The Herb Gardener

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Lavender for Luck
2007-12-29 03:09:00
Why is lavender lucky?I have been trying to find a link to lavender and luck since reading the novel "Practical Magic". I can locate lots of references to luck associated with planting lavender with roses, but nothing that mentions an original source for lavender as it relates to attracting good luck, or possibly repelling misfortune. It may be because of its association with St. John and Midsummer prosperity celebrations (solstice).I thought it was very entertaining that the word comes from the Latin: "Lavare", meaning to wash, and was used extensively in Roman baths. It may have even been the Romans that introduced lavender to Britain. (Remember Yardley soap?)In any event, I located some interesting material on the history of lavender, as well as a great site for Practical Magic (the movie), which I stumbled on. It has photos of the interior kitchen set used in the movie as well as sketches and photos of the garden. I love looking at old houses, particularly the kitchens and garde...
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Commercial Herb Blends
2007-12-27 00:46:00
Once you've made a few of your own herb blends, it's easy to get spoiled. The strong flavors of freshly dried herbs are great in cooking, and would be reason enough to take up the hobby of herb growing, even without the other advantages.I wanted to take a moment to mention some of the blends that I do like and use. Over the years, my husband and I have purchased many packaged herbs. Before we had a garden, we had a whole cabinet dedicated to herbs for cooking. I have to admit that most of them were disappointing and expensive, but a few have stayed on our shelves over the years (replenished of course). I have always been a fan of Lowry's seasoning salt. There are lower price imitations, but I still think that Lowry's has it right, with just the right combination of flavors and a hint of sweetness. In recent years I've also taken a liking to the McCormick 1Step spice blends. They are available in a number of varieties: sloppy joe, stir fry, etc., and they have good flavor...
More About: Commercial , Herb

Wear Your Rue With a Difference
2007-12-24 23:26:00
The delicate gray-green leaves of rue are a distinctive addition to the garden. This herb is not as popular as it used to be. It's bitter to the taste, and has a sharp aroma. Its medicinal properties have largely fallen into disuse, aside from its topical application to treat bruising and mild arthritis. It can be toxic if taken internally in large doses. Rue has a long history. The shape of the leaf was used in the design of the suit of clubs in the playing card deck. It was also used as an anti-plague herb and as a defense against witches. Rue was an ingredient in many counter-spells. At one time it was even thought to inspire creativity.Rue has a woody stem and a bushy habit, and thrives in poor soil as long as it has good sun. Rue is an excellent insect repellent, both in the garden and in the home. It has historically been used to control fleas, hence its association as an anti-plague herb. Rue can be used with a planting of garlic to keep Japanese beetles away f...
More About: Wear , Difference , Diff

Treat a Tummy Ache With Peppermint
2007-12-23 21:01:00
What would you pick as the most quintessential flavor of Christmas. My vote goes to peppermint. I smell peppermint, and I'm six years old holding a sticky candy cane in my hand and looking at the colored lights on the tree. This was back when Christmas tree lights were enormous.After the holiday, don't toss your candy canes in the dumpster! Put them in your medicine cabinet in a tightly sealed bag. Peppermint is a great treatment for stomach upset, and you can keep a few of your Christmas candy canes on hand throughout the year to help you combat a tummy ache. It really works. Oh, and peppermint tea works great too.
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Cinnamon Sticks
2007-12-22 03:12:00
Cinnamon sticks are made from the rolled bark of one of a variety of cinnamomun trees that belong to the Laurel family. If you are a lover of cinnamon, try grinding your own. Ground cinnamon will lose its flavor pretty quickly, within a few months; but cinnamon sticks can retain good flavor for a year or more. In order to get the best cinnamon flavor, buy sticks and grind them in a quality coffee grinder in small batches. Try buying a special coffee grinder for exclusive use with your herbs and spices. Select one with an all-metal interior. This will avoid the flavor transfer that sometimes happens with plastic.
More About: Cinnamon , Tick , Sticks , Namo

