I'm a VERY new gardener. Brown thumb doesn't even begin to describe it. I don't know diddly about plants, and don't claim to. I DO know about cooking. :) So here is my predicament. I have a beautiful, well stocked herb garden leftover from the lady who used to own our house. I am discovering what herbs she has in there, and wondering now... What do I do with them? I'd love to make teas with a lot of them, I'd love to trade them as most of them are overgrown. Here is a list of what I have identified so far. Any suggestions on uses/harvesting would be very much appreciated.
Feverfew
Hyssop
Peppermint
Spearmint
Lemon Balm
Bee Balm
Russian Sage
English Lavendar
Rosemary
Thyme (several types)
Italian Oregano (small leaves)
echinacea (sp?)
Rue
Wild Onion
Now What?
H Amy, I grow alot of herbs, have gotten out of using most of them though except the more common culinary ones. below are a few links that might be helpfulfor you.
http://www.global-garden.com.au/gardenherbs3.htm This link here has alot of diff herbs listed with their uses. I've had bee balm tea before, it tastes quite diff. LOL. they steeped the leaves with the tea bags . and I've made mint tea puttng the leaves in the pot with the tea bags lemon mint is wonderful in tea.
Peppermint, i've used in lots of dishes, and even in salsa.
lemon balm is in the mint family also. can be used just like the mint,
Feverfew http://www.gardensablaze.com/HerbFeverfewMed.htm
I don't use the rue for anything other than butterfly larva food.
My mother has used the wild onions as chives before.
Lavender is wonderful for calming you down LOL> I know a lady that has a lavender plant growing in her baby's bedroom sitting right above her bed, people make pilllows out of the lavender to help them sleep. and use the lavender oil on their bed pillows, it's suppose to have a calming affect on you.
Hope this helps a little.
kathy_ann
Feverfew - not good eating, but very medicinal. Good for headaches and some claim migraines. Chew one leaf two-three times a day to prevent headaches. Can cause canker sores in people prone to them, so if you get those, don't do this.
Hyssop -- I just read about some uses for it, but now I can't remember what they are. I'll try to post some good links for you.
Peppermint, Spearmint -- both make excellent ingredients in tea, or as additions to homemade ice cream, any chocolate dessert garnish.
Lemon Balm -- Good for anything you want to taste lemony. You can make a tea with just this, or mix with other herbs for a minty-lemony tea. Excellent in vinaigrettes with white wine vinegar and olive oil, maybe a little garlic and lemon juice or lemon zest...
Bee Balm -- The leaves make great tea. This plant is also medicinal, but the flutterbies and hummers like it so much, I just leave it out there for them and don't make good use of mine. This plant is also known as Oswego Tea -- the Oswego indians made tea from it and drank that all the time.
Russian Sage -- I don't believe this can be used in the kitchen like traditional culinary sage. It may be in the garden to attract flutterbies or hummers. Or I may be wrong. I don't know EVERYTHING about herbs. :>)
English Lavender -- Let it bloom and I believe the flowers are edible. I don't care much for the flavor of lavender, so I tend to use it for sachets, potpourri -- for scenting things.
Rosemary -- Chop from fresh rosemary on a shallow dish, cut up some basil, add parmesan, garlic, salt & pepper and drizzle the whole mess with olive oil. Dip your crusty Italian or French bread in it. Give up on butter for life. ;>) Excellent in breads made in your bread machine, all Italian dishes, really good in lemon sugar cookies... I could go on. I could write a whole web site just on uses for rosemary.
Thyme -- See rosemary. I add thyme to practically everything, including homemade salad dressings, soups, stews, salads, samiches... Same with...
Oregano -- Of course, excellent on pizza (It'll dress up a frozen pizza in a split second), as well as any other italian food. I add oregano to my olive oil/herb bread dip above.
Echinacea -- The flowers will attract flutterbies and hummers. The plant itself has medicinal value in terms of being an immunity builder. However, you use the roots, dried and ground, to make immunity-building tea. That means you have to kill the plant to use it medicinally. Wait until you're actually sick and leave it for the flutterbies and hummers until then. Not a good culinary herb, but an excellent drought-tolerant bullet-proof plant to have around.
Rue -- I've been learning that cats hate rue. So maybe it's there to deter kitty cats from prowling in your garden. I'm not aware of culinary uses for this, but I know it's been used in the past. It also has medicinal properties, but I need to look this up for you. I'll post some links later.
Wild Onion -- I'd say you'd be safe to use it whereever and however you'd use onions.
