EzHerbGardening.Com

Tis the season for using fresh herbs. So I can’t resist giving you more recipes for using herbs from your herb garden. It is such a pleasure to pick the herbs and use them right away.

Using Fresh Herbs

This grilled lamb recipe uses both fresh oregano and fresh mint. We like to also the mint sauce over fresh cucumbers and tomatoes; I cut the garlic down to 2 tsp.

Grilled Lamb with Mint Sauce [Read more →]

Although growing rosemary here in the mountains of Utah can be difficult.  I like to plant rosemary in a deep pot near the back door so I can give it special attention. Then I can move the pot indoors in the winter.

Tips for using fresh rosemary. [Read more →]

Fortunately dried oregano is as good as using fresh oregano. The dried herbs are full of oils that keep their rich flavor. You can harvest and use oregano all year long.

How much dried oregano equals fresh oregano? [Read more →]

It is time to harvest oregano herbs for summer recipes. Using oregano is as simple as picking your oregano plants and sliding the velvety leaves down the stems. Then you can cut the herbs with your kitchen shears.

Here are some simple oregano recipes for using oregano.

Grilled Greek Burgers

• Makes 4 burgers
• 1 and 1/3 lb of ground chuck
• 1 clove of garlic crushed
• 1 tsp. chopped oregano
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 and 1/2 oz. of crumbled feta cheese

Mix ground meat with garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Make 8 patties about 1/2 in. thick. Divide cheese and place in the middle of 4 patties. Top with the other patties and seal in cheese.

Heat grill so that it is hot. Spray with cooking spray – cook burgers for about 5 minutes on each side. Be sure to turn only once.

Serve on buns with Ketsup, mustard, green olives, red onion slices, tomato slices and lettuce.

I am always on the look out for ways to use a never ending supply of zucchini. This is one of my favorites.

Grilled Zucchini With Marjoram  [Read more →]

Growing oregano and marjoram are a must for every culinary herb garden. These herbs are popular in Italian, Greek, French and Mexican cooking.

Oregano - Photo by Christian Bauer

Oregano– Growing oregano and marjoram is pretty much the same since these two herb plants are so closely related.  Both plants look very similar. Marjoram has a little more delicate flavor than oregano, which is its wild version. [Read more →]

It is the perfect time to start using dill. My family is very big on canning and preserving. We have spent many hours putting away the summer harvest for the long cold Utah Winters.

Both dill and beans are abundant in our garden, so I thought you might like this great dill bean recipe.

How To Make Dilly Beans [Read more →]

With and abundance of dill and pickling cucumbers it is time for canning dill pickles. This is a great way for using dill.

Canning Dill Pickles

Now I could get into all the information on how to do this but my sister has already done it for me. You will find my Grandma Ella’s pickle canning recipe and step by step instructions at her web site.

In the recipe she uses dried dill but I find using fresh dill works just as well.

Happy canning!

Sheila

P.S. A relish tray of your home made pickles make a delightful treat at Thanksgiving. Slice your dill pickles in long easy to eat strips, add pickled beets, sweet pickles and plenty of olives. Serve on a beautiful glass relish tray.

When it comes to ez herb gardening, taking care of the gardener is just as important as actual herb gardening. I have my own gardeners tools that help me personally in my gardening.

At work today the mosquitoes decided to come out and take their toll. I was glad I was prepared to take care of me and my worker. We used a natural mosquito repellent I made from from Strechers.com. They have several all natural mosquito repellents. The following recipe comes from their site.

All Natural Mosquito Repellent

20 drops Eucalyptus oil
20 drops Cedarwood oil
10 drops Tea Tree oil
10 drops Geranium oil
2 oz. carrier oil ( such as Jojoba )

Mix together in a 4 oz. container. Apply to skin as needed avoiding the eye area. Keep out of reach of children. Test on a small area of skin for sensitivities . Experiment with different percentages of essential oil.

Prevent sunburn

Keeping cool and preventing sunburn is also important. I like to wear all cotton clothing with long sleeves. The cotton material is very cool and prevents sunburn. A good hat is a must.

Protect your hands

• Use the right gloves for the job. Leather gloves are good or heavy duty jobs like shoveling and hoeing. Cotton gloves are perfect for weeding. Use a cotton gloves with rubber padded palms for griping tools. Use rubber gloves to protect your hands when you use any chemical spray.
• Use gardeners soap. To clean your hands. I prefer a bar soap made with good oils, like olive oil or coconut, ground medicinal herbs, cornmeal grits and pumice.
• Use a good lotion. Gardening can dry you hands out. A good lotion will revive them. When my feet and hands are really in trouble I like to use good old “Bag Balm”.

Keep hydrated

Drink plenty of water…but avoid ice cold water. My friend Sudeep A Chitnis is an Ayurvedic doctor tells you why. He also suggest eating  five fruits to keep you body hydrated.

For a quick pick me up and to help with hydration, drink Emergen-C. It works wonders.

There are my gardeners tools. Take good care of your self and happy herb gardening.

Sheila

P.S. Do you have a favorite “gardeners tool”?

Garden Rake

I guess you could say this post is about professional gardening tools since I am a professional gardener. But lets call it a post of gardening tools for herb gardening beginners. I like to keep life simple. So no fancy tools here. Just good quality tools.

My gardening tools. [Read more →]

Here are some simple yet yummy ways to use your fresh sweet basil herb.

Basil Tomato Salad

• fresh tomatoes
• rice wine vinegar
• basil leaves – torn
• Slice fresh tomatoes onto your serving platter. Sprinkle with vinegar and top with torn basil leaves. Serve. (Use a platter that adds contrast, like blue, yellow or green.)

Pesto Sauce [Read more →]