Guest Speaker: Connie Sheppard

Learn to make Spice Rubs and Herbal Vinegars!

Dr. Connie Sheppard, an AgriLife Extension county agent, educator on food safety and recipient of the 2014 Superior Service Award shares her expertise on how to safely prepare tasty combinations you can make for your family and friends. Join us for this interactive program prepared to learn and taste something new!

Herb of the Month – OREGANO- will be presented by Leslie Bingham

Presenter: You CAN have healthy plants in a drought! Drip irrigation specialist and Master Gardener John Vann, will show us how it works, why it works and even how to save money on your water bill at the same time!

Our friends from Texas Butterfly Ranch will be telling us briefly about their 300for300 initiative. Learn more here.Signs will be available for purchase at the meeting.

As always, Potluck starts at 6:30p, meeting starts at 7.

Basil!

A versatile, delicious herb. Easy to grow in containers or in the ground. Get expert tips for growing basil here in San Antonio.

Chef Dave Terrazas

Chef Dave from the San Antonio Botanical Garden will demonstrate some interesting ways to use basil. He is known for his creative combinations of ‘produce forward’ tapas style creations. Come see and taste why basil is one of the most popular culinary herbs!

Held at the San Antonio Garden Center. 3310 N. New Braunfels. Pot luck social 6:30pmm to 7pm. Bring an herb inspired dish! Meeting starts at 7pm. Visitors are welcome to visit twice for free, then are encouraged to join.

Part of my Edible Landscaping Scheme was to replace purely ornamentals with equivalent edibles.
So the Century plant was replaced by the Artichoke. Each year mine yields two dozen or so artichokes. If you catch them early, this recipe is great to use, as they are tender and easily ‘butchered’. Cutting them up seems to be a hassle, but once you get the hang of it you can quickly dispatch with ten.
Brown-Braised Baby Artichokes with Lemon Herb Pan Sauce
I used Bulgur and Red Quinoa from Central market. It cooks very quickly and is easy to ea.
Serve these over creamy polenta or a small serving of fresh fettucine for a lovely veggie supper. For a variation, cook a little bacon, ham or pancetta before cooking the artichokes; remove and crumble on at the end. Toasted almonds or hazelnuts would be good with these too. Baby artichokes vary in size- I have seen the same size box packed with 9 artichokes sometimes, 12 another. This recipe will work for 9 medium-small baby artichokes (2 to 2 1/2 oz. each). If your artichokes are very small, you can use 10 or 11 of them, as long as they fit in one layer across the bottom of the pan with the shallots. Be generous with the fresh herbs here.
Ingredients
1 ½ lemons
9 or 10 baby artichokes
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 small shallots, halved and peeled (or 2 medium or large, quartered)(Robin used onions)
Kosher salt
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth Or use vegetable broth.
1 to 2 tablespoons mixed fresh tender spring herbs such as chives, parsley, mint, tarragon and/or chervil. I used hands-full of herbs- parsley and chives or mint.
Directions:
• Cut the whole lemon in half. Squeeze and drop the two halves into a medium bowl filled half-way with water.
• Cut the stems off the artichokes at the base. Working with one artichoke at a time, peel away all of the outer leaves until you are left with a mostly lemon-limey colored artichoke. (it will be somewhat cone-shaped) with the top third still being a light green. With a sharp knife, cut about ¾ inch off of the top, and, with a paring knife, clean up the stem end just a bit (don’t remove too much, that’s the tasty heart) Cut the artichoke in half lengthwise. Rub water the cut sides of each piece with the other lemon half and drop the artichoke halves into the lemon water.
• In a 10-inch straight-sided sauté pan that has a lid. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Arrange the artichoke halves (with whatever water still clings to them) and the shallot halves (both cut-side down) in one snug layer in the pan. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt.
• Cook without stirring, until the bottoms of the artichokes and the shallots are well browned. 7 to 8 minutes. (If the heat on your stovetop is uneven—or the burner isn’t level, like mine—rotate the pan so that the bottoms get evenly browned.)
• Pour in the chicken broth and cover the pan, leaving the lid slightly askew so that some steam escapes. Simmer gently, turning down the heat if necessary, until the broth is reduced to a few tablespoons, 12 to 14 minutes. Uncover, add the remaining ½ tablespoon butter, and squeeze the other lemon half over all.
• Sprinkle most of the herbs over and stir gently until the butter has melted. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir again, scraping up any browned bits if possible. Taste for salt and immediately transfer the artichokes and the pan sauce to a serving platter. Sprinkle on any remaining herbs.

Serves 2 as a veggie main dish with polenta or noodles, or 3 as a side dish.

The banquet is NOT a public event, but as always, members are welcome to bring a guest. The Society provides a ham and all the cups, plates and utensils, and members are asked to bring a delicious dish to add to our bountiful table. Have fun and bring your favorite appetizer, entrée, salad, side or dessert- and don’t forget the recipe! At least, please provide a label to identify the dish.

Our table decorating theme is simply “Spring Herbs”. Bring the outdoors in and show off your herb décor! How creative can you be?

Elections will be very exciting this year! All of our candidates will address the group to share their qualifications to serve on the board. See who you are voting for and what they have to say, then cast your confidential ballot. The new board will be announced during the banquet. Check out your email on May 1st for the newsletter and more information.