Growing Moss on Garden Pots

I've already written about my love for repurposing objects like bowls, pots and pans as plant containers. One way to integrate these finds into the garden is to encourage a natural layer of moss to grow on them. This always works best where you have...

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Herbed Tilapia Recipe

This is a fast and easy summer dish. If you'd prefer, you can cook it on the grill instead of in the oven; just coat the fish with a little olive oil and butter, and clean/oil the grill.Baked Tilapia Ingredients6 Tilapia fillets1 tablespoon paprika1...

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Weekend Thoughts

A few thoughts for this warm weekend.How to Treat Mosquito BitesMosquitoes are coming out in force around my house. To help reduce the irritation of a mosquito bite, rub any of these household, garden or medicine cabinet substances on the bite: aloe...

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Lime Balm Tea Recipe

Lime Balm makes a light refreshing tea that will settle your stomach and help you relax. With its natural lime aroma, it's tasty both hot and cold. Although you can find dried lemon balm at your local health food outlet, you might have to get your garden...

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How to Grow Lime Balm

Lime balm (Melissa officinalis ''lime") is a perennial herb that shares many characteristics with its cousin lemon balm. It is as easy to grow but has a distinct limey fragrance.Growing Lime Balm in the GardenLime balm is a half-hardy perennial that...

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Midweek Thoughts

For a wonderful photo of St. Johns Wort, visit Earth and Tree. Hedgewitch has a delightful blog and makes clay jewelry too. Her clay impressions of herb leaves are stunning little gems. I own one myself.If you love to eat what you grow, head over to...

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Make Organic Herbal Shampoo

Making your own organic herbal shampoo is simple and inexpensive. Best of all, you can tailor it to meet your own needs and tastes.Organic Herbal Shampoo RecipeTwo cups of distilled water1 1/2 tsp. Soapwort root*30 drops of essential oilDecorative bottleDirections...

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Make Lemon Furniture Polish

Smarten up your kitchen cabinets or wood furniture with baby oil. Just wipe it on, leave it for a few minutes, and then wipe off the residue. Make it part of a maintenance program by prepping your cabinets with a wood cleaning product like Murphy's...

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The Summer Solstice and Other Sundry Sunday Fare

I hope you enjoyed this morning's Summer Solstice. It was early, so the possums probably beat you to it! Today will be the longest day and shortest night of the year. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, this is the Winter Solstice, an interesting...

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Plant Your Own Saffron Spice

Growing your own saffron (Crocus Sativus) is easier than you think and can add some spicy and refined taste to your dishes. Pound for pound, saffron is the most expensive spice in the world.Don't confuse it with Indian saffron, an inexpensive substitute,...

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What is Distilled Water?

Distilled water is water that has been evaporated and then cooled back to a liquid. During the process of transforming into a gas, chemicals and microorganisms are left behind and the final product is clean and pure. Distilled water typically has a...

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How to Fry Zucchini Blossoms

For a taste of the subtle pleasures of a spring garden, try fried zucchini blossoms. You won't find these in the grocery store. They're a special reward for the vegetable gardener. So enjoy one of those unique payoffs for all your hard work.Fried...

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How To Make Rose Wine

Making your own rose wine can be a hoot. It takes a while, but like making beer, especially if you like to experiment with the recipe like I do, you never know quite what you're going to end up with.The nice thing about rose and dandelion wines, as...

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Grocery Store Vegetables and Herb Seed Sources

I take a perverse pleasure in finding ways to recycle grocery store produce and grow it in my garden. You'd think I'd stop being so tickled and indulge my curiosity some other way than by sticking a little piece of root in a pot to see what happens....

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Dandelion Salad Recipe

Where dandelions are concerned, if you can't beat them, eat them.Adding a few dandelion greens to your favorite pasta salad is a fast and easy way to give your salad some nutritional muscle.Dandelion Salad Recipe3 cups cooked shell pasta2 Hard boiled...

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Dandelion Tea Recipes

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is good for you, and even if you hate it in the yard, its bitter taste can be addictive. Remember, when you drank your first beer or glass of wine, you probably thought that was bitter too.Dandelion Flower Tea Recipe8...