Dry Your Leftover Parsley
2007-12-20 13:56:00
If you have leftover parsley every year from your holiday garnishes, try drying it. This is my chance to recommend that you buy a dehydrator if you don't already have one.Dehydrate Your LeftoversI have two, and use them throughout the year. They are inexpensive, safe, easy to use, and they can help you save money and eat healthier. If you like herbs, having one is a necessity.After a few hours in a dehydrator, your leftover parsley will be completely dry, have good color, and be available for your cooking projects in the New Year.Drying Herbs ? Dry Your Store Bought HerbsIf you go through lots of parsley, drying can be a cost effective and efficient solution to the parsley-wilt dilemma. Fresh parsley has a short shelf life, but dried, it can keep its flavor for a number of weeks. Parsley is high in vitamin C and iron, and it may also have cancer-fighting and antioxidant properties, so incorporating it into your diet is a good idea.I'm trying to go green, and this is my health and ...

So, Is There Anything To Put out for the Reindeer?
2007-12-18 22:48:00
I've read that reindeer eat alfalfa and love raisins. This is my way of introducing dried fruit into our talk. Dried fruit has lost some of its appeal in recent generations, which I think is a tragedy. I'm the only person I know that still likes fruitcake.Tasty Dried Fruits you Wouldn't Have ExpectedDried fruit has struggled into the 21st century, however, and I thought that I'd mention some dried fruits that I've tried that might make a good addition to your snack list - maybe even take the place of some unhealthy processed snacks. Have you tried dried cherries or blueberries? Dried blueberries are good memory enhancers, and dried cherries are just plain delicious.So Where Do you Find Dried FruitDried fruit can usually be found in the produce department of your grocery store - I haven't quite figured out the logic of that. They are naturally sweet, often have no added sugar, and they are packed with nutrients. Lower on my list of favorites, but still good, are dried cranberri...

All About the Hot in Hot Peppers
2007-12-17 04:09:00
Easy to grow, dry, grill, and freeze, peppers are easy food enhancers. They are aids to digestion, can have pain relieving properties, and . . .well, they're pretty. Become a pepper lover, with this easy pepper primer. Spring is just around the corner, so check out the pepper page of your seed catalogues and have a fiesta.Peppers are Easy to GrowI've grown peppers in pots and in the ground for decades. They are one of the easiest and most rewarding vegetable/herbs to grow. They need regular watering, but are forgiving of being a little crowded. They do, however, need strong sun in order to thrive and set fruit, and they are very susceptible to frost. They have a low, bushy habit, which means that they don't get too tall. They are very colorful, and one plant can give you a good harvest if you fertilize it well and pick the fruit as it ripens.Peppers Are a Wonder VegetableThe resulting peppers can be dried, powdered, frozen, or pickled. They are equally tasty when eaten fresh as i...

Paprika - It's Good for a lot More Than Decorating Deviled Eggs and Garlic
2007-12-17 04:09:00
When I was growing up, there was only one kind of paprika available. I was taught that it was only good as a garnish, mostly on deviled eggs and potato salad, because it had little or no flavor. Apparently, much of Europe was giving paprika more attention than we were, because it has evolved into an essential element in many flavorful dishes.Behold the Bell PepperPaprika is more versatile and interesting that I'd ever suspected, beginning with the fact that it's actually ground capsicum annuum, or peppers in the same family as the bell pepper. The bell pepper carries a recessive gene that stops the development of the heat producing capsaicin, so many paprikas are mildly flavored. The color of the paprika is a good tip as to how hot it will be. The bright reds are usually the mildest, getting hotter as they get browner. This is a bit counter intuitive.You can purchase seeds or seedlings for what are marketed as paprika peppers, They are smaller and longer than the traditional bell ...
More About: Garlic , Eggs , Good

