Through the Grapevine Snippets of Herbal Insight..
To enjoy fresh herbs throughout the coming season, you may want to consider growing herbs such as basil, parsley and cilantro, much the way you would lettuce in the garden. Sow a new row every two weeks and remember to pinch back for optimum fullness. You can continue to start seeds right into the first of July and any remaining plants can always be lifted and brought indoors at the end of the season. You will be amazed at the speed in which your herbs will grow once the soil is heated up and the days are at their longest.
Of course a large patch of leafy vegetation is sure to attract some unwanted diners, so keep reading... One of the best slug deterrents is a mixture of crushed egg shells and left-over coffee grounds. Spread the mixture around the base of your plants.
One of my all-time favourite spring herbs has to be Sweet Cicely Myrrhis odorata. The licorice flavoured stems make a lovely treat that the kids enjoy chewing. The taste is very much like that of the "black balls" that I used to enjoy. Despite any relapse in cooler weather, the Cicely, once it has received its spring cue, will continue to sprout up from the ground in huge thick stalks with anise-scented leaves that will perfume the garden until the snow returns.
Sweet Cicely grows well in some shade along the edge of a forested ridge in my garden. You know spring has arrived when you see the green of this robust perennial pushing its way through the blanket of leaves.
Until next time
Submitted By Janette
Janette will be celebrating ten years of herbs this summer.
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As I write, the autumnal Vancouver monsoons rain down upon us. It is a good time to reflect on a healthy diet through enjoying your home-grown herbs, whether they be fresh or preserved by you in your kitchen.
Humankind has used herbs from time immemorial as preservatives for embalming bodies as well as for preserving food. We are familiar with the deliciously calming perfumes from lavender, anise, santolina and, indeed, the culinary herbs too, the thymes, mints, and marjorams to mention only a few. Then there are the spices from warmer climates.
Undoubtedly, mints are the coolest of the herb world and often overlooked as a refreshing addition to the indoor herb garden. Until now that is!
Herbal remedies have surged in popularity and are flying off store shelves. For those consumers who are also parents, natural herbal remedies for children are also of interest. As parents, we all want what is best for our kids, many of us desire to give our kids healthy, safe and naturally derived medicines.
Buying herbal medicines can be a very confusing endeavour, many choices line the store shelves, but often we cannot be sure about their freshness and the exact ingredients that they contain. Many people turn to making their own medicines because they know what is in the pot-exactly. Making your own medicine is like cooking: very rewarding in many ways, but there is a time-consuming prerequisite-learning and preparation. After all, we are calling it a medicine!
Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) to many of us is that first scent of spring. You just knew that the end of the school year was insight when the classroom became fragrant with homemade bouquets of tulips and lilacs for the teacher.
But did you know that lilac is edible? Yes! You may not have thought of running right out to the garden to munch a bunch - but keep reading and you will be enticed to nibble a little the next time you are standing next to this delightful flowering bush.
Spring Blues
Green - verdant, lush, and full of life - is of course the colour of spring. But there is another colour of spring which runs a close second - blue.
Look around the early spring garden or woods and blue can be found everywhere. No other colour is as abundant among spring’s herbaceous plants (except the acknowledged spring winner: green!).
Many of the plants growing at the Village could be considered herbs because whether wild plants or garden flowers, they were useful in a variety of ways in the daily lives of pioneers. Every plant that could provide a use was valued - whether it supplied a moth repelling scent or provided healing qualities to a lard salve or yielded a vivid dye. Pioneer theme gardens can preserve this knowledge of heritage plants to be shared with school children, Sunday School classes or even the local boy scout troop.
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