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Post by pattyp on Apr 4, 2009 14:58:47 GMT -5
I know, I know... I should have gotten around to harvesting my herbs and drying them before the frost killed them, but unfortunately they were at the bottom of my list.  Now I have a bunch of herbs (i.e., sage, mint, oregano, etc.) with dead leaves on the branches. Are they still usable for cooking, tea, etc. or is their nutritional/edible value much reduced from being frozen? Thanks for the input. Patty |
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Post by canadamike on Apr 4, 2009 18:23:21 GMT -5
It is really more a matter of taste than anything else. I just went through my thymes, regular and lemon, and some leaves are totally tasteless while others are satisfactory. In fact, under a good snow cover, many of the lower leaves stayed alive, I gues they were protected somewhat from the killing frosts.
We tend to forget how the snow is a penomenal insulator. Many places in Europe where winter is generally gentler than here have no snow cover and do experience frosts. The results are surelly no better than here with all the snow.
Highbush blueberry, as an exemple, are a warm weather crop for a guy like me, all things being relatives. I don't see North Carolina or Virginia as cold places.
Nevertheless, to my great surprise, I learned last year that our Quebec's low bush blueberry many species, being most abundant north of the northernmost gardening limit of Eastern North America, are in effect less cold resistant than the Carolina's high bush ones. And they grow well almost to the south of the Hudson Bay. They are simply isolated by snow...
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Now I have a bunch of herbs (i.e., sage, mint, oregano, etc.) with dead leaves on the branches. Are they still usable for cooking, tea, etc. or is their nutritional/edible value much reduced from being frozen?
