Posted on 03/23/2008 11:36:40 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Americans finding soaring food prices hard to stomach can battle back by growing their own food. [Click image for a larger version] Dean Fosdick Dean Fosdick
Home vegetable gardens appear to be booming as a result of the twin movements to eat local and pinch pennies.
At the Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta this winter, D. Landreth Seed Co. of New Freedom, Pa., sold three to four times more seed packets than last year, says Barb Melera, president. "This is the first time I've ever heard people say, 'I can grow this more cheaply than I can buy it in the supermarket.' That's a 180-degree turn from the norm."
Roger Doiron, a gardener and fresh-food advocate from Scarborough, Maine, said he turned $85 worth of seeds into more than six months of vegetables for his family of five.
A year later, he says, the family still had "several quarts of tomato sauce, bags of mixed vegetables and ice-cube trays of pesto in the freezer; 20 heads of garlic, a five-gallon crock of sauerkraut, more homegrown hot-pepper sauce than one family could comfortably eat in a year and three sorts of squash, which we make into soups, stews and bread."
[snipped]
She compares the current period of market uncertainty with that of the early- to mid-20th century when the concept of victory gardens became popular.
"A lot of companies during the world wars and the Great Depression era encouraged vegetable gardening as a way of addressing layoffs, reduced wages and such," she says. "Some companies, like U.S. Steel, made gardens available at the workplace. Railroads provided easements they'd rent to employees and others for gardening."
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/print/spinach-rice-gratin-recipe.html
Spinach Rice Gratin Recipe
2 1/2 cups leftover/pre-cooked brown rice, room temp
1 1/2 cups cups well finely chopped spinach
4 ounces firm organic tofu, crumbled
10 black olives, chopped
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1/3 cup pine nuts or almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup shredded Manchego cheese (or Parm, or Gruyere)
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Rack in the top third. Grease a 10-inch round baking dish (or equivalent) with a bit of olive oil.
In a large bowl combine the rice, spinach, and tofu. Now, reserving a bit of each for garnish, stir in the olives, and red onion, pine nuts and olive oil. Now stir in 1/4 cup of the cheese. In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, and salt. Fold the eggs into the rice mixture, pour into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until the casserole is set, and the top toasty and golden. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle with remaining onions, olives, and nuts. Sprinkle with a bit more salt before serving - or taste and get a sense of whether you need any.
Serves 8 - 12.
101 Cookbooks http://www.101cookbooks.com/
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/print/zucchini-ricotta-cheesecake-recipe.html
Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake
To shred the zucchini use a box grater - most micro planes are too fine, you want shredded zucchini, not mush. Feel free to play around with the “add-in” ingredients - for example, use whatever chopped herbs you like. I had dill on hand, and I like how it tastes with summer squash, so dill it was. I suspect anything from chopped olives, sun-dried tomatoes, or chives, to spices, chopped spinach, or corn could work here. Also, when I have the time and inclination I’ll drain the ricotta through cheesecloth to get even more moisture out of the cake, but to be honest, most times I won’t bother. Lastly, I use a springform pan here, but you could use an equivalent baking dish or deep tart pan as well.
2 cups zucchini, unpeeled & grated
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
zest of one lemon
2 large eggs, well beaten
1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
drizzle of olive oil
Preheat oven to 325F degrees, racks the middle. Butter/oil a 7-inch springform pan.
In a strainer, toss the shredded zucchini with the salt and let sit for ten minutes. Now aggressively squeeze and press out as much moisture as you can. Set aside.
In the meantime, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, shallots, garlic, dill and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Stir in the eggs and continue mixing until well combined. Now stir in the shredded zucchini. Fill the springform pan with the ricotta mixture and place on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for sixty minutes. If there is any moisture left on top of the cake at this point, carefully use a bit of paper towel to dab it off. Now sprinkle with the goat cheese and return to the oven for another 20 -30 minutes or until the goat cheese is melted and the cake barely jiggles in the center (it will set up more as it cools).
At this point, if the cake is baked and set, but the top isn’t quite golden, I’ll zap it with the broiler (just about a minute) to get a bit more color on top. Remove from the oven and let cool five minutes, then release the cake from its pan. Cool completely, serve at room temperature drizzled with a bit of olive oil and a few sprigs of dill.
Serves 8.
101 Cookbooks http://www.101cookbooks.com/
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/print/nikkis-healthy-cookies-recipe.html
Nikki’s Healthy Cookie Recipe
You can use unsweetened carob, or grain sweetened chocolate chips, or do what I did and chop up 2/3 of a bar of Scharffen berger 70%. I sort-of shaved half the bar with a knife and then cut the rest into bigger chip-sized chunks. You can make your own almond meal by pulsing almonds in a food processor until it is the texture of sand - don’t go too far or you’ll end up with almond butter. And lastly, the coconut oil works beautifully here, just be sure to warm it a bit - enough that it is no longer solid, which makes it easier to incorporate into the bananas. If you have gluten allergies, seek out GF oats.
3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn’t solid (or alternately, olive oil)
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third.
In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks/chips.The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don’t worry about it. Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes. I baked these as long as possible without burning the bottoms and they were perfect - just shy of 15 minutes seems to be about right in my oven.
Makes about 3 dozen bite-sized cookies.
101 Cookbooks http://www.101cookbooks.com/
I have been subscribed to FreeCycle for a while. The last 2-3 weeks I have deleted the emails unread since I’m a bit busy but after the holidays I will look at what’s being offered.<<<
You may want to rethink the waiting till after Christmas, people always throw out the old, when they get new and so many are still trying to top the Jones, that what they throw away, suits me fine.
When we used to check the dumps, about a week before Christmas, was when the good stuff got dumped.
Always glad to help if I can, and never forget, that I am out of date on some things, so if it is old help, that is what you get.
I decided that there was no reason for me to keep up on things, such as the latest electronics and programs, as I won’t use them.
And it has now been 3 years or more, since I have been further than the doctors office, so there is much that I don’t know about my own area......I am busy enough here, why go out.
Scott works so hard, plus there is 2 hours of his day taken up to get to work and home, so I try not to bother him, until I have to do so.
don't know, but something tells me this must have been taken in New Zealand...
THE SAFE SEED SOURCEBOOK
Your Resource for GE-Free Seeds
The Safe Seed Pledge:
“Agriculture and seeds provide the basis upon which our lives depend. We must protect this foundation as a safe and genetically stable source for future generations. For the benefit of all farmers, gardeners and consumers who want an alternative,
We pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants.
http://www.gene-watch.org/programs/safeseed/sourcebook.html
[An excellent and very long list of nursery and seed sellers]
It could have been taken in San Francisco, they do odd things up there.
That is an odd photo, is it a wolf or the sheep dog?
LOL, maybe he was riding it, cause he was tired and the sheep suddenly stopped for lunch.
Or maybe he is taking the sheep to the ground, intending for it to be lunch.
