy Kreps maintains the RMU
website, but she currently has no backup in case of an emergency. RMU is looking for
a volunteer who would be willing to access the web site and update information in case she
were to become indisposed. Please contact Dorothy at [email protected] if you are able
to help. Training will be provided.
Josephina's Italian Giants Heirloom Pole Beans.
At the February Unit meeting, Karen Flanagan gave out pole bean seeds. She writes “They
are a long (8-10 inch), flat bean with purple stripes which disappear when cooked. They were
given to me by a friend in Maine (Warren Richardson) and I have grown them and saved
seeds for a couple of years. They were originally brought from Italy by his friend and if
you grow then and dry some of the seeds, you will join him as ‘keeper of the seeds’".
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RMU Bulletin Board, Continued
Free Compost!
Dorothy Borland writes . . .
“ A couple of months ago, Betty Jo sent on an e-mail from Novo Coffee offering
compostable materials. My husband and I stopped by the address in the e-mail,
thinking we could have a cup of coffee and discuss their compost materials. Their
office is basically a warehouse where they process, roast and package coffee for sale
mainly to restaurants.
The chaff from the green beans is very light weight and is stored in green bags. The
used coffee grounds are held outside in a backyard composter and a Waste Management
compost container. Both are up for grabs. They also offer burlap bags that had held the
raw coffee beans. Our 'tour guide' thought they had trash pick up once a week and the
extra stuff was sent to the trash.” [Editor’s note: Novo Coffee’s e-mail says they could
arrange delivery for large amounts of chaff. The address for their roaster facility is
3008 Larimer St. and they are open to the public on Fridays from 1 to 4 p.m. ]
Routon Coffee Roasters web site says . . .
With composting, as the matter is organic, light and airy, it is ideal for
the garden compost bin. All organic matter will want to oxidize and return back to its
natural state, and in a compost bin, in the right conditions, this process will be
accelerated. In the case of the simple chaff, well this will turn back into its main
elements, adding so much more needed nutrients to your blend of composting agents.
See: www.rountoncoffee.co.uk/coffee-chaff-ideas/
Editor and Master Gardener Phyllis says . . .
“I'd like to add some further suggestions for use (yes, practical advice . . . ) in case
you've wondering just how far to go with this spent coffee grounds idea . . . My contact
at the Colorado Extension office is Alison O'Connor, Larimer County Extension Agent,
and here's what she has to say:
‘This article from Linda Chalker-Scott at Washington State sums up things nicely
and offers recommendations:
http://puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/coffee-grounds.pdf
Essentially, you can add up to 20% of coffee grounds by volume in compost . . .
more can be detrimental to plant growth. When using as a mulch, it's not advised to use
only coffee grounds, as they tend to smother and disallow water infiltration.
If you want to use it as a soil amendment, aim to not exceed the total organic
matter content of 5% in the soil volume.’”
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RMU Bulletin Board, Continued
The 2016 HSA-RMU Plant Sale
The Plant Sale is just around the corner – to be held on Saturday, May 14 at the Denver Presbytery
Center. We are looking for members who are interested in starting a few herbs from seed, even if
it is just 6 or 12 plants. Anything helps and it makes the Plant Sale more of a team effort! If you
are interested, please email Judy Bielecki soon at: [email protected]. I will get with you to
provide potting soil and pots (and seeds if you need them). Hope to hear from you soon.
. . . Judy
West District Gathering to be Held in Albuquerque, NM,
Sept. 23 - 24
(with comments by Jane Thomson)
Wow! What a great place to have the
Gathering! When I read the news, I immediately
thought of all the wonderful things to see and do
in Albuquerque. Explore Old Town, ride the tram
up Sandia Peak to watch the sunset, eat at the
Artichoke Café and/or Trombinos (both are
personal favorites), visit the Museum of Art and
History, explore Petroglyph National Monument
(in the city limits), ride the Rail Runner up to
Santa Fe . . . the list goes on and on.
West District Representative Jody Lacey
writes that there will be a Meet and Greet on
Friday evening, Sept. 23. Saturday will feature a
full day of activities, including speakers, lunch and
the West District business meeting. Jody
announced that one of the speakers that she has
lined up is an expert on Capsicum spp, the
International Herb Association’s Herb of the Year
for 2015. The weather should be great in late
September and Albuquerque is an easy day’s drive
from Colorado.
Registration information will go out in midJuly. If you think you might like to go, please
e-mail Jody soon at [email protected]. She
would like to estimate the number of rooms needed, so that all of those attending can stay in the
same hotel. Friends and family members are welcome, too, so plan a get-away to New Mexico this
fall.
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Library Showcase Herb Exhibit
by Marge Baldwin
The Douglas County James LaRue Public Library
in Highlands Ranch was the home of our HSARMU herb exhibit for the month of February 2016.
