Now of course there are all types of herbs that you could have on hand. Personally I have savory herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage, as well as non-edible medicinal herbs like comfrey. Decide how you’re going to use your herbs, and plan accordingly. It won’t do me any good to make a comfrey salt, when I need comfrey as a salve or tincture.

1. Preserve herbs in sugar

Yes, I know sugar is bad for you and all that. However sugar also makes an excellent preservative for many things, including herbs. It combines really well with florals, like rose and lavender, or even peppermint. We don’t use sugar very often, only on occasion as a special treat. Having an herbal sugar on hand really enhances the flavor of things and also adds nutritional value.

To make an herb infused sugar

I normally use rapadura or coconut sugar, but their flavors are too heavy and hide the flavors of the herbs here. This organic, white sugar is what I’ve used before. You can choose from sweet, spicy or even savory herbs, but lavender, mint or rose are my personal favorites. You could also try violets, basil, chamomile, or rosemary.

• Organic white sugar
• Herb of your choice

1. In a wide mouth glass jar pour 2 T. of your sugar evenly on the bottom.
2. Add a thin layer of your fresh herbs, then another 2 T. of sugar.
3. Continue layering until the jar is full, but be sure that all of the herbs are covered in a top layer of sugar that’s ½ inch thick. Cap your jar, and allow the flavors to infuse for at least 4 weeks.
4. Before using your herbal sugar, give it a few pulses through your coffee grinder or food processor to break up the herbal matter.

To use

• Replace part or all of the sugar in a recipe with your infused sugar.
• Sprinkle over top of dishes as a pretty and fragrant garnish.

2. Preserve herbs in salt

This method is great for savory herbs like chives, basil, rosemary and thyme, but it can also taste good with sweeter herbs. The method is the same as preserving in sugar, however here we’re using salt. I like to use a course sea salt, like celtic sea salt, but you could also use Himalayan or Real Salt.

• Sea salt
• Herb of your choice

1. In a wide mouth glass jar pour 2 T. of your salt evenly on the bottom.
2. Add a thin layer of your fresh herbs, then another 2 T. of salt.
3. Continue layering until the jar is full, but be sure that all of the herbs are covered in a top layer of salt that’s about ½ inch thick. Cap your jar, and allow the flavors to infuse for at least 4 weeks.
4. Before using your herbal salt, give it a few pulses through your coffee grinder or food processor to break up the herbal matter. Since I use Celtic sea salt, I like to really finely grind it in my coffee grinder.

To use:

• Use like you would regular salt, to season savory dishes, like soups or meats
• Sprinkle on top of foods as a vibrant and flavorful garnish

3. Preserve herbs in butter or oil

This is one of my favorite ways to preserve herbs for cooking. I usually stick to savory herbs, but sweeter herbs are nice for spreading on bread, raspberry banana muffins and pancakes. You can use a savory butter on this gluten free cornbread or your favorite bread recipe.

• About 1 cup of fresh herbs of your choice, firmly packed
• 1 cup Butter, coconut or olive oil

1. If you’re using a solid fat like coconut oil or butter, then place the herbs and fat of choice into a food processor and pulse to combine. If you don’t have a food processor, then finely chop your herbs, and stir into room temperature butter or coconut oil. If you’re using olive oil, then put the ingredients in the blender and pulse a few times.
2. Pour your herb mixture into an ice cube tray, and put it in the freezer until solid. I really like using these silicone trays, since I’ve found that fats are really hard to get out of the plastic ones.
3. Pop out your herb butter/oil cubes and store in a freezer safe bag for up to 6 months or so.

To use:

• Drop a block into a meal that you’re cooking to add a boost of flavor
• Allow the herbal butter or coconut oil to warm at room temperature and spread on baked goods

4. Preserve herbs in raw honey

Raw honey is good for so many things. I use it in my soothing throat spray once a scratchy throat hits, I’ll put some in my morning superfood vanilla latte, or use it to make naturally sweetened caramel. It’s also a great way to preserve herbs though because of it’s anti-microbial properties. Archeologists have even found 4,000 year old honey in an Egyptian tomb that was still good! I like using both sweet and savory herbs in herbal honeys. You can use them for adding flavor to your foods, or for medicinal purposes. Garlic and honey make a great cough syrup.

• Herbs of choice
• 2 cups raw honey

1. If your honey has solidified, then warm the jar in a pan of hot water on the stove until it’s liquid again.
2. Pack a glass jar full of your desired herb, then pour the honey over it. You want to make sure that the honey is completely covering the herb though.
3. Allow the herbal honey to infuse for at least 4 weeks. You can then strain the honey out, but I prefer to just spoon some out as needed.

To use:

• Spread on baked goods
• Stir into tea or coffee
• Use to soothe a sore throat
• Replace ½ of the honey in a recipe with your herbal honey

5. Preserve herbs in an herbal vinegar

Vinegar adds just a bite of acidity to perk up dishes. I use it in recipes like my roasted bacon Brussel sprouts, but it’s also handy to clean with. You can see how to infuse an herbal vinegar for cleaning and how to use it here. I prefer to stick with herbs that pair well with savory dishes like oregano, dill, rosemary and marjoram when doing an herbal vinegar.

