I do grow herbs ,I dry them for teas and for cooking as well I use them in soap have a look at this link

Here is a link that might be useful: medicinal herbs

I had separate 'herb garden' in my last house, right now I have a bunch of herbs but they are dispersed in different beds or on their own, doing different functions in the garden, or just 'being'. I also treat the perennials (sage, oregano, marjoram, mint, thyme, rosemary) differently then the annual ones (cilantro, basil, shiso), than biennials (parsley, celery). I use oregano as living mulch with peppers. I use others herbs to attract beneficial insects. Not sure if this can help you since my climate is different.

There is a continuum between food and medicine. I am growing garlic and ginger, they are both food and medicine. I am trying to find places for purple coneflower (echinacea) but have not sown it yet. I have grown chamomile and love it. I should put some in the garden tomorrow. Aloe vera is also very nice and I have grown it too. I also got lemon balm, lemon verbena, bay leaves, lavender. I grow epazote, which can be medicinal in small quantities (de-worm) but I grow it for black beans, and because it detracts ants from farming aphids on my artichokes. I would like to expand my repertoire on medicinals, so I'll be checking back to see what others have to say on this. You could also pose the question on the herb forum, lots of folks there with good herbal knowledge.

As far as preservation, I use lots of them fresh, some both fresh and dried. For example, thyme is a royal pain in the #$%& to take off the stems, unless dried, then you can rub the leaves right off. I dry it in cloth lines baskets and harvest the dried leaves (rub them off) in a few days. My climate is dry but so is yours, so this should work for thyme for you too.

I make lots of teas with some herbs I mentioned above. Mint and citrus rinds, verbena and lemon grass. I use a lot of our own herbs when we make pickles, this is a very nice use for them and another way to preserve them.

Good of you to come out of lurkedom and best luck on the herb garden!

msfuzz,

Welcome out of lurkhood!

I keep a herb garden. My vegetables are in the ground but my herbs are in pots, close to the kitchen. This makes it easy to control what does where, keeps the invasive ones like mint from going crazy, and lets me keep it fairly attractive fairly easily (if something dies I can just remove the pot; if something is glorious one summer I can put it in a central spot). BUT it does mean a lot of watering in the heat of summer.

I don't use them for medicinal purposes so I can't help you with a book recommendation on that. I cook with them and dry a few for teas (mint, lemon balm, chamomile; some years I grow some stevia and mix it in).

When I remember, I cut large bunches of things like rosemary, thyme, oregano, tarragon, and winter savoury in the late fall and hang them to dry for use in the winter. I grow lots of basil --- it has a spot in the ground with the veggies --- and make big batches of pesto in the fall; I don't find it dries or freezes well.

I'd like to grow more cilantro for use in making salsa with all my tomatoes; I find it tends to peak in early summer, before the toms are ready. Tryign to work on getting a second crop that will coincide with tomato season.

Would also like to grow more parsley. There never seems to be enough. It doesn't dry well but it freezes nicely, but I never have any left to freeze by late fall.

Some are easy to grow from seed --- cilantro, basil, dill --- but some are hard to germinate (most of the perennial ones, like sage, oregano, thyme, rosemary), so it's best to buy seedlings. Most of the perennial ones can overwinter in zone 5, maybe with a little mulch.

Rosemary is a heartbreaker---it usually doesn't make it through the winter, even the special hardy varieties that are supposed to.

Good luck, and keep us informed of your progress!

I grow a few herbs for actual preserving, but there are some that I "encourage" because of our dry climate. The oregano is growing perennially under a low-chill apple tree, as a ground cover, as is rosemary, mints. Thyme is a bit touchy - and try to grow cilantro, dill, fennel - enough to harvest for certain foods - like cilantro when the salsa (tomato and peppers) are coming on strong. Also the dill, hopefully, when the cukes are ready, and maybe fennel - to put in my home made sausage.

So - although I don't use them medicinally, they serve the purpose that I wish/need to use them for. My only regret is they don't always cooperate - in which case, I rely on the market place.

