Herbal aromas beckon at Virginia Flower & Garden Expo

A new cookbook with recipes collected over 20 years by folks who grow, love and cook with herbs will make its debut next weekend at The Virginia Flower & Garden Expo.

Hot off the press, "20 Years of Herbal Delights From the Tidewater Unit of The Herb Society of America, 1991-2011" will be sold at the society's booth in the display area for nonprofit organizations.

The expo takes place Friday through Jan. 22 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.

The book has almost 400 recipes, from drinks to appetizers, breads to salads, as well as main courses, sides and desserts. You'll find out how to use familiar herbs like basil and dill, and unfamiliar ones like lovage and pineapple sage.

The book costs $15.50; proceeds will go to the local society's educational programs.

If you want to taste test a recipe or two, attend the expo on Friday to hear Billi Parus, president of the society's Tidewater Unit, who will present one of several programs featured at the event. "Herbal Drinks" is Parus' topic, and she will speak at 5 p.m. Friday on the expo's Garden Stage.

She will demonstrate how to steep herbs to make teas and punches, and to make simple herbal syrups, or to add zest to lemonade and limeade.

Best of all, those who stop by to hear Parus also will be able to sample some of the book's featured concoctions.

One will be Lemon Verbena Cooler, a combination of lemon verbena leaves, sugar, orange and lemon juice, and soda water or ginger ale.

When you stop by the herb society display to see the cookbook, you'll also learn about the rose as an herb. The rose is the International Herb Society's herb of the year for 2012.

The local group will feature Earth-Kind roses, which are easy to grow and kind to the environment because they don't require spraying and are drought-tolerant.

The Earth-Kind designation is given to select rose cultivars by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service especially because, among other assets, they are tolerant to pests.

But the cookbook will be the star of the show. Compiled by Parus and her husband, John, the book includes favorite recipes that herb society members have shared with one another over the past two decades.

While recipes cover the usual ways of cooking with basil - say, with tomatoes - you also will find unusual uses of basil as in Basil Russian Ice Cream, made with cinnamon basil.

As for old familiar rosemary, you might want to branch out and try Lemon Rosemary Tea Cake. How about a scented geranium salad dressing or a lovage souffle?

Mary Reid Barrow,

barrow1@cox.net