Herbs Intelligencer

EveryoneLikes AQuitter

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Page 10LIFEComplete news of West Virginia’sNorthern Panhandle and East Ohio

TOPICS: HOME & GARDENDeanFosdick

GARDENING GURU

Dear Annie: My dad hasbeen a smoker for his wholelife, which is why we wereall so proud of him when heannounced that he had suc-cessfully quit several monthsago. I was elated. It had beenan ongoing argumentbetween my parents through-out my childhood. It alwaysstressed me out to hear themfighting about it. It feels sogood to know that my dadactually cares about hishealth and knows that wecare, too. He’s even taken upjogging, something he wasnever able to do beforebecause he’d start hacking upa lung.However, the most recent

time I visited home (I’maway at college), I caught mydad smoking outside in thegarage one night. I quicklyturned away, and I know hedoesn’t know that I caughthim, but I am so devastated.My whole family would bedevastated. The next day, Iasked him how the not-smoking thing was going,seeing whether he’d confess,and he just said, “Great!” Ifeel so betrayed that he couldjust flat out lie about it.Along with feeling upset, Iam torn when it comes tohandling this situationbecause I know I can’t keepit to myself. My mom worksso hard and cares so much. Idon’t like seeing her lied to. Ifeel as if she deserves toknow the truth. Now I’m justtrying to figure out how to goabout dropping this bomb onher when I know it will justbreak her heart and my dadwill be angry. How do I dothis?—Nonsmoker SonDear Nonsmoker: So he

had a slip-up? Surprise!Your dad’s human. Ciga-rettes are highly addictive,and he’s been smoking hiswhole life.Talk to him about the

matter privately. Be com-passionate and try tounderstand where he’scoming from. On average,it takes eight to 11 triesbefore a smoker successful-ly stops for good. Don’tquit on him.Dear Annie: I’ve learned

that there is a differencebetween constructive criti-cism and just hurting some-one’s feelings, and I’m hav-ing a hard time separating thetwo right now.My friend is a loud chew-

er. She smacks her food. Shetalks with her mouth full.She slurps. It is disgusting. Ifind it incredible that some-body could get away withbeing raised that way, but therest of her family is the sameway, so she clearly has noidea.She really is a great girl

and one of my closestfriends, but this is a major petpeeve. Also, she complainsabout how she never getsasked on second dates, and Ican’t help but wonderwhether this is why.I just don’t know whether

that kind of habit is one thatcan be easily broken, and Iworry for her. I don’t knowhow to go about telling herthat she is being gross whenshe eats without having itcome out in a way that wouldjust hurt her feelings. All Iknow is I feel a responsibilityto do something about this.What do you think I shoulddo?—Quiet FriendDear Quiet: I don’t

doubt that her dates havehad allergic reactions tothese “see-food” dinners.Few things are less attrac-tive than chewing withone’s mouth open.Tell her, in a gentle way,

that it might be beneficialfor her to watch out andmake sure she is consciousof how she is eating. You’llbe doing her a huge favor.Good friends are honestfriends— even when itmeans telling a pal she eatslike Cookie Monster (inmuch politer terms, ofcourse).

Dear

Annie

ArtichokesServe AsOrnamentalsGlobe artichokes have

much to contribute to homegardens, from providing thinlayers of leathery leaves fordelectable dining to servingas flowery backdrops in bor-der settings. Pollinators liketheir purple, thistle-likeblooms, too.“I think they’re kind of a

novel plant,” said Dan Drost,a vegetable specialist withUtah State University Coop-erative Extension. “They’renot as popular as tomatoes,but they can look veryattractive in the landscape.It’s one plant for gardenersto try if they’re feelingadventurous.”Globe artichokes are

native to the Mediterraneanregion, and grow well asperennials in the Far Westand Pacific Northwest withtheir cool, moist summersand relatively mild winters(Zone 6 when mulched).Artichokes become annualsin frigid areas.“Oftentimes, gardeners

dig up their plants in the falland plant them out again thenext spring in cool cli-mates,” Drost said. “Thetrick in getting artichokes toflower is that they need acold period. You need toplant them early to get coldtemperatures on them— 50degrees for a few weeks,and then they’ll flower.Other than that, they’ll justgrow tall and can be used asa vegetable.”Some globe artichoke

