In preparing to write this article – and at the same time, preparing to teach a workshop in our community garden – on Homemade Borscht, I asked a lotta friends to tell me about their Borsch. Every lover of borsch has “their” variation. There are so many different variations that its hard to know what someone else is talking about when they use the word, and how they can all be called the same name! Some people insist on a brothy soup, some people prefer a thicker version. Some use meat broth, some feel that an authentic borsch must be meatless. Some use a cream at the end to cut the acid. Some do not.
Food is part of culture and identity – whether it be in a family, a community, a region, a religious group, or an entire country. Food can be shared and can unite people in the sharing. While there may be regional differences, people from all over eastern Europe are familiar with “Borsch” or “Borscht”. Ukrainian, Polish, German, Romanian, Croatian, Georgian, Russian and others all have their ‘authentic’ versions, but the general consensus is that the dish originated in Ukraine.
People move, and food travels with them. Food moves more easily as long as it moves horizontally (east-west) where climates remain similar. Food is an important part of tradition and memories, and being able to keep favourite dishes a part of one’s life is valuable in adjusting to the many changes that come with a new life in a new country. One cannot over estimate the importance of the food people have been raised with, and families can be quite rigid about not messing with ‘gramma’s recipe’.
In the last part of the 19th century a general exodus from Eastern Europe into western Europe, Australia and North American began in earnest for those seeking a better life. Dan’s family came from Germany, some spending a generation in Poland before coming to Canada. My ancestors came from Denmark, Sweden, England, Wales, Scotland and France. It is always difficult to move to another part of the world, but the travails of immigrants in those days were intense, including breaking land and homesteading. There was much hardship. Both Dan and I feel a deep debt of gratitude for their sacrifices – which made it possible for us to be born here, in this land of plenty and relative safety. And yes, there are still a residue of favourite family dishes among them which have lasted long enough to be part of our family’s heritage.
Let’s get the spelling out of the way first. Borsch or Borscht? The ‘T’ comes from the Yiddish transliteration into English since it seems that the dish was introduced to the west by Jewish refugees fleeing Eastern Europe. So both spellings are equally correct, and no wonder there are so many recipe versions of it. Jewish refugees to the US. Ukrainian refugees to western Canada. Polish, German and Russian refugees throughout the western world. They had one thing in common – the food they all grew in their home countries: root crops, cabbage and dill. These vegetables grew equally well in North American soil and climate (especially in the northern parts) so it was natural that the dish would be reproduced here. Every part of it was something the average farm in the northern hemisphere could produce at home. The ingredients were cheap, plentiful and dependable. The soup was hearty, nutritious and satisfying. How could it lose?
Does Borsch had to be red? In a word – ‘no’. I’ve seen ‘green borsch’, but that’s blasphemous so I’m not gonna talk about that other than to say it is generally a spinach soup – so where it gets off referring to itself as ‘borsch’ is a mystery. Borst IS red. In my mind, beets make borsch RED. If you don’t like beets, don’t make borsch. If you make borsch without beets, you made soup. Might be a good soup, but find a new name, because “borsch” is red. There. Glad we got that settled.
So what is IN borsch? Keep in mind that traditionally borsch is a peasant soup. A good ol’ downhome, country folk hearty beet soup. So that means it had the foods that were easy to come by. Potatoes. Onions and garlic. Carrots. Cabbage. Maybe celery for some. Maybe kale for some. In later years, as it traveled west – peppers and tomatoes; a hundred years ago, tomatoes were not so plentiful in north eastern Europe among farm folk. BEETS. Vinegar. Dill. Sometimes meat, sometimes not – depending on availability. Sometimes sour cream.
So how do you find out which type of borsch you prefer? Well, there are no shortcuts. You have to try a few to narrow it down. Personally, I like a borsch with lots in it. I’m okay with a more brothy base, but I rarely make it that way, because Dan prefers a thicker soup. So I make my brothy soup, then when its nearly ready, I take about 1/4 of it and puree it in the blender. Adding the pureed portion back to the pot makes it thicker and more substantial, and my family prefers it that way. You do you. Make it a few different ways – but keep the basics in place.
What are the basics? BEETS. Added near the end to keep the colour beautiful. Onions and garlic. Other root vegetables like potatoes and carrots. Don’t hesitate to add parsnips if you have them. Cabbage. Of course. Some sort of acid – lemon juice of vinegar. In the spirit of authenticity I do not use lemon juice because I am pretty sure no Ukrainian Baba had lemons in her kitchen. The acid is said to keep the red vibrant, and who am I to question wisdom of the ages? Maybe it does, but I like the flavour enhancement anyway. Its not the same without it. Broth. The kind is completely up to you. Beef broth, chicken broth, vegetable broth, water. Whatever you have on hand. I generally use chicken broth or chicken bouillon – simply because it’s light and flavourful. Tomatoes or tomato paste. A relatively ‘new’ (but welcome) addition as Ukrainians wouldn’t have had access to tomatoes on the prairies a hundred years ago. Dill. Other than the onions and garlic, dill is the primary seasoning. Don’t add it too soon though because its a delicate flavour and you might lose some of it’s beauty.
How to make it
1. precook your beets There are many ways to precook your beets, but the easiest is to clean them then place in a covered roasting pan or wrap them in tin foil, and roast in a 400 degree oven for about an hour. Test for tenderness every 15 minutes after 45 minutes. The timing is going to completely depend on how big your beets are – could be an hour, could be more. When you can insert a fork easily, they’re done. Remove from heat and when slightly cooled, peel.
2. Chop your onions and garlic and sauté in oil of your choice over medium heat till translucent. Stir frequently to prevent scorching, while dicing fresh potatoes. *hint: yes, you can add your onions and garlic to the broth mix at the same time as everything else. I prefer to saute mine first as I think it adds to the flavour and I like a more caramelized texture, also it glazes the pot – adding a roasted taste.
IF, you’re going to add meat, either precook it or add it to your onions at this point to brown.
3. Add potatoes to pot and sauté with the onions for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper at this point. Add broth or water, stir well and bring to a boil while you’re chopping cabbage and carrots.
4. Add chopped or sliced cabbage – it seems people have strong opinions on which is best. You do you. (Personally I prefer chunks to slices in a soup.) Stir and add carrots. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat and gently simmer till all is tender. At this point, add additional Iate-summer vegetables as desired: parsnips or kale perhaps.
5. Add vinegar. Start with 1/2 cup, then add more later if you want. Easier to put more in than it is to remove so start with less and adjust as desired. You can use plain white vinegar. I like to use a flavoured vinegar, perhaps a basil or chive blossom vinegar.
6. Continue to add broth as needed to keep the soup gently simmering. Add tomatoes if desired. Adding tomatoes, tomato paste or tomato powder adds that familiar light acidy taste of tomatoes while improving the texture and colour. I never buy tomato paste – preferring tomato powder so that I have more control on how much I want to use with no waste. In this case however, I generally have a lot of fresh tomatoes in the late summer early fall – so I’ll choose my ripest tomatoes. Continue to cook until tomatoes are fully incorporated and lost their shapes.
7. When your vegetables are tender, add your peeled and chopped cooked beets. Stir well to incorporate colour and let sit for a few minutes. You could be done at this point, ready to add your dill and serve up a nice brothy soup. Or you could take one more step to thicken your soup as I do.
8. Ladle out two cups of soup into a blender, and puree. Pour back into your pot and stir well. If desired, ladle out two more cups and do the same thing, stirring back into the soup. This step is completely subjective. You’re looking for a texture, colour and consistency that you prefer. Remove from heat.
9. Add fresh, chopped dill weed (the green part) and stir well to incorporate. Lots of dill. What does that mean? How do I know? How much do you like dill? Maybe a cup? Maybe more or less. I add at least a cup, but easier to add more later than remove, so start slowly and taste along the way. . Adjust salt and pepper as desired and remove from heat. At this point you can add some sour cream to the pot, or save that for individuals to add to their own bowls.
10. I always save the sour cream to be added to individual bowls at the table with additional fresh dill, because I like sour cream and Dan prefers without.
So much of what your borsch is going to look like will depend on individual tastes. There’s no point in making it a specific way if your family prefers something different. For instance, I know people who add caraway seed to their soup at the simmering stage. Caraway is the one spice that I do not like, so that’s never been a consideration of mine. But its worth trying different things from time to time – you never know how it might add to your over all dish.
Serve with fresh bread or buns. Some nice fresh sourdough served alongside is amazing. Or some nice dark rye bread.
I’ll provide a sample recipe with suggested amounts below for beginners to have some ideas of where to start.
Borsch is a meal in itself, especially served with bread. But serving it alongside a plate of perogies, cabbage rolls and kubasa would be the perfect winter meal.
recipe for 6-8 servings 1 medium onion chopped 2-3 cloves garlic minced 1 large potato diced 3-4 cups chopped fresh cabbage 6 cups broth or water salt and pepper to taste 4 carrots peeled and chopped into nice big pieces nice big handful of fresh kale chopped 1/2 cup – 1 cup chopped fresh dill (reserve some to use at the table) fresh sour cream for directions, refer to numbered instructions above
Pour remaining soup into jars to refrigerate or to give away. That’s a wonderful thing about soup, its a great gift for someone who could use a meal tonight, or its easy for them to pull out of the fridge tomorrow.
Simply put, amending our soil means improving it in texture and fertility. Soil amendment should be looked at as a long term solution with ongoing continual effort and ongoing continual results. If we’re looking for a quick fix, we’ve chosen the wrong hobby. Even if our soil was great five years ago, its not reasonable to expect it to remain that way without continuing to replenish it. Plants use nutrients; water and winter leach out nutrients – it’s simple math. Making our gardens the BEST that they can be begins with healthy soil, and that means we do what we can to continually replenish what is continually being used or lost.
How do I know if my garden soil is good?
The primary way to understand your soil is to check its texture and structure. Good soil has a healthy balance of organic matter, sand, silt, and clay. It should also be moist but not soggy. To determine the texture of your soil, take a handful of damp garden soil and squeeze it into a ball. If it breaks apart easily our soil is on the sandy side. If it clings together, our soil is more clay. Why does this matter? Proper soil texture is essential to allowing roots to take up moisture and air. Most soils contain a mixture of clay, organic matter and sand. Whatever your soil is currently, the objective it to ‘amend’ it so that it is more humus-y. Humus is the result of a long process of decomposition, the combined efforts of earthworms, bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms and time. It is loose, crumbly and spongy and usually dark brown or black in colour. Good soil could have as much as 25% compost and will hold together loosely if we squeeze it into a ball. Ideal soil for growing vegetables could be as high as 50% compost in the soil. This helps hold the moisture in a way that plants can readily access it. Ultimately, it is our goal.
Let’s talk about Clay first:
Clay is a fine grained mineral made when rocks break down. It acts as a binding agent giving the soil elasticity and allowing the soil particles to stick together. Clay soils can be difficult to till, and will not drain quickly after a heavy rain, often hardening when dry.
I remember a certain area near a creek close to my childhood home. We kids called it the ‘clay pit’, and I have no idea who discovered it, but new kids were constantly introduced to it. In the spring we would walk down with pails and (if I was to be totally honest) our mothers’ serving spoons, to dig some clay. We had to go after a rain when the clay was perfect, other wise it would be like cement and good luck getting any out with a serving spoon. It was heavy so we couldn’t bring a lot home in our little pails, but no matter – we didn’t need a heckuva lot. We would get more water and knead it in like we were making bread. When it was the texture of plasticine, we formed small bowls out of it and left them to dry in the sun. I don’t recall how long they took to dry, probably a day or two if it was nice and sunny. Then we’d give them to our mothers (who were always so ‘appreciative‘) as gifts. They used them as ashtrays – which in the world in which I grew up, was a valuable household ornament. When I was much older and observed old indigenous pottery in museums, made in areas further south of where I lived, I remembered that clay pit and our rudimentary attempts at using the clay – and I felt one with the world.
I cannot say anything really ‘bad’ about clay lol, because it holds such fond childhood memories for me. But on the other hand, I didn’t have to grow a garden in it. And I sure wouldn’t want to. Dense clay soil compacts easily, restricting the movement of water, nutrients and air throughout, making it inhospitable for your plants. Roots hit a hard clay floor or wall when they try to grow, and the clay retains too much moisture drowning or rotting roots. Sandy soil is the exact opposite.
to amend clay soil –
add organic matter – like compost, dried grass clippings, shredded leaves, aged horse manure, and compost. That’s pretty much it. Sounds simple doesn’t it? Well you’d be surprised at how many problems can be solved by compost. My advice – after some very positive personal experience – is this three layer lasagna recipe.
1. Distribute a nice deep layer of straw (3 to 4 inches is a good start) over the surface of your garden area in the early spring. 2, On top of that, distribute another 3-4 inches of well aged horse manure. Why horse manure? Because it is a beautiful natural fertilizer rich in nitrogen and perfect for earthworms. (tip: horse manure is a good thing to add to your soil frequently, so make friends with a horse owner and plan to add a top layer every year or two). Your leafy green garden vegetables will be very happy. 3. On top of that – like the shredded cheese on your lasagna, broadcast the clippings of the first mowing of your spring lawn – with all the leftover fall leaves and snow mold and all the other things you thought were ugly when the snow finally melted. All organic grass clippings are wonderful, but the first mowing is full of microscopic critters that make the world go ’round. Their job is to break down organic material and they’re very good at it.
I am reminded that many years ago when our kids were young – for a different reason entirely, we layered a few bales of ‘hay’ all over the top of our backyard garden (yes, I mean hay as opposed to straw). Hay is grass, less coarse than straw (which is the dried stocks of grain) so it breaks down easier than straw. I hear all the time that one should avoid hay in a garden because of the amount of ‘seeds’ in it that are obviously going to grow, but I found that not to be a problem at all. The types of seeds you can expect to find in hay are the type of hay it is – perhaps Timothy Hay, perhaps Alfalfa. Those seeds are going to grow so LOOSELY in the hay itself that they’re easy to pull out as you’re walking by. Nothing to worry about. Don’t avoid hay for that reason.
Over the course of that summer the hay created a marvelous mulch for us, while it began the process of breaking down under the surface. Benefits: – It kept the weeds down, and those that did grow were rooted in the hay so super easy to pull out. – It helped keep the moisture from evaporating. – It was excellent mulch for our potatoes. They literally grew IN the hay, shielded from the sun. – In many ways that was one of the best gardens we’ve every had, and I was anxious to repeat it. – By the next growing season the hay was almost completely assimilated into the garden, and I needed more. But we couldn’t find more that year – we live in the city, so don’t have easy access to things like this. We found straw instead however, and while we understood the difference, didn’t fully envision the significance of that difference. While it looked good initially, it didn’t readily break down like the hay had, and after another growing season and winter, when Dan rototilled the garden the following spring, it got all tangled up in the tines of the rototiller – very frustrating for him. I agreed to not use straw anymore. In retrospect however, understanding it so much more now, I could have done things a little differently. We gave up too easily. All these years later, it is interesting to me that we’re returning to a method we had unwitting success with decades ago, but we’re understanding more about why it worked and that is helping. Such is the nature of gardening: one lesson at a time.
Sand:
Unlike clay, sandy soil allows water to drain more easily, but that requires a lot more water to sustain plant growth, and the constant draining washes nutrients away. My 9 year old Zack, once asked “Why doesn’t the ocean drain out?” He had noted that the sand on the beach didn’t hold water. I thought that was a brilliant question but of course I didn’t have a brilliant answer. The good news is that it is a relatively easy remedy in the garden; but again, don’t confuse ‘easy’ for ‘quick’. Looking for a one time fix is far too simplistic.
Amending sandy soil –
is necessary to help create a happy, healthy home for our garden vegetables. Adding organic material to the soil will not only add important nutrients, but will also help maintain them. It will also help with moisture retention. Compost is the best amendment. How ironic that for these two extremes of inhospitable soil, the solution is the same: COMPOST and other organic matter.
The best quality compost is made of many different types of material: garden greens, shredded leaves, dried grass, as well as kitchen waste of all kinds, and everything else that goes into a homemade compost. If you don’t have a good supply of homemade compost at your disposal, start by using city compost, or commercially purchased compost. Then immediately start your own compost so you can supply yourself every year after this. If you live in a place that isn’t conducive to compost, consider donating your kitchen scrapes to your local community garden. At the very least, donate it to your city’s green bin program if you have one.
Peat moss aids in moisture retention, helps increase the acidic soil level, and we can still buy huge bags of it quite affordably. I use it in my many pots and window boxes – pots of flowers, pots with peppers or tomatoes – all traditionally places that I have a hard time keeping moist. I use a wheelbarrow as a big mixing bowl. Equal parts potting soil, peat moss and compost – pretty much following my mother-in-law’s recipe. Then I add a LOT of water. It will absorb more than you think it will, and I constantly work the water in with my hands till the mixture is very moist but not dripping wet. Then I put it into my pots and plant my plants or seeds in it. It is a lot easier to keep peat moss moist than it is to get it wet in the first place – it’s first reaction is to repel the water, before it finally gives up and absorbs it. If you let it dry out, you’ll be starting again with that process.
Aged horse manure is an excellent compostable material to either mix into our compost or layer over top of our garden surface. Again, avoid the temptation to work it in. Have a little faith and give it time to amaze you.
Ultimately – this simple rule applies: the best way to improve soil texture is by adding organic material, such as compost. Decaying organic matter loosens clay-dense soil helping air and water move more freely so that roots can penetrate easily. It also helps sandy soil by holding water and nutrients that would otherwise drain away. In each soil extreme, it encourages beneficial microbial activity and provides nutritional benefits.
All soil requires amending from time to time – if only just to KEEP it good. And of course there are all sorts of other issues like ‘heavy feeders’, and crop rotation which continually benefit the soil. Gardens are living breathing entities and part of the cycle of life. Though we cannot see most of that life – it is there nonetheless, and living in harmony with it makes life a lot gentler.
Testing your soil for specific nutrient issues
You can test your own soil using a basic soil test kit from your local hardware or garden store. Inexpensive, easy and relatively accurate, soil tests provide good insight about what’s going on under your feet, including the levels of pH, calcium, lime, gypsum and potassium. I have only tested my soil once, the year after we took our spruce trees out. And after a year of fussing about this nutrient or that nutrient, the only thing that made a sustainable difference was something as simple as that garden lasagna recipe – which added compostable material in a very big way.
5 easy tips for healthy soil in your garden
continually add organic matter – every year, and throughout the year by incorporating compost and compostables – which increases air, water and nutrients
try to get out of the habit of using a rototiller, especially in smaller gardens where they aren’t necessary. Breaking up all that soil isn’t helping it.
protect your topsoil from sunburn with mulch
don’t use chemicals unless there’s absolutely no alternative
rotate crops so that they are naturally both using up and replacing nutrients
Crop rotation:
The concept of crop rotation is simple: avoid planting the same crops in the same area every year. Different types of plants require different nutrients from the soil, and in return – provide different nutrients. By not planting the same vegetables in the same spot year after year, new plants will benefit from what the former plants leave behind, and we will discourage pests and diseases from building up in the soil. Ideally, we should rotate a vegetable family so that it grows in an area only once every three or four years.
Beans – include all sorts of beans, peas and other legumes. They are easy to grow and don’t require anything specific in the soil – just lots of sun. They’ll replace the nitrogen that high feeders use up.
Greens – include anything green and leafy: lettuces, spinach, swiss chard etc. They are easy to grow and not too demanding, but will benefit from nitrogen and phosphorus. Beans and peas are known for fixing nitrogen in the soil, so follow them with greens.
Roots – are obviously potatoes, carrots, beets, and other vegetables that grow IN the ground. Phosphorus promotes strong root growth. Bone meal is a good source of it, but don’t over use. 1 Tablespoon mixed into about 2 square feet of soil is a good amount. It’s not fast acting so the sooner you can apply it the better.
