Many Ideas

Thank you Girls for all of the ideas for the scented geraniumns, can't wait to try some!!

MY SCENTED ROSE GERANIUM...

Here is a picture of my scented rose geranium that I keep in the house...(and YES my walls are pumpkin) This plant is 3 years olde (the picture was taken in March...it is even bigger since I have been trimming it) It sits on a hallway windowsill where it gets nice light! I use it for my cheese spread and I also make rose geranium sugar that I use in a tea bread and pound cake. Herbal sugars are great to use...when I make a cake and it calls for 2 cups of sugar, I use 1 cup regular sugar and 1 cup an herbal sugar...be it lavender, geranium or mint.
Wish I had more time to play with the goodies from my garden !

ROSE GERANIUM CHEESE SPREAD...

Want to try the most delish (even the men love it) cheese spread using scented geranium leaves?? Of course you do !! I serve this every year at our Herbal Faire....and thru-out the summer on Pepperidge Farm butterfly crackers...

8 oz. cream cheese - softened

4-5 medium rose geranium leaves....chopped fine

Mix together and chill -

(for the store I always made a double batch as it goes quickly)

The taste is unusually good....you don't want to stop eating ! Good spread on celery too!

Scented Geraniums~

Hi Girls!

Yes, Scented Geraniums are super easy to dry! I just bunch them and hang them.
They tend to turn a dull green/light brown color but they still keep that pungent scent!


I use the Essential oil of Rose Geranium in my soaps, body oils & bath salts.
If your looking to do something with the pink blossoms, they look beautiful floating on top of a glass of Herbal Iced Tea. The blossoms & leaves can be stored in your canister of sugar~ to bring out the flavor in the iced tea as well~



I've even seen recipes for Rose Geranium jelly!





And of course they're perfect in potpourri :)

Thanks You

Thanks Becky for your response and also to Judy for making sure I saw the post. Hope Becky joins us! Have a great day everyone.

DRYING...

Hi Ginny...Becky left this comment on your question about the scented geraniums...and I wanted to make sure you saw it...I am sending Becky and invite right now and hopefully she will join in and share more...Judy

OOPS !! I don't have your email address Becky..if you would like to join this forum and be able to post and add pictures please send it to me at cinnamonstick@comcast.net I hope you will join us !!


Basil Becky said...
I love scented gernamiums. I dry them several ways. Often I will take the leaves off the stem and lay them in basket or I have simply hung the stem with the leaves in a good palce to dry.A fun thing is to then put the dried leaves in old panty hose and hang in your closet! Instant moth repellant!

Herbal question

Good Evening Ladies, My Rose Lemon Scented Geranium is huge. I just love the smell of the it when I pulling weeds and fussing in the raised bed. But, I need to know, how do I save the leaves and hopefully the scent. It is also getting pink flowers on it, which I will save as well if I can, but I need to know if anyone has had any experience drying the leaves. Thanks, I will check back.

WHAT A GREAT IDEA..

I love the idea of tying a bell on the "catnip" bags....very clever Andrea and I have to tell you I am going to the store tomorrow and doing just that !!! I don't have a stamp of a cat either...will have to look for one cause I also love that idea. Thanks for sharing !!
We cut all the mint here too....I don't make potpourri anymore....just never enough thyme...but I plan to order some from you. It looks wonderful on your website. (although I did dry all my larkspur for future "sprinkles" like you suggested!) Everyone should check our Andrea's website she has great treasures for sale!!!
www.crowsnestprimitiveshoppe.com

More Mint~

Your Catnip bags look Great Judy!
I'm sure you'll sell them all out~ We sell lots at our shop too. I stamp mine with a rubber stamp of a cat and tie a jingle bell to the muslin bag too.

I harvested lots of Mint & Yarrow today.

Here's the Mint drying~

When it's dried, I'll crush it up and use it in the Victorian & Cottage Garden Potpourri~

Here's some of the Yarrow~ My cat Spooky loves to be involved too :)



Most of my Herbs needed a good cutting back. The Catmint, Valerian and Lavender all got a haircut today. The Tansy has gone crazy and I'll be cutting that back but first I want to get some flower bunches out of it. Same with the Sage~ cut, bunch & dry :)

Happy Gardening~

HERE KITTY, KITTY, KITTY...

The catnip is all dried and I have started stripping the stalks of leaves and putting them in the bags to sell.

(there is more now...LOL!!) But wanted to get the picture taken. Rained all day today off and on - muggy too. Some of the garden looks terrific and other parts look very weary and sad with this crazy mixed up weather we have been having. (Personally I LOVE the 68 degree mornings and 78 degree afternoons !!! So tell me gals...."How does your garden grow?"

THE DEED IS DONE....:(

This is what the herb garden at the store looks like right now....it HAD to be done...everything was growing too wild and gone to flower. Oh what goodies I found underneath the overgrowth... Pennyroyal, Calendula, Alfred our resident Gnome, a little toad house and Catnip our Cat ( I think she is very sad as this is where the "catmint" was growing! Next to Flora Nestbasket is an heirloom tomato plant - one of my customers gave to me...has some tomatoes on it too!! The dill is going to seed too - which will give me another crop before fall ( I love dill and have been using it quite often)...unfortunately the vinca grew wild with all the rain and took over the whole side garden...please excuse the grass/weeds around the flowerpots....this is our "garden edging" and we have not been very gracious about keeping it nice.....I must move all the pots this week when Tony comes to mow - it looks horrid! We had a big olde "gear" from a piece of farm equipment..(???)...in the center of this picture and planted in between the iron spokes...but I had Tony pull it out as you couldn't see it any longer and the vinca just killed off the flowers...There is some cinnamon basil in there somewhere too....( the wire fencing along the wall is what I call my "country clothesline" - When I dye something I hang it out there to dry -

Soon everything will grow back....at least I hope so.

