What's growing in the garden & cooking~Calendula, chamomile, etc.

[Guest guest]

Hi all:

Hope your gardening year is going gang busters! Ours is doing well. Having a

the best year yet with calendula and German chamomile. Those are infusing in

oil, getting ready to begin more. Not crazy about chamomile tea, but I have

some extract going. Love the smell, not the taste of the tea. Funny story,

had planted bunches of German Chamomile, but it had not broke ground. Found

some lovely large plants at a local nursery and bought 4 more. Came home to

find the seed had broke ground like gang busters! <grin> Isn't that always the

way?

 

Having a bumper crop of Calendula this year too. Absolutely Lovely! In a

pastel of yellows and oranges. Was reading this morning in a European Herbal

that the golden yellow is the most preferable...Hmmmmm Have already began

letting some go to seed for next year. Some look like lion's heads they have so

many rows of petals. Others have a single row of a deep orange or a double row

of orange, or triple, but some have many rows of petals and in that desirable

golden yellow. Have found if you are very careful, you can support the head of

the bloom, pull out the petals and leave the center to make seed. Whoopee!

 

Someone asked how and at what stage to infused the petals recently. Preferably,

the fresh petal is done from all I've read. You lose a bit when you use a dried

petal in the essential oils. We use only the petals. Boy! Are they sticky when

fresh! Love it!

 

Picking Mullein flowers daily & adding them to EVOO from some wildcrafted plants

that were transferred to our gardens. Five of 7 plants made the move. Have

found a few one year plants that will make the move soon. Hate waiting for 2

years for those suckers to make flowers! Impatient I am and freely admit it.

giggles

 

Hubby built us 3 new raised beds and here's what we have going: Rosemary,

Officinalis, not sure if I have any Salem from last year or not, and creeping,

the creeping does well here in the Winter and is great to cook with. Lemon

Thyme, White Horehound, Variegated Sage, Tarragon, tarragon, and more tarragon,

long story on the tarragon, Mint~ Apple, pineapple, peppermint, spearmint,

Comfrey, St. John's Wort~is working, Basil~all kinds, Lemon Verbena, & more

lemon verbena, chives, garlic chives, Cuban oregano, Italian oregano, regular

thyme altho lemon is my favorite, Lemon Balm, Marjoram, a bit of catnip,

helichrysum agustifolium~thank you dear one, and my newest acquisition is

Skullcap, paid out the butt for it, it's doing well altho the folks were slow to

ship and very nasty to deal with, but I'm thrilled to have it! Think hubby

mowed the passion flower before I could move it yesterday. <groan> Can't

remember if there is anything else a going or not.

 

Chris: The Lemon Balm likes a bit of shade, decent dirt and has to be moved

every three years to keep it's medicinal value. Normally it acts like a weed,

but can get stressed and likes plenty of water and protection from the elements.

When mine has too much sun, it can be lighter in color, but stays a great green

when in a bit of shade. It really appreciates rich soil.

 

Good growing to you all!

 

A most fragrant evening to ya,

deb