Are You Looking Forward to Your Seed Catalogs Yet?
2007-12-15 16:09:00
One of my favorite New Year's activities is waiting for the mail to arrive. Why? Gardening Catalogs, of course!If you aren't signed up for all of the seed catalogs you want this year, About.com has a listing of great free catalogs you can request: Free Seed CatalogsI have some Amazon links to seed starter kits. I'm a real softy when it comes to little pots and enclosures, so I usually by at least a couple each season, as well as saving egg shells and egg cartons (the old fashioned approach). Yes, I also use peat pots from the local garden store, but the prepared kits get me in the mood for spring, and for filling every lighted space in my house with seedlings.Let me know if you are aware of a good web seed exchange. I know that I'll have some seeds to share.If you enjoy browsing online, try Sand Mountain Herbs online catalog
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Using Ginger
2007-12-14 19:15:00
There are rewards to using ginger in your cooking and gardening. Ginger is an underrated spice. I think that might be because the prepared ginger powder available in most grocery stores is pretty flavorless. The drying process robs ginger of most of its flavor, but there is a clever way around it. If you've ever come across or purchased ginger root, it can be preserved indefinitely. The root can stay viable and flavorful for many months in your refrigerator. Here's how: Preserving GingerSelect and clean a piece of ginger root. I don't peel the outer skin off mine until I'm about to use it, so leave that intact. Place it in a glass jar and cover it completely with sherry. Any grade of sherry will do, but if you're a sherry purist, use the good stuff. The sherry will saturate and preserve the ginger. Slice a small piece off, then peel and mince it as needed.The only problem I've ever had with this process is getting the lid off the jar. Plastic lids work better because after a w...
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Save Your Green Onions
2007-12-13 02:57:00
When I buy green onion, I always try to pick bunches with roots on the ends. If I don't use the whole bunch, I plant the extra. Even after being in the refrigerator for over a week, I can still get most of them to root, either indoors in winter or outdoors in summer.Since green onion doesn't keep well in the refrigerator, or dry well, this is my solution to the problem of waste. Try it. If nothing else, it will give you a greater appreciation for nature.
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Fresh Garlic
2007-12-12 04:24:00
Nothing beats fresh garlic. I've used jarred garlic, processed minced garlic, powdered garlic, and garlic paste, but nothing beats fresh for flavor. There's a sweetness to fresh garlic that vanishes when it's processed.Garlic and Olive OilThe only exception to this that I've seen is when when I've placed peeled cloves in olive oil and stored them in the refrigerator (during bumper crop years). The cloves that I've stored this way retain their flavor and sweetness. I have never had a problem with this method of storage, but there have been warnings about fresh garlic-oil combinations having the potential for harboring salmonella.Mincing GarlicIn the beginning, I used any number of contraptions to mince, slice, and otherwise torture my garlic cloves into shape, but after a number of years, I've settled for mincing them with a knive. If I need something finer, I smash the minced bits with the side of my knife.Garlic and RosesI grow garlic in the yard every year, both around my ...
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Cardamom - Essential to a Great Hot Toddy
2007-12-10 23:25:00
Cardamom is an unusual spice that is the essential ingredient in the absolute best hot toddy ever invented. A native to India, it's best to buy the whole seeds and grind them yourself. The spice can be a little expensive, but if you like a good toddy, or hot buttered rum to the uninitiated, it's absolutely worth it. I have an ancient recipe, but I found one online that's close. If you have a cold, are cold, or are feeling blue, start a fire in the fireplace and have a toddy.
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Make Bath Salts
2007-12-09 05:09:00
Make some refreshing bath salts to help you relax after a long day's work or shopping. Bath salts are easy and relatively inexpensive to make. Most recipes are a blend of Epsom salt and coarse sea salt. I recommend mixing them 50/50 your first time. After that you can make adjustments as you see fit. Some recipes will use either one or the other exclusively, something you might consider if price is a factor.Bath Salt RecipeAfter you've blended your salts, for the sake of our discussion, lets say a cup of each, scent them with an essential or scented oil. The concentration and blending of oils is an art as well as a science, and should reflect your personal taste. Any aromatherapy text will give you an idea of what a particular scent or combination of scents will do. For a total of two cups of salt, start with ten drops of essential oils. Work from there. You shouldn't need more than 15 drops.For your first time, I'd start with lavender. Orange, geranium, and rosemary have also w...
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Parsley of Old ? My Old Anyway
2007-12-06 20:46:00
Parsley was the first fresh herb I was familiar with as a child. It was present at almost every restaurant prepared meal, sitting on the plate next to a slice of lemon or carrot curl. My mother always urged me in a whisper after every meal to eat my parsley because it was nature?s breath freshener. The variety I was most familiar with was curly, but not quite as tightly curled as the parsley we now see in stores or available for planting in most plant outlets in spring.Parsley FactsParsley was also the first herb that I came across that was biennial. It has a two-year life cycle, setting seed in spring of the second year the way an annual would set seed in the summer or fall of the first year. Parsley makes a good indoor plant if you can give it enough light.This is handy, because dried parsley loses its flavor quickly and having a fresh supply through the winter is useful. For holiday preparation, I buy fresh cut parsley at the store, but for small jobs like soups, vegetable steams...