Glad you posted it, it will be something to think about.
Hope you are well and happy.........
Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.
Interesting, small blog on herbs.
http://www.icangarden.com/document.cfm?task=viewdetail&itemid=6463&categoryid=0
Starting Herbs and other December
Gardening Tips
by Leonard Perry
by Leonard Perry
email: lpperry@uvm.edu
In extension I serve as an advisor and consultant to the greenhouse and nursery industry, primarily in Vermont but throughout the region and beyond as well.
I give presentations on my research to the industry, and to home groups.
In Research, my focus is “herbaceous perennial production systems”.
His website is at http://www.uvm.edu/~pass/perry/index.html
December 10, 2006
Caring for holiday plants, watching for spider mites on houseplants, and starting herbs are some of the garden tips for this month.
Decrease water and fertilizer on Christmas cactus if the buds are developing. To prolong the colorful bracts on poinsettias, keep them where temperatures don’t exceed 70 degrees (F) during the day or drop below 65 degrees at night. Keep potted amaryllis in a cool (60 degrees) shaded location until buds open. Then move it wherever you like.
Cyclamen prefer cool temperatures, so keep them back from south-facing windows that heat up during the day. Cyclamen also prefer even moisture, so dont allow to wilt and definitely dont keep too wet or they may rot.
African violets make great houseplants and will flower in winter if given supplemental light. To propagate new plants, take a leaf cutting, dip the cut end in a rooting hormone powder, available at many garden centers, and stick the cutting in a pot filled with vermiculite or sand. Cover the pot with a perforated clear plastic bag and keep the soil moist. In a few weeks you’ll have new plants.
If you brought in your geranium plants this fall and are growing them indoors this winter, chances are they’ve become very leggy by now. The cloudy, short days of November and December don’t provide enough light for these plants to thrive. Cut back the plants to about one foot tall. They will resprout and grow bushier in the longer days of late winter.
The warm, dry indoor air is prime breeding ground for spider mites on your houseplants. Look very closely at the undersides of leaves, at the base of stems, and on new buds for fine webbing. Set any suspicious-looking plants in the shower to wash off the mites, and repeat frequently. Or, if it’s a small plant, you can swish it around upside-down in a sinkful of soapy water. Insecticidal soap also works, but it’s smelly to use indoors.
The outdoor gardening season may be over, but indoors you can grow many herbs. Sow seeds of parsley, oregano, sage, chives, and dwarf basil in clay pots. Once they germinate, place them under grow lights and water and fertilize (with a half-strength solution) only when very dry. You’ll be rewarded with fresh herbs for your winter cooking.
Other gardening tips for this month include shopping for gardening gifts for the holidays, making sure foil on pots of holiday plants has holes for drainage into saucers, visiting greenhouses to see new colors of poinsettias, and using plant-safe deicing products on walks and drives. Visit the National Gardening Associations web site ( www.garden.org ) for more information on gardening and regional reports.
Another page.
http://www.icangarden.com/document.cfm?task=viewdetail&itemid=5665
http://www.icangarden.com/document.cfm?task=viewdetail&itemid=3414
A Beanstalk Teepee for Tiny Jacks and Jills
by Janet Davis
by Janet Davis
email: beautifulbotany@sympatico.ca
Janet Davis is a freelance garden writer and horticultural photographer whose stories and images have been featured in numerous publications. Magazines featuring her work include Canadian Gardening, Canadian Living, Gardening Life, Presidents Choice Magazine, Chatelaine Gardens and, in the United States, Fine Gardening and Country Living Gardener.
Visit http://www.beautifulbotany.com
June 5, 2005
jdBeanpoleteepee.jpg (34404 bytes)That first gardening experience can be a make-or-break experience for little ones. Make it too complicated and theyll lose interest, too chore-bound and it wont seem like fun, too grown-up and theyll make a mad dash for the sandbox. The ideal first project is one thats simple to do and guaranteed to produce successful results quickly.
Growing plants from seed is mysterious, exciting and educational — the perfect introduction to gardening for small children. But it can be a disappointing experience if the seeds fail to germinate or are slow to sprout. Easy-to-grow flowers (that are also fun for little hands to pick later to place in a vase on the kitchen table) include marigolds, zinnias, cosmos and nasturtiums. Giant sunflowers are a snap to raise from seed planted directly in the garden, thrilling to watch as they soar skyward, and a good first lesson in wildlife gardening as their seed-laden flower heads attract hungry birds.
Vegetable gardening, on the other hand, gives children an understanding of just how, exactly, the earth goes about producing food — a fundamental piece of information now lost to generations of youngsters whose only connection with food is a trip to the supermarket. Good candidates for a first adventure in vegetable-growing include tomatoes (especially cherry types), miniature carrots, pumpkins and peas.
But nothing is more fun for a small child than growing a patch of vegetables that doubles as a hideout — just like our little fellow relaxing in the shade of his own pint-sized beanstalk while browsing through a favorite book.
Heres how you and your little one can grow an easy bean teepee:
1. Make sure the teepee site is in full sun with good drainage. A week or so before planting, help your child to measure off a circular area roughly 4 feet (1.3 m) in diameter. Now assemble your bean poles, which should be 6-9 feet (2-2.7 m) in length and can be fashioned from bamboo garden stakes, tree branches, unpeeled saplings or lengths of milled ¾ inch wood-lathe.
2.
Insert the poles about 1 foot (30 cm) deep into the soil around the perimeter of the circle, slanting them towards the centre. You can use as few as 3 poles or as many as ten, but remember to leave an opening for the entrance to the teepee. Fasten the poles at the top with strong twine, or with a plastic pot whose bottom has been cut out.
3.
Several days before planting, cultivate the soil around the poles to a width and depth of about 1 foot (30 cm). Beans like soil with good organic content and lots of earthworms, so if yours needs enriching, work in several shovel loads of compost. (Leaf mould or dampened peat moss also add organic content, but are not as nutrient-rich as compost.) Beans are legumes, therefore nodules on their roots fix nitrogen in the soil, but this cant happen until the plants have started to grow. So if your soil is poor — particularly if you are unable to add compost — its also beneficial to work in several inches of composted cattle or sheep manure, which contains nitrogen.
4.
Select the seed. The best bean for a teepee is a fast-growing runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus) such as Scarlet Runner, with showy red flowers that often attract hummingbirds. Other good runner beans include Painted Ladies with orange and white flowers, Emperor Scarlet and Red Knight.
5.
Beans are very frost-tender, so wait to sow seed until 2-3 weeks after the last frost date, when the soil is well-warmed. If the weather is dry, water the soil a few days before planting. Around each pole, sow 4 bean seeds at a depth of 1 inch (2.5 cm). Seeds will take 6-10 days to germinate. When seedlings emerge and start to grow, thin them to 1-2 plants per pole and gently twine them around the poles to get them started climbing.