What I didn't see that you might consider adding (especially if you cook a lot and like to cook with fresh herbs):
Basil - Goes with tomato dishes, all italian food,
Parsley - Great in salads, as a garnish, added to salad dressings, totally an all-purpose herb.
Chives - Use wherever you'd use onions for a very mild and delicate onion-y flavor
Chammomile (flowers make great tea)
Garlic -- I can't cook without it.
I'll be back to give you more information on Rue and Hyssop.
Aloe - for those kitchen burns
First, Here's a couple web sites:
http://www.gardenheights.com/herbs.html#p-r
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/mgmh.html
From what I was able to gather, Rue used to be used a lot in Italian cookery, but it is very bitter and used in very small amounts. It can cause a skin rash in some people, just handling the plant, so be very careful. The leaves can be dried and crushed and used as an insect repellent. It's also been used medicinally for high blood pressure, epilepsy and to treat colic. It is an abortificant, so if you're pregnant, stay away from it. Also, I don't know if this is a problem in your neighborhood, but one web site said it's an excellent defense against witches. ;>)
Hyssop is still used for rheumatism, as a medicinal tea. In the old days it was used as a stewing herb, like bay leaf (another good addition to your garden I'd suggest) and sage.
Bottom line: I wouldn't recommend cooking with either of 'em.
Wow! Thanks for all the great information. I have ordered two books on using herbs from the garden. And I'm loving all the information on this site.
Kathy - thank you for the links. And I never thought of using peppermint in salsa!
Dogzilla - OMG. Thank you for the great information. I forgot to mention that I did plant Basil (didn't think of it as it's not in the actual herb garden) and I did plant some chammomile that I forgot to mention. I'd love to plant garlic as it's a staple in my kitchen, but am not really sure how to grow it. (like I said, brown thumb doesn't even begin to describe it. But I'm learning)
I have read that Rue is a cat deterrent, so I think I'll make up some "tea" to spray on my couch and see if that helps keep them off it. :) And I'm going to look into the use of it for epilepsy. My poor doggie is epileptic, and anything to help ease it (safely and naturally without doping him up) is welcome.
Thanks everyone!
Hi Amy try checking books out of clark they have a horticulture program and would have many books to choose from, my friend suggested it to me......and my DIL will be attending there so many oppertunities for me to browse there book section also camas library will order too, also if and when your plants are ready to divide I would love to get a cutting of spearmint, and feverfew.
I read in one of my books that Rue is a dterreant for fleas too or it was a folklore footnote......hmmmm need to go look it up Happy planting
Yes, Rue also deters fleas... anything that strong I don't think should be ingested. I certainly wouldn't dose a beloved pet with it. Keep your pup on phenobarb and look for a milder herbal remedy for him/her, okay?
Pennyroyal is another flea deterrent, as is wormwood/artemesia.
I think garlic is quite simple: pick up a head of garlic at the grocery store. Break up into cloves. Pop the cloves into the ground, in full sun, and water regularly. I'm guessing you'd have garlic in no time. Oddly, I don't grow garlic, although I may take my own advice and give it a shot. I'm doing hot peppers this year as my "experiment" crop...
Azulfire - Absolutely come by and get some feverfew! I have a ton of it and didn't even know it! Thanks for the suggestions on the library. I'll have to do some research. My grandfather also left me several books, bless his heart. He was one of the best gardeners I've ever known, and incredibly dedicated to it.
'zilla - Another good flea deterrent is Boric Acid powder. After a really scary brush with Hartz flea meds last year that almost killed my poor kitty, I am shying away from anything chemical for our pets. (Have been that way about myself for years) Boric Acid is found all around us, and is no more harmful than table salt. Sprinkle powder or granules in the carpet and even directly on the animals (in light amounts. It's a drying agent so if they lick themselves they will pucker up like they've been chewing on alum..). No more fleas. It dries out their larvae, and eventually dehydrates adults as well. No harmful effects for peoples or people wannabes. :o)
Amy, culinary bay won't survive in your winter garden, you'd have to bring it in. It's a fairly slow grower but the taste of fresh bay is wonderful. Mine is now over 3 feet tall, from a 6" start 6 years ago. Would have been taller but I left it out one winter heavily mulched against the house and lost over half of it.
