This post made me smile, an all-too-infrequent occurrence lately. I did spend time in the garden today, seeding some onion seeds after reading Wild Working Gardens' inspiring newsletter. I also prepped the potato bed and lifted the cover off the makeshift cold frame where the cold-loving greens have sprouted. Time in the garden never fails to lift my spirits. 🌿💚Thank you for this good, grounding newsletter!
You make me wish I could get out there again, Leenie! We have the warm weather (96 yesterday, 94 today) but no rain for over a month and are under fire warnings almost every day. So glad you live in a landscape that welcomes gardeners 💚
I’ve shifted my primary garden focus from summer to spring and fall due to our increasingly dry summers. I putter more these days than I used to and I grow more herbs and fewer vegetables, but we have a plethora of local organic vegetable growers so I feel liberated by supporting them for a greater share of our food and digging deeper into my relationship with the plants we label as herbs. That’s a win/win in my book.
Whenever I see chamomile, I hear my herbalism teacher (Matthew Wood) saying "Chamomile is for babies of any age". It has an affinity for us when we find ourselves whining or having tantrums!
I also like to use potatoes cooked in any manner for those situations 😋
Re chamomile, I always remember the last sentence of The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Beatrix Potter): “Peter was not very well during the evening. His mother put him to bed, and made some chamomile tea: "One table-spoonful to be taken at bedtime.” Good for bunnies too. 😊
Love the sound of this motel, Sandy and what a terrific idea for the garden! And such fun, Susan, to rest the mind with pies and potatoes and not think about the tumults going on. Thanks, as always 😍
Unfortunately being part of history in the making is usually uncomfortable, to put it mildly - like the Chinese curse, we’re living in interesting times. On the upside, finally had the second cataract op (it was changed three times!) and it has certainly made a dramatic difference to my eyesight. The old brain is having a tough time adjusting!
It’s pretty chaotic here, too, lots of guessing about how the tariffs are going to affect us, whether we have to become guerrillas to defend ourselves, lots of pro-Canadian rhetoric (in a polite way, of course 😁) Crazy times.
Oh, the tumult is there, Lynne. We can't get away from it. But potato soup helps--we had some tonight.Recommended, even though the mind is not at rest. :) I shudder to think what you calmer Canadians musts be thinking of us down here. :)
I still think that chamomile as the herb of the year is so very appropriate. The only thing better might be hops. I always wondered about wormwood. Good to know the real story.
Love pies, sweet and savory, BUT none of those in the link appeal to me! Have to find the frozen rhubarb in freezer and make strawberry/rhubarb pie this week. Thanks for the book tip on Luther Burbank. My interest in him was revived after reading “Where Lilacs Still Bloom” by Jane Kirkpatrick. The woman who created 90% of the lilac varieties in North America corresponded with Burbank on how to create different color varieties. Her home and gardens in Woodland, Washington is a national host site.
Burbank played an enormous role in the creation of varieties in our gardens and on our plates today--I need to get back into his work, too. Just thinking about how much speciation he controlled . . . Let us know how that strawberry/rhubarb turns out. That was one of my mother's favorite June pies, when the strawberries started ripening.
Love hearing everyone's thoughts on this post and on potatoes in particular! I have a bag of small russets sprouting in my pantry that will be going into the ground soon! :-) Not too deep and being gently hilled as they begin to grow.
And I do believe I will be joining the crowd and making a potato and corn chowder soon! Mine will be made with soy milk, cashew yogurt, cumin, fresh ground pepper and some chopped greens on top at serving.
It does seem that the history of potatoes could be used as strong evidence that humans are capable of believing anything.
Well, if you're thinking of the potato amulets and the lusty suppers, yes. But the nightshades got a lot of extra attention because of their uses in witchcraft (belladonna, mandrake). There are some really fun stories about the tomato, for instance--another nightshade relative.
We don't have much luck with garden potatoes here. We're way too alkaline, but the real problem is that the growing season is too short. Most potatoes need 80-120 days, but here, spring turns to summer and the ground heats up too early. I had better luck with fall plantings, but an early freeze can shorten that season too. Now that our winters are warming, it might be time to try again for a fall crop--but now I have back issues. Sigh . . .