6.
Keep the soil at the base of the beans regularly watered, but avoid sprinkling overhead. In very hot, sticky summer weather, runner beans are often slow to produce pods, but will resume as the weather cools. Little ones using the bean teepee as a hideout should be gently cautioned about bumping against the vines and damaging them.
7.
Runner beans are ready to harvest in 60-70 days, depending on the variety. Pods can be up to 8 inches long (20 cm) long when mature. They should be picked for eating when they are young and tender, since they toughen and become stringy when left on the vine. They can be steamed or eaten raw. Provided the beans are picked continuously, the plants will continue to produce new pods until frost.
http://www.icangarden.com/document.cfm?task=viewdetail&itemid=2184
Make Your Own Garden Gold
Mixing up Leaf Mold in the Back Yard
by Donna Balzer
by Donna Balzer
email: dbalzer@cadvision.com
Donna Balzer is a garden consultant in Calgary, Alberta and is also the garden columnist for the Calgary Herald . Her columns appear year round and apply directly to the prairie gardener. Balzer may also be heard seasonally on CBC radio’s The Eye Opener program in Southern Alberta.
August 13, 2006
1pt.gif (86 bytes)Leaf mold compared to compost is sort of like skim milk compared to whole. Leaf mold is a thinner version of compost with all the extra fat cut out. While a compost is expected to be full of nutrients as well as fiber because of its ingredients which range from coffee grounds to lawn clippings and dry leaves, the thinner version - leaf mold - is strictly fiber. It is composed entirely of leaves saved in the fall and has special uses for locations in the garden where extra organic matter is needed to acidify the soil or to improve the soil’s structure without adding extra fertility. It is most commonly known as the duff layer in a forest where fallen leaves have built up over the years.
1pt.gif (86 bytes)In the forest, this leaf mold layer is like gold. It lays on the soil protecting both the fine tree roots and the soil’s inhabitants and is gradually drawn down into the soil by insects and other small soil dwelling critters. Before the leaves blowing around in your yard are swept up and tossed out or used in a mixed compost it is good to consider putting a pile aside to make your own garden gold. Once leaves are combined with other vegetable matter the compost created is best used as a soil topdressing, vegetable garden amendment or all purpose soil additive.
1pt.gif (86 bytes)Leaves, when separated and made into leaf mold are ideal for starting seedlings, mixing into potting soil or saving as a special topdressing for shrub and tree beds. Mold is very low in nutrients so makes a good soil additive where the soil is too rich from previous additions of manure or fertilizer.
1pt.gif (86 bytes)Leaves left on the lawn will rot where they lay and may ruin patches of lawn as they compost. Leaves naturally laying in soil beds may be left there because this is ideal for the health of the trees and shrubs. But what do you do with the pile of leaves drifting into your driveway or across the lawn and road? If you have the free ingredients on hand, here are the basics for turning this bulk commodity into gold - an excellent soil additive for the cost of a few minutes of effort:
*
The first stage in making leaf mold is to collect and crush leaves. While forest leaves compost down from whole leaves, garden leaf mold is made quicker from leaves that have been chopped up. Piling the leaves loosely on the lawn and then mowing over them and catching them in the mower bag will chop them finely enough to get a quick start. If you don’t have a mower bag, simply bag the leaves and employ your kids to jump on the bags to crush the leaves finely.
*
The dry leaves can be stored dry in bags until you have gathered a quantity or they may be piled in the chosen spot, watered and left to rot. If you own a composter the leaves may be put exclusively into this special container. Excess leaves that are bagged may be stored dry until needed in the future if there isn’t enough room in the compost area for all your leaves at once.
*
Within a year the ground leaves in the pile will be mostly rotted and ready to use. If you look at the pile and still see leaf parts this is okay for use on top of soil in shrub beds but it probably won’t work yet for starting seeds.
*
If you want to skip step 2 and 3 you can simply chop up whatever leaves you have with your lawn mower and spread them directly on your shrub areas. I often wait to spread them until after the soil has frozen in the later fall but it is possible to do it as soon as leaves are available just to save steps.
1pt.gif (86 bytes)The final effect of adding leaf mold rather than raking up and tossing leaves away is that the organic matter added to the soil this way is invaluable for its fiber which greatly improves the soil structure. The chemistry of the leaves is also important. Most leaf molds - like composts - are acidic by nature and this acidity is a bonus for our soils which tend to be basic which is a negative trait for plant growth overall. One small reminder is that leaf mold, unlike compost or manure, is not high in nutrients so is not a substitution for fertilizer or for the other organic additives when plants require more fertility. Roses, for example, prefer a higher fertility and would do better with a fall bag of manure at each plant’s base than a lean and nutrient meager addition of leaf mold.
http://www.icangarden.com/document.cfm?task=viewdetail&itemid=2275&categoryid=2
Documents: Feature Article:
Canadian Heroes, Gardening and Duct Tape
by Dan Clost
email: dan.clost@sympatico.ca
First serious garden earned 25 cents from the Kemptville Horticultural Society when I was 12. Have been poor in horticulture ever since but rich in spirit.
Went to work writing the Good Earth column (over 500 articles published in newspaper, magazine, website and journal.) and learned that what was printed wasn’t what I wanted to say and certainly not what Gentle Reader understood me to say. Subsequently have developed a certain clarity and economy of words.
Day job- nursery and production manager for a large nursery/garden centre
Side job- Garden restoration and renovations, design consultations, remedial pruning.
Night job- garden writer and communicator (overnight success in another 20 years)
March 25, 2007
As one would expect in a raw, new and mostly undiscovered country, this rugged land of ours has bred its own share of champions of all that it is to be Canadian. Many a Gentle Reader is familiar with Big Joe Mafroe, E.B. Eddy’s answer to Paul Bunyan. Big Bobby Clobber has entertained the true hockey fanatic for years.
Charlie Farquharson introduced the world to our unique “Jogfree” and none of us can forget Lester the Lobster. Until recently, my favourite fictional Canadian character has been Stompin’ Tom.
Gentle Reader, it is time that had we our own Gardening icon. Not Mark Cullen, Ken Beattie or even David Tarrant.
Someone new, fresh, vibrant and representative of all that it is to be a gardener in Canada’s Great White North. It is my pleasure to introduce to the gardening world, Brown Green. [Apologies and thanks are given to Steve Smith who gave us BG’s cousin, Red.]
Brown Green has seen everything that grows and knows that it is only a matter of time before it dies. He has dedicated himself to lengthening that interval. He makes it a practice to plant things earlier in the morning to get in those extra hours.
A voracious reader of do it yourself magazines such as Popular Horticultural Mechanics and Duct Tapers International, Brown likes to put what he reads into practice.
The new work in gene splicing intrigued him greatly. After reading about how the naturally occurring antifreeze gene in certain fish was being used in corn plants, he went out to the back thirty and duct-taped cod to stalks of corn.