Fruits – includes any type of garden produce that produces ‘fruit’ like tomatoes, squash, cucumbers etc. They are heavy eaters so give them lots of attention. Brassicas like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage etc are also high feeders so I’m including them in with fruits. They want phosphorus – and good sources are chicken and horse manure and fish fertilizer (fish emulsion). For several years I have planted a raw broken whole egg with my tomato plants because I had heard that the protein in the egg was beneficial, and I knew that calcium was – which the shelf provides. I had not taken the time to conduct any experiments but I’ve always had good eggs. Last year (2023 I didn’t take the time to use any raw eggs. I noticed at the end of the year that my tomato harvest was disappointing but I didn’t make a connection right away – and who’s to know if there even was one? . . . A good friend of mine conducted an experiment last season with three sets of three tomato plants each. In one set she planted each tomato in a deep hole with a fish head at the bottom (sprinkle a little compost). Same types of tomatoes, everything else the same, but different things ‘planted’ with the tomatoes. She noted that the set of three with the fish heads had considerably more fruit than the others. That is what made me think about my last season’s disappointing harvest.
This year I will be using eggs again – and in half of my tomatoes, I’ll also be including fish remains. I’ll keep track and watch for any changes. Stay tuned.
Gardening is about learning new things Every. Single. Year! So keep your eyes open, listen to others and pay attention.
Personally I avoid growing most vegetables from the brassica family: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, brussels sprouts, radishes, mustard greens, and collards. Not to say I don’t like them, I DO. But I despise the ugly voracious caterpillars that come from the cabbage moths – which always seem to find my plants no matter how well I think I’ve hidden them. I have tried every potential solution I’ve heard or read about but in the end, each success is limited and unsustainable. I finally gave up years ago and I’m at peace with that. However, I have three exceptions to my ‘no-brassica’ rule: kale, radish greens and mustard greens (which I have recently discovered). These I plant dispersed throughout my garden – especially kale, which are planted here a few, there a few in the vegetable garden, herb garden, flower gardens, front yard, back yard, . . . . wherever I can find a spot for one or two plants. I do this because I’ve noticed that the cabbage moth will take the easy path of going down a row laying their eggs. If my kale are not in a row, I have a chance of saving more of them. I am ruthless though – if a plant shows evidence of being eaten, I quickly pull it out and get rid of it – saving its neighbours from a similar fate. I tell them “Sacrificing for the greater good is noble“. I don’t know if that helps them or not lol.
Radishes I plant sprinkled among my lettuce and carrots. I don’t really care for radish roots, but I do like their green tops so its worth it to me. Mustard greens – I have only recently discovered mustard greens and I really like them. I haven’t developed a routine for them yet however, still working on that.
For years Dan and I have maintained what I (playfully) refer to as the “grass war”. Its a complicated conflict. He loves his grass and I sorta like it too. I love my garden and he sorta likes it too. I would like more garden and less grass. He would like more grass and less garden. The war has never been won; we remain in a tenuous semi-permanent truce, each awaiting the other to weaken or concede on small issues. Maintaining a healthy balance of both, our yard successfully accommodates every demographic in our family: the little kids who need a play area and a yard to run around in, the bigger kids and Grampa who need a trampoline with water and a treehouse, the young adults and Grampa who need space to set up some yard games and roast hot dogs, Gramma who needs a place to grow food for them all, and the Gramma Great who needs a place to sit and watch the whole goings on.
So far mutual respect is the keeping the peace. However, the ‘conflict’ is further complicated by our opposing views on a few major points – like compost. They’re not irreconcilable differences, just differences of basic idealisms. We both believe in composting – me radically, and him conservatively. It is my insistence on keeping grass clipping IN the yard, being lightly distributed as mulch throughout the gardens and adding the rest to our ongoing compost. His position is that we have too much of it, and some of it has to go. Consequently, he’s motivated to mow the lawn when I’m not around to get the bags of a freshly mowed grass out into the alley for pick up, before I notice and go rescue them – hauling them back in and dumping them out in the compost area.
For years, the quiet but simmering conflict came to the surface every spring with the first mowing. My instincts told me that the first mowing was a gold mine of grass clippings, and his instincts told him it was dangerous – full of snow mold and other bad things that had to be eliminated. This remained a stale mate issue since time immemorial UNTIL a mutual friend unwittingly weighed in. Our friend Scott took a stance firmly on my side – stating emphatically that snow mold was a garden’s friend, and that the first mowing was full of hidden treasure. I should state here that Scott and his wife Alana are excellent gardeners with more formal education on the subject than either Dan or myself. It was Scott who prescribed our garden lasagna recipe above, and we both respected his opinion. The success of that ‘experiment’ has become the stuff of legend in our garden. But that’s perhaps a story for another time. Suffice it to say, that since that supreme success, we have agreed on the issue of the first mowing. Score one point for Cindy (not that I’m keeping track of course lol).
Back to the lasagna recipe – I understand that it is tempting to want to “work in” all that additional material you just put on your garden. I admit I was sorely tempted the first time we did this too. My opinion was influenced by many years of tradition – as no doubt, is your’s. But DON’T DO IT! In fact, you will actually do damage to the very thing you’re trying to nurture. The natural state of a soil’s structure is alive and loaded with organic material – bacteria, nutrients, worms and other creatures, and microorganisms all working together in the great cycle of life. As we rototill or dig that wonderful material in, attempting to distribute it, we are actually disrupting and destroying instead of repairing. All those channels that worms and other critters create when they chew through the soil, help to bring oxygen and water into the ground below, making it easier for our plants to develop healthy root systems and find the nutrients they need. With our shovel, fork or (heaven forbid) our rototiller, we will break all that up – destroying colonies and disrupting harmony. Let nature do what she does best, and leave well enough alone.
Let the rain do its job of washing the nutrients from the top layer down into the layers below. If we’re having a dry spring, maybe we can help it out a little by watering from time to time. Yes, I know the wind will blow some of the straw around. Calm down. Just mow it up when you mow your grass and sprinkle it over the top again. In a matter of only a few weeks it will all settle in and make itself at home. We can trust the natural process beneath the surface; leave this part up to God and all his little critters.
If we intend to plant this area right away, we may be obliged to work some of this material in with a shovel or fork. We must do what we must do, but be cautious. In the past, I’ve marked my rows and gently moved the straw mixture away from the row line – to plant my seeds or seedlings, gently pushing it back around the seedlings when they come up. For potatoes, I keep the straw in place. Potatoes are tough; they’re gonna grow through it all, but I’m not as confident about more delicate seedlings, so I baby them a little.
Yes, our garden will be several inches higher than it used to be, but over the season the straw will break down, the aged manure will be distributed into it and and the top layer will become indistinguishable. It will remain a fantastic mulch. By the next year we won’t see any evidence of it – testimony to all that subterranean community effort that went on undisturbed and unseen from the surface.
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In the process of amending our soil, we may be tempted from time to time by the lure of a ‘quick fix’. This can sometimes look like synthetic fertilizers, which can be relatively cheap and promise to act quickly. (To be fair, I am not opposed to fertilizers but take care in their selection). Fertilizers don’t amend the soil, they feed the plants. A synthetic fertilizer might help us within a couple of weeks, but its usually a single use result, needing reapplication. Organic fertilizers on the other hand, release their nutrients over a period of time. We won’t get the instant fix, but we will get a longer, sustained feeding. Several years ago we had a problem area in our garden, caused by three 40 year old spruce trees that we had removed the previous year. Whatever we were doing to help the shrubs and other plants we planted in their place wasn’t working; it became clear we had a soil problem. We went to a few local nurseries to ask for advice and suggestions for soil amendment, but the best we received were recommendations of fertilizers to help specific plants in our problem area. This was not helpful, as the foundational issue remained ‘poor SOIL’; the plants were just falling victim to it. That is when Scott and I discussed our problem, and he prescribed our lasagna recipe above – which in a single season, transformed our dead zone into a rain forest.
disclaimer: While I believe there is a place for natural fertilizers AFTER the soil has been improved, and I use them from time to time, I don’t pretend to be an expert on the subject. This is primarily a discussion on soil amendment.
Tips for ongoing success
Adding compost or another organic material like horse manure, chicken scratchings, grass clippings, or straw or . . . . any other number of sources, is the easiest way to continually nourish your soil. An annual application of spring compost and an occasional top dressing of aged horse manure should in most cases, eliminate the need for any other form of amendment.
While fertilizers temporarily add nutrients directly to the area, amendments improve the nature and characteristics of the soil while additionally adding nutrients.
Don’t expect a quick fix. Soils cannot be changed in a single gardening season; it will take years of continually adding organic material to prevent your garden from returning to its former heavy clay state. The action of compost and garden plant matter breaking down and working its way into the soil is a process not an event.
When clearing out your garden in the fall, consider allowing leaves and other plant material to decay naturally becoming part of the ongoing ecosystem. In the spring, you can rake out what you need to, mow it up and add it back in as mulch once you’ve planted your rows.
I’d love to hear your tips for a healthier garden. Feel free to comment below.
Face it – by the end of August, we cannot deny the inevitable any longer. Growth has slowed down, fruit and vegetables are ripening, plants are drying out and going to seed. They’re all doing what nature intends for us all to do at certain times – get ready for bed.
In the spring, we’re all excited about our gardens, but tucking our gardens in for the winter is an important step that is often missed entirely. When the weather gets colder and things stop growing, we lose interest in being in the garden, but missing this final seasonal detail is a mistake. It’s tempting to be a bit lazy, and I get it. Its dark earlier, weather isn’t great, dead and dying perennials are kinda hard to get excited about. But don’t fall for it. Your garden NEEDS you. Putting your garden to bed is an important step in it’s health next spring. Come on, give yourself one more final push, then you can both rest in the winter – guilt free.
There have been years I’ve tried extending the season by planting things like spinach at the end of August hoping for a late crop. There have been years I’ve tried to extend the season by heating the greenhouse into the fall. But the simple truth is, we don’t have the sun for it in Alberta. In September, we have the same amount of sun as we do in March. No matter how many nights you heat the greenhouse in September, you cannot fake the sun during the day, and plants need sun. You’d have more success extending the season by planting earlier in the season than you would extending the season in the fall. Winter has its purpose, it isn’t the great enemy of gardeners that we sometimes make it out to be. My opinion? Give it up. Let fall be fall. And get on with your life. BUT. Put your garden to bed first! So you can both rest comfortably.
late summer bouquet
What to get rid of and what not to get rid of? That is the question.
By September, there are always a bunch of dead and dying plants, some that seem to be coming into their own, and of course lots of weeds going to seed. Some gardeners follow the philosophy of clearing everything out and leaving a nice tidy garden bed. I don’t have anything quite so tidy as a “garden bed” in my yard. I have lots of planted space but its not all together. I have perennial flower beds on all four sides of the house, sunny flower beds, shady flower beds, some flower beds under trees, some tucked into shady corners. I have repurposed horse troughs, a currant patch, rhubarb patch, raspberry patch, grapes, fruit trees dispersed throughout, a dedicated herb garden and three raised beds for edibles, with edibles planted here and there among flowers and herbs. There are still tomatoes trying to ripen and root vegetables that are doing just fine where they are for now. Every garden has its own needs. But there are some rules of thumb that I apply to all.
1. Clean up
There is plenty of debate in this area ranging all the way from getting rid of everything to leaving it all for spring clean up, and everywhere in between. I’ve listened to much of it, applied the counsel that made sense to me, and in the end, I’ve come up with my own pattern that I’m happy with. Truth is however, that sometimes life gets in the way, and you simply don’t ‘get to it’ in time. Don’t beat yourself up when that happens; there will be other years to do it better. But for now, here’s the ‘general’ plan. Keep in mind that life is about compromise and there are exceptions to every rule.
First of all get rid of the dead stuff. That’s a natural. For the most part: if its dead pull it out. Throw it into the compost. exceptions: If some of the weeds have roots or seeds or perhaps a plant has a disease – you don’t want to risk taking that into next year by putting them into your backyard compost, so either get rid of them in *the garbage or *Burn them! Otherwise, into the compost they go. (for more information on backyard composting click here) If it’s a perennial that has died back, cut it off at the ground.
Annuals are easy. Just pull them out and throw them into the compost. Most of the time, I throw big piles of compostables on the lawn. We mow them up and throw them into the compost, or into some of the beds that could use them. When I say ‘we’, I mean of course ‘Dan’. Getting rid of dead plants and other debris removes winter shelter for pests, preventing future problems next spring. There are some diseases that can overwinter. You don’t want that lingering over into a fresh new start in the spring time; if there is disease – get it outta there. Getting rid of weeds at the end of the season gets rid of their seeds and roots, reducing their annoyance next spring. Yes I know they’re no longer visibly causing a problem, but they’re going to seed or developing strong root systems (sneaky little jerks), so get rid of them.
RULE: *Healthy plants – even weeds – compost them. In my books there are good weeds and bad weeds. Good weeds to me, are weeds that we eat and that I don’t mind propagating next year, like chickweed and lambs quarters. (see Making Friends with your Weeds) Bad weeds are stupid weeds like Trailing Bellflower (devil-weed), or rooty weeds like dandelions, horse radish, and thistle – those I do not compost. Or other weeds that make a lotta seeds. Yes I know that compost may take care of most of these problems . . . but I usually don’t risk it. There are very few plants I feel the need to eradicate, so I’m not gonna waste time feeling guilty about them. They should feel guilty for disappointing me so much. *Unhealthy plants – get rid of them. No exceptions. And not into your compost.
Remove tender summer-flowering bulbs such as dahlias and store them in your cold room or garage for planting next season. I personally have never brought my dahlias in for the winter, I just buy more in the spring, but this year I am in love with the dahlias I grew, so I’m gonna give it a try. Besides, I figure since I fuss for my geraniums, it can’t be much different. (see below for the geraniums)
But what about the plants that are not dead? I cannot bear to kill things that want to live so much that they thrive in the inhospitable dryness, reduced light and chilly nights of early fall. Those are the things I don’t get rid of. I still water them when needed and in return, they do what they do best – gladden my heart. They will die on their own when the cold of late October makes it impossible for them to do otherwise. I leave them where they are because they will trap snow which will protect all around them, and help with needed moisture when the snow melts in the spring.
There are also good bugs that need shelter in the winter, like lady bugs and their friends. So don’t clear everything out, find some balance.
RULE: get rid of the uglies – keep the beautiful; get rid of the sick and dead – keep the healthy and strong
2. Fall Planting
Fall planting is a way of taking advantage of the earliest that spring has to offer. SPINACH: Planting spinach in the fall before the snow flies, should give you an early yield. Select a spot that is protected, but that will get good sun in April and May. Lightly sow a patch of spinach. Throughout the winter, ensure it has a good covering of snow. When the warmth of April days melts the snow in some nice sunny spots, your spinach seed will sprout. They are not afraid of cold. They’ll just patiently wait till conditions are better and then start growing again.
DILL, POPPIES, CALENDULA and other herb and flower seeds can be sown at the time of harvest to pop up in the earliest days of May. Simply broadcast them in your desire spots and let nature do what she does best. The seeds need a winter, and protective snow.
Some plants that inadvertently get left in the garden, may resurrect in the spring. My rule of thumb is to let most things that want to grow – grow. You may have a sage plant that comes back, lemon balm, parsley, even kale. You may have volunteer lettuce plants start to grow because something went to seed last fall.
GARLIC: Plant your garlic before the ground freezes to harvest at the end of next summer.
Spring Bulbs. Yes I know fall is the time to plant daffodils and more tulips etc for spring blooms. I’m sorry. I’ve got nothing to offer here. I aspire to plant more bulbs in the fall, but its just one thing that I rarely find time for.
3. Bring them in
Some plants might be healthy enough to bring indoors. I always bring in some geraniums (see below), and often bring in a rosemary plant. I’ve tried lots of other herbs, but I simply don’t have the sun for them. If you have a beautiful sunny window, I strongly encourage giving them a try indoor. Prune down to about 1/2 its original size, trimming off everything brown. Shake the old soil off to get rid of any unwelcome hitch hikers, and maybe even rinse the roots off. Then replant in fresh soil, water well and set in your sunniest window.
GERANIUMS. I love geraniums, and they love me back. Red ones. Only red ones. I’ve tried other colours, but I kept coming back to red, and now I don’t bother with any other colour when I know that it’s red I really want. Their bright vibrant flowers cheer me all spring and summer long. At the end of it, I cannot bear to kill them, or let them them die while they’re still trying so hard to make the world a better place. So I bring them inside. In actual fact, though we think of them as annuals, geraniums are actually ‘tender’ perennials, and will tolerate temperatures down to about 7°C while still actively growing. That is truly heroic. Another reason I love them. I’ll bring two or three into the house and let them live in a sunny window all winter long. Their favourite temperature is between 12°- 18°C, which is ideal for in-house if you’ve got enough light. However, I find that in the winter even though I have a south facing bay window, winter sun is just not very impressive and they stop flowering shortly after they get moved inside. And by about January they start to get quite ‘leggy’. I just trim them as needed to try to keep them content. Its the least I could do for all the joy they bring me outside for five months.
geraniums at season’s end, still being beautiful
But I cannot invite all my geraniums into the living room, so I do something else. I put my three wooden window boxes in the garage. Ours is a heated garage though its usually pretty chilly out there. We only turn the furnace on when Dan’s working on a project, but apparently it fine for geraniums. Before a killer frost (so sometime mid to late September), I will hard prune the plants by about one third to one half, removing any dead, damaged or unhealthy parts. I check for stupid aphids (I hate aphids) or other problem critters or disease. I water deeply, then I put them up on a shelf in the garage, kinda out of the way but not so much out of the way that I forget they’re there.
I give them a drink of water a few times – maybe every 4-6 weeks. If they’re too outta sight, I’ll forget to water them, and even though they’re mostly dormant, they still need a little moisture now and again. By about March they start responding to the little bit of light they get from a frosted window and miraculously they start to green up. I am always amazed that they do this, and I regard it as one of nature’s miracles. It’s still cold outside, with snow and ice, but they start being true to their calling in life. March has about the same amount of sun as September. I take this new growth as a sign to give them more to drink. By mid April, I can start letting them sit outside on nice days, giving them more water. This gradually gets them used to outdoor light and regular watering. I don’t put them outside permanently till after May 1, and even after that I put a cloth over top if I expect freezing night time temperatures. I can’t risk losing them that late in the game.
I trim them back as needed, give them some healthy mulch and all purpose fertilizer, and we go right back to being old friends. They’re grateful to be back in their rightful place, and I’m grateful to have them. They resume bringing me joy, and I resume my supportive role as their care-giver.
Some garden herbs: I’ve tried pretty much all herbs in the house for winter and I just don’t have enough light, even with my south facing bay window. Yes, I know I can use grow lights, but most of my plants are in the living room, and I don’t want grow lights in there all winter long. There are some though, that seem to do better than others.
*ROSEMARY: I often bring a rosemary plant indoors. In fact for several years I’ve kept one in a pot that I moved in and out, but eventually I lost it by letting it dry out. It’s surprising how much water herbs require in the dry climate of a house in winter. If you have a particularly happy healthy rosemary plant, go ahead and dig it up. Trim it down by about half, remove the soil and gently rinse off the plant and roots. Be sure the pot is clean, and you’re using fresh soil, then transplant into its new home and bring it inside. Keep it in the sunniest spot and water when the soil surface feels dry to the touch.
*BAY LAUREL: I have a bay laurel plant I bring in and out and in and out, for about 8 years now. I am very invested in keeping this plant safe. I had a couple near misses this last year with it, but we weathered the storm together. I keep it in the same pot, so I’m not digging it up, but this year I was particularly careful about cleaning it. I trimmed all the ‘iffy’ branches or leaves (anything that wasn’t pristine), removed it from its pot, removed all the soil, gently rinsed the roots of all old soil and washed the pot. Then I transplanted it back into its original but cleaned up pot, and brought it back inside. It’s very happy.
