82-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, August 23,1986
Westminster Gardener Finds Myriad Uses For Home-grown Herbs
BY SHARON B. SCHUSTER
Maryland Correspondent
WESTMINSTER, Md. -
Gourmet chefs create savory
dishes with them. Craftspeople
arrange their foliage and flowers
into decorative art forms.
Homeowners delight in their
fragrance both indoors in a sim
mering pot, and outdoors under
foot. And, some would attest to
their powers of warding off colds
and evil demons.
For Belle Fangmeyer of
Westminster, Md., herbs that she
cultivates in her eighteenth cen
tury garden serve many purposes.
They find their way into her soup
pots, salads, wreaths, flower
baskets, and even into the mouths
of colicky babies.
Belle, whose wholesome, at
tractive appearance rivals that of
any “Ivory Girl,” said that she
“loves natural things.” As
proprietress of Old Friends An
tiques, located in the springhouse
of her family’s Living Faith Farm,
Belle fashions much sought after
herbal crafts with old-fashioned
skill and know-how. “The store
just opened in April. Our business
has just been wonderful,” she
explained. “Most people are
buying herbs to hang as
decorations.”
Relating one incident,
Fangmeyer said a customer “took
a bunch of everything I had.”
While her customer was delighted
Belle Fangmeyer dries some of the herbs she cultivates in
this smokehouse. She said she must keep the door open to
prevent drying to the point where the herbs crumble.
Pictured above is one of the nine fireplaces in their historic home. Above the fireplace
is a dried arrangement she fashioned with everlasting flowers from her 18th century
garden.
with her purchases, Fangmeyer
said she was concerned that she
wouldn’t remember what each
bunch was when she returned
home. “I had to tag them all,” she
said. Now, Belle says she makes a
practice of tagging bunches of
herbs so they are really identified
both in the shop and once they are
part of someone’s decorating
scheme.
Belle’s husband, Dan, and two
daughters, Dana and Nicole, also
enjoy the benefits of growing
herbs. “My husband is in this just
as much as I am,” she explained.
“In February we plan
everything.” The Fangmeyers
also raise Hampshire sheep. They
recently purchased the champion
Hampshire ram at the Mid-
Atlantic Classic Show and Sale in
Manheim. As newcomers to the
Maryland Hampshire Breeders’
Association they hosted the annual
picnic at their historic home in
July.
The Fangmeyers’ country home
is listed on the National Historic
Register. The ten-room brick
house was once the Brethren
Meeting House of the area. Built by
Christian Royer in 1827, the house
boasts five porches, nine
fireplaces, and beautiful raised
panel walls that fold to create a
large space on the first floor. The
home is furnished with beautiful
period pieces, and Belle has added
her special touch with wreaths and
•i
n
The 18th Century herb garden of Belle and Dan Fangmeyer contains a variety of herbs
marked with stones identifying the plants. Their home in the background is listed on the
National Historic Register.
arrangements that she has created
in her shop.
Herbs grow around the
perimeter of the house and in
carefully planned gardens. The
trunk of a centuries old tree serves
as a giant outdoor pot for mints
and other culinary herbs. “Basil
and oregano are our favorites,”
she said. “1 put basil in about
everything. I love the way
tarragon and basil smell when they
are cooking.”
Referring to the culinary herbs
in the larger Victorian garden,
Belle said “I use almost all this in
my fresh salads. Before dinner I
come out and pick a few leaves.”
Shredded like lettuce in a salad,
she said the herbs “perk your
salad up.”
Each plant in the garden is
marked with a stone that bears the
name of the herb
Pointing to the Salad Burnet, she
said it makes “great dips and
spreads with mayonnaise er any
salad dressing.” The horseradish
plant “takes over,” according to
Belle. She said the root of the plant,
when processed in a blender,
yields that tangy flavor that so
many add to their roast beef
sandwiches. She also cautioned
against hazards of processing the
aromatic root; “I think I smelled
like horseradish for three days
after that, “she chuckled.
