Herbs - Spice up your summer.
Fresh picked herbs add a special zing to summer teas and salads, so don’t forget to include them in your home garden. Herbs love full sun, require little care and are not fussy about their growing conditions. So pick a sunny site and start planting herbs this year. They are packed with minerals and vitamins for added health benefits and some even have medicinal value. Herb plants are plentiful at your local greenhouse and will save you some time raising them but herbs can be just as easily grown from seed and much less expensively.
It’s time to get those hands dirty so while you are gardening this year, plant a variety of herbs for herbal tea. No tea garden would be complete without mints; peppermint, applemint, and spearmint being the most common herbs. Choose an area in your yard that accommodate their rambling nature, or contain the herbs in plastic pots with the bottoms cut out and imbed it in the ground. You can also plant chamomile and catnip for a wonderfully relaxing brew and lemon balm for added flavor.
Mint and lemon are two other flavors that combine well with lavender. Try flavoring rich black tea with mint, lavender and lemon for a refreshing drink on these hot days of Indian summer. With lavender’s bright color, sweet perfume, and tiny shape, it is fun to use as a garnish on salads, entrees, or sprinkled in combination with other blossoms.
Get creative with summer salads. Borage plants have a cucumber like taste. The young leaves are rich in minerals and it also serves as an adrenal tonic. Chervil, some may associate with parsley, but it is actually a member of the carrot family. Chervil goes to seed quickly in the heat, and in fact, unlike most other culinary herbs, prefers a cool, moist and shaded location. The tender young leaves have been used in spring tonics and combined with dandelion and watercress, were thought to rejuvenate the body.
Now dandelion is one of the herbs you will never have to plant. Most lawns seem to come standard with them. But before you spread out the weed killer, chop off the young leaves and add them to your salad. They have a slightly bitter taste but are packed with vitamins A and C. Dandelion is also a diuretic and will help you shed excess water weight.
Parsley can be added to your salad for flavor. It is also good for digestion or inflammatory conditions.
Lemon balm works just as nicely in salads as it does tea. It has a nice lemony aroma and will cut down on using vinegar and lemon juice.
Salad Burnet, the name tells you what it is most often used for. The tender, young leaves have the best flavor, but tend to get bitter as they mature. Picked whole and sprinkled on salads they add a refreshing spice.
Mustard is also good for your health, being high in magnesium which regulates cholesterol and blood sugar levels. The greens are also quite high in vitamin A and C, for warding off infections. It also aids in digestion and stimulates the appetite, so bon appetit!
For more information about raising herbs contact your local greenhouse or nursery.