Category Archives: How-to

A Little Winter Foraging

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When we think of foraging these days it’s usually for plants that haven’t been grown with human intervention. But in a broader sense it means to rummage around and find what food there is, e.g,. “I’m going to forage in the kitchen cupboard for a little snack”

brussels sprouts in bowl-1

Brussels sprouts taken off the stalk, waiting to get ready to be cooked.

Recently I was taking a winter’s walk, noting how much snow had disappeared between yesterday’s walk and today’s. I got drawn to an area near the field behind my house where the woods dwindle and there are various dumping spots for vegetation by the maintenance man and the residents who garden. The main pile of garden detritus caught my attention with a couple of stalks of Brussels sprouts.

Brussels sprouts! Big, long stalks with many little green globes attached. Were they really Brussels sprouts, and were they still in good enough shape to eat?

The answer to both questions was yes. Despite heavy snowfalls and the coldest winter we’ve had in a few years, they were in excellent shape. All I had to was pull them off the stalks. I stuffed my jacket pocket with probably a quart of sprouts. I felt so lucky and so blessed!

 I have been trying hard to avoid, as much as possible, eating food grown with chemicals. These sprouts had their start in a commercial nursery, as a tag attested, and my neighbors use Miracle Grow (shudder) but the soil in our little community garden is living and full of earthworms, weeds (can’t be too many chemicals used!), and nutrients.

Nearby, since most of the snow cover is gone, I found the dark, vibrant green leaves of garlic mustard, and plucked a few to add to my soup.

As I was walking away I saw a rosette of sagey-green leaves, looking a little like evening primrose, but both too long-leaved and too long-stalked to be that. Additionally some of the younger leaves were distinctly toothed, which is definitely not a characteristic of evening primrose.

I had to see what it was. I didn’t think it could be anything poisonous (I’ve had enough experience and have enough knowledge of my local plants to make intelligent guesses), so I tasted a leaf. I thought maybe it was in the mustard family, a slight resemblance to chard leaves in the mid-rib, I think. And indeed, it was slightly sweet and yielded that typical mustard family pepperiness. It’s probably a garden escape, perhaps chard, since my neighbors grow that. I’m leaving it and visiting it again, to see how it grows.

In the meantime, I am going to sip my spruce tea, from spruce needles I foraged yesterday, and think about what delights I will encounter on tomorrow’s walk.

Healing Herbal Baths for Body, Hands, or Feet

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herbs for a bath

Herbs ready for a relaxing bath

Herbal baths are delicious and soothing and, yes, healing. They are available to anyone— even those without a tub! While you may not be able to soak your whole body, if you use a dish pan or bucket or even a large pot, you can the same benefits as a full-body bath.

What makes a bath with herbs healing? And how do you make a bath with herbs?

Any kind of bath into which you put herbs, herbal infusions, herbal vinegars, or essential oils have healing qualities from the herbs themselves.

To have a bath be more directly healing you can ask the plants and plant spirits to bring you their healing. I have a prayer I learned form one of my teachers, but you may have one that you like or that you come up with on your own. Or you can simply speak to the plants and plant spirits and tell them what you are asking for and thanking them for their help.

The act of focusing your attention and intention brings more healing directly into the bath.

Water is the substance that can extract almost anything from anything. It is a marvelous medium for carrying both the physical healing properties and the energy of the plant/s into contact with your body. This is the gift of a bath, that you only need a substance as simple and available as water.

Getting Your Bath Ready

closeup of sage

Sage (Salvia officinalis), a great bath herb

There are a several ways to have an herbal bath. One way, of course, is to get into the tub and have a full body bath. But if you don’t have the tub or time or inclination to do this, foot baths or hand baths are just as effective.

 You only need a few items to make an herbal bath, whether full-body, foot, or hand. You need:

  • One or more herbs
  • A tea kettle or a pot for boiling water
  • A pot, heat-proof jar (a spaghetti or canning jar works well), or other container for steeping the herb/s
  • A strainer      
  • Bathtub or basin
  • Optional: essential oils, herbal tinctures, herbally infused oils, and/or herbal vinegars

Begin by making a tea for your bath. To make the tea take a couple handfuls of fresh herb/s or a handful or a few tablespoons dried herb/s. If the herbs are whole (not chopped or cut and sifted) chop them up or crumble then to make it easier for water to extract their constituents.

Bring 2 cups to 1 quart of water to a boil, pour over the herbs in jar of container, or stir the herbs into the pot of boiling, cover (it’s very important to cover the herbs while they steep so you don’t lose precious constituents), and let steep for 15 to 20 minutes, or a couple of hours if you forget or want to do your bath later.

When you are ready for your bath strain the tea or infusion into the tub or basin you will be using. You can add a few drops of essential oils if you like, but it’s not at all necessary. Get into the tub or put your feet or hands into your basin, and enjoy!

There are quicker ways to do this if you like. You could just put the herbs into the tub, but I don’t recommend it! If you put herbs directly into your tub you will clog your drain! This can be annoying and time-consuming to clean up or a costly visit from the plumber. Be aware and plan!

For a full-body bath you can put a handful of herbs into a washcloth and close it with a rubber band, or into a muslin bag that is tied shut. You can just let this float in the tub and squeeze occasionally to get out the herb juices. You can also rub it on your body to get more of the herb on/into yourself and for a mild exfoliating effect.

For a hand or foot bath, you can also put the herbs directly into the basin and run hot water over them. Crush and squeeze the herbs to get out the constituents. Then soak. Be sure to strain the herbs out when you dump the water, however, or toss into your compost heap or water your plants with it.

Taking the Bath

Ideally, you should soak at least 15 to 20 minutes to relax and get the full effect of the herbs, whether full-body, hand, or foot.

When you are finished, wrap yourself in a warm towel, or use a nice clean towel to dry your hands or feet.

If this has been a full-body bath and you have the time to do so, get into warm clothes or pajamas and get into bed for a while to let the healing energy of the bath and the herbs continue to work on you. If you are sick or have emotional issues going on, this is an important part of the healing ritual of the bath.

Even if you only do a hand or foot bath, taking time to be quiet and wrap yourself up in warmth and comfort will facilitate the healing.

Some Herbs for Baths

  • Roses
  • Mints–peppermint, spearmint
  • Sage
  • Oregano
  • Thyme
  • Rosemary
  • Sage
  • Powdered mustard seed
  • Artemisias–mugwort, wormwood, southernwood, sagebrush, silver queen artimisia
  • Oats
  • Plantain
  • Comfrey
  • Marigolds

Making an Infused Oil with St. John’s Wort

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Hypericum_perforatumMany people have heard of St. John’s wort, often as an herbal aid for depression. But St. John’s wort is also a marvelous herb for your skin.