Chives at your Fingertips
2007-12-05 00:51:00
Chives are a personal favorite of mine. This herb was the first that Iregularly went out in the garden to snip in the evening when I was about to start cooking dinner. I keep a special pair of "herb" scissors in a kitchen drawer, together with a small wicker basket to help me harvest the night's herb choices. I have lots of snipping herbs now, parsley, oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil, bay, and rosemary to name a few, but chives were the first.An Onion in DisguiseChives are a member of the onion family and impart a mild onion flavor when sprinkled fresh on meats and vegetables. They will grow easily where you have well drained soil, and will survive a hard freeze if mulched in the fall. Every year I bring chives indoors over the winter and have a couple of pots in sunny windows until spring.Useful Around the KitchenI think of chives as a staple herb, it doesn?t retain much flavor when dried (my dried chives are usually only flavorful for about a month), so I always have some fresh o...
More About: Chives , Hive

Lemon Balm The Scent That Says Fresh
2007-12-02 23:28:00
Lemon balm is a perennial in the mint family. It has a light lemony fragrance that you will recognize from furniture polish and dishwashing liquid.Easy to Root and GrowIt does well in partial shade, preferring well-drained soil. Keep lemon balm moist. I prefer to keep mine near downspouts and around outdoor faucets. Lemon balm is easy to grow from stem cuttings that have been rooted water. It can also be grown from seed.Try A Relaxing Lemon Balm TeaLemon balm tea has mild sedative properties, as does its essential oil when used in aromatherapy. (Avoid using lemon balm internally if you are currently taking thyroid medications like thyroxine.)Lemon Balm Is a Pet Friendly CleanerOne of my favorite uses for lemon balm is as a floor cleaner. I have pets, so when I clean the kitchen floor I try to avoid harsh chemical cleaners. I make up a cleaning solution of three-parts water to one-part white vinegar. To this I add a few sprigs of crushed lemon balm. In some recent studies lemon balm ...
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Holly and Mistletoe - Christmas Staples
2007-12-01 16:13:00
Around the holidays, we see a lot of mistletoe and holly. Although these plants are not on many herb lists, I was curious to know about their curative properties if any. I'm always interested in the plants around me. It seems that every plant I investigate has a colorful history, as well as some useful purpose or other.Mistletoe (European)Processed European mistletoe has shown success in killing cancer cells and strengthening the immune system, and is currently undergoing clinical trials. (This is a highly processed derivative, and unprocessed mistletoe should never be taken internally.)Holly (Box Holly or Butcher?s Broom)Box holly has been used effectively as a mild diuretic, and has show promise in treating orthostatic hypotension associated with illnesses like diabetes and Parkinson's disease. More commonly used in Europe and South America, it is typically sold in capsule form.Just a note of caution about bringing mistletoe and holly in to use as decoration over the holidays...
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Consider Giving the Gift of Herbs This Christmas
2007-11-30 19:20:00
Herbs are always a welcome gift that will make good use of your stash of home grown or purchased herbs and spices. Try making batches of some of these herb blends to give away. Use decorative jars, and make your own printed labels:Chicken Herb BlendHerbes De ProvenceBlackened SeasoningOld Bay SeasoningTaco SeasoningChinese Five SpicePickling Spice
More About: Christmas , Gift , Herbs , Giving