A note for another use of mints: marinades. I made a marinade last night for chicken breasts. Zest and juice of 1/2 orange, zest and juice of 1/2 lemon or lime, 3 tbs. olive oil, 3 tbs. honey (I used 2/3 less as it was sourwood honey which has a strong flavor), 3 tbs. fresh mint, chopped (NOT choc. mint, LOL), 1/2 tsp. ground cumin (I left this out as I do not like it), sea salt & freshly ground pepper. Marinate 2 hours and grill. Baste often with the rest of the marinade.
If you plant garlic cloves this fall, plant them 4-6" deep. They will put up a sprout in fall, but that's okay. Next spring they will grow like crazy. Wait until the tops begin to yellow, and pull them (or dig). Rinse well, let cure in the shade 2 weeks before storing them. Seeds of Change carries many varieties, and some are better keepers than others. Same technique for shallots, but only plant big bulbs.
If you like leeks for cooking, order some starts next spring from Dixondale. Easy to grow. I usually have some that I overwinter in the ground even if the ground freezes. Easy to dig even then, and voila! fresh leeks almost for free!
Amy, I forgot to say Welcome to DG!
Thanks, IO1. Sourwood is the common honey around here, much like orange blossom honey is in Florida.
Darius - Thanks for the welcome! And thanks for the recipe. I can't wait to try that.
(OK, this may sound like a dumb question, but remember the "new" factor) If I plant just one clove of garlic, or one shallot bulb, will it "multiply" into more than just one? I guess my thinking here is: plant one tulip bulb, get one tulip. Know what I mean? :)
Yep, one clove of garlic will produce a whole bulb/head. Same for shallots. However, one leek seedling will only produce one magnificent leek.
Lavender is a wonderful culinary herb. The flower buds are sweet and very good in baked goods.
I have bay for trade on the plant trading forum, if you need some...
Barb
Barb, I'd love to have some bay for pickling and such. I don't have much to offer in trade, and have never traded plants before so I'll need some instruction. The list above is what I have, plus valerian, self-heal, and feverfew which I've just discovered thanks to the identification thread. :)
I need to learn how to propagate my culinary Bay as it's getting too large to bring indoors for winter.
I thought you couldnt plant garlic from the store as they, would be to weak from all the hybreeding.........so keep me updated on your garlic venture as i love garlic I do have elephant garlic the preveious owners planted but it is in a shady place and it literrly lays down to grab up all the sun I wonder when I should move them to a more sunnier spot.I do love the purple heads it puts out.
Dig the elephant garlic when the leaves yellow. Replant a few cloves in a sunnier spot, and dry the rest for 2 weeks in a shady spot.
Grocery store garlic will grow just fine, but there are some really tasty garlics out there if you search. I got a few different kinds from Seeds of Change a few years ago, but their stock sells out fast. Maybe try a Google search?
This recipe came from a book from Sunset called "The Edible Garden"
Linda Dowling's Lavender Lemonade
Makes 6 cups, about 6 servings
"Hidcote" Lavender turns lemonade a rosy pink. Other varieties turn it a paler color. Avoid piney-smelling lavenders, such as spike.
Combine 1 cup sugar with 2 1/2 cups water in a medium pan. Bring to boil over a medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add 3/4 cup ( a generous handful of) fresh lavender blossoms or 1 tbls. dried lavender blooms stripped from stems. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand at least 20 minutes (and up to several hours). Strain and discard the lavender. Pour into a glass pitcher. Add 1 cup freshly squeezed strained lemon juice and 2 1/2 cups water. Stir well. Pour into tall glasses half-filled with ice, or refridgerate until ready to use. Garnish with fresh lavender sprigs. per serv.: 139 cal. fat 0, 37G carbohydrate (0.2 G fiber), 0.7 MG sodium, 0mg cholesterol
Lavender Creme Brulee (Sub Rosa Restaurant)
One of the keys to success in this dish is picking the right size brulee dish or ramekin. Your standard 4.5 oz. kitchen ramekin, 2 inches across and 2 inches deep is the wrong one. You want something low and wide. Four to five inches across and a inch deep at most and you don't fill it up all the way. The point is, you want a high ratio of burnt sugar topping to custard.
4 cups heavy cream
1 Tbs. dried lavender flowers
8 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup raw turbino sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
Here's what you do:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Butter (6-ounce) custard cups and set them into a glass baking dish. If cooking custards in a metal pan, cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of newspaper to ensure an even temperature on the bottom. Place custard cups in a shallow ovenproof roasting or baking pan.