Pat McKenna and Marge Baldwin arranged a
display of herbs in the two, spacious, lighted, side
by side glass showcases in the main lobby of the
library. According to the librarians, the display was
an exceptional attraction and well received by the
library patrons.
Adjacent to the glass showcases, the librarians
created an inviting complement by displaying a
table of fictional and nonfictional library books on
the subject of herbs. Librarians reported that the
books were “flying” off the table, thanks to the
intriguing herb exhibit. The librarians also
contributed bookmarks that incorporated our Unit's
“favorite picks” list of nonfiction herb books as well
as some fictional books with an herb theme.
The display included many aspects of herbs:
cooking with herbs, dyeing with herbs, crafting with
herbs, and healing with herbs. There were many
specimens such as herbal soaps, herb salves and
infusions, indigo dye, naturally dyed fabrics,
lavender wands, homemade vanilla extracts and
vinegars, examples of spices, a soup wreath, a
large example of milkweed, and much more. One
library patron from Guatemala was so enchanted
with the display that she contacted Marge asking
to contribute her examples of dried Capsicum
annuum and Cinnamomum zeylanicum.
All in all, the HSA-RMU exhibit was a successful
medium for furthering our goal of expanding the
knowledge, use, and delight of herbs. As Unit
members, we might ponder ways in which we can
expand upon this type of outreach.
[Editor’s Note: The exhibit included a list
of herbal book recommendations compiled by
Marge Baldwin, Pat McKenna, Pat Ruske and
Peggy Vonburg. This list is reproduced on
pages 10 - 11.]
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The HSA-RMU Herb Society’s Best Picks
of Non-Fiction Herb Books
Medicinal Herbs
Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide, by Rosemary Gladstar
Growing 101 Herbs that Heal: Gardening Techniques, Recipes, and Remedies, by Tammi
Hartung
Herbal Antibiotics, by Stephen Harrod Buhner
Herbs for Common Ailments, by Rosemary Gladstar
Dental Herbalism, by Leslie M. Alexander and Linda A. Straub-Bruce
Herbs for Healthy Aging, by David Hoffman
Making Plant Medicine, by Richo Cech
Dr. Kidd’s Herbal Cat Care, by Randy Kidd, DVM
Dr. Kidd’s Herbal Dog Care, by Randy Kidd, DVM
Healing Herbs A to Z: A Handy Reference to Healing Plants, by Diane Stein
Dr. Duke’s Essential Herbs: 13 Vital Herbs You Need to Disease-proof Your Body, Boost Your
Energy, Lengthen Your Life, by James A. Duke
The Essential Herbal for Natural Health: How to Transform Easy-to-find Herbs into Healing
Remedies for the Whole Family, by Holly Bellebuono
Rainforest Remedies: One Hundred Healing Herbs of Belize, by Rosita Arvigo
Backyard Medicine: Harvest and Make Your Own Herbal Remedies, by Julie Bruton-Seal
Herbs for Flavor
The Herb Society of America’s Essential Guide to Growing and Cooking with Herbs, by
Katherine K. Schlosser
The Encyclopedia of Herbs: A Comprehensive Reference to Herbs of Flavor and Fragrance,
by Arthur O. Tucker and Thomas DeBaggio
The Cook’s Herb Garden, by Jeff Cox
Herb Books for Kids
A Kid’s Herb Book, by Lesley Tierra
Walking the World in Wonder: A Children’s Herbal, by Ellen Evert Hoffman
Continued on page 11
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The HSA-RMU Herb Society’s Best Picks, continued
Dyeing with Herbs
A Dyer’s Garden, by Rita Buchanon
The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes: Personalize Your Craft with Organic Colors from Acorns,
Blackberries, Coffee, and Other Everyday Ingredients, by Susha Duerr
Harvesting Color: How to Find Plants and Make Natural Dyes, by Rebecca Burgess
Other Useful Herb Books
The Herb Society of America New Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses, by Deni Bown
The Complete Illustrated Book of Herbs, by Reader’s Digest
Herbs for Natural Beauty, by Rosemary Gladstar
Living with Herbs: A Treasury of Useful Plants for the Home and Garden, by Jo Ann Gardner
Herbs in the Garden: The Art of Intermingling, by Rob Proctor
Grow Your Own Herbs in Pots: 35 Simple Projects for Creating Beautiful Container Herb
Gardens, by Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell
Soapmaking the Natural Way: 45 Melt-and-pour recipes Using Herbs, Flowers, and Essential
Oils, by Rebecca Ittner
First a howling blizzard woke us,
Then the rain came down to soak us,
And now before the eye can focus Crocus.
. . . . . Lilja Rogers
(With thanks to Betty Jo)
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Wild Mountain Thymes
The Herb Society of America,
Rocky Mountain Unit
805 Compassion Dr, Apt 210
Windsor, CO 80550