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Garden & Herb Questions and Answers

All Nature seems at work. Slugs leave their lair, the bees are stirring, birds are on the wing, and Winter slumbering in the open air, wears on his smiling face a dream of spring." ~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

A reader emailed us wanting to know where to buy lemon grass seeds and asked how to grow it. I thought I recalled that it couldn't be grown from seed, or at least not easily. I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong. I had only bought plants in the past because it's not hardy in Zone 5.

The seeds are available from most seed suppliers such as Park Seed, or Gurneys. The seed packets will have instructions, but I do have a couple of tips to make it easier. Lemon grass seed should be just barely covered with a seed starting soil, then covered with plastic wrap after moistening the soil. It needs to be kept at 70-75 degrees F. to germinate. You want to basically make a little greenhouse atmosphere by covering the container with plastic and making sure it stays moist. On OFL we have an article on growing lemongrass from pieces of the herb: http://oldfashionedliving.com/lemongrass.html

I have a question about my jade plant.It is healthy and growing tall. But my issue is that it is only growing tall. It is not growing any branches out. It gets good light most of the day, at least what is required, the 3-5 hrs of direct sunlight, it gets new leaves, only on the top. Any suggestions on getting it to grow branches?

I hate to tell you to prune a plant that is healthy and doing so well, but I understand wanting it to be full, and not simply tall. You can cut the branches up to half their length to prune, but it's recommended that pruning is done in the fall instead of the spring. What you could do in the meantime is pinch off any tiny leaves that start growing at the top of the plant to encourage growth on the sides. You can set even small leaves in soil and they will root so you can start new plants. If you do this and it still isn't filling out by fall, then you can prune it.

I had a lovage plant for several years and 2 years ago it froze and didn't
come back and I am unable to find a place that sells them. Can you help me
find one? ~Donna

Lovage is SO easy to grow from seed that I would recommend starting a few new plants by direct seeding where you want it to grow or you can start the seeds ahead of time in a sunny window, then transplant outside later. Either way, you want to wait until all frost has passed. You can find lovage seeds in most garden centers, or online. It's a fairly common herb to grow from seed so it's easy to locate.

On OFL we have an article with growing instructions and recipes for lovage:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/lovage.html

~Brenda

Herb & Garden Tips

The last couple of days I was out walking around with my daughter on our property because despite all of our snow we've had sunny days in the 40's. I actually saw a little bit of green under the snow, and started thinking about my herbs and flowers (actually I felt a little giddy!). Today I have a few tips and a question and answer from a reader.

Some herbs can be dug up in the early spring and divided as you would many perennial flowers. This includes chives, oregano, yarrow, mints and lemon balm. Wait until the danger of frost has past before dividing. Dig deeply and around, so you don't chop the roots if at all possible, and break the clumps apart gently. Plant the herbs immediately, watering well afterwards. I like to add a little compost to each new planting in the hole.

If you are growing mint in the ground, go out after a good rain and pull up the runners that have spread from the main plant. They can spread VERY quickly, so you want to pull them now, and keep watch over it. Even broken pieces can root and continue to grow, so be vigilant. Remember, never let your mint flower or go to seed. Even if you have too much to harvest be sure to cut off the flowers before they go to seed.

Herbs for shade: sweet woodruff, violets, evening primrose, and wintergreen can take fairly heavy shade. Lady's Mantle, angelica, sweet cicely & monkshood can take partial shade.

A COOKING TIP
When chopping herbs like lovage, celery, cilantro, or parsley save the stems and place them in a resealable plastic freezer bag. Next time you make stock with meat or poultry, throw the stems in the pot while it's cooking and strain out before using. This makes a great addition to stock.

READER'S QUESTION
Hardy Hibiscus: What do you think is the latest time I should prune, I forget every year. Zone 8, buds are just now peeping through. OK to still cut back? And how much....6-8" or more?

I'm guessing you are talking about what they call "tropical hibiscus" because here in Zone 5 ours grow up from the roots with new growth each year, so we don't need to prune. You can prune your hibiscus now through about August. Start with the longest branches and work your way around. The most important thing to know when pruning is you don't want any new growth during a frost. As long as you are past your frost date you should be fine.

