The First Seedling of the Season
I haven’t officially started and seeds yet. My light tables aren’t put together in the basement yet, I haven’t even ordered all of my seeds yet -yikes. Am I behind? Not really, I’ve been deliberately trying to restrain myself from starting things too early. Seedlings do so much better when you can get them planted outside when they’re the right size. So starting them too early often doesn’t do any good and may actually be bad for the plant in the long run. I will be starting some lettuce this week, I think by the time they’re big enough the cold frame will be warm enough to transplant them. I think spring will come a littler later this year so I’m holding off as long as I can to get the seed starting going.
I did “unofficially” start a few seeds for the Amsterdam Seasoning Celery I got from Renee’s Garden. A few days ago, I sprinkled them in a post I had by the back door that nothing was growing in (failed attempt to propagate a houseplant). The first seed germinated yesterday! I think this will make an excelling winter gardening plant. Fresh celery taste all winter long from a pot in the dining room! I can’t wait to see how this herb does. Celery sseedling are the tiniest of all I think, I should have put a penny by this so you can see how small they are.
Have you been starting seeds yet?
Filed under Edible, Herbs, Seed Sowing | Comments (17)Harvesting Herbs for Tea
This week I’ve been out harvesting a lot of my herbs for warming winter teas. I should harvest them all summer long, but I get busy and always forget to do it until winter threatens. I carry a big bowl around with me and snip the fresh herbs. I keep them all separate in small paper bags that I’ve saved.
I think I picked about 2 pounds of herbs for tea this winter as well as a few savory herbs for seasoning (I also like savory tea on occasion) and some medicinal herbs.
What herbs made it into my harvest bowl?
-Catmint
-Blue Stocking Bergamot
-Anise Hyssop
-Peppermint
-Mountain Mint
-Lemon Balm
-Chamomile
-Lavender
-Greek Oregano
-Fennel Seed
-Genovese Basil
-Broad Leafed Plantain
-Comfrey
I was even able to harvest a small handful of chamomile. I had one volunteer plant that I harvested a good amount of blossoms from earlier in the summer. These few flowers are from a plant I started later in the summer. For some reason I didn’t have much luck with my chamomile this year, since I love chamomile tea I hope I have a better harvest next year!
I also have a few potted herbs that I bring in as houseplants, these include: rosemary, lemon thyme, lemon verbena and chives. All of these we will enjoy fresh all winter long.
Do you dry herbs for seasoning & tea?
Filed under Edible, Harvest Keepers Challenge, Herbs, harvest | Comments (22)Homegrown Medicine: Comfrey
I grow a few herbs in my garden can be used medicinally. I’m not really into using herbs as medicine all that much, but it is an area that interests me and one that I will be researching more in the coming years. I grow rosemary and oregano to use when I’m congested and sick, I usually brew up some tea or breathe some in steam. On Sunday I gave myself a nasty cut while harvesting peppers. You see, I always use my Super Shears to harvest things, and they’re quite sharp. I accidentally cut about 1/3 of the way through my pinky finger on Sunday. I didn’t take any photos, although Mr Chiots said a photo of the bloody pepper plants would be great for the blog. All I have a photo of the scissors for you, so no need to avert your eyes (noticed the bandaged finger).
I’ve always heard that comfrey speeds healing of not just cuts and bruises, but also broken bones. I happen to have a large comfrey patch, so on Monday afternoon I grabbed a few leaves and made a poultice for my cut. I put a butterfly bandage of my finger followed by a nice smear of comfrey poultice, then a big bandage on top. I must say, the cut quit hurting almost immediately.
I haven’t had any pain since I applied the comfrey (it was throbbing before I did) and when I re bandaged yesterday it was looking quite well. I’ll probably leave it bandaged for a few more days, but from what I hear it should be fairly well healed by tomorrow with the power of comfrey.
Do you grow or use any herbs for medicinal purposes?
Filed under Herbs | Comments (17)My Favorite Herb: Thyme
My favorite herb is lemon thyme. I always have a potted thyme around for quick harvest, it lives on the back porch in the summer and inside by the patio doors in the winter. I like all kinds of thyme plants, I have 5-6 different ones growing in the garden, but lemon is the one I have potted and always reach for when cooking.
It’s a beautiful herb with variegated leaves. It brightens the flavor of whatever soup or sauce you add it to. I will never be without a lemon thyme plant in my gardens.
Thymes are great in the garden. They’re hardy plants and they attract a lot of beneficial insects, mine are abuzz all summer with bees and butterflies. As with most herbs they are also not enjoyed by pests such as rabbits and deer. Most of them bloom, often in a purple color.
This Woolly Thyme has the greatest color and texture.
I also have creeping thyme in the garden, it’s great for hillsides, quickly spreading to cover the ground with a beautifully scented green carpet!
This is a Major Red’s Creeping Thyme, I just took this photo yesterday. Most thyme’s turn a beautiful shade of red or crimson in the fall/winter, as you can also see by the woolly thyme below.
What kinds of thyme grow in the gardens here at Chiot’s Run? Elfin Thyme, Major Red’s Creeping Thyme, Carpet Thyme, Lemon Thyme, and English Thyme. I would love to get some Coconut Thyme, Lime Thyme, French Thyme and some Orange Balsam Thyme. Papa Geno’s is a great place to find different kinds of thyme if you’re looking to expand your collection.
What’s your favorite herb?
Filed under Edible, Herbs | Comments (6)
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