I recently invested in a dehydrator, as I have other foods to work with - nuts, fruit, etc., so use the dehydrator now, and try to monitor it so as not to overdo the herbs.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

Hey Zabby, the rosemary broke my heart this year too. Five year old plant - gone! Only I don't think it was winter that did it in but winter squirrels. Every time I looked outside there was one of them digging in the box.

But oddly, I have one little patch of parsley that is still green as all get outs. Go figure!

Msfuzz, I don't use any herbs as medicinal either but have a book somewhere that's great on giving pictures, uses in cooking and medicinal, plus uses for around the house. If I can dig it out, I'll let you know the name. I remember it coming from Williams Sonoma.

msfuzz,

I've grown culinary herbs for many years: basil, oregano, marjoram, parsley, thyme, chives, tarragon, lemon balm, spearmint, sage, dill and rosemary. The thyme, chives, sage, rosemary and oregano overwinter here so I can use them fresh all year. I have a dehydrator that I bought at Walmart years ago for $30.00 that I use to dry the parsley, basil, tarragon, lemon balm and spearmint. I prefer to freeze the dill because the flavor is more intense than dried. I store the dried herbs in recycled food/condiment jars.

I became interested in growing medicinal herbs this past summer and bought seeds this fall. I'll be planting the medicinal herbs this spring so I don't have any experiences to share. However, I purchased the following books and found them most informative:

"The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook" by James A. Duke provides the history, medicinal properties, effectiveness, therapeutic uses, safety and precautions of over 180 herbs.

"Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health" by Rosemary Gladstar includes recipes and remedies.

"Growing 101 Herbs That Heal" by Tammi Hartung includes gardening techniques, recipes and remedies.

Good Luck!

In case you might be interested, I found these medicinal herb discussions (linked below) over on the Herbs forum here. Seems to be quite a few that are into medicinal herbs.

There are also several discussions on books and Daisy (a regular there) is a very knowledgeable person to talk to on the books - both good and bad - and reviews them in various discussions.

We grow lots of culinary herbs in our gardens, both for fresh use and for drying, but other than a few the wife likes for teas, no strictly medicinal ones.

Hope this helps.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Medicinal herb discussions

Msfuzz, I live in Colorado too, so I think we may have similar climates. I have an herb bed for my perennial herbs, the basil goes in with the veggie garden, and the rest of the annuals are in pots.

Basil - like Zabby, I use a ton of it for pesto, which I freeze in single serving baggies, but I also harvest what's left right before our first frost and dehydrate enough to get me through the winter. It's better than the store bought dried basil.

Chives- it's a perennial in our zone. The lavender blooms are nice in a salad, and I use the leaves fresh all summer, but I haven't tried to preserve any.

Garlic chives - I use the same as regular chives

Chamomile - Last year was my first to grow it, and I learned it takes a lot of it to have enough for a batch of tea

Cilantro - as someone else mentioned, it's hard to keep it from bolting before the tomatoes and peppers are ripe

Dill - I use it mainly for pickles, but it too is flowering before the cucumbers are ripe

Lemon balm - people say it grows like a weed, but I manage to kill it every year. Maybe full sun at our high altitude is just too much for it.

Lemon verbena - this one can't be grown from seed, and plants are hard to find around here. I found one late one summer, but couldn't manage to keep it alive indoors over the winter.

Marjoram - it's an annual, but it does great in a pot, and it's another one I overwinter in the kitchen window. I'd love to dry some, but I never seem to have enough, because I love to cook with it fresh.

Mints - spearmint and peppermint should be hardy to our zone, but some of the other flavors, such as pineapple,or chocolate aren't as hardy. It can be invasive, and is best grown in pots.

Parsley - it's a biennial, but usually will reseed on it's own. I always pot up a clump in the fall to bring indoors over the winter. It does fine in a sunny window

Rosemary - I keep mine in a pot, and bring it in every winter. It is NOT hardy here. It's a slow grower, but the flavor is so strong, that a little goes a long way.