We have more pruning advice on OFL:

http://oldfashionedliving.com/pruning.html

~Brenda

Yogurt Cheese With Herbs

There are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want; and after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second. ~Logan Pearsall Smith

Yogurt cheese is an easy and delicious herb treat to make in any season, but especially when you have fresh herbs to snip. I use plain yogurt, but regular or lowfat is fine. If you can buy Greek style yogurt that is even nicer. You'll want about a tablespoon of snipped herbs. You can use any combination of chives, basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, lemon thyme, or garlic chives. All of these are usually available in the grocery store if you don't grow them yourselves. I use scissors and cut up all the herb leaves after removing from the stems. They can be minced as well. You can also use dry herbs, but cut the amount in half.

Place a half of 32 ounce container of yogurt in a strainer. I have a yogurt cheese strainer I picked up but you can use cheese cloth placed over a bowl, or another type of strainer. As long as the yogurt drains into a container, and you can place the entire thing in the refrigerator, you'll be all set. Add the herbs and about a tsp. of minced garlic to the yogurt. Gently mix them into the yogurt, then cover and place in the refrigerator. You can allow this to drain for a few hours or even overnight. At that point add a little salt and freshly ground pepper. Use it as a dip with vegetables and crackers, or a spread on bagels. You don't have to put the herbs in before straining, but it gives it time to blend as it's draining.


This recipe is a perfect one for experimenting with herbs. You can use oregano, basil, rosemary, parsley, dill, sage, garlic chives. For a different flavor try minced cilantro, chili peppers and garlic, then serve with tortilla chips.

~Brenda

Sunday Baking Recipes

A family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, an occasional animal, and the common cold. ~Ogden Nash

It's always nice to bake on Sunday so everyone can ease into Monday morning with a little home baked goodness. With two teens and a ten year old, our Mondays can be chaotic to say the least, so anything that helps the morning go better is welcomed.

Today I looked through my cookbook collection for bread recipes and ran across a neat little book I had forgotten about. It's a Fleishmann's Yeast booklet from 1910. This recipe calls for a "cake" of yeast which is equivalent to 2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast.

English Bath Buns

2 cakes yeast (4 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast)
1/2 cup milk, scolded and cooled
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup butter
4 eggs
4 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp. salt
5 tablespoons sugar
1 cup almonds, chopped

Dissolve yeast in one tbsp. of the sugar in lukewarm milk. Add the butter, eggs unbeaten, flour gradually, and the salt, beating thoroughly. This mixture should be thick, but not stiff enough to handle. Cover and let rise in warm place one and 1/2 hours, or until light. Sprinkle balance of sugar and almonds over top, mix very lightly and drop into well-greased muffin pans. Cover and let rise until light, which should be about a half hour. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in a moderately hot oven (350 F.) These buns should be rough in appearance.

I also have All About Home Baking, a General Foods Corp. book, from 1933. Many of the recipes call for "cake flour" which is available in the store, but often all I have on hand is regular all-purpose flour. You can substitute regular flour by combining 3/4 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons of cornstarch for each ONE CUP of cake flour that is called for in a recipe.

Chocolate Bread

3 cups sifted cake flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg, well beaten
4 tbsp. melted butter or other shortening
1 1/4 cups milk
2 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted

Sift flour once, measure, add baking powder and salt, sift again. Add the brown sugar and mix well. Add egg and melted butter; then add milk gradually, mixing thoroughly. Add chocolate and blend. Bake in greased loaf pan, 8x4x3 inches, in moderated 350 degree F. oven 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until done. Cool before slicing.

Cinnamon Drop Biscuits

2 cups sifted cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, well beaten

Sift flour once, measure, add baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon, and sift again. Cut in shortening. (I use a fork) Combine milk and egg, then add all at once to flour mixture and stir carefully until all flour is dampened. Then stir vigorously until mixture forms a soft dough that clings to sides of bowl. Drop from teaspoon on ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with additional sugar. Bake in a hot oven (400 degrees F.) for 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 2 1/2 dozen.

On OFL we have more quick bread recipes to try:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/bread2.html

~Brenda

Easy One Pot Family Meals

I love to cook, but I always tell people if a recipe is more than a half of a page long it's too much work. There are a few exceptions to my rule, but not many! Today I have two "one pot" meals that can be adjusted for your family's tastes.