Surprised? Well, many herbs have both internal and external uses, and St John’s wort is no exception.

This wonderful herb has been used for hundreds of years for nerves. We have nerve cells both inside our bodies (the central nervous system, where neurotransmitters regulate our moods) and in our skin, where nerves let us know if we’re hot or cold, or if our skin (our body’s outer defense layer) has been hurt in any way, such as scratches or insect bites or sunburn.

Over the years, many cultures observed that a plant’s shape and/or growth seemed to roughly correlate to parts of the human body. People realized that the herb, or the relevant part of it, benefits the corresponding area of the body (in Christianity, this was known as the “Doctrine of Signatures”).

It is easy to make a beautiful, dark-red oil from St. John’s wort to be used directly on your skin, or add to salves and lotions.

All you need is a clean, dry jar with a lid, good-quality olive, sweet almond oil, or other vegetable oil (preferably organic), and a nice stand of the plant in bloom.

St. John’s wort is easily identified with the help of a good field guide. The cultivar you want is known botanically as Hypericum perforatum, the “perforatum” of the species name referring to little translucent glands scattered throughout its leaves, somewhat mimicking the nerves and glands of our skin.

Other species of Hypericum don’t have the constituents that are needed, so even if you have a beautiful ornamental St. John’s wort shrub in your yard, resist the temptation to use it –you’ll get disappointing results.

St. John’s wort grows in sunny fields and roadsides, as well as partial shade. I was surprised one year to find it taking over the woodsy hill in my backyard!

It blooms from the middle of June until August or September, though less profusely after July. The herb got its name because it blooms around St. John’s Eve, June 24.

So, on a beautiful, sunny day, when dew or rain have dried off the plants (usually late morning), take a pair of scissors and a basket or paper bag and go harvest St. John’s wort tops.

Take only the top quarter of the plant (flowers, buds, possible seed heads, leaves, and stems). All these parts contain active ingredients.

Two cups loosely packed is enough.

This allows the perennial plant to keep growing and blooming so it can come back next year.

Be aware of where you are picking. Do not take plants closer than a few yards next to a highway or busy street, or from an area you know or suspect is contaminated with lead or other chemicals/heavy metals. Remember that whatever goes onto your skin gets absorbed into your body to some extent.

When you get home, spread the St. John’s wort out to wilt for a few hours or overnight, or place in a very low-temp oven for a short time. This gets out some of the moisture, so your oil is less likely to mold. It is called fresh-wilting.

Next, cut up the plant material to some extent.

Lightly pack the St. John’s wort into your clean jar. You don’t want to cram as much plant material as possible into the jar, but you also want more than a few sprigs of herb. The herb matter should be slightly springy.

Pour the oil in and fill the jar to a little above the top of the plant matter, then take a skewer or chopstick and stir to get air bubbles out.

Screw on the lid.

Label your jar with the date, the herb, and the kind of oil you used.

Check the jar the next day and add more oil if necessary, because the plants may have absorbed some and the level may have dropped. Make sure plant material is completely covered, because any plant matter that is above the oil, in air, can easily cause molding. You can shake the jar to get the herb and oil to combine more completely.

Depending on your preference you can leave your oil on a sunny windowsill or place it in a dark cupboard. Either way, put it on a plate or something oil-resistant! Some of the oil will inevitably ooze out of the jar. Let this mixture brew for six weeks (if you’re in a hurry, 4 weeks will do), checking it occasionally and stirring out air bubbles.

After six weeksyour oil may go bad if you wait too long. Using cheese cloth or clean muslin (don’t use a coffee filter or paper towels, the pores are too fine and will clog up), strain out the plant matter, then squeeze out any leftover oil from the plant matter.

Put your infused oil into another clean, dry jar. Label this jar also.

The oil will last for several years, especially if you keep it refrigerated or in a cool place.

You can use the oil directly on your skin, or as the base for salves and lotions. St. John’s wort oil is a great soother for sunburn, sun-poisoning rash, and some eczemas. It is also a fine moisturizer. Traditionally St. John’s wort has been used externally to help with nerve pain.

Remember not to use it on open wounds, and always consult a health-care practitioner about any skin problems.

Oils and Waxes for Skincare and Skincare Products

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This is a listing of some of the oils and waxes used in making herbal lotions and salves and other skincare products.

There are more oils than mentioned here, but this gives you a start.

OILS:

Olive Oil (Olea europaea)

  • Comes from the fruit of the olive tree.
  • Olive oil has good keeping qualities and doesn’t easily go rancid.
  • The best olive oil to use is extra virgin. It’s high in chlorophyll and an excellent solvent for the medicinal properties of herbs, therefore it has traditionally been used by herbalists for making medicinal oils.
    It has medicinal properties of its own. It is occlusive and emollient.
  • High in fatty acids and vitamin E, and packed with vitamins, minerals, and proteins.
  • Traditionally used by herbalists to make healing herbal oils.

Almond Oil (Prunus amygdalus)

  • Comes from the seed (the nut you eat).
  • Almond oil is emollient, nutritive, and skin-softening. It is rich in protein, minerals, and amino acids. It relieves itchy or inflamed skin.
    It is lighter than olive oil, therefore popular as a bath and skin oil.

Apricot Kernel Oil (Prunus armeniaca)

  • From the seed of the apricot fruit.
  • Apricot kernel oil is light and fine, good for sensitive or delicate skin. It is a skin softener, and helps heal damaged skin cells. Rich in Viatmins A and B. Can be used as a substitute for sweet almond oil.

Avocado Oil (Persea americana)

  • From the avocado fruit. Contains vitamins A, D, and E; protein, lecithin, and fatty acids. These are all helpful for dry skin or eczema.
  • Helps rebuild skin collagen and diminishes age spots.
    Useful for soothing sunburn.

Castor Oil (Ricinus communis)

  • From the seed of the castor plant fruit.
  • Humectant, soothing, emollient, and deeply penetrating.

Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao)

  • from the cocao bean (a seed).
  • Solid at room temperature, but melts on contact with the skin; has a lovely chocolate scent. It is very fatty and therefore it is great for dry skin, but not oily skin.
  • Soothing, emollient, and lubricating. (Don’t use as an emulsifier for salves and lotions as it liquefies when warm.)

Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera)

  • from coconuts (seed of the coconut tree).
  • Solid at normal room temperatures, will liquefy when temperatures get to about 76-80 degrees F.
  • Moisturizing, emollient.
  • Antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic.
  • Externally it increases skin cell turnover and decreases healing time; good for pregnant bellies and breasts, stretch marks, and C-section scars. (Don’t use as an emulsifier for salves and lotions as it liquefies when warm.)

Grapeseed Oil

  • Antioxidant, antibacterial, deodorizing.
  • It is very light, rapidly absorbed, and leaves no oily residue. It is good for use on oily skin.

Hemp Seed Oil (Cannabis sativa)

  • From the seed of the plants. Emollient.

Kukui oil (Aleurites molaccana)

  • A seed oil. Easily absorbed. Emollient, soothing to irritated, sunburned, or burned skin.

Lanolin

  • An oil produced by sheep to protect and waterproof their fleece. Works well as a skin conditioner.
    Some people are allergic to lanolin, and some people with wool allergies may also be allergic to lanolin.
  • Lanolin can be used as an emulsifier in lotions and creams. It can hold up to 2 times its weight in water.

Sesame Oil (Sesamum indicum)

  • from sesame seeds. Occlusive and emollient, polyunsaturated. Antifungal. In Indias it’s used to cure athlete’s foot.

Sunflower Seed Oil (Helianthus annuus)

  • from sunflower seeds.
  • Lightweight, full of vitamins and minerals.
  • Good for all skin types.

Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii)

  • nourishing and moisturizing. Good for sensitive skin.

Walnut Oil (Juglans regia)

  • From the nut of the walnut tree.
  • The oil contains minerals and is emollient and vulnerary.

WAXES:

Beeswax

  • A by-product from bees.
  • Contains tiny amounts of pollen, propolis, and honey.
  • Holds fatty oils in emulsion in salves, creams, and lotions.
  • It is an emulsifier and skin softener. It does not clog pores. Has melting point of about 144O.

Candelilla wax (Euphorbia cerifera)

  • A vegetable wax.
  • Used as a substitute for beeswax in cosmetics and candle-making.
  • Derived from flakey residue on stems of candelilla plant that grows in American Southwest.
  • Has melting point of about 155-165O.

Carnauba wax (Copernicia cerifera)

  • A vegetable wax derived from the Carnauba palm of Northern Brazil.
  • Hardest of the natural waxes. Has melting point of about 172-181O.
  • When using carnauba wax in place of beeswax, always use less carnauba wax than the amount of beeswax called for.
    Start with an amount of carnauba ¼ that of beeswax, and gradually increase until desired consistency is reached.
    You’ll probably use about ½ the amount of carnauba as of beeswax.

Jojoba (Simmondia chinensis)

  • a wax ester extracted from the seeds of a native cactus that grows in the American Southwest and Mexico. It appears to be a viscous oil, but is actually a wax.
  • Contains protein, minerals, and a waxy substance similar to collagen.
  • Lubricant, cleanser, moisturizer; reduces wrinkles and stretch marks, helps lighten and heal scars.
  • Helps protect agains UV rays.
  • Antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, emollient.
  • Similar in chemistry to sebum, skin’s natural moisturizer.
  • Conditions and softens skin and hair.
  • Good for dry, chapped skin and as a nail and cuticle conditioner.
  • Doesn’t clog pores. Non-toxic, non-allergenic.
  • It’s an emulsifier.
  • The oil is similar to, and has replaced, sperm whale oil

Wintering Over Tender Plants

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Lemon verbena and geraniums in patio garden

Lemon verbena and geraniums to be wintered over.

Most of us have at least one or two tender perennials that we cannot bear to part with at the end of the summer. Some of us have practically a whole garden’s worth! Whichever it is, it’s good to know a simple, inexpensive way to get those plants through the winter, short of building a greenhouse.

A visit to a hardware store, like Ace, Home Depot, or Lowe’s, can supply you with all that you’ll need to set up a winter nursery in your basement or a corner of your living room or dining room. (Note that you can do a simple version of this if you have just 1 or 2 plants. Remember to place your plant on a very sunny windowsill or provide a small plant light for adequate light [plants get very unhappy with lack of light]. Also make sure you have adequate ventilation [some plants, like rosemary, are very unhappy and get sick if they don’t have enough air flow]).

What you’ll need:

  • A set of sturdy storage shelves
  • Shop light fixtures that plug in
  • Fluorescent plant lights, or fluorescent bulbs one warm, one cool, for each light fixture
  • Lightweight chain
  • “S” hooks
  • Plastic bags or sheeting
  • Outlet strip (optional)
  • Timer (optional)

After you have potted up any plants that are not already in pots, you will need someplace to set your plants.

Utility shelves are cheaper than specialty light benches, and are also available in a range of heights.

Make sure you get shelves that are designed for major poundage; I first got the cheap grey metal shop shelves, and they are definitely not up to the task of holding heavy plants.

You can also set up a table or bench, wooden skids on the basement floor, or (as one friend did) shelves attached to the wall above the kitchen sink or your toilet.

Just be sure there is access to an electrical outlet and somewhere to secure your light.

One of the advantages of using utility shelves that you put together yourself is that you can place the shelves at heights that work for your particular plants. I usually leave one shelf out to give me more space for taller plants.

If you have your plants on metal or composite shelves, or somewhere that will be affected by water seepage, line your shelves with plastic.

Also, you can find old plastic cafeteria trays or heavy-duty baking sheets to place under your plants.

You can fill spaces around plants with seashells, gravel/stones, or decorative marbles.

Lights: 

Shop lights usually come in 4-foot lengths, though you can find fixtures in other lengths as well. Plant bulbs (with the right light spectrum for plants) for fluorescent fixtures are available again in different lengths to fit your fixtures. They last a surprisingly long time. Mine have given me about three winters before needing to be replaced. One gardener I know suggests using 2 ordinary fluorescent bulbs, one warm and one cool, to give the same light spectrum and save on costs.

The simplest way to hang your lights is to use lightweight chain. Your light fixture will be hanging from the shelf above it, shining on the plants on the next shelf down.
Run a length of chain lengthwise over and along the shelf from which your light will hang (the chain will be covered by the plastic you put under your plants). Leave a tail of chain hanging down from each end of the shelf.