*CUBAN OREGANO: Unlike regular oregano cuban oregano won’t survive our winter, so its best suited in a pot where it can come inside for the winter. Give it a sunny spot and it’s an easy-to-grow house plant that will be your friend for years with just a little care and attention. A member of the mint family, and often referred to as Mexican mint, it has characteristic thick, fuzzy leaves with a strong pleasing odor. Water when the soil surface feels dry to the touch.
4. gleaning – the final harvest
It’s true that in Sept and October, late fruits and vegetables are ready to harvest. Root crops like carrots, beets and potatoes; fruits like apples, plums and grapes. Some apples and plums may be ready in August, others in September or October. Generally, the grapes we grow in the Edmonton area are ready in September after the weather cools a little.
*BUT – There are hidden harvests that often get missed. Just open your eyes.
Gardens don’t cease to bless your lives just because its autumn.
dill seed ready to harvest
If you grew DILL this year, you probably have some that has gone to seed. Go get it. Pull the plant out of the ground, cut the head off and put it in a bowl. Shake or brush the seeds off the plant into the bowl. Broadcast a handful where you want dill next year, and gather the rest to save for more deliberate planting in the spring. Yes, there are many ways to use it in the kitchen if you have enough. I’ll admit it, I rarely allow my dill to go to seed, except for a few delegated plants off to the side. I do this because aphids usually accompany dill when it goes to seed, and I hate aphids. But this year, I had a ton of dill – way way way over planted. I picked all the green ferny dill weed that I could use, gave plenty away, and still had too many dill plants all going to seed at the same time. I watched for aphids but didn’t see anything excessive. I let them ripen, ever watchful, but I never saw a problem, so I proceeded. Lucky me, I got lots of dill seed to grow next year, and lots to bring into the house. Store your seed in a paper envelop, labelled and dated.
POPPIES. If you’re not growing poppies you’re missing out on one of nature’s loveliest offerings. Beautiful before they flower. Gorgeous iconic papery flowers. And just as beautiful in the late summer after they’ve gone to seed. You’ll know the seed is ripe when you can hear it rattle inside the seed pod. At that point, pull the plant out of the ground and turn upside down into a bowl. Shake the seeds out. Broadcast the seed from two or three heads at most (that’s a LOT of poppies) where you want them to grow next year, and save the rest for poppy seed bread, muffins, cake, cookies and salad dressing. BEANS and peas that didn’t get picked in time, are ripening and drying. When they’re fully developed, pick them and store them for seed next year, in a marked and dated paper envelop or lunch bag. CHIVES and GARLIC CHIVES have gone to seed, producing thousands of little black seeds. You can let them fall and have a million little chive plants growing everywhere next year, or you can harvest the seed to sprinkle on bread or over top other dishes. *hint: they’re entirely edible, but don’t expect too much in the way of flavour. GARLIC. Mid September is the time to harvest garlic, and to plant more. KALE is planted in various places throughout my yard. In the vegetable garden, in the rhubarb patch, the asparagus patch, and interspersed among perineal flowers and herbs. A few here and a few there. One or two act as a trap crop for annoying pests – thank you for your sacrifice. They’ll get eaten by chickens (who bytheway enjoy annoying pests). Don’t worry, I’ve got others. Kale is hardy, and even in September, it’s on stage doing a full encore. Beautiful. How can you not love kale? I pick it every few days to add to dinner, and if I pick more than we need, I dehydrate it. Super simple. Just strip leaves off the stems, wash and chop to put in the dehydrator. When dry, store in a jar to use all winter long. This spring I had an unexpected surprise. A kale plant over wintered and started producing harvestable kale by mid May. I let it do its own thing and as time when on, it began to flower and go to seed. So by September I have a lot of beautiful ripe kale seed in pods. A gift. NASTURTIUMS have been giving all season long. But as much as I used their greens and flowers, some flowers always get left behind to go to seed. This is good, as I am all about collecting seed right now. SWEET PEAS are annual climbing flowers, that are so bright and cheerful, and hardy that they can be friends with everyone. I’ve always thought they should be spring or at least early summer flowers, but they do best, as summer progresses into August. They’ll go to seed if you let the last few flowers ripen. Easy to collect. I highly recommend starting them in-doors well ahead of growing season. This year (2022) is the first year I’ve let mine go to seed so that I can plant inside next April. The pods look very similar to pea pods (who’d suspected right? lol), and as they ripen the seeds are so perfect that it would have been a shame not to collect them. Having said that, if you wait to long, they’ll open and drop their seeds, but I have yet to have had one survive the winter and volunteer in the spring. SUNFLOWERS are ripening. Cut the smaller flowers for kitchen bouquets, but let the bigger ones ripen. If the seeds are still immature (white), but a nice size, bring them in, they’re delicious in salads and stir fries as a vegetable. If they’re big heads, share some with the birds over the winter. I leave them face up in several different places throughout the yard where wild birds like to hang out when its cold. Our favourite place is just outside our kitchen window where we can enjoy watching them all winter long. Its a win-win.
Lots of herbs are still doing beautifully, but its time to cut them down for the last time and bring them in for winter use. Sage, rosemary, tarragon, stevia, mint of course, lemon balm, oregano, thyme, parsley, lemon verbena, . . . My lavender gave me some late sprigs to add to what has already been harvested. Thank you Lavender.
Look around you – there is more bounty than you may have expected.
5. Mulch and other ‘protection‘
Everybody likes a comfy blanket. In gardens we call it ‘mulch’.
homemade patchwork quilt
My mom, throwing an additional blanket over top of me in bed on a cold winter’s night, is a comforting childhood memory. It provided a little weight, and that weight provided warmth.
Our gardens would appreciate an additional insulating blanket against the harshness of winter too. Some plants might be a little sensitive to the bitter cold of some winters that we have no control over and cannot always predict, but sometimes its simply a matter of protecting the bare soil and friendly critters in it. What kind of blanket? Nice clean fallen leaves that are so plentiful in the fall, is a perfect mulch. Between one to three inches is recommended. In the absence of leaves, the final mowing of dried grass would be good, or chopped/mowed up straw. Don’t use wood chips in the garden; they detract from the soil long before they can possibly add to it.
In addition to protecting the soil and plants in it, mulch slowly adds nutrients and humus. Humus is the Latin world for ‘earth’ or ‘ground. It refers to that dark organic matter in soil which comes from the decomposition of plants and animal matter. That a good thing because it improves soil structure, aeration, and water holding capabilities. Aeration reduces the compaction of soil, allowing roots to take up nutrients and spread out healthily.
Leaves or straw won’t magically disappear over the winter, miraculously becoming humus. Some of it will still be quite identifiable as leaves and straw in the spring, but some (the bottom layer) has begun to decompose. I simply rake off the identifiables and mow them up with the first mowings of spring to be used to as a top layer in an area I want to amend, as mulch between rows, or the beginning of this year’s compost. A good winter’s mulch is a beautiful start in prepping your soil for spring. Just sayin’ . . . . .
winter protection from foraging animals
Most urban yards don’t suffer too much from animals like deer foraging over the winter, but rabbits can be a problem. They ate the bark from my daughter’s lilac tree a few winters ago, and killed it. If you live in an area where rabbits might be an issue for you, wrap the bottom three or four feet loosely with chicken wire. Why so high? When the snow is deep and the rabbit is sitting on top of the snow, that is where they’ll be nibbling.
tips to remember 1. Disease is not something you want to add to your compost. Get rid of those plants. Either burn them or garbage them. 2. Roots like trailing bell flower, horse radish and dandelion, and seeds like thistle are not things you want in your compost. Get rid of them. Either burn them or garbage them. 3. Its helpful to mow up your bigger pieces before putting them into your compost. This speeds up the process of breaking down, a good thing.
6. Watering trees in late autumn keeps them healthy and strong
clockwise from upper left: Red Elderberry, Spruce, Honeycrisp Apple, Evans Sour Cherry
While your trees are dropping their leaves, or just after, they would appreciate a good long drink. Give both evergreen and deciduous trees a long, slow, deep watering. This is important, but the timing is particular. Too early might signal the tree toward new growth and may slow the onset of dormancy. Dormancy is not a light switch, it is a progressive stage allowing trees to prepare for colder weather and eventual freeze up. Too late (after the ground freezes) prevents the water from seeping into the soil and reaching the feeder roots. How will you know when the time is right? Look to your trees. Deciduous (leafy) trees will tell you the time is right when their leaves have fallen. This will also be your hint to water their neighbours, the evergreen trees. Because evergreens don’t go into full dormancy, they will actively use water throughout the year, except for when its really cold, so its even more important that they get a good watering in the fall.
Don’t water mature trees right up near the trunk, as the roots that need water will be further out – closer to where the canopy of the tree extends. The exception to this rule is newly planted trees who’s roots might still be close to the initial root ball.
Put your hose on the ground and water slowly so that the water doesn’t puddle on the surface. You’re looking to moisten the top foot of soil around the perimeter of the ‘drip line’ (distance from the trunk to as far as the outside branches reach). “Moisten” does not mean “soggy”. Testing the moisture level is easy – insert a wooden stick or a metal rod into the soil. Where the soil is moist, the stake should slide in easily. When it meets with resistance, that signifies to you that the soil is dry. You’re looking for about a foot of moistened soil. Anything deeper is of no value and is wasted.
Watering earlier in the day gives the roots time to absorb the moisture before the temperature drops at night.
Bonus tip 1. Protect your garden tools and equipment
Hold on! You’re not done yet. I know its tempting to just go inside when the cold hits and shut the door, but pay attention to your tools. They deserve it. Whether you have a garden shed or space in the garage, or box in the basement – use it. Don’t leave your clippers or spade outside to rust.
Tools: Clean them and put them in a box. Seed trays and pots: Wash them and store them where they’ll be easy to retrieve in the late winter or early spring when you’ll need them. Maintenance: Now is the time to fix those annoying little things that have needed patching all summer long.
Bonus tip 2. Garden journal
Hopefully you’ve been keeping a garden journal all along, but if you haven’t right now would be a good time to start one. Record the dates you harvested this or that, and the general yield. Record the temperatures in these close out days for reference next year. Record the seeds you harvested. Make sure you store them in paper envelopes, labelled and dated. Record your successes and failures and your ideas for fixing them next year – while they’re still fresh in your mind. I promise you will not remember them otherwise. Record what varieties did well, and what did not, what you’ll be sure to repeat and what you will not. Maybe you are an avid journaler, maybe you’re more of a casual note taker, but whatever you are – DO SOMETHING. I promise you’ll be happy you did when you go to reference it next spring.
stand back and enjoy the immense satisfaction of a “job well done” . . .
In my case its a challenge to even know where to begin when its time to wrap things up for the season. I rarely have two or three days that I can devote to the work of putting my garden to bed, and my ‘gardens’ are all over the yard, full of perennials. I catch a few hours here and there to go out and work, but the job is pretty overwhelming when you’re doing it in pieces. I find the only way I can proceed with any feeling of accomplishment is if I start in one corner and proceed in a single direction. ‘Finishing a piece’ with no intention of coming back to it till spring, helps me systematically make it through the whole yard.
Standing back to admire what you’ve done once in awhile is satisfying. Standing back when you’re ALL done, is immensely satisfying, but the truth is, there are seasons, that I never completely make it through the whole yard. Yes, I wish I had, but life simply gets busy and sometimes the snow comes before I am ready for it. Nothing to do in that case, but get on with my life, and try to do better next year.
*hint: don’t wait till its COLD and the job is horrible. On September 1, you KNOW cold days are coming. Start the job of putting your garden to bed while the weather is still pleasant – removing (or pruning back) those plants that have already given you everything they have to give, and deserve their rest.
Good Night Garden. Enjoy your rest. I’ll enjoy mine.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences about getting your garden ready for bed and tucking it in for the winter, as well as your comments on some of the things discussed here.
– plant every fall for mid summer harvest. Garlic is a staple in the kitchen of course but there many other benefits that earn it an honoured place in every herb garden. The bulbs grown in your backyard garden may be smaller, but stronger, hotter and in every way more potent than the ones you buy in the grocery store. Use them in homemade salad dressings, pasta sauces, soups and in every other dish you might normally add onions to. Garlic and onions are best friends in any dish.
But medicinally, the key phytochemical in garlic is allicin which has antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiseptic and antioxidant properties. It can also be anti-social. LOL I know, it seems too good to be true, but after a lifetime of using it, I am convinced it really is the super food it boasts about being with all of these properties. The thing to remember is that allicin is most potent when the garlic is consumed raw, and while some people swallow the clove whole, there is evidence to indicate that the allicin is best released when the fresh clove is chewed or crushed. But who wants to chew a clove of garlic right? (see below) Mincing the garlic and putting it into a salad dressing is a great way to eat it. The longer you wait the stronger it gets so you might want to eat it right away before it over powers the dressing.
Heart health: garlic reduces the risk of heart attack or stroke because it improves blood circulation and lowers harmful cholesterol. Studies have shown that garlic helps reduce blood pressure allowing blood to flow more freely,
Arthritis: Studies have shown that because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, garlic reduces the pain and inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
Boost to Immunity: Garlic’s biggest benefit in my opinion is its ability to enhance natural immunity through its antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal properties. It is a surprisingly good source of Vitamins C and B, as well as the minerals selenium and manganese – all of which strengthen the body’s defense mechanism in fighting infections.
Garlic is an excellent treatment – reducing the severity and shortening the duration of common colds, flues and other viruses, as well as chronic respiratory conditions. Again it is the compound allicin that is responsible for this antiviral action.
Fungal infections: Garlic’s powerful antifungal properties make is an effective agent against fungal infections such as ringworm and athlete’s foot, and yeast infections such as thrush.
The answer of course is to include raw garlic in your diet. But we all know that garlic has a powerful taste and cannot always be eaten fresh, no matter how much I desire these health benefits. Especially when it should be eaten raw and ‘chewed’ or crushed to best release the allicin.
When my kids were young and more trusting, I could entice them to chew a clove of garlic when they were suffering with a cold. I would crush it and put it on a small piece of bread with peanut butter and honey, and sit beside them with a glass of apple juice to help wash it down. But when they got bigger, it was not so easy to talk them into this course of action. I couldn’t blame them. We use it as much as we can in our diets, but it is not that easy. In the case of garlic, I recommend using garlic oil (made from crushed cloves in olive oil), oil of garlic (essential oil), and high quality garlic supplements that you can buy in the health food store. Normally, I’m all about using what I grow in the garden exclusively, but sometimes garlic needs a helping hand, simply because it is so anti-social.
growing
Growing your own garlic is well worth the effort. A good time to plant in the Edmonton area is late September or early October. For mid season harvesting, you want them to have time to establish the beginning of a root system before winter, but not enough to sprout. I’ve also planted garlic in the early spring for harvest at the end of the season.
After your first year you can plant next year’s garlic with this year’s bulbs, but to start with, buy from a local garden centre instead of planting the garlic you buy in grocery stores. Select the largest bulbs with the plumpest cloves you can find. Make sure they are firm and clean looking, without any signs of mould or fungus. Break the garlic bulb into cloves. Do not peel them. Each clove will grow into a bulb by the next year but it needs that protective papery covering.
Choose a sunny part of your garden with well-drained soil. Mark the area so you remember where the cloves are next spring. Don’t crowd them. Plant the cloves about 6 inches apart and about 2 inches deep, sprinkling a little bone-meal into each hole as you go. Because you’re going to leave them for the winter, spread about 3 inches of nice clean, organic mulch over the area, chopped up leaves, wood shavings, straw, – to help insulate.
First thing in the spring, gently move the mulch over. You’ll soon see the tender green sprouts. Let nature take care of them, watering when necessary. Remember they don’t like a soggy spot, they need the soil to be well drained. Mid growing season the plant will develop curly tendrils of greenery that come up from the stalk. This is the plant wanting to flower and go to seed. Snip it.
harvesting
When the stalks start to die back, about the beginning of August, you know its almost time to harvest. Give it a week or so, then gently remove one plant to test. Its tempting to pull, but dig so you don’t risk breaking the stalk off. Garlic is ready when it looks like you think it should. Too early and the protective papery wrapping will be thin or non existent. In that case give it another week. When ready, gently dig them all with a fork and lay in a box out of the sun and rain for a couple of weeks to dry out. I like to braid them into a hanging, but you can also cut the stalks off at this point and store for winter.
* GARLIC CHIVES – wonderful flat chives with more than a hint of garlic in the flavour. Like chives, its root base is a clump of ‘bulbs’. You can cut a handfull just like regular chives to use in the kitchen, and just like chives its root base is a clump of ‘bulbs’. This is super convenient when you want a stronger garlic taste for your dish. Pull up a few stocks from the base to gently separate some bulbs from the rest of the plant. Presto! Garlic bulbs. I have no idea if any of the medicinal properties of garlic are replicated, but the taste sure is. It is the perfect answer for midseason garlic while I’m waiting for my other garlic to ripen.
GINGER
fresh ginger root
Ginger – nearly everyone can identify its flavour in baking, which is where it is most often used in North American and European kitchens. But the last few years have opened up a whole lotta versatility as we adopt it as a savoury seasoning, not just for desserts. This is very good news. Ginger can be used fresh, dried, powdered, candied, juiced or even as an oil. Fresh Ginger root is readily available in the produce department of most grocery stores and is so easy to use. It deserves a place in your kitchen. You jut need to discover why, and then make friends with it.
Ginger ale, Gingerbread, Ginger Molasses Cookies, Pumpkin Pies, pretty much any pumpkin dessert . . . Those are the ways we’re most familiar with, but open your mind, and make room for ginger. You’re about to fall in love.
Did you know it also has great health benefits? Ginger is often used to calm an upset stomach, indigestion, motion sickness and other forms of nausea including morning sickness! It stimulates digestive enzymes which is helpful in enhancing digestion, and relieving heartburn and indigestion. It’s an absolute must-have in the kitchen for those times that nothing else is working.
Make yourself a soothing cup of fresh ginger tea by simply steeping a few slices in boiling water. How many slices? Well, that depends on how strong you like it. Start with one or two, and go from there. Chill it as a refreshing cold drink on a warm summer day. Drink it hot in your favourite mug on those cold winter days.
Grate it up to add to a salad dressing, a homemade teriyaki sauce, a curry recipe, or your favourite stir fried vegetables.
Yes, you can buy a bottle of ginger powder from the grocery store, but when you find out how easy it is to dry and powder your own, you’ll never go back to store bought powder again.
growing:
Not so easy to grow ginger in Alberta, but in the spring of 2020, I planted three pots of ginger root just for fun. I chose ginger roots with visible nodules and cut the root to ensure each piece had a few on it. I planted shallowly in a soil, just enough to cover, and kept them in sunny locations on my patio. I nurtured them along, and brought them into the house for the winter. The next spring I brought it back outside, but half way through the season, I kinda got tired of the plant which was interesting enough looking (a couple of tall spears), but not very spectacular. I decided to dig them up, but when I did, I saw that the root was significantly bigger than when I first planted it, so I put it back into the soil and took care of it. Eventually, I dug it up and used it. I was pretty happy to do so, but as fun as the experiment was, we are still dependent on store purchased ginger root in this country.
using:
Ginger honey: I recently discovered something lovely. Ginger honey. It seemed like such a natural combination – good tasting, as well as a good way of benefitting from the wonderfulness of ginger. I made my very first batch this week and am anxious to taste it in the coming weeks as the ginger has a chance to infuse throughout the honey.
ginger honey
I began with one pint of honey and one tablespoon of home ground ginger powder. It seemed like a lot of ginger, but when I mixed it all in, the taste was surprisingly mild. I think to get the maximum benefit, I’ll probably add more ginger later (stay tuned for update if I do), but I’m gonna give it two weeks before I decide to do that. The reason I chose ginger powder as opposed to fresh ginger root, is shelf life. It stands to reason to me that fresh ginger being moist, it might eventually go bad, and I should probably refrigerate it. I might surprise myself to find out that the honey actually preserves the ginger . . . but then for how long? I just decided to be safe and go with powder for now.
