Have you ever wondered exactly what’s in that little container of poultry seasoning that you dutifully sprinkle onto the chicken, turkey or duck you are cooking? I have to confess I never thought about it until a year ago when I had a mallard already in the slow cooker and nothing came out when I [Continue]
The International Herb Association has chosen dill as its 2010 Herb of the Year. Dill is easy to grow and beautiful to look at, and finds a place in herb, vegetable and flower gardens. Dill is a cool season plant, which means it is best planted from seed in early spring. . It is [Continue]
Have you seen those little white daisy-like flowers growing in the gravel at the very edges of country roads? That is the herb chamomile. You can grow a taller, prettier version in your garden. There are a few different types of chamomile with many different common names, but for simplicity here, we’ll talk about [Continue]
The International Herb Association has designated bay laurel as its 2009 Herb of the Year. Do you have a dusty 10-year-old jar of bay leaves in your spice cabinet? This is bay laurel, or Laurus nobilis. The Latin laurus means “laurel” and nobilis means “renowned.” The word laureate comes from laurus and means [Continue]
It was late summer and I just wanted to grow something, anything. It was too late to plant seeds outdoors. I’d been thinking about growing alfalfa sprouts for years, but thought it was too complicated. It turns out it is easy, fun and best of all, fast. Sprouts can be grown on your [Continue]
It’s hard to have missed the news articles over the past several years on the many health benefits of flaxseed oil. The omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseed oil help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Other parts of the plant are also useful – the fibers are used to make linen cloth, high quality paper [Continue]
Chives have a place in your garden, whether you have an herb or vegetable garden, or just a flower bed. They are truly the easiest herb to grow and they are perennial, coming back year after year. Chives are one of the first plants to poke through the soil in spring. They grow [Continue]
Mint is an easy herb to grow and it comes in many different flavors along with the traditional peppermint and spearmint. There are mint plants flavored with chocolate, orange, apple, pineapple, basil, lavender, lemon, banana and more. Some varieties are hardier than others, but all grow well in our climate. A few, like [Continue]
The International Herb Association has named calendula its 2008 Herb of the Year. Calendula is also known as pot marigold, but it isn’t the marigold you think of when you go to buy bedding plants. “Pot marigold” doesn’t come from the fact that it is grown in pots, although it is an excellent container plant, [Continue]
Growing your own garlic is easy and there are many more varieties available for home gardeners than you will find in the supermarket. Garlic is best planted in the fall, right around the time tulip bulbs are planted, in mid-October. You may be confused about the various types of garlic. Here is a [Continue]