My Guest Blogger today ... Susan Wittig Albert

I'm so pleased to welcome Susan Wittig Albert to The Gardener Side, as my guest author. She will be sharing some information about some of her books. If you are an fan of China Bayles, like I am, you have been following Susan's blog tour to promote the next book in the series, Nightshade. You just might be the lucky reader to win an autographed copy of her book, be sure to enter the contest at the end of this post.

Linda, thanks so much for hosting me today!
This blog tour celebrates the launch of Nightshade, China Bayles’ sixteenth mystery.

China is a former criminal defense attorney who has opted for a quieter life as the owner of an herb shop in Pecan Springs TX. In this post, I’ll be telling you a bit about the herbs in Books 10-12 of this series. (For posts on other books, check out the tour calendar.)


In Bloodroot, China returns to her mother’s home, a plantation on the Bloodroot River in the Yazoo Delta of Mississippi, where she has to sort through family relationships, a frightening genetic disease, a long-buried murder, and a pair of recent disappearances. Sometimes readers complain when China leaves the familiar Pecan Springs, but I need a change of pace every now and then to keep myself fresh. Bloodroot happens to be my favorite book in the series, partly because I enjoyed exploring China’s family history and partly because I’ve always been fascinated by the signature herb, bloodroot, an American native with a great many fascinating uses.

One of the earliest wildflowers, bloodroot produces a lovely white bloom. The broken root oozes a blood-red juice that has been used as both a dye (for skin, clothing, and baskets) and a medicine. It was also used as a love charm. The Ponca Indians rubbed bloodroot juice on the palm of a young bachelor, believing that when he took a woman’s hand, she was bound to love him. The Micmac Indians used bloodroot both as an aphrodisiac and as an abortifacient (a plant that could cause uterine contractions serious enough to expel the fetus). The Iroquois employed it as ceremonial witchcraft medicine, believing that the smoke from the burning plant could cleanse someone who had seen a ghost. Other tribes used it as war paint. Once used as a folk treatment for ailments from sore throat to skin cancer, it is now considered unsafe for internal use. Wikipedia has some reliable information and background resources about this beautiful wildflower.

I like to include recipes in the books. One of my favorites is a recipe for Tomato Pie, served as a luncheon dish by the fictional Martha Edmond. The real recipe is my mother’s, however. It brings back memories of Mom’s Saturday night suppers: tomato pie, cole slaw, and Jello (of course).

When we think about herbs, we usually think of the culinary favorites—parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme. In China’s eleventh mystery, Indigo Dying, I explored herbs that are used for dyeing. The book (most of it, anyway) takes place in the small town of Indigo, once a thriving community, now attempting a comeback. China is committed to helping the Save Historic Indigo project, but the town is threatened by a nearby strip mine and plagued by environmental issues, not to mention a murder or two.

The signature herb? Indigo, of course, probably the most valuable (or costly) dye plant of all time. I loved learning that Indonesian women indigo dyers on the Eastern Indonesian transmit the craft secrets of the "blue arts" only along female bloodlines, passing the knowledge, woman to woman, to the next generation. And I loved learning about the way various cultures discovered plant dyes—and playing with them myself, using some of the plants that grow around me.

Read this interesting article about indigo and the role it played in the politics of colonization. Or this article, about indigo in the New World.
And if you want to find out how to dye with indigo, check out this fantastic, fun tutorial on Yarn Harlot’s blog. It’s in three parts—click at the top of each page, to go on to the next.

Every now and then, I have to write a funny book—or at least, a book that feels funny to me. Chile Death (Book #7) was funny. A Dilly of a Death (Book #12) made me laugh while I was writing it. Maybe it was China’s sour pickle jokes. Or something.

In Dilly, China's usually sensible husband is bored with teaching and ready for a career change...say hello to Mike McQuaid, P.I. His first client is Phoebe the Pickle Queen, owner of the biggest little pickle factory in Pecan Springs, Texas. She says her plant manager is embezzling, and she wants McQuaid to follow the money. But Phoebe disappears just days before the annual Picklefest. China gets involved with finding her, in a case that turns out to be a real dilly.

It’s not a long leap from pickles to dill, is it? But if you thought dill was just for pickles, think again! Planted in the spring in a well-drained, sunny spot, this fast-growing member of the carrot family lends a refreshing tang to potatoes, omelets, carrots, and cucumbers. The aromatic seeds are great with cabbage, fish, breads, and soup. (For a Dilly of a Tomato Soup, click and scroll down to the bottom of the page.)

Got witches? Dill can come in handy there, too. Pour your witches a cup of dill tea, which is said to rob them of their will to harm—a bit of ancient folklore which might have its roots in dill's enduring reputation as a sleep aid. In fact, the word dill comes from the Old Norse word dilla, meaning “to lull into sleep.”

If you like pickle jokes, you can read a barrel of pickled dillies here, all of them donated by China’s friends around the country.. For loads of dill legend and lore, check out this page, where you’ll also find (scroll down) some “old-fashioned recipes” for dill and fennel.

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about some of the herbs that appear in China’s mysteries. Thanks again, Linda, for hosting me. And thanks to all you folks who are trekking through cyberspace with me on this blog tour. I appreciate your notes and comments. I’ll be around over the weekend to answer questions.

If you’d like to enter the drawing for a copy of Nightshade go here to register. But you’d better hurry. The drawing for Crafty Gardener closes at noon on April 7, 2008. (The link has been removed as this contest is over)

Want to read the other posts in Susan’s blog tour? You’ll find a calendar and links here. (The link has been removed as this contest is over)
If you are lucky enough you might meet Susan at the Garden Bloggers Spring Fling on April 5, 2008.

Please leave any comments or questions for Susan, on anything related to the China Bayles books or the herbs mentioned above. She will be checking back over the next few days to review comments and answer questions.
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Update for March 31/09: Thanks for revisiting my blog post about one of my favourite book series. Would you like a chance to enter and win a copy of the lastest book, Wormwood, by Susan Wittig Albert? Visit this link for more information. (link active on March 31, 2009)