I have creamy honey. I also have fairly solid honey. And I have liquid honey which is very old, given to me from my dad who has long since passed away. I chose to use the liquid because its easier to mix up. If you used a more solid form, I think you’d want to slowly heat it over boiling water to get it to the point that you could actually stir the ginger into it. Personally, I wouldn’t melt it in the microwave. Yes, its quicker and easier, but I think I’d choose a more gentle way of melting it – to keep ‘goodness’ the prime focus. I also chose to use a wide mouth jar, just to make stirring it up easier.
directions: Pour honey into a clean dry glass pint jar – half full. Add 2 teaspoons ginger powder and stir with the blade of a table knife or a chop stick. When fully infused, pour a little more honey into the jar and add another teaspoon of ginger. Stir again to fully emulsify. Top up with honey and stir once more to blend completely. Put the lid on, label with date and set aside for two weeks. Enjoy in every way you would use honey: on toast in the morning, in a cup of herbal tea, whatever.
Ginger Tea: 1. Pour hot water over a small slice of fresh ginger in a cup and let it steep 5 minutes. Add a little lemon juice just before drinking if you like. 2. In the absence of fresh ginger, add a small amount of powdered ginger to hot water with lemon juice.
Ginger water: Add a few slices fresh ginger to a jug of water and leave to steep in the fridge. Sip throughout the day.
Ginger Lemonade: Prepare your favourite lemonade recipe (using fresh lemons of course), and add grated fresh ginger. Let steep at least ten minutes before serving.
. . . . . more to come on ginger
. . . . .
Tell me about your experiences with these herbs. I’d love to learn from you too.
Rhubarb gets it’s own post because there’s just so much to say about it.
Rhubarb as a plant has been used for centuries as a medicinal herb for digestive complaints such as constipation, diarrhea, heartburn and stomach pain. Even for cold sores. Whether it was ever effective for any of those concerns, I don’t even have an opinion. My only interest in rhubarb is as a food.
Though perfectly suited to our climate, it is not a native of North America. Originally from central Asia, it was introduced to Europe in the 1600’s, and within a hundred years, made it here where its been at home ever since. Botanically it is a VEGETABLE, but its so often use as a dessert that we commonly think of it as a FRUIT. But we need to get over that type-casting, and let it be what it wants to be. I’ve always thought of it as the vegetable-who-wants-to-be-a-fruit, but in actual fact, it is probably the most versatile food in your garden, lending itself as easily to savory dishes as to sweet dishes. And contrary to what I believed most of my life, it doesn’t need a whole lotta sugar to make it palatable.
The leaves are poisonous so lets get that out of the way right off the bat. They contain a lot of oxalic acid which in the amount present is toxic to both humans and animals. Oxalic acid is in a lot of things we eat including the rhubarb stalks, many fruits, and leafy green vegetables, nuts and whole grains. We need some of it so its good, but not to the degree that rhubarb leaves contain.
You won’t die from eating some rhubarb leaves, so don’t fret about that. And neither will your kids, so don’t avoid growing rhubarb because of some perceived danger. It would take a LOT of rhubarb leaves to kill someone and they’d have to be pretty dedicated to eating them. Poison doesn’t always mean ‘kill you’. In this case the oxalic acid will upset your stomach, make you sick, and probably cause vomiting and diarrhea if you ate enough. I doubt you’d eat too much to begin with, especially if it made you sick. I don’t know why someone would, but you’d have to eat a LOT of rhubarb leaves to be poisoned, and the symptoms are stomach, vomiting and diarrhea, (with your body trying to get rid of it).
Sadly, I had a chicken named Lacey who had a thing for rhubarb leaves. No matter how much I tried to make it INconvenient for her, it was impossible to keep her out of them since she was free range in the yard. Seemed like she was addicted. I rarely caught her in the act, but she could polish off a leaf in record time. For a long time, she seemed healthy enough but since the most common symptoms of oxalic acid poisoning are stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and difficulty breathing – its kind of hard to pin those down in a chicken. The other hens didn’t seem interested in the leaves at all, but Lacey couldn’t stay out of them. Poor Lacey; she slowed down over a few days until one morning she just didn’t wake up. I don’t pretend to know for sure what killed her. She was older than the other hens, and she could have been nearing her end anyway. Or it could have been the stupid rhubarb leaves. The other ones didn’t seem to care, and no previous hen ever seemed to care. You’d think that an animal would have an inner instinct not to eat things like rhubarb leaves, but I guess Lacey missed that memo.
I use the leaves to compost, and sometimes chop them up with the lawn mower first to use as mulch. The oxalic acid breaks down fairly quickly during the decomposition process. Some I know make a ‘tea’ from the chopped leaves to use as a natural pesticide in the garden, but I have never tried it. It seems like too much work to me.
The stalk is the edible part, and many people find it delicious. I can’t say I’ve always found the taste of rhubarb to be my favourite, and I never craved it, but I certainly would have missed it if I didn’t have it. Rhubarb always tasted like ‘spring’ to me. However, in the last few years, as I’ve learned to take better advantage of this wonderful garden offering, I can say that I have come to very much like the taste. I love the freshness it adds to a morning smoothie. Like a true friend it’s stayed with me all these years, selflessly giving to me, always under appreciated, and under used, until I saw it for its true value to me. And now you could say that our friendship has developed into a true love affair.
Rhubarb is always there for you – a true friend
Many of my friends and cousins as children, used to eat rhubarb raw in the summer, dipping the stalk in sugar or even salt. I could never do that – I’ve actually never even tried it, waaay too sour for me to even wrap my mind around it. Although I consider myself an excellent “tryer”, I just can’t bring myself to take a bite of raw rhubarb, and I cannot even think about eating straight sugar. Combining rhubarb with sugar and cooking it however, changes the natural tartness into something quite delightful. Whether in a jam, jelly, syrup, cake, pie or punch, rhubarb’s bitterness fades when combined with a sweetener, and it becomes uniquely refreshing.
I decided many years ago, that since rhubarb grows so readily in cool climates (my part of the world), I should learn to take best possible advantage of it and make it very familiar to my family. Loving the taste of something that we can grow and use freely, seems like a happier place to be than loving something exotic that might be difficult to get one day. For instance, while I love pineapple, it can be quite expensive in my world and it is impossible to get field-ripened-pineapple (which we know is the most nutritious) when you live in Edmonton. Rhubarb however, is in my garden and always at it’s plant-ripened-best when I pick it. I am all about IN SEASON, field-to-fork eating, and though my grow months in Edmonton Alberta are limited, I want to take full advantage of everything they have to offer. Though rhubarb is at its best in May, June and July, you can also pick from a well established plant as early as April and right through to the end of the growing season. How accommodating is that right? Rhubarb really WANTS to be your friend! Just don’t pick too much in the earliest part of spring, or the end of summer. Give it a chance to re-establish its strength.
why rhubarb?
Because rhubarb is good for you, that’s why. It lowers cholesterol, aids digestion and gut health, is rich in natural fiber and Vitamin K which improves bone density. It is an antioxidant powerhouse, containing as much or more as an EQUAL AMOUNT OF KALE. Since antioxidants support collagen production, that means healthier, younger looking skin, as well as protection from harmful free radicals that can lead to chronic disease. The antioxidant ‘anthocyanins’ (which gives rhubarb stalks their deep red colour), have been found to reduce inflammation, and improves heart health by reducing the narrowing and hardening of blood vessels. And rhubarb WANTS to be your friend. It’s easy to grow, is hardy in Alberta, is forgiving when you move it, separate it, or forget to water it for awhile, and doesn’t hold a grudge when you ignore it. And it’s versatile as heck, lending itself superbly from desserts to drinks, from salsas and chutneys to beautiful refreshing summer smoothies (all year long if you freeze some), from breakfast muffins and scones to deep fried fritters – and everything in between.
* I’ve had rhubarb doubters (and even those who considered themselves haters of rhubarb) tell me they converted to rhubarb after partaking of it at my table. It wasn’t something magic about my table, and it wasn’t that I am some amazing cook (heaven knows I’m not). It was simply because they had never really given rhubarb a second chance after tasting something they didn’t like. One man who attended a Food Drive meeting at my house in the late spring told me “I used to make fun of rhubarb, and believed no one really liked it. They just pretended.” If he reads this, I have no doubt he’ll recognize himself. He came for information about the upcoming Food Drive, and left – a convert to rhubarb LOL. You can never go wrong trusting rhubarb.
growing
Rhubarb is a perennial plant that will be at its best for close to ten years. Though it will grow and produce, much longer than that, its helpful if you dig it up and separate it once in a while. When selecting a plant, always go with a type of rhubarb with the reddest stalks. They’re sweeter and richer in anthocyanins and other valuable antioxidants. Rhubarb needs a dormant season – winter, and grows best in cool weather, so it’s one of the first garden fruits in the springtime. It wants sun, the more the better, so give it a nice sunny spot. It prefers slightly acidic soil, well drained and rich. Good to prepare your spot with well rotted compost.
If planting in your vegetable garden, plant along the edge so they can remain undisturbed each spring. They’d do well against the house or garage, or in the back of a flower garden. Allow about a square yard of space to grow outward. In the Edmonton area, you’ll be picking rhubarb by May, and certainly May, June and July are when it’s at its best. It will however, do well enough throughout the summer, unless it is an especially hot one, but even then – just make sure it has plenty of water. It really wants you to be happy and will seldom let you down.
If you don’t have a yard to grow your own rhubarb plants …. then ask around, often times people have more on hand than they can use. Next best place is a Farmer’s Market. Next best place is a grocery store. It is so plentiful however, that I cannot even imagine having to resort to buying it from a store. Just find more friends.
harvesting
Pulling vs cutting. Don’t cut the rhubarb stalks out. This leaves residue that will decay and invite disease. Pulling triggers the plant to replace what was taken. When harvesting rhubarb, select stalks that are firm and upright, and pull up gently from the base of the stem, twisting just a little. The stalk should pop out cleanly, but if it breaks off, pull out the remaining piece out. Don’t leave it there. See above about inviting disease. Remove all dead, or limp stalks and leaves to throw into the compost. Cut the nice big red stalks from the leaves, and throw the leaves into the compost. Trim any blemishes from the stalks and rinse to clean. From here you can chop into one inch pieces to freeze (in freezer bags) or to use right away. They can be kept a few days in the fridge if needed.
Officially rhubarb is actually a vegetable, but it is most often used as a fruit. Don’t be too quick to typecast it though, just because it’s most commonly used alone or in combination with other fruits to make desserts, doesn’t mean it can’t pull off a respectable part of the main event as a savory dish. Add it to a salsa, use it to make chutney or even as a marinade for meat.
Never harvest a plant completely, leave about 1/3 – the smaller less mature stalks to regenerate new growth. Pick the bigger stalks. At the end of the season, sometime in late August (in central Alberta) or early September, do your last picking, and then remove any plant debris. If you cover the base with a nice thick layer of compost before winter, your plant will be advantaged in the spring. It is not necessary to cover the plant in mulch or hay, but make sure it has a good covering of snow for the winter.
using
when dicing small amounts of rhubarb, you cannot beat an ulu knife and board
Don’t get stuck in the trap of always thinking rhubarb must paired with sugar, and don’t get stuck into thinking it always has to be eaten with a spoon. For years, I had the mistaken idea that because it was ‘sour’, rhubarb NEEDED sugar so I didn’t use it as much as I would have otherwise. It’s nutrition was compelling, but the sugar seemed to neutralize it’s goodness. Until one day, I was brave enough to use it without sugar, in a summer smoothie with other fruits. My eyes were opened! It was delicious, refreshing, and NOT sour, the companion fruits compensated beautifully. Fully converted, I chopped a stalk of rhubarb into every smoothie for the rest of the summer, and froze some to use for that purpose later in the year. Now I anxiously look forward to the fresh, crisp red stalks to get big enough for that picking. I have three rhubarb plants in my fruit garden, and two planted outside my fence for alley gleaners. Yes, I still use rhubarb as a dessert, but I am not bound by that rule.
rhubarb lemonade
Drinking your Rhubarb
*Rhubarb Lemonade Can anything be more refreshing than rhubarb and lemon in a chilled glass? Or more simple? for 8 servings: prep time 10 minutes, cook time 10 minutes. Ingredients: 2 c. chopped rhubarb; the redder, the sweeter 1 c. white Sugar 1 tbsp. Thrive Life Classic Lemonade powder or juice of two lemons 8 c. Water Directions: In large saucepan, stir together rhubarb and sugar into 2 cups water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low for about 10 minutes, or till rhubarb is tender, stirring from time to time to prevent scorching. You want the rhubarb to be soft. Remove from heat and strain thru sieve to get a reasonably clear juice. Save the pulp for lots of other uses or to just eat. 🙂 Stir in the unsweetened lemonade powder or lemon juice. Let syrup cool. You can store this ‘syrup’ in the fridge for a few days. When ready to serve, pour cold syrup into a pitcher with 6 cups COLD water. Stir completely to blend. Serve over ice.
Rhubarb Slush I grew up on Rhubarb Slush. It was at every party, or gathering. Every mom had a pail or two in the freezer that they pulled out for special occasions. For all my early ‘mom’ years, I did too. If it was a big gathering, it was served in a punch bowl, if you only had a few guests, then you would scoop into a glass and top up with gingerale.
Basic Slush Recipe with suggested variations: 8 cups coarsely chopped rhubarb equal amount of water 2 cups sugar in a fairly large pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer rhubarb till tender. This will only take 5-10 minutes so don’t go too far while its cooking. You can puree in the blender at this point, or pour it through a sieve to remove the pulp. I mash the rhubarb with a potato masher and leave the pulp in it. I like the texture, it adds to the ‘slushiness’ of it in my opinion. Add 1/2 cup lemon juice. Stir well and freeze in an ice-cream pail. For lg jug or punch bowl, dump in the entire pail of frozen slush and top off with 2-4 litres of gingerale, or 7 Up or your fave pop. For individual glasses, thaw enough to scoop slush into glasses. Top up with pop.
variations: Add any one of the following, or a combination of your choice. You’re the boss of YOUR Rhubarb Slush. Create your own signature recipe. Add strawberries to the simmering rhubarb for the last 5 minutes. Cooking the strawberries too long will damage the colour. Add a pkg of strawberry jello to the hot cooked rhubarb, stir to dissolve well. This will add a lot of strawberry flavour, colour and slushiness. Add a can of orange juice concentrate after the liquid has cooled down a bit. Add a litre of pineapple juice after the liquid has cooled down a bit.
*Rhubarb Pie, Crisp or Cobbler There are many recipes to be found, but essentially the basics are to thicken with flour or cornstarch and sweeten with sugar. In a crust for a pie, in a dutch oven with a crumble topping for crisp, or a batter topping for cobbler.
Great combinations are: Rhubarb/Strawberry, Rhubarb/Raspberry, Rhubarb/ Saskatoon
*Rhubarb Coffee Cake or Muffins Such an easy variation to make to your favourite recipes. Just use your favourite recipe and add chopped rhubarb instead of whatever else it calls for. I like to add a little lemon powder to the dry ingredients, it just seems to perk everything up.
Soft Rhubarb Cookies Nice, soft cookies with just the perfect combination of tart and sweet. Makes 4+ dozen.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dice fresh rhubarb (about pea size), enough to make heaping 2 cups, and set aside.
In large bowl, cream 1 cup butter or margarine with 2 cup brown sugar together. Beat in 2 large eggs and 1 tsp vanilla. In separate bowl, sift 3+1/2 cups flour 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp each of salt, baking soda and baking powder together. Add to to sugar mixture 1 cup at a time, stirring to mix thoroughly between each addition. If it gets a little too dry add a couple tablespoons of milk. Add rhubarb pieces and fold in. Spoon onto prepared baking pan (I use parchment paper) and bake 12-14 minutes or until cooked through. Test by tapping gently with your finger. Cool for 2 minutes then remove cookies onto baking rack. Enjoy!
optional: We’re oatmeal fans in our house. Substitute 1 cup flour for rolled oats. optional: I like to add even more rhubarb. Another cup.
*Simple Rhubarb Sauce 3 cups chopped rhubarb 1/2 cup sugar Stir together and let sit (macerate) for an hour or more to draw out some natural juice. Bring to a slow simmer in a medium saucepan, 10-15 minutes or until rhubarb starts to soften and break down. Add more sugar if desired in small amounts taste testing as you go, and add a small amount of water if it gets dry. Serve stewed rhubarb over pancakes or waffles, ice-cream or in a bowl with cream. * Special treat, add a cup to homemade ice-cream during the mixing process. * Add fresh strawberries right at the end of the cooking process so as not to lose their brilliant red colour. * You will need a lot less sugar than you’re accustomed to expecting, so be cautious as you’re adding it, and taste as you go to prevent adding too much. * I love the added tart taste of lemon – I add a whole lemon worth of juice, 1/4 cup. Enjoy.
*Easy Pickled Rhubarb Okay, I’ll admit, I didn’t think I’d like this, but I determined to give it a try. After all, I like fresh rhubarb salsa . . . . Cut the stalks into 2-inch pieces. Then, julienne the pieces into matchsticks and toss them with red wine vinegar and a pinch of salt and sugar. Set it on the countertop or in the fridge for at least two hours, and you’re good to go! Add the pickled rhubarb to fresh salads, slaws, use as a pickle for sandwiches, or just eat it fresh. Just TRY it.
*hint: last time I made it I only had half the amount I needed of red vinegar so I topped it up with Raspberry Vinegar I made last summer. Oh.My.Goodness! It was amazing. I’m gonna do that from now on. So full of flavour. if you’d like to know more about flavouring vinegars and recipes, click on this link Vinegars from the Garden
rhubarb ketchup
*Rhubarb Ketchup 8 cups diced rhubarb 1 lg onion diced – enough to be about 3 cups 1 quart of home bottled tomatoes, or a 28 oz can diced tomatoes – undrained 1/2 cup white sugar + 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 T pickling salt *optional: 1/4 cup Tomato powder (or tomato paste) *optional: 1 teaspoon cinnamon *optional: 1 cup white vinegar
directions: In a large saucepan, sprinkle the sugar over top the rhubarb and let it macerate for about half an hour. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring to prevent scorching. Turn heat down, but keep it at a slow boil till thickened. Cooked rhubarb doesn’t have a beautiful colour, and I thought anything less than red, would be too difficult for my family to accept since I was passing this off as ‘ketchup’. I added 1/4 cup of tomato powder to intensify the tomato taste, and add to the colour. It was perfect! I’ll use it every time. If you want to know more about Tomato Powder click here.
Expect the process of reducing to take at least an hour, but probably not quite 2 hours. Stir frequently to prevent scorching. I set the stove timer for every 20 minutes so I don’t forget. When you’re happy with a nice thick consistency, turn the heat off and allow to cool to room temperature. Store in small jars in the fridge. This amount makes about 3 pints depending on the consistency you like.
The first time I made it I didn’t add the cinnamon or vinegar, but fully expected to do so at some point. It tasted amazing without either of them, and I didn’t want to spoil a good thing, so I didn’t. I will at some point try them both, just out of curiosity. In the meantime I love this recipe the way it is. Adds a lotta class to things you might typically use ketchup for: hamburgers, meatloaf etc.
* If I was going to can it, I’d be adding the vinegar just to be on the acid safe side. I would can it in pint jars and process it for 10 minutes just like for jam.
Fresh Rhubarb Salsa – use both recipes so that you get a feel for how easy and ‘varied’ it can be. Don’t ‘not’ make salsa because you don’t have some of these ingredients on hand. Be flexible, and use what you have.
Rhubarb in the early spring is almost alone in the garden. That’s when freeze dried veggies in the pantry come to the rescue.
Fresh SPRING Rhubarb Salsa this is what you make in the earliest part of spring, when the most courageous plant in your garden is your ever faithful friend – Rhubarb, and maybe your chives too. This is what you make before anything else in the garden is ready. Its my spring tribute to RHUBARB.
