Date: 11:28 pm Fri Apr 12, 1996 Number : 43 of 100 From: Galen Starwalker Base : [PODS] Herbal Tips & Tricks To : All Refer #: None Subj: Culinary Herbs 01 Replies: None Stat: Sent Origin : 11 Apr 96 23:36:00 Archive-name: culinary-herbs/part1 CONTENTS 1 Introduction . 1.1 Contributors . 1.2 Wishlist 2 Herbs: gardening / harvesting / using them 2.x This is the structure of the herb entries: 2.x.1 Growing ___ 2 x 2 Harvesting ___ 2.x.3 Using / preserving ___ 2.x.4 Which ___ do you have? And these are the herbs so far: . 2.1 Basil . 2.2 Curry plant / Curry leaf . 2.3 Sage . 2.4 Chives . 2.5 Saffron . 2.6 Zucchini flowers . 2.7 Chamomile * 2.8 Coriander/Cilantro - CHANGED - a bit only . 2.9 The mints . 2.10 Feverfew and Pyrethrum * 2.11 Tarragon - CHANGED - a bit only . 2.12 Nasturtiums . 2.13 Dill . 2.14 Rosemary . 2.15 Lavender . 2.16 Lemon balm . 2.17 Garlic . 2.18 Thyme * 2.19 Lemon grass - CHANGED . 2.20 Horseradish . 2.21 Fennel . 2.22 Anise Hyssop . 2.23 Parsley . 2.24 Monarda or Bee Balm * 2.25 Ginger - CHANGED - a bit only . 2.26 Anise . 2.27 Borage . 2.28 Horehound . 2.29 Marjoram and oregano . 2.30 Caraway * 2.31 Catnip - CHANGED - added a hilarious story on how to grow it (whew!) 3 Gardening . 3.1 Herbs for ground cover . 3.2 Herbs you can't get rid of (= easy gardening) . 3.3 Tall herbs . 3.4 Herbs for shade . 3.5 Growing herbs indoors . 3.6 Growing herbs from cuttings . 3.7 Warning signs of soil nutrient deficiencies 4 Processing herbs . 4.1 Herb vinegars . 4.2 Herb oil . 4.3 Drying your herbs . 4.4 Freezing your herbs . 4.5 Fresh or dry? (Nothing yet) . 4.6 Jelly, syrup and other sweet stuff . 4.6.1 Flower / herb jelly . 4.6.2 Flower / herb syrup . 4.6.3 Miscellanious sweet stuff . 4.7 Potpourris and other uses for dried herbs / flowers . 4.7.1 Stovetop potpourri . 4.7.2 Dry potpourri . 4.7.3 Drying flowers whole for potpourri . 4.7.4 Bath salts . 4.8 Beverages . 4.8.1 Wine . 4.8.2 Ginger ale / ginger beer . 4.8.3 Herbal teas . 4.9 Recipes using lots of herbs . 4.9.1 Gazpacho . 4.9.2 Pesto . 4.9.3 Miscellanious . 4.9.4 Spice mixes . 4.9.5 Mustards 5 Sites to see . 5.1 FTP sites . 5.2 WWW pages 2 Herbs: growing, harvesting, using/preserving, and checking which you've really got Repeating the structure of the herb entries: 2.x.1 Growing ___ 2.x.2 Harvesting ___ 2.x.3 Using / preserving ___ 2.x.4 Which ___ do you have? 2.1 Basil ----- Latin name: Ocimum basilicum, other Ocimum species. ===== 2.1.1 Growing basil ----- Basil loves the sun and hates the cold & wind. If it drops below 50 degrees at night, the leaves will yellow. When it warms up the new growth will be green. If it doesn't get enough sun and stays in damp soil too long, it will eventually die. The wind will bruise the leaves. So will rough handling. Again, the new growth will be fine. Very important to harden basil plants. Transplant shock may kill them. Set the pots outside for 3-5 days (watch the night temps) before transplanting. I use compost and occasionally organic fertilizer. Never had any bug problems. A few caterpillars and rabbits, but there was plenty for everyone in my patch. ----- I believe it is better to not transplant basil, i.e., it is better to put seeds in the ground where you want it, when it is warm enough for them to grow. They will quickly outstrip the transplants however carefully they have been grown and hardened. Yes, they do tend not to attract many bugs which is a surprise given their good taste. ----- I am addicted to basil, really love it, even the smell is wonderful. I have 10 basil plants in my greenhouse at the moment, and two in the kitchen for chucking into salad etc. You only need a couple of large handfuls of leaves for a jar of pesto, so a couple of plants would do it. If you sow a few seeds at 2 weekly intervals, you should have a constant supply. ----- There are several different varieties of basil. Mammoth basil has very large leaves, although the leaves are somewhat savoyed (wrinkled). I've had good luck with Genovese basil, which I get from Johnny's Selected Seeds. No particular soil preparation, just normal garden soil, fertilized every other year, limed as necessary (determined by pH test). I put in about 600 plants and I always lose a dozen or so to cutworms, critters etc., but it's not a big problem. I plant marigolds nearby since the japanese beetles seem to like them and they keep the beetles off the basil plants. ----- There is a caterpillar that seems often to like basil that lives under the surface of the earth during the day. Gently disturb the top quarter or half inch of dirt in a circle around the plant going out about four inches or so and look for a dark gray circle about half to three quarters of an inch in diameter that usually stays that way and sometimes opens up to get away (depending on how deep a sleep it is in I guess :-)). If you find it, squash it and hope. The only other predator I can see that would do what you have is a lot of slugs so you would likely see them anyway. They can be taken care of by all the standard beer, diatomaceous earth, etc. methods in addition to hand picking. There are few joys as great as finding one of those blasted caterpillars in the ground after they have been eating your food, let me tell you. basil wilting in the sun? Probably this is due to not enough water **and or possibly resulting from** not enough room for the plants. If the plants are root-bound it really will hardly matter how much you are watering them, since the pot would presumably be too small to hold much water, the plant would keep drying out, and also the roots probably get no nutrients. Give them some plant food, and think about finding them more room, if this is the problem. ----- Here in Southern California, (Pasadena) our sweet Basil that "was" in full sun started wilting one after the other. Every couple of days, another one wilted. The sweet Basil we planted in part-shade (Morning shade, afternoon full sun) is thriving, and the plants are giant. They make great pesto. On the other hand, we have some purple Basil which is also in full sun, and it is completely unaffected by the heat. All plants are getting really big, despite frequent pinching. All plants get plenty of water, and the dirt around the dying plants was plenty moist. The instructions on seed packets are simply not meant for folks in the Southwest. Sweet basil is heat intolerant. It will do great in full sun if the temperatures don't exeed 85-90 degrees on average. Any hotter, and it starts wilting in full sun. ----- > have basil in pot; can I plant it outside? You sure can move your potted basil into the ground. Just cut it back a bit first and try to move it with as much soil intact as possible. Basil loves full sun, so pick a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sun daily. ----- > saw some basil for sale with huge healthy green leaves that put mine > to shame. From: wolf@gaia.caltech.edu (Wolf) The guys who have these giant sweet basil plants feed them with Urea. Seems to do the trick. Also, sweet basil doesn't like it too hot, and likes to have moist soil. Make sure you pinch off any flowers before they go to seed. If you follow these guidelines, you should get giant plants. ----- > ...no basil sprouting - too wet for the last three weeks? Basil seeds will not germinate when they are constantly wet. I started mine in flats protected from the winter rains here on Maui. Once transplanted to the field, they did fine. ===== --- DB 1.58/003790 * Origin: The Rain Forest * Denver,CO * (93:9083/4)