Celebrating Herbal Vinegar
June 25, 2010
June 16th was National Vinegar Day.
I thought that was a great excuse to write about making herbal vinegars. They can only be done with fresh ingredients and this is the perfect time of year to use fresh herbs and make something that you can use now or save for winter when you want a fresh taste.Herbal Vinegar is the simplest and best way to capture the flavor of fresh herbs.
Create herbal vinegar by harvesting and washing a fist full of fresh herbs. Choose your favorite, but Basils, especially colored basil, thyme, lemon herbs and chives all make great tasting vinegar.Lay the herbs out to air dry after washing.Once they are dry place them in a glass jar and bruise them with the handle of a wooden spoon. Cover them with distilled white or white wine vinegar that you have warmed in the microwave on high for about 2 minutes. Seal the jar with a non-reactive (plastic) lid and let sit for at least two weeks shaking daily.
Strain and rebottle the herbs and use to make your favorite marinade or dressing.
Try this example:
Lemon-Basil Marinade
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basil, chives, cucumbers, dressing, herbal vinegar, lemon, preserving herbs, thyme
Posted at: 06:04 PM | 1 Comment | Add Comment | Permalink
New Lemon herb plants to try!
April 20, 2010
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!
Tags:
backyard patch, geranium, herb, lemon, lemon herbs, thyme
Posted at: 11:14 AM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
More Lemon Herb Recipes
May 27, 2008
This is the classic Lemon Bar recipe with an herbal twist! I love to serve this with lemon hot or cold teas!
Lemon Bar Cookies -- Yield 48 squares - 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 ½ cups sifted flour
- 1 cup margarine, softened
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ½ tsp lemon balm
- 3 Tbls. Fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbls. Flour
- ¼ cup confectioners sugar
- ½ tsp finely crumbled lemon balm
Mix ½ cup confectioners sugar, 1 ½ cups flour, ½ tsp lemon balm and margarine in mixer bowl; mix well. Spread in 10 x 15 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until light brown. Blend eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and 1 Tbls flour in bowl. Pour over baked layer. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until set. Sprinkle with ¼ cup confectioners sugar mixes with 1/2 tsp. finely crumbled lemon balm while warm. Cool, cut into squares.
Tags:
lemon, lemon balm, recipe
Posted at: 04:22 PM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
Cooking with Lemon Herbs
May 23, 2008
A number of weeks ago I posted descriptions of my favorite Lemon Herbs. Now that I have gotten you interested in lemon herbs, how about some recipes with the same flavors. I have collected thousands and thousands of recipes in the last 20 years. With my husband taking up cooking as a hobby, we are getting to taste test more and more. I am still partial to a recipe with lemon in it and have hundreds to share. Over the next few posts I’ll give you a number of them to try. Lemon Chicken (Only about 100 have this title) 8 boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup milk (enough to soak chicken)
1 cup bread crumbs seasoned with Italian seasoning (you can also buy Italian Bread crumbs)
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Olive oil to brown chicken
1 cup wine
1 cup chicken broth
¼ cup lemon juice
1 lemon sliced thin
1 tsp to 1 Tbls. mixed lemon herbs (lemon basil, lemon balm, lemon thyme are perfect)
Salt & pepper
Soak chicken in milk for 10 minutes. While waiting, mix bread crumbs and cheese together. ...
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chicken, herbs, lemon, recipes
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Gardening with Lemon Herbs -- Lemon Gem and Tangerine Gem Marigolds
February 29, 2008
I first discovered this plant at FOPCON (Freinds of the Oak Park Conservatory) herb sale back in 1990. They are small fragile looking plants, but flower profusely and for a long time. I like the lemon best, but the tangerine are a great traditional orange shade.
Called Signet marigolds (Tagetes tenuifolia) the small, showy, single 5-petaled flowered plant has a pungent lemon or citrus flavor and aroma that is present in the leaves and flowers in the lemon gem and tangerine gem varieties. In the family Tagetes which has few edible varieties, these are a great plant as the ferny foliage releases scent at the slightest touch. In the formal Victorian era they were used as bedding plants, as they are suitable for mass plantings. I grow them as filler in pots with foliage pants as they seem to flower constantly from mid-summer to first frost. Slightly hardier than regular marigold it only grows 6 to 12 inches, but has the same ability to control soil nematodes and other insects making them a great companion plant. They need a long growing season, so if you use seed, it is best to start indoors. ...