He reaped a bumper crop of raccoons for his efforts and lowered next year’s fertilizer requirements.
Undeterred, he had cows duct-taped to tomatoes (he was thinking about an improved Beefsteak cultivar). His maple-flavoured wine wasn’t a big hit either.
When it comes to the matters mechanical, Brown Green is truly at his inventive best.
Lawnmowers have been welded to his ATV; unfortunately, it does take a while to pull-start them.
The shop vac has been adapted to harvest small fruits and the occasional slow-moving bird.
His nephew’s accordion now doubles as a herbicide applicator but he’s been experiencing difficulties squeezing out all the liquid.
When Brown heard about the benefits of double-digging your garden, he enthusiastically tried to turn over his portion of 50 acres of Canadian Shield. The end of his spade was bent back after only a few inches of duff were scraped off. The rototiller threatened to jar his arms out of their sockets as it bounced and squealed on granite.
If he couldn’t dig down, then he would dig up. Raised beds, constructed of Bombardier snowmobile cowlings now dot his pre-Cambrian landscape.
Put off by the noise, he fastened ear plugs using duct tape and Canada thistle down. In the ensuing quietude, he could hear himself think and it was not a pleasing sound. Deliberate cogitation is not his strong point.
His compost pile is a marvel of ingenuity and recycling. The power takeoff on his 1948 Ford tractor is connected to the gutter chain from his deceased grandfather’s, Dead Green, dairy barn.
Since the tomato incident, the cows weren’t much use as milkers.
Attached to the chain are the bent tines from the rototiller.
Once a week he cranks up the Ford and pile is completely mixed and aerated. His only problem is that skunks seem to be attracted to the fishy emanations of the corn stover.
Brown Green deserves to be our gardening mentor. He stands tall in this land. A frayed straw hat shades steely grey eyes that seek out new challenges. A smile on his face, secateurs in one hand and duct tape in the other, he is ready to meet the Canadian gardening wilderness.
As we say farewell, he leaves us with a helpful hint. Duct tape laid along vegetable rows, sticky side up is as good a slug trap as you can find. Happy gardening, eh.
http://www.icangarden.com/document.cfm?task=viewdetail&itemid=724&categoryid=2
Herbs of Winter
by Jen L. Jones
October 7, 2007
The realities of the northern winter brought home to the herb gardener - and the one ideal herb for wintering indoors.
When the soft and smoky purple golds of autumn have given way to the steeliness of late November, and we know winter’s curtain of snow and ice is ready to descend, then the herb gardener’s heart feels a pang of remorse. The dilemma is to decide on which of the herbs, if any, to bring indoors. Trees, shrubs, and robust perennials can fend for themselves; annuals are generally seen as dispensable, and generally, no one suggests that we pot any of these up and bring them indoors; therefore, all is satisfactory in that part of the garden as the cycle of nature takes its course, and the gardener gets a little respite from all her labour.
Not so in the herb garden, where all the ghosts of those articles we have read in the past arise to haunt the responsible gardener. You know the kind I mean: “Wintering Herbs Indoors”; “Herb Garden on your Windowsill”; “Potting up your Favourite Herbs”. It’s all enough to make the herb gardener feel a little guilty, and we all know that “the guilties” are the disease of the 90’s. What if you have been just a little tired from all this digging, raking, and watering? What if you were looking forward (just a little bit) to the day when your garden was all safely ensconced under its snow quilt, and were content to let sleeping herbs lie? And now along comes another one of those darn articles telling you how to bring all the little darlings indoors. Maybe in your part of Canada, they are all frozen stiff by now, and you can laugh away this article. But for those of you who still have viable herbs in your garden, here’s a little advice to ease your guilt and let you pick out the best for wintering indoors.
Houseplants in waiting may now languish under the first sprinkles of snow: the thymes, the lavenders, the mints, the parsley, the sage. You could (should?), you know, pot them up - it’s still not too late for these hardy garden herbs. The basils (Ocimum spp), an annual, of course, are long gone, blackened and defeated with the first frost of September, and unless you employed a little foresight, your chances of reviving these prized, but persnickity plants, are non-existent. To everything there is a season, and I’m afraid that basil has had its day in the sun. Also, it is much too late for the tender perennial scented geraniums, (Pelargonium spp). “Tender” is the key word to remember when dealing with these perfumed beauties, and likely by late November, if these tropical plants have been left out in the herb garden, well then the full meaning of “tender” in all its awful finality has been brought home. It is these tender herbs which present the gardener with her dilemma: to pot up and bring indoors, to abandon to the elements, or to protect in some feasible way, for the hardy perennials, although they may make unusual houseplants, are not requiring of the same rescue tactics.
Old time gardeners would often bring in their geraniums (scented or not) and overwinter them in pots on the windowsills. As long as the temperature does not dip below 50°F, and they are kept a little on the dry side, geraniums love an indoor winter. If your indoor geraniums are the scented variety, then you will have the bonus of fragrance as well as their evergreen beauty and cheery blooms. Many an old farm house had its windowsills crowded by an assortment of somewhat leggy geraniums, with their friendly blooms of red and pink, all potted up in a make-do assemblage of clay pots, margarine tubs, honey tins, even tobacco cans, and all set in the derelict china saucers from a previous era. Many a once-elegant Wedgewood saucer found itself pressed into extended service as a drip catcher with the pink rosebuds of the “ Blooming Rose of Wiltshire” nestling under the dented and rusty “Old Pal’s Best Cut” tobacco can. And oblivious to them both, the geranium, deprived of its full allotment of sunlight, stretched nonetheless up the window, its jaunty blooms mocking the winter landscape on the other side of the glass.
When the supply of scrounged containers was depleted, then the remaining geraniums would be hung upside-down, a somewhat undignified posture for these garden grannies, from the cellar ceiling, having had the soil knocked-off their roots. They may also have been shrouded in brown paper bags to block out any light and discourage growth. This then was their fate - to sleep and last out the winter in a dark cellar, - but better by far than the icy death awaiting them outside the farmhouse door. In the spring, the geraniums could be brought back once again into the land of the living and cuttings taken then would root readily. Modern gardeners now tend to buy new potted geraniums each spring as the custom of having blooming geraniums in all the winter windowsills is somehow seen as old-fashioned.
Having said our goodbyes to the basils and tended to the geraniums, we now cast our eyes over to the lavenders, the favourite fragrant herb of all time. Lavandula officinalis, a hardy perennial, does indeed make the adjustment from garden to window-sill fairly well. But don’t expect it to bloom, or even to look too sprightly. But when February’s blast shakes the window pane and the frost fingers are on the march, if just brushing the leaves and savouring the sweet fragrance brings back to you a hint of summer, then yes, Lavandula does indeed make a worthwhile houseplant. The fragrance of lavender is the ne plus ultra of nostalgia.
