We’re past the fall back time change here in the US and for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere generally the days are noticeably shorter, cooler. With dark chill evenings, this week on CP, we’re settling into the season – and the seasonings we turn to in cooler weather headed toward the tastes of the winter holidays.
We’re joined in this by Sue Goetz, also known as The Creative Gardener, and author of "A Taste for Herbs: your guide to seasonings, mixes & blends from the herb lover’s garden" (St. Lynn's Press, 2019).
"Farming on 360 acres in Idaho with my husband, turned everything I thought about what I was doing with plants over its ear, it gave me a different respect;
it wasn’t just about the plants, it was about caring for the soil,
for the earth and all of the things needed
to make those plants grow.”
Sue Goetz, Garden Designer
Author of "A Taste for Herbs" (St. Lynn's Press, 2019)
In the conversation, Sue and I discuss specific herbs and dry herb recipe mixes. She shares her history, passion and knowledge about using herbs in the kitchen and home starting with what they are really like in the garden including understanding their chemistry and how to grow them from there.
As we promised in the episode, here are three of Sue's dry herb mix recipes -quick pick-me-ups for your winter kitchen from your fall garden:
Follow along with Sue Goetz online at: the herb lover's garden, and on Instagram: @creativegardener
AND - Join us again next week when we go deeper into the food we nurture in our gardens, when we’re joined by Brie Arthur – who will talk to us more about her mission to get more people integrating the concept of Foodscaping into their gardens and landscapes – especially the unused bits of their landscapes. She is also known as the Crazy Grain lady, and will encourage us to try rice in our gardens.
THINKING OUT LOUD this week..
SO.....
I know that I sometimes go far over the side of what we think about when we think about gardens and gardening. And maybe there are some of you out there who will smirk and nod when I admit that sometimes I might spend so much time thinking about why we garden and what we mean when we garden that I forget to get us back into THE GARDEN. That’s what this conversation with Sue felt like for me – a fresh, aromatic dig into the garden – the simplest of things we love about being in it, working with it and knowing it well. From how it smells and feels to how it tastes. There are lots of way our gardens nourish us – and this is one of them. I loved how marrying a third generation Farmer and working the 360 acres of earth for their living turned her understanding of gardening and plants on its ear – as she said. I really feel that respect and integration in her work – it’s a good respect to show up with everyday we’re out there.
I’m a little hard on myself about the cooking thing in this conversation with Sue – truth be told I am a fine enough cook AND there are times when I love to be engaged in the kitchen – I mention making pizza with my girls and the three of us do love this – to make the dough from scratch and have it rise up warm and plump, and to choose our own toppings to make it specifically to our taste. And I make a good pie - crust from scratch and all.
While gardening is my first choice for how to ground myself, clear my head, find center and reset – there are other activities I love too – like we all do, which reminds of Matt Mattus sharing with us two weeks ago his grateful ephiphany that we can in fact love two careers. Maybe it’s the same for you – there’s one thing your most aligned or identified with, but there are others that fill you too – that bring you joy – for me these include reading, hiking, knitting, needlepoint, and to be honest cooking is in there, especially when its relaxed versus WHAT in the good world’s name are we having for dinner tonight. Haha.
And these secondary joys in our life – whatever they might be for you – may not be the main dish of you – but they certainly add spice. We are all made up of a symphony of flavors and layers – and I find as we head into the winter season and all that brings – including a sense of gratitude and harvest – of hunkering down and settling in – inside, and in our selves – different herbs and spices come out – of the garden and of us.
I hope you savor every one.
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