Put a spooky spin on deviled eggs and transform them into deviled eyeballs. You’re your deviled eggs blood-red eyes by topping them off with centered black olives and bits of red pepper.

Our favorite deviled egg recipes…

• Lucie’s Deviled Eggs 
• Deviled Eggs with Dill 
• Colorful Coriander Deviled Eggs 

Photo by riptheskull/Courtesy Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vintagehalloweencollector/

Wrap miniature sausages with bread dough to make them look like mummies. Dot their eyes with bits of dough as well.

Our favorite sausage recipes…

• Turkey and Pear Sausage 
• Italian Sausage with Fennel and Garlic 

Craft a witch’s broth. Green soup with fresh mint can easily serve as a tasty (and healthy) Halloween dish.

Photo by Katrina Hall/www.shesinthekitchen.blogspot.com

Our favorite witch’s broth recipe…

• Wicked Greens Soup with Fresh Mint

Mix a bloody concoction for your Halloween guests.

Our favorite cocktail recipe…

• Le Cilantro Rouge 

Create a terrifying punch. All you need is a tasty punch recipe, water, food coloring and a disposable, rubber glove. (Note: Make sure the glove does not have powder inside.) A few days before you're ready to serve your punch, mix water with 1 to 2 drops of food coloring (the color is your choice, but I suggest blood red or witch green). Fill the glove with the water mixture about 2/3 full. Use a rubber band or string to tie at the wrist. Let the glove freeze for 1 to 2 days so that it forms a solid ice cube. Once you're ready to serve to guests, carefully remove the disposable glove from the newly formed frozen hand and float it to your punch bowl for a terrifying treat.

Our favorite punch recipes...

• Cantaloupe and Strawberry Mint Fruit Punch 

• Ginger Minted Sparkling Punch 

• Hot Mulled Apple Cider with Cranberry and Rose Hips 

What are you going to do in the kitchen this year to celebrate Halloween? We want to hear your creative ideas!

During my early childhood summers, I loved to forage for wild edibles with my best friend. We didn’t go the traditional route of gnawing on fruits and veggies from the garden but instead ate whatever green, leafy plants smelled somewhat appealing and weren’t too bitter. I marvel that we never got sick since our only tenet was a warning from our moms to stay away from the bush with the round, red berries. I guess our saving grace was eating only the plants that we were familiar with, such as clover, honeysuckle, watercress and sometimes grassy.

Occasionally, even expert foragers mistake tasty tidbits for potent poisons. My reluctance to forage on my own doubled after watching the scene in “Into the Wild” when [SPOILER ALERT] McCandless mistakenly eats the wild sweet pea thinking it was wild potato, which inevitably leads to his death.

Photo by Roger B./Courtesy Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roger/

Now scientists have determined that another camouflaged plant, the hemlock water-dropwort, might have been the toxic ingredient in the Phoenician potion used to execute Sardinian criminals and the debilitated elderly. Its deceit lies in the sweet wine-like nectar of its flowers and its resemblance to water parsnip or wild celery.

The faces of its ancient victims revealed the toxin’s presence to scientists because of muscular contractions that resulted in a post-mortem smile. Imagine if this had been the same type of hemlock used on Socrates. I’m sure Plato’s account of his noble death would have been ruined by the presence of this “sardonic” grin.

Photo by shallowend/Courtesy Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shallowend24401/

Despite the plant’s historical propensity to tighten the facial muscles of its unfortunate victims, researchers are hoping to put a positive spin on its toxicity and use it in Botox-like cosmetic procedures to relax muscles.

I’m sure many of the foods and plants we ingest have toxic properties when used in excess, but it seems implausible that directly injecting poison into our sensitive facial tissue, even in diluted doses, doesn’t have carcinogenic or otherwise fatal risks.

I know, I know, Botox experts proclaim that the technique, when applied by licensed professionals is completely safe. Just the same, I think I’ll celebrate my wrinkles and stay away from cosmetic procedures that paralyze my muscles into a relaxed stupor, or worse yet, a sardonic grin.

