Getting To Know Herb - Part I

If you've noticed the price of dried organic herbs in the market, planting them is an economical way to bring good taste to your meals.  Whether you have a windowsill with a few plants or a garden full of variety and quantity, herbs can transform food by imparting certain regional and ethnic flavors.  I prefer to use fresh herbs whenever possible ... and drying a good portion for winter use.  If you live in a cold or short growing season, many herb plants can be covered with mulch to overwinter ... only to re-sprout new growth come spring.  Other herbs reseed themselves ... and some need to be dug up and brought inside.  Snow makes a good insulator for lavender.

Herb Drying Tips

1. Pick before the plant produces flowers
2. Pick them in the cool of the morning
3. Rinse only if necessary to remove dirt, pat dry
4. Mulch around the base of the plants to keep dirt off the leaves
5. Gather up 5-7 sprigs and tie with twine or rubberbands
6. Hang the herb bundles in a hot location such as in the rafters of a shed or garage

Once dry, remove leaves from stems and keep in an airtight labeled jar in a cool dark location.  Use within one year.  Growing, drying and processing herbs is a labor of love ... and once you've done it you will appreciate the convenience of having your favorites on hand all year long ... as well as knowing why they cost a pretty penny.  Non organic herbs may have been sprayed with chemicals and/or been irradiated.  Just another reason to grow your own. 

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Morning light, warmth, and fresh herbs

In spite of the frigid days in the last week, the morning light has reminded me of tropical places. A pink glow has illuminated hazy clouds, contrasting with crystal-clear air. It's been lovely.

The clarity of the air was a definite contrast from the haziness and humidity of Southern Vietnam, but the shock of returning to an usually deep cold spell in the Southeastern US (and a cold workplace, thanks to insufficient insulation and underpowered heat) has made my normally semi-cold-tolerant genes wishing for warmth and sunshine.

A dinner of fresh romaine lettuce wraps with roasted chicken, an aromatic brown rice, stir-fried vegetables, with a nice dipping sauce made with fish sauce, lime juice, cilantro, sugar, peanuts, and chilies reminded us of some of the delicious dinners we'd had in Southeast Asia.

It was almost like warmth (and sunshine) on a plate.

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Herbs and unusual plants!

I've always enjoyed herbs in my garden, largely because their flowers are visited by insects, but also because they're fun to use in containers, mix in borders, and use in cooking (sometimes...)

Iden Croft Herb Nursery in Kent was listed in the Good Gardens Guide as being exceptional, both for the range of their plants for sale, but also for their gardens.

Arriving with rain threatening, and a cool breeze blowing, it looked like any other nursery. But when I started looking at the plants, I realized that this was really something more.

Unusual plants of all sorts, but the herbs were amazing. It's a good thing I can't buy plants here!

Too many of these plants would be going home with me.

Happily, the rain held off and I was able to take a few pictures.

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