Author Archives: Oaths Admin

Community Service Update – March 2014

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The OATHS Community Service Project at T.S. Morris Elementary School has only one more meeting in this school year. We have been meeting regularly with Mr. Freeman’s fifth grade class on the first Friday of the month. In February, we planted herb seeds in mini-greenhouses, and in March we discussed water conservation. In April, we hope to make pizza using the herbs we have planted and been tending in the garden and the courtyard containers.

On the Great Day of Service, Saturday, March 15, three OATHS members joined with the T.S. Morris Partners in Education to help spruce up the school. The OATHS volunteers (Carolyn Gomillion, Kayren Pittman, and Jane McCarthy) concentrated on the courtyard containers by cleaning them out and planting more herbs and summer annuals. The newly planted trees in the front of the school were mulched with pine straw, and the raised bed was cleaned out and planted with lettuce and Swiss chard. Many thanks to Ann Oldham, John Taylor, Mr. and Mrs. Neal, Mark, Nate, Isiah, and Mr. Freeman for their valuable help.

Marinated Mushrooms and Artichokes

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In what will become a monthly feature of the OATHS website, we present one of the recipes from our cookbook “Roses and Rosemary: Favorite Recipes Old Alabama Town Herb Society.” We hope to highlight some of the great recipes from our cookbook and also offer some provided by friends of OATHS. For more information on how you can get a copy of our cookbook, please contact us by using our Contact page and placing “Cookbook” in the subject line.

Now on to the recipe…

Since the administrator of our site really likes artichokes, we (he) felt Marinated Mushrooms and Artichokes would be a tasty and easy recipe to start with. We hope you enjoy.

“Marinated Mushrooms and Artichokes”
1/3 c. vinegar
1/3 c. salad oil
1/3 c. water
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 T. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. snipped parsley
1/4 tsp. whole black peppercorns
dash bottled hot pepper sauce
1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained
1 c. sliced fresh mushrooms

Combine first 9 ingredients. Pour over artichokes and mushrooms. Cover; refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, stirring several times.

Thank you to Sherrie Hamil

January 2014 in the gardens

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As the January weather has dipped into the teens, the gardens look very dormant. In December, they were decorated very nicely for the holidays, but are now waiting patiently for the return of warm weather. In February, we’ll trim back the winter damage, apply some fresh mulch, and then sit back and wait to see how the severe cold has affected the gardens. And don’t forget, Herb Day 2014 is right around the corner, so please check back for more details.

Community Service Update – T.S. Morris Elementary

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Our friends at T.S. Morris Elementary welcomed the Old Alabama Town Herb Society (OATHS) members back on January 10 to meet with Mr. Freeman’s 5th grade class. The visit focused on discussing seeds and how important they are to our lives. OATHS members Toni Bourke and Jane McCarthy worked with the students by creating a fruit salad and talking about the seeds of each fruit used in the salad. The kids were impressed by the avocado seed, but not overly impressed with the taste of the meat. The avocado seeds were placed in water to show the kids how they will sprout. The basil plants from October’s project have all died, so we will plant basil seeds and bring some cuttings for the February project. We’d like to thank all involved and say that we look forward to our next discussion.

November 2013 Community Service Project

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The current community project for the Old Alabama Town Herb Society is at T.S. Morris Elementary School in Montgomery. It entails a monthly meeting at the school with Mr. Freeman’s fifth grade class. We meet the first Friday of the month and expose the kids to herbs, plants in general, the environment and how we influence it, and the love of growing things to eat.

In November’s meeting we discussed botanical names, good soil vs. poor soil, and what the plants need to survive. The kids planted 3 basil plants (Osimum basilicum) and 3 snake plants (Sanseveria trifasciata) in good potting soil, and 3 of each in very poor playground dirt. Some kids could not get past the thought that both were just plain dirt, and were very hesitant to use their hands. (Reminder to self: Bring gloves next time). They were asked to observe and document the progress through the year of both plants in the different soils. Hopefully the basil will provide us with enough to adorn our pizza in the spring.

Many thanks to Old Alabama Town Herb Society members Shell Payton and Jane McCarthy for their hands on help with the kids, and to Ms. Easterling and Mr. Freeman for giving us guidance in this project.

November 2013 in the gardens

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The gardens look very nice this time of year, but winter is just around the corner.  The scarecrows in the 5 Old Alabama Town gardens are a very nice addition to the fall landscape.  There is a doctor in the Doctor’s Garden, a musically inclined lady in the Mother Garden, Lavender Lil in the Scent Garden, Lady Dye in the Dye Garden, and a petulant child sitting down on the job in the Children’s Garden.

In the Children’s Garden, there are several unusual plants that catch people’s attention, but the most stunning this year is the Zinger Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa , aka The Herb Garden at the Governor’s Mansion has been reclaimed and tended lovingly by a couple of dedicated herb gardeners. The plants are labeled, and ready for winter. The chef uses many of the herbs, but there is always room for expansion.

Roses and Rosemary

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“Roses and Rosemary: Favorite Recipes Old Alabama Town Herb Society” is now available! This collection of recipes has something for everyone, and is a great value for everyone that likes to cook with the herbs from their gardens. Available locally at Old Alabama Town, and for those unable to visit Old Alabama Town, please contact us to find out how you can get your copy too!

 

Thank You!

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On behalf of the members of the Old Alabama Town Herb Society and all the attendees and vendors who made Herb Day 2013 a success, we’d like to extend a heartfelt thanks to our Sponsors.

Rose
Elsie & Roy Hilton
Jack Ingram Motors
Rosemary
Hopson Cox – Affordable Eyewear
Health Wise Foods, Inc.
Tomatino’s Pizza
Wade Construction
Yoga LLC
Ursula A. Kling
Elderberry
Cabot Cheese
Green Thumb Nursery
Cindy Keeping – Partner’s Realty
Lisa Knapp – Intervest Realty Group

16th Annual Herb Day

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“RESPECT YOUR ELDERBERRIES”

‘Herb Day’ our annual, fun-filled, public educational event for the entire family features children’s activities, music and crafts as well as programs by herbal experts on growing and using herbs –including a cooking demonstration and an exploration of medicinal properties of herbs.

For interested vendors and sponsors, come and sell your garden-related wares to the many loyal patrons of our Herb Day as well as to new patrons attracted by the rebirth of downtown Montgomery.

Proceeds from the Herb Day event help our volunteers carry out numerous educational activities focused on the value and joy of growing and using herbs – including the free to the public, Herb Day event – school gardening programs – and provision of speakers for community groups and classes. Proceeds also help us maintain our herb gardens – the Governor’s Mansion culinary garden and the five herbal gardens of Old Alabama Town (Landmarks Foundation’s model nineteenth century village and the host to the Old Alabama Town Herb Society).