I have a favorite motel at Cannon Beach Oregon that has a south facing concrete wall with a waist high 3 foot wide garden and a wide enough edge for perching while one is working in the garden. I would pay someone to let me work in that garden!! :-) I have been wondering if you have seen any rain these past months? And also how things are going with your car and PC?
Thank you for all your efforts Susan. The links enrich your postings. I leisurely follow them whenever I have a few minutes to fill.
My maternal grandfather's favorite pie was "pigs feet pie/. A savory meat pie that began with raw pigs feet. We only ate it as children when we didn't know what was in the pie (although no evidence remained of the actual feet).
Your mention of absinthe tickles my memories. This vague remembrance involves a mystery of absinthe as a key to the story. I will see if I can search out the link. .
Was your grandfather British, Georgeann? When I was writing the Cottage Tales, I kept running into recipes for pork pie (several of them meant to be eaten cold), pickled pigs feet, and other porcine pleasures. Those books were set in the north of England. Of course, people ate as much as they possibly could of the meat that cost so much effort and time to raise.
Who knew all of that fascinating history of our beloved spud! That little tuber has been through so much over the ages, and I love it. One of my favorite recipes is one that is similar to my mom's potato soup we ate as Mom, Daddy, & I watched Perry Mason on Saturday evenings. I don't have her recipe, but I found one for Cream of Potato-Leek Soup that reminds me of those nights before I was old enough to date. It's a comfort food for me on cold nights.
Our favorite is potato and corn chowder with sausage or ham (since I almost never have bacon). And mayo instead of sour cream. Thinking of making it tonight, now that we're talking about it. I'm afraid it's almost summer here. 😢
One of my favaorite winter soups is "potato and corn chowder," made first by my grandmother. When she felt "extravagant," she sometimes added a piece of fat-back. Today I use bacon. My grandmother had an entire basement cabinet filledw with canned fruits and vegetables. The potatoes sat on the bottom shelf all winter.
I remember those fruit-cellar potatoes too, Georgeann. I used to get sent down there to rub off the sprouts. My grandmother also kept turnips and carrots there, too. Thanks for prompting that happy memory.
Thank you, Susan. Always a fascinating post! I am always amazed how you manage keep all of this herbal, culinary, historical knowledge organized. I spend a lot of time skimming books on the shelf, trying to find a quote or anecdote that I remember reading---somewhere.
This is an absolutely delightful presentation of all things potato, Susan, from pomme frites to the potato chip that my husband is way too hooked on. He should do a commercial for Lay's because the man cannot eat just one! And just reading about the power of women in history gives me much needed hope. Grateful.
Same here, Jeanne. Someday I'll have to write a post on Luther Burbank's adventures with the Russet potato, which he bred from 23 seeds, starting back in 1872 and released in 1902. Fascinating story!
It's incredibly reassuring to read your post of traditional holidays and the histories of food and drink over the ages today. It's the long view of human history that promises we'll survive this month of March with all its omens and portents. Here's to the luck of the Irish, to the power of women in history and in our present times!
Yes, here's to our survival--and of course we will. We just won't be the same. We won't have the safety nets created over the past century and the guardrails we thought were built into the Constitution. And I agree, Kate: we need to take refuge in our traditional celebrations, even though we know how fragile they are. (I'm usually the optimistic one--just not now.)
One of these years I’m going to try to grow Ozette potatoes, which have been grown and developed by the Makah Tribe in northwest Washington state for more that two centuries.
Thank you for introducing me to a new potato, April. I looked it up here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozette_potato Good to know that it can be genetically traced directly to South America, without a detour through Europe, like all our other potatoes. Fascinating history!
So much to celebrate in March! I love the idea of proposing borage as our national herb! 🌿 We should order more than a few truckloads to be delivered and planted around Washington. Pi day would be fun to celebrate this year--it's one I often forget. Thanks for another monthly gem, Susan!
This post made me smile, an all-too-infrequent occurrence lately. I did spend time in the garden today, seeding some onion seeds after reading Wild Working Gardens' inspiring newsletter. I also prepped the potato bed and lifted the cover off the makeshift cold frame where the cold-loving greens have sprouted. Time in the garden never fails to lift my spirits. 🌿💚Thank you for this good, grounding newsletter!