The velvety smooth leaf of the
rose-scented geranium decorates
the top of cakes when Belle places
them right on the bottom of the pan
and adds batter. After the baking,
the leaf has become part of the top
of the cake and forms a beautiful
design, and “you can eat the leaf,”
she added.
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A popular item with the
Fangmeyers’ customers is the
cooking wreath. Belle assembles
the wreaths with - dried
culinary herbs with wers
added for decoration inch
wreaths sell for $l6.
Pointing to the one >wn
kitchen, Belle said th« ...v,c tiling
about a cooking wreath is that,
“when it’s gone, you’ve used
everything.” Her own wreath
shows signs of regular use, with a
few bare spots where sage once
filled the space. Other herbs hang
in bunches, decorating the walls
and fireplace in the kitchen.
Belle recommends cutting herbs
first thing in the morning, so they
will hold the oils. She dries her
herbs and everlasting flowers in
various ways.
“In the sun they will dry quicker,
but they lose a lot of fragrance,”
she explained. “In the
smokehouse, I have to leave the
door open or they will crumble
when they are dry.”
The bunches of herbs in the
smokehouse hang from old meat
hooks that once secured hams over
a smoky fire. Belle said she has
dried herbs in the oven, with the
heat “as low as possible. But,
that’s when I’m going to crumble
them right up and put them into
jars.” She said she is anxious to try
drying herbs in the microwave
oven also.
Growing herbs comes easy for
Belle, though she said she has
learned a lot this year. “I’ve lost a
lot of herbs this year because you
need to cut them as soon as they
flower.” The back of the bushy
oregano plant shows signs of new
growth where Belle cut them as
she should. However the front of
the plant is “no good” to her with
its flowers still in tact and growing.
It takes about half a bushel of dried
sage to make a 10-inch wreath,”
she explained. “It’s important to
keep cutting.” wander about their historic home.
Maryland’s dry weather made ‘‘But that’s another story,” she
this a particularly rough year for said with a smile,
anyone growing plants. “Because The Fangmeyers’ Living Faith
of the drought, I lost a whole row of Farm is located at 817 Fridinger
Baby’s Breath,” said Fangmeyer. Mill Road, Westminster, Md.
She said she uses grass clippings 21157. Hours are Thursday, Friday
for mulch. “A lot of things don’t do and Saturday are 10 a.m. until 5
well the first year," she explained, p.m., and Sunday, from noon until
“But when they come out the next 5. The shop is closed during
year, they usually do a lot better.” January, February and March.
(Turn to Page B 4)
Vfames(ead
The basement of the
Fangmeyers’ home houses Old
Friends Antiques Shop, and one of
Belle’s workbenches. Herbs in
various stages are hanging, drying
of mixing fragrances.
To make potpourri, she outlined
four steps. “When the buds of roses
are drying on the bush, pick them
and dry them.” Belle dries the
petals spread out over an ordinary
window screen. Then, “put the
petals and other things (fillers) in
a crock. Put Orris root with the
petals. After about five days add
oil.” The resulting concoction is
one that intoxicates the senses.
Belle sees potential in just about
everything. She plans to use the
peelings from her peach crop for
simmerings “that make your
house smell like you’ve been
baking all day.” And when her
lovely daughter, Dana, received
long - stemmed roses from an
admirer, Belle eyes the dried up
remains with anxious anticipation
of a new batch of potpourri.
Some rose buds find their way
into a dried arrangement. Belle
said she dries flowers in either;
Borax or a commercial drying *
agent.
The Fangmeyers enjoy herbs in '
lamb dishes and as decorations for
their beautiful country home. Belle *
said she looks forward to
decorating another natural
Christmas tree this year. “Last
year we tried to put everything on
it that we had on our farm.” The
“farm tree” was decorated with
bunches of bearded barley, wooden
farm animals, bunches of dried
flowers and herbs.
For Belle Fangmeyer, herbs are
a way of sharing with friends. She
said almost everyone who visits
with them, now uses mint teas.
“The best part of having anything
is being able to share it,” she said.
And what about herbs warding off
evil spirits? Belle said a spirit does