Oh y'all are making me hungry. We're having Shrimp Scampi tonight using some of that Italian parsley I pinched last night along with garlic. I do love that stuff. It's one of the few times I splurge and use real butter.
Mrs_Ed, I'll be looking forward to reading your article. I don't know why but haven't played around much with compound butters ... probably because I know if I get started with that, my bread consumption would increase dramatically and I'd have to get back on my treadmill. Yuck!
I'm really enjoying reading all these wonderful ideas and loved the non-culinary thread, as well. I need to post on that one, also. I just don't have anything to contribute. It will be a learning experience for me. :)
Critter, I've used many of your ideas since joining DG ... both in the kitchen and in my garden. You taught me how to mail out my first plant, how to start my first cutting using rooting hormone and making a little tent with a zip lock bag and you gave me my first seeds to try. :)
~Susan
Top ten must have's for your Garden
PS....have you tried mint in ice cubes?
speaking of tea, my sister made something new for our b'bcue Sunday; for a gallon of tea, she added 1/2 can of frozen lemonade and a couple of tsps of almond extract.
it was different but very refreshing.
I'm sorry ... I didn't preview so didn't see your post nanniepb. If you have basil in your garden, you need to go ahead and be pinching it off to keep it compact and also keeps it from getting bitter or flowering. That's when Critter's method is so handy for pesto or freezing, because I don't always need it when it needs pinching. LOL :)
Susan, me too.
Critter was kind enough to share catnip and columbine with me.
I suspect there's a lot of people that she's helped start a plant or two.
=)
Phyl
I am a late bloomer when it comes to using Herbs. Ive started many, many gardens, and moved away for some reason or another. But, I am interested in growing them for the right reasons now; cooking and medicinal purposes. Well, and pleasure too. Gardening is my sanity these days.
This site has been a BIG help in many ways. I only joined for 2 months, thinking 'I dont really need this for long', but I'm staying! I've not met anyone who hasn't been kind and willing to share information, and yes, seeds.
Critter was one of those people.
LOL, sorry...I'm turning to mush here. Have a great day all...I have to drive almost 2 hrs to see a Dr ... I shouldnt be gabbing on DG.
Oh nannie, don't buy seeds, we probably all have some for SASE for you.
What do you want? You should get them in the ground asap to enjoy more quickly
WOW first bruschetta of the year. I'm sooooooooo green. My toms are only in the flowering stage (in the greenhouse of course).
*blush* You all know I'm just passing along the help and generosity I've found here!
Nannie, I'm glad you're staying! And I'll say a prayer for safe travel and good news from the doc... hope it's just a "routine" visit!
Sun dried tomato and basil butter is probably a lot like what I get by combining "red pesto" with butter...
There are pinching instructions (with photos) in my first DG article, pesto recipes in the second, and more recipe ideas (including herb vinegars and how to freeze herbs) in the third. Hopefully they'll all get added to the sticky -- but if you click on my member name to the left and scroll down my home page, you'll see "Get the Most Out of Your Herbs This Summer" at the bottom of the list of articles... that's the series I'm talking about!
Ms Critter, Who's arm do we have to twist to get them added to the stickey, I would love to have easy access to them.
tomatoes in June? That's crazy talk! (Says the northern gardener).
georgia I think we each have to ask Terry so there's alot of demand. We've already requested this entire thread to be added and also all critter's articles. o poor Terry onslaughted with a herbie sticky revolution. I would luv a section just on perserving herbs (drying methods, freezing methods, oils etc) cuz there is alot of good stuff in this forum.
Oh, I would love a thread for perserving our herbs...
I completely forgot about our Rosemary "bush", We clip some of the harder steams and use them to grill chicken, pork and veggies, Just thread them on like a skewer and grill.
It's so amazing how big those things can get down there!
I have YET to winter over rosemary. Thought I finally did it this year but not sigh. I'd be happy with a sprig let along a bush LOL. o well I won't give up. Where there's a herbie there's a way ^_^
I love our Rosemary, We "where" given some bad information a few years ago on how to trim it up. DH took the hedge clipprs(yep it was that big and tall) and cut the beautifull tree in half.
It has not grown an inch upwards since ,it continues to fill out ever year..
Its now our short fat rosemary tree..LOL stays nice and green all year aound.
I was scrolling up through the recent posts and I have a suggestion... Since we're trying to get this thread added to the sticky, let's try to stay on topic (basic must-have herbs & why)... I'm as bad as anybody about getting chatty, but if we start going too far afield the thread won't be as useful to newbies trying to figure out which 3 (or 10) herbs to try for the first time... A new thread about Rosemary would be great, though! :-)
oops right you are critter back to top 10s
Sorry Critter. we got started and couldn't stop. Oops
Hey, I was right there with you! LOL
Is anybody else obsessed enough with a particular herb to have a "top 10" varieties of just one type? "Top 10 Basils" or Top 10 Scented Geraniums?" Please don't tell me that's just me...
Basils... every year, I have to have these! Turns out there are only 7 must-haves on my list, so I added 3 in italics that I'm trying this year; maybe they'll become new favorites.
