Tips for using the basil you’ve grown with love Story and Photos by Rebecca Stoner Kirts basilbecky.blogspot.com I think June is the best month for gardening. The gardens are looking their best, the weather is perfect, and all is good. But for me, the best thing about June is basil (Ocimum basilicum). Of all the …
Prima donnas of the tropical garden Story and Photos by Karinluise Calasant I am a sucker for heliconias. It seems every year I cannot resist adding one, or two, of these bold, colorful, but elusive, members of the Zingiberales order to an already burgeoning garden. These cousins of gingers and bananas are the prima donnas …
The basics of harvesting and preserving herbs Story and Photos by Rebecca Stoner Kirts Fall is one of my favorite times in the herb garden. It is the time to gather the fruits of your labor so you can enjoy these amazing plants all winter long. Many years ago, I was visiting one of my …
Invite the mints into your herb garden Story by Kristi Cook Of all the herbs one can grow, the mints (Mentha spp.) are perhaps the easiest and most prolific. Enticing names like chocolate mint, pineapple mint, ginger mint, and peppermint, make many of us unwitting “collectors,” filling our already overflowing gardens with each new flavor …
Spicy herb or an herbal spice? Story and Photos by A.J. Heinsz-Bailey Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) starts life as a green rosette of fragrant, tasty leaves and with the arrival of warm weather, sends up slender, two-foot-tall stems with tiny white flowers that produce tasty seeds that we know as the spice called coriander. Cilantro is …
Creating a bee-friendly herbal oasis Story by Brenda Lynn An herb garden is an oasis of scents, textures, and flavors that add just the right zing to summer meals. But we aren’t the only ones who enjoy a burst of flavor on a hot summer day. Honeybees and other pollinators are drawn to the delicious …
Grow your own basil in the home garden By A.J. Heinsz-Bailey One of the most revered flavors of the summer herb garden is the annual herb basil (Ocimum basilicum). When one thinks of basil, the first thought that usually comes to mind is traditional Italian pesto. Basil has also been used in African, Asian, and …
The importance of mineral content and soil fertility in food nutrition Story and Photography by Yvonne Lelong Bordelon “The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1937 The old adage, “You are what you eat” is certainly true for humans, as well as plants. Recent research has shown that fruits and …
Papalo is a bold herb that loves the heat Story and Photography by Cindy Shapton Tired of running out to the garden to get some fresh cilantro for your salsa only to find it has bolted in the heat of summer? You may want to plant papalo (PAH-pa-low) next spring. Referred to as summer cilantro, …
