Food prices keep rising. Not news to you, I’m sure. They will continue to do so, albeit major crop damage or a catastrophic event. Consumers become resentful when price increases are inflated due to some trendy motive, as in the case of celery some months back. Funny how celery has been selling for under a dollar presently. But that’s not the case in this instance. Recently you may have noticed the price of black pepper. Yes, ordinary everyday black pepper. Sure, you will always pay more for gourmet varieties, but usually not more for common household pepper (piper nigrum.) It’s the most widely used herb/ spice in the world, and it now sells for as much as $6.99 for just 3 ounces. Why? This time the reason is plain and simple: supply and demand. Focus on health plays an important part for the demand. Black pepper will improve your heart …

“Everything old is new again.” This familiar phrase is true of so many things, even in the herb world. Now I’m talking old, even ancient. Through the ages, great minds like Hippocrates, Paracelsus, Jacob Boehme, William Coles and Foucault all agreed on a particular concept, plant signatures. Because the belief that God endowed each plant with its own “signature,” so that we might identify each one’s health-giving benefits was shared by so many, it became “Doctrine.” The Doctrine of Signatures. So many fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts, etc. resemble what they benefit most in our bodies. Once only an assumption, we now have the substantial scientific proof that they do. And this is what makes this old belief new and very relevant to good health today. Studies prove that eating pomegranate seeds, which resemble red blood cells, improves blood flow and blood pressure. A cut tomato will reveal chambers similar to …

Holiday visitors have left, the decorations are back in storage, and hours of cooking and baking are over. Time to kick back and take a break from gardening for a few months. Stop right there; I think not. A good gardener never rests, especially an herbal gardener. Now’s the time to take stock. I have often said you should visit your garden every day. Take notice of what is going on. Have some herbs withered and died? Are others healthy, dark green, and flowering? It’s important to know how your garden looks with each seasonal change. The cooler weather is a great time to make improvements to your herb garden. It’s a time to plan, design, and garden in the fresh air, without your skin shriveling in the blazing sun. Start with the soil. Squeeze a good amount of soil in your hand, making a fist. What happens when you …

Here he is again! That cute, confident, smiling little diapered one, complete with top hat and 2020 banner draped across his chest. We all recognize him. He’s Baby New Year, ready and eager to begin a fresh new year, a new decade. Some welcome him; some dread him. Did you know the image of “Baby New Year” started in ancient Greece? Each new year it was customary to place a newborn baby in a winnowing basket and lift it to the sky honoring the rebirth of Dionysus. Dionysus was the son of Zeus and god of wine (sounds a little like Lion King to me). Later in 1937, a magazine illustrator drew him with a top hat, surrounded by confetti as a symbol of a strong economy. And the image remained. Well, in comes the baby and out goes “Father Time,” an older but wiser man now. Also come the …

There now; everything looks good. My computer shows the correct seats, the correct date and time. So with almost a giddy feeling, I press the enter button. The most wonderful time of the year. . . again. And I just purchased my annual “A Christmas Carol” tickets online. It’s a tradition. And you know what else is a holiday tradition in my house? It’s my peppermint candy canes! Peppermint is a natural part of the holidays. But, do you know why? Some say the original candy cane was just a white sugar stick used in the 1600’s by parents as a pacifier for crying babies during church services. Peppermint has a long history as a cure for digestive upsets. So maybe this is why the sugar was later combined with peppermint to calm babies’ tummies. The cane got its distinctive hook either because a 17th century German choirmaster convinced a …

Do you use a “herbal mop?” No, you can’t clean house with this mop, but you can clean your blood. Certain foods and herbs, called “astringent,” used together in cooking, are known to “mop up” free radicals that can lead to disease. Along with fighting disease, they can rev up the flavors in our meals. So why not include an herbal mop in your cooking? The world’s healthiest herbs are probably in your kitchen right now. Most mops are usually first made as a dry mixture, and then mixed with vinegar, oil, lemon juice, and water to make a “mop” which is applied to meats. Others are used with vegetables. Marinades and sauces are also used as mops. While it’s impossible to list all the healthiest herbs, there are a few standouts. You’ll find these herbs are used extensively in world cuisine. Used in a mop, or with meat in …

The holidays are back once more. But you know that. It seems every magazine printed now until the big feast is giving tips on how to prepare your holiday bird or roast. And if you’re lucky, the myriad of articles will be accompanied by a day-by-day countdown planner. Good cooks everywhere have already started planning their tablescape, festive drinks, special appetizers, and most importantly, the main menu. This is the season for herbs and spices to shine. But for every traditionalist who counts on parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, there are those excited to try something different this year. They scan pages of recipes that call for new flavors to excite the palate and wow their friends and relatives. My mother always warned me not to try a new recipe on an important occasion, least of all Thanksgiving. At the table, she said most would complain and maybe one person …

Just in from my evening walk with my dogs and I return, as usual, at least this summer, with remnants of spider webs in my hair, on my clothes, and sometimes even on my face. Webs clinging to the stucco of my house, under the eaves, on the screens, in every corner, even in my herb and flower containers. The palm trees have them; my native grasses sway with them. As intuitive gardeners, we instinctively notice the subtle signs of nature. Since early times, these signs have been giving us a “heads up,” of the season ahead. Whether it be the number of seeds in a persimmon, the thickness of the husks on an ear of corn, how early the monarchs pass through in migration, the absence or abundance of nuts on a tree, the behavior of ants or squirrels, they are all signs of things to come. However, in …

With Halloween fast approaching, I bet you are expecting to read something of magical herbs and potions. But, not this time. Instead, I want to acquaint you with a special room apart from the main house, reserved only for an adult woman to pursue her interests. A still or apparatus used in distillation was often found there. It is the still room. Dating back to Medieval times, this room was often associated with witchcraft. (That’s all for the Halloween connection.) The Still Room was a very integral part of most great houses and castles in Europe. Some still rooms were very elaborate, and some very basic. Medicines, cosmetics, cleaning products for the home as well as beer and wine were prepared there. Herbs and flowers of all varieties were dried and preserved in the still room. It was here the essential oils of these plants were extracted by distillery and …

There’s a certain sameness to the end of summer. The increased fly population, uninvited to outdoor picnics and patio gatherings; the honey bees circling out-door garbage cans, looking for those sweet, discarded remnants of fermented fruits and veggies; and the fading of summer blooms, as they wither and fall to the ground. As we look forward to summer breezes changing direction, heralding the start of autumn, we know that this summer has not held that comfortable “sameness.” Most of the time we are prepared for each season and know what to expect, but the summer of 2015 has been very unexpected in a number of ways. Erratic weather patterns of extreme heat and humidity, coupled with the on-going drought, have made the summer one loaded with challenges for all gardeners, even the herb gardener! Since most herbs enjoy a Mediterranean climate, they will usually thrive in the hot sun. But …