If you have been following this blog, please note we have moved our blog to a more public location. You can access our almost daily postings at www.backyardpatch.blogspot.com Wednesday we post the herb of the week, every other Tuesday we post a HOW TO, and in between we share recipes, growing tips and ideas. Check it out!
I love herbs and cooking with herbs.I can spend hours in the herb room blending and mixing to create just the right flavor combination. Cooking with herbs is not the difficult or dangerous activity many people believe it is, in fact using them everyday is as easy and having a properly filled cabinet. Through the years I have made and marketed more than 100 different herbal blends and I am always looking for a new way to promote the use of herbs in everyday cooking.
Sunday will be National More Herbs, Less Salt Day. In honor of this special day here are a few herbal salt substitutes you can create to use on this auspicious day!
The good news is, using less salt helps with cholesterol and blood pressure lowering as well as reducing water retention and can in many ways improve your skin. So why not try these flavor-filled treats and help yourself at the same time. Tomorrow I will give you a few recipes to go with these blends.
Oniony Salt Substitute
(Onion gives you the taste you are looking for without the salt so you can fool your taste buds)
I am always amazed at the new things I learn while stumbling through my regular day.I subscribe to a couple of internet groups and visit a number of herb related blogs and today I saw Peaches listed two different places as an herb.I thought that was odd so I investigated this is what I discovered:
Peach is indeed an herb, mostly because if you use it for medicinal purposes you are using the leaves and bark.It is actually quite good for you and the bark and leaves of a peach tree can be a great addition to your natural first-aid kit.
On one website that lists references back to some of the original 16th century herbals I located this:“Culpepper informs us that a powder of the leaves 'strewed on fresh bleeding wounds stayeth their bleeding and closeth them.' “
Medicinal uses from various sources:
The leaves, bark, flowers and kernels have medicinal virtue. Both the leaves and bark are still employed for their curative powers. They have demulcent, sedative, diuretic and expectorant action. An infusion of 1/2 OZ. of the bark or 1 OZ. of the dried leaves... [More]
I love home-made bread and our farmers market features two different bread vendors so I can get my fill.However, I also like to make bread at home, but I don’t always have the time (and this time of year who wants to turn on the oven), so I found a quick solution.I use my Crockpot.This is an unusual way to make bread, but it is so easy and you can use any combination of herbs to craft if.
MATERIALS:
1 Tbls. Yeast
¼ cup warm water
½ cup warm milk
1/3 cup quick-cook oats
1 ½ Tbls. olive oil
1 ½ Tbls. honey
1 egg
1/8 cup wheat germ
2 tsp fresh minced rosemary (or 1 tsp dried) - you can substitute savory if you grow it!
2 tsp fresh minced thyme (or 1 tsp dried) – try lemon thyme if you have it!
2 tsp fresh dill or parsley (or 1 tsp dried)
1 tsp salt
2 cups wheat flour, plus up to 1/3 cup more
STEPS:
1.Turn your Crockpot to high.Place a riser in the bottom.Two canning jar rims or crumbled aluminum foil will do. Add...
As some readers may know, I work full-time in addition to running my herb business. I grow my herbs on a back acre of a commercial property, so it is not just a quick walk out my back door to pluck or weed herbs. As a result I have carefully prepared the soil in my 3/4 acre herb garden so that weeding is a task, not a chore. I maintain this unattended garden by mulching. Since I cannot water this garden with anything other than mother nature's rain, I also use the mulch to hold moisture.
For me mulching is part of the annual ritual, but when I started I spent a couple years augmenting the soil by tilling in compost and sand. I worked these down into the soil before any planting was done, and did so even around the perennials afterward. This created a very loamy and soft soil, so pulling the weeds that sprout is not difficult. Just doing this cuts weeding time by half. If you don't have to struggle to get the weeds out, you can linger over the plants instead.
You should mulch your garden even if it is right outside your back door because mulching...[More]
I found out after the fact that in England there is a week (actually 10 days) called Pickle Week. Among the many things I found searching the website about National Pickle Week was this recipe. I liked it because you make the dishes and the salad. Besides who does not love a salad on a long hot day! Try this one!
Dilly Black Bean Cabbage Salad in Tortilla Baskets
This cabbage salad will stand out from all the others at a potluck picnic. For the baskets: 1 (10-count) package yellow or white corn tortillas ¼ cup olive oil ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika ¼ teaspoon dried dill leaves ¨û teaspoon garlic powder 3 to 4 cups thinly sliced cabbage 1 large carrot, coarsely grated ½ cup thinly sliced red onion 3 Zingers spears, cut into matchsticks 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained ½ cup sour cream ¼ cup pickle juice from jar of Zingers 1 tablespoon sugar ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantroTo make the Tortilla Baskets, warm the tortillas in the microwave for 20 seconds to soften. Use kitchen scissors to cut each tortilla from outer edge just to...[More]
I just learned that May is Salad Month. Salads are popular food when the seasons get warmer. My husband made macaroni salad just yesterday to go with grilled burgers, while I made my dressed up Italian dressing to go on greens.