Herbal vinegars are also useful for skincare. You can use rosemary and/or sage infused vinegar as a hair rinse for healthier hair, or you can use peppermint to make a facial toner, like this here.

• Herbs of choice
• White vinegar

1. Fill a glass jar ¾ full of your fresh herbs, then pour vinegar over the top until full. Try to make sure that the vinegar is completely covering your herbs.
2. Store in a cool, dark place for 2-4 weeks, shaking daily, then strain the herbs from your vinegar once infused.

To use:

• Replace the vinegar in a recipe with your herbal vinegar
• Add a splash to your soup, stir fry or veggies
• Use it in salad dressings or marinades

How do you like to enjoy herbs during the winter months? Share in the comments below!

The post 5 easy ways to preserve herbs for winter appeared first on The Herbal Spoon.

Love those garden hands

Now that it’s June, I’m anxious to get outside and tackle the weeds that have laid claim to our garden. My husband had a bad case of pancreatitis in May, so I’ve been taking care of him, and the garden has been on the back burner for now. While I’m itching to get started working in the dirt, I’m going to make a batch of this homemade hand lotion up so it will be readily available for those chapped, cracked hands.

While certain oils and butters on their own will do a good job of moisturizing, I like to infuse my homemade lotion with different skin soothing, and healing herbs. I make and sell an herbal infused, skin healing salve in my shop, which you can find here that’s perfect for skin irritations like bites, burns and rashes. However, the healing salve can be a little heavy for daily, all over hand use, which is why I like this hand lotion.

Healing herbs

Calendula

This bright orange flower is good for soothing itchy, irritated skin. I use it in this salve recipe to help with eczema and psoriasis. Calendula is also good at calming inflamed and red skin, and is my number one herb for general skin healing.

Comfrey

This herb is nicknamed “bone set” because it works so quickly to help the body heal from fractures, sprains and broken bones. It’s also a quick skin healer and helps skin cells regenerate faster from damage.

Dandelion

Yes, that loathed “weed” in yards across the country is a great for soothing worn skin. It’s also great for dozens, if not hundreds of other herbal preparations and delicious edibles. So please, be kind to your dandelions!

Skin healing butters and oils

You can’t have an herbal hand lotion without something to infuse your herbs in. There are tons of good options out there, but I wanted to use something that was both deeply nourishing, but not too greasy. I’ve included mango butter, which is similar in consistency to shea, but faster absorbing.

Mango butter

Mango butter is also good for dry, itching, damaged or blemished skin. Not only does mango butter nourish damaged skin, but it helps to prevent the damage from happening in the first place. (soapers choice)

Tamanu oil

Tamanu oil is a potent smelling oil, but it’s also a potent skin healer. It’s most commonly used for acne and stretch marks, but it’s great for scrapes, burns, rashes, chapped skin and other irritations. On its own it’s very thick, but it works well and absorbs beautifully when mixed with other oils.

Beeswax helps to naturally thicken everything thing up, and the sweet almond oil gives this homemade lotion a light base. Since we aren’t using any chemical stabilizers or preservatives, this lotion should be kept out of extreme heat or cold and will only keep for a few months. If some oil floats to the top, simply stir it back in. However, if the lotion begins to smell rancid or “off” in any way, then pitch it and make a fresh batch. Vitamin E will help the oils from going rancid, but the lotion won’t last as long as a salve since it has water in it.

Herb infused homemade hand lotion

• 1/4 cup Calendula flowers – what I use
• 2 T. Comfrey leaves – what I use
• 1/4 cup Dandelion leaves and/or flower tops – what I use when I don’t have any in the yard
• 1 tsp Tamanu oil – what I use
• 2 T. Mango butter – what I use
• 1/2 tsp Vitamin E – what I use
• ½ cup and 2 T.  Sweet almond oil – what I use
• ½ cup filtered, boiled, then cooled water (or use a flower hydrosol like these)
• 6 grams Beeswax – what I use
• Glass bowl – the ones I have
• Saucepan
• scale – what I use

*all of the herbs used should be dried.

1. If you’re using whole herbs, give them a few pulses through a coffee grinder, or grind with a mortar and pestle until coarsely cut. This is the coffee grinder I have, and this is the mortar and pestle we use.
2. Combine the sweet almond oil and herbs together in a glass bowl. Fill the saucepan about halfway with water and place over medium heat. Perch the glass bowl with the oil on top to make a sort of double boiler. Keep the water at a low boil while the herbs infuse into the oil.
3. After an hour, turn the heat off and strain the herbs out with a cheesecloth, or clean, old t-shirt. I like to run it through a coffee filter too to make sure all of the small herb bits are out.
4. Put the infused oil back in a clean, glass bowl on top of the saucepan over medium heat. Add the beeswax and mango butter, stirring occasionally until melted.
5. Pour the oil mixture into your blender, add the tamanu and vitamin E oil, and let it cool for about 10 minutes in the fridge. You want the mixture to be creamy, but not cool so much that it gets hard. You can also use a stand mixer or hand mixer for this, but the emulsion won’t be as effective.
6. Turn the blender on, and slooooowly drizzle in the water through the top. The mixture will get creamy and thick. Stop the blender when it starts to sputter. If you’re using a mixer, then slowly pour the water in as you’re mixing on medium/high speed.
   Store your lotion in an impeccably clean glass jar, out of heat, sunlight or freezing temperatures. Slather generously onto skin damaged hands as needed.

