When You Kill Your Garden Plants (a Cautionary Tale)
Have you ever heard the old joke about putting in a garden? The first year you install a garden, and the second year you install it again minus all your disastrous mistakes. Well, gardening is...
View ArticleWhat You Need to Know About Getting Rid of Japanese Beetles
It's June, and my email account is overflowing with pleas from desperate gardeners. What's the big disaster? Japanese Beetles. From a purely visual point of view, the iridescent green carapaces of...
View ArticleBeating the Heat in the Garden
So, did you ever imagine you'd be trying to cultivate your garden in an oven this season? It's hot -- the hottest summer in the U.S. since they started keeping records. It's so hot . . . well, I'm...
View ArticleScented Water
If you've had a disappointing summer in the garden, you're not alone. Brutal heat, patchy rain and insects of all descriptions descending on backyard gardens in record numbers have conspired to make...
View ArticleMake Rose Water in Your Crock-pot
Mama Peck (a recent visitor) had great idea I want to share. Scented water requires an approximate two hour cooking time at a slight simmer. It's important not to boil the flower petals. I've made...
View ArticleFive Surprising Diet Herbs and Other Foods
If you're working to lose a few pounds, swap those rice cakes and celery sticks for some unusual diet foods that up the ante with surprising fat busting benefits. Hot Peppers - The "heat" in hot...
View ArticleThe Many Uses for Sage (salvia officinalis)
If you're into Thanksgiving stuffing, you probably enjoy adding a bit of sage flavor to your holiday table. Sage is one of the most popular but misunderstood herbs around. It can have an...
View ArticleHow to Make Sage Oil
Making sage oil is easier than you think. If you start now, you'll have some on hand in two to three weeks. With the holidays coming, sage oil, sage honey and sage vinegar are nice additions to your...
View ArticleHow to Make Sage Butter
There are a couple of ways to make sage butter. One is actually a melted sage butter (brown) sauce that's pretty delicious with chicken (we'll get to that before Thanksgiving). The other is a flavored...
View ArticleMake Homemade Peppermint Extract for Holiday Baking
I wrote an article on the history of Candy canes a few years ago. These sweet candies were first made as a bribe to keep children quiet during long, holiday church services. Actually, I've always...
View ArticleHow to Make Lavender Vinegar Cleaner
I admit that my house is lived in. This may sound homey and comforting, but it also means that peanut butter cookie crumbs linger on my countertops longer than I'd like sometimes. Yes, I clean...
View ArticlePumpkin Pie Spice Recipe
Fall is just about the best time of year to experiment with spice blends. All those deep, rich aromas will make your home smell wonderful without your ever having to light a candle or pick up a can of...
View ArticleThanksgiving -- at the Last Minute!
Ah, Thanksgiving. Few occasions inspire such anticipation, consternation and hard work -- if you're responsible for dinner, that is. Let's face it: While your family is overdosing on football and the...
View ArticleList of Free Seed Catalogs for 2013
Take a short break from the holiday madness to put in your order for a few free 2013 seed and plant catalogs. If you order early, you'll have some exciting reading material to peruse while you're...
View ArticleBeware of Bedbugs in Books
If you're a reader, you know the pleasure of curling up in bed with a good book. Bedbugs feel the same way. If you buy used books or belong to a lending library, you're at risk for bedbugs. Here's how...
View ArticleSage Tea for Colds
You know the cold season drill: No matter what you do, someone in the family ends up with the sniffles, a head cold or the flu. Although this can be serious in the very young, immune challenged,...
View ArticleWhen You Think You May Hate Christmas . . .
On this blog I write about happy, fun stuff that usually involves herbs in one way or another. Around the holidays, searches explode here at The Herb Gardener from people looking for fun, fast...
View ArticleHow to Make Simmering Holiday Potpourri
Even if you aren't planning to bake (or even cook) much this holiday season, your home can still smell pretty great. All you need is a pot, some water and a few aromatics. Aromatic ingredients added...
View ArticleGifts for the Herb Lover -- You
Apparently I'm not alone in giving myself gifts every Christmas. A few recent marketing studies suggest that well over half of spouses treat themselves to personal presents over the holidays -- and...
View ArticleJerky for the Stocking -- Oh, Yeah!
If you're still stumped about what to get the man in your life for Christmas, there's always -- meat. Yes, most men (and many women) like a little jerky under the tree or in their stocking. Really....
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