The hardy perennial thymes, Thymus vulgaris, make good houseplants too - note the word “good” not “spectacular”. Quality of light is the critical element, and it is difficult, even if they are placed in a south-facing window, to provide sufficient light for their needs. And so the thymes, too, would probably prefer to sleep away the winter months under a snow-blanket. But when these herb plants are brought indoors, and our attention is redirected from the outdoor display of many herbs growing in the soil, to just one or two in pots on our windowsills, somewhat closer to eye-level, then something quite amazing happens: suddenly we don’t just look, we see. The individual plant, whether thyme, lavender, perhaps sage, is no longer just “one of the crowd” but has form, fragrance, detailed texture, and its unique characteristics come to the fore - in short, it now has a “personality”. The tiny leaves of thyme now come under the close scrutiny of the thwarted gardener - the pebbly grey-green leaves of sage are mired, and the freshness of the mint leaf (however tiny) is enjoyed anew.
But of all the herbs in the outdoor garden, there is one which especially deserves to be brought indoors, for this herb can patiently wait outdoors until fall chores are done, and the garden tools all but put away. This herb delights in the indoors, and will probably bloom and bloom for you right through until spring. It too has fragrant leaves and an elegant air, and most especially - it can be your favourite herb of Christmas - none other than rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis, the piny and invigourating, tender perennial shrub, prized in its home Mediterranean climes, and prized here in Canada too.
Rosemary is indeed the perfect herb for wintering indoors. First, its Christmas associations are timely, having been connected in many legends with the birth of Christ, for example, it is said that the colour of the rosemary blossoms turned from white to blue, because the Virgin Mary hung her cloak on the rosemary bushes to dry in her flight from Herod’s soldiers. Its appearance and fragrance are “Christmas-tree” like. With the addition of a red ribbon and perhaps a few small gold ornaments, the upright rosemary really does look like a Christmas tree. Snip finely about a teaspoonful of its fresh leaves and add to a recipe for holiday shortbread, and prepare to be surprised at the distinctive blending of aromatic and sweet flavours.
Rosemary is also wonderful as a house plant because it doesn’t readily shed its leaves (although be prepared for some leaf drop as the plant acclimatizes itself to the indoors); it requires little care other than frequent waterings and perhaps misting of its leaves, especially if your house air is dry. When cutting rosemary for use in cooking, it is better to cut a sprig two or three inches long instead of just pulling off some leaves. If you do this, the plant will reward you with improved bushiness and new growth. The blooms of the rosemary are tiny, but oh how perfect. A covering of blue, pink, or white flowers which last and last will likely be your reward for all your attentions. Pests don’t care too much for rosemary - probably its protective, resinous, oils are off-putting to most insects.
To pot up a rosemary from your garden, just follow all the standard advice: water well before digging, choose a pot of sufficient size to accommodate the roots, and don’t allow to dry out for the first few days. Because rosemaries, although classified as tender perennials, can withstand some below freezing temperatures, there is no great rush to dig them from your garden in the fall. Give your time and attention to those other “softies” and leave the rosemaries to the last. Don’t wait though until the soil is frozen. This autumn in Southern Ontario, mid November was rosemary-potting-up time. First frosts here are usually around late September or so, but this fall was particularly mild. Keeping seasonal variations and zone considerations in mind, you can usually leave your rosemaries until after all the other garden clean-up is done.
Louise Beebe Wilder in her book The Fragrant Garden agrees that rosemary makes a good house plant:
And in truth it does become a window well, it makes a charming pot plant, neat, svelte, with its dark, felt-lined leaves held sleek against its sides. The smell of the leaves is keen and heady, resinous yet sweet, with a hint of Nutmeg, and the odour of the dried leaves is so lasting that the plant has become the emblem of constancy, or remembrance ...
Rosemary is the classic herb of remembrance and it would be a sweet gesture to add a small sprig, or perhaps just a few of its needle-like leaves to the Christmas cards going out to those friends we rarely see or relatives at a distance.
Crafting with rosemaries is another wonderfully aromatic pleasure that this plant provides. Depending upon whether you are bringing one plant, or ten, into the house, you may wish to use sprigs of rosemary tied onto your holiday packages, arranged as a small wreath around a candle base, or sewn into sachets for use as bath-bags. A craft that has been practised since Elizabethan times is that of gilding rosemary sprigs for use in Christmas decorations or for distribution to wedding guests. Try spraying a sprig with gold paint...it might shrivel a little, but should probably last well through the holidays.
If only one herb could be brought indoors, it should be the rosemary. The basils, geraniums, and so on can be restarted in the spring from seed or cuttings, or bought in pots. The thymes, sages, lavenders, and mints, will all survive outdoors in most winters and grow afresh in the spring. But the rosemary will not survive a Canadian winter (although attempts are underway to develop a winter-hardy strain) - it must be brought indoors, but look at the pleasure it provides in return for such little care! And in the spring, it can be returned to its spot in the herb garden, already a good-sized plant, not a little seedling or rooted cutting. Yes. Rosemary is the one.
http://www.icangarden.com/document.cfm?task=viewdetail&itemid=5309
Gardening To Nurture The Spirit
by Yvonne Cunnington
I am a garden writer and photographer living near Hamilton, Ont. My articles have appeared in Chatelaine, Canadian Living, Canadian Gardening and Gardening Life magazines. My book for beginner gardeners, Clueless in the Garden: A Guide for the Horticulturally Helpless (Key Porter Books) was published in 2003.
My husband and I tend a large country garden, which has been featured on TVs Gardeners Journal and in Gardening Life magazine. We have had numerous bus tours visit our garden.
Visit her website at http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/
June 3, 2007
In her own garden Karen York, the author of The Holistic Garden: Creating Spaces for Health and Healing (Prentice Hall Canada, 2001), puts into practice what she preaches. Of course, the garden didnt start out that way, says York, like most gardens, it kept evolving through the years, we just kept digging up more lawn and adding plants and shaping the space so it would please us.
Yorks garden and book are full of ideas to help you create your own personal garden sanctuary to nurture mind, body and spirit. First, she says, dont worry overly about the which plants to get at the beginning, but spend some time thinking how you can shape the space to create a feeling of serenity.
Here are her favorite tips:
*
Create an inviting entry A gate, an arbour, an opening in hedge or even walking through an attractive grouping of pots or a pair of upright evergreens gives the sense that you are entering a special space.
*
Invite diversity York calls this the kid-in-a-candy-store effect. In terms of natural and garden ecology, the more diversity of species, the healthier the environment. In human terms, the more variety in the garden, the more there is to stimulate the senses. Think about how you can incorporate sight (a variety of textures, contrasts, forms and colors), sound (water features, trees and shrubs to encourage birds), fragrance (from intoxicatingly scented flowers to aromatic herbs), taste (edibles, including veggies and herbs or perhaps berries) and touch (smooth stones, rough rocks, downy leaves, fluffy seed heads, and so on).
