Little Herb Gardens: Simple Secrets for Glorious Gardens–Indoors and Out - Book Description
It’s no wonder the best-selling Little Herb Gardens, now with a fresh new cover, has been so popular. Herbs are the instant gratification project of the gardening world, and people love to grow them. This friendly guide to homegrown herbs is perfect for beginners, featuring plans for simple garden projects ranging from outdoor garden beds to window boxes and container gardens. Growing instructions for over 30 herbs are rounded out with ideas for garden planning and maintenance. Tips on harvesting and cooking with nature’s bounty make this charming volume as useful in the kitchen as it is in the garden. With colorful photographs and warm and informative text, Little Herb Gardens is inviting to gardeners, cooks, and herb novices alike.

About the Author
Georgeanne Brennan is a James Beard Award-winning author of numerous cooking and garden books. She lives in Northern California and France. Mimi Leubbermann is the author of a wide range of garden books, including Easy Orchids (0-8118-3553-7). She lives in Northern California. Faith Echtermeyer has created visuals for numerous cookbooks, travel books, and food and wine publications. She lives in California’s Napa Valley.

Catnip is a member of the Mint family, Catnip is an aromatic, strong smelling herb. It has clusters of white or purplish-blue flowers atop toothy, heart shaped leaves with a light gray colored fuzz on the leaf. There is also an uncommon yellow variety. The leaves have a lemon-mint flavor and scent. It is fun to grow for your cats, and for tea for you.

Catnip is a perennial, and grows two to three feet. It is native to North America. In addition to cats, bees are also fond of Catnip. Make sure to leave PLENTY of room to grow catnip - - it will often overcrowd many of your other herbs, flowers or plants.

Grow Catnip plants from seed. Sow seeds into your garden in the spring. Space seedlings or thin plants to 20″ apart.

Catnip thrives in sun or partial shade. They prefer average, well drained soil over rich soils. They grow well with little attention, and will withstand crowding. Fertilizer is not usually required, except in the poorest of soils. We always recommend a little fertilizer at planting time, and a couple of times a year to promote maximum growth.

After the plants have grown a few inches, pinch back the shoots to promote bushy growth. It will first bloom in mid summer. After harvest, trim back the plants again. With luck, you will get three harvests in a season.

Aside from using it to drive your cats kooky - catnip has documented herbal remedy benefits: Used for reducing chickenpox and measle eruptions. Lowers fever. Useful herb for insomnia - even in children. Helps relieve digestive disturbances and stomach flus. This herb has a gentle carminitive action. An infusion is given to children and nursing mothers to help expel trapped gas. It also safely induces sleep without any grogginess the next morning.

Tops of plant are harvested and used as a tea or infusion. Sometimes used in combination with other herbs in tincture form. [Source]

I’ve got the garden planted - now I, like every other gardener, am patiently awaiting harvest time! There is NOTHING better than eating your own home grown vegetables, fresh from your own garden!

Here’s one of my absolute favorite garden recipes:

MARINATED TOMATO AND CUCUMBER SALAD
4 lg. tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 cucumbers, peeled & cubed
1 lg. Vidalia onion, peeled & sliced
1/2 c. olive or salad oil
1/4 c. cider vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. oregano

Put prepared vegetables in large salad bowl. In smaller bowl combine remaining ingredients with wire whip until salt and sugar dissolve. Pour dressing over vegetables and let stand in refrigerator about 1 hour before serving for best flavor.

From the garden: Tomato, cucumber, vidalia onion, oregeno

From the grocery: Sugar, cidar vinegar, salt, olive oil

Man, I cannot wait!

Having an herb garden gives you the extra added benefit of producing tasty home-dried herbs, just like the ones you buy at the store - only at a fraction of the cost! Proper handling is very important in the success of harvesting herbs for use in meals, soups, salads and pasta dishes.

Preparation

Most herbs are at their peak flavor just before flowering, so this is a good time to collect them for drying and storage. To be certain, check drying directions on specific herbs in a reliable reference book. Cut off the herbs early in the morning just after the dew has dried. Cut annuals off at ground level, and perennials about one-third down the main stem, including the side branches.