Sage - I have broadleaf and tricolor. They stay green all the way till Thanksgiving if there is no snow cover. I dry some for cooking, and also use it in wreaths. The grasshoppers ate most of mine this past year though.

Tarragon, French - this is perennial here, but must be purchased as a plant, since it is cutting propagated. This one dries well too.

Thyme - This one is great for wreaths too, but I use lots of it fresh, and dry some to use during the winter.

All of my herbs, except for the Verbena and French Tarragon have been grown successfully from seed, using the wintersowing method.

Don't know anything about using herbs for medicinal purposes though. so hopefully someone else can help you there.

Bonnie

Wow, thanks for the responses, everyone. Digdirt, I will definately head over to the herbs forums to check them out (I always kind of forget what a variety of other forums GW has. lol)

Bonnie, your list of herbs is almost exactly the same as the list I want to grow, so hopefully I'll have good luck! I'm going to be growing this garden in containers (the herbs will likely be either in SmartPots, or in the plastic kiddie wading pools), so I'm not really working towards overwintering. With that in mind, I will be buying starts for most of the slower growers, and trying to bring the rest along from seed.

Thank you all again for your excellent advice. Now all I need is SPRING!!

Well, if you've browsed through the link provided by Digdirt, you'll know that my consuming passion is herbs! I have only a very small courtyard garden these days, but every plant in it is a herb.

I'm lucky to live in the subtropics, where herbs grow all year round. Although I am no longer able to cook, in previous times I used to harvest them fresh as required (fresh really is best). Rarely did I need to dry or freeze them. When I had the choice, I always preferred to freeze them.

One of the biggest surprises for beginner herb-growers is to discover just how large herbs can get! For instance, a mature basil plant will take up the space roughly equivalent to that in the back seat of your car, rosemary can get even bigger than that, and a full-grown parsley plant will just about squeeze into your oven. Not the sort of thing that would fit onto your average window-sill!

Another big surprise for beginners is to learn that the common culinary herbs (basil, rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley, chives etc) all have medicinal uses as well. I find it very difficult to separate herbs into 'purely medicinal' or 'purely culinary', so I gave up the attempt decades ago. Culinary herbs also have assorted household uses - in potpourri, as insecticides, as antibacterial cleaners for bathrooms and kitchens and floors and that sort of thing.

I suggest you read through the Herbs Forum, and do your own research on the WWW, to learn as much as you can about using the herbs you choose to grow. If you do that, you're in for a lot of surprises, most of them pleasant - but you need to know the negative affects of herbs when they are used medicinally, too.

As for books, don't rush out to buy any just yet. Take a trip to your local library (take several trips!) and browse through their collection of herb books. Take notes, or photocopy interesting pages. I have a particular respect for the books by Leslie Bremness.

When you're looking at books on the medicinal uses of herbs, take a look at when the book was first written. You don't want to rely too greatly on the information provided 100 years ago - although they can be of interest and may still be relevant. But newer books are more likely to have updated information, based on modern research and science.

When on the internet, copy and paste what you find interesting, and create your own data base for future reference. Be wary of sites which are trying to sell you something - they rarely tell you the negatives!! But you need to know them for your own safety and wellbeing.

Another word of advice - when starting out, start small. Don't go overboard and plant umpteen herbs. Start with, say, half a dozen, get to know them thoroughly before expanding your collection. IMO, that's the best way to get the fullest use and benefit from your herbs, and that way you get fewer disappointments and problems.

And - don't plant mints in the garden! Mint is a thug which needs to be firmly confined to a...

I was not real happy with drying herbs - it was too much time and room.

I froze rosemary, thyme, parsley, oregano and marjoram without problem. I take it straight from the freezer to the pot. I use it for soup, stew, stock, and when baking and roasting.

I freeze basil after it's been through the food processor with olive oil. Drop it on wax paper on a cookie sheet, freeze until solid and then bag it. I add it to soups and stews after I pull it from the stove to cool off.