1 cup packed of finely chopped (by hand, NOT a food processor) rhubarb 2 T your favourite vinegar (I use a rhubarb vinegar I made the season before) 2 T olive oil (or your fave kitchen oil) 1 T freeze dried chopped onion – or 2 T finely chopped fresh chives 2 T freeze dried diced cucumbers 1 t sugar optional – juice of a small lime, or 1 teaspoon lime powder Put everything together, toss to dissolve sugar and mix everything well. Serve immediately, or make ahead a couple of hours. Remember YOU’RE the boss, recipes are only guidelines to get you going. I use these amounts only to give you an idea of measurement estimates. Its not very likely I’d ever make a single cup of this salsa. This is a great start, but if you like it a little sweeter, make it sweeter. If you like garlic, add a little garlic. I love the freeze dried cucumber in this version. If you’d like to learn more about freeze dried cucumbers, click here.
*Fresh Rhubarb SUMMER Salsa I call this ‘summer salsa’ because of the many other ingredients that are plentiful in a summer garden, but not so plentiful in the spring as early as rhubarb is ready. This combination is terrific, delicious all by itself. Who said rhubarb has to be sweet? When you use it as a vegetable, you’re a little more willing to use less sugar. Only 1 tablespoon of brown sugar with over 8 cups vegetables.
fresh rhubarb summer salsa
4 cups+ diced rhubarb 1 small red onion chopped finely (same size as rhubarb pieces) 1 lg green pepper chopped (*try to keep dice sizes uniform) 1 lg red pepper chopped * 1 lg yellow pepper chopped * 3 fresh meaty tomatoes (like roma) finely diced 1 T brown sugar 1/3 cup lime juice or 1 T Thrive Life powdered lime crystals 2 t coarse salt I added a few stocks garlic chives including the bulb – chopped slightly smaller than the other vegetables * optional: if you like a little heat, add 1 seeded and finely chopped jalapeno pepper; if you love the taste of cilantro, add 1/2 – 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro. I didn’t have either of these on hand the first time I made it. It’s all about making what you have – work for you. I added about 1/4 cup of chive vinegar – home flavoured. It was a nice touch. * optional: I added a beautiful fresh nectarine – because I had one. It was perfect! * optional: I added two very small garden onions sliced and diced thinly
Directions: Chop the rhubarb quite finely, and measure packed. Stir all vegetables together in large bowl. Sprinkle sugar, lime powder and salt over top and stir to completely distribute. Use immediately, or let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours. The first time I made this, I used it as a topping for a barbequed hamburger. Some used it as a relish. I put on about 1/2 cup – it was fabulous. It’s excellent as a side dish to serve with plain taco chips, or with anything else.
*Fresh Rhubarb Chutney I love the sweet spicy smell that fills the house with this gorgeous spiced rhubarb chutney. So delicious, you can eat it straight. Personally I wouldn’t can it, simply because I’d prefer not to cook it that long, but you can always freeze the fresh rhubarb so that you can make this a few times in the off season. So quick and easy, and the bonus is that your house will smell GREAT! Lovely served over pork roast, beef or chicken– or wherever you use chutney.
rhubarb chutney
ingredients: 5-6 cups coarsely chopped rhubarb 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 2 cloves garlic minced 1 t ginger powder or inch fresh ginger grated 2 t cumin 1 t cinnamon 1/2 t cloves 1 small onion diced (or use freeze dried onion slices) 1/2 cup raisins directions: Combine all in a saucepan. Bring to simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and very aromatic. Cook only over medium low until rhubarb is tender and mixture has thickened slightly, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. (maybe 15-20 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool completely. Serve fresh, or make ahead and refrigerate a few days, like a fresh cranberry sauce.
preserving
Freezing, canning or making jam are the three best ways to preserve rhubarb. I’ve tried dehydrating it – bleh. But adding it to fruit leather is terrific. The nice tart taste is the perfect match for fruit leather – on its own or mixed with any number of other fruits: apples, raspberries, plums . . . . just a reminder: always pull the rhubarb off the plant rather than cutting it. See above if you forget why.
FREEZING Wash and pat to dry freshly picked rhubarb. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Most of the time I just throw the chopped rhubarb into a labelled (name and date) bag to freeze. If I’m planning to use most of it in smoothies – where I want it to come out loosely, then I spread the chopped rhubarb in a cookie sheet, then I freeze in the chest freezer. The next day, scoop the frozen rhubarb into a labelled plastic bag and seal. Frozen fruit is best eaten within the first year of freezing. I know plenty of people who keep their’s in the freezer for much longer than that, and while its safe to do that, the food value diminishes considerably. Not worth it to me. Just USE it.
CANNING Canning is still the most convenient way of preserving high acid fruit. It is easy to do at home with limited equipment: just good quality, CLEAN jars with proper canning lids and rings, and a pot deep enough for at least two inches of water to cover.
Prepare rhubarb by trimming off the leaves and cleaning the stems. Then chop into 1/2-1 inch pieces. Dump into a large sauce pan. Add a little sugar and stir to cook raw chopped rhubarb in a light dusting of sugar. A good guide is approximately 1/2 cup of sugar to each quart of chopped rhubarb. Let the rhubarb sit for a few hours to draw out the juice.
You can cold pack it or hot pack. Rhubarb is a high acid food so it can safely be canned in a hot water bath canner. Or if desired you can can under pressure.
Cold pack: spoon the fruit into a freshly cleaned pint or quart jar. Top up with juice to about 1/2 inch from the top, leaving this as a ‘headspace’. Add clean lids and rings and gently lower the can into hot water bath in large deep pot – ensuring you have 2 inches or more of water on top of jar. Bring the water to a boil and set timer for 15 minutes, keeping the water at a continued soft rolling boil the whole time. Gently remove the jars and place on insulated surface about an inch apart. Allow to cool without disturbing. Can lids should ‘pop’ when they seal, ensuring a good vacuum seal. You can also pressure can under 10 pounds pressure for 8 minutes. I always prefer hot water bath canning for high acid fruits.
Hot pack: Same preparation, but once rhubarb has sat long enough to draw juice out, slowly heat the pot up to a slow boil. Immediately fill HOT jars with HOT sauce and lower into HOT water. Return the water bath to a full rolling boil and set time for 15 minutes as for above. When the timer goes off, gently remove the jars and proceed as instructed above.
This may or may not be sweet enough for you. If desired, add a little more sugar when serving.
Use your canned rhubarb sauce all winter long as you would apple sauce.
I’d love to hear your rhubarb recipes. Please tell me in the comments below how you use your rhubarb.
Simple things that can make a difference when its all about what YOU can do at home. An onion chest poultice is an old folk remedy that is often still used, because it is surprisingly effective. Among other good things, onion contain sulfur compounds that help fight mucus and promote the expulsion of mucus from your airways. Onion and its even stronger cousin garlic, are powerful natural antibiotics as well as being antiviral and antimicrobial. This makes them valuable for viral and bacterial infections. So yes make a poultice which will soothe from the outside, and that you’ll be able to inhale, but don’t forget to EAT them as well. Let them work from the inside too.
I love how Wendi talks about using fresh onions, but in the absence of them she shows us how to use dehydrated onions. This is so important and like her, I rarely have fresh onions in my house anymore unless they’re in my garden for the few months I can grow them, and maybe a few months after harvesting. I do keep dehydrated onions, but for the most part – I choose to use THRIVE LIFE freeze dried onions for most of the year. They come diced or sliced, and are always ready to use in all my favourite dishes. As with all Thrive Life fruits and vegetables, they’re flash frozen within only a few hours of harvest, sealing in all their natural nutritional goodness. This is very important to me. All the benefits of ‘fresh’, but easier and much more convenient to use, and with a shelf life of 25 years. That’s very important to me, because I’m all about long term food storage. Even after opening, we have at least a year to use them, depending on humidity in your area.
Wendi Bergin, the Joyful Prepper
These two pungent herbs (onions and garlic) are probably best known for their immune enhancing properties, but that’s another topic for another day. Many folk remedies suggest sleeping with onions wrapped onto the bottom of your feet! Don’t laugh. And don’t be too quick to discount things that seem too simple or even silly at first glance. In fact, garlic and onions contain anti-inflammatory chemicals that have been shown to relieve some forms of arthritic pain. Onions are a rich source of flavonoids, one of which – the antioxidant ‘quercetin’, has been shown to inhibit inflammation-causing leukotrienes, prostaglandins and histamines in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Yeah, I had to look them up too – lol.
Q: What are leukotrienes? A: chemicals your body produces, especially when you come into contact with something you’re allergic to. As a form of protection, they can cause coughing. build up of extra mucus and fluid in your chest and throat, as well as inflammation or swelling in your airway.
Q: what are prostaglandins? A: fatty acids made at sites of tissue damage or infection caused by injury or illness. They control processes such as inflammation, blood flow, the formation of blood clots and the induction of labour.
Q: what are histamines? A: chemicals your body makes to help expel allergens from your body through symptoms such as a runny nose or sneezing.
While we shouldn’t want to get rid of these natural protective functions completely, they can cause a lot of discomfort. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was something natural and ‘normal’ you could eat, that could assist in alleviating the worst of those symptoms though?
Let Food Be Your Medicine
Onions are members of the allium family, which includes hundreds of species, and they are one of the most widely used vegetables/herbs in the world, with some types growing in every climate except the arctic. Ones we’re more familiar with are the ‘onion’ of course, garlic, scallion, shallot, leek, green onions and chives. And even among these, there are many, many different types, each with its own special personality and qualities. In North America, the most popular onion to purchase is the yellow onion, for its long lasting quality. Named for its outside colour, not inside, it is cured (dried outside after harvest). If kept in a dry dark, semi cool place, it will last for months.
there are so many different types of onions, that could almost be a food group unto themselves.
They are a good source of nutrients and are known to offer a plethora of health benefits – many more than what we’ve reviewed here. Onions are a tremendously rich food source of flavonoids, in particular, the antioxidant quercetin (see above), which is known to prohibit the activity or creation of cancer-causing elements. A quercetin-rich diet is a recognized good defense against developing cancer.
Make onions more a part of your life.
– If you’re one of those people who don’t like the texture of onions, use freeze dried – they’re better than any alternative we can buy at the grocery store anyway.
– If you’re one of those people who don’t like the taste of onions, get over it and find a way eat them anyway. They’re really good for you. They’ve proven themselves enough times to be taken seriously, figure out a way to incorporate them into your daily diet. Hide them, disguise them if you must, but definitely EAT onions. Thrive Life’s freeze dried onions will help immensely with that.
– If you’re one of those people who have kids who think they don’t like onions, be the parent and find a way to use them anyway. If you need to hide them, then hide them! But use them! Thrive Life’s freeze dried chopped onions will become your new best friend.
Okay, its not possible for any food to have only good things said about it. I think we all know the one downside, and it has something to do with ‘the smell’. Not just the smell of onions, but the smell of ‘us’ after we eat them. Onions contain organic sulfur compounds, which are the reason onions have such a sharp, strong taste and smell. Yes, those sulfur compounds help reduce the level of cholesterol in our bodies, breaking down blood clots and lowering our risk of heart disease and stroke. BUT, those same sulfur compounds cause the only negative effects from eating onions – irritation to eyes when cutting, and body odor.
When our bodies break them down, those sulfur compounds react to sweat on our skin, creating what is generally considered to be an unpleasant odor. In our society, that’s a considerable downside. And in some individuals with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), they may increase gas and bloating. Small price to pay in my opinion, but I have found that freeze dried onions do not seem to create the same problems. As far as the tearing up aspect, try rinsing a peeled onion under water or chill it for 30 minutes before cutting. Or of course, you can skip the whole chopping step, and go straight for the freeze dried option.
As far as the onion poultice – this is new to me. I’m happy to know about it and appreciate Wendi’s thorough instructions. I have everything I need on hand and will take her advice to set aside some more clean, white cotton for that purpose.
Have you ever tried an onion poultice? Or any other type of poultice? I’d love to hear your opinion and your experience.
I have a simple rule that I apply to everything I ‘did’. Whether its my garden, an event that I was involved in, or a class that I taught – doesn’t matter, it pretty much always applies. At the end of whatever it is, I ask myself these THREE Questions (and answer them of course). 1. What went well? What was I pleased with? 2. What could have been better?What could I have improved on? 3. What did I learn? In my opinion, the most important.
All three questions are very important, and must be asked in order. It is very easy to get down on yourself when something didn’t go right. None of us seem to be short on negative self talk, if the season (or event) was disappointing. Its easy to get discouraged and give up if we focus on the bad, on the things that didn’t work out. So DON’T!
What went well? There is always something that was good. Think about it, and WRITE DOWN the answers. A fruit or vegetable that grew well – a new skill that came in handy – a new hack that paid off – etc. Write down everything that was good about this year’s garden.
For my 2021 garden: What went well?
* Kale. I grew great kale. The year before was the first time I planted kale and I only planted 6 plants, but it encouraged me to plant again, this time I planted double that amount, and some variation. I planted them in three or four different spots, I picked from the plants all summer long, and well into October when I finally harvested the last of it. I used fresh kale in salads, omelettes and scrambled eggs, soups, casseroles, chopped in sandwiches, and smoothies. I tried kale chips in the oven for the first time, and was wowed. Repeated that several times, using less oil each time lol. I dehydrated the excess and ended up with two FULL 2 quart jars of dehydrated kale, crushed into them.
* Tomatoes. I had a reeeeeally good harvest of tomatoes this year. Lots of tomatoes! Mostly the Romanian Giants. For the first time, I grew tomatoes all season long IN my new green house. Eight or ten tomatoes there, four around an arbour in the first garden bed, four around an arbour in the large horse trough, and some in their usual spot on the west side of the house. And some cherry tomato in planters on the patio. Made for a LOT. I admit it – tomatoes are my thing. The backbone of my garden, the one thing I look forward to the most. Everything else exists around them. The most successful places (in order), was the green house, garden arbour and large horse trough arbour – all in the sunniest locations. We ate fresh tomatoes pretty much all of August, September and October. We’ll have fresh tomatoes into November. I canned the excess that ripened faster than we could eat, a couple dozen quarts. I made fresh bruschetta and salsa, canning about 15 pints of salsa. I oven roasted lots of tomatoes. We had so many different types of tomato based soups.
* Compost. We reorganized our compost area since building the greenhouse, adding another large old garbage can turned upside down. Also had a mound of dried lawn trimmings in our compost area, ready to add to compost piles as needed, and use to mulch gardens. We also added to the city compost from time to time – with undesirable compost: either branches and things that take too long to break down, thistle, scraps that included oil or meat, ….. that sort of thing. It was valuable to be able to recycle these organics even though we didn’t want them ourselves.
* Greenhouse. Dan built me a new greenhouse this spring. Not very big, 8×12 – the perfect size for our needs. I dug the soil down deep on both sides, and added gravel, compost and aged horse manure to the soil. When the shelves were no longer needed, I removed them and planted tomatoes, peppers and nasturtiums in the soil.
* Soil amendment in the former spruce area. We took out two massive spruce trees a year and a half before and the following summer it was almost a dead zone. Nothing we planted did well, so we gathered our resources and came up with an amendment plan, thanks to the suggestion of our friend Scott Campbell. Aged horse manure, barley straw and early spring mowing. Became positively LUSH compared to last year.
New Discoveries
Horse trough raised beds Hori hori knife (my new favourite tool) Mexican Tarragon, Papalo, and Epezote
What could have been better?
Grapes. Plums. Carrots. Potatoes. Strawberries. Basil. Beans. Butternut Squash. My planting was too condensed, and I ended up shading some things I’d rather not have. I thought I planted bush beans, when they were in fact pole beans, and consequently they weren’t placed in the best spot. That was unfortunate. I experimented with two different ways to grow potatoes. Both were interesting and I’m glad I did it, but not that great of a yield.
What did I learn?
We’ve been growing tomatoes on the west side of the house which we knew was short on sun, but the best we had at the time. This year, the new greenhouse resolved that issue. 2021 is our last year for westside tomatoes. Next year, that partial sun/partial shade area will be best suitable for greens: lettuce and arugula, chard, kale, nasturtiums and celery.
We topped up all of our beds with aged horse manure and completely redid the entire strawberry bed, including new plants, following the recommendations of some trusted friends. I allowed too many other things to grow in it as the summer progressed: dill, poppies and sunflowers. Next year, I’m gonna limit that. We’ll deep water the strawberries right away (end of October), and cover them in leaves to tuck them in for a long winter’s sleep, and hope for better strawberries next year.
Plans for improvement next year?
Gonna rent a small inground garden plot in our community garden, to plant carrots, potatoes and maybe beets. Those root crops I just don’t seem to have sufficient room or sun for in my small garden, and if there’s one thing the community garden has a lot of, it is SUN!
Seeds for Next Year’s Garden
I ALWAYS buy seeds one year in advance. For the most part, what I plant in 2022 will be the seeds I purchased in late winter 2021, and so forth. It’s part of my personal philosophy of preparedness. There will always be an exception, something I decide to try NOW, but generally speaking, I plan at least one year ahead for gardening. I don’t ever want to have a spring when for some unforeseen reason, I am unable to get seeds. Preparedness is not just food storage.
Some of those seeds will be seeds I saved myself, especially tomato seeds from my own Romanian Giants, Nasturtiums, Poppies and Dill. Garden preparedness includes ensuring I have sufficient potting soil for next spring, as well as planting containers.
I get my seeds from assorted sources: a local seed store on the west side, one of several Canadian seed companies I order online, the odd package that catches my eye at a greenhouse or garden centre, and of course those that I propagate myself or that friends have shared. But for next year I have decided to try another Canadian seed company a friend recommended. I am looking for a company that deserves my loyalty.
Keep your plans for next year ACHIEVABLE.
Seed catalogues are full of all sorts of potential, and it’s good to try something new every year. Some thing you haven’t tried before, a new vegetable, a new type, a new way of doing things, . . . And there’s nothing wrong with trying something totally ‘out there’ from time to time, like watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, honeyberries …. You never know what’s gonna WORK, and you very well may be surprised. Some things may simply have been fun to try, but not really worth investing too much energy down the road, not to mention the garden space that may have been better used for other vegetables. And other things may be tremendous successes. However, keep the bulk of your garden plans for the “most likely to succeed” crops. Go for the tried and true types. Ask other gardeners for their recommendations.
We’re fully expecting our Honey Crisp Apple, which we transplanted into our former spruce area two springs ago, to amaze us in 2022. It got set back when we transplanted it, and had a rough season in exceptionally poor soil, but we’ve apologized, and have done our best to make up for that rough start. I also have high hopes for our Royal Plum, which produced this year, but sparsely.
I highly recommend keeping a garden journal of sorts. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re gonna be a great journaler if you’ve never done well with journals before, but don’t be a defeatest either. Commit to it. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, just a simple notebook will suffice – but have a book that is gonna stick around. Not just a collection of note papers.
Keeping a garden journal WILL improve your gardening experience, I promise. Why? Because you will hone your skills based on what you learned from previous seasons. It will provide you with historical information that will help you better predict future results. It will help you keep an inventory of your seeds and perennials, as well as record your harvests. It can effectively evolve into a personalized garden TEXT BOOK, and every year you add to it, it becomes more and more valuable.
What to include in your garden journal? 15 suggestions
Date your entries and write down your answers to the three questions above. Every year. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did. This will be your core.
A pencil sketch of your garden layout with the year clearly marked. This is more important than you might think. You will want to ensure you rotate most crop areas, avoiding using the same spot year after year for the same vegetable.
A list of the plants that worked out best, and the ones that did NOT.
Dated sources for specific plants: greenhouses, nurseries or garden centres, seed companies, friends or neighbours.
Planting times, ready times, harvest times. Maybe even a few recipes you discovered.