*
Create enclosure spaces that are enclosed provide a welcome sense of security and sanctuary and downright practical protection from natural forces such cold winds and burning sun. You might enclose the entire garden with a hedge or a fence, or just set off a smaller personal space within the garden, says York. Trees can add to the feeling enclosure by giving the garden a ceiling. To idea is to create a welcome measure of privacy.
*
Encourage a sense of mystery A garden should beguile. It may have a path going off into the distance or around a corner or the sound of water something to draw you in, she explains.
*
Go for natural shapes The rounded shapes of hills, ponds and other natural features are deeply pleasing in a way that hard-edged human construction often isnt, says York. Rather than clipping them to within an inch of their lives, most plants are happier left to grow into their natural shapes and forms. The world definitely doesnt need more forsythia balls, she adds.
*
Creating a serenity corner in your garden
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Choose a spot with privacy in mind the element that screens out the world (or an unwanted view, for that matter) may a shrub or tree, or it could be a built structure, such as a trellis fence or pergola. Do try to soften built elements with plants, such as vines. Consider a spot in the shade its safer for your skin and more comfortable than a sitting in the hot sun.
*
Add water. It could be as simple as tucking a birdbath, assembling a pond in a pot with a small fountain, or setting out a ceramic container brimming with water into a foliage rich corner. If you are thinking about adding a permanent pond or a reflecting pool, Yorks advice is to make it twice as big as you think. Otherwise, I guarantee youll be wishing you had made it bigger.
*
Pick a comfortable seat or preferably two, so you can welcome company. Try out garden chairs, lounges or benches before buying. If it isnt comfortable, you wont use it. Add outdoor-proof cushions to double your comfort, and a small table, to give you a spot to serve a snack and set down a drink or your book when youd rather lie back and relax.
For more garden design ideas, visit Yvonnes website: www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com and click on Garden Design.
http://www.icangarden.com/document.cfm?task=viewdetail&itemid=7307&categoryid=55
Documents: Hot Horticulture Issues:
Spice-Rack Favorites Battle E. Coli
and Other Foodborne Pathogens
by Marcia Wood
July 27, 2008
Herbs and spices like oregano, thyme, cinnamon and clove do more than add pleasing flavors and aromas to familiar foods. The oils from these plants, or compounds extracted from those oils, pack a powerful, antimicrobial punchstrong enough to help quell such foodborne pathogens as Escherichia coli O157:H7.
That’s according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) chemist Mendel Friedman, who several years ago evaluated the bacteria-bashing power of these and dozens of other plant compounds.
Now, some of the compounds that Friedman and co-investigators determined were the strongest combatants of E. coli, Salmonella enterica, Campylobacter jejuni, or Listeria monocytogenes in the 2002 study are being tapped for new research focused on food safety.
For example, Friedman, research leader Tara H. McHugh, and other scientists at the ARS Western Regional Research Center in Albany, Calif., are evaluating the highest-ranking botanical bactericides as potential ingredients in what are known as edible films.
A thin, pliable, edible film for the future might be made of puréed spinach spiked with carvacrol, the compound responsible for oregano’s ranking as a top fighter of E. coli in the Friedman study.
The scientists want to find out whether adding small squares of carvacrol-enhanced spinach purée film to bags of chilled, ready-to-eat spinach leaves would help protect this salad green against E. coli.
Friedman is also exploring other new uses of the top-rated botanicals from the earlier study. That investigation, which he conducted with technician Philip R. Henika and research leader Robert E. Mandrell at Albany, was the most extensive of its kind at the time it was published. Also notable was the common basis of comparison, which the team established by inventing new methods to prepare and test all of the samples. For even more consistency, the scientists used the same bacterial strainsfrom the same suppliersthroughout the investigation.
Read more about the research in the July 2008 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.
ARS is a scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Two articles on importing seeds, from other countries:
http://www.icangarden.com/document.cfm?task=viewdetail&itemid=3776&categoryid=2
http://www.icangarden.com/document.cfm?task=viewdetail&itemid=7387&categoryid=55
http://www.icangarden.com/document.cfm?task=viewdetail&itemid=4501&categoryid=280
Documents: Pro-Mix:
Herb Gardening How-to
by Yvonne Cunnington
I am a garden writer and photographer living near Hamilton, Ont. My articles have appeared in Chatelaine, Canadian Living, Canadian Gardening and Gardening Life magazines. My book for beginner gardeners, Clueless in the Garden: A Guide for the Horticulturally Helpless (Key Porter Books) was published in 2003.
My husband and I tend a large country garden, which has been featured on TVs Gardeners Journal and in Gardening Life magazine. We have had numerous bus tours visit our garden.
Visit her website at http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/
May 27, 2007
Herbs are hot: they add zest and aroma to your cooking, and in the garden, they love basking in the heat of summer.
Most herbs are surprisingly easy to grow thriving with minimal care and in small spaces. Container grown herbs look attractive on decks, patios and balconies, and because most of them hail from Mediterranean regions, they thrive in summers heat and sun. Even better, they have few insect and disease problems, and most grow best in average garden soil, rarely needing added fertilizer.
Herbal pointers to get you started:
* Give herbs well-drained soil and full sun (6 hours daily). A few herbs like part shade, (see chart), and some, such as mint, prefer moist soil.
* While many herbs thrive in hot and dry conditions, they need watering to get established and in times of drought.
* Herbs can be annuals, such as dill and cilantro, generally harvested 2 to 3 months after sowing from seed. (You can buy them as transplants, but you get stronger plants from seed.) Annuals go to seed quickly, and thats when their leaves tend to lose flavour. For a fresh supply, replant every 3 weeks into early or mid August. To harvest, snip off leaves, or pull entire plant.
* For perennial herbs, such as French tarragon, sage or thyme, buy small plants. Allow a couple of months of growth before harvesting. (You can grow some perennial herbs from seed, but it takes a season or two to get a harvest.)
* Avoid removing too many leaves or stems at one time plants need leaves to grow and thrive; keep 15 cm of growth intact.
* To harvest, snip a portion with sharp scissors, pruners or a knife; dont tear or pull stem off to avoid injuring or even dislodging roots.
* Once herbs are established, regular pruning promotes lush new growth, which has the best flavour.
Growing herbs in containers
Growing in containers is a great way to have kitchen herbs close to hand in a small space. Some herbs such as mint grow too exuberantly and are easier to control in pots. And in the case of rosemary a tough woody perennial in warmer climates but not hardy in cold Canadian winters growing in a pot makes it easier to take the plant inside. (See below.)
To grow well in pots, most herbs need:
* Full sun (6 hours minimum)
* Containers 25 to 30 cm deep with one or more holes for good drainage
* Purchased soil-less potting mix; dont use garden soil, although you can add a little compost or bagged manure for enrichment
* Watering. How much to water depends on the weather, the plants and the size and type of pot. Terra cotta containers dry out quickly and usually need daily watering high summer. The larger the pot, the easier it is to keep moist.