varieties mature to 4 feetacross and 5 or 6 feet tall.As perennials, it’s recom-mended that they be dividedevery several years or beforethey begin to lose theirvigor. That increases thenumber of plants in the land-scape as well as their pro-ductivity.“The older the plant, the

more years it’s been growingin the garden, the moreflower stalks it has,” Drostsaid. “Each produces sevento 10 blossoms.”Artichokes can be grown

from seed or by using starterplants. It depends on thelocation.“To grow artichokes from

seed, start them indoors inlate February or Marchunder grow lights for abouteight weeks, and then plantthem outside after the lastfrost,” said Jim Myers, aplant breeder and researcherat Oregon State University.“In May or June, it’s best topurchase starts from yourlocal nursery or mail-ordercatalog.”Artichoke plants should

be budding by mid-summer.If the flower buds are des-tined for the table, then har-vest them when they reachfull size but before theyopen. They’ll store properlyfor three to five days oncerefrigerated.“If left to flower, they will

produce a large purple thistlethat can be dried and used inarrangements,” Myers saidin a fact sheet. “If you har-vest all the heads in milderclimates, artichokes maysend up a second crop in thefall.”Globe artichokes are easy

to cook.“Boil or steam immature

heads until tender, drain,remove the leaf scales oneby one, dip them in meltedbutter, vinaigrette or hol-landaise sauce, and thensuck out the juicy flesh fromeach scale,” the Royal Horti-cultural Society recom-mends. (Mayonnaise works,too.)Remove and toss the

fibrous “choke” in the bud’scenter, and then finish byeating the meaty “heart” thatextends down into the stem.“Mature flowers take

longer to cook and are lessflavorsome, but can becooked and consumed in thesame way,” the society says.

Dean Fosdick grew up ona farm in southern Minneso-ta, gathered and propagatedwild edibles during his near-ly two decades in Alaska andnow does his gardening fromhis home in New Market, Va.He can be reached at dean-fosdick@netscape.net

By TIFFANY BUMGARDNERFor The Intelligencer

Many find tending to gardens inthe warm months of the year to berelaxing and an enjoyable way topass the time, and members of thelocal Herb Society are amongthose who relish getting theirhands in fresh dirt and watchingplants bloom under their care.It isn’t about being knowledge-

able, said club president JeanieWright.“We do not claim to know

everything, and the society isabout learning. I often get behindsomeone who is more knowledge-able than I and ask what a certainplant is,” Wright said.She spoke about the group dur-

ing the club’s annual visit tomembers’ personal gardens,which rotates every year betweenOhio and West Virginia members.This year, members toured

Ohio gardens and were treated toa visit to member Lee Ann Cox’sherb garden on National Road inSt. Clairsville. In addition toCox’s garden, members visitedfive-year Herb Society memberPauline Henrys garden on WalnutAvenue.“I love being a part of the Herb

Society,” said Henry, an herb andgardening enthusiast. “In my gar-den, you will see how I live. I takespecial joy in having my morningcoffee in the garden, turningmusic on and watching the birds.”Members took in the rich,

vibrant colors of her plants, thefountain within her garden and thewonderful layout of her gardenoasis.The Herb Society meets at

10:30 a.m. the first Wednesday ofthe month in the Garden Center atOglebay Park in Wheeling.“We usually get here at 10 a.m.

and work in the herb garden atOglebay for a half an hour, get-ting our hands dirty and chattingbefore the meeting,” said Wright.“This group never fails to amazeme how much fun they can be!”She said the society has about

30 members and is open to any-one who wants to join.“We gladly welcome any new

members with or without knowl-edge on herbs and gardening,”according to both Henry andWright.

Herb Society CultivatesLearning, Friendships

Photos by Tiffany Bumgardner

Members of the Herb Society tour Lee Ann Cox’s private gardens in St. Clairsville.

Members of the Herb Society gather during a garden tour. They include, from front left, Rachael Sin-cavich and Pauline Henry; center row, Mary Lou Ward, Donna Warren, Anita Greenwood, LorrindaSaxby, Lynn Ford, Dorrie Jacob, Carol Reuther and Pat Barbeau; and back row, Kathie Roth, JulieDenholm, Lee Ann Cox, Irene Handzel, Paula Danyi and Jeannie Wright.

This pink coneflower at top is among many blooms found in HerbSociety member Pauline Henry’s garden in St. Clairsville, a sectionof which is shown in the photo above.