~ Chamomile ~

         " The Chamomile Shall Teach Thee Patience That Rise Best When Trodden Most Upon "

The chamomile is an ancient healing herb, and is still used for digestive and stress-related disorders. When crushed, it's leaves have a sweet apple smell. The chamomile plant requires full sun and well-drained soil. It makes a fragrant lawn and should be planted 4 to 6 inches apart. It benefits all nearby herbs and plants, particularly cabbages, onions and nasturtiums. German chamomile is an annual with unscented foliage. It's flowers have a strong honey scent and it has coarser leaves than the english chamomile.

Used chamomile teabags can be place on the eyelids to reduce the dark shadows caused by fatigue.

Enjoy a relaxing herbal bath that eases tensions away. Run a warm bath and place a muslin bag of fresh or dried chamomile under the faucet.

Use 1 1/2 oz. of fresh herbs or 1 oz. of dried herbs.

Alternately add one potful of strong infusion of chamomile - about 1 1/4 pt. to a bath. Or several drops of the essential oil to the water. Soak in the warm bath for 15 - 20 minutes, allowing the sweet scent of the herb to banish tensions and irritations through its relaxing and soothing qualities.

Enjoy!

Dandelion. The new herb?

Ok, ok, I know what you're thinking. Dandelion? How could I possibly use a weed that's taking over my front yard? Well the time has come to embrace the dandelion. Believe me, it's much easier than constantly fighting it, that's what's coming up in my gardens so far! :) Eventually you'll find yourself touting the benefits of dandelion to all of your friends. Every part of the plant can be used, and clearly it's easy to grow. All you have to do is get past what we've always been led to believe. Dandelion is a useful plant.



If you're willing to try one new thing this year, make it dandelion. Dandelions prefer to grow in full sun but will grow in just about any lighting situation as you all may know. Dandelions can be added to your herb garden or they can be grown in a block or row in your vegetable garden. The thick-leaves produce a tender, thicker leaf with less bitterness. 'Verte de Montgomery' is very similar to the wild varieties in your yard, which are ripe for the picking and are just as tasty.

Dandelion leaves are high in vitamins A and C and contain high levels of potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Use the flowers fresh, making sure to remove all the stem. To prevent the flowers from closing after cutting, place them into a bowl of cold water and take them out just before eating or serving them.

(Do not eat Dandelions that have been in contact with lawn fertilizers, herbicides or any other synthetic chemical contaminants!)

The roots can be harvested at any time. Chop the dried roots into 2'' (5 cm) pieces and roast at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for about 10 minutes. Grind the roasted pieces, adding a quarter teaspoon to your coffee or hot chocolate for a new flavour. The leaves are delicious in salads and are a fine substitute for spinach. The flavour of bacon is the perfect complement to dandelion leaves; they also work beautifully in fresh vegetable dishes. Many soups and casseroles benefit from the addition of dandelion leaves.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue;
But they don't get around
Like the dandelions do.
~ Slim Acres

Enjoy your weekend!

WHEN DO YOU....???

...start planting your herbs??   What is coming up in your gardens NOW?  Share some pictures of inspiration  - the weather here in SE PA is still quite crappy.....and we don't usually plant till after the 15th of May - or even later.   We haven't been able to get the gardens cleaned up with one day rain - then mud - then rain - then alittle sun but too much wind - wishing you better weather and better luck!

I AM FEELING "HERBY"...

I am just like alittle kid when it comes to "patience" - I want the weather to be nice and I want to get out in the gardens to see what is growing (well really I NEED to get things cleaned up in the gardens.  It is a job as we have the house and the store and we are getting older by the minute)!! 
Yesterday the weather was so perfect but I am "under the weather" with a stupid cold and not up to exerting myself...I did take these pics of what was peeking thru the messy gardens at home...besides all the mints and lemon balm here is -
SOME GOLDEN SAGE - (and weeds)

CHIVES - (and weeds)

ENGLISH THYME -

 and a favorite SWEET WOODRUFF...

.Have you ever dried Sweet Woodruff???  It is the sweetest scent and I love to fill sachets or muslin sacks with the dried leaves.  It has NO scent while fresh - that I can detect - but dried it is wonderful!   AND, it grows (and prefers) shade....it is a great ground cover.  We will have plants for sale at our Herb Faire!!!

Start Planning!

There's fennel for you, and columbines;
there's rue for you; and here's some for me;
we may call it herb or grace o'Sundays.
O! you must wear your rue with a difference.
William Shakespeare, Hamlet

A strawberry pot is an attractive way of growing a number of herbs together, for those of you who have limited garden space. They are made mainly of terracotta and are easily obtainable. An average size strawberry pot has five or six lipped holes in the sides and one large hole in the top. To plant a strawberry pot with herbs, place one large or several smaller, uneven stones above the drainage hole in the base. Fill the jar with potting mixture to the level of the lowest holes. Plant a herb seedling down through the pot's main open hole, gently manipulating the foliage through one of the side holes with the roots within. Fill the pot with soil level to the next hole and repeat the process as for the first seedling, until the top has been reached. Leave about 1in/2.5 cm between the last layer of soil and the rim of the pot to allow for watering.



Think herbs!

April Wisdom

From my favorite book, the Farmer's Almanac some April thoughts:

If it thunders on All Fools' Day. it brings good crops of corn and hay.

Moist April, clear June.

Cloudy April, dewy May.

Snow in April is manure. Love this one!!

Catnip ~ Catnap

I awoke to a beautiful sunny morning. Although it was cold outside, a sunny morning always helps. Enjoying a morning tea looking out into what will be a promising garden, I noticed that an old friend had appeared at the top of the hill. One of my feline friends has returned after a long, cold winter. An all black cat with a bell around its neck, I have no idea who owns this one, but as I opened my porch door, it came to greet me. I don't own any cats, I never have. But there are several that will hang around here all summer long. One reason is my catnip garden. In the garden, catnip has been found to be a natural insect repellent against aphids, making this plant perfect for the organic gardener. Its uses don't end there. Catnip has so much more to offer beyond the entertainment value of watching all these stray cats roll around in one area of my garden filled with catnip, or the way I look at it, I think these characters think it's their local bar. :)

Flowering Catnip Wreath

Catnip plants grow well in full sun or partial shade. Pinch tips throughout the growing season to delay flowering and make the plants more compact. Once the plants are almost finished blooming, I cut them back by one-half. This will encourage new growth and might prompt them to bloom again in late fall. I will divide these plants in Spring or Fall when the plants begin to look like they're going to overgrow.

Catnip is not prone to pests. However, the roots and crown can suffer from rot during cold and wet winters. Catnip plants can be used to edge borders and can be used to mix into herb gardens, along with roses. Catnip is also great for containers both big and small.

 

 

It's no mystery where this plant gets its name, cats love it. Dried leaves stuffed into cloth toys will amuse kittens for hours. I use the dried bunches in potpourri and arrangements. They can be intertwined with lemon balm, lemon verbena, marjoram, and scented geranium. They can hang in closets and pantries.

 

Shown above is flowering catnip celeriac, thyme, rosemary, and dandelion. The next photo shows catnip and greenleaf lettuce. In another area of the garden, I will have flowering catnip in a raised bed. The leaves can be steeped in boiling water to use as a stimulating minty tea. It is said that catnip tea reduces nervous tension and anxiety. Fresh leaves can be chopped up for soups, sauces, pastas, and sprinkled over salads. Obviously not just for our feline friends!

"In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats." - English proverb

I think that's what the cat's return was trying to tell me.

 

All photos were taken in 2010. I'm not too anxious to get started gardening am I?