Here is that recipe that is made with Backyard Patch Italian Dressing & Marinade:
2 small cloves garlic
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp dry mustard
1Tbls onions grated
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup balsalmic vinegar
2 Tbls lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil (evoo)
1/2 cup sun flower or canola oil
2Tbls BYP Italian Dressing Mix
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp parmesan cheese
Directions:
Whisk garkic, sugar, mustard, onion, vinegars and lemon juice in a medium bowl.
Whisk together oil; add to vinegar in a streamm whisking to emulsify.
Whisk in herbsm celery seed, and cheese.
Refrigerate an hour before serving, keeps up to a week.
One of my favorite dressings (no I do not make a mix for this) is Green Goddess Dressing. Jim Long in his book The Best Dressed Salad, included this version along with 174 other dressings.
Last year two new lemony plants were introduced and after trying them. I wanted to recommend them to you.
Try the new ‘Lemon Sculpture’ scented geranium with horizontal branches and tightly curled leaves for a structured, bonsai-like effect. ‘Lemon Sculpture’ can grow up to 3 feet tall, and because it does well in low light, you can use it to add subtle flavor not only to your food, but also to your home. This intriguing geranium will be available exclusively from Richters, www.richters.com.
‘Pink Lemonade’ is a creeping lemon-scented thyme that works beautifully in stone walkways, pavers and as a ground cover. Unlike other compact lemon thymes, this one has delicate pink flowers. Thyme is attractive to bees and butterflies, some of which feed exclusively on thyme varieties. The plant is available from Mountain Valley Growers, www.MountainValleyGrowers.com.
My penchant for lemon herbs forced me to try these last season and I think they are grand! Why don't you check them out. For my list of the top 10 herbs to grow this year visit our NEWSLETTER!
I’ve done blog entries on cleaning with herbs before, but I wanted to do one more with a few very simple recipes you can try easily at home with or without herbs.If you have respiratory issues or skin irritations and inflammations regularly you might want to look into changing to all-natural cleaners.The harsh substances and chemical scents in commercial cleaning agents can bother many people especially children.
Try these easy home-made naturals instead:
Window Cleaner – I have been using herbal vinegar for years to clean my windows and bath.You can make your own window cleaner by filling a 1 quart spray bottle half with water and half with white vinegar.You can use herbal vinegar if you have it.I like to use up the vinegar from last season and make a lemon window cleaner.
All-purpose Cleaner – Good on doors, refrigerators, counter tops and light switch covers.To a 1 quart spray bottle add 2 Tbls. Borax and fill with water.To the top add 1 tsp. castile soap and 15 to 20 drops of essential oil if you enjoy scented cleaners. (Purchase Borax in the grocery store,...
My husband loves herbs.He has to living with me, but he also likes body scents for himself that are not generally sweet and flowery.Many times I have created scents for him using my favorite herbs.I had to give up because what I think is wonderful he thinks is just --okay.Or maybe it reminds him of me and not himself.
I started to pay attention to scents in the body wash he would pick up at the store or the incense he would sniff while shopping for essential oils with me.My husband loves sandalwood.He will walk into an herb or scent shop and gravitate right to it.We have package after package of sandalwood incense, since that is the most common way to find that scent.With that in mind I started to try other similarly strong robust scents that I placed in a potpourri mix I put in his bathroom.I would change it once in a while and wait for a comment.Here are the results:
Lavender is okay for guys, but you need to blend it with other more masculin-rich scents like...
With the help of several herb freinds of mine and some programs I have done int he past I created this list of things you can do to add the aroma and fun of herbs to your holiday! Enjoy
1. Since much of the holidays are spent indoors, it makes sense to use essential oils to diffuse in the air. Not only can your home smell of wonderful aromas such as cinnamon, clove, sweet orange, fir, or even exotic frankincense, you’ll be protecting your family and guests by inhibiting airborne germs that cause many wintertime illnesses. Take it one step further—wipe down countertops with your favorite fragrance and mix.
2. When it’s time for you to open your house to your holiday guests, don’t forget to throw a log or two in the fire. A few drops of an essential oil, such as sandalwood, on each log will impart a lovely atmosphere for guests.
3. Fragrant Sachet Ornaments – cut felt, linen, hemp, or even wrinkled paper ribbon into fun shapes, fill with Rose Petals, Lavender Flowers, Peppermint Leaf, Cinnamon Bark, or Cloves, and sew closed to make fun and fragrant ornaments. If you use paper ribbon you can glue...