Be more specific about times: dates you started seeds indoor, dates you transplanted them, and dates you planted seeds directly into the garden. Germination times. All these are things you THINK you’re gonna remember. Yeah right, you won’t. The information will come in handy for future years.
Soil tests, soil amendments and subsequent assessments of that soil.
Any problems with pests, diseases or other issues
Approximate dates of harvests and the type of yield you got. I don’t have the patience to weigh, measure or count, but I know some do that. I think that’s great. Just not for me.
Weather. I know right? But seriously, every year is unique, and not every season is good for every crop. So record your assessment on the weather trends by recording details, and make note of what crops are doing better than others. For instance, I have noticed that in our part of the city, we seem to be have less violence in the weather. The worst seems to go around us. I have also noted that other areas seem to get a frost quicker than we do, perhaps owing to our number of nearby trees creating a minor microclimate. You’ll be more likely to make note of weather patterns if you’re writing them down.
New changes and experiments. How else are you gonna track what works?
Suggestions, recommendations, and even recipes shared by other gardeners. I know, again with the recipes.
Expenses: how much spent in greenhouses and garden centres, seed catalogues, garden paraphernalia, new builds, maintenance of raised beds etc, cold frames, lattices etc
Hacks, suggestions, inspiration and ideas. Using your garden journal as the place to make quick notes about what they are, or where to find them, is the best way to keep them all in one spot for easy reference later
Personal reflections, inspiration and musings . . . . . after all, it IS a journal. It is part of you. It is a record of yourself.
What plans do you have for your garden next season?
So I’m a big fan of zucchini, but not such a big fan of it when it becomes monster zucchini. I like it when its small and tender and you don’t have to peel it. But no matter how diligent a gardener thinks she is, there’s always a few zucchinis that hide out and grow too big while you were hanging clothes on the line. (and that’s almost as long as it seems to take) What to do? There’s really only so much zucchini cake anyone should make in a lifetime.
WHO KNEW? Some interesting facts about zucchini . . . .
*While we think of, and use it as a vegetable, like the tomato zucchini is technically a fruit.
*Zucchini, and all other squash are native to Central America and Mexico, and started making an appearance in European kitchens in the 1600’s. From Europe, it spread to the rest of North America. The scenic route.
*We generally eat zucchini when it is young and immature, while the rind is tender and the seeds are undeveloped, . . . . or at least that’s the goal.
*Zucchini is a surprising source of calcium, making it valuable in maintaining good bone and teeth health. Calcium also helps your nervous system function properly.
*Zucchini contains the carotenoid known as Beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A, making it important to a healthy immune system and good eye health. That, in combination with the other antioxidants present, such as lutein and zeaxanthin, protect the eye’s cells and are helpful in preventing macular degeneration.
*Because of a good amount of potassium and magnesium, zucchini is good for regulating your blood pressure and keeping your heartbeat at a normal rate. Moderate levels of folate in zucchini contribute to good heart health by breaking down amino acids like homocysteine, which would increase our chances of heart disease and stroke.
*Zucchini is a good source of zinc which helps with immune function and healthy hair growth. Being rich in fiber, zucchini aids in digestion.
*Zucchini is a good source of vitamin C, so eating it fresh and uncooked as much as possible is extremely beneficial. Good thing its so delicious straight from the garden. The anti-inflammatory properties that come from the beta-carotene and vitamin C in zucchini, address symptoms of osteoarthritis, as well as asthma and other respiratory ailments.
*Since it is packed with so much goodness, and not very many calories, it only makes sense that eating zucchini will promote good health and help prevent disease. It should be a welcome guest at your dinner table.
preparing monster zucchini for the dehydrator
Best way to eat zucchini? Straight outta the garden. Preferably while you’re still standing IN the garden. Snap it off its stem and enjoy the crispness as you bite into it. It’s flavour is so mild that it cannot possibly offend anyone, and it has a slight sweetness to it. The peel is very tender, and adds to the body and texture (and nutrition), so don’t ever peel it when its young. I love the experience of picking a nice tender zucchini with a grandchild in tow so that we can share the experience. I hope they remember those garden moments.
But what do you do with those ripened zucchini’s that are as big as a child’s torso? Well, you can scoop out the seeds, fill it with a stuffing and bake it for supper. I don’t mind doing that once a year, but usually Dan just eats the stuffing and not the zucchini anyway. You can shred it and make zucchini cake, but that’s another once-a-year thing for me too. Seriously – how much zucchini cake do you or all your friends want? In its shredded form, you can add it to stir fries, add it to spaghetti sauce (it disappears and no one will be the wiser), soups, and omelettes. This appeals to me a lot more, and I love putting it to good use in dishes that are made more nutritious because of it. But still, . . . . you have a LOT of zucchini.
DEHYDRATE it!
What on earth would you do with dehydrated zucchini later? Well, you could throw them into those same soups, stews, stir fries, cakes and sauces of course. Yes, I know you can shred it and freeze it, but my freezer space is limited at the best of times, and even more so at the end of summer. One of my favourite ways to use dehydrated zucchini is in a seasoning mix that I call “Taste of the Mediterranean“. See recipe below.
To dehydrate: Peel large zucchini, cut in half and scrape out the seeds. Cube the white flesh into pieces about an inch square. I also shred some. Spread out in your dehydrator in a single layer. Over night should be sufficient time to dehydrate, but test it by pinching and tasting. The shredded zucchini takes a lot less time than the cubed. I recommend not leaving it for more than an hour or two without checking. You don’t have to babysit it, just don’t go to bed. When it is good a dry, store in a glass jar in your pantry out of direct light.
zucchini dehydrated and in the jar
recipe: TASTE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN
This taste of the Mediterranean is a valuable part of my kitchen. Add it to your meatballs or meatloaf. Add it to your spaghetti sauce, or your lasagna. Add it to a thick cream sauce for pizza. Add it to your alfredo sauce to go on pasta. Add it to your cream soup, or your Italian Wedding Soup. Make a hearty vegetable dip, buttermilk salad dressing, or a cheese spread. . . . . . . be creative, the sky’s the limit.
ingredients layered in before I mix it all together
1 cup dehydrated zucchini or 2 cups freeze dried zucchini (I often find myself running out of this mix mid year, when I don’t have any dried zucchini left. No problem, when I have another can of THRIVE LIFE freeze dried Zucchini on hand. ) 1 cup dehydrated mixed bell peppers, or 1 cup freeze dried green pepper + 1/2 cup freeze dried red peppers Blend the above into a coarse powder using the pulse option on your blender. Only a few seconds, so that you still have a little texture but mostly powder. Add 1 cup freeze dried chopped Spinach Pulse it in the blender a few more seconds. Add: 1 cup freeze dried chopped onions 1/3 cup Tomato powder (I use THRIVE LIFE Tomato Powder, but if you have dehydrated tomatoes, powder your own) 1-2 Tablespoons garlic powder (I usually use freeze dried, crushed in a mortar & pestle) 1/2 cup mixed dried Italian herbs: oregano, thyme, rosemary and basil (or your favourite Italian or Greek Seasoning mix) hand crumbled 1/2+ cup dried parmesan cheese (I use THRIVE LIFE freeze dried Parmesan)
Stir with a fork to fully incorporate all the colours. Pour into a clean quart jar with a tight fitting lid. If you’re not using freeze dried cheese, you might want to store it in the fridge, or simply leave the cheese out so that you can add it separately whenever you use the mix later.
Mediterranean Meatloaf or meatballs : add 1/2 – 1 cup to your favourite ground meat mixture, and form as usual. Mediterranean White Pasta Sauce : add 1/2 cup to your favourite alfredo sauce. You might need to add a little bit more liquid to compensate for rehydration. Mediterranean Tomato Pasta Sauce: same thing – just add to your favourite tomato sauce. Adjust liquid if necessary. Mediterranean Omelotte: add to beaten eggs, allow two or three minutes to refresh. Cook eggs as usual. Mediterranean Vegetable Spread: Cream mixture into cream cheese. Start with 2 tablespoons, and then add more if desired. Stir in a little mayo and sour cream, creaming with mixer or spoon after each addition. Let it sit for 15 minutes to ensure all is rehydrated. Test for desired consistency, adding more liquid if necessary. For spreading on crackers, serving with fresh bread, or using as a sandwich base. Mediterranean Vegetable Dip: Same method as above, but use mayo and sour cream. Maybe a little cream cheese for body and richness. Mediterranean Buttermilk Salad Dressing: Same method for Dip, but stir in buttermilk to desired consistency.
I’d love to hear your ideas for eating zucchini – especially when it gets too big. If you decide to try this recipe – I’d love to hear ways you incorporated it into your meals. Its great to learn from each other.
“Yes, I know its a weed. But don’t be such a bigot. ” There I said it. Let’s get that out of the way from the beginning. Just because it volunteers its called a weed, but Hello, WEED is NOT a swear word. Some of my best friends are weeds. Just because something is called a weed, doesn’t mean we should discount it. The word is only a ‘term’. Many ‘weeds’ have earned their spots in my garden.
So, what exactly IS a weed? By definition, it is a “valueless plant growing wild” – especially on cultivated ground intended for a more desired crop. Generally, a weed is seen to be a troublesome plant, causing injury to its more desired neighbours. Okay that’s rude, and I admit – if a weed was being a jerk in my garden, it would have to go. But many times, the plant hasn’t hurt our feelings. All we know about it is that someone told us it’s a weed. Who gets to decide that? Most often, we consider a plant a weed, because it has been defined that way for us by the historically respected wisdom of “they“, whoever “they” are. “They” say that this is a weed, so therefore I must despise it, and do my best to eradicate it. Simply put, “a weed is a plant considered undesirable“, but perhaps it might be undesirable in one situation – while quite desirable in another. It is merely a label for a plant in the wrong place. The term itself is a relative term, and what may be a weed to you may not be to me, and vice versa. If a weed is characterized by not being wanted, then does wanting it, mean it is no longer – a weed?
You’d be amazed how many people just want to bend over and pluck a ‘weed’, prompted by their inner good intentions to rid the world of these nuisances. It is a constant battle trying to ensure these Good Samaritans that all is in control and that the world will not go to heck if we let some ‘particular’ weeds find joy in their existence. I created a ‘spot’ for them in my yard and called it my protected zone. My refugee camp for weeds. A place for them to be safe to simply BE. But their existence bothered some people, so I put up a sign to ensure their safety.
Okay, so for argument’s sake, let’s agree that a weed generally ‘volunteers‘ itself – essentially, invites itself to the party – which really isn’t polite in some circles. And by common understanding, it competes with the invited guests, for resources like water, sunshine and space. Also – not polite. So it’s a little loud, and takes up too much room at the buffet, and yes – a weed usually reproduces rather aggressively, or is invasive, but still – let’s not HATE a plant just because it doesn’t have good garden manners. A plant that is a weed in one context is not a weed when growing in a situation where it is in fact, wanted. The first time I saw an oriental poppy, it had volunteered in my garden – uninvited, and therefore ‘a weed’.
What if you found value in some of them? Would they cease to be the scourge they are now? What if those same weeds became part of your summer meals? Many are available in the early spring, before your vegetables are even ready to pick. Used to their fullest, weeds can increase the potential yield of your garden, and at the very least – make it more interesting.
Most of the weeds I talk about in this post grow from self seeding, so they are up and established weeks before your regular garden. This means that you can start eating nutritious and delicious mixed garden greens (lambs quarters, chickweed, dandelion leaves, borage, plantain, etc) in your salad as early as May (in the Edmonton area) most years. By mid June, as your garden grows and develops. you will be eating more ‘regular’ vegetables from your garden, adding more and more to your salad as the days go by and needing weeds less. But not to worry, they don’t get their feelings hurt easily. They’re there for you when you need them.
BORAGE
herb Borage
Borage was ‘invited’ initially, into my garden, but because it returns year after year on its own – by definition it has become a weed. If one was a weed bigot, they’d miss out on what Borage has to offer. Borage attracts bees and other pollinators to your garden. You’ll need to remove it from spots where it will shade or outgrow nearby plants, but for heaven’s sake, don’t deny it a place simply because you didn’t invite it. Borage is edible in leaf, flower and seed, and fairly nutritious, though the texture is not so desirable. It is for this reason that it has an honoured place in my garden.
CALENDULA
herb Calendula
Calendula are hardy, self seeding beautifully vibrant flowers, free spirits who grow where they want. I love their gorgeous bright orange splashes of colour throughout the gardens: flower, herb and vegetable. Because I pick them for fresh flowers in the kitchen, and also to dry for later, I sometimes worry that I am not leaving enough to self seed, so I intentionally ensure some blossoms get left to go-to-seed, and when ripened I freely scatter them. My investment in the future.
My discovery of calendulas came as a gift from a neighbour who thought I’d enjoy them. I didn’t know what to expect, but trusting her I broadcast the seed and was delighted the next spring when they sprang to life, and even more so later, when they showed their cheery bright orange faces. Calendula flowers attract pollinators all season long, so they are valuable as companion plants.
CHAMOMILE
German chamomile is an annual plant that reaches around 2 feet in height. It is probably the one you’re most used to seeing and the one pictured here, and though it is an annual plant, it is an aggressive self-seeder, so it will likely return year after year. Tricky. Wild chamomile is sometimes referred to as Pineapple Plant or Pineapple-weed, is an annual ‘weed’ that commonly grows in inhospitable areas like gravel driveways, cracks in sidewalks, road sides and of course in fields – any place where it gets plenty of sun and heat.
Pineapple weed gets its nickname from its appearance and scent. The shape of the blossom is reminiscent of a pineapple, and when you pinch one of the flowers you will smell the sweet, light sent of pineapple. Like the other chamomiles, it has medicinal qualities. It is a sedative herb that relaxes the digestive system and settles the stomach (including motion sickness). Also good for calming nerves, and as a mild relaxant to help you sleep. Because of its soothing properties it is used to help reduce stress and anxiety.
Pineapple weed is wild chamomile. It thrives in the most inhospitable areas.
Its hard to say how to grow a ‘weed’ because just the nature of a weed means it grows wherever it darn well feels like it. Usually the problem is to stop growing where you don’t want it. But I find that to be true only until you find a useful purpose for it. Afterward it suddenly gets picky about its growing environ. Wild chamomile grows in cracks and seams and gravel, but in my garden it grows in a protected area, where weeds can be safe. But because it is used to abuse and inhospitality, it doesn’t thrive in a wholesome environment. Poor thing. So if you have a terrible spot in your yard, plant pineapple week in it. You’ll both be happy.
Pick it to use fresh, or to dry for winter use. Of German Chamomiles you can use the flowers and leaves, and even the stems, but I only pick the flowers because they’re so plentiful I don’t need anymore than that. But for the pineapple weed, because its so small and I usually don’t have a lot to pick from, I pick the blossoms and leaves, and if the plant is young and tender, I pick the stems too. Swish the plant around in water then flick off excess moisture or run through a lettuce spinner.
To make an infusion / cuppa tea, take a large handful and steep in tea pot with boiling hot water for 10 – 20 minutes. Easier to keep hot if you gently simmer in a small pot on very low heat. Strain as for any tea, and drink with a touch of honey or a dash of stevia to sweeten if desired. Adding a pinch of mint leaves gives it a nice flavour. Brew lots and chill it for a nice refreshing iced tea later.
CHICKWEED (common chickweed and long stalked chickweed)
I’ve taught classes where I have brought chickweed growing in a pot to show, and had people convinced they’ve never seen it before. I believe they have, they’re just not used to seeing it that up-close-and-personal, or perhaps that well taken care of. The plant lies low and trails the ground, the perfect ground cover. It is easy to pull up and get rid of, but don’t be so quick to try to eradicate it. It is one of my most valued plants (weed or no weed). Learn what it looks like and treat it with the respect it deserves.
Hated by many gardeners, chickweed can be transformed from a pest to a deliciously tender ‘vegetable’ by anyone with an open mind. Hardy, self seeds, highly recommended. With a delicate flavour, chickweed is a nutritional power house: calcium, essential fatty acid, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, silicon, sulfur, zinc, vitamins B1 B2 B3, C and E.
Chickweed harvested in the house in April. An off season treat.
in this image, I have a bonus batch of chickweed that came into the house in the summer with some garden soil. It sits dormant all winter long till the light gets better – mid March. Then it comes to life and doesn’t need much encouragement to grow beautifully.
Common Chickweed that we so often find in our gardens, is a tender plant, branching out from a central root. The small leaves are bright green and sometimes referred to as ‘mouse ears’. The flowers are tiny, white and star like. Although its an annual, chickweed self seeds and so if you’re lucky, you can inadvertently bring in some seed with garden soil if you bring any plants into the house for winter. Common in most gardens, especially in damp partly shady areas.
Chickweed is super easy to eat right on the spot while you’re working in the garden. Be careful not to pull it up by the root as you don’t want to kill it. I know, that is contrary to what you’re naturally inclined to want to do with ‘weeds’, but once you understand and experience the value of chickweed, it will be a valuable and protected plant in your garden. Coarsely chop to add to a salad, throw into a smoothie or steam with other greens. There is no shortage of ways you can incorporate chickweed into your daily summer diet, and you will feel better for it. I promise.
Long-leaved Chickweed is a native plant to the Edmonton area. Also known as long-leaved stichwort or long-leaf starwort, it is a perennial clump-forming plant with stems that are erect or straggling, often branched. It can grow up to 20 inches long. It’s flowers are small and delicate, white with five parted petals.
It normally grows in wet meadows, woodlands, and in marshes where the soil is moist and fertile with full sun. It is considered protected in the wild, and as most native plants are endangered it should never be picked and transplanted. The only way to get one is to purchase a plant or seed from a responsible organization like EDMONTON NATIVE PLANTS SOCIETY which you can look up online. They also have a face book page. They propagate for the purpose of sharing the plants to interested gardeners.
using: The native, long leaved chickweed plant is edible, and can be used in all the same ways one would use common garden chickweed.
DANDELION
dandelions are a common site in every disturbed patch of ground, but they don’t have to be the ‘enemy’
In addition to just good nutrition, dandelions have the potential to provide some therapeutic health benefits. They contain powerful antioxidants which we all know is important to a healthy immune system, and research also indicates they may have anti inflammatory properties as well as being a natural diuretic. Dandelions contain bioactive compounds that are known to assist in reducing cholesterol, and for generations they have been used to promote a healthy liver.
Personally, I don’t know about all that stuff. Some people are passionate about the health benefits, and of course some are always skeptical. But for sure they are nutritious and are unlikely to cause harm, as long as you’re not allergic, so for me – that’s good enough for now. I consider them a gift from Heavenly Father, and I’ll use them where I can.
Dandelions are a power house of nutritional value: highly nutritious, containing vitamins C and B6, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, iron, potassium and manganese. Compared to spinach – the well respected “super food” – dandelion greens have 8 times more antioxidants + 2 times more calcium + 3 times more vitamin A + 5 times more vitamin E and K. That should be enough information to at least compel us to want to give them a try. Dandelion acts as a mild laxative that promotes digestion, stimulates appetite and balances the natural and beneficial bacteria in the intestines. They are a unique addition to your well balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.
using:
Dandelion greens are one of the healthiest of green vegetables. Yes, they’re a little on the bitter side, like radicchio and endive only more so. It seems that “bitter herbs” are the ones with all the nutrients in them. (How ironic is that?) So be creative, and be persistent in finding ways that you can enjoy them.
*Leaves / the greens: are more tender and less bitter in the early spring. Simply snip the leaves from your protected plants, as you would any other garden green. Wash in warm water, and dry as you would leaf lettuce. Cut them up to add into a salad to distribute among the other greens. Studies indicate that bitter flavours are great for digestion and curbing sugar cravings. Eating more dandelion can be as simple as sprinkling a handful of chopped leaves into your next salad. Later, the leaves get quite strong tasting with that bitterness unique to dandelions. I have heard the blanching them helps to get rid of the bitter taste. To blanch, put into boiling salted water for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Strain them and transfer them to ice water.
