Mother Earth
There is nothing more gratifying than putting a tiny seed in the earth and watching it grow into something recognizable, (we hope) beautiful and useful. In my case, since I now live in California, I can watch this at least twice a year. Plant, grow and harvest. It has taken me some time to realize not to plant everything at once, as I did in the Midwest..and also to plant small amounts..For the first few years I not only feed myself, froze or canned more than we will ever eat, half our neighborhood, the people in my office. We have also planted two Orange trees, and when they are in blossom, you can smell that sweet fragrance everywhere. I have my own little Herb garden too, this gives me such pleasure. I putter around the yard, and watch all my "babies" growing.
Isn't it wonderful to step out into the sun, and lift your face up and feel the warmth on your face. Look around you and you see the grass is green, your seeds are plants with edible things, or colorful, beautiful flowers...Isn't God wonderful to give you all of this?
I didn't know how prolific Zucchini, Lettuce, Tomatoes would be. Within 5 weeks of planting seedlings..the Zucchini took over my garden, I was too busy canning, freezing, giving away, and maintaining the garden to take photos.Hopefully this year I will be able to do so, and I'll post them here.We also planted 2 Orange trees (I have photo's somewhere around here). When they are in bloom, and they are right now, the air is scented with the sweet fragrance, I love to just walk out into my little backyard and take a big breathe....Awwww it wonderful. I also planted a small herb garden, just outside my kitchen window by my patio.We have a terrible time with snails.....they like Basil the best it seems, I'm forever having to replant.
I enjoy using herbs for cooking and some for medicinal purposes, as well as for their beauty. Herb gardening was foreign to me until I moved to California, except for planting Dill for my pickles. This is some of the things I learned about some of the herbs.
Basil ~
Ocimum basilicum, better know to us as Basil.
Man
y cooks,
especially the Italian, if given a choice of only one herb to use, it would
most surely be the Basil. Ocimum comes from the Greek and means "to be
fragrant".To the early Greek it was considered the herb of kings, to the
Romans, Basil was thought of as a symbol of love, it is still called "kiss
me Nicholas" in some parts of Italy. The French call it the "herbe royale"
and Hindus regard it as holy (Tulsi basil is India's sacred variety) But
Basil has not been thought of so grandly by everyone...Greek physician pronounced
it "was not fit to be taken inwardly" and the herbalist, Culpepper thought
it attracted and even bred Scorpions. Early physicians suggested it should
be planted with a "great display of screaming and cursing to ensure a healthy
plant and household. I do that after the snails eat it, guess I'm doing it
backwards...In Salem, Mass. in the late 1600, if Basil was seen growing in
kitchen or garden, it was a sure sign that the grower was a witch. Native
to India and Asia it has been cultivated for over 5,000 years, basil is grown
as a perennial in warm, tropical climates (like California before El Nino).
It is a member of the mint family and most Basil grow to about 2 1/2 feet
tall and about as wide. Creamy flowers bloom in summer, in whorls on the
end of branches. To keep the Basil from bolting to soon, pinch off the flowers.
Basil is aromatic and when the tender leaves are brushed against it produces
a sweet, pungent odor. There are many varieties of Basil, Sweet Basil is
the most commonly grown. If you expect to use a lot of Basil, I recommend
you grow this variety as an annual border. I will add the other varieties
later on.
Growing:
Basil grows easily from seed, and seedlings are readily available at most nursery's.Plant in full sun with well drained but moist soil. Set seedlings approximately 2 feet apart for growth. As mentioned earlier, pinch mercilessly to encourage new growth and bushy plants, picking flowers off to promote foliage production.
Harvesting and Storing
Of course fresh is best, it is the most pungent. But since not everyone lives in California, summer crops can be preserved for winter use. Basil dries and freezes well. For peak flavor, pick whole branches just before flowers bloom. To dry you can use a dehydrator, but I prefer dry it by hanging it upside down in a paper bag. suspend the springs in a warm, dry place. To freeze, wash whole sprigs and store in a plastic bag, pressing out as much air as you can before freezing. Thawed Basil does not look as attractive as fresh leaves, but will taste just as good.
