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Post by kazedwards on Jun 28, 2014 0:56:39 GMT -5
Joseph and Richardw thanks for the comments. I love how everyone on this forum is very positive and willing to help. A lot of other forums are not and have lots of bickering and arguing. Thanks again for checking in!
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Post by kazedwards on Jun 28, 2014 1:01:16 GMT -5
We will have to try it. My wife uses it in breakfast smoothies. I enjoy it in sweets as I'm not a big fan of chocolate. Thanks for the tip.
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Post by richardw on Jun 28, 2014 4:54:34 GMT -5
No worries Zach,its the best value cinnamon ive found online as well as its ground one the day its sent.
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Post by flowerweaver on Jun 28, 2014 10:39:54 GMT -5
Zach, where you grow herbs is really up to you, but I can tell you how I grow mine. Personally, I like them as close to the kitchen as possible. If you have an urban lot, everything is close to the kitchen so this may not matter. On five acres, it matters. I used to have my rosemary bush an acre away in the vegetable garden. One time I went out while I was cooking to get some and forgot I was cooking and caught my kitchen on fire! Oops.
Because the area around my house has been full shade, I've tucked the perennial herbs into flower beds wherever I had a spot of sun. Now that the tornado has taken away much of the shade around my house I may set up a dedicated herb garden. Another easy to grow herb is thyme.
Because we eat a lot of basil in pesto, and cilantro in salsa, I've chosen to grow a lot of those in their own bed in the vegetable garden. So how much of a particular herb you use might suggest where to plant. In most cases you will not need more than one or a few of any particular herb to supply a year's worth of cooking. Sometimes it's easier and more cost effective to buy the plants at a local nursery, or better yet find out if there is a local herb society and go to one of their sales and just buy the plant, especially if you don't have a greenhouse for propagation.
Also, I grow a lot of medicinal herbs in my landscape. A great one to have for beauty and usefulness is yarrow. It is a styptic, that is it stops bleeding quickly. I have used it in a pinch many, many times for this. Coneflower (echinacea), borage, horehound, comfrey are some others that come to mind that I grow. Borage is an annual and a great bee attractant, so I often plant them around veggies that are bee pollinated.
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Post by kazedwards on Jun 28, 2014 11:07:45 GMT -5
Thank you I will start planning for next year. How are things going since the tornado? I have had you in my thoughts.
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Post by khoomeizhi on Jun 28, 2014 13:07:04 GMT -5
Bay is a tree, but I don't think it takes frost. bay can actually take a bit of frost - down to about 20F anyway. mine (25+ years old now) lives in a pot, and just comes into the basement when it's forecast to be 20 or lower. been down to about 15F occasionally, though when that happens, you lose leaves. (they come back, and it doesn't seem like the twigs are damaged at that temp). fresh bay leaves from the tree are way tastier/stronger than dry.
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Post by flowerweaver on Jun 28, 2014 13:27:54 GMT -5
Thanks, Zach. It's been depressing for both my husband and me, especially since we have put so much work into the landscape and farm over the past 15 years. Now that the tree company is gone I am trying to rake up all the pine cones and twigs and fill the ruts their equipment left in the yards. We are waiting on the check from the insurance company, then there will undoubtedly be another wave of crews stomping around as repairs to our house and outbuildings begin. Some things, like the big trees are irreplaceable in our lifetime, leaving us scrambling for solutions for shade and privacy. It's certainly thrown a wrench into our summer plans, not to mention our master plan.
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Post by richardw on Jun 28, 2014 14:49:44 GMT -5
Bay is a tree, but I don't think it takes frost. bay can actually take a bit of frost - down to about 20F anyway. mine (25+ years old now) lives in a pot, and just comes into the basement when it's forecast to be 20 or lower. been down to about 15F occasionally, though when that happens, you lose leaves. (they come back, and it doesn't seem like the twigs are damaged at that temp). fresh bay leaves from the tree are way tastier/stronger than dry. The folks over the road from us have a Baytree,its done well over the years despite a temp of -15C 5F,though that was only one night three winters ago.
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Post by khoomeizhi on Jun 28, 2014 14:59:28 GMT -5
yup - seems like if it's brief, they can take it pretty cold.
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Post by kazedwards on Jun 28, 2014 17:06:22 GMT -5
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Post by kazedwards on Jun 28, 2014 17:08:11 GMT -5
Flowerweaver glad to hear thing are progressing!
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jun 28, 2014 18:18:10 GMT -5
Use the "Insert Image Icon" instead of "Attach file". The main caveat with linking photos like this is that they not be too large. The forum is very active and has been in existence for a long time. Additional disk space is way pricey.
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Post by kazedwards on Jun 28, 2014 23:09:55 GMT -5
Thank you Joseph. I never noticed that icon. I will keep disk space in mind for the future.
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Post by kazedwards on Jun 28, 2014 23:16:05 GMT -5
How long does everyone dry seeds before putting them in storage? I shelled the peas a few days ago and they appear to be quite dry. I have never really saved any seeds before and I'm not sure if it has been long enough.
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Post by oldmobie on Jun 29, 2014 0:04:06 GMT -5
How long does everyone dry seeds before putting them in storage? I shelled the peas a few days ago and they appear to be quite dry. I have never really saved any seeds before and I'm not sure if it has been long enough. The methods can get more involved, for sure, but if you're small scale like me, I can share a few ideas. I dry most seed in ordinary kitchen seives from walmart. I set them over a bowl so air can circulate underneath. I put that in the fridge. The cold air can't hold much humidity, so they dry really quickly. Stir them around a little every day or two so water isn't trapped in between. That way they won't stick together too much, and they won't mold. For flat seeds, like cucumber or squash, bend one every few days. When they break instead, they're dry enough. For fat seeds like beans and peas, I've read that you smash one every few days. If they smash, keep drying. If they shatter, they're ready to store. Note that I haven't any experience with the peas or beans yet. Hopefully another member can confirm or correct me.
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