I added half a red pepper for this one. Nice colours! Served with cucumbers and crumbled feta.
recipe: DANDELION OMELETTE for one 6 – 10 dandelion leaves, washed, stem removed and lightly chopped. 1 stalk of garlic chives with bulb, chopped 2 eggs, lightly beaten
Boil some water and blanche the leaves for a minute or two. Strain and set aside. In a little oil, saute chopped garlic chives over medium heat till tender (just a minute or two). Add the blanched greens and saute another minute or so. Turn heat down a bit, and pour beaten eggs over vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper or your fave seasoning. Cook omelette till eggs are set. Turn out onto plate and serve.
dandelion tea made from dandelion flowers
*Flowers: can be picked when they are nice and young. Wash them by gently swishing in cool water. You’ll be surprised how much dirt will settle in your water when you thought they were clean. Remove all green from the underside, not because it’s bad for you, but because it doesn’t taste good. Toss into your salad whole. Some people batter the blossoms and deep fry them like a fritter.
Or make a dandelion iced tea. NOT kidding! It is quite delicious and very refreshing. Pick lots of dandelion flower heads, being sure to wash them in cool water. Put them in a clean pot and pour boiling water over to cover and a few more inches. Let them steep for an hour or two till completely cooled. You can drink anywhere along the line, the only difference is gonna be whether its hot or cold, and the strength of the infusion of course. I drink it hot, room temperature and cold from the fridge. I like it all ways, but probably chilled is my favourite. Surprisingly it does not need any sweetener.
*Roots: are better later in the year, but before frost. When digging, make sure you dig deep down to get as much of the root as possible. Cut them off the plant and soak them in water to loosen the dirt. Brush and rub together to clean, changing water as needed.
To make a coffee-like hot drink (decoction): chop into small pieces no more than 1/2 an inch. Heat your oven to 350° F, and place roots on a pan to toast for 10-15 minutes. Don’t leave them alone, as they will burn easily. Check every three or four minutes and move them around when they begin to toast to try to keep the toasting even. The pieces should smoke a little and give off a chocolaty aroma while cooking. When most of them look like ‘chocolate’ pieces, and snap apart easily they are done. Allow them to cool, and then store them in an airtight jar out of sunlight.
I have a coffee grinder but I’ve never used it for coffee. LOL. I just throw these toasted root bits into the blender and blend to a coarse crumble – like cocoa nibs. You can store it like this too. To prepare drink, pour boiling water over top of the nibs and brew like you would a loose leaf herbal tea. Let it sit as long as you want, and strain like you would herbal tea leaves. Test for strength and adjust your amounts according to taste.
FEVERFEW
Feverfew is a cheerful, ferny plant with lots of pretty small white daisy-like flowers with bright yellow centers. It is adaptable and low maintenance. It loves full sun and well drained soil, but is agreeable to partial shade. When the flowers are mature / ripe, their yellow centers will begin to dry and brown into seeds. I usually take two or three of these seed heads and sprinkle them among my entire garden. That will give me hundreds of volunteer pop-up plants for next summer. They are a biennial which means they flower and go to seed in their second year. They don’t come back the next spring, but lots of little feverfew babies do.
In its second year, in a favourable spot it can grow to up to 20 inches. A nice bushy, ferny plant. Feverfew is easy to remove where you don’t want it, and its easy to transplant too. Its just an easy going friend, who doesn’t take offense. I allow it to grow profusely in my herb garden, flower gardens and even a few in my vegetable garden. Just because we’re friends, and we get along well.
Feverfew is such a pretty plant, it brings me joy. The taste however, . . . it may have medicinal qualities, but it would never make it in the kitchen. That’s okay. You can’t be every thing to everybody. The taste is strong and bitter to me. My mother-in-law said she’d have to put it in a mouthful of something else to eat it. And that is exactly what I would have to do. Be creative. You only have to eat one leaf.
Feverfew is NOT a pain reliever, so don’t take it when you’re in the middle of a migraine. It is a preventative. I have never suffered from a migraine, and rarely get bad headaches, but those who take one pill a day, or one leaf a day as prevention, swear by it. It is effective in decreasing frequency and severity, and many people I have spoken to about it, say that their headaches are significantly fewer and more manageable. It is also used to relieve chronic premenstrual cramping.
HORSERADISH
horseradish is grown primarily for its root, but don’t discount the tasty leaves when they’re young and tender
So many people are afraid of planting horseradish. They’ve heard nightmare stories about how invasive it is, and the truth is, if you don’t want to eat it, there isn’t much point in growing it. Yes, it will come back every year, so I guess that makes it a bit of a weed, but open your mind. It is a very helpful plant to have around as a companion plant, but also as a salad green in addition to the sauce you make from its root. And therein lies the secret of controlling it. If you eat it, you EAT THE ROOT. Harvesting it is how you control it. Digging out the root at the end of every season, prevents it from getting too far ahead of you, and robustness is pretty important if its gonna continue to come back.
horseradish sauce in mayonnaise adds a punch to any sandwich
Yes, horseradish’s most commonly used part is the root, known for its strong, pungent flavour (and its heat) – that you either love or hate. But don’t discriminate against the leaves, as they are quite edible and very delicious when they are young. They have a sharp, bitter, and peppery taste — similar to arugula and kale and yes, even radish. Snip one or two fresh young leaves and chop up to add to a mixed green garden salad. I’m not suggesting a “horse radish leaf salad”, but to have some horse radish IN your mixed green salad is completely delicious. Try incorporating some of the young leaves into your next garden pesto. Or even add to the greens in your stir-fried vegetables. Be creative. Don’t be a garden bigot by not allowing certain ‘herbs’ or vegetables in your garden to show you how wonderful and versatile they really are.
LAMBS QUARTERS
Like many weeds, lambs quarters self seed, so they are up and established weeks before your regular garden. Also called goose foot or pigweed – lambs quarters is a relative of spinach and quinoa. Sometimes known as wild spinach, and considered a weed in most gardens, it deserves more credit than it usually gets. Highly nutritious, rich in V C and E, essential fatty acids, iron, calcium, minerals and antioxidants.
Like spinach, beet greens, swiss chard and most other greens lambs quarters contains some oxalic acid which when eaten raw in large quantities can inhibit calcium absorption. These plants are so loaded with calcium however, that the amount of calcium not absorbed due to oxalic acid is minimized. Its a good idea to rotate your ‘greens’ for that reason anyway. Variety is a good thing. The black seeds are edible and very nutritious. Very good source of protein.
The underside of Lamb’s Quarters’ leaves and top of the new leaves are covered in a fine pink dust. Resist the temptation to wash it off as it is full of calcium and protein. It contains even more protein than kale. When lamb’s quarters is young, the entire above ground plant is edible. The stems and leaves can be eaten raw, steamed, or sautéed. Can be used any way and in any recipe that spinach is used, including a ‘spinach’ salad.
early spring green garden salad with a base of romaine and some marigold sprinkled on top. Use a nice mild vinaigrette dressing.
When I am in my garden, I will often pick the tender new plants and eat them while I work. I never pull them to get rid of them. They’re much too valuable for that, I’ll just break them off.
I’ll also add them to salads, or to any other green that I steam.
MULLEIN
Mullein is a big, tall, unique looking plant with long fuzzy leaves, and in the flowering years it can reach six or seven feet tall. Introduced to North America with European settlers, it is considered a weed, that grows wild in fields and ditches in many parts of BC and Alberta. Some of the leaves can grow about two feet long.
mullein flowers on tall stalk
Mullein is a hardy biennial in the western states and provinces from zone 3 to 9. It loves sun and dry, so its the perfect plant for the backdrop of a country flower garden, or along sunny fence lines. It is drought resistant so once it gets established, it will pretty much take care of itself. It requires winter dormancy before it can flower. Yes its a weed, but its a great ‘weed’ so don’t be a bigot; bees love the yellow blossoms and birds eat the seeds. If you don’t want the seeds to disperse freely, then remove the flower stalk before it seeds. Personally, I don’t mind plants that self seed if they’re easy to pull up where I don’t want them. Mullein is easy to pull up, so I mostly let the wind or birds plant them where they want and I pull them up where its not gonna work for me. In fact, that’s how it came to me. As a gift from either the wind or some of my bird friends. I didn’t know what it was for a couple of years. Since its a biennial, it was different the second year, and confused me when it didn’t come back the third year, but a few babies took its place. My philosophy is to never kill something I don’t understand, and since it was new (and very interesting), I decided to let it prove itself to me. I figured it out finally and we understand each other now, and have a good relationship. It grows tall, so it needs room to be what it wants to be, but its so fun for the kids to touch the soft fuzzy leaves that I want it in a place where they can enjoy it.
As a biennial, the first year is the leaf year, getting only about three feet tall; the stalks and blossoms grow in the second year. Its small, yellow flowers are densely grouped on a tall stem, which grows from a large rosette of leaves. It won’t come back the year after it seeds, so if you can manage it, its good to have a few mullein plants in various stages of their development to ideally, you always have the tall yellow flowered stalks.
In the spring, when a cluster of a few plants appear here and there, I keep two or three at most in any given area and remove the others to replant elsewhere or two give away. With a little care, they’re easy to transplant.
Mullein is reputed to have expectorant and cough suppressant properties that make it useful for relief of the symptoms of sore throat and coughs. It has been used traditionally for respiratory conditions such as cough, asthma, pneumonia, and colds, but there is limited scientific research to support the claims. Currently the jury is still out on the medicinal uses of Mullein so for now, I use it only as an ornamental herb in my garden, and will continue to stay on top of continued research.
ORACH
Orach is closely related to spinach and lambs quarters. It is a self seeding annual, that stand erect and grow very tall. The leaves are most tender when they are young of course. Freely branching stems carrying many more leaves that decrease in size from bottom to top. Often the stems and leaves are tinged with red or purple. Sometimes they are all red, called Red Orach, and often referred to as “red spinach”. Aside from the fact that it is valuable as a food, it is extremely attractive in a vegetable, herb or even flower garden.
growing: In my opinion, orache is far superior to spinach as a crop vegetable because it can be harvested over a much longer period of time. I brought my first orach plant in as a transplant. A gift from a friend of my mother in law’s. For twenty years I’ve let it grow where it wants and then took out what was in an unsuitable spot. This year (2021) is the first year I have actually purchased seeds, and am planting a deliberate patch of orach. It will go to seed, but letting it, will produce make the leaves less tender. It responds very well to pinching, producing a lot of new stems covered in succulent young leaves. So pinch away, as soon as you see flowers appear.
using: I use Orach like spinach or beet greens or lambs quarters. When young, in a salad, when a little older and less tender, then I add them to anything I use normal ‘greens’ for.
PLANTAIN
Plantain is a low growing perennial weed common throughout most of the world, introduced to North America (like so many things) with settlement by Europeans. Whether you knew the name or not, the chances of you being familiar with plantain is very high, as it is found on disturbed ground almost everywhere – city, town, farm, meadow, woods, … you name it. In earlier days it became known as “white man’s foot” because it was common along roadsides and other disturbed areas. The seeds would stick to the boots of the travelers and to their animals. It grows and spreads in areas close to people and domestic animals. Interestingly, it is also wind pollinated so not dependent on bees, and the seeds along the spikes are popular with birds.
For all the above reasons, it has come to be a noxious weed in North America. Kind of ironic as the definition of noxious is “injurious to physical or mental health“, and plantain although perhaps irritating to farmers, can be very beneficial and in different parts of the world it is actually cultivated as a crop.
I have transplanted plantain plants to a ‘protected area’ of my garden, where weeds are allowed to grow in peace and safety. It has taken me a few years to educate the people I live with about the value in some plants so that the ‘weeds’ can be left to thrive. They don’t pretend to understand me. They just roll their eyes and shrug their shoulders and promise to stay out of the protected zone. Last year, I had to transplant in two more plantain plants because my well meaning mom dug them out in the spring lol. But I think we’ve made progress. I have put up a sign in that section of my garden that say “Let it Grow“. It was my daughter’s slogan; I voted for “Weeds have rights too”, but she was the one who made the sign so she had veto power.
The seeds and tiny flowers extend just about the full length of the spikes. The leaves are broad and oval shaped. The stocks holding the tiny flowers grow up from the roots.
They say that plantain leaves are edible, though you’d want to eat them very young in the spring as they get bitter and a little tough as the season wears on. I have never eaten them so don’t have an opinion. The seeds are also edible and when cooked will swell. I’ve never eaten them either.
It is used as a fresh poultice (called spit poultice) for insect bites. To make a ‘spit poultice (I know, I don’t like the name either), pick several leaves, and mash them together. You can put them in your mouth and chew up to make a green mush – hence the name. This could take you awhile as the leaves can be fibrous and …. well, chewy. The enzymes in your saliva apparently help release the healing and antiseptic properties from the leaf, and give it the proper texture to apply to the bite area. Wrap with gauze or other clean fabric to keep it on for several hours, replacing when it dries out. Similarly it is valued for its soothing quality and is used in salves for open sores.
Fun fact: because of its excellent water solubility, plantain seeds – also known as “psyllium”, is commonly used in commercial bulk laxatives. The seeds absorb water and become a thick, viscous compound that resists digestion in the small intestine. This resistance to digestion allows it to help regulate high cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar levels, as well as relieve mild diarrhea and constipation. Unlike some other sources of fiber, the body typically tolerates psyllium well, making it a helpful natural choice.
Most of the psyllium seed used in North America comes from India as the herb is not commercially grown in North America. People use psyllium as a dietary supplement, available in the form of husk, granules, capsules, or powder. Manufacturers also fortify breakfast cereals and baked goods with psyllium. Psyllium husk is the main active ingredient in Metamucil, a fiber supplement that reduces constipation.
POPPIES
Poppies are the perfect example of why we should wait to see what something is before we decide its destiny.
One of my garden’s most pleasant surprises is the sudden midsummer splash of RED interspersed here and there. I first discovered Poppies quite by accident, in the little Ukrainian neighbourhood of our tiny farm-town – Calmar, Alberta. We were a year or two into our very first real garden, in our very first real home – an old, rundown house that we loved and fixed up. I worked hard in my garden, trying to keep it as weed free as possible, but one evening when I was wrapping it up for the day, I surveyed my work and noted a single tall weed in the middle of my potato patch. It looked so strong and healthy I didn’t have the heart to pull it out, so I left it. The very next day it rewarded me with a big, gorgeous red flower the like of which I had only seen in pictures. My neighbour confirmed it was indeed, a poppy – a “weed”. That was my first experience with the idea that the word ‘weed’ is a relative term. We really shouldn’t get so tied up in the word, as if it defined value. And yet we know we do. I learned that my poppy produced seed, the same poppy seed so popular in Ukrainian baking, and so began a life long friendship: Me and poppies.
That single poppy was the beginning of a dynasty. It did what all poppies do after they bloom, it went to seed. Inside a poppy pod are thousands of tiny seeds. At first white, they ripen into an assortment of grey and black. I took those ripened seeds and broadcast them all over my garden. The next year I had lots of poppies, and lots of seeds. I have taken the seed with me to every house I’ve lived in since then, and shared them with everyone who asked for some. In the mid 1980’s we lived in a townhouse for two years while Dan went back to school. My poppies were growing in the only sunny spot my small yard offered, one we prepared under our front window, with the many other flowers and herbs we brought with us. After my poppies bloomed, some stupid Neanderthal came one night and cut off all the unripe pods, taking them. When we woke up in the morning, they were all gone. Of course there was a purpose – it’s an opium poppy after all, and I supposed the thief knew secrets I didn’t know. I never grew poppies in a front yard again.
Poppies are a bright, colourful, early summer addition to any flower, herb or even vegetable garden. All they need is sun. They can grow to three feet high, maybe higher. Straight and tall, with beautiful toothed, light green leaves and striking crepe-papery flowers that tower over their neighbours. They come in lots of different colours, but of this type I have only ever had red, and slight variations on red.
I learned long ago that when they grow in clumps of several, and for crowding reasons they don’t get enough sun, they will not grow very big. Could be even just a few inches. They will flower, but just small flowers with small seed heads. Its important to thin them out to no more that two or three relatively close together, and make sure they are not shaded by nearby plants. Single poppies (with less competition for sun) will grow the tallest, making the biggest heads, hence the biggest flowers, and ultimately the most seeds.
Because I have limited space, my gardens are rather . . . . . . FULL. And sunshine becomes a premium resource. I don’t want the poppies being shaded, but I also can’t have them shading lower plants either, and I want good airflow in my gardens, so there are concessions the poppies have to make so that everybody can be happy. If it’s seeds you’re after, when the poppies have finished flowering, leave it to ripen. But they no longer need all their leaves, in fact the leaves begin to dry anyway. I pull off all the lower leaves, which allows for better air flow and more light to get to surrounding plants.
Truth be told, I’d grow poppies just for their brilliant flowers, brief as they are in bloom, but every stage of the plant pleases me. Its a lovely plant as it gets ready to flower and the flower is spectacular. Then when they’re ready, the seeds are edible, often sprinkled on top of bagels and used in muffins, breads, cakes and salad dressings. And when all is said and done, the dried seed pod is its own kind of beautiful, making a classy statement in the maturing garden, and a striking addition to dried fall flower arrangements.
Poppies are easy to grow. They want sun, and otherwise don’t ask for much. They don’t even need good soil, and will grow almost anywhere. There are many different varieties and colours, and from the same seed, I have occasionally had pink or even double flowering blossoms. Such is the miracle of genetics. The poppy is an annual flower, and I broadcast seed freely when I harvest it in September or October. It sits dormant all winter and when the conditions are right in summer, they start to grow. It is not uncommon for me to have sporadic blooms from the beginning of July through the end of August.
using poppy seeds
Truth is, poppies are the source of opium, morphine and many other drug compounds. For centuries they’ve been used from mild sedatives and pain relievers, all the way to life and soul-destroying drugs. Personally, I decided decades ago I wasn’t interested in pursuing any use other than to the ripe seeds as a food. So while I acknowledge the darker side, I’m not going to waste anytime debating where the line is regarding it.
As a food, poppy seeds contain essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, zinc and iron, as well as some B vitamins and omega 6 fatty acids so necessary to a healthy heart. They have a distinctive nutty taste and are used whole or ground into meal as an ingredient in pastries and breads. I have always loved poppy seed muffins, cakes and breads, but the true Eastern European poppy seed roll was an acquired taste. Having said that however, I really like it now. Recipes abound for tons of dishes so be adventurous and try them. My faves include: Poppy Seed cookies, muffins, scones, bundt cakes, loaf cakes and even angel food cakes. Poppy seeds as a topping for breads, rolls, bagels etc. Poppy seed dressing for salads.
PLANTAIN
STINGING NETTLE
this post is a work in progress . . . . I will add to it so stay tuned.
In the meantime, as always – I’d love to hear your relevant comments.
Rosemary is a native of the Mediterranean region where it grows as an evergreen shrub. In Canada it is considered a tender perennial, which is a joke in the Edmonton region because it will NEVER make it through the winter. It is an aromatic herb with fragrant, green, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers.
a young Rosemary in the garden surrounded by her garden friends Marigold on the right, parsley bottom right, borage bottom left, red orach on the top and a poppy top left
growing and harvesting
Rosemary grows best in well-drained, loamy soil in full sun. Water plants evenly throughout the growing season, but be careful it doesn’t sit in soggy soil. Other than that, its a pretty easy plant to have a good experience with.
In the Edmonton region, consider Rosemary as an annual, but it can be brought indoors at the end of the season with a fairly high success rate if you have a nice sunny window. Even indirect sunlight will keep it reasonably healthy. Nothing will ever be quite the same as being outside in the heat and sunlight of summer, so don’t expect that, but it will still be okay. During its sojourn in the house during the winter months, make sure it gets enough to drink; if you’re going to lose it, that will be why. They drink a LOT. To bring it into the house and not bring any potential freeloading bugs with it, dig the plant when it is still very healthy, before the cold has caused it distress. Gently shake all the dirt from the roots, and gently trim if necessary. Prune the plant by 1/3 and then pot it into a clean pot with clean potting soil. Set in a nice sunny window for its temporary winter home.