Uses
In the garden, regular or miniature basil is suitable as an annual border. Of course, Basil is King in the kitchen. Use it to flavor soup, or fresh tomatoes (slice a fresh tomato in thick slices, spread a basil leaf or two on top, and thinly sliced or shredded mossirella cheese, and stick under the broiler just long enough for cheese to melt...Yummmy).Basil is an absolute must for Italian cuisine, lasagna, spaghetti, pizza, and of course Pesto sauce. Oh no, I've made myself hungry, so I'll stop here. But do please come back, I will be adding more about other Basil varieties, and other herbs as well. If there are any particular herbs you would like to know about, e-mail me and I'll put those in first. Happy planting....
Update: 04-07-98..I've added a few other varieties of herbs with photos of some, just click on "other Basil varieties" (above) and it will fly you to that page, also I'm adding a new herb here for you to learn about. Hope you enjoy what I've put here. Again, if there are any particular herb you would like to learn about, e-mail me and I'll be happy to include it for you. Thanks, Pat.
Lemon Balm ~
Melissa officinalis. Lemon Balm is an easy
to grow perennial with a wonderful lemon fragrance. It is a member of the
mint family, with the characteristic four sided stems. They are heavily veined,
with light green nettle like leaves. Plants can become 2 to 3 feet high and
up to 18 inches wide. Very small white flowers appear in July and last through
September.
Lemon balm was named "melissa" by the greek botanist Linnaeus, it is the Greek word for Bee. A tincture of lemon balm was combined with lemon peel, nutmeg and Angelic root and consumed as Carmelite water, and was thought to be affective for treating headaches and obscure pain. The leaves were crushed and applied to wounds for fighting infections.
The variety "Aurea" is very ornamental with leaves of variegated yellow, that disappear during flowering. After flowering cut back to promote the growth of the foliage again.
Growing ~ Plant in rich soil with full sun (it will tolerate a little shade).Start with seeds (they germinate slowly) cutting or root divisions. Sow the seeds in spring or late summer. You can take cuttings anytime and divide the perennial root in the fall. Lemon balm will self sow and the roots will spread, be sure you allow lots of room to accommodate this. Cutting back will promote leaf growth and will keep the the plant full and bushy and will help with the spreading. Lemon balm is a decidiuos plant which is to say, the top growth will freeze with frost, but will renew itself in the spring by it's root system.
Harvest and Storage ~ The leaves can be collected fresh anytime, however if the leaves are to be dried it is best to harvest them just before flowering.
Uses ~ Fresh leaves give off a refreshing scent of lemon that lasts for hours on your hand and skin. Dried leaves lend the same fragrance to sachets and potpourris. Cold tea made from fresh or dried leaves can be very refreshing and hot teas are said to relieve fever and headaches. Cut stems also retain the fragrance and are wonderful in arrangements, and said to be a natural air freshener.
I hope you'll come back, I will be adding more on herbs, I'd love to hear from you.
I know, I know, this isn't herbs, but it's
part of my "farm" (grin). I have two Orange trees planted in my backyard,
and I just have to show them off. Keep in mind, I'm from Michigan, and the
only experience i had with growing Orange trees was when my Mother tried
growing this small thing in a pot, after a long time a tiny little orange
(about the size of a large cherry) popped out. My mother pulled it off, cut
in in half, and we tasted it...it would have given Alum a good run for sourness.
With that said, these trees are a wondeful delight for me. If you look close
at the close up, you'll see an orange blossom, when the trees are in bloom,
my yard smells so sweet. I'm just showing off, I'm sorry.
(
grin)
I love nothing better than to go out in the morning and pull an Orange from my tree for breakfast or to munch on. I'm saving some for my sister when she comes to visit..(Nancy see these two? They are here waiting for you LOL)
I promise I will add more about herbs. In fact, I'm working on something concerning Oregano..I just got the photos back of the Oregano in my garden and will be putting together some good stuff for you. See Ya soon.
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Bob and Alice's Backyard Garden and Herbs
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