In the Garden ~ Drying Herbs

 

    One of my favorite items we grow in our garden happens to be herbs.  There are so many great varieties and options available, it can be a little overwhelming, but the reward is great.  Since we happen to grow so many I wanted to really focus this year on preserving and using my herbs in as many ways as possible. 

 

Parsley, sage and lavender

               We will often use fresh herbs in the majority of our cooking, especially certain breakfast items.  The herbs really give it the “fresh from the garden” flavor that we love and cherish.  Recently I’ve been reaching for my dry herbs more often and wanted to share ways to save herbs for future use. 

 

               Preserving herbs to maintain the most flavor and a natural state, would be drying.  There are four ways to dry your herbs.  Air dry, dehydrator, oven drying, and microwave.  I will briefly touch on all three and you can decide which is the best method for your time and energy.

 

               Air drying is probably the most natural way to dry herbs.  After collecting and washing, you gather your herbs into small bundles and tie them off with string or a rubber band.  Make sure your stems are long enough to hang.  Then in a cool, dark and well-ventilated area hang your bundles upside down.  You need good air circulation for this to work effectively.  In a few days time up to a week later, you can check your herbs for dryness by seeing how easily they crumble.  Once dry, remove them from the stems and store in an airtight container.

 

               Dehydrator drying of herbs is very similar but probably a bit faster than hanging to dry.  Wash and dry the herbs then place on the trays in a single layer.  Set the device to 95-110 degrees and follow any instructions from the manufacturer.  Again, the herbs are dry when they crumble easily. 

 

               Oven drying again starts the same as a dehydrator. Wash and dry and place on a baking sheet in a single layer.  Bake at the lowest temperature 180 degrees for 1-2 hours.  Check for dryness and store in airtight containers.

 

               Microwave drying will vary by microwave brand and how many herbs you are drying at a time.  This can be a little more involved because you will need to check your herbs more often to test when dry and will most likely be working in smaller batches based on the size of the microwave.  You will place the herbs on a microwave-safe plate or paper towel.  Cover with another paper towel and microwave on high until dry. 

 

               If you are like me and want to have a combination of herbs at the ready and in it’s own container look no further than a mixture of Herb de Provence.  This kitchen staple is great for a multitude of dishes and is made up of rosemary, thyme, oregano, savory, marjoram and lavender.  You can also find varieties with fennel seeds as well.  To make this great mix add in 2 tablespoons of each herb except for fennel seeds which is just 1 tablespoon worth.  Mix in a bowl and then store in an airtight container.

               Another great mix to have on hand is Italian seasoning.  The basics in this flavorful mix are basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and marjoram.  Use a one-to-one measure to fill your vessel and close tightly.  Additional herbs you can add to this jar would be sage, fennel, or event garlic powder.  Which can also be made at home.

 

               Herbs are great fresh and dried.  We hope that you will take some of your herbs and dry them for future use.  The more you use the more you will have, especially since they will “shrink” when dried.  Just know that drying herbs is a great way to cut back your herbs to encourage new growth.  We hope you will take the time to save for the future and use what you grow by drying herbs.

2. 
   
   
   
   

In the Garden ~ GMO Tomatoes, Yes or No?

 

The Purple Tomato has deep purple flesh. Traditional breeders have grown tomatoes with purple skin before but not with this tone in the flesh.

Raven Villar/Boise State Public Radio

    How do you feel about genetically modified organisms, or more commonly referred to GMO plants and seeds?  While listening to NPR, National Public Radio, the other day on the way to afternoon school pick up, I heard a story about a new type of tomato that has been modified with snapdragon DNA.  This new purple tomato is the first GMO plant that will be made available to home gardeners. Previously any seeds created as a GMO were only available to commercial growers, so this new tomato variety could be the start of something new for home gardens.

    The purple tomato was developed with snapdragon genes in order to enhance the color and create a plant with "Anthocyanins have been shown to have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects. They're antioxidants, which can help neutralize unstable molecules in the body that can damage healthy cells and are linked with aging and disease."  These new tomatoes have the same amount of anthocyanins as a blueberry or eggplant according to the scientist who developed them.

