What's Happening!

On this page members can share interesting information about herbs, gardening tips, member activities, and even recipes. If you wish to post an item to this page, please contact the webmaster at webmaster@herbsociety.net

2023 Hamilton County Community Fair

Flower Show

 This is a fantastic flower show that will take place in an air conditioned exhibit hall. Fun for the entire family will include food, rides, animals, reptile show, 4-H exhibits, car show, horse show, Cincinnati Circus, edible auction, and more.

For more information and flower show schedules,

see the links below.

Congratulations to Deborah Wyght, outgoing President from 2020-2022, who led the HSGC through difficult times caused by the COVID pandemic.

At the HSGC September meeting, the new officers for 2022-2023 were installed - (Left to Right) President: Mary Gardner, Vice President: Kathy Wayman, Corresponding Secretary: Laurie Gorby, Recording Secretary: Pam Thomas, and Treasurer: Rebecca Ritchie(not pictured)

This is the updated diagram of the HSGC Herb Garden located at Spring Grove Cemetery.

At the HSGC September meeting, the new officers for 2021-2022 were installed - Deborah Wyght, President; Mary Gardner, Vice President; Mary Stacey, Treasurer; Kathy Bock, Recording Secretary; and Laurie Gorby, Corresponding Secretary. Congratulations to these members!

Recent images of the Herb Garden at Spring Grove Cemetery showing the beautiful herbs, arbor, and bench.

At the HSGC September meeting, the new officers for 2020-2021 were installed. They are pictured below:

Laurie Gorby, corresponding secretary; Mary Stacey, treasurer; 

Kathy Bock, recording secretary; Deborah Wyght, president; and Mary Gardner, vice president. Congratulations to these members!

At the HSGC September meeting, a Fall Donated Plant Sale was held in the parking lot. Thanks to the members who donated plants and to the volunteers who organized the sale.

Hope you enjoyed seeing last week's beginning of our new garden.....and hope you enjoy seeing the photos showing the progress we achieved this week!   We are almost ready to grade the berms in each planting area and then to plant a few trees and some perennials yet this autumn.  I will follow up soon with more photos and will also include some photos of the inscribed pavers.

Sandy Manteuffel, Garden Committee

So exciting.............................Construction of our new Herb Garden at Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum has begun!   Here are some photos of the beginning......

Flavor the Old-fashioned Way:

How to Make Homemade Extracts from Essential Oils 

Click HERE to Learn how to make homemade extracts from essential oils and ingredients.

Cindy Mills and Carol Mundy represented the Herb Society of Greater Cincinnati at the Join a Plant Society Day recently held at Krohn Conservatory.

These recipes were requested by a number of members, so here are two recipes for treats served at the November Herb Society Meeting.

Chili  Cheddar Cornbread

Heat oven to 400°F

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbs baking powder

1/4 cup sugar

1 stick soft butter

1/2 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 3/4 cup milk

2 cups roasted chilis

(I used the bottled roasted Hatch chilis from Costco)

1 cup canned or thawed frozen corn (I omitted this)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix dry ingredients together.  Add to wet ingredients gradually, mixing thoroughly.  Mix in butter, then fold in chilis and cheese.  Pour into 9 x 14 buttered pan.  Bake 35 minutes or until top is lightly browned and knife inserted into center comes out clean.

                                                                    --Gayle Ficken-Clark

Crispy Herb Seed Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 well beaten egg

1 3/4 cups sifted flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp caraway seeds

1 Tbsp poppy seeds

1 Tbsp anise seeds     (You certainly can experiment with different seeds!)

Cream sugar and butter, stir in beaten egg.  Combine dry ingredients and then stir into creamed mixture.  Chill dough thoroughly, then roll out 1/8 inch thick on floured board.  (This is a rather dry dough, and I find it's easier to roll out if you divide the dough into 2-3 balls and wrap them in damp paper towels.)  Cut out with cookie cutters and place one inch apart on a greased or nonstick cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until golden.  Cool on rack, store in covered container.  They freeze well.

                                                                              --Sandy Manteuffel

Congratulations to Past President Carol Mundy who was recently honored by The Ohio State University.

Art in Bloom 2019 at the Cincinnati Art Museum

In this exhibit the participants use the beauty of fresh flowers to create designs that interpret artworks from the Cincinnati Art Museum’s collection. Herb Society members, Bev Mussari, Sue Ann Vogt, and Deborah Wyght entered designs in this exhibit.

Deborah Wyght created a design that interpreted the artwork, Seated Lion, (Late 12th Century-Early 13th Century). Sue Ann Vogt created a design that interpreted the artwork, Virginia Landscape, by Arshile Gorky (American, b.1904, d.1948). The first design created by Bev Mussari interpreted the artwork, Easel, by Emma Bepler, mahogany and brass hardware. For her second design Bev Mussari interpreted the artwork, Panel, by William H. Fry (American, b.1830, d.1929). For her third design she chose Still Life with Fruit and Pottery by Juan Zurbarán (Spanish, b.1620, d.1649).

