How to make a bread basket on coming show

Information on hand quilting, making gumball cupcakes and growing and harvesting herbs will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. and on Thursday at noon. (All times are Mountain.)

Marci Baker is a quilter and author, and she’s going to talk about different styles of hand quilting that are available, and explain how to select someone to quilt your piece. In addition, she’ll show samples of quilts that feature different piecing and quilting techniques. Baker’s company is Alicia’s Attic, Inc. in Aurora, Colorado.

Emily Tatak, Assistant Culinary Specialist with Wilton Brands, is going to demonstrate how to make a gumball cupcake. These would be adorable favors or decorations at a child’s birthday party, or for an afternoon get together. Wilton is in Woodridge, Illinois.

Cookbook author and dietitian Carol Fenster will discuss how to grow and harvest your own herbs, how to store them and demonstrate some ways to preserve fresh herbs. Her company is Savory Palate, Inc. in Centennial, Colorado.

Information on making fabric gifts, goal setting and visualization techniques will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” on Tuesday at noon and on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Vivian Lavinskas will show how to use leftover cotton and cotton blend remnants to make a bread basket that is simple enough for even beginning seamstresses. It also makes a great hostess gift. She’s with Singer Sewing Co. in Lavergne, Tennessee.

Judi Moreo is a motivational speaker and an author, and she’s going to talk about a system for setting your vision and goals and a record of your daily thoughts and feelings in order to stay on track, focus forward and measure how you’re doing. Moreo’s company is Turning Points Int’l. in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Elle Swan is also an author and motivational speaker, and she’s going to explain how a person can achieve their dreams in style. She’ll talk about imagination and glamour as well as the value of visualization. She, too, is from Las Vegas, Nevada.

Preserving fresh herbs

Herbs are a good thing; Why it’s important to preserve them — Herbs add flavor to food; they are decorative; and they have medicinal qualities (infusions or teas, i.e. sage for sore throat; thyme for congestion.)

A package of fresh herbs costs about $3, yet most recipes don’t use a whole package. Leftover herbs are often thrown away after wilting in the refrigerator or our over-abundant garden produces too much to use up at one time. Preserving fresh herbs makes them available to us throughout the year, whenever we want.

How to grow and harvest your own herbs for maximum yield — Follow directions for your zone and fertilize accordingly. Some herbs, i.e. rosemary, need sun while others, such as basil, can’t tolerate too much hot sun. Pinch new growth regularly - just above a node or joint in the stem - for healthy, bushy plants. Remove withered or yellowed growth as needed.

How to store fresh herbs — Store fresh herbs with cut ends in a glass of water in the refrigerator OR wrapped loosely in damp paper towels in a plastic bag to prolong their freshness. When they start to look wilted, it’s time to preserve them.

Ways to preserve fresh herbs — Hang a bunch by the stems in a dry place (covered by a paper bag) for a few days. Another way is to wash/pat herbs with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Put herbs in a single layer on a dry paper towel-lined, microwave-safe plate and microwave on High power for 2 to 3 minutes, in one-minute increments. Check after each one-minute increment; they should be completely dry and brittle. The exact time will vary by the amount of moisture in the herbs. Strip off the leaves with your fingers and discard stems which can be tough and woody, such as thyme. Some herbs — especially soft herbs such as basil, lemon balm, chives, cilantro, dill, mint and parsley — freeze well in small freezer bags for up to 6 months. Rinse first and pat as dry as possible, then place in plastic bags. They will look a little bruised when thawed — and they must be cooked since they will be mushy — but their flavor is still intact and they retain all of their health benefits. In fact, I routinely freeze parsley and save considerable time by not having to chop it up, and I save money by not having it go to waste.

“Creative Living" is produced and hosted by Sheryl Borden. The show is carried by more than 118 PBS stations in the United States, Canada, Guam and Puerto Rico and is distributed by Westlink, Albuquerque.