February 2007

We certainly have been experiencing some extreme weather this winter. From ice storms in Texas to tornadoes in Florida to massive snow falls in New York State, we've all experienced severe weather. Here in South Central Texas, I was concerned about the stock plants in pots outdoors. I covered my benches because, even though the actual temperatures wasn't terribly cold, we had very cold north winds for several days that I knew would burn the leaves of the hardy herbs, lettuce and greens. When the ice came, the plants were safe under their tents of frost blanket stiffened by the ice. Upon uncovering everything, I found bright green parsley, dill, cilantro and fennel. Colorful lettuce seedlings and mesclun mixes were perky and ready for planting. In the garden beds, blooming violets were seemingly unfazed by the weather and continued with their cheery blooms to brighten our still-cloudy days.

Then, just a few days after the cold and ice, we experienced spring-like days with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid to high sixties. I felt like taking everything out of the greenhouse, but knew it was much too early. The false spring was a nice break, though, because the greenhouses heated up and the little herb and tomato seedlings seemed to grow right before my eyes. The cloudy days had definitely slowed down seedling growth. Now, it's cloudy and cool again. But, with spring in sight for us, it's easier to deal with the end of winter.

I realize many of you reading this newsletter have months of winter ahead of you. A positive aspect is that will give you a chance to assess last year's gardening efforts and spend lots of time making plans for this year's garden. There is definitely something to be said for a garden down time. You can plan at leisure and not feel rushed. For you, it's the time to dream and plan with catalogs in hand and a hot beverage by your side. You can plan at leisure and not feel rushed.

Here, we can and do garden year round, and it's difficult to find time to step back and assess last year's or last season's efforts. Mid summer is one down time we have to plan and rejuvenate the gardens for fall. And, often we have a few weeks in January, but it seems Spring comes early and we have to get our plants and seeds out to get crops established before it gets too hot.

For those of you still mired in Winter, it's not too early to be looking at starting some herbs, flower and vegetable seedlings from seed for you own use. It's so inexpensive, and if you have more than you can use, you can share them with other gardeners. Maybe have a seedling exchange this spring. There is a good selection of popular herbs, flowers and vegetables at http://theherbcottage.com/seeds.html.

Since February is the month containing Valentine's Day, a commercial holiday if there ever was one, I thought I'd share some information about chocolate with you that came through an email list from a chef's service. Chocolate isn't really an herb, but it's been proven to have health benefits, when enjoyed in moderation. The following is some information and recipes to warm the heart of you and your loved ones this cold February.

Is chocolate really an aphrodisiac?

On romantic occasions, one of the most popular gift exchanged between lovers is a box of chocolates. Even the ancient Aztecs and Mayans (circa 600 AD) of South America loved it. There are some very good reasons why.

Chocoholics are beginning to understand the secret behind the amorous inclination we have for these brown and white treats. Two doctors, Donald Klein and Michael Leibowitz, theorized that chocolate contains a particular chemical called phenylethylamine (better known as the "love chemical"), which is also present in the brain.

Phenylethylamine, an amphetamine-like substance, is a chemical produced in the brain when people fall in love. Love struck persons produce more of this chemical than people who are not. Initially, Dr. Klein and Dr. Leibowitz joked about the idea of chocolate being an arbiter for people who are in love. They tried to prove their theory, but were unable to finish their experiments. Other scientists followed suit, but were also unable to conclude whether or not chocolate has love potion-like abilities. One study, however, revealed that eating chocolate did not actually increase the level of phenylethylamine in the body, thus ruling out chocolate as responsible for that certain wonderful high.

By nature, however, phenylethylamine is a naturally-occurring trace chemical known to release a certain kind of dopamine in the "pleasure-centers" of the brain. Unfortunately, one of the metabolites phenylethylamine produces also causes a person to become unusually restive. Overproduction of this chemical is found in people suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.

Chocolate also has a substantial amount of tryptophan, an important amino acid that controls the production of the mood-modulating serotonin.

Probably the most distinctive "side-effect" of eating chocolate is its release of endorphines, the body's own endogenous opiates. The production of endorphins consequently gives chocolate addicts that co-called "inner glow" about them (which explains why many chocolate lovers seem to be so gloriously alive).

In the end, science has yet to prove chocolate's efficacy as an aphrodisiac. While some doctors say that phenylethylamine in chocolate is just a mild love-chemical, the debate is still ongoing and it is too early to know if chocolate really is the lovers' delight. Then again, giving your special someone a box of chocolates couldn't hurt.

(Referenced from Chef2Chef email forum, Volume 12, Issue 30, 2/9/07)

For more information on chocolate, an informative web site is: http://www.chocolateexpert.com/index.html

And a recipe I couldn't resist:

Godiva Chocolate Rum Smoothie

This smoothie recipe features Godiva® chocolate liqueur, a rich chocolate liqueur based on Godiva chocolates. Available as white chocolate or dark chocolate liqueurs. We call them "Montezuma's Revenge."

Ingredients:

2 ounces Godiva liqueur

1/2 ounces Goslings Black Seal Rum, or your favorite brand

1/2 banana, peeled and sliced, other half for garnish

1/2 cup vanilla ice cream

Preparation:

Pour Godiva into blender. Add rum, banana and ice cream. Blend until smooth. Pour into chilled serving glass. Garnish with banana slice. Makes 2 drinks.

In the cookies of life, friends are the chocolate chips.

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Good Growing to You,

Cindy Meredith, proprietor

The Herb Cottage

442 CR 233

Hallettsville, TX 77964

phone & fax: 979-562-2153