You don’t have to abandon your love for herbs to stay up-to-date with the latest technology. Keep herbal knowledge at your fingertips with the new iPhone and iPod Touch application “Natural Cures.”

Created by Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, the author of Pain Free 1, 2, 3—A Proven Program for Eliminating Chronic Pain Now (McGraw-Hill), “Natural Cures” is a free application that combines natural and prescription schools of thought. Alphabetically presenting more than 100 health conditions, this application is more or less a travel-friendly guide to treating every-day ailments with natural remedies. It has been placed in the top ten “Top Free Apps” list for the Healthcare & Fitness iPhone category.

The Herb Companion has not been lucky enough to test this application, so we really would like to hear your thoughts! Have you used this application? Was it helpful? Did it offer a comprehensive list of herbal treatments for common health conditions? Go try it out—it’s free!

Click here to purchase the application for your iPhone or iPod Touch.

This spring, I am dreaming of delicious, beefy summer tomatoes. So I planted some; they're taking over my kitchen as we speak. I love fresh, homegrown tomatoes. And I just can't find delicious tomatoes in stores; even the local, organic market. Not to mention, I'm sick of paying for them! In fact, I'm tired of buying produce overall. Hence, my new vegetable garden.

I'm a little nervous; I haven't had a vegetable garden since I was small. Sure, I used to 'help' with the planting and harvest lettuce, asparagus, new pototoes and strawberries from the garden for dinner. But come on; I was seven. It was a desire for produce like we remember from when our parents had gardens that prompted my boyfriend and I to plant this garden. But we've been re-learning vegetable gardening as we go along.

So far, we have flats of seeds lined up in our kitchen under a grow light. We've been experimenting with 3 varieties of tomatoes (including some amazing organic, heirloom  'Brandywine' tomatoes donated by Samurai Sage, our own Editor in Chief KC Compton), corn, cucumbers, eggplants, carrots and basil.

Yesterday, I consulted Hank Will, editor of Grit magazine (follow him on Twitter), for some more vegetable gardening tips. And I found out some important stuff! Like, for instance, carrots and corn don't like to be transplanted. Oops? All is not lost.

Photo by verymissberry/courtesty Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/73425282@N00/

1)  Rule Number One: Make it up as you go. Okay, so corn doesn't like to have it's roots disturbed. Planting in flats? Maybe we got a little ahead of ourselves. But the best part of this whole project has been watching the corn grow in the kitchen (it grows really fast). It may not transfer to the garden, and we may need to replant, but it's been fun to see the plants growing up close.

2) Rule Number Two: Peat moss disks are awesome. We picked up some peat moss disks and a greenhouse tray (kind of like this one) at the local hardware store. They suck water up while you watch and spring into columns of soil, ready for seeds. We put the greenhouses on the counter over the dishwasher, so that when it ran, the greenhouses got warm and steamy. The plants seemed to respond. It didn't take our plants long to grow large enough to move our plants, peat moss columns and all, into these peat moss pots (with a little soil added, of course).

3) Rule Number Three: Did I mention how much fun we're having? Our garden isn't ready to plant in yet, it snowed over the weekend, our entire kitchen is overwhelmed with garden supplies and there are no vegetables to eat yet. But it's already a great project. I'm getting to excercise the knowledge I've been steeped in over the last couple of years and learn from my colleagues; and my boyfriend is loving the dirt-factor. I'll keep you posted on the project! We'll be building our raised garden bed soon ...

Remember the Cookie Monster from the beloved PBS children’s television series Sesame Street? He always sang about eating delicious cookies. Last week a friend of mine told me that my blue, furry childhood friend no longer eats cookies. I was shocked! I couldn’t believe that PBS changed one of my favorite Sesame Street characters. What kind of cookie monster doesn’t eat cookies? Is the Cookie Monster loose on the streets singing “V is for vegetable and that’s good enough for me” while teaching kids that sweets are pure evil? Do we have to be so politically correct that our children can no longer enjoy a tasty snicker doodle? I decided I had to investigate the truth.