* Fertilizing. Like all container plants, herbs need fertilizer. Slow release fertilizer pellets added to the top layer of soil at planting are easy: they feed constantly over the growing season. Or give soluble fertilizer with watering once a week.
What about taking herbs indoors?
Remember the bit about herbs coming from the hot and sunny Mediterranean? Its tempting to take your plants indoors for winter, especially perennial types. Unfortunately, in northern winters even a south-facing window gets a lot less sun than the plants need, and central heating keeps the air very dry (Mediterranean winters are moist). And your herbs wont be as flavourful in winter they seem to need heat and sun to create the aromatic oils that make them zesty.
If youre still keen to try, the keys to success are:
* A sunny south-facing window, plus a florescent grow light for extra brightness. Growth will slow, so harvest small amounts only (if your goal is to keep plants for next year); or continue to harvest until you use leaves up and then discard plant.
* Water when soil feels dry to touch.
* For best winter survival of rosemary, move plant into shadier spot outdoors in early fall to acclimatize to lower light; indoors, keep in a cool bright window with a florescent grow light. A bright, unheated sun porch can be ideal, as long as temperatures dont dip below -6ºC.
Top 10 kitchen herbs
Food partners
How to grow Harvesting & using
Basil
Annual
(Varieties include sweet green, purple & Thai)
Sweet basil: tomatoes, salads, pesto, Italian sauces, ratatouille; licorice flavoured Thai type: Thai & Asian dishes Loves heat; buy seedling plants or grow from seed; set into containers or garden in full sun when all danger of frost is over Snip leafy stems mid-summer; pinch off flowers for better leaf production. To freeze, chop in blender or food processor; put into ice cube trays; store in freezer bags, use 1cube per recipe
Chives Perennial hardy to Zone 3 Scrambled eggs, omelettes, salads Full sun/part shade; remove flowers for better leaf production & to prevent excessive self-seeding. When overgrown, give clump a haircut. Use fresh; harvest with kitchen scissors from spring through summer. Ready early spring; edible flowers garnish salads. Round-leaved onion chives onion flavoured; flat-leaved garlic chives onion/garlic flavoured
Cilantro (fresh coriander) Annual Pungent leaves used in Asian and Thai, Indian dishes & Mexican dishes (salsa, corn salad) Easy from seed, full sun/part shade. Goes to seed quickly; for continuous supply replant every 3 weeks in summer Harvest by cutting off what you need, or pull out plant when about 20 cm tall; use fresh, quickly loses flavor in fridge
Dill, fresh, (sometimes called dillweed) Annual Fish and seafood, potato salad; salad greens, cucumbers; egg dishes, adds zest to vegetable dishes e.g. new potatoes; seeds flavor pickles Easy from seed in early spring; sow more every 3 weeks for seasons supply; full sun. For small spaces or containers, choose dwarf Fernleaf variety (container should be 25 cm deep). Snip off leaves when plants are 15 cm tall; most flavorful before flowers develop. Harvest flower stems for pickles when most flowers are open.
Mint:
Perennial hardy to Zone 4
Fruit salads, iced tea, lemonade, mint tea; new potatoes, lamb, green beans Full sun, moist soil. Aggressive grower, to avoid rampant spread grow in container or sink 35 cm tall bottomless plastic nursery pot or clay tile into soil Harvest leaves through summer. Cut back frequently to encourage fresh growth. Dry leaves for winter on trays or byhanging branches upsidedown in warm, dark, airy place.
Parsley Biennial, (usually treated as annual) Garnishes, soups, salads, salad dressings, sauces Set seedling plants in full sun; good foliage plant in containers; varieties: curly leaved, flat leaved Italian Harvest larger outer leaves first, leaving inner shoots to grow; keeps well in refrigerator; can be chopped in food processor and frozen for winter use
Rosemary
Perennial hardy to Zone 7 with winter protection (e.g. mulch)
Lamb, chicken, pork Italian dishes; great with eggplant and roasted potatoes Full sun. Woody evergreen shrub; not winter-hardy in most of the country, but terrific in containers; bring indoors in fall into bright airy place To harvest snip off tender stem tips; new growth will branch out from cuts. Dries well, hang in bunches in a dry dark airy spot.
French Tarragon Perennial hardy to Zone 4 Salads, egg dishes, fish/seafood, chicken, sauces, vinegars, Purchase plants (tarragon from seed is the non-flavorful Russian type). Full sun/part shade, well-drained soil. Cut back to prevent flowering, keep to 60 cm tall to prevent flopping Use leaves fresh in summer. Freeze for later use. Drying also works, but dried tarragon can lose flavour if left too long
Sage
Perennial hardy to Zone 5
Turkey and chicken Set plants into full sun, moist but well drained soil. Plants may lose vigour after a few seasons, so dig up replace them with new ones Harvest sparingly in 1st season to help plants get established. Pick leaves anytime over summer. Easy to dry, keeps well: hang branches in dry, dark airy spot
Thyme Perennial hardy to Zone 4 Ranks as one of the fine herbs of French cuisine; flavours meat, chicken dishes, herbal butters & vinegars, fish, sauces, stews Plant in full sun; well-drained soil. In very cold winter areas, mulch plants after ground freezes with a light layer of pine needles. Trim back in early spring to remove browned stems & winter dieback Snip leaves and sprigs all summer. Dries well for winter: tie several sprigs together, hang upside down in warm, dark, airy place
For more on herbs: Visit www.richters.com to buy herbs online. For more herb-growing information, click on Richters Info Centre.
A version of this article originally appeared in the May 2003 issue of Chatelaine.
http://www.icangarden.com/document.cfm?task=viewdetail&itemid=5053&categoryid=280
Edible Flowers
by Cathy Wilkinson Barash
July 27, 2008
Edible flowers have become familiar garnishes in countless restaurantsthe 21st centurys equivalent of parsley. However, like parsley, most people dont eat them. They move the flowersnasturtiums and pansies are the most commonly seento the side of the plate just like they used to do with parsley.
In the past ten years, edible flowers have gone from garnish to ingredient in restaurant cuisine. You know that they have caught on when you can find edible flowers among the fresh herbs at grocery stores, not just in the trendsetting areas of the country, but in rural areas too.
However, buying edible flowers is expensive and they are fragile and ideally eaten the same day they are picked. Even day-old flowers lose some of their texture and flavor. If you want to have a salad with a bunch of nasturtiums, great guacamole with cilantro flowers, or dandelion “mushrooms,” you need to grow your own.
By growing your own edible flowers, you are assured of their freshness and that they are grown organically. No doubt, some of the plants you already grow from seed to beautify your home have edible flowers.