One thing about parsley and dill - the caterpillars love them. I harvest parsley only between outbreaks of swallowtail butterflies and the dill after the Monarchs are gone. It doesn't matter how much I plant - at some point they are eaten to nothing. Once they are eaten down, the butterfly production ceases usually for the rest of the season and then I can start harvesting.

One last note - the herbs tend to be prolific. I harvest frequently throughout the summer from six containers on the deck. I have plenty to freeze and give away. Listen to the advice and do not plant the mint anywhere except in a container. You will never ever get it out of your garden or lawn again otherwise.

I let the basil go to flower towards the end of summer for the bees. If you let it go to flower too early (like in July), the production goes way down.

Daisy, thank you very much for all the advice. It's a good reminder that while herbs may have many beneficial uses, they can also have negative side effects. Because this garden isn't my "permanent" one, and going to be completely in containers, this year is mostly for expirementing and seeing what I like & don't, what grows well here and doesn't, etc. You make a good point to keep notes & start a database. That way when I get to my forever garden, I'll have a head start on what I want.

Dogear, thank you for sharing your experiences. Something else to add to my notes! I have heard from other sources that mint is a monster in the garden, so it's likely going to get a container alllllllll its own so that it can happily conquer without pestering the rest of my plants. On the other hand, my yard is full of bindweed, so maybe mint wouldn't be a bad substitute! LOL

A few years ago I "allowed" some peppermint to grow near the pond. Yup, its taken over. Last year I ripped up as much as I could, and dried most of it it in the oven sent at 170 degrees. This is the best tea we've had. Very intense mint aroma, good taste. I also dry dry sage leaves, thyme and tarragon. Freeze bags of chopped parsley and chopped basil. I pick bits of herbs in the fall and but it bottles of apple cider vinegar to make herb vinegars ( I like to mix salad burnet, opal basil, tarragon, dill, chives and a garlic clove cut in half.

dogear6/7 -

I have had difficulty drying basil in my dehydrator - so perhaps your idea of putting it in oil and freezing might be a better idea. The basil seems to stay pliant - even after several days of attempting to dry it.

Other herbs seem to work OK. Although, garlic isn't exactly considered an "herb" - I like to blend it with olive oil and freeze in small cubes also. Works great in stir fries and sautes of meat, etc. In the past, I thought olive oil didn't freeze well - or deteriorated after awhile. But so far, it has been a great idea. Will try basil too.

Thanks

bejay

Cabrita mentioned citrus rinds that she uses in her teas. What is the proper way to preserve citrus rinds? This sounds really good. My daughter grows many different types of mint for teas. I'd like to tell her about the citrus.

dirtgirl,

Wow, five years for one rosemary plant! I'm so jealous! That and the ability to grow citrus are the 2 things I'm most jealous of you warmer-zone gardeners about.

It doesn't stand a chance outdoors here in zone 5. There was a hardier kind that came out a few years back that promised it could survive in zone 6, and in zone 5 if you mulched it. Hah! All the gardeners I know tried it and lost it. I have tried taking the pot indoors in the fall, and that way sometimes keep it going till midwinter, but it never really thrives and eventually dies. Sigh.

I recommend a couple of cats to help with those pesky squirrels...

msfuzz,

Let us know how it goes!

A tip for perennial herbs in pots: many can overwinter, even in containers, if they're in big enough pots (12 inches or more, generally). Oregano and thyme (the common kind --- some fancy new ones are less hardy) have survived even our harshest winters. Sage, winter savoury, and a few others often make it through. I have raised beds for my veggies, and when I remember (you may have figured out I'm a pretty lazy gardener) in late fall I dig a quick trench in the raised beds and pop the perennial herb pots into it, covering over with leaves. This gives a little extra protection and raises the chances of most surviving the winter.

Z

Good tip Zabby on moving the pots to the beds and covering them. ;)

What is the proper way to preserve citrus rinds?

