Common Weed Killers Affect Developing Fetus - Trustworthy, Physician-Reviewed Information from WebMD

Freezer Strawberry Jam
Easy enough for anyone to make and tasty enough that you'll want to make extra for friends!

AntLionFarms.com - Antlions, Doodlebugs, Ant Lion Zen Gardens & Science Projects - Antlion Splash
An alternative to an ant farm, I want one!

Well, hidey-ho everyone, long time no see, : )
Sorry I haven't posted in such a long time, so much to do and so little time.
Spring work has been progressing at a fairly nice pace, weather hasn't been cooperating as much as we'd like, but we get out there when able.
Much of this time has been spent weeding and getting plots ready. As for transplanting, first up on the agenda is to move some mugwort cuttings, the space it's in now does fine for a month or two, but as soon as the tree leafs out nearby the mugwort is in the shade too much and goes leggy rapidly so remember to plant your Mugwort in a nice sunny spot, : )
We'll be offering fresh-cut flower bouquets roadside this season so lots of work needs to be done to accomplish that. DH has been working to get glad bulbs and planting the seeds for various annuals, me, my heart isn't that in it yet, LOL but I have been working on the beds that will be donated to this cause.
Several of our raised beds are made of stainless steel, I need to get out there and get them painted OR-better idea, pay the children to do the job, but then I'd have to worry about the mess/splatter, so haven't really come to a final decision in that regard yet, but soon!
The main walkway beds are in a low area and we think this year we will lay a layer of straw in the paths first then top with mulch. I need to find a new supplier for cocoa hulls locally, if anyone knows of any large chains that offer these, let me know would you? thanks.
Hope you all are busy gardening, get out there and get dirty!
Out for now, weeds are calling to me, : )))

CNN.com - Food Central - Recipes - Compound Butter - April 25, 2000 Compound Butter

From 'Morning Glories: Breakfast, Brunch, and Light Fare from an Herb Garden'
by Sharon Kebschull Barrett (St. Martin's Press)
April 25, 2000
Web posted at: 10:25 a.m. EDT (1425 GMT)
Author Sharon Kebschull Barrett recommends compound butter for herbs with a delicate flavor. It can be used in place of plain butter on biscuits, waffles and breads or stirred into grits and omelettes.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 to 4 tablespoons minced herb leaves
Coarse salt as desired
Freshly ground black pepper as desired
With a mixer or wooden spoon, beat together the butter and 2 tablespoons of herb leaves. Taste and adjust flavor with more herb leaves and salt and pepper as desired.
Pack into a small ramekin dish to serve casually, or form into a log: Place the butter in a line down a sheet of waxed paper and use the paper as a guide to shape a log. Roll it up in the waxed paper and chill; slice into thin pats to serve.
Suggested herb combinations:
Chervil, chives and tarragon
Chives, marjoram and savory
Chervil and parsley
Basil and rosemary
Basil, marjoram, rosemary and thyme
Rosemary, sage and marjoram
Savory and thyme

Herb World News Online · Research Reviews In the first clinical study of its kind, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that purple grape juice (Vitis labrusca L., Vitaceae) helps protect heart health in those affected by coronary artery disease (Stein et al., 1999). According to the study, two weeks of grape juice therapy increased vasodilation (relaxed blood vessels) while decreasing harmful oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Impaired vasodilation is thought to be one of the earliest manifestations of heart disease. Previous clinical studies on red wine have produced similar outcomes, leading some researchers to speculate that the alcohol content is the factor that protects against heart disease. The results of the current study provide support for the theory that flavonoids (including quercetin, catechins, myricetin, kaempferol) and tannic acid are the more important constituents in purple grape juice and red wine. It is also likely that white grape juice and white wine provide fewer benefits because they contain mainly juice, without the healthful components from the grape seeds and skins.

Becky's opinion-This is great news since me loves grape juice! : )

Herb World News Online · Research Reviews "The antioxidant activity of green and black tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze, Theaceae) in the body (in vivo) is well established, but an important question remains: Does the addition of milk to tea inhibit the bioavailability of antioxidant tea polyphenols? Not according to the results of this Dutch study, which showed that a single dose of either black or green tea with or without milk caused a significant rise in plasma antioxidant activity (Leenan et al., 2000)."
Not sure why anyone would think milk would inhibit antioxidants, but hey! now we know it doesn't, : )

Michigan Wildflowers
Very cool site, a must see if only to view the gorgeous pics of Calypso bulbosa!

Wildflowers

Another good identification site by color. I finally found what I was looking for here after putting 2 hours of research into it. Obviously, this plant grew from a dropped seed (from a bird) and we knew it was something we hadn't seen in our garden before, turned out to be a Yellow Goat's Beard, I kind of like it so I'm going to save seed from it, : )

Missouri Wildflowers
This is a terrific site for wildflower identification, by color or genus and species.

As you can see, I've added some links to my Blog, which I will continue to do as I come across interesting sites.....
The weather has finally warmed up here, so we've been very grateful for the oppurtunity to get to some of the back beds. Spring rains leave that area quite soggy which is good for the marsh mallows and mint, but bad for working in it, LOL!

We are still planting, but have been also getting ready for infusing herbs which will be ready soon, so purchased a few new boxes of canning jars for that job, hoping for a better crop of St. John's Wort this year than last, I think I ended up with approximately 8 ounces of oil last year, good grief! I better mention that if you've tried infusing SJW before and your oil did not turn that pretty red you've heard/read about, you must use fresh flowers only, dried won't do and when you purchase SJW as a dried herb c/s (cut and sifted), it's usually the whole plant, stems and all, not very beneficial IMO. I believe of all herbal infused oils, SJW is the most fun, picking individual flowers as some people do, or whole tops like I do, I always leave some flowers on each plant to re-seed. Pick in the morning after the dew has dried but before the sun gets too high, rub your fingers across the flowers and you should see streaks of purple/red, that means they are ready, if you don't see this, wait a day and try again. I let my flowers wilt for about an hour or so, then place in oil.......the oil starts to take on a red tint after about a week, continuing to darken as it ages, I refresh the herb after 2 weeks to create a stronger oil, but you need to do this at exactly the right time in order to get it accomplished, they only bloom for a short period......more on this later, forgot to make dinner!

Herbal Home Remedies

Interesting site, keep in mind, that when you come across information on the net, always cross-reference what you read, just to be safe, : )

The Herbal Encyclopedia - Main Page for Herbs The Herbal Encyclopedia

Loads of info, but do read the copyright info please, many people have *borrowed* work from this site without permission, : (
*NOTE* this is the new link, should take you to the right place.