Garden Clippings
Warm start, ending helps holiday meal go down
By RUTH DAVIES
Article published on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006  |
Remember that big Thanksgiving dinner and all that food you sampled and enjoyed – until you pushed away from the table? Talk about a groaning board – the meal was still sitting heavy after the dishes were washed and put away.
Before the next holiday meal goes down, consider relief in case you sample too many dishes. Start the meal with a light warm soup. A light chicken-lemon soup (made with a chicken breast and a carrot, seasoning of rosemary and thyme, a little orzo or rice and fresh spinach) will warm up the stomach’s digestion for a plate full of food. Slowly chewing will help with digestion, and one of my favorite toppers is a cup of lemon, mint or sage tea. It will taste refreshing and will help ease the discomfort from a celebratory dinner.
Mint is one of the easiest herbs to grow at home. It doesn’t have any pest enemies to worry about, so can be grown naturally. There are several types to choose from: spearmint, peppermint and pineapple mint, are the most popular. As a young gardener, I made the mistake of growing mint “in the garden.” The “garden” of mint quickly expanded to the lawn. It smelled good when mowed, but it didn’t belong there. Since then, I have learned to grow mint in a container that is escape-proof. It’s nice to plant it where it will be brushed by people walking by. In the Florida summer, it goes dormant and occasionally dies back. Mint likes to be watered often.
Iced tea garnished with a sprig of mint cut from your plant helps keep the plant bushy. A high nitrogen fertilizer will keep the leaves growing large and green, although it is not necessary to do so. When the plant gets woody, just cut it back to rejuvenate it.
To make tea, boil a cup of water and put about a tablespoon of leaves in a tea pot, add the water and let it sit for as long as 30 minutes. Strain into a cup or glass using a strainer or coffee filter. Now that is the average way of making the tea. I like to grab a handful of leaves even with stems, put them in the pot, add the water, let steep, resulting in a very strong tea. It’s easy enough to add water to dilute it or add ice for a refreshing drink on a hot day.
That huge, delicious dinner will settle much quicker with a warm start and warm ending and maybe you won’t fall asleep before doing the dishes.
Have a happy, healthy holiday.
Events for gardening enthusiasts
• The Garden Club of St. Petersburg will have its Grow and Share meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 1 p.m., at the Garden Center, 500 Sunset Drive S. Bob Albanese, horticulturist with the Pinellas County Extension Office, will discuss drought-resistant plants. Club members will distribute plants to attendees. Call 391-2526.
• The Tampa African Violet Society will meet Thursday, Jan. 4, 7:30 p.m., at the Seminole Garden Center, 5800 Central Ave., Tampa. Violets 101 and Grooming Your Plants will be presented by JoAnne Martinez. Call Dottie Cesario, president, at 813-989-2934.
Ruth Davies is a Pinellas County Master Gardener. Questions can be sent to her at editorial@TBNweekly.com.
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Article published on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006
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