    It still begs the question on whether or not you would grow or eat this new hybrid of tomato. Do the health benefits out weigh the science behind this new nightshade?  Or will this development go by the way of corn and soybeans in the United States and be thought of as damaging to our land and resources?  Could all these GMO foods be the reason there is a rise in food allergies in the population?  How about an increase in other diseases or cancer?  In the past GMO foods have also been thought to have been seen as having a loss of nutrition.  The new purple tomato is claiming the opposite is true by having more antioxidants than its cousins. 

amblerfarm.org

    These new tomatoes are claiming that their genes have an increase of healthy cells made for human consumption.  One of my favorite tomatoes that we grow are called Cherokee Purple, and they have a nice deep purple colors as well, but not as dark as the modified ones. Those seeds can be found as an heirloom tomato seed, thought to have first originated from the Cherokee Indians in 1890. 

    The question still stands, would you grow new GMO purple tomatoes if given the chance?  Or will you stick with the old stand by of the seeds that you know and love from those that you saved or buy new?  Let us know what will be growing in your garden this Spring and Summer.

Your Garden ~ Happy Plants

 

    Summer is in full swing and if you are like me then that means taking kids to all the places, sports practices, all while still running a business and maintaining the garden.  The recent rain has helped a ton, since then that does not mean I have to water my garden.  But now it's time to keep my plants happy.  

    Last month we talked about fertilizer and what natural ones we use for our garden.  Let me tell you all my plants love the extra treatment we gave them with the coffee grounds, egg shells and banana peel "juice."  That's not all plants need to survive and produce the greatest amount of yield for your family.  No matter if you are container gardening or if you are gardening straight into the ground you plants need some extra TLC so they produce the most "fruit."

    Today I want to focus on tomatoes and squash.  We have so many wonderful tomato plants in our garden this year that I can hardly wait to enjoy the fruit.  I also want to maximize the growth of fruit and have the plant work harder on production than just growing leaves. I give my tomatoes a regular "hair cut," if you will.  I trim off any leaf steams that do not show signs of flowers.  Down by the ground I trim away any stems that have come out right at the base of the stem growth.  From there I make my way up the plant until I have it all trimmed back, so it can focus on fruit production.

    I find this helps the plant focus it's growing and energy on the growth of new fruit that we can later harvest and eat.  I will admit, one of my plants I was a little overzealous and trimmed it back too much and was afraid that it would not produce more fruit.  In the end I lucked out, it created new growth, which produced new flower buds that turned into fruit.  

    Squash plants, while easy to grow and care for can develop a few issues that can reduce the production out of your plant.  Powdery Mildew and squash bugs or vine bores are troublesome but can be delt with efficiently to help with continued growth.  Mildew could be caused by late in the day watering or over crowding of the plants.  Make sure your squash plants have room to grow.  Water in the early morning so that the sun has time to help dry the plant off.  If there is still an issue we use an organic fungicide.  

    Squash bugs and vine bores can a pain to get rid of but not impossible.  If you find that you have some you can easily pick them off your plants and drop them into a bucket with liquid soap and water.  Creating a spray out of the soap and water and misting your plants can help as well.  Duct tape can also capture the bugs and pull them off.  Diatomaceous Earth is another good idea to sprinkle the bugs with DE and it will work its way into their system and they will die shortly after the application.  

    Two ways to prevent the squash bugs from invading your garden would be to cover the plants early so the bugs can not land and lay their eggs.  Examine your leaves and discard any eggs that may have been laid.  You can also use a natural bug repellant, nasturtium.  Nasturtium as a companion plant will help deter squash bugs and you have the advantage of another leafy green to add to salads. 

    If you have vine bores the best way to get rid of them is to squash them right in the vine.  Once you seen that your vines are being disturbed by these pests you can cut open the vine to find the bugs pull them out and squash them or squash them directly inside your plant.  If you choose to cut your vines open be sure to cover the damaged vine with dirt so that the plant will continue to grow.  

    We hope these tips will help keep your garden growing and producing wonderful fruit all summer long.  Until next time, don't forget to water.