In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, add cream and the lavender flowers; heat just to a simmer. Remove from heat and allow lavender flowers to infuse with the cream for 5 minutes. Strain cream mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove lavender flowers.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until light and creamy. Slowly add the strained cream to the egg mixture, blending well. Divide custard mixture among the custard cups.
Bring the water for the water bath to a light simmer on top of the stove; carefully pour hot water into the baking pan to come half-way cup the sides of the custard cups. NOTE: The most common mistake people make in baking a custard is not putting enough water in the hot-water bath. The water should come up to the level of the custard inside the cups. You must protect your custard from the heat.
Baked 60 minutes or until set around the edges but still loose in the center. The cooking time will depend largely on the size of the custard cups you are using, but begin checking at a half hour and check back regularly. When the center of the custard is just set, it will jiggle a little when shaken, that's when you can remove it from the oven.
Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled. Remove cups from water bath and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
When ready to serve, sprinkle approximately 2 teaspoons of the raw turbino sugar over each creme brulee. For best results, use a small hand-held torch. Hold the torch 4 to 5 inches from the sugar, maintaining a slow and even motion. Stop torching just before the desired degree of doneness is reached, as the sugar will continue to cook for a few seconds after flame has been removed. This can be done up to two hours ahead of time if needed.
If you don't have a torch, place creme brulees 6 inches below the broiler for 4 to 6 minutes or until sugar bubbles and turns golden brown. Just be sure to watch this very very carefully. Once the sugar starts to turn color, it goes fast. You want the sugar to brown, not burn. Refrigerate creme brulees at least 10 minutes before serving.
Makes 6 to 8 servings (depending on size of custard cups).
Oh! I'm a total sucker for a creme brulee. I can honestly say I've never met one I didn't like. :) Thanks for the recipe! I need to go out and harvest my lavendar I guess.
Thanks for those recipies Juli! Have to try them.
~* Robin☺
Things I shouldn't eat! But love too...... Yummy!
Lemon Balm Cookies
8 TB (one stick) margarine, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup fresh lemon balm leaves, finely chopped
1. Cream together the margarine and the sugar until fluffy.
2. Add the egg, flour and lemon balm and mix until slightly crumbly but firm enough to gather into a dough ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and press until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take the dough out of the refrigerator to come back to room temperature.
4. Roll out the dough and cut into whatever cookie shapes you would like, and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
5. Bake until golden around the edges, but not hard. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Lavender Cookies:
1/2 cup butter
1 beaten egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 tablespoon dried lavender buds or 5 tablespoons (loose) fresh, chopped lavender
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cup sifted flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Cream butter and sugar. Mix in egg, vanilla and lavender. Add sifted flowr, salt, baking powder. Form dough on waxed paper into a log 2-3" in diameter. Chill. Remove from fridge and slice into 1/4" pieces. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
~* Robin☺
You can also dry the herbs and use them for rubs on fish, chicken, etc., or add them to into your bread maker when you're baking a loaf! Tastes almost as good as the smell in your kitchen while it's baking!!!
Amynh- Sorry to cut in on the recipes, especially Lavender Creme Brulee (mmmmmmmmm.)
Please make sure to cut down your lemon balm before it sets seed ( when it starts to flower) Make sure to cut back every stem.
Oh. Okay... may I ask why?
Oh, I'm sorry! The Lemon Balm will seed all over the place and eventually take over your garden. just whack it back almost to the ground. It will look yucky for a week or so, but it is worth it. I forgot to cut mine at the end of last summer and there are seedlings everywhere!
Ahh. I see. Thanks. :)
Amy, I cut it back hard when its about to set buds. Hang and dry for a nice dried lemon herb all winter long. Just keep up with it that way and you won't get the seed monsters...
How's your bay?
barb
Try this place too: Herbal Remedies http://www.gardensablaze.com/HerbRemedies.htm
~* Robin
Robin- that is the coolest site! Thank you for the link!
-Juli
Oh my... once you all started talking about the lemon balm going to seed, I started looking around my back, overgrown, probably once was another garden, area. It's completely engulfed in lemon balm! It's all about 2 feet high and bushy as all get out. What on earth will I do with all of it? Maybe I'll just dry it and give it away? What can I use it for? Or rather, what can I suggest others use it for?
Make pillows, or bathe in it?
ROFL! With as much as I have I could SWIM in it! :)
I hear you! I read that you could eat Garlic Mustard (a weed we have in abundance). When I looked up the recipes online, it was for things like vinaigrette - "take 1 tblspn garlic mustard.....) I probably have a hundred thousand tablespoons!