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gardening, herbs, lemon, marigods
Posted at: 10:24 AM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
Gardening with Lemon Herbs -- Lemon Scented Geranium
February 28, 2008
I have previously sung the praises of scented geraniums, but it is worth repeating.
Pelargonium plants are in a different family from true geraniums, but they are known commonly as scented geraniums. I love this plant as the variety of colors, leaf shapes and scents is almost limitless. However the lemon-scented varieties are my favorites. These native South African plants grow wild and can reach 10 feet. But in the areas north of Zone 9 they are gown as annuals and fit well in small pots as houseplants. I always bring mine in for the winter, being careful to wash the leaves thoroughly to not bring in whitefly. They prefer a sandy soil. I usually add an extra part of sand to my traditional potting soil mix. (6 parts top soil, 2 parts compost 1 part sand). They can withstand heat and dry conditions so they are a great sunny patio plant. The flowers of these plants are small and relatively insignificant, but the foliage has a rich scent that activates by touch, I always set them near doorways and stairs so you brush against them releasing the scent. As...
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gardening, geraniums, herbs, lemon
Posted at: 10:22 AM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
Gardening with Lemon Herbs -- Mexican Hyssop, Lemon Eucalyptus and Sorrel
February 27, 2008
Three more unusual lemon herbs for you today. These are lovely and worth the experimentation to grow them in your own garden.
Mexican Giant Hyssop (Agastache mexicana) is hardy in zones 7 to 11, so must be grown as an annual in colder climates and started indoors. It can still grow rather tall in just one season. The foliage is lemon-scented and the flowers are edible. The flowers are a reddish purple color and appear on long spikes in mid to late summer. The seeds for this plant are available from Richter's.
Lemon Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus citiodora) is a tropical plant that can actually grow into a tree. It can be grown in a tub like a houseplant and brought in for winter. The lance-shaped leaves of this tree smell of lemon. I like it in potpourri. Sandy Mush Herb Nursery carries this hard-to-find plant.
Sorrel (Rumex acetosa or Rumex scutantus) has several other names including garden sorrel or French sorrel. Of the 200 varieties of sorrel in existence, these two are the ones most edible. All sorrels have Oxalic acid giving them a sour taste, but these two varieties...
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eucalyptus, gardening, hyssop, lemon, sorrel
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Gardening with lemon herbs -- Lemon Grass
February 27, 2008
Sorry these are all bunched, I thought I posted them and wnet in to check and they were missing!
Lemon Grass is an architectural as well as culinary herb. The lush tall grass has narrow green leaves with a bluish cast. It can grow up to 6 feet tall in the right conditions (in the Midwest don't expect more than 3 feet). It has a sweet lemony perfume and flavor and is a common additive to Thai dishes. There are actually two version to choose from Cymbopogon flexuosus (East Indian lemongrass) and Cymbopagon citratus (West Indian lemongrass). Lemongrass should be grown as a tender perennial. You can bring it in in a pot to winter over, but I usually grow it in a raised bed and harvest the entire plant before frost and use or dry it. The base of each stem of C. Citratus is fleshy like a scallion, so I remove the heart to cook with. It can keep in the refrigerator for up to a month or be frozen. The grassy portion dries very well and can be cut with scissors once dry. The plant, as I mentioned,...
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gardening, herbs, lemon, lemon grass
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Gardening with lemon Herbs -- Lemon Bee Balm and Lemon Catmint
February 27, 2008
Lemon Bee Balm (Monarda citiodora) also known as Lemon Bergamot, like its cousin Bee Balm has similar whorls of trumpet-shaped flowers but they are lavender rather than rich red. It is easy to start from seed and grows as a full-sun annual. It will self seed, so may believe it is a perennial. It needs good air flow because like all Monarda varieties it is susceptible to powdery mildew. Also they should not be watered from above because moist leaves encourage the mildew. It attracts bees and butterflies and even humming birds, has a bushy round shape and lightly lemon scented leaves. The young leaves are great in salads and stuffing as well as a tea. Native to the Southwest United States, it was originally used by the Hopi People to flavor game and as a tea.
Lemon Catmint (Nepeta cataria 'Citriodora') is a perennial catmint (catnip) with a lemon fragrance. The foliage is a downy green-gray and can get up to 2 feet tall in full sun or part-shade. It grows in zone 3 to 9 and is a member of the mint family. You can always...
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bee balm, catnip, gardening, lemon
Posted at: 10:08 AM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
Gardening with Lemon Herbs -- Lemon Basil
February 22, 2008
In the realm of cooking herbs you cannot forget to grow Lemon Basil (Ocimum basilicum). A cousin of Sweet Basil and Purple Basil it is an annual and does need full-sun and rich drained soil. I grow this from seed and I prefer the varieties I can get from Seeds of Change and Shepherd's Garden Seeds. With a compact habit and a smaller leaf size than main basil varieties, lemon basil is a bit more touchy. It will wilt if it gets too dry, so although the size is great in containers, place them in a slightly shaded area so they don't dry out on hot days. Like all basils you need to keep the flowers at bay if you want the most flavorful leaves. And in cooking this herb is a great addition. Not only good in salads and teas, you can use it to replace regular basil in any favorite recipe for an entirely new taste. Imagine a hint of lemon in your pesto. It is also great in a bit of vinegar and oil as a salad dressing with lots of flavor but little extra. A couple of...
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gardeining, herb, lemon, lemon basil
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Gardening with Lemon Herbs - Lemon Verbena
February 21, 2008
As I mentioned previously I cannot garden without lemon herbs. In the last 12 years I have gone from a few of the most common lemon herbs to several usual and exotic herbs with a lemon twist. The first of these out of the ordinary lemon plants is Lemon Verbena (Aloysia triphylla). This is a plant native to the sub-tropical regions of South America including Argentina and Chile. My favorite experience with it was in an arboretum in Guatemala where the plants grew 6 to 7 feet tall covered with those fragrant pinnate leaves. It is a woody plant so falls into the shrub category, but is more like a deciduous tree as it loses its leaves in the fall when the days shorten. Although it can grow up to 5 feet that requires a frost free environment, in colder areas you have to grow it in a pot or assume it is a tender perennial and treat it like an annual. I grow them in containers and bring in in winter because they are slow growers. It prefers a loose, sandy soil and must not be kept in standing water....
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gardening, herb, lemon, lemon verbena
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Gardening with Lemon herbs - Lemon Balm
February 20, 2008
I enjoy and love lemon herbs. In my research and experimentation I have located about 15 different lemon herb plants that I enjoy growing and using. I thought I would share a few tips and varieties of these favorites with you. The first is Lemon Balm (Melissa Officinalis) in the mint family it is easy to grow in Zone 5 to 9 requires an average soil and can grow in full sun to partial shade. It is vigorous, can grow from seed and is perfect for areas where other things won't grow. Unlike other mints it will grow more from seed than from root, so cutting the flower heads is important. Its uses are infinite. It is a great tea herb which I use extensively. Its mild lemon flavor shaded with mint is excellent in marinades for chicken and fish. The best flavor is fresh, although it can be dried and frozen. You do lose some flavor in the drying process, so for most people freezing is the best preservation method. Varieties to try are Melissa officinalis 'Aurea' a somewhat shorter species only 12 to 15 inches with golden leaves...
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gardeining, herb, lemon, lemon balm, seeds
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Winter garden planning - scented geraniums
January 30, 2008
My husband Chas and I have been designing our perfect home for several years now. To get me in the mood for garden planning each winter I drag out the plans I have been working on for that house. It iwill have three different garden areas. My favorite is a scent garden that will be tucked in between our front entrance and our side entrance in a small u-shape alcove. Because the house will face west the area will have good sunlight. And since it will be walked through or past by all of our guests, I decided on a scent-strong herbs and flowers to populate the space. Roses, of course in the shelter of the house for winter protection and thyme on the pathways will be paired with among many others, scented geraniums in containers. My favorite place to get scented gernaiums (Pelargonium - not to be confused with regular geraniums) is Shady Acres in Elburn, IL. Those who know scented geraniums also know that in the midwest most of the quality stock originates from Shady Acres, so I just buy from the source. It is a beautiful drive in the country to their conservatory-like greenhouse out on Route 47. ...
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lemon, scented geraniums, thyme
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