You make me wish I could get out there again, Leenie! We have the warm weather (96 yesterday, 94 today) but no rain for over a month and are under fire warnings almost every day. So glad you live in a landscape that welcomes gardeners 💚
I’ve shifted my primary garden focus from summer to spring and fall due to our increasingly dry summers. I putter more these days than I used to and I grow more herbs and fewer vegetables, but we have a plethora of local organic vegetable growers so I feel liberated by supporting them for a greater share of our food and digging deeper into my relationship with the plants we label as herbs. That’s a win/win in my book.
Whenever I see chamomile, I hear my herbalism teacher (Matthew Wood) saying "Chamomile is for babies of any age". It has an affinity for us when we find ourselves whining or having tantrums!
I also like to use potatoes cooked in any manner for those situations 😋
Thank you, Susan, as always, for these posts!
Re chamomile, I always remember the last sentence of The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Beatrix Potter): “Peter was not very well during the evening. His mother put him to bed, and made some chamomile tea: "One table-spoonful to be taken at bedtime.” Good for bunnies too. 😊
Oh yes! I have for real heard of people offering it to pets 🐶🐱🐰
Love the sound of this motel, Sandy and what a terrific idea for the garden! And such fun, Susan, to rest the mind with pies and potatoes and not think about the tumults going on. Thanks, as always 😍
Unfortunately being part of history in the making is usually uncomfortable, to put it mildly - like the Chinese curse, we’re living in interesting times. On the upside, finally had the second cataract op (it was changed three times!) and it has certainly made a dramatic difference to my eyesight. The old brain is having a tough time adjusting!
Yay for you, Lynne! I remember how delighted I was with mine--so glad yours is successful. Seeing the world with new eyes!
It’s pretty chaotic here, too, lots of guessing about how the tariffs are going to affect us, whether we have to become guerrillas to defend ourselves, lots of pro-Canadian rhetoric (in a polite way, of course 😁) Crazy times.
We're watching history in the making, if that's any consolation. (It probably isn't.)
Oh, the tumult is there, Lynne. We can't get away from it. But potato soup helps--we had some tonight.Recommended, even though the mind is not at rest. :) I shudder to think what you calmer Canadians musts be thinking of us down here. :)
I still think that chamomile as the herb of the year is so very appropriate. The only thing better might be hops. I always wondered about wormwood. Good to know the real story.
Love pies, sweet and savory, BUT none of those in the link appeal to me! Have to find the frozen rhubarb in freezer and make strawberry/rhubarb pie this week. Thanks for the book tip on Luther Burbank. My interest in him was revived after reading “Where Lilacs Still Bloom” by Jane Kirkpatrick. The woman who created 90% of the lilac varieties in North America corresponded with Burbank on how to create different color varieties. Her home and gardens in Woodland, Washington is a national host site.
Burbank played an enormous role in the creation of varieties in our gardens and on our plates today--I need to get back into his work, too. Just thinking about how much speciation he controlled . . . Let us know how that strawberry/rhubarb turns out. That was one of my mother's favorite June pies, when the strawberries started ripening.
Thank you for all , Susan . Hugs and peace
Love hearing everyone's thoughts on this post and on potatoes in particular! I have a bag of small russets sprouting in my pantry that will be going into the ground soon! :-) Not too deep and being gently hilled as they begin to grow.
And I do believe I will be joining the crowd and making a potato and corn chowder soon! Mine will be made with soy milk, cashew yogurt, cumin, fresh ground pepper and some chopped greens on top at serving.
It does seem that the history of potatoes could be used as strong evidence that humans are capable of believing anything.
Well, if you're thinking of the potato amulets and the lusty suppers, yes. But the nightshades got a lot of extra attention because of their uses in witchcraft (belladonna, mandrake). There are some really fun stories about the tomato, for instance--another nightshade relative.
We don't have much luck with garden potatoes here. We're way too alkaline, but the real problem is that the growing season is too short. Most potatoes need 80-120 days, but here, spring turns to summer and the ground heats up too early. I had better luck with fall plantings, but an early freeze can shorten that season too. Now that our winters are warming, it might be time to try again for a fall crop--but now I have back issues. Sigh . . .