Wash herbs, with the leaves on the stems, lightly in cold running water to remove any soil, dust, bugs, or other foreign material. Drain thoroughly on absorbent towels or hang plants upside down in the sun until the water evaporates.

Strip leaves off the stalks once plants have drained and dried, leaving only the top 6 inches. Remove all blossoms.

Natural or Air Drying

Herbs must be dried thoroughly before storing. Herbs with high moisturecontent, such as mint and basil, need rapid drying or they will mold. To retain some green leaf coloring, dry in the dark by hanging plants upside down in bunches in paper bags. Hanging leaves down allows essential oils to flow from stems to leaves. Tie whole stems very tightly in small bunches. Individual stems will shrink and fall. Hang in a dark, warm (70o-80oF [21.1o-26.7oC]), well-ventilated, dust-free area. Leaves are ready when they feel dry and crumbly in about 1 to 2 weeks.

Drying Seeds

Seeds take longer to dry than leaves, sometimes as much as 2 weeks for larger seeds. Place seed heads on cloth or paper. When partially dry, rub seeds gently between palms to remove dirt and hulls. Spread clean seed in thin layers on cloth or paper until thoroughly dry.

You also can dry herb seeds by hanging the whole plant upside down inside a paper bag. The bag will catch the seeds as they dry and fall from the pod.

Over Drying

For quick oven drying, take care to prevent loss of flavor, oils, and color. Place leaves or seeds on a cookie sheet or shallow pan not more than 1 inch deep in an open oven at low heat less than 180oF (82.2oC) for about 2 to 4 hours.

Microwave ovens can be used to dry leaves quickly. Place the clean leaves on a paper plate or paper towel. Place the herbs in the oven for 1 to 3 minutes, mixing every 30 seconds.

Silica Gel or Salt Drying

Silica gel or noniodized table salt can be used to dry or “cure” non-hairy leaves. Clean and blot dry leaves before placing them in a tray or shallow pan of the silica gel or salt. After the leaves have dried, approximately 2 to 4 weeks, remove the leaves from the drying material, shake off the excess material, and store them in glass containers. Before using, rinse leaves thoroughly in clear, cold water.

Another method of drying herbs is to remove the leaves from the plants, wash them, and spread them thinly on screens to dry, avoiding exposure to bright light. Cheesecloth makes a good screen material and stretches well.

Freezing Herbs

Herbs also can be frozen. Harvest herbs according to recommendations. Wash them thoroughly and blanch them in boiling, unsalted water for 50 seconds Cool them quickly in ice water and then package and freeze them. Washed fresh dill, chives, and basil can be frozen without blanching.

Storage

When completely dry, the leaves may be screened to a powder or stored whole in airtight containers, such as canning jars with tightly sealed lids.

Seeds should be stored whole and ground as needed. Leaves retain their oil and flavor if stored whole and crushed just before use.

For a few days, it is very important to examine daily the jars in which you have stored dried herbs. If you see any moisture in the jars, remove the herbs and repeat the drying process. Herbs will mold quickly in closed jars if not completely dry.

Once you are sure the herbs are completely dry, place them in the airtight containers, and store them in a cool, dry place away from light. Never use paper or cardboard containers for storage as they will absorb the herbs’ aromatic oils.

Ocimum Basilcum - Warm season annual herb.

Size: Grows 9-18 inches in height, 6-12 inches in width, depending on the plant.

Features: Leaves have distinctive flavor; the perfect complement to nearly any dish containing tomatoes.

Uses: Excellent chopped and sprinkled over fresh tomatoes, salads or pasta dishes.

Needs: Needs full sun. Rich, well-drained soil with ample moisture. Start from seed indoors 6 weeks before your region’s last frost date or buy established platns. Plant outdoors after all danger of frost is past. Can harvest as soon as leaves appear. Trim off flowers to focus plant on producing maximum foilage. Slugs can sometimes be a problem pest.

Choices:Sweet basil has traditional basil flavor. Spicy globe basil is smaller, globe-shaped and has a spicier flavor. Purple-leaved types are available. including “Purple Ruffles” and “Purple Opal” - this basil has a distinctive flavor for Southeast Asian dishes.