China Bayles' Book of Days (21 page)

Honey: From Flower to Table
, by Stephanie Rosenbaum

Letters from the Hive: An Intimate History of Bees, Honey, and Humankind
, by Stephen Buchmann

The bees have their definite plan for life, perfected through countless ages, and nothing you can do will ever turn them from it. You can delay their work, or you can even thwart it altogether, but no one has ever succeeded in changing a single principle in bee-life. And so the best bee-master is always the one who most exactly obeys the orders from the hive.

—TICKNER EDWARDS, THE BEE-MASTER OF WARRILOW, 1907

APRIL 7

Tansy is very wholesome after the salt fish consumed during Lent, and counteracts the ill-effects which the moist and cold constitution of winter has made on people . . . though many understand [the eating] not, and some simple people take it for a matter of superstition to do so.

—WILLIAM COLES, THE ART OF SIMPLING, 1656

Tansy: A Lenten Mystery

There’s a mystery about tansy. This herb (
Tanacetum vulgare
) tastes bitter and has traditionally been used to expel intestinal parasites, treat kidney ailments, and fever. So why would people use it to flavor a dish that celebrates the end of Lent? Some writers suggest that the tradition began with the celebration of the Jewish Passover and the eating of bitter herbs, adapted to Christian use. Other writers suggest that tansy was used as a blood cleanser after the rigors of Lenten fasting; over time, this reason was forgotten.

The herb was made more palatable by cooking it with other fresh greens in an egg-rich batter, a cross between a pancake and an omelet, strewn with sugar. As time went on, the dish was embellished, first with cream and spices, and then with breadcrumbs and more sugar, until it became a sweet pudding and finally a cake, often called simply “a tansy.” The dish might include some symbolic tansy, but it was usually spinach juice that created the traditional green color.

This colonial recipe for tansy pudding comes from Mary Randolph’s
The Virginia Housewife Or, Methodical Cook
(1832)—rather like a simple spinach soufflé without the spinach. No tansy? Substitute lemon juice, beating to incorporate.

TANSY PUDDING

4 eggs slightly beaten
1 cup of cream
¾ cup of spinach juice mixed with a tablespoon of tansy
juice
1 cup of cracker crumbs
½ cup of sugar
½ teaspoon nutmeg

Mix all together and bake in a buttered dish until firm. It may also be cooked like an omelette. It looks green.

According to Alice Morse Earle (
Old Time Gardens
, 1901), the coffin of Jonathan Mitchell, exhumed, was found to be full of tansy. Mitchell, president of Harvard College, had died in 1668 of “an extream fever.” The use of tansy at funerals, Earle reports, “lingered long in country neighborhoods in New England, in some vicinities till fifty years ago.”

APRIL 8

Make no mistake: the weeds will win; nature bats last.

—ROBERT M. PYLE

The Wayfaring Plantain

If you have plantain (
Plantago major
) in your yard, you’re not the only one. They’re everywhere. In fact, some 200 species of this plant live in temperate regions around the globe. There’s a romantic explanation for plantain’s ubiquity. The plantain is said to have once been a maiden who gave her heart to a wayfaring man. Anxious for his return, she waited beside the roadway, weeping. One day, the goddess Demeter walked past and heard the maiden’s sad story. “Well, my goodness,” Demeter said in a reasonable tone, “if you feel that way about it, why don’t you go find the fellow?”

And with that, the goddess transformed the maiden into a small, broadleaf plant, naming her from
planta
, the Latin word for the sole of the foot. And because the plantain would always be underfoot and in danger, Demeter made her immortal. She then sent the plantain on her way, commanding her to follow every road in the world until she found her lover.

The plantain took the goddess’s command so seriously that the herbalist John Gerard commended her “great commoditie” for growing anywhere. But the footloose plantain had so many uses that most people welcomed her. The tender green leaves were cooked, or served in salads, or brewed into a tea. The leaf and root were used as a cure-all. Today, herbalists recommend the tea or tincture as a treatment for bronchitis and asthma, while the fresh leaves can be used as a poultice or steeped in an oil that will soothe sunburn, burns, superficial wounds, and skin inflammations.

When Demeter commanded the plantain to follow every road, she also made her immortal, a virtue greatly admired by the ancient Saxons. They included the plant among their nine sacred herbs, giving her the descriptive name Way-broad.

And you Way-broad, Mother of plants!
Over you carts creaked
Over you queens rode
Over you brides bridled
Over you bulls breathed.
All these you withstood
And strongly resisted,
As you also withstand
Venomous and vile things
And all loathly ones
That rove through the land.

So if you’re thinking about spraying something venomous, vile, and loathly on the plantain in your yard, think again. You’ll offend the goddess Demeter—and who knows what kind of plant she will turn you into!

APRIL 9

I found some leftover mashed potatoes in the fridge and made a pot of mashed potato soup—hot and tasty, with fresh parsley chopped into it and cheddar cheese grated on top. I was sitting at the table, working on my first bowl when McQuaid showed up. “Want soup?” I asked. “There’s some on the stove.”

He picked up a spoon and tasted mine. “Not bad,” he said. “Think I will.” He found a bowl, ladled it full, and laced it with catsup.

—HANGMAN’S ROOT: A CHINA BAYLES MYSTERY

Parsley: A “Dangerous” Herb

Valued for its zippy taste, its bright green color, and its crisp texture, parsley is an all-around favorite, good in soup, and with vegetables, fish, and eggs. But for all its virtues, parsley has been said to have a darker side. To ensure that this “dangerous” herb would behave, gardeners traditionally planted it on Good Friday. And with the possible exception of basil, parsley may figure in more superstitious beliefs than any other herb. Here’s a sample of its mysteries:

• Parsley seeds have to go down to the devil seven times before they can grow.