I have a favorite motel at Cannon Beach Oregon that has a south facing concrete wall with a waist high 3 foot wide garden and a wide enough edge for perching while one is working in the garden. I would pay someone to let me work in that garden!! :-) I have been wondering if you have seen any rain these past months? And also how things are going with your car and PC?
Thank you for all your efforts Susan. The links enrich your postings. I leisurely follow them whenever I have a few minutes to fill.
My maternal grandfather's favorite pie was "pigs feet pie/. A savory meat pie that began with raw pigs feet. We only ate it as children when we didn't know what was in the pie (although no evidence remained of the actual feet).
Your mention of absinthe tickles my memories. This vague remembrance involves a mystery of absinthe as a key to the story. I will see if I can search out the link. .
Was your grandfather British, Georgeann? When I was writing the Cottage Tales, I kept running into recipes for pork pie (several of them meant to be eaten cold), pickled pigs feet, and other porcine pleasures. Those books were set in the north of England. Of course, people ate as much as they possibly could of the meat that cost so much effort and time to raise.
Who knew all of that fascinating history of our beloved spud! That little tuber has been through so much over the ages, and I love it. One of my favorite recipes is one that is similar to my mom's potato soup we ate as Mom, Daddy, & I watched Perry Mason on Saturday evenings. I don't have her recipe, but I found one for Cream of Potato-Leek Soup that reminds me of those nights before I was old enough to date. It's a comfort food for me on cold nights.
Yup, I remember Sunday nights watching Ed Sullivan on TV trays with Potato-Bacon soup and cornbread.
Yes, TV trays!
Nancy, you have taken me back to my childhood with your memories! Thank you for this!
Our favorite is potato and corn chowder with sausage or ham (since I almost never have bacon). And mayo instead of sour cream. Thinking of making it tonight, now that we're talking about it. I'm afraid it's almost summer here. 😢
One of my favaorite winter soups is "potato and corn chowder," made first by my grandmother. When she felt "extravagant," she sometimes added a piece of fat-back. Today I use bacon. My grandmother had an entire basement cabinet filledw with canned fruits and vegetables. The potatoes sat on the bottom shelf all winter.
I remember those fruit-cellar potatoes too, Georgeann. I used to get sent down there to rub off the sprouts. My grandmother also kept turnips and carrots there, too. Thanks for prompting that happy memory.
I'll have to look for that recipe online, for we can find any recipe via the Internet, and that sounds yummy.
Thank you, Susan. Always a fascinating post! I am always amazed how you manage keep all of this herbal, culinary, historical knowledge organized. I spend a lot of time skimming books on the shelf, trying to find a quote or anecdote that I remember reading---somewhere.
This is an absolutely delightful presentation of all things potato, Susan, from pomme frites to the potato chip that my husband is way too hooked on. He should do a commercial for Lay's because the man cannot eat just one! And just reading about the power of women in history gives me much needed hope. Grateful.
Same here, Jeanne. Someday I'll have to write a post on Luther Burbank's adventures with the Russet potato, which he bred from 23 seeds, starting back in 1872 and released in 1902. Fascinating story!
I happily admit I cannot eat just one potato chip or french fry.
It's incredibly reassuring to read your post of traditional holidays and the histories of food and drink over the ages today. It's the long view of human history that promises we'll survive this month of March with all its omens and portents. Here's to the luck of the Irish, to the power of women in history and in our present times!
Yes, here's to our survival--and of course we will. We just won't be the same. We won't have the safety nets created over the past century and the guardrails we thought were built into the Constitution. And I agree, Kate: we need to take refuge in our traditional celebrations, even though we know how fragile they are. (I'm usually the optimistic one--just not now.)
One of these years I’m going to try to grow Ozette potatoes, which have been grown and developed by the Makah Tribe in northwest Washington state for more that two centuries.
Thank you for introducing me to a new potato, April. I looked it up here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozette_potato Good to know that it can be genetically traced directly to South America, without a detour through Europe, like all our other potatoes. Fascinating history!
So much to celebrate in March! I love the idea of proposing borage as our national herb! 🌿 We should order more than a few truckloads to be delivered and planted around Washington. Pi day would be fun to celebrate this year--it's one I often forget. Thanks for another monthly gem, Susan!
You're welcome--fun for me, too!