Herbs in the Garden

Archive for April, 2010

No, there is not much going on in the herb garden yet- some things are sending up new growth, but that’s about it.

The weather is supposed to take a cold turn tonight with temperatures dropping back near freezing. After making sure that seedlings and tender plants were safely tucked in the greenhouse I decided to take a few pictures of some blooming shrubs and edible landscaping. If it all gets hit by frost tonight I’ll have gorgeous photos to remember them by. You know, exactly like Better Homes and Garden’s gorgeous photo spreads… I’m pretty sure they use a little bitty Canon and a cell phone to take their best shots, too…

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This morning I was out in the barn feeding the fat little horses, chickens and goats when I heard a car door slam and saw my friend Nancy pulling out of the drive. When I returned to the house I found this pretty little birthday bouquet on my front porch…

The white  lilacs in it smell heavenly and I think the little hen on the mug resembles ‘Saucy’ the hen strolling just beyond in the garden.

Thanks for the nice surprise, Nancy!

I love my pals

Yesterday I started to clean out this

raised bed out front in the medicinal herb garden. During the warm months this particular raised bed houses lots of Marshmallow and Comfrey.

Here you can see the grass and Comfrey in the bed coming back after a long winter…and see how the concrete bed has heaved and moved around from the ice and snow? Ick.

Comfrey is not taken or used internally now, but is still used externally for wounds and healing. I make salves and ointments with the leaves and root. This stuff will reseed and spread like CRAZY and the smallest bit of root will grow a whole new plant. Or twenty.

Yes, the grass has miraculously turned green in the time it took you to scroll down and you can see that last years dried Marshmallow stems or stalks are still standing.

Don’t worry, they will magically have been cut back by the next picture! Marshmallows produce their seeds in a wheel or “cheese” and they have a tendency to reseed all over the place. I use the root and sometimes the leaves for teas…

Well, here it is all magically cleaned out and naked. Well mostly…and yes, I know I need to mow now. I also had to go eat some lunch before I finished so you get to see the picture of the bed at about 75% complete. You can see some wayward Comfrey plants that jumped out of the bed and have taken up residence just outside it…

And finally-

When you whack down last year’s marshmallow stalks, you find this!

New growth.

It’s so exciting it’s almost overwhelming.  I think I may faint.

Remember the Sacrificial Nectarine tree?

Here it is bathed in early morning sunlight and absolutely glorious in pink.

Beautiful, isn’t it?

OK, I just had to get outside today.

This morning it seemed every time I stuck my head out it rained on me. Hard. In between thunderstorms it was absolutely gorgeous though!

Doubt me? Here is the sky

When it cleared off I spent a little time harvesting some young nettles for sauteing and soup-and set some in the shed to dry.

Nettle is my favorite herb for hay fever season…

Then I went and checked on some little herb seedlings in the greenhouse.

Everything looked absolutely peachy so I headed back to the house…just in time to get drenched again.

Just wanted to wish you all a very Happy Spring, and for those that celebrate it today, a Blessed Easter!

What’s mine?

When my gang gets sick I break out the Buck Tea!

I know that doesn’t sound very herbal.

It is, and I’ll share the easy recipe below. It’s really a lemony hot, spicy herb tea.

So why do we call it Buck Tea?

Years ago my older kids gave it that name in order to terrorize their younger siblings.

We raise goats and know very well the gross behaviors that bucks(intact male goats) engage in.

OK, they urinate all over themselves and drink it-leaving a stinky mess running down their beards and legs. Evidently this drives the girls wild. Go figure.

Knowing this and being threatened with having to drink something called ‘Buck Tea’ you’d have been terrorized too. As soon as someone felt rotten, or started with a cough or runny nose I made a batch of tea up.The kid’s conversations usually went something like this:

” You’re sick? Ha! Now YOU have to drink Buck Tea, muaahhhahaha”!

Followed by the victim’s sobs,weeping, mild hysteria, then sniffcoughwhimpersniff…sniff…

Thankfully they have all outgrown that stage.

If you want to make your own Buck Tea you’ll need just three ingredients:

A lemon.

some Dried Sage -Salvia officinalis:

and Cayenne Pepper power…I mean powder

Here we go-

You can make a cup at a time, or a pot full. I’ve listed approximate amounts of each ingredient for different quantities. I usually make it up in pots, but I make everyone drink it. You know-just to be on the safe side

To make a Mug:

1 TB dried sage

a wedge of lemon

Shake of cayenne

Honey or Stevia to sweeten

~~~~*~~~~

To make a jar…

1/2 cup dried sage

1/4 or 1/2 of a lemon (more cuts the sage flavor and makes it more lemony.

Dash or two..or three of Cayenne pepper

Honey or Stevia to sweeten your cup

~~~~*~~~~

For a pot (usually a 2-3 quart pot)

3/4 to 1 cup dried sage

1 or 2 lemons. If I have them I’ll use two for a full pot, I like the lemony flavor.

Shake-shake-shake-shake in your Cayenne*

*You want the tea ‘hot’ enough to clear sinuses, but not so spicy that your taste buds go up in flames.

“How To Make Buck Tea” for Mugs and Jars:

Put your sage into jar…you can use a strainer or tea ball if making yours in a mug.

Heat water to just boiling and pour hot water into mug, or jar.You can also be smart and lazy and just microwave the water in your mug or jar.

With a tea ball- load it up with sage, drop it in the hot water and bounce it up and down a lot to wet the sage.

In a jar you will mix the loose sage into the hot water. It will not want to mix in and will tend to float. Just keep pushing it down with a spoon. Within a minute or so it will start to absorb the water and settle down nicely. Squeeze in the lemon juice and toss the lemon rind into the jar. Really. Then poke it down.

Add the Cayenne and mix it.  Cover it. Let site for at least 15 minutes, longer if possible.

If the taste is too strong, add some water to your mug. Everyone here does that-except me. I’m a tough old bird.

Strain or remove tea ball.

Sweeten to taste.

“How to Make Buck Tea” by the Pot:

Add your sage to the pot, and then add about 5 or 6 times the water…so 1 cup of sage to 5 or 6 cups of water.

Add your cut lemons-squeezing in the juice and tossing the rinds into the pot.

Heat to almost boiling and add your Cayenne. Turn off heat,cover and let sit as long as possible before drinking-but 15 minutes anyway.

Strain

Sweeten to taste and water down if needed.

~~~~*~~~~

You can drink this through out the day whenever you feel a cold coming on-which is why I make big batches of it. We find when you first feel ill and begin drinking Buck Tea, it seems to completely knock out or at least slow down a virus.

You can also freeze Buck Tea!

I use small containers-one serving size each- and keep a few on hand. It saves time when someone needs it and I don’t have time to mix up a batch. Simply thaw, heat, and drink!

* This recipe is NOT set in stone! You just need the three components but if you want more lemon, use it! More Cayenne? Sure, go ahead! Want to make it in a Teletubbies Tea Cup? Why not!

If you try it, I hope this recipe helps you and your family feel better.

I’d love to hear about it…unless you have a horrible reaction to Sage, or peppers, or lemons, or something.