Using Herbs

I have begun to use the medicinal and cooking herbs that I grow more this year than in previous years. I have spent years doing research into the various herbs and what they are used for today. There is a lot of information and dis-information out there regarding what they were used for in times past and what they are thought to do. This type of stuff doesn't interest me. I want documented, tested uses. Wikipedia has been a valuable source of today's recommended usages for just about anything!

My favourite method of using the herbs that I grow is in tea. I like drinking tea, usually with sweetener of some sort. Honey is good and I also used Splenda. I know, it's not that good for you but it is definitely better than aspartame or cylamates!! I did attempt to grow stevia this year from seed. Two sprouted but only one made it into the garden. It has long since disappeared. :-( I think I will buy a stevia plant if I can find one reasonably priced somewhere. Then I will take cuttings from it to grow a garden row of them next spring for drying.

I also, occasionally, make infused oils.

Because I sell a lot of herb seed, I have added a page to this blog that contains information on what each herb is used for, how to recognize them and recipes for using them. You can see the link to it across the top of this page, just under the header picture.

Later this year, I will have seeds for sale for most of these herbs. I do not have borage but will be growing it from seed next year.

Because I have begun to enjoy herbal tea mixes, I usually dry them on screens on the front porch. This works well for most seed, as well. The squash seeds and other seed that the squirells enjoy eating, will dry indoors in a spare room upstairs, although I have not had a problem since Shadow has begun living outside on the porch during the growing season. Shadow is our male cat and great dark hunter (He's really a mama's boy but he likes to pretend).