CATMINT...

I finally got some of the "catmint" harvested....will do the rest today...and hung in the attic at the store to dry. I will stuff if in little muslin sacks which are stamped "CATNIP"....
catnip or catmint? - seems to be two separate varieties but come from the same family - here are two definitions found on the internet.....I am sure the "cats" don't care what I call it !!!!

Catnip (Nepeta cataria).
(credit: Walter Chandoha)Aromatic herb (Nepeta cataria) of the mint family. Catnip has spikes of small, purple-dotted flowers. It has been used as a seasoning and as a medicinal tea for colds and fever. Because its mintlike flavour and aroma are particularly exciting to domestic cats, it is often used as a stuffing for cat toys.
Meaning #1: hairy aromatic perennial herb having whorls of small white purple-spotted flowers in a terminal spike; used in the past as a domestic remedy; strongly attractive to cats Synonyms: catnip, Nepeta cataria

Hey girls...where are your pictures of what you are up to??? Love when you share....Judy

Classes

Yes~ You should do the class!
There's so many combination of herbs & spices that work great in vinegars.
Sage, Tarragon, Parsley, Cilantro, Chives, Chili Peppers, Peppercorns, Garlic cloves...just about anything!
When I make the vinegars at home I never bother to heat up the vinegar either. The most important thing is to sterilize the glass jars.

Handmade Vinegars make beautiful gifts. Just cover the cap with homespun or cheesecloth, tie some raffia and attach an "Herbal" tag and your sure to impress!!

Now you have to offer the class & we want to see pictures~

BEAUTIFUL ....

Andrea your chive vinegar is beautiful....Now I am sorry that I didn't think of doing this class earlier cause the chive vinegar would be "spectacular" and quite easy for beginners ! Do you sell your vinegars in the store? I don't have any kind of a "food handlers license" or the facilities to make anything to sell. But the class would be different - I really want to do this and I think it would be lots of fun....stinky but fun !!!! LOL!!! Of course I will use recipes where you don't have to heat the vinegar....(I never do anyway even when it says too...) You have inspired me!!!

Herbal Vinegars~

Great idea Judy!
I think having a class on making Herbal Vinegars would be a big hit at your Shop!
Here's a few pictures of the Chive vinegar I make.


Super Easy to Make & the Pink color looks Beautiful~


Happy Gardening :)

NOW AIN'T THAT THE TRUTH !!!

A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows. ~Doug Larson

HERBAL VINEGARS...

I have been toying with the idea of having an "Herbal Vinegar Seminar" (doesn't that sound profound!) at the store. Since most of the gals who grow herbs that I know do it for the "simple country pleasure" of it - I thought we need to get together and make herbal vinegars. They are simple to make and the ones that I make for myself are easy, with few ingredients and "delicious". I love herbal vinegar sprinkled on my salads, cauliflower, spinach and I also use it in cooking when I want a unique taste! My deviled eggs are the BEST because of the added vinegar!

I am thinking a get together in our classroom where I would explain all about the vinegars, hand out recipes and make three different types right on the spot. Then in a couple weeks the girls could come back with their own "fancy" bottles to pour the vinegars in for taking home! I use glass salad dressing jars with the plastic lid. The fee would be minimal and we could even make our own Herbal Vinegar tags ... My wish would be that they would go home and make lots of herbal vinegars to give as gifts - (especially with the economy the way it is) A homemade gift for teachers, friends, family, neighbors...would be much appreciated I am sure! Oh now I just have to do it....any suggestions???

The picture is of my basil at home.....I never seem to have very good luck with basil - this may be the cinnamon basil plant (forgot to check) but no matter what kind it just doesn't do well at home...(and that is my dead chives next to it ???) ...now at the store it grows to be a BUSH!

I AM MISSING YOU GUYS....!!

BUT, I am so happy you are blogging about your gardens....if you haven't read on The Spice Cupboard - I am having horrid computer woes.....working hard to get it fixed but you know how that goes..."hurry up and wait"....!! I am so illiterate when it comes to the techno stuff - I took so many pics and can't show you....(very sad face)....I love the borage - but mine disappeared...??? I think maybe hubby was tired of all the bees it attracted where I had it planted !!! I always loved sprinkling the star like flowers over a salad...
Susan...what a great idea for the Rhubarb punch...(now I dislike rhubarb) but love the idea of the glass bowl inside the olde agate. I have a large stoneware bowl I use for punch when we have events at the store but your idea is more primitive and I love it!!!
Lovage is delicious just like Andrea said....I used it all the time....but again....house repairs where the lovage was planted gave it a quick demise!
Keep writing gals.....I miss not being able to get on here everyday....soon I hope my problems will go away.....Happy gardening....XO, Judy