Use “S” hooks to attach your light to the chain, hanging it at whatever height you want. You can then easily adjust up or down, depending on your plants’ needs. The ends of your light fixture may extend beyond the ends of your shelves. This shouldn’t be a problem. If you have just one or two lights, it’s simple to plug them into an outlet or extension cord.
I find it easiest, however, especially with more light fixtures, to use an outlet strip.
I have attached my strip to the support leg of my shelves with duct tape.

Remembering to turn your lights on and off at regular intervals can be a challenge. If you’re like me, your plants can be subjected to a wildly lit night life and a very dark daytime. To give my plants a nice, steady light diet, I quickly started using a timer. I set it to run from 6:00 a.m. to 10 p.m., so my plants get about 16 hours of light a day. They seem to do well with this. I plug the outlet strip into the timer to regulate all the lights together.

What Plants Can You Winter Over?

There are many plants that will die in New England’s Zone 4 to 6 winter temperatures that can be cared for inside until the next warm season arrives. Here are a few of the plants that I have wintered over or seen being wintered over.

Geraniums/Pelargoniums–everyday geraniums and scented geraniums
Rosemary (the only way to get it through the winter in New England,     where winter temps will kill it otherwise)
African blue basil (this is a more sturdy basil, regular sweet basil isn’t         happy to come inside)
Lemongrass
Lemon verbena
Bay tree
Myrtle (Myrtis communis)
Citrus trees

I used this method for many winters and found it to be simple and manageable. I hope you will, too.

Comment below and let me know how this worked for you, and if you had any problems or revelations. What will you be wintering over?

 

(This post was edited in September 2015.)

How to Make an Herbally Infused Oil

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It is wonderfully easy and inexpensive to make your own infused oils, using herbs you’ve grown or wild-crafted or gotten from a supplier, and oils you can find in any food store.

Making your own is a considerable saving over buying it. You can use infused oils as-is for skin care and bath oils, or as the base for salves, lotions, scrubs, and other products.

I prefer to use fresh plant material for infused oil. I believe you get more of the herb’s constituents that way. Exceptions where I will use dry herbs are:

  • plants with intense color, such as calendula petals
  • plants with waxy leaves, like rosemary
  • sturdy roots, like comfrey roots

If you are harvesting your plant material the best time is late morning. Make sure that your plant material is dry – in other words, there is no rain, dew, or sprinkler spray on it.

Moisture can cause mold in your oil. Therefore, do not rinse! If you must, make sure your plant material is completely dry before you put it in oil.
When you get home, let your plant material “fresh-wilt” for a few hours or overnight, or place in a very low-temp oven (175 deg. F) for a short time. This gets out some of the moisture, so your oil is less likely to mold.

dandylion flowers in a jar

Dandylion flowers in a jar

Next, coarsely chop or cut up your plant material. It doesn’t have to be really small, but it shouldn’t be really large pieces, either. You want the oil to have lots of access to the plant material.

Now lightly pack your plant material into a clean, dry jar just to the bottom of the lid ring. You don’t want to pack it tightly, but you also want more than a few sprigs of herb. The plant matter should be slightly springy.

Pour the oil in and fill the jar to a little above the top of the plant matter, then take a chopstick or utensil and stir to get air bubbles out. Make sure the plant material is completely covered with oil. Any plant matter that is above the oil can mold.

Screw on the lid. Label your jar with the date, the herb, and the kind of oil you used. Check the jar in 24 hours and top-up the oil if necessary, because the plants may have absorbed some and the level may have dropped.

Put your jar in a warm place to macerate (soak). The heat helps the oil extract the oil-soluble constituents from the herbs. Put your jar on a sunny windowsill or another warm place. Always put it on a plate or something oil-resistant! Some of the oil will inevitably ooze out of the jar and can cause problems.

You can also put your jar out in the garden or a plant container, among your plants, to let the sun and earth add their energies. I particularly like to do this with sun-loving herbs like St. John’s wort and comfrey.

Let this mixture soak for six weeks, checking it occasionally. Some herbalists say that a few days or couple of weeks is enough, but I believe that six weeks gives lots of time for the oil to pull out all of the plant’s constituents, and to really absorb the energy of the plant.

After six weeks, strain out the plant matter. Use a couple layers of cheese cloth or clean muslin, or a fine-meshed strainer or colander. I like to put a couple layers of cheesecloth in a strainer. Don’t use a coffee filter or paper towels, the pores are too fine and will clog up, and then you’ll be waiting all day for your oil to strain.

Squeeze any leftover oil from the plant matter with your hands or a spoon. (You can put the spent plant matter in your compost or fireplace or trash.)

Put your infused oil into another clean, dry jar. Label this jar also.

Trouble-shooting: If you have problems with mold forming, you can rescue your oil.
Skim off the top part that is moldy, and if the rest of your jar smells o.k., top-up with more oil and follow directions below.

To deal with a very moist herb or mold: Instead of putting a lid on your jar, use a paper towel or a couple layers of cheesecloth or clean muslin on top of the jar. Hold in place with a rubber band or the rim of a 2-part canning lid. This keeps the oil clean while allowing the moisture to evaporate.

If you have an herb that you know is moist and may have mold problems, then do the above from the start. Don’t set outside, however!

Some herbs don’t take well to fresh-wilting. Dandelion flowers, for instance, tend to continue to go toward the white, pre-seed stage, so I put them in oil right away.

If you are using brand-new muslin, you must wash it first because it has finishing chemicals on it. Cheesecloth doesn’t because it is meant for food use.

Labeling is important because it assures that you know what herb/s and what oil/s you used. Don’t rely on your memory, my experience has proven that it is notoriously forgetful!

10 Steps to a Container Garden

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container garden1. Planning.

Look at where you will be placing your container(s) and note:
–how sunny or shady the area is
–how much rain it will receive (is it on a porch under a roof? on a roof top?    somewhere in the garden or by the sidewalk?)
–how windy is the location (wind can be very drying and make an enormous difference to your gardening efforts)

2. Decide on size, shape, material (plastic, resin, clay, ceramic, metal, wood), and number of containers.

3. Know your local climate and microclimate.

What USDA zone do you live in (climate)?
What are the conditions in your little corner of the world, city, apartment building (microclimate)?

The answers will influence your choice of plants and whether and which ones will winter over, come inside, or die with the frost (in colder areas).

4. Use good quality soil.

Use a container mix, which may have soil or be a soil-less mix.
Do not use potting soils that are full of chunks of wood and stones, or that harden when in the pot (experience will tell you!). They’re useless for good results and a waste of your money.
In the Northeast, a couple of good brands are Fafard’s and Coast of Maine.

You can also make up your own potting mix, and many people eventually do.

Don’t get soil out of your back yard or garden. It will turn to cement in your pot and have many weed seeds ready to sprout.

5. Decide what kind of plants you want to grow, and what sort of display you want.

–Do you want to be strictly ornamental?

Herbs in happy profusion in containers

Herbs in happy profusion in containers

–Grow herbs for your kitchen?
–Have an urban mini-farm on your porch?
–Just get a few tomatoes?

This will help you make your choices.

Make sure to consider the needs of your plants.
If you have a very sunny location, don’t use plants that need shade unless you can provide it.
If you have a shady locale, you will have poor results with sun-loving and needing plants.

How much will you be able to water? If you can’t keep up with the watering needs of your pots, then use plants that don’t need much water, or use self-watering pots (which still will require you to water sometimes, otherwise your plants will dry out – I know from experience!)

6. Time to plant!

If you use a really large container you can reduce the amount of soil you use and the overall weight of the container by using styrofoam peanuts placed in a bag (not loose – very messy) or put upside-down empty plastic containers at the bottom of your potting container.

Decide how to want to position your plants.

–Do you want only one plant or one kind of plant per container?
–Do you want several plants or kinds of plants per container?
–Do you want to use one large container and put several plants together or place several small containers together?

To plant: Place soil in the bottom of your container and fill about halfway.
Take your plant(s) out of the pot(s) it/they came in and pull apart the roots.
Spread them on top of and into the soil and continue to add soil to about 1” below the rim of the pot.

Follow directions for your plant for where on the plant the soil needs to sit.
Gently tamp down the soil.

7. Place your container where you want it to live.

You may want to move it around, or move around several containers until you get the best placement for beauty or catching the sun or shade.
Put your containers in place before you water!
They will be much easier to move, since they are much lighter then.
With large containers you may want to place them before you even fill with soil and plants.

8. Watering.

This is extremely important! Your plants are basically dependent on your for most of their needs!
Always water your plants after you have planted them. This gives them much needed water and also settles the soil.

Know the water requirements of what you have planted, whether the plants require a lot of water or little. You must keep up with watering or your plants will die. Conversely, some plants can drown with too much water, so be aware of their needs.

9. Feeding.

Believe it or not, your plants don’t generally get all their nutrients from the soil or potting medium, especially if you’re using a soil-less mix. You must provide them with nourishment.
Again, your plants are basically dependent on your for most of their needs.
Contrary to what many books and experts say, I like to feed my plants lightly when I plant them. I feel this gives them something to eat while they spread out their roots and settle in.
After this initial fertilizing, feed every couple weeks, or follow the directions on your plant food of choice.

Remember: If your plants are close together in your container, you must feed, and also water, them more often.

Beverly flowerbox10. Maintenance.

Besides watering and feeding, it’s important to keep your containers clean of dead and decaying matter.
This helps reduce the chance of disease and insect infestation.
You can also dead-head for longer bloom time. You may want to prune some plants, or pinch back riotous growth.

Watch out for pests and diseases. There are many organic and conventional solutions for these plant problems.
Remember that even pests are ‘ normal’, and just because you may see them on your plants doesn’t mean that you are a bad gardener!

And, lastly, have fun!

Foraging for Local Food Plants

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It’s April, and in my little corner of New England, that means it’s time to go out and see what’s coming up that’s good eatin’.

ground ivy swathYou can call it wild-crafting or foraging, or just plain nibbling on weeds, but whatever it’s called, it comes down to finding the plants around you that are edible and palatable and then eating them.

So as the season begins, I thought I would share some thoughts on foraging and suggest a few guidelines.

Whether you forage only once or twice a year, or you forage every day, there are a few things that are really important:

  1. Know your plants! Or at least the ones you want to use. And the ones that are poisonous.
  2. Know the area where you are foraging. Is it pristine wilderness? Is it your lawn, or a city park? Is it where dogs congregate? Were chemicals used on the land or dumped there at some point? Do you know what plants grow there at different times of the year?
  3. What do you want to do with the plants you collect, and what parts of them do you want to use?
  4. Take care of the land and the plants where you forage, whether in the middle of the city or the middle of the wilderness.

Let’s take these one at a time.

Know Your Plants

It’s pretty useless to go out foraging if you don’t know what you’re looking for! So you need to know at least one plant you want to find, and where to look for it. No use looking for a desert plant in a swamp and vice versa. No use looking for a plant that only grows in the western part of the country in the east (believe me, I know this—I’ve tried!).

You need to know which plants are edible, or medicinal (or both), or can be used for what you have in mind. You also need to know which ones are inedible or even poisonous. There is a difference between inedible and poisonous. Inedible simply means that it can’t be eaten or that it does not have nutrition for humans (e.g., cows get nutrition from grass, humans do not). A poisonous plant will have physical or psychological effects on you, making you sick in some way or even causing death. The amount needed varies with the plant, some will make you sick but not kill you even in fairly large amounts, others will kill you with tiny amounts (e.g., certain mushrooms).

How do you know which plants are edible/useful and which ones to avoid? If you’re lucky you’ve picked up at least a few in passing. Otherwise, and to get a broader scope, you have to learn. How do you learn? Books, classes, friends, the internet.

Books are some of the best sources I can think of for learning about plants. The best have been around for awhile, and the information has been checked and double-checked. Despite the prevalence of handheld electronic devices I think the pictures in books are easier to see and compare. At the end of this article, I have a list of a few of my favorite books for foraging and identifying plants in general.

Taking a class or going out with an experienced teacher or friend is invaluable. Having someone who knows what they’re looking at and explaining it to you is the best way to take in this knowledge. I have been on plant walks, and what a teacher said, say, eighteen years ago, still echoes in my mind, I carry that with me. It helps me know the plants better and gives a richness to the experience. Also, having a person there that can answer your questions is really helpful.

These days the internet is a valuable tool for getting to know your plants. I love being able to plug a plant name or description into a search engine and have the answer or the beginning of the trail to an answer pop right up. The reason I don’t put the internet at the top of the list of ways to learn is because there is so much information and if you don’t know what you are doing, you don’t know whether it’s right or wrong. At best, it’s right and you get good information; at worst it’s inaccurate or plain wrong and could lead to being sickened or worse. The internet has plenty of information and lots of wonderful pictures, a real plus. But I use it more to confirm and add to knowledge than as a starting point. I also have an idea of what sites and bloggers, etc. are reliable.

Know About the Area Where You Are Foraging

Now that you know what plants you want to find, where do you go to forage? I’m lucky, I can go out in my backyard or my garden and start plucking the weeds (aka wild foods) that grow there. Foragable plants grow everywhere! It’s just a matter of whether you want to eat the plants that grow where you have found them.

What you want to be aware of is the environment in which your plants are growing. If you are foraging in your backyard, or a neighbor’s, make sure that chemical fertilizers and/or pesticides haven’t been used there. Also be sure that the land doesn’t have lead or other contaminants in it from previous uses. This same advice goes for foraging in fields, empty lots, woods, and so on. You can’t always know what was used on the land or how it was used previously, but use your best judgement.

Don’t forage where dogs congregate. Their feces carry parasites and other unpleasant critters that you don’t want getting into your body. Do check the ground around where you are foraging before you begin.

What about foraging in the city or near roads? This is a perennial question for which I have never developed a definitive answer. Cars spew chemicals that contaminate roadsides. Weed-killers are sometimes used as well. But sometimes that’s where you find your plants. Use your own judgement and intuition. My best advice is not to use plants really close to the road if you can help it.

I have such mixed feelings about using plants growing in the city. So many pollutants, so many germs. But what’s a city-dweller to do? See advice above. There are people who forage in Central Park in New York City, and who grow plants in pots on fire escapes or in little pocket lawns in the city. Again, it’s up to you. And a question to ask yourself: is what you are foraging for in a less than  pristine environment anymore contaminated or polluted than conventionally grown produce?

And it really, really helps if you know something about the environment in which your desired plants grow. That way you are looking for plants in the right places to find them. I was so happy to get a field guide that shows in what parts of the country various plants are found, so that I finally understood why certain plants in my edibles books just never, ever showed up in my eastern New England plant hunts.

If you go to the same places to forage month after month, year after year, you learn to know the plants that grow in the area. You know what plants to look for, when they appear, and what time of year they are ready for use. You develop a real connection with the plants and the land that cannot be taught in any book or gained on-line. It is subtle and sublime. There is an ineffable joy in meeting your plant friends in the same places each year, greeting them and watching them grow and change.

You also notice when new plants appear and ones you’ve been seeing for years disappear. Sometimes this is part of the natural cycle of change, sometimes this is an indication that something may be wrong that you may possibly be able to address.

Knowing the land where you forage also helps you to know what may be poisonous in the area. You know where to skirt around the poison ivy or poison oak, where the poison hemlock grows that you must avoid. When a new plant appears you don’t have to appraise every plant in the area to determine if it’s poisonous.

What About the Plants You Are Foraging?

Now, you know what plants you want to find, you know pretty much where to look for them. However, you also need to know what parts of the plant you will use. Some plants only have edible roots, some only have edible leaves or flowers; some, like chickweed, can be eaten in their entirety, excepting the roots. And some plants have edible parts only at certain times of the year, seeds being a prime example.

Some plants may be poisonous but have an edible part at one time of the year. Amazing, isn’t it? Pokeweed is an example of this, having edible shoots in early spring, but being poisonous in all other parts and other times of the year. Other plants may need certain types of processing to take out or neutralize their toxins. These are not the sort of plants that I would recommend for beginners. Far easier are plants like dandelions that are not poisonous and don’t require special preparation.

This is where books and classes come in really handy, as well as some internet info. Field guides specifically for edibles or medicinals tell you what part of the plant to use and when to eat or use them. Some even include directions and recipes for using the plants you find.

Take Care of the Plants and the Land

It is very important to be respectful of the land where you forage and the plants you harvest. It is not acceptable to go ripping up plants or ground to get what you want or over-harvesting for your own use. You share this land and the plants with other creatures and plants, and the very land itself.

When you forage and harvest, do your best to leave the area undisturbed. Pat down the dirt where you dug your roots, tidy up the stems and twigs from what you cut or plucked.

Never take all of a population of a plant in the area where you are harvesting, even if it is abundant. Leave some for others, and for the plant itself.

Make sure that you help the plants keep regenerating. If the plant has seeds, scatter some around to start new plants. If you are digging roots or tubers, leave some that are capable of regenerating, or replant some that you have dug up.

If you are foraging for endangered or at-risk plants, think long and hard about what you are doing. Do you really need to get it from the wild? Can you find a source that is grown organically? With some endangered plants, such as goldenseal, they are so rare that it is never alright to harvest them from the wild. With at-risk plants particularly, it is imperative to pay attention to how much you are taking and to make sure that the plants can continue to grow and reproduce. And if it is the only plant of its kind in the area or one you’ve never seen there before, please just leave it where it is.

An excellent resource for finding out what plants are endangered or at-risk is United Plant Savers.

Tools for Foraging

What do you need to have with you when you go out to forage? Foraging is not generally a tool-intensive activity and often the most important thing you’ll need, or wish you had, is bags or containers to carry things home!

When I go out to forage I try and remember a couple of things. The most important, to me, and most versatile, is a good pair of scissors. Scissors with points and that are well sharpened can do a variety of things, They cut stems, leaves, and flowers, of course, but they can also dig into the dirt in a pinch or used to pry things out. Some people may prefer a good knife, which I think could work just as well; I just never think to use a knife.

If you are going after thicker stems or small branches, pruners are very useful. At a certain point scissors just won’t cut it (pun intended) and you will be frustrated. But pruners don’t really substitute for scissors, because they are not good at cutting very thin stems, etc.

A trowel or small shovel is a handy thing to have along if you are going after tubers and roots.

And of course, you need something to put all those wonderful plants in to carry home! Stuffing a couple of plastic bags in your pockets is simple and easy. Having a cloth bag of some sort is handy, and can carry those plastic bags as you separate the different plants you’ve collected. Baskets are also lovely, and you can find baskets woven in a deep bag shape or made of wonderful materials like birch bark to make your collecting even lovelier. And if worst comes to worst, you can slip off your shirt or your jacket and use it to carry your plants. I’ve done that more than once.

Books

Here is a list of some of the books I’ve found helpful. Some field guides focus on the eastern or the western part of the United States, so depending on where you live, you may want to get the appropriate guide.

I always recommend using more than book. No one book has all the information you will need or all the plant you will encounter. And each book has its own slant and way of organizing the plants and information. I also find general plant guides to be very useful, as they have many more plants in them than the specifically edible or medicinal plant guides. They also let you identify the interesting plants that grow around you, many of which don’t necessarily have an assigned use, or one that is currently popular.

If you look, there are often field guides to specific places, such as Baja California or the islands of BostonHarbor in Massachusetts.

My favorite field guide for general use, and an absolute must-have, is Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide.

Enjoy foraging and learning, and while using good sense and caution, don’t be afraid of getting to know the wonderful plants around you!

Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide by Lawrence Newcomb, 1977, Little, Brown     and Company

A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and North-central North America by Roger Tory Peterson and Margaret McKenny, Houghton  Mifflin Company

The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Eastern Region, 1979, Alfred A.  Knopf, Inc.

 A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America (Peterson Field Guides) by Lee Allen Peterson and Roger Tory    Peterson, 1999, Houghton Mifflin Company

 A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs: Of Eastern and Central North America (Peterson Field Guides) by Steven Foster, James A. Duke and Roger Tory Peterson, 2000, Houghton Mifflin Company

A Field Guide to Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs by Christopher Hobbs, Steven Foster and Roger Tory Peterson, 2002, Houghton Mifflin Company

A Field Guide to Venomous Animals and Poisonous Plants: North America North of Mexico (Peterson Field Guides) by Roger Caras, Steven Foster and Roger Tory Peterson, 1998, Houghton Mifflin Company

Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants by Christopher Nyerges, 1999, Chicago Review Press

Edible Wild Plants by Elias and Dykeman, 1990, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

Color Field Guide To Common Wild Edibles by Bradford Angier

Field Guide To Edible Wild Plants by Bradford Angier

 A Field Guide To Berries And Berrylike Fruits by Madeline Angell

Cold Weather Favorites: Hot Cocoa, Ginger Tea, Squash Pudding, and More

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It feels like winter is advancing, and I am thinking about my favorite responses to cold weather, colds and flus, and the winter grumps.

As some of you know, I’ve struggled with depression for years, and it’s usually worst around early winter. An odd aspect of depression for me is not just losing my appetite, but basically only being able to eat soft or fluidy foods. Rather than fighting this (too often) I’ve figured out some things that I can eat and drink with ease and pleasure.

brown cartoon cupSo I am sharing the recipes for some of my favorite hot drinks that can chase away both the cold and the blues. Some are loved by many, such as Hot Cocoa and Ginger Tea. Since I have always loved puddings and make winter squash pudding a lot in the winter, I am including a variation that takes it up a notch towards cheesecake (another love of mine).

Comforting Hot Chocolate

Years ago a friend gave me a tin of gourmet cocoa, and hot chocolate became my comfort drink. With a bit of experimentation I learned how to make a really fine cup of hot chocolate.

1 cup (large or small, depending on your taste) whole milk

1 rounded teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder (Equal Exchange or a gourmet type)

2 rounded teaspoons sugar

Heat the milk over medium heat in a pot on the stove. Put the sugar and cocoa in your mug and blend them together with a spoon (this allows them to dissolve more completely and evenly in your milk. The more blended they are, the fewer lumps.) Pour the milk, heated to just below boiling (or boiling over if you’re like me) into the mug with the cocoa-sugar mixture and stir briskly. Press any lumps of cocoa against the side of your mug with your spoon.

To make this even better, add a few marshmallows, a bit of whipped cream, a sprinkle of cinnamon or stir with a cinnamon stick. Now, enjoy!

Hot Ginger-Lemon Tea

I found this recipe in my local paper and adapted it slightly. The author said it’s fabulous for kicking a cold in the rear, and it certainly seems to be. It’s also a great warming drink.

1 large mug of boiling water

2 tablespoons grated or finely minced fresh ginger

fresh squeezed or bottled lemon juice

honey

Tabasco or similar hot sauce (optional)

ginger

Fresh ginger root

Grate the ginger on the coarsest holes of a grater, or mince. Fresh ginger is infinitely superior to dried, ground ginger, and easily found at most grocery stores. Place ginger in a large mug and fill the mug with boiling-hot water. Let it steep, covered with a saucer, for 10 to 15 minutes, then strain out the ginger. Add lemon juice to taste, and sweeten to taste with honey. Add the hot sauce if you’re so inclined.

Spiced Apple Cider

Another warming drink for this time of year is mulled apple cider. I’ve never quite figured out exactly what you do to make cider “mulled,” but I’ve come up with a simple version of spicy warm cider.

2 cups apple cider (not juice)

cinnamon sticks or ground cinnamon

fresh nutmeg or ground nutmeg

Heat the apple cider on the stove or in the microwave. Pour into two mugs, sprinkle a touch of nutmeg on top (fabulous if you grate it yourself) and either stir with a cinnamon stick or sprinkle on a bit of ground cinnamon. This is spicy and warming. Hot apple cider is both sweeter and thinner than when it is cold, so it is a pleasant change from the thirst-quenching cold stuff.

Yummy Eggnog

3 ½ cups whole milk

½ cup cream—light or heavy

3 large or 4 medium eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon rum flavoring or 2 tablespoons dark rum

Whipped cream (optional)

(To make a half-recipe: cut recipe in half, but use 2 eggs.)

cinnamon sticks

Cinnamon sticks

Thoroughly beat the eggs before combining them with the milk, cream, and sugar in a large pot. Heat the eggnog for a few minutes, until it becomes too hot to the touch when you quickly insert your finger. (Note: It is important to heat this eggy drink sufficiently if using store-bought eggs, since salmonella in raw eggs is becoming more widespread.)

Remove eggnog from heat and stir in vanilla and rum flavoring. Give the drink another good stir to blend it well. Let cool in the fridge for a few hours before drinking.

As with the hot cider, eggnog is delicious with a sprinkling of freshly grated nutmeg on top, and/or a bit of powdered cinnamon. A bit of whipped cream on top is heavenly, also.

Winter Squash Cheesecake Pudding

1 ½ cup cooked winter squash (1 or more: acorn, butternut, buttercup, etc.)

1 ½ cup farmer’s or yoghurt cheese (soft, cottage-cheesy homemade cheeses)*

1 cup organic sugar

4 large eggs

1 T. vanilla extract

1 t. cinnamon

¼ t. ground ginger

¼ t. ground nutmeg

1/8 t. sea salt

Optional: ½ to 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl combine eggs and sugar, and beat until well-combined and light in color. Add remaining ingredients, except nuts, and beat until until well mixed. Grease an 8” or 9” square or round baking dish, and pour pudding in. Top with chopped nuts if desired.

Have a larger oven-proof baking dish that is filled about half-full with hot water. Place in the oven on a middle shelf, than place the pudding dish in the bain marie (water bath)

Bake 1 hour. Top of pudding should be cracked. A toothpick stuck in may not come out clean, but the pudding will be done after setting for a few minutes after coming out of the oven.

Serve hot or cold, with whipped cream if you like. Yum!

Alternatives: if you don’t have farmer’s or yoghurt cheese, you can try these (untried by me) suggestions: Blend cottage cheese until it’s smooth. You may want to strain out excess liquid first.

Mix a package or 2 of cream cheese with heavy cream to desired consistency and amount.  You do want the cheese to be quite thick, not runny.

O.k., now go find a good dvd to watch or book to read, snuggle on the couch or in bed, and sip your delicious drink. Movies, books and magazines are always better enjoyed with a hot cup of something. A warm body next to you is a lovely addition, be it human, feline, canine, or any other version you have around.  Stay warm, and enjoy the season!

Autumn Herbs—Teas, Infusions, and Mixes

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herb cupboard

Some of my dried herbs

Last month I talked about gathering and drying or otherwise preserving the herbs from your garden, the farmer’s market, or the woods and fields around you (Herbs in Autumn).

This month we’ll see what you can do with those wonderful herbs, now that they are neatly put away and labeled. Or maybe still hanging in bunches in your kitchen? Maybe sitting in baskets here and there, already dry, but not out sight yet. My herbs are in all of these stages. Sometimes a bunch or three of herbs will hang on my drying rack through the whole winter!

One of my favorite ways of using herbs is to make teas and infusions for myself and guests. Infusions are, to me, much stronger versions of teas, and the herbal “teas” I make for guests usually fall somewhere between what I call a tea and an infusion.

Teas: Making herbal teas is fun! Don’t be afraid to experiment with combinations of various herbs you like and try different amounts mixed together. When it comes to taste, there is no right or wrong, only what delights your mouth and your senses.

In my experience, using a good quantity of herbs for your tea makes for a better tasting brew. If you think herb teas are insipid and weak, then you probably have not been using nearly enough herb matter for a cup of tea. Use more! The taste will be surprisingly robust and may truly change your mind (or your friends’) about what an herbal tea can be.

Generally, the proportion of herb to water for tea is to use about a tablespoon of dry herb to a cup of boiling water. Pour the freshly boiled water over the herb, cover (to keep in the essential oils and other good stuff) let steep for 15 minutes, then uncover and sip. You can add sugar, honey, maple syrup, or stevia for sweetening, and/or milk of your choice. Enjoy!

Here are 3 recipes I have come up with:

Restorative Tea

1 part sage

1 part rosemary

4 parts lemon balm

1 part bee balm

1 part lavender flowers (optional)

Black Tea Mimicry

5 parts raspberry and/or blackberry leaves

1 part sage

Don’t let this steep for more than 5 or 10 minutes, as the tannins can become too bitter.

Lemon Delight

2 parts lemon balm

2 parts lemon verbena

1 part lemon grass

1 part orange mint (optional)

Infusions: An infusion is made by soaking plant material (usually dried) in water that has been brought to a boil. The infusion steeps anywhere from ½ hour to 8 hours, depending on the plant material being infused. Boiling water must be used to break open the cell walls of the plant to allow them to release their constituents.

Amounts: For all parts of a plant, except roots and bark, the proportion is 1 ounce of dried plant material to 1 quart of boiling water. For roots and bark, it is 1 ounce of plant material to one pint of boiling water.

Steeping  times: General guidelines for how long to let your infusions steep is: roots and barks—8 hours, leaves and stems—4 hours, flowers—2 hours maximum, seeds and berries—1/2 hour maximum. The point of the long soakings is to get as much as you can from the plant material. The point of the short soakings is to prevent constituents that you don’t want in your infusion from getting drawn out.

If you don’t have a scale, don’t worry about it, approximate amounts are fine. A handful or so will equal sort-of an ounce.

Containers for steeping in: It is easiest to use a quart jar or pint jar, such as a canning or spaghetti jar, with a lid. Put the plant material into the jar, fill it with boiling water, put the lid on loosely, and allow to steep. The lid needs to be kept on to keep volatile constituents from escaping. You can also use a cooking pot or pan that has a lid.

Usually it’s best to infuse one herb at a time. If infusing an herb blend, infuse for the time needed for the ingredient that gets infused for the shortest time. For instance, if you’re infusing a blend that includes anise seeds or hawthorn berries, even if it includes roots, you will only let it sit for ½ hour. If you’re using a blend that includes chamomile flowers, you’ll only let it sit for 2 hours, and so forth.

However, I don’t worry too much about being exact when I am steeping an infusion, and often mine sit for hours before I get to them.

Infusions can be drunk warm or cold. If you’ve let it steep for several hours, you can warm it up on the stove or (shudder) in the microwave.

Infusions are easy to take with you in their jars, strained or not. They only last about 24 to 36 hours, even with refrigeration, so plan on making fresh infusions every day or two. If it starts smelling or tasting off, let it go—give it the plants, indoors or out.

Herbal Blends for Seasoning:  What is better in fall and winter than recently dried herbs with their rich goodness still intact to add to stews and soups, casseroles, and all sorts of dishes?!

You can use one herb, or several; follow a recipe to make an herbal blend or make your own. If, like me, you’ve always liked Bell’s Seasoning on your turkey or in your lentil soup, then look at the box and make up your own version.

Here is a recipe from an unknown source, one version of making the classic “herbes de Provence”:

Herbes de Provence (this is just one variation of many for herbes de Provence)

1 ¼ cup dried thyme

1 ¼  cup dried basil

¼ cup dried summer savory

1 cup dried rosemary

¼ cup dried lavender flowers (organic if possible)

¼  cup fennel seeds

Combine all herbs in a large bowl and stir well to blend. Store in a tightly-capped jar, or divide into ½ cup portions and store in sealed plastic baggies—these make great gifts placed in small clay flowerpots and tied with a ribbon.

This herb blend is good for sprinkling over vegetables or meats prior to roasting. They also are a flavorful addition to soups and stews.

Herb Salts Herb salts are fun and easy. All you have to do is mix your herb or herbs with some delicious salt, for instance, a good sea salt.

You can mix in the herbs fairly whole, which will you give you a rather coarse seasoning. Or you can grind up your herb/s in a coffee grinder and have them mix more smoothly with the salt.

Either way, play around with proportions. Go half-and-half with salt and herb, or ¾ herb and ¼ salt, or the reverse. Just remember to have fun and that if you like the taste, you’ll use it! It’s a great way to get luscious taste and good nutrition in one easy bite.