Earthly Pleasures Herbs and such

03/10/2014

I have an area in my front yard that I plan to experiment with :)

The best vegetables to grow in shade include greens and root crops, and this chart of shade-tolerant vegetables will help you choose what to grow in your shaded garden.

03/10/2014

David Caballero will you please check this out? The solar oven plans are in here :)

Nutritious potting soil will give your seedlings and house plants a good place to grow. You can buy potting soil or make your own. Combine a bit of dirt, some well aged compost and a handful of sand for good drainage to form an inexpensive and handy planting medium for your new garden seedlings or o...

10/10/2013

It has been a while since I've posted anything. Autumn is here

08/18/2013

At yesterday's market I was asked about the nutrition of nasturtium flowers. I had to admit I didn't know. It had not occurred to me to look it up until then :) So thank you Lisa, my new friend, for asking me such a great question!

In doing some research this morning I found an awesome website devoted to everything you could possibly want to know about nasturtiums and then some: http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2012/stipan_sama/index.htm

The nasturtium is truly a wonderful plant. It has been extremely successful as an organism. It has exceeded its original boundaries and not only survives but thrives all around the world. It originated in Peru and since the 1600's it has traveled across both Americas, Europe, and found its way over…

08/13/2013

Stop by and see me this Thursday (Aug 15) at the Fed Center from 11a until 1p and in Edgewater at 25th and Chase from 5p until 8p. I will have plants (basil, lovage, tomato, chile, and lemon balm), fresh cut basil, mint, oregano, thyme, catnip, and edible flowers! Sprouts and sprouting kits too :) I hope to see you there!

06/16/2013

The Herb Society of America is featuring Basil as their herb of the month for June 2013! Click here for their PDF guide about basil including information on the chemistry, nutrition, history and folklore of this useful herb:http://www.herbsociety.org/factsheets/Basil%20Guide.pdf

For example, did you know that basil was believed to cause the “spontaneous generation of scorpions and to cause scorpions to grow in the brain”? Considering all the basil I grow, I am really glad that this isn’t true!

At our farmers market stand we have been selling a lot of basil plants. In fact, we only have about five mature plants left! But don’t worry if you missed out on the first round… We have many basil babies started and will have several varieties to choose from again very soon (as well as fresh-cut). In the meantime here is a yummy recipe for mango - basil popsicles to try now that the heat is coming on:

Mango-Basil Popsicles*
Ingredients:
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
• 2 ripe mangos, peeled and cubed (about 2 ½ cups)
Directions:
1.) Bring sugar and water to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring constantly.
2.) Remove from heat, add basil, cover, and set aside for 15 minutes.
3.) Strain basil and refrigerate syrup until well-chilled.
4.) In blender, puree mango, slowly adding syrup, until mixture is very smooth.
5.) Freeze in popsicle molds or ice cube trays covered with saran wrap (you can poke toothpicks through the saran wrap for popsicle sticks.
*Adapted from the Cooking Channel website: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/mango-basil-freeze-pops-recipe/index.html

06/14/2013

Excited to have you join my new page for Earthly Pleasures Herbs and such!
:-)