10 ELEGANT HERBS This is the fifth in a series of arti cles on growing and preserving herbs in the home garden. Parsley, Rosemary. Sweet Mar joram, Tarragon and common Thyme are several popular herbs used today. These culinary herbs are also easy to grow in the backyard. PARSLEY Once established in the garden, spring parsley responds well to a weak fertilizer every two weeks or so. This is especially important if it is cut frequently. Parsley is of course frequently used as a decorative addition to a plate of food, and it is a tangy addi tion to salads. When destemmed leaves are chopped in a blender with a little water (pack a 2 cup measuring cup with leaves, then fill with water). They can then be frozen into ice cubes for later use. Parsley also makes a decorative hanging basket or pot The green leaves can be dried quickly when spread oh a cookie sheet and “cooked” at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes. Sitr every 5 minutes and do not let it burn, just crisp. Crumble the crisp leaves. Remove any limp leaves, allow to cool and then store in a tight jar. Parsley does not dry well by hanging. ROSEMARY Rosemary comes in many diffe rent cultivars. The same cultivar grown in different parts of the country, may look very different It is a perennial hardy to Zone 8. Since seedlings can take months, it is best purchased as a potted plant for most home gardens. Outdoors rosemary likes full sun. Soil can be kept on the dry side. The pungent, curved needle-like leaves have many uses. It is easily dried by hanging woody stemmed bunches' in a warm {dace. The leaves can then be stripped off and bottled. Rosemary is a very pun gent herb, and it is best used spar ingly on bland foods. In cooking, it is frequently used with chicken, and in baking, such as in breads. SWEET MARJORAM This is a lender perennial best grown as an annual. A member of the oregano family, sweet maijor am and oregano are often con fused, but their flavors are different Sweet marjoram can be very susceptible to damping off and can Agricultural Lifestyle Program Set For Sept. 19 LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) A special program on the changing lifestyle of agri cultural families in Lancaster County will be presented dur ing the general meeting of the Landis Valley Associates on Tuesday, September 19, at the Landis Valley Museum Visitor Center at 7 p.m. The speaker for the program will be Steve Miller, who serves as museum curator for the Lan dis Valley Museum. According to Miller, the lifestyle of farm ing families in Lancaster Coun ty-changed significantly during PENNSYLVANIA DAIRY PRINCESS AND PROMOTION SERVICES, INC. Cordially Invites You To Attend The 39th Annual Pennsylvania Dairy Princess Saturday Evening, The Twenty-Third of September Nineteen Hundred and Ninety Five SHERATON INN - Harrisburg - East 5:30 Milk Punch Reception RS VP by September 20,1995 Please make Reservations ® $20.00 ea. For the 39th Annual Dairy Princess Banquet & Coronation My check for $ is enclosed. Tickets will be held at door. I Name: Address: be difficult to grow from seed. Purchase started plants. Place plants in full sun in a well-drained location. Once established, leaves should be taken randomly rather than shearing the growing tips. When frost time nears, plants can be pot ted up and taken indoors for a few months. Sweet marjoram dries easily on screens in the shade. Once dried, finish the drying in a 100 degree F. or lower temperature oven to crisp the leaves. Remove leaves from the stems and store in jars. Sweet maijoram can be used fresh in omelets, mixed with fresh vegetables, and added to casseroles. TARRAGON Another on the top nine culinary herbs, tarragon comes in several forms. French tarragon is vegeta tively propagated and not available from seed. Russian tarragon is grown from seed and is attractive as an ornamental plant. But, Rus sian tarragon is flavorless. COMMON THYME Thyme, a hardy perennial can be the time period that began in 1880 until 1920. Miller will examine the important changes of that time period as he con trasts and compares family structures, types of crops grown, livestock populations, the influence of tobacco on farming in the area, and the changes within families, such as how many children they had and how old first-time parents were. To demonstrate some of the changes over the years, Miller will highlight his pro gram with fascinating slides dpps Banquet and Coronation On lincmw Farming, Saturday, September 9, 199545 grown from seed in a fiat kept at about 55 degrees.?. Germination takes three to four weeks. Plants will be small and not flower the first year. Plants will grow more robust and flower the second year. Thyme needs good drainage for its deep roots. Plants should not be set too close (12 inches), and should be hardened off before planting in the garden (a week or more of sev eral hours of sunlight and then returned to shade before evening). Divide established plants in the spring. Fall transplanting can invite winter kill. Dry thyme by hanging bunches in a warm place out of direct sun light In cooking, thyme is fre quently used fresh or dried in soups, stews and sauces. Fresh thyme added to rice is a flavorful treat Lemon-scented thymes are good for tea and potpourri. The National Garden Bureau contributed to this article. Questions relating to his article can be sent to Tom Becker. Exten sion Agent, Horticulture 112 Pleasant Acres Road York. PA 17402-9041. Return to: PA Dairy Princess & Promotion Services, Inc. 214 South St., Box 640 Clarion, PA 16214 (814) 226-7470 and other visual aids. “It was a very significant time period in the history of Lancaster County’s fanning families. In some ways, things didn’t change a lot In other ways, changes were very dra matic and still affect our lives today in the county,” said Mill er. The public i$ invited to the free program. For further infor mation, interested persons should contact the Landis Val ley Associates at (717) 569-0402. Reigning PA. Dairy Princess 6:30 Banquet Tickets $20.00
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers