You use the fresh plant. Similar to using soaked wood chips I find that if you allow the herbs to soak in water the herbs absorb the water and smoke more. You can throw directly on the fire but it may be better for your taste to place the herbs on low coals or a chip basket at the side or end of your grill so that the smoke forms slowly and lasts longer. Throwing directly depending on the herb can cause a sharper flavor that some find distasteful. In several cultures the herbs are tied in bundles and then dipped in an oil vinegar marinade and brushed on the grilled items. Thyme and sage stems will make a good brush after removing leaves for another use. You can of course prepare a paste of chopped mashed herbs and butter and apply the paste to whatever you are grilling allowing it to melt either fully or partially before removing from the grill. These herb butters can be used all year. The thing with using herbs is to try different combinations. Just because one book states to use a specific herb with a specific food you do not have to follow that advise. Crush the herb in your fingers and think of the last time you had the dish you are about to make. In your mind do the memory and scent go together or clash. In grilling and other cooking you will notice different tastes and scents depending on when the herb is added. Generally, but not always, a herb added at the start of cooking will have a mellower flavor than one added at the last minute. Remember to use vegetables in grilling. A local grocery has the most wonderful grilled articoke? They tell us they are grilled and then steamed but we have not been able to decide which herbs are used.

I know the top one as "Aunt Tootsie's Purples". One of my mother's neighbors in San Antonio in the 40's/50's had gotten them from her Aunt Tootsie (I think in East Texas?) and shared the seeds with my grandmother. They are fragrant (leaves and seeds) and prolific spreaders by seed. They tolerate the heat well, rebound quickly from periods of no water, and I remember them turning purple in full sun, but they haven't done that up here. I've always like them. If anyone knows the "real" name for this plant, I'd love to know it!

Tea Brack recipe first, then how to make homemade buttermilk. -Grainlady TEA BRACK (source: Irresistible Irish Breads - magazine article by Deborah Krasner) Brack, an Irish word for bread, is often used when referring to fruited mixtures. Tea Brack is a traditional tea bread which is an easy version of barm brack. Makes 1 loaf. 2 c. dark seedless raisins or dried currants (I use currants) 1-1/2 c. firmly packed dark-brown sugar 1-1/2 c. strong brewed tea, chilled 1/4 c. rum (I use 1/8 c.) 2 c. unsifted all-purpose flour 1-1/2 t. baking powder 1/2 t. ground cinnamon 1/2 t. ground nutmeg 1/2 t. salt 1 large egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten 1. Several hours or the night before baking, in large glass bowl, combine raisins/currants, brown sugar, tea, and rum. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit overnight. 2. Heat oven to 325°F. Grease an 8-1/2x4-1/2-inch loaf pan and line with waxed paper. Grease waxed paper. 3. In medium-size bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Slowly beat flour mixture and the egg into raisin mixture just until combined to form a batter. 4. Pour batter into greased loaf pan. Bake brack 1-1/2-hours until browned and cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 5-minutes. Turn brack out of pan and remove waxed paper. Cool brack completely on wire rack. Grainlady note: I use two 7-1/2x3-1/2-inch loaf pans or three 5-3/4x3-3/4-inch loaf pans and reduce the baking time accordingly. This is a very moist bread - more currants than bread, almost. I like the smaller pans so I can cut the bread into thin slices that don't fall apart. If you make it in a regular loaf pan, the slices tend to split and fall apart. -------------------------- I use a large amount of buttermilk when it comes to baking on St. Patrick's Day, so I make a homemade version of it using information from "Natural Meals In Minutes" by Rita Bingham. I use a non-instant powdered milk, but regular commercial milk works VERY well. Homemade Buttermilk To a 1-quart canning jar add 1/2 c. buttermilk and fill the jar with regular milk OR reconstituted powdered milk. Note: You can use commercial buttermilk as the starter, or a reconstituted liquid made from powdered buttermilk, or buttermilk from a former batch of homemade buttermilk - your choice. Stir well and cover (I use a plastic lid designed to use with canning jars). Let stand in a warm place (at least 80°F) until clabbered, about 12-18-hours. Stir until smooth. Refrigerate. Grainlady note: I keep mine in my oven with the light on. The temperature at the opposite side of the oven from the light is about 80°F. You can use homemade buttermilk from a previous to culture the milk for the next batch. Just make sure you use it within 2-weeks. Older buttermilk doesn't work as well as newer buttermilk. If you've ever used reconstituted powdered buttermilk, it's rather insipid, thin, and tasteless compared to commercial buttermilk. The homemade buttermilk is more like commercial buttermilk.

Here are a couple of recipes for using mustard which we have tried and liked: Serves 2 Ingredients 12 oz (350 g) pork tenderloin 1 level teaspoon mustard powder 1 heaped teaspoon grain mustard 1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard 4 oz (110 g) small open-cap mushrooms 7 fl oz (200 ml) cre fraîche 1 dessertspoon groundnut oil ½ oz (10 g) butter 1 small onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced 3 fl oz (75 ml) dry white wine salt and freshly milled black pepper You will also need a 9 inch (23 cm) solid frying pan. First of all prepare the pork by trimming it and cutting it into strips 3 inches (7.5 cm) long and ¼ inch (5 mm) wide. Then prepare the mushrooms by slicing them through the stalk into thin slices. Now, in a small bowl, mix together the three mustards with the crème fraîche and, when you're ready to cook the pork, take the frying pan and heat the oil and butter together over a medium heat. Add the onion slices and fry them gently for about 2-3 minutes until they're soft. Using a draining spoon, remove the onions to a plate, turn the heat up under the pan to its highest setting and, when it's smoking hot, add the strips of pork and fry them quickly, keeping them on the move all the time so they cook evenly, without burning. Then add the mushrooms and toss these around to cook very briefly until their juices start to run. After that, return the onion slices to the pan and stir them in. Season well with salt and pepper, then add the wine and let it bubble and reduce slightly before adding the crème fraîche. Now stir the whole lot together and let the sauce bubble and reduce to half its original volume. Serve immediately spooned over rice. This recipe is taken from Delia SmithÂs Winter Collection. ********************************************************************************************* Here's another good mustard recipe with my comments as I first posted it: "Today Wolf requested something for dinner that I hadn't tried before - a German dish of eggs in mustard sauce. So I Googled around and settled on this recipe with some changes. The recipe called for ham but I didn't have any and so used a small package of bacon, diced, fried, drained and dried which I added to the potato & onion mixture. I used Colman's whole grain mustard instead of Dijon in the sauce which turned out very well. I also cut down a little on the quantity of butter and oil for the potatos." "Here is another breakfast recipe for you. Everyone likes this a lot, I never have leftovers." Diane Nemitz, B&B owner. * 3 tablespoons butter * 3 tablespoons oil * 3 large potatoes, peeled,cooked and cubed * 1/2 lb. ham, chopped * 1 tablespoon finely minced onion * 1 tablespoon butter * 1 tablespoon flour * 1 cup milk * 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard * 4 hard cooked eggs, peeled and sliced METHOD In large skillet, heat butter and oil until butter is melted. Add potatoes, ham and onion. Cook over medium heat, stirring and turning mixture over until crispy brown. While hash is cooking, make mustard cream sauce. In small saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Stir in flour to make a roux. Add milk and stir over low heat until sauce begins to thicken. Stir in mustard. Continue cooking until sauce is thick. Add sliced eggs to sauce, but do not stir. When hash is finished cooking, place in serving bowl. Pour eggs with sauce over the middle of the hash. Serve at once. Nice with toast or biscuits. Serves: 4 recipe from www.inmamaskitchen.com SharonCb