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How to Make Dandelion Wine

I was delighted by an article I read yesterday on The New York Times website feed. It's entitled: The Joy of Less. If you have a second, take a look.It seems that many of my gardening adventures, and even the projects that result from my gardening,...

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Drying Tea Leaves

Harvest young leaves in spring and process for different teas.Black Tea - Taken from new growth in spring.Bruise leaves by rubbing them between your palms. They should discolor to a reddish brown.Spread them in a single layer on a tray and let them...

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Growing Tea Plant

Originally tea was produced from the Camellia sinensis plant, a variety of camellia. Tea has been cultivated in China for centuries (2009 estimates put it at around 5,000 years).Standard teas, not herbal infusions made from other types of herbs and...

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Make Lavender Oil

You don't have to buy essential oil to get the fragrance and benefits of lavender oil in your bath, sachet, and even in your cooking. Use your fresh lavender buds to make an olive oil infused mixture you can use for anything from a sleep aid (topically)...

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Pepper Growing Tips and Tricks

Peppers don't take up much space in the garden, but provide a good per-plant harvest and can be used in lots of different ways. You can also employ some creative preservation methods that will offer tantalizing options for using peppers in winter dishes.The...

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Iced Green Tea with Mint and Ginger

If you've ever limped through a hot, humid day lusting for a cool and really refreshing drink, this is the one. Green tea is full of antioxidants and ginger is a great restorative. Both mint and ginger are good for an unsettled stomach too. This is...

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Herbed Chicken Saltimbocca

One great advantage to keeping sage in the garden is being able to use fresh, young sage leaves in saltimbocca, an Italian favorite. Although my recipe doesn't use veal, it's still delicious, with an earthy and herby flavor that will sing the praises...

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Herb Pots

I paid a visit to Junk Market Style this morning for a look at all of Janice Gurney's wonderful makeshift planters. I have to admit that I think just about anything can make a wonderful pot or decorative cachepot.When I was a kid, we had plant pots...

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Quick Lavender Bed Bug Spray for You, Your Clothes and Bedding

There must be lots of people out there plagued with bed bugs. I certainly get my share of requests for information about getting rid of these pests naturally. One interesting trend I'm seeing is from people who just want to make sure that they're protected...

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Lavender Ice Tea Recipe

In spring, there's nothing better than a refreshing herbal ice tea in the afternoon. My favorite way to brew ice tea is with fresh herbs, but if you only have dried, that works too.Lavender Ice Tea2 Tbsp. Lavender flowers (1 tablespoon dry)1 Tbsp. Lemon...

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Why Does Catnip Affect Cats

So, why does your cat react to catnip?The short answer is that no one knows exactly, although we do know that the nepetalactone in catnip can have a powerful reaction in the brains of cats that are susceptible.Not all cats exhibit the characteristic...

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Catnip Tea Recipe

Catnip is known by a number of names, including catswort, catmint, and even field balm. It's a perennial in the mint family that's best known for its ability to drive cats wild, but before you use all your catnip on kitty, consider the medicinal uses...

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Growing Catnip

If one of your cats loves catnip, you're probably hooked on this easy-to-grow perennial. Catnip (Nepeta cataria as well as other Nepeta species) is actually part of the mint family. It grows like a weed in some areas, and has an untidy habit, spreading...

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Get Rid of Japanese Beetles With a Homemade Repellent

Just a gentle reminder that you should be on the lookout for Japanese beetles in your garden around this time. Once you spot a couple, act quickly. These first visitors are scouts that can make all the difference in how many beetles will be snacking...

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Healthy Herb Pizza

The idea of a healthy pizza may seem like an oxymoron, but it doesn't have to be. Make your own pizza and create a pie that's better for you.The New York Times has a timely, no pun intended, piece on pizza making that you should hang on your refrigerator...

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Catnip and Termites

You may be keeping a patch of catnip (Nepeta cataria) in the garden for a feline friend, but watching intoxicated hijinks may not be the only human use for this perennial herb. Catnip, or catmint, has shown promise in repelling termites too.A 2003 study...

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