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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1979-05-10, Page 35BY BOB liitAM1SRSMA: As food prices increase, the iced to economize our meals and: seasonings be- comes more apparent. This. need can be met partially be establishing a vegetable or herb garden in your backyard , Vegetable gardening has. become tremendously papa - lar in .recent years, but, herb. gardening has lagged: be- hind. This may be due to the misconception that these 'exotic' seasoning plants are Harvest your. ow Once you've discovered that herbs and spices can be used for everything from .'tasty seasonings to fragrant. potpourri, you'll want to keep them on hand. Preserving these versatile plants is easy; according to. the •new Ortho book "The World of Herbs & Spices,''.' if you 'know how to harvest, dry and freeze them. With most "herbs, the proper time to harvest is': sy more difficult to grow. This is. unfortunate because growing; herbs, asa rule, requires no, more than Most vegetables, Generally speaking, herbs grow best' in full sunlight, in 'a protected location, on well- drained, sandy -loam soil, away from competing plants. The plot need not be large - only a few plants are needed' for most home requirements. High, fertility is. not neces- sary, In fact, mpst herbs produce more of the essential 1! HOME & GARDEN 1MFROVEMENTIWEEK OFMAY 7,107 rdens r toils ,needed; for flavor and fragrance, on less: fertile soils. If your wish toferitlize, apply an organic compost',. such as well -rotted manure, to the soil at planting time, Also add a superphosphate fertilizer, at a rate of 0.5 kg per 10 square meters, mixing it thoroughly 'into the top 15 cm of soil. Once the herb garden is growing, it requires only minimum care, The reason. many herb gardensare not as successful as they might and, preserve herbs and spices when flowers arealmost open and the oils are heavily concentrated. Harvest time should :be:.early. in. the morn- ing, after dew drops have disappeared but before hot sunlightbnngs out the oils. The first time around, cut. herbs several inches, above the ground; for the ;second :major harvest, you may snip. all the way down. Flowers should be clipped: for drying or fragrances when they have just opened and are still fresh. Seed heads: should be -cut once they have taken on color but before they have openedand seeds are scatter- ing. Pick a warm, dry day, cut off the entire' heads, or stems, and putthem in .a paper bag. ' Cut herbs ;should be taken out of the sunlight im- mediately after harvesting, separated, and rinsed clean. Then drain them and remove bad leaves or petals. Preserving the herbs you've so carefully har- vested is the next step, and the classic way to save most leaves. seeds, and flowers is. by drying them. To quick -dry herbs, spread them' on a cheese -cloth, covered rack" and bake them in your oven, at its lowest temperature, leaving the oven door' open. To ;:keep flowers and foliage colorful, bury them in a drying medium like borax. powder or fine-grained. ' builders' sand, acording to directions in the O tho book.. ' Tender herbs 1 ke:.basil., "' fennel, dill and parsley can also be preserved by freezing the leaves orsalt curing— 'packing them downin salt. Simply remove the leaves from, their stems and; place ". .Growing tomatoes in containers is an excellent idea ifyou have: them in a container between' proper sunlight.. The accepted minimum requirement of sun: layers of salt filled to the top. . light for tomato: plants is eight hours. ; • Store in a cool: dark place. o propagate roses' Let :the .100 two leaves remain Set cuttings into damp soil mix be, may be because they have been treated too well. Once planted. herbs require •no fertilizer, very little water, no spraying, and only an occasional weeding, To over- winter hardy perennial herbs: mulch with straw to protect the roots.. Some tender perennials, such as Rose- mary; will not survive - the winter outside. These plants should be dug up inthe fall,. plotted and grown inside in a. sunny window for the winter. The leaves and seeds of most herbs contain the flay,. oring, oils. Example of 'leaf herbs include mint, parsley, savory, marjoram, basil, thyme a and rosemary. 'Seed! herbs include anise, dill, caraway. • coriander, and; fennel. Harvest leafy herbs just before. or as the flower buds, open, Collect seed . herbs when the seeds are just ripe. After harvesting, herbs. should be properly dried, to concentrate and preserve the flavoring oils. Seeds can be dried in almost any warm, dry. place. Dry the leaves by hanging bunches of the cut stalks, upside down, ' in, a warm, dry, well -ventilated, preferably dark room. When leaves are dry and crisp, they can be finely ground through a wire mesh. packed in dark glass containers or air -tight tin cans, and stored in a dry place.'away from direct. light. Growing your own, herbs is a very satisfying way of reducing food ; costs, and addingextra flavor to your meals. ;Vllany,cooks like lo:grow their own herbs.** spkes. Harvesting and preserving these plants is easy, according to the oew Ortho ' book, "The, Workt of. Herbs 3c. Spices," With most herbs the proper time to harvest Is when the flowers are almost open and the: oils heavily concentrated.• There are a numbec'of ways to' preserve herbs and spices, the classic. methodbeing to dry them Flavour Vinegars. yourself . One pleasureable thing vinegar, Leave it for five or'�' you cando with herbs: and six weeks to develop flavor. spices is create your own;,ri- Then strain the vinegar into .vate collection of flavored clean bottles, or leave fresh vinegars. herb twigs in'for show. Colorful and varied vin- , egars in interesting bottles You can use any store bought vinegar—white, ' are a visual asset to kitchen cider or malt. White shelves as well as .tasty addi- wine, • dons to salads and other vinegar will let the flavor of dishes. Pretty bottles with a the herb or spice shine through. Other vinegars -dd sprig of herb immersed in the vinegar make: welcome gifts. their own characteristics, to the end product. The flavoring' procedure .is • simple, according to Ortho's If you want flavored vim.. '. new book ""The` World of egar in a hurry, bring the vin Herbs & :Spices: • Just add four ounces fresh herb or spice, or. two ounces of dried, to each quart ofcold. egar andspices to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Pour into bottles and cap. It's ready to use. Pull off lower , leaves, being. 'careful..' not to ;.' damage buds Seal in a plastic bag -until new shoots appear–r in about 5to8 �'► weeks f • Transplant to a pot or planter, or its own place in your rose garden.