Nasturtiums are the most readily recognized edible flower, having made their debut on salads in restaurants across the country. Their bold orange or scarlet color enlivens mixed greens. Up close, they have a slightly sweet fragrance, but their unique flavor sets them apart. Pop the entire flower into your mouth and as you chew, you first get a sweet essence from the nectar, followed by a bold peppery tang. Make colorful and flavorful vinegar from nasturtiums by adding flowers to a good white wine vinegar. Let it sit in the dark (light will fade the color) for several weeks. Strain the flowers out and pour the vinegar into a clean glass bottle. Use it to make a flavorful salad dressing. You can also make a unique martini with vodka steeped in nasturtiums. In addition to orange and scarlet, nasturtium flowers come in yellow, pale orange, cream, and bicolors.
Pansies are a favorite as they come in so many different colors single and combinations. When eating pansies, you can break two of the cardinal rules of edible flowers: eat only the petals and remove the pistils and stamens before eating. In fact, you can eat the pansy sepals as well. Some pansies have a delicate fragrance, primarily the blue-flowered ones. They have a mild wintergreen flavor. Make simply elegant hors doeuvresby spreading some cream cheese on a plain cracker (round or square) and top it with a whole pansy. If you are planning a special event, you can sow seeds for the color you fancy. Pansies are perfect for candying and decorating cakesanything from a simple sheet cake to a wedding cake.
Although most people think of dandelions as weeds, the flowers are edible when young. There are varieties that have been bred for their size and leaves, which make a lovely addition to the spring gardenand will surprise your neighbors. Native Americans dipped the entire young flower in egg and then in cornmeal and fried it. Its amazing how this turns the slightly bitter flower into the flavor of a mushroom.
Calendulas, also known as pot marigold, used to be called poor mans saffron. The yellow or orange petals of the daisy-like flowers can be used like saffron, but to get the effect, you need to chop them and cook them with oil to bring out the color and flavor. Sauté some chopped onions in a bit of olive oil, add chopped calendula petals, rice, and boiling water or broth. The result is a beautiful side dish that looks like (and could be made into) Spanish paella. Calendula petals add pizzazz to carrot cake. Sprinkle petals on the cream cheese icing.
Squash blossoms have a mild vegetable flavorsimilar to zucchini or yellow squash. All squash flowers are edible from acorn to patty pan squash to crookneck squash and zucchini, of course. Traditional in Mediterranean cuisine, squash blossoms are usually stuffed with flavored breadcrumbs or ricotta cheese and sautéed or fried. Pumpkin and gourd flowers are also edible. As far as zucchini are concerned, they seem to grow from small tasty fruits to baseball bats overnight; you can never keep up with them. Eating the flowers is sort of like birth control for the plantsthe more flowers you eat, the less zucchini you have to deal with.
Lemon Gem and Tangerine Gem marigolds Tagetes tenuifolia with their fernlike foliage are the only edible marigolds. They have a citrusy-tarragon flavor, but little scent. When you pull the petals from the flower, break off the right-angled portion; it is bitter. Marigolds add spice to something as common as deviled eggs.
One of the best things about edible flowers is that they make ordinary family food into something fit for a visit from royalty. Their colors add excitement and the flowers themselves add zest to any dish.
Most herb flowers are safe to eat; their flavor is milder and sweeter than the leaves. Try growing dill, fennel, arugula, basil, chives, cilantro, dill, garlic chives, mustard, and society garlic. Adding flowers to a dish as mundane as potato salad or macaroni salad (especially from the deli) transforms it into something special.
What is best about edible flowers is that they are as beautiful in the garden as they are tasty in the kitchen. They are dual-purpose plants that can be included in any type of gardenformal, cottage, or mixed border. No matter where you grow them, pick them like fruitin their primeand enjoy them for all their attributes.
courtesy of www.ngb.org
http://www.icangarden.com/link.cfm?task=viewcategory&categoryid=238
Links: Garden Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, References & Sourcebooks: [live links on site]
* 101 Gardening Links
* A Collection of Botany Related URLs: All Links
* Arizona Master Gardener Manual
* CFIA
Up-to-date information on importing plants and related material into Canada
* Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries
The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries, Inc. (CBHL) is the leading professional organization in the field of botanical and horticultural information services.
* Crop-Net
crop protection web site with great resource info
* Everyrose.com
* Garden Possabilities Bookstore
Retail and mail-order bookstore for gardeners.
* Garden Web Virtual Library
* GardenGuides
A Growing resource for gardeners
* GardeningCtr
Resource directory, GardeningCtr
* Gardens On Line - Australia
* Get Set To Garden
A great site for Canadian Gardeners
* Grow’Em Plant Propagation Database
* GrowSearch
* HORTICOPIA Home Page
* HortSource.com
* Hortworld
* In Kind Canada
* International Plant Names Index (IPNI)
(Next Records)
http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/ho/ho73/ho73.htm
Medicinal Herb Seed and Root Sources for Planting in Kentucky
R. Terry Jones, Department of Horticulture
Each year, the department of horticulture receives many calls requesting sources of various plant seeds or roots and technical information about their care and handling. The growers listed in this publication should not be construed as the only sources of seed, roots, or plants. The University is not recommending them over others not listed. The price of seed, roots, and plants varies from year to year due to demand and availability. Different suppliers ask differing prices during the same year. In addition, the quantity purchased may also affect the price.
If you are getting into medicinal herb production for the first time, be aware that prices growers receive for many of these plants can vary tremendously from season to season. Sometimes supply can exceed demand. Roots that sold for $50.00 per pound last year may only be worth $15.00 per pound this year.
Woods-grown or wild-simulated ginseng is one of the major medicinal herbs grown in Kentucky. Freshly harvested ginseng seed (in the fall) usually requires 18 months for the embryo in the seed to develop and mature before it will germinate. This fact explains why seed is stored in moist sand for about 12 months (a process called “stratifying the seed”). People new to the ginseng business should order stratified seed or freshly harvested roots. If your purchased seed dries out, germination will be drastically reduced.
At present, most commercial ginseng plantings in Kentucky are either woods-grown or wild-simulated. These are made by directly sowing seed using seeding rates of 10 to 30 pounds of seed per acre. Seed prices have increased in recent years with prices between $50 to $80 per pound; therefore, it may cost more than $2,400 per acre to plant ginseng from seed. For individuals just beginning, we suggest sowing seed 1/4- to 1/2-inch deep in a permanent bed. You may wish to plant seeds and grow one-year-old roots for transplanting to a permanent location. The roots should be set on a 45-degree angle with the bud 1 inch below the soil.
For more detailed information on planting seeds or roots and ginseng production, refer to Cooperative Extension publication Cultivating Ginseng in Kentucky (ID-60), available from your local Cooperative Extension office.
Has a good list of plants and nurseries...
I always intended to order from this Calif. nursery:
http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/
Mountain Valley Growers, Inc.
Organic.
Lavender and miniature roses and everything else, get on the mailing list, I was for years.
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