Plaque on Maj’s Memorial Bench uploaded by herbgardener12.

A lovely blue bench has been added to the herb garden in memory of one of our members. Maj Curtis passed away in November, 2006. Maj had been a member of Maumee Valley Herb Society for many years assuming leadership roles in the group. Her skill as a garden designer was evident in the herb garden as well as in other areas of Toledo Botanical Garden. Maj loved the color blue. She was known for her use of blue flowers and ornaments in her designs. The blue bench in her own garden inspired the choice of that color for her memorial.  We invite you to come and enjoy the herb garden as you relax on Maj’s Bench.

Maj’s Memorial Bench uploaded by herbgardener12.

Heralding is almost here! We are very excited about all of the wonderful herbal products we have for sale. We’re also interested in seeing what the Weavers, Rock Hounds, Toledo Artists Club members, the Potters, and others are selling. Our Silent Auction and the Raffle that each organization contributes to have many different and unusual items for you. Friday evening the Toledo Botanical Garden will have special lighting to guide you to the various buildings as well as to the conference center where you will find the Maumee Valley Herb Society and other groups. Come and visit us. We’re certain that you will be pleased with what you find at Heralding.

This was a busy week for Maumee Valley Herb Society members. On Tuesday, they made delicious herbal mustards to sell at Heralding. There you will find Wasabi Dijon, Queen Victoria’s Curry, Raspberry Dijon, Apricot Zip, Chili, Honey Ginger, and Tarragon Whiskey Mustards to purchase.

 On Wednesday, we bagged pot pourri, filled shoe sachets, lavender cone sachets, and lavender dryer bags that will last for about twenty five dryer loads with the herbs needed. We made gift tags, and priced many craft items, and also jellies, vinegars, pot pourris, etc. We are almost ready for you to visit with us at Heralding. We predict good weather for this event, and will be waiting for you on Friday, November 30 from 5-9 pm, on Saturday, December 1 from 10 am – 5 pm, and on Sunday, December 2 from noon to 5 pm.

Next Tuesday, November 13, we will meet at TBG to make herbal mustards to sell at Heralding the Holidays. This is always fun. We usually have ten or more members working at this project. Georgeann Brown is in charge of this workshop, and she brings recipes and ingredients, and keeps us all busy. It seems impossible that it is only three more weeks and a few days until Heralding arrives again. Hope to see all of you there. You will be pleased with the many items that are for sale then!

Kathie Cliffel’s recipe for the delicious Pesto Cheesecake that she served at one of our meetings was requested by members present. This recipe appeared in our newsletter, The Herbal Messenger, that was sent to our members and others. One of the recipients of our newsletter is Kathie Smith, Food Editor of the Toledo Blade. She included this recipe in an article the Blade. It was noticed threre by Shelie Lennon who sent it to Projo Football Food & Spirits. To view this recipe on the Internet, go to: http://www.beloblog/com/Projo_BLogs/foodblog/2007/10/pestp_cheesecake.htm

We invite you to join us in celebrating Heralding the Holidays at the Toledo Botanical Garden. Heralding will begin at 5pm on Friday, November 30 and continue until 9pm. Times on Saturday are from 10am to 5pm, and on Suday from noon to 5pm. Among the herbal items we will have for sale are herbal jams, jellies, salsas and vinegars. At our wreath workshop, herbs that were dried from our herb garden at the Toledo Botanical Garden plus other flowers, etc  were made into beautiful wreaths. Our mustard workshop is soon, and our crafters are busy sewing. This year we will have herbal shoe sachets that will make your shoes smell oh so nice! Also, among other crafts will be neckwraps, lavender dryer bags good for 25 loads in your dryer, lavender sachets to put in your drawers to make your clothing smell heavenly, catnip fish and mice and catnapper beds for your cats. We will also have treats for your dogs. Individual herbs, herbal blends, teas, and potpourri will be there for you as usual. Don’t miss our bake sale. Everything will be delicious.  Many wonderful items have been donated for our Silent Auction. Do you remember the alligator lawn sprinkler from last year that was a popular item? We found another one this year. Come and visit us and the members of the other resident organizations who will also have wonderful and unusual items for sale. You will not be disappointed!

The Maumee Valley Herb Society’s bus trip this year will be to the Cleveland Botanical Garden. The bus leaves from the Toledo Botanical Garden’s Bancroft Street entrance at 8:00 am on July 18 and returns at 6:00 pm. Price for the trip is $45.00. This includes transportation, tour fee, breakfast, lunch at the Cleveland Botanical Garden, and snacks and drinks on the way home. For information/reservation, call Sally Davidson or call the Toledo Botanical Garden at (419) 936-2986 before July 10.

We had warm, sunny weather this year for our plant sale. Many, many people stopped to visit with us, and most of them did buy herbs.  We had a large variety of wonderful herbs, and these plants found homes in many gardens throughout the Toledo area. If you weren’t there, you really missed an opportunity to purchase many herbs that the garden centers usually don’t stock.

Thank you to all of our members who worked at the sale, and also those who helped get everything ready in advance including painting the popsicle sticks that told what each plant cost. We also want to thank the people who came and bought plants from us. We hope that you come back again to visit with the Maumee Valley Herb Society at our next plant sale in May of 2008.

Next week will be the plant sale at the Toledo Botanical Garden. The Maumee Valley Herb Society will have more than 200 varieties of herbs for you to choose from. Our members will be available to help you decide which herbs to purchase, and to answer questions. If you are interested in culinary herbs, we will also have our Herb Chart that tells which herbs to use with various foods, and our cookbook “Herbal Market” in which you will find delicious recipes to choose from. If you are interested in fragrant herbs, or herbs for decorative uses, we will also have these.The plant sale will be open for TBG members only on Thursday, May 10 from 4 – 8 pm. Friday, the sale opens at 10 am for the public, and closes at 8 pm. On Saturday the hours are from 10 am – 5 pm. The sale will not be open on Sunday this year. To help you decide what herbs to buy, here is our list of herb plants. Come and see us.

Do you know which herbs to use when you are preparing soups, salads, meats,  desserts, and other foods? Our members will be available at the plant sale at the Toledo Botanical Garden on Thursday May 9, Friday May 10, and Saturday May 11, to answer your questions about culinary and other herbs. Even better, we have a laminated herb chart for you to buy and take home. Our chart tells you the various uses of sixteen different culinary herbs. You will have this to refer to when you are planning and cooking meals. This chart will also help you decide which herbs you want to grow and cook with.