As it turns out my friend was right…kind of. 

In 2005, changes were in fact made on Sesame Street—the Cookie Monster would no longer be a childhood figure that encouraged the youth of America to add to today’s increasing obesity rate with an overzealous appetite for cookies. Instead, the Cookie Monster would teach children the importance of moderation. Although he still loves cookies, he also enjoys eating tasty fruits and vegetables for dinner—he waits to enjoy cookies for dessert.

Now this is a change that I can get on board with! I was upset when I believed that Sesame Street was teaching kids never to indulge in sweets because I believe that kid's shouldn't be taught that sweets are evil. Food can still be enjoyed and indulged in as long as it is handled in moderation. And I think it's great that the Cookie Monster also enjoys nutritious food. He probably would love some of The Herb Companion's delicious recipes!

In 2006, Matt Lauer set the record straight about the Cookie Monster's new healthy diet with this “exclusive interview.”

Click here for Matt Lauer's interview with the Cookie Monster.

What do you guys think? I know I’m behind on the times—all of these changes were made in 2005—but aren't you happy about these changes on Sesame Street? Isn’t it better to teach children about moderation rather than convince them to abandon cookies all together? Don't you believe that food can still be fun, as long as we don’t overindulge?

How many of you fellow herbies like to wash your hair daily? I have many friends who tell me they can’t go a day without lathering, rinsing and repeating for a variety of reasons, including “If I don’t my hair feels greasy.” In fact, they gasp and judge me when I tell them that I don’t. I am an outcast.

I don’t wash my hair daily for two main reasons:
1.) My hair is so thick it is much more of a hassle to manage–it takes a lot longer to wash, dry and style than the average person’s hair.
2.) When I wash my hair daily, my hair loses its shine and it starts to feel very dry.

According to a story on NPR by Allison Aubrey, I’ve been doing it right! Washing your hair daily is way too often–it strips the natural oils from your scalp. You only need to wash 2 to 3 times a week. "If you wash your hair every day, you're removing the sebum," Michelle Hanjani, dermatologist at Columbia University, says in When it Comes to Shampoo, Less is More. "Then the oil glands compensate by producing more oil.” So the more natural oils we strip from our hair, the more demand we create for oils and thus our body will make more.

Try to wean yourself away from this common practice with these tips:
• Sprinkle a quarter-size amount of baking soda into your palm along with your favorite shampoo. This removes residue that styling products leave behind so your hair is more manageable. (Arm & Hammer)
• Clean your hair with a small combination of baking soda and apple cider vinegar. (Nature Moms)
• Use a small amount of conditioner in between shampoo days.
• Brush a combination of witch hazel and lavender essential oils through your hair for a quick refreshment. (K.C. Compton)
• Instead of using bottled shampoo daily, you could alternate with shampoo bars. Try Rawganique's Organic Hemp Bar or Lush's Vegan Godiva Bar. (Ideal Bite)
• Rinse with 3 drops essential oil, 1 pint herbal tea and 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice; leave in for several minutes and rinse. (Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art)

If you insist on shampooing daily, try these recently reviewed shampoos:
• John Masters Organics
• Verikira Naturals
• Jurlique
• Organix
• The Healing Seed 

How often do you wash your hair? Are you addicted to shampoo? Leave me a comment!

The Herb Companion is ahead of the trend! Did anyone else watch the newest episode of Desperate Housewives on Sunday night? I just now got around to watching it on my DVR. Check this out: Bree Van de Kamp is wearing a blue polka dot Jessie Steele hostess apron. This adorable apron was featured in our March 2009 issue. And thanks to our awesome new sweepstakes, it could be yours! Sign up for our sweepstakes before the deadline, March 13.

I think I might sign up for our sweepstakes, now. I want to wear what Bree, the domestic goddess of TV, wears!