Herb of the Year 2012

The beautiful, useful, fragrant Rose is the Herb of the Year for 2012. Check out the enclosed link for lots of info about using rosewater, rose hips and rose petals. 

http://herboftheyear.blogspot.com/

August Newsletter from The Herb Cottage

Hello Everyone,

I've posted my August Newsletter: Stevia, The Sweet Herb...  You Can Grow It!!! 

You can find it here: http://theherbcottage.com/news_arch_2009.html

Hope everyone in the path of Irene is doing OK. We're hot as Hades here... still with no rain.

A Little Rain

A little rain fell last night here at The Herb Cottage. It was only 0.29", but as I lay in bed listening to it, I felt refreshed. There was even accompanying thunder and lightening. It had been almost 30 days since our last meager rainfall and with the extreme heat we've been having, everything is sere and brown around the farm. Just the sound of the rain made me feel nourished and refreshed.

As a bonus, I found myself at rather loose ends this morning as I did not have to engage in my morning watering schedule. What to do with myself?? 

The upcoming weekend is forecast to be very hot and dry, so this little rain will disappear into the ether. My memory of it, however, will not.

Popsicles to Beat the Heat

It's so hot here in Texas, you really could fry and egg on the sidewalk- not to mention the roof of your truck. So, when I saw this on Epicurious, I thought- what a great idea! When I was a kid waaaaay back in the 1950's my Mom used to make Kool-Aid popsicles for us in the summer time. We didn't have a fancy mold or even sticks. She just made them up in the aluminum ice cube trays and we sucked and chewed them from a plastic cup. 

These popsicles are much more healthy than the ones I had as a kid- made with fresh or frozen fruit. For a sweetener you can use agave nectar or even honey, if you like.  And, for an adult treat, some of the recipes have a little vodka or rum added.... hmmm... banana rum popsicle... 

So, have a look at the recipes and try one or two. It'll surely cool you down a bit. 

Until Next time....