Growing Herbs
Growing SavorySavory is best grown from seed and cuttings. It grows well in sandy loam soils with a pH balance of 6.8. Savory likes full sun, so plan your herb garden accordingly.
Summer savory is a bushy annual with finely haired stems. There are about 30 species of savory, but summer and winter are the best known. The savory plant is highly aromatic. It's woody at the base and forms a compact bush about 1 to 1 1/2 feet in height. Leaves are soft and linear, and about 1 inch long. They are grayish, turning purple in late summer. Savory flowers in mid-July, with white or pale pink 1/4-inch blooms grouped in terminal spikes. TIP: Karen adds, "Summer Savory readily self-seeds and can come back year after year. Allow a few flowers to go to seed in your garden and you will be rewarded with more summer savory the following season." Savory seed germinate quickly. Planting in flats at a depth of 1/8-inch and then transplanting the seedlings after all danger of frost works best. Space about 10 inches apart and keep the plants well-watered for optimum growth. TIP: Karen advises, "Seeds require some light for germination, so be sure not to cover them deeply with soil." Harvesting and Storage You can begin to take savory as soon as plants reach 6 inches in height. Keeping the plant pruned back insures continued harvest. When they insist on flowering, cut the whole plant and put it on a screen or paper in a warm shady place. When dry, strip the leaves and store them in airtight jars or tins. When the seed begins to turn brown, harvest them for next year's planting. TIP: Karen suggests, "To speed the drying time of herbs, try chopping into small pieces and laying them on a screen. Once they are dry, put them in an airtight container and save for later use." |
Hyssop Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis, Linn.), a perennial evergreen undershrub of the Labiate, native of the Mediterranean region. Though well known in ancient times, this plant is probably not the one known as hyssop in Biblical writings. According to the Standard Dictionary the Biblical "hyssop" is "an unidentified plant ... thought by some to have been a species of marjoram (Origanum maru); by others, the caper-bush (Capparis spinosa); and by the author of the 'History of Bible Plants,' to have been the name of any common article in the form of a brush or a broom." In ancient and medieval times hyssop was grown for its fancied medicinal qualities, for ornament and for cookery. Except for ornament, it is now very little cultivated. Occasionally it is found growing wild in other than Mediterranean countries.
Description. --—The smooth, simple stems, which grow about 2 feet tall, bear lanceolate-linear, entire leaves and small clusters of usually blue, though sometimes pink or white flowers, crowded in terminal spikes. The small, brown, glistening three-angled seeds, which have a little white hilum near their apices, retain their viability three years. Leaves, stems and flowers possess a highly aromatic odor and a hot, bitter flavor. Cultivation. --—Hyssop succeeds best in rather warm, limy soil. It may be readily propagated by division, cuttings, and seed. In cold climates the last way is the most common. Seed is sown in early spring, either in a cold frame or in the open ground, and the seedlings transplanted in early summer. Even where the plants survive the winters, it is advisable to renew them every three or four years. When grown in too rich soil, the growth will be very lush and will lack aroma. Plants should stand not closer than 6 inches in the rows, which should be at least 18 inches apart. They do best in partial shade. Uses. --—Hyssop has almost entirely disappeared from culinary practice because it is too strong-flavored. Its tender leaves and shoots are, however, occasionally added to salads, to supply a bitter taste. The colorless oil distilled from the leaves has a peculiar odor and an acrid, camphor scent taste. Upon contact with the air, it turns yellow and changes to a resin. From 400 to 500 pounds of the fresh plant yield a pound of oil. The oil is used to some extent in the preparation of toilet articles. |
Mint
What do you do with all those mint leaves you harvest each year?
When you see the varieties of mint it becomes apparent how they developed and were cultivated over time. Lemon, orange, lime, pineapple mints are just the tip of the iceberg. Basically, all mints derived from the basic spearmint or peppermint plants and over time certain characteristics of the plants were culled for flavor and fragrance. The biggest user of mint oil is Wrigley's, the gum company.
Mint, the well-known mouth and breath freshener that is scientifically known as Mentha, has more than two dozen species and hundreds of varieties. It is an herb that has been used for hundreds of years for its remarkable medicinal properties. The market is full of products like toothpaste, chewing gum, breath fresheners, candy and inhalers which have mint as their base element. Most of us are familiar with the refreshing application of mint, but it has far more to offer than that.
When you see the varieties of mint it becomes apparent how they developed and were cultivated over time. Lemon, orange, lime, pineapple mints are just the tip of the iceberg. Basically, all mints derived from the basic spearmint or peppermint plants and over time certain characteristics of the plants were culled for flavor and fragrance. The biggest user of mint oil is Wrigley's, the gum company.
Mint, the well-known mouth and breath freshener that is scientifically known as Mentha, has more than two dozen species and hundreds of varieties. It is an herb that has been used for hundreds of years for its remarkable medicinal properties. The market is full of products like toothpaste, chewing gum, breath fresheners, candy and inhalers which have mint as their base element. Most of us are familiar with the refreshing application of mint, but it has far more to offer than that.