Harvest Festival at Wyoming High School

THE HERB SOCIETY OF GREATER CINCINNATI AWARDS FOUR SCHOLARSHIPS TO LOCAL HORTICULTURE STUDENTS

Photo, left to right:

Gail Suiter, Herb Society Scholarship Committee Chair; Sue Trusty, University of Cincinnati Professor Educator; Tyler Engel, University of Cincinnati Scholarship recipient; Robert (Bobby) Hammond, University of Cincinnati Scholarship recipient; Joan Rios, Herb Society Scholarship Committee; Liz Remle, Herb Society Scholarship Committee.

The Herb Society of Greater Cincinnati has awarded four financial need-based scholarships, one to a Cincinnati State Technical and Community College student, and three to University of Cincinnati students. A total of $8,000.00 has been awarded to the very deserving students for academic year 2019-2020.

Tyler Engel is studying for a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture at the University of Cincinnati. He worked as a seasonal landscaper before joining the army, and after returning from two combat tours in Afghanistan, began his studies. He now works as a private gardener who installs and maintains landscapes. After graduating, he will focus his efforts on growing his own business, planning to purchase land to set up an environmentally sustainable farm.

Robert (Bobby) Hammond is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture at the University of Cincinnati. Previously he worked at Burger Farm and Garden Center, and is currently working at Diefenbacher Greenhouses. In the future he would like to work at a National Park or a botanical garden. He is also interested in graduate programs in Plant Ecology or Environmental Science.

John Schaefer is a student at Cincinnati State in the Landscape Horticulture Program. John was on the Cincinnati State team that traveled to the National Collegiate Landscape Competition at Colorado State University this year, helping the team to an overall 4^th place finish, the school’s strongest finish ever. Currently John is working at Greenspace in Cincinnati Parks. He hopes one day to work in an arboretum or conservatory, sharing his joy for plants.

Anthony Vergara is a University of Cincinnati student studying for a degree in Horticulture. He currently works at Natorp’s Nursery, and as a professional dog walker with a company called Wag. Regarding career goals, he wants to gravitate away from ornamental nursery work to the urban agricultural area, believing growing local, clean food can help communities change their outlook on fresh food.

The Herb Society is pleased to be able to continue the tradition of helping fund the education of local horticultural students. Members of the Scholarship Committee, Grace Meacham, Liz Remle, Joan Rios and Gail Suiter, are impressed with the scholarship applicants’ grades and involvement in the field of horticulture.

HORTICULTURE STUDENTS WIN SCHOLOARSHIPS

The Herb Society of Greater Cincinnati has awarded six financial need-based scholarships, three to Cincinnati State Technical and Community College students, and three to University of Cincinnati students. A total of $8,500.00 has been awarded for academic year 2018-2019 to the very deserving students.

The recipients are:

Hannah Carter, Sustainable Horticulture student at Cincinnati State, currently working at Bloomin’ Garden Center.

Tyler Engel, horticulture student at the University of Cincinnati.

Robert (Bobby) Hammond, horticulture student at the University of Cincinnati, working at Berger Farm and Garden Center.

Medilynn (Lynn) Lorio, double major in Landscape and Sustainable Horticulture plus the Sustainable Agriculture Management Certificate at Cincinnati State.

David Mullis, Landscape Horticulture student at Cincinnati State, currently working at West Hills Greenhouses for his summer co-op.

Morgan Pencek, horticulture student at the University of Cincinnati.

The members of the Scholarship Committee, Grace Meacham, Liz Remle, Joan Rios and Gail Suiter, are impressed with the scholarship applicants’ grades and involvement in the field of horticulture. They appreciate that The Herb Society is able to assist with funding their education.

This is the recipe for the delicious corn dip brought to the July meeting by Maria Uhlenbrock.

Baked Corn Dip

8 oz. cream cheese (or Neufchâtel)

10 oz. pkg. ranch dressing mix

3 oz. pkg. bacon bits

2 cups shredded cheese (Monterey jack, cheddar, or combination)

16 oz. sour cream (or 8 oz. sour cream and 8 oz. yogurt)

3 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn

Combine all the ingrdients. Bake at 400 degrees, 25-30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

This is the casserole served at the March Board Meeting. The recipe was requested by many, and here it is!

Notes: "...variations of this recipe: before cooking (during prep) you can add chunks of sourdough bread, diced chilies, salsa, and/or diced green onions. You can use maple or sage sausage in place of the regular sausage, if desired."

“I checked with my butcher about using goetta in place of the sausage. He said it should work, but suggested going light on the salt and pepper. There may already be enough in the goetta. Salt and pepper can be added at the table.”

Submitted by Peg Albert

At the November Board Meeting, Jan Johnson served board members a wonderful breakfast/brunch casserole. So many people requested the recipe, with upcoming holidays, and households full of company, we wanted to share it with the entire membership! 

Those of you who attended the Federated Garden Clubs of Cincinnati and Vicinity meeting Friday, October 6, were able to enjoy all the delicious food that was prepared by the member of The Herb Society. One particular dish was a huge success – Caramel Corn made by Carol Colgate. She was kind enough to share her delicious recipe!