• Plant parsley only on Good Friday, when it is freed from the devil’s influence.

• If a woman other than the mistress of the house plants parsley, she’ll get pregnant. If this happens, she should eat parsley three times a day for three weeks, which would take care of the problem.

• If you say a person’s name while you’re picking parsley, that person will die within a week.

• “Transplant parsley, transplant death.” If you move a parsley plant, somebody you know will die.

• “Only the wicked can grow parsley”—and its variant, “Only a witch can grow parsley.”

CHINA’S LEFTOVER POTATO SOUP, WITH PLENTY OF PARSLEY

leftover mashed potatoes
enough milk to thin to soup consistency
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon per cup of mashed potatoes,
dissolved in 1-2 tablespoons boiling water
2 teaspoons fresh minced parsley per cup of mashed
potatoes
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
grated cheddar cheese, about 2 tablespoons per cup of
mashed potatoes

Heat the mashed potatoes, adding milk to thin. Stir in dissolved chicken bouillon, parsley, salt, and pepper. If you have other leftover vegetables (corn, peas, green beans) or ham or sausage, add them, as well. Heat, ladle into bowls, and top with grated cheese.

Read more about the dangers of parsley:

Oxford Dictionary of Plant-Lore
, by Roy Vickery

APRIL 10

A garden is evidence of faith. It links us with all the misty figures of the past who also planted and were nourished by the fruits of their planting.

—GLADYS TABER

Pastel Easter Eggs

For Christians, the Easter egg is a symbol of faith, renewal, and rebirth. This year, why not color at least some of them the natural way, using plant materials? It’s easy, fun, and interesting, and a great project for the kids.

Start by hard-boiling the eggs, as you usually do. Set them aside, and prepare your dye bath. The general procedure is to simmer the cut-up plant materials in a nonreactive pan for 20-30 minutes, to develop the color. Strain out the plant materials and add a teaspoon of vinegar (except when using onion skins). Then, with a spoon, lower the dry hard-boiled eggs into the bath and let them sit until the color “takes.” To obtain a darker color, let the eggs cool in the bath, or remain overnight.

And here’s something else you might try: Choose a leaf or a fern frond. Secure it to the egg with a tiny bit of white glue, just to hold it in place. Then wrap the egg with a square of nylon stocking, netting, or cheesecloth, so that the leaf is held firmly against the egg. Gather the material at the top of the egg, tie securely with string, and lower it into the dye bath. When the egg is dyed, the leaf-shape will remain white, and you’ll see the soft shadow of the fabric on the egg, as well.

COLORS FROM NATURE

• Reds: beets, cooked and allowed to steep for several hours; raspberries, cranberries, or cherries; red onion skins (use LOTS)

• Blues and purples: red cabbage, blueberry juice, cranberry juice and purple grapes, blackberry juice

• Lavender: purple violets, plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice

• Green: spinach, carrot tops

• Orange: yellow onion skins

• Yellows: lemon peel, ground cumin, turmeric, calendula flowers

• Browns: coffee grounds, tea, walnut hulls or bark, cayenne powder

Hint: you may not want to eat naturally-dyed eggs, since they sometimes take on the taste of the dye material.

Read more about creating colors from natural materials:

Wild Color
, by Jenny Dean

One is nearer God’s heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth.

—DOROTHY FRANCES GURNEY

APRIL 11

Indian tribes in the American Northeast gave the name “Planting Moon” to the April New Moon.

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted . . .

—ECCLESIASTES 3:1-2

Gardening by the Moon, Part One

THE FOUR PHASES

As the Moon travels around the earth, its changing angle creates the daily tides and is said to affect, as well, the moisture in the soil. We mark the changes in the Moon’s appearance as “phases.” Ancient peoples regulated their agricultural practices according to the Moon’s passage, and some modern gardeners enjoy experimenting with this age-old tradition. Ruby Wilcox, who keeps an eye on the stars, swears by this gardening practice. She suggests that you give it a try.

• New Moon, First Quarter. During this waxing period, seeds are said to germinate readily. The best time for planting, but especially good for annuals that produce their yield above the ground and their seeds outside the fruit. Examples: lettuce, spinach, celery, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and grain.

• Second Quarter. The second quarter (also a waxing period) produces strong leaf growth. A good time to plant annuals that produce their yield above ground and their seeds inside the fruit, such as beans, melons, peas, peppers, squash, and tomatoes. Also good for vining plants.

• Full Moon, Third Quarter. As the Moon begins to wane, root growth is strong. Time to plant root crops (such as beets, carrots, onions, potatoes, and peanuts) and those that flower and fruit in the second and subsequent seasons, such as perennials, biennials, bulbs, shrubs, trees.

• Fourth Quarter. This waning period is the best time to cultivate, pull weeds, prune plants, and destroy pests.

Read more about gardening by the moon:

Guided by the Moon: Living in Harmony with the Lunar Cycles
, by Johanna Paungger and Thomas Poppe

The Lunar Garden: Planting by the Moon Phases
, by E. A. Crawford

Sowe peason and beans in the wane of the moon
Who soweth them sooner, he soweth too soone.
That they with the planet may rest and arise,
and flourish with bearing most plentiful wise.
—TRADITIONAL