Italian Genovese (my favorite from-Italy basil for pesto)
Sicilian Basil (milder than the Italian, another culinary favorite)
Thai Basil 'Siam Queen'
'Minette' (small-leaved compact basil)
Lemon Basil
Lime Basil
Purple Basil -- not sure it matters if it's 'Red Rubin', 'Violetto', 'Red Bordeaux', etc.
'Magical Michael' -- said to have gorgeous blooms
'Pistou' -- supposed to be "improved" version of 'Minette'
'Hot & Spicy' -- got these seeds from Sumatra!
Creeping Thymes
seed-grown English type thyme, unknown variety
'Lavender' Thyme (unreliably hardy here, but I can't resist it)
'Caraway' Thyme
'Spicy Orange' Thyme
'Translucent Gold' Thyme
'Elfin'
'Rose Petal Thyme' (oh, you have to smell this one!)
'White Flowering Thyme' (such delicate leaves & blooms)
T. praecox 'Reiter's Red'
'Hall's Wooly'
Lemon Basil
Lime Basil
Purple Basil
Italian Basil
2, I can't think of the name of.
Tyme
Golden lemon
English
Lime
Always on the look out for more.
But by far my Mint are #1
Moroccan **
Apple**
banana**
Variegated Ginger**
Spice
Julia's sweet citrus
Berries & cream
Jim's candy lime
Coco
orange bergamot ***
Fruit salad
Fruit sensations
Britany's patty
Pink candy pops
Chocolate***
Varigated pineapple***
Ok I can't just limit to 10 when Mints are concerned..LOL
*** ones are my favorite (at this time.)
Basils for me too!! I had a greenhouse disaster this spring so lost most (sob) but my tried and true favs are:
T
Italian Large Leaf Basil
Sweet Italian Basil
Thai Basil 'Siam Queen'
Lemon Basil
Unknown purple basil (peppery scent and taste)
Lost this year so rooting for critters: Magical Michael - was the fastest growing so will definitely try again.
Lost but definitely will retry Basil Queen of Sheba for flowers
Future favs but haven't tried them yet (is that cheating?)
Aussie Sweet Basil
African Blue Basil
Holy Red & Green Basil
I love different varieties of Thyme. Anything lemony like lemon verbina or lemon grass is a must have. . Of course, I guess I should say Italian flat leaf comes first but there are no other varieties of that. I don't care for the curly parsly. I enjoy basil but don't grow that many varieties. I do container gardening and all that watering can be a chore. I've learned to pick my favs and be satisfied. grin
I have to throw in Corsican mint.
I keep killing my corsican mint -- and I love it so! This year, I set a new record, killing 90% of the pot within 2 days by letting it get too dry, then promptly killing the rest by drowning it. :-(
If I could keep it alive... better yet, if I could manage to overwinter it (I *have* managed to keep it alive all summer before, just not last year or this year, so far, LOL)... it would be in my Top Ten.
I have done okay with it in Asheville, but it spreads better for my friend Bud, same zone. I bought some new for here this year so we'll see how it fares. :)
Thank You Critter... It was a 3 month check up; no changes. and no blood tests =) I get to go back in 4 months this time, YAY. It's just that its almost a 2 hr trip and most of the drive is thru the mountains. It's a beautiful drive, however the roads are extremely curvy. I think the older I get, the more I appreciate the changing seasons and mother nature's beauty.
Sheese...I leave you guys alone for a few hours and you must've added 20 MORE herbs to my want list. Now I have to update my list, lol ( I am so bad that I made a spreadsheet and I now have 27 ' wants! I've got it bad, eh?
I need to scroll back to see if it was listed, but for me, I'd like to find out when and how to harvest my herbs.
here's my most wanted and if anyone has seeds, I'd be a happy girl. Or should I go to the Seed trade list and not muck up this thread? (can I say muck, lol?)
chamomille
chervil
Fennel - Bronze
french tarragon
Lemon basil
lemon bee balm (monarda )
lemon verbena
Lime Basil
peppermint - chocolate
Sage - Pineapple
Spearmint - Kentucky Colonel
any kind of thyme
Phyl
this isnt top 10 herbs, but I want you to see what Anjl did after someone found the instructions on this month's "Garden Gate" magazine. She made hers for herbs outside, but someone else made a small one for her kitchen counter. it's endless what you could do with 4 graduated flower pots and a piece of rebar.
(this is my first time to link something...)
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=5008553
As I understand true French tarragon can only be propagating by cuttings or division nannie as it doesn't flower and make seed as I understand. Tarragon fans??? Also is lemon monarda an annual? I find different descriptions on this one on google.
Dahlia, that squares with what Tom DeBaggio has to say about Tarragon. Lemon Monarda, I'm not sure... but I thought monardas were all pretty hardy... ?
Critter I just saw Richter's has zone 3 hardy lemon monarda seeds under Lemon Bergamot so I'm trying that one.
Dahlia, you are correct about French Tarragon, I always grow it as it is one of my two favorite culinary herbs.
uh oh. Another catalog I gotta subscribe to. I have Jungs next to my bed, LOL.
l01, what part of Ga are ya from? I lived in Columbus 10 yrs before I moved here. I miss it WAY bad.
Well, he must be a good guy then. =) Columbus has changed so much, you'd hardly recognize it.
Nanniepb, where can I find the kitchen counter tippy pots? Couldn't find the thread with a search.
Thanks.