I buy two or three rosemary plants every spring to plant in my herb garden. You can get a trailing rosemary or a plant that grows upright. I like to get different kinds if I can find them – just for variety. Prune regularly so that plants won’t get lanky. I keep one in a pot on the patio that I bring inside in the winter. It’s just easier that way for me to transport in and out, but you can also just dig a plant up at the end of August as described above, and then replant it outside in the spring after ALL danger of cold nights is it the past.
To use throughout the summer, simply snip a branch as needed and bring it in for dinner. If you’re pruning regularly anyway, you’ll always have fresh rosemary on hand. At the end of the season, cut your rosemary right off at the ground. Swish in water to clean and shake off excess or strain in a salad spinner. You can dry them in the dehydrator but I’ve found that the leaves go too dark and I don’t like that. I usually just lay the cleaned branches out on a clean tea towel and leave in the open air for about a week till they’re completely dry. Fluff up once or twice throughout each day to ensure they’re drying evenly. When completely dry, pick up a branch by the stem in one hand, and gently strip all the needles/leaves with your thumb and forefinger of the other. Store in an airtight jar in a nice dark cupboard. Label with date.
using Rosemary in the kitchen
Rosemary can be used fresh or dry, with the needles removed and minced or as whole sprigs, to infuse flavor into a larger dish like a stew or roast. To strip fresh leaves from the stem, pull the needles in the opposite direction from which they grow and they should easily slide off the stalk. Fresh rosemary is easiest to use because the leaves are soft and pliable, but if you don’t have a plant in the winter, then it’s easy to use the leaves dried.
Use rosemary with chicken and other poultry, pork, steaks, and fish. It also goes well with grains, mushrooms, onions, peas, potatoes and spinach. These are my favourite ways to use it: *Roasted potatoes: cubed potatoes in baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with chopped rosemary, coarse salt and cracked pepper. Bake in open dish at 400 degrees till nicely browned and tender to the fork. Timing depends on how big your potato pieces are – I use bite size pieces and it generally takes 45-60 minutes. Toss every 10-15 minutes to ensure they’re evenly coated with oil as they roast. *Rosemary bread: add chopped rosemary to bread dough, especially sourdough. *Rosemary in olive oil and balsamic vinegar to use as a dip for freshly baked bread. Serve along side a fresh green salad.
SAGE – a culinary herb
Sage has a long European history as a medicinal plant, but is most commonly used nowadays in the kitchen. It has greyish green elongated leaves, with a soft, downy surface, and its pretty flowers are shy little spikes of purple, blue, white or pink.
growing and harvesting:
Sage is an easy to grow, hardy ‘semi perennial‘ with uniquely shaped and coloured leaves, that looks good in every garden, and is as much at home in your flower bed, and your vegetable garden, as your herb garden. When I say ‘semi perennial’, I mean in the Edmonton area – zone 3A/B – sometimes it comes back in the spring, but sadly – you cannot count on it from one year to the next. I generally plan to buy one or two greenhouse sage plants in the spring, and if what I had growing last season come back, then lucky me, I’ll have more. If they don’t then I’m still covered. Welcome to Alberta. Frankly, for the average household, a single sage plant is probably sufficient for all your needs anyway. A few years ago, my son introduced me to sage ‘tea’ (really an infusion), and I really like it, so since then, I grow more, to have enough for tea throughout the winter.
Plant in full sun, well draining soil. Sage likes to be near rosemary and carrots, but they do not like cucumbers so keep them separate. Be sure to water young plants regularly till they get established.
To use continually throughout the summer, simply pinch off leaves or snip off small sprigs from the plant. Don’t harvest too aggressively too early. Once your plants are established, especially if they’re in their second year, you can harvest two or three times during the season. The flavour is best when fresh, but it is easily dried or frozen to store. s
sage at the beginning of July in herb garden 2020
drying: You can hang sprigs of the leaves in a shady, well ventilated area. I do not. I’ve never really had a convenient spot to do that in the quantity of herbs I dry all summer long. I wash, shake off excess moisture and pat dry. I pinch off individual leaves and scatter loosely onto a clean tea towel – leave for up to a week, maybe more if the weather is humid. Every day when I think about it, I’ll fluff the leaves up with my hand to ensure they get enough air and are drying evenly. If you have a dehydrator, you can do in a couple of hours what might take a week to do in the open air. Make sure they are COMPLETELY dry before storing in an airtight container.
freezing: Apparently sage keeps its flavour well when frozen. I have never done this, but I can see the value for some people. Freeze loosely on a tray, then transfer into a labelled and dated freezer bag. Keep your bags handy in the fridge freezer in the kitchen so they don’t get lost in the bigger freezer.
Personally, I choose to dehydrate, mostly for convenience. I suppose how you choose to preserve it, depends on what you plan to use your sage for.
using in the kitchen:
sage tea steeping
*The most common use of sage in the North American kitchen is in traditional stuffing for roast meats like pork or turkey. Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner just wouldn’t be the same without that comforting smell of roasting turkey with sage in air. But! Don’t limit sage to only twice a year. Be experimental. *Add the crumbled dried leaves to tomato sauce. *During the summer, a sprig of fresh sage is a lovely, edible garnish on any dish. *Fresh sage in a jug of chilled water, makes for a nice light, refreshing drink. *Fresh or dried sage steeped in boiled water makes a nice infusion tea that is said to have have a calming effect. *Fresh or dried sage (chopped or crumbled) creamed into butter and left to sit for a few hours, makes a nice lightly flavoured butter. Use the butter for fresh biscuits, to top mashed potatoes, or to fry eggs or omelette.
non culinary use
Sage is known as an “aromatic” herb which means simply that it has a noticeable fragrant smell. This aromatic quality makes it a good addition to potpourris. Sage has astringent properties which tighten the skin. Dab a cold, strong sage infusion tea onto your face with a cotton swab. Keep it in the fridge. Sage has expectorant properties, which can be helpful for throat and chest disorders, promoting a productive cough to clear phlegm from the airways. Drink as a strong infusion tea.
SAVORY – culinary
Summer Savory is an aromatic plant related to rosemary and thyme, native to North Africa, southeastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia. As with so many foods, it was introduced to North America with European settlers. Although a perennial in some parts of the world, it rarely makes it through the winter, so be prepared to rebuy next spring if you love it. It can grow up to 20 inches high and has a white to pale pinkish flower. The flavour is intense, but milder than the almost bitter, stronger taste of winter savory.
growing and harvesting:
Savory is easy to grow, but since I only want one plant, it’s not worth my time to plant indoors by seed, so I buy it from a local nursery – which is sufficient for our needs. Best place is a well drained, sunny spot. If you want several, you might want to plant by seed in the house by the beginning of March, but definitely its gotta go into the garden as a plant, not a seed. Once it gets established, you can pretty much leave it alone. Don’t worry, it knows what to do.
By mid summer, your Savory is ready to pick. I pick all the bigger stalks, leaving some smaller ones to mature for a later picking. Wash by swishing around in clean water, flick off the excise and place the herb onto a clean white kitchen towel to dry. Plan to leave it at least a week. When thoroughly dry, pull the leaves from the stock (the tines of a fork are handy for this) and after removing any small stick-branches, place into a clean dry canning jar, storing out of the light.
using in the kitchen:
Savory resembles the flavour profile of sage and thyme, and smells like good down-home cooking to me. I think of roast turkey or chicken and stuffing, and gravy, so of course its means Thanksgiving Dinner to me. But good ol’ down-home cooking means a lot of other things too, like hearty bean soup.
who doesn’t like a nice hot thick bowl of ‘hearty’, on a cold fall or winter day? Savory White Bean Soup 1 lb white beans, sorted and rinsed 12 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock 2 bay leaves 1/4 oil (I prefer olive oil) 2 cloves garlic minced 2 lg onions chopped 3-4 lg carrots peeled and chopped 6+ stalks celery chopped 1 can tomatoes – whole (sliced), diced, stewed, your choice 1 teaspoon – 1 Tablespoon (how strong do you like it?) SAVORY, crushed leaves but not powdered please 2 teaspoon salt + 1 teaspoon pepper (if you’re using prepared bouillon for stock, its likely already salted. Taste test and adjust accordingly later.) Rinse beans, then cover them with stock water. No salt at this point. Add bay leaves and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a slow rolling boil and simmer steadily covered for about 2 hours (till beans are beginning to tender). At this point, in separate pot saute in oil – garlic, onions over medium high flame, for one or two minutes till aromatic. Add remaining vegetables and saute 3-4 minutes max, then pour the vegetable mixture into the pot of beans. Add the can of tomatoes , savory and salt and pepper (tasting to adjust seasoning) Simmer slowly for another 30 minutes or so till all are tender and starting to thicken. Remove from heat and allow to sit for another 5 or 10 minutes before serving. *optional: corn is wonderful in this end of summer meal. I use freeze dried. Add 2-3 cups. Serve with nice crusty piece of whole wheat sour dough bread.
* the age of your beans will influence the length of time they need to be cook. Older beans need longer time. Keep this in mind earlier in the day so you don’t rush the soup if your beans are older.
non culinary use
With its intensity, Savory has long been used to treat a variety of ailments such as a gargle for a sore throat. It is also used to enhance appetite, as a remedy for stomach and digestive disorders, and to help alleviate symptoms of asthma and colic. Personally, I am only interested in this wonderfully flavourful herb for its culinary benefits, although I am intrigued about that gargle idea for a sore throat.
SORREL
A hardy perennial, reliable to come back every year, will thrive on little attention, and is among the first plants to provide fresh green leaves in the spring. I don’t know about you, but that is a winning combination in my books. Lemony taste, strong flavour, can be lightly sautéed or added to salads.
growing and harvesting
Sorrel grows best in full sun, but will tolerate a little shade, and will even last longer into the summer before seeding. It has a very deep and persistent tap root which helps it do well with little attention, but don’t ignore it completely. Sorrel should have a minimum of one inch of water a week, so if it doesn’t rain regularly, give it a drink now and again. I’ve read that sorrel can be invasive, but I’ve had a single sorrel plant for years and have never had it make any attempt to take over. It can be divided into two plants, which I intend to do this spring, as I am ready for more of it.
It is a substantial plant, growing up to 18 inches high, so the leaves are nice and big too. To harvest, simply pinch off young leaves from the base. More tender when its young during the spring, so don’t waste those early weeks by forgetting about it. Careful, rabbits love sorrel too.
using in the kitchen
Lemons and limes aren’t the only foods that have a tart, acidic flavour, sorrel has got a lotta PUNCH. Surprising for a green leafy vegetable. I’ve heard it described as lemonade in a leaf. Long before citrus fruits ever reached Europe, people used it to add a sour flavour to the dishes. It is very popular in many parts of the world, but quite under used in North America, probably because we haven’t figured out what to do with it. Be adventurous. Be part of the movement that is helping bring this forgotten herb back to the table.
Sorrel leaves are tender in spring, but as the season wears on, they get a tougher. Don’t let that dissuade you though, they can still be used in soups and stew, and even pureed to add their wonderfully distinctive flavour. In Nigeria, it is steamed and added to onion and tomatoes with salt and pepper. In India, it is used in soups and curries with yellow lentils and peanuts. In eastern Europe, it is used to make sour soups, and stewed with vegetables. In Greece it is used with other greens in spanakopita. In the middle east, it is simmered lightly and served cold, marinated in olive oil, or stewed with onions, potatoes, garlic and bulgur wheat or lentils. It is even dried and then used as a dried herb in the winter, to flavour dishes.
Great in a mixed green salad or as a garnish. All sorrel is incredibly sour with a lemony flavour, and you probably won’t want to eat straight in large quantities. Just as well, because just like spinach, beets and their greens, swiss chard, rhubarb, and other vitamin rich foods, it contains high amounts of oxalic acid. This doesn’t mean don’t eat it, it means that moderation is the key. Studies show that lemon juice has a neutralizing effect on oxalic acid, so sprinkle some more on your salad.
Use sauteed sorrel in omelette, fritatta, or as a pizza topping.
If you’ve never tried sorrel, be prepared to pucker up. It is packed with potent astringency and a lemony, citrus-like flavor. Coarsely chop or tear into pieces to add to a mixed green salad. It bumps up the acidic quality of your salad, lifting the intensity of flavour to new heights. Gone are the boring, tasteless greens that need a dressing to make them taste like anything. For a dressing when adding sorrel to your salad, just use less vinegar or lemon juice. It also cooks down quickly when sautéed. A traditional way to enjoy sorrel is cooked into a lemony flavoured sauce for fish (without the lemon). If you don’t have lemons to make a salad dressing, use sorrel.
recipe for Sorrel Sauce 2/3 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup butter about a dozen sorrel leaves, stems removed 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock – maybe salt and pepper to taste Slice the sorrel leaves very thin. That is easier to do when you roll them up tightly. Bring the cream to a simmer in small pot – this will prevent it from curdling when you add the sorrel later. Not kidding. In another pot, melt the butter and add sorrel to saute and cook down. The colour will loose its brilliance. Stir in the hot cream, stirring while you bring it back to a slow simmer. If the sauce is thicker than you prefer, think it out with the stock, adding slowly and stirring till you get it to the consistency you prefer. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour over fish, chicken breast or even roasted potatoes.
STEVIA
A super sweet, natural substitute for sugar that is calorie free. Almost too good to be true, but it really is. Once you’ve grown stevia and are used to having it around, you’ll grow it every year. Native to the tropics of Central America, the stevia plant produces leaves packed with super-sweet compounds that remain stable even after the leaves have been dried. So that means you’ve got your FRESH natural sweetener available in your garden for snipping all summer long, and dried natural sweetener available in your kitchen for the rest of the year. Its been a common sweetener among the indigenous of Meso America for centuries, and is gaining in popularity in North America recently too. Popular and important to diabetics, dieters, those who want to reduce their sugar intake, and those who simply want to eat healthier. It is especially well-suited for sweetening drinks, salad dressings and yogurt.
There are many derivatives of stevia that are commonly used in in our food industry, but I am only talking about the plant that we grow in our gardens. That is the only way I use it.
growing and harvesting:
Stevia in the herb garden
Growing stevia is easy in well-drained garden beds or large containers, and the leaves can be dried for winter use like any other herb. It grows best in warm conditions similar to that of its native Central America, and in the ideal climate with grow up to 2 feet high. In the Edmonton area where I live, you can expect full gown plants to grow nearly that high. I grow 1-3 stevia plants in my herb garden. They need full sun.
Stevia can be started from seed indoors around February to March, but germination is spotty at best and they’re pretty picky in their infancy. As I only ever intend to buy 2 or 3 plants, it’s simply easier pick them up at a local greenhouse. And frankly a couple of plants will give me more stevia than I will use all year long. Choose a well-drained site in full sun for your plants, and set them out after all risk of frost. Don’t worry, once they’re big enough for the garden, they become very low maintenance.
when? You can pick leaves anytime during the year as you need to use it, but for a bigger picking, watch for when it looks like your stevia is starting to bloom. You want to harvest before the buds flower. If you’re away and miss it by a few days, remove the flower heads and go ahead and harvest. If you let it go to seed, the leaves will grow smaller and energy will go to the production of seed.
With my garden clippers, I cut the stalk off, leaving 3-4 inches at the bottom, MAKING SURE THERE ARE AT LEAST A FEW LEAVES at the bottom. This is so that the plant has a chance to regrow if the season and weather allows, hoping of course that I’ll have a chance for one more smaller picking at the end of August. Make sure you pick it before the first frost. If it freezes, you’ll lose it.
Rinse leaves, lay out onto a clean kitchen towel to air dry for a few days. Might take up to a week depending on quantity and humidity in the air. Every day fluff it up to ensure good air flow.
using in the kitchen
Throughout the summer, I will use stevia for the odd sweetening job straight from the garden. The amount required to sufficiently sweeten a cup of tea for example, is surprisingly small. Like 1/4 of a leaf (if its not too big). Seriously. Taste test stevia to become familiar with it. It is shockingly sweet. If I am making a morning smoothie with sour cherries or tart raspberries, I might want to sweeten it up a little. Instead of sugar, honey is of course a lovely sweetener. But try something new. A single leaf of stevia from the garden is probably enough to take the sour edge out of your smoothie. Taste test using one leaf at a time. Too many will make it sickeningly sweet, and you’ll be surprised at how few it takes.
Remember to use dried stevia sugar in small proportions, as it is nearly 30 times sweeter than cane sugar. Roughly, one teaspoonful of dried leaves powder is equivalent to one cup of sugar; therefore, use it in small quantities adjusting the amount to achieve your desired levels of sweetness. Stevia ‘sugar’ is processed into a white crystalline powder, approximately 300 times sweeter than regular cane sugar.
recipe for Stevia Syrup: add a cup of hot water to 1/4 cup of fresh, finely crushed leaves. Allow to settle down for 24 hours, strain, then refrigerate.
Use stevia to sweeten tea or lemonade. Can be added in jam, yogurt, ice creams & sherbets, smoothies, desserts etc.
ST JOHNS WORT – insomnia and depression
St. John’s wort – know as a mood elevator – is most commonly used for conditions that sometimes go along with depression such as anxiety, tiredness, loss of appetite and trouble sleeping. There is strong evidence that it is effective for mild to moderate depression. Also used for symptoms of PMS and menopause, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD, and seasonal affective disorder SAD.
SHOULD NEVER BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH DRUGS FOR THE SAME PURPOSE, as there is a high possibility of poor interaction. Can be purchased from a health food store in capsule or tincture. From the home garden, most often used as an infusion tea.
Odd name I know. The word “wort” is an Old English suffix for “plant” and is frequently found in other common plant names. In this case it means – St. John’s Plant, and refers to the fact that the flowers were traditionally harvested on the Catholic Saint’s Day honoring the nativity of St. John the Baptist, June 24. After harvesting the flowers, the believer would hang them over a painting or statue of St. John in the home, which was thought to protect the believer from evil spirits.
growing and harvesting
Native to Europe, St John’s Wort was so valued for for its medicinal qualities, that it was introduced to North America when Europeans first began colonizing here. It escaped cultivation in the United States and spread throughout and into Canada, and is now listed as a noxious weed in many states and provinces.
It is a short woody, perineal shrub that grows about 2-3 feet tall, and has fragrant yellow flowers from mid to late summer. It grows well in all kinds of soil: sand, clay, rocky or loam, and tolerates acidic to slightly alkaline pH conditions. It adapts to both moist and dry soil, and even tolerates occasional flooding or drought. It spreads easily through roots and seeds, and is considered invasive.
St John’s wort in glass jar for storage. Keep sealed in dark cupboard.
It is loved by bees and other pollinators, and is still valued as a medicinal plant. To harvest, pick the fresh flowers and buds, or a quicker method is to simply cut the top 2 – 3 inches of the plant when it is full bloom in late June/early July. I swish in water to rinse any dust off, spin in my salad spinner to remove excess moisture, and then lay loosely on a clean tea towel on my table. Fluff up with my fingers a few times a day to ensure even drying, and let it sit for at least a week. More time if weather is humid. When completely dry, put into an airtight container, label and keep in a dark cupboard.
using
The leaves and flowers of this plant are all edible and can be used in garnishes and in salads. It is most commonly brewed to make an infusion tea. When consumed in large doses it can cause skin reactions to sun exposure.
St John’s Wort is credited with so many of curative properties, some of them based heavily on superstition, that it is hard to know what is accurate. I lean toward believing the mood elevation properties, simply because they seem to have a little more science behind them. I grow it for this reason, and harvest the flowers for this reason. There are some toxic attributes too however, when taken to excess, so as in all things, moderation is the key. If I was going to use it medicinally, I’d want to do considerably more research than what you have available here.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of these valuable garden herbs.