You can dry them in a dehydrator or freeze them in ice cubes. Either way works. We use the cubes in iced teas in the summer. For hot teas, dried or pre-melt the cubes.

Dave

Thanks Dave. I thought that maybe a dehydrator would be the way to go but you never know.

Thanks Again,
Luke

Glad to see Daisy joined this thread! I need to make my way over to the herb forum myself, I am under-utilizing my herbs. I find herbal information in books hard to interpret, sometimes because the books are really old. So I question goggle and out pops the great responses from Daisy and/or Fatamorgana! See? you two are better than books!

Luke_oh I see that Dave answered the question for you. I would only add that I use the peels because I know that nothing has been sprayed on my fruit. Hey I do wash them very well (bird poop on organic fruit is still bird poop....LOL). A couple of other ways to preserve the rind is to use them to make a syrup and filter the rinds away from the liquid, you get candied rinds that way. Just like what you use in marmalade minus the marmalade. I use those in baked products. To use in tea, I just let them sit, cut into convenient size pieces. If your climate is humid maybe a dehydrator would be better, try without and see what you get. I got the idea from the orange flavor in one of my favorite commercial tea blends, all they did was add orange peels!

Timing for dill/cucumbers and tomatoes&peppers/cilantro is a real bummer indeed. I freeze a lot of my winter cilantro since I do not want to go to the store just for cilantro when I have everything else for salsa. This works, but as you folks already know, there is no substitute for fresh cilantro. Frozen works pretty well, it looses some flavor, so I just add a little more....;-) I know of another herb named CULANTRO. It is tropical, so it should not require cold weather at all. If you come across it just remember that a little bit goes a long way, it is VERY strong, but has the cilantro taste. I will plant some when i find seed for it.

As far as dill goes, well it is my one problematic herb. The rolly pollys (or slugs?) do a number on it usually at night. So I do go to the store for dill when I make dilly bean pickles or some cucumber pickles. This year I am trying another dill variety and so far it seems to be doing better, but still too early to tell.

I make pesto (minus the parmesan) and freeze flat in ziplock bags. When I need some I can easily brake a chunk of it. Basil does dry reasonably well too.

zabby, the citrus is a mixed blessing. I walk to work, and have been carrying a day pack full of citrus a couple of times a week. I could probably get rid of more, I work in two separate buildings...my coworkers are appreciative of it, so why not? I have also considered calling a food pantry, I might do that if the giant minneola is still loaded by April. Don't get me wrong, I love citrus! I have also been eating citrus fruit every day. Tsatsuma tangerines, navel oranges, and the grapefruits are tasting a lot better this year.

cabrita,
I'm sure you're right --- I'd probably be the first one whining WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH ALL THESE ORANGES? lol but as my current harvest consists of, well, SNOW, and I LOVE tangerines, lemons, limes.... I'll live vicariously through you! ;-)

Meanwhile, if slugs are a problem with your herbs, have you tried putting them in pots? My dill does great in a 12-inch pot -- sometimes I get the "fernleaf" variety, a dwarf kind that doesn't get so tall, and it looks just lovely (it's about 12 inches high). But even common dill from a 79-cent grocery-store packet does fine. It does want to bolt sooner than I'd like, but I usually have enough heads not quite gone to put up dilly beans in late July. It even reseeded iself into its pot last year!

Zabby

I usually grow a fair amount of herbs as well. The only thing I preserve religiously is dill. Strangely, I don't like the dill taste in pickles but I use a lot of it to cook fish. GASP- I zap it in the micro on a paper towel in a pinch if I'm busy. That probably isn't recommended by the finer pallets but it works for me and what I use it for. I then put it in the Ball freezer jars and keep in the freezer. Lemon balm is wonderful in iced tea or water, sometimes I freeze it in ice cubes as well. I do use rosemary if someone happens to give us venison, it is wonderful marinated in olive oil and tons of rosemary. I'm not a big basil fan but grow it anyway because I love the aroma in the garden. Lori