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After all my research I was finally ready to draw out a garden plan. I had individual construction paper cutouts of each plant ready to arrange and reaarange them on some homemade graph paper (I couldn’t find any of the real stuff), when I discovered a much easier, simpler way to get the job done.

Growveg.com garden planner! Ugh, such a lifesaver at this point. This program is amazing. You can draw the outlines for your garden beds, add paths, compost bins, arches, raised beds, wigwams and all sorts of other helpful things. There’s also a large selection of plants, each containing soil, light and other growing information, including companion plants and common pests. Select a plant icon to place in your garden and the program will automatically block out as much growing space as that plant needs. Even better, it’s completely customizable for different plant varieties. It’s like Autocad for your garden!

A yearly subscription is $29, but… here’s the best part, there’s a FREE 7 day trial! Plenty of time to plan your garden, publish to the web and print it out. You can create up to 5 plans with this. So plan the front flower bed, the kitchen garden, the backyard garden and whatever else you’ve been wanting to. (update: this was several years ago so the exact details might have changed slightly)

Below is the plan I came up with for our backyard. I use raised beds since we have trouble with flooding in that area.

This program allows you to use every inch of available space and  even has a square foot gardening mode. The different background colors on the plants represent the different plant families to help with crop rotation. There is so much to this program I can’t tell you everything on here, but go check it out for yourself. It’s been a few years since I made this plan and they’ve updated the graphics and layout since then.

Happy gardening!

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Here are the start dates for some common plants that I’m growing this year. These dates are all for zone 5 and are approximate based on forecasted frost dates. Some of the dates have already passed, but it’s still not too late to start seeds. I haven’t yet planted my beets, carrots etc. but I’ll do that this weekend when I start my melons and okra.

It would however be too late to start onions from seed, but even the eggplant, peppers and tomatoes can still be started and simply planted a few weeks later, up to the 2nd week in June. My grandparents farmed for decades and never planted tomatoes earlier than June 1.

The post When to Start and Plant Zone 5 appeared first on The Herbal Spoon.

     Two years ago I attempted to grow tomatoes and peppers from a seed kit my husband bought me, but that was also a miserable failure. Once again, trip to Ace Hardware.
     I started some seeds several weeks ago, but again, made some lousy mistakes. So I’m starting over and sharing with you these mistakes of how NOT to start a garden.

Soil selection

Containers

Do not use itsy bitsy containers to start your seeds in. You can, but then the plants will need transplanted into larger containers anyway. Otherwise they risk becoming root bound or run out of nutrients from too little soil. Plants need at least 3 inches of soil to grow in. Larger plants, like melons, tomatoes and okra will quickly outgrow small containers. The fewer times a plant is transplanted and the less it is handled the better chance it has at survival.

Do not use plastic containers without first cutting a small hole in the bottom. The plants need good drainage and the roots will rot if there’s not adequate circulation.

Germination

Do not keep the plants uncovered. Many seeds need to be covered in plastic wrap, glass or other transparent covers to trap heat and promote germination. This will also help the soil stay moist and keep the seeds from drying out.

Growth

Do not place the plants too far from your light source. If you’re using grow lights instead of a very sunny, warm windowsill, they need to be no more than a few inches away from the soil’s surface. If the lights are too far, then the plants will have to stretch to reach it and may fall over. As the plants grow you can move the lights higher.

Do not keep your grow lights on for more than 16 hours. The plants need about an 8 hour rest period for proper growth. If possible, lower the room temperature during this rest period to about 60 degrees, as this more closely mimics natures cycle.

Do not overwater or under water the plants. The soil should be kept adequately moist at all times. Because the plants are so close to their light source, they will need watered 2-4 times a day. During germination the plants can be watered with a misting bottle, but after sprouting the containers can be watered from the bottom. Pour some water into the tray the plant containers are in so the roots can drink it up, this will also help combat mold growth.  Plants that receive too much water can rot or grow mold. If mold appears on the containers, cut back on watering. Keeping covers on the plants past germination can also cause mold growth.

Do use a fan to circulate the air around the new plants. A gentle breeze isn’t absolutely necessary, but it helps to strengthen the plant stalks.

By following these tips and learning from my mistakes, hopefully you can join me in successfully starting a garden this year. 

My next post will be on when to start a selection of common vegetables. Ideally most seeds should have already been started, but its still not too late to begin!

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