ROAST PORK LOIN WITH VEGETABLES
If you watch the stores you can pick up pork loins for under $2.00 a pound, and they are very easy to cook. Here is my version of One Pan Pork Loin with Vegetables:

3-4 pound pork loin
5-6 potatoes, peeled or unpeeled (I left the skin on)
1 sweet dumpling squash, halved, seeded
fresh herbs: sprigs of marjoram, basil
garlic pepper
kosher salt
olive oil

Place the pork loin in a roaster pan. Sprinkle liberally with garlic pepper OR you can use black pepper and garlic powder or granules. Add a couple of pinches of kosher salt. Cut sprigs of marjoram and basil (see note below), wash and lay on top of the pork. Place the roaster uncovered in a 325 degree oven that has been preheated. Roast for 30 minutes.



While you are roasting the pork, quarter the potatoes and place them in a bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes, sprinkle with the garlic pepper and salt. When the roast has been in 30 minutes, add the potatoes to the pan, surrounding the roast. Place in the two squash halves, seasoned if you wish. Or you can add butter and seasoning to it at the end. See the picture below for how I arranged the vegetables and roast.

Place the lid on the roaster, and cook for about an hour and 1/2 more. It should register 155 degrees F. or more, taking the temperature in the thickest part of the meat.

Once it's done, remove from the oven and uncover, then let it sit for about 15 minutes before slicing. It cools and sucks up some of the juices in the pan.

NOTES: If you have fresh thyme, sage, oregano, onions, chives, tarragon, or rosemary you can use those too. If you don't have fresh, then sprinkle with some dried herbs.

Cooking at our house is no easy task. With an 9 year old, a 15 and 16 year old and a husband who works long hours. I love beef stew, but finding the ingredients they all will eat is tricky. I finally adjusted a stew recipe, and after a few times hit on one that they all loved.

Slow Roasted Beef Stew

Ingredients:
3-4 pounds stew meat, or cut up beef roast
a handful or two of baby carrots
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into medium chunks
a quarter of a sweet yellow onion, chopped
olive oil
seasoning salt, black pepper
2 cloves garlic, peeled, chopped
About 2 tbsp. herb or wine vinegar
about 2 cups water
1/2 cup salsa, mine was not chunky

Brown the stew meat in a large skillet and season with seasoning salt and black pepper. Add this to a crock pot with the carrots, and potatoes, stirring them together. Add the water to the empty skillet, swish it around, then pour into the crock pot. In this same skillet, add a little olive oil and heat it on medium heat. Cook the onion until lightly browned and soft. Add to the crock pot. Lastly, pour in the salsa, and the herb vinegar to the meat mixture. Season with more salt and pepper, place on the lid and cook on high for 5-6 hours. Stir occasionally, checking the meat for tenderness. Depending on the meat, you may need to go a little longer.

This is a super easy recipe and it's so good. You can use tomato sauce instead of salsa too. Change the vegetables to what your family likes.

You can find easy and inexpensive bean soup recipes on OFL:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/beansoups.html

~Brenda

Essential Oil Sprays

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home. ~Edith Sitwell

The last two weeks we've been falling like dominoes with a cough cold sinus virus. Every winter I start to feel like I need to disinfect the entire house when everyone has been bringing home virus after virus. I love using essential oils. This first spray is a nice fragrance to lighten the air since we can't open the window.

I make enough for a small spray bottle (the type that you can find near the travel size items in the store). It ends up with about 1/4 cup.

Fill the spray bottle with water, leaving a little room at the top. Drop in the following essential oils:

2 drops clary sage
5 drops lemon
8 drops lavender

Place on the lid and shake gently. Spray around the room or on a light bulb. This is a very light, nice scent. If your spray bottle is large, increase the amounts accordingly.

You can use this as a spritzer around your house. It's light and energizing.

This spray is for cleaning, but has the added benefit of smelling wonderful.

I use a quart spray bottle and add:

2 drops tea tree oil
3 drops eucalyptus oil
6 drops lavender oil
7 drops lemon oil
2 drops rosemary oil

I fill the bottle with plain water and a two squirts of a concentrated organic
cleaner. Any organic cleaner will work. You can also use water without the cleaner. I use the spray to clean the bathroom and kitchen. For good measure I clean the phones, door knobs and other places germs cling to. The best part is the lovely fragrance. I also have a neat recipe for a citrus vinegar here: http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/vinegar.html .

~Brenda