How to freeze herbs
15.8 years ago cilantro, freezing, herbs, mint, peppermint
One of my goals in my garden is to make salsa entirely from ingredients from my own garden. In the past I have come close only requiring the purchase of a couple jalapeño peppers from the grocery store but this year with much effort and a strangely hot summer for the Pacific Northwest I have all the ingredients growing in my garden. Though unfortunately the ingredient cilantro could be my elusive ingredient since hot weather means great growth then subsequent bolting. My solution to this problem is successive planting and freezing herbs.
Now drying is also a viable option though I prefer freezing since many moist herbs can lead to mildew without the right equipment to dry efficiently. Frozen herbs also maintain the same potency for several months in the freezer as fresh so no guessing on measurements of your frozen herbs.
There are actually a few different methods for freezing herbs, each of which depends on how you plan on using them later.
The first method is great for keeping the herbs texture and flavor intact. The process is nearly identical to that of freezing berries.
Flash freezing herbs
- Pick the best freshest herbs you can find
- Wash and pat herbs dry
- Lay on layer of wax/parchment paper on cookie sheet
- Freeze overnight
- Place leaves in freezer bag(s), using a straw to suck out excess air
If you are planning on using your herbs in soups or stews, I would definitely recommend the ice cube method.
Ice cube tray method
- Pick the best freshest herbs you can find
- Wash and pat herbs dry
- Hand chop (or use food processor) leaves
- Put chopped pieces into ice cube trays and fill with water of stock
- Freeze overnight
- Place cubes in freezer bag(s), using a straw to suck out excess air. You may also put the trays right into the freezer bag sucking out the air if you wish.
Note: Also try mint with a little extra water to add to drinks during the summer (or winter)
Now if you are planning on using your herbs for dishes that require oil such as Pesto with your Basil. This is a great time to do a little up front preparation.
Ice cube tray method (with oil)
- Pick the best freshest herbs you can find
- Wash and pat herbs dry
- Add 1/3 cup of oil for each 2 cubs of herbs to food processor or blender
- Put chopped pieces into ice cube trays
- Freeze overnight
- Place cubes in freezer bag(s), using a straw to suck out excess air. You may also put the trays right into the freezer bag sucking out the air if you wish.
Now in a few months you can add some parmesan and have some previously frozen pesto in the middle of winter.
Tags: cilantro, herb garden, outdoor plants, pepper plants, salsa garden
How to grow seeds in your garden
15.8 years ago cheap, seed saving, seeds
Because of a strange heat wave we had in June, I seem to be growing more seeds than vegetables this year. Now as they say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. In that spirit I am planning on increasing the number of plants I will allow to completely go to seed this year.
I have always saved cilantro seeds, the first time it was almost an accident my daughter liked the pretty white flowers and after neglecting my garden at the end of the summer I had perfectly dried cilantro seeds on the plant. Free and renewable supply of seeds, what could be better. If I don’t have you convinced here are some more reasons:
Cheap: You really can’t beat free. With the price of seeds increasing depending on the variety of seeds you grow this could save you a considerable amount of money per year.
Easy: The creation of seeds of seeds is a completely natural process that has been happening for millions of years. In many cases you can do practically nothing other than harvest the seeds before the birds do.
Natural selection: With a little attention you can hand select only your best plants to harvest seeds from. If the plant survived to produce seeds it has to be at least a little disease tolerant and if you intentionally pick plants that bolted early you can also establish your own slow bolting variety.
Limited availability: Even with all the resources on the internet your favorite seed company may not always carry your favorite varieties or in some cases just a few seeds might be hard to come by. If you play your cards right you may even be able to make a few bucks selling your rare seeds.
Seed Exchange: If you collect seeds you more than likely will get more seeds than you need for the next 2-3 years from a single plant. This is a great supply to use for local or mail seed exchanges. Not only are you supplying someone else with seeds they need but also adding seeds to your collection which you can harvest and repeat the process again.
Growing sprouts: If you are paying for seeds growing sprouts for some plant varieties can be pretty expensive…unless your seeds are free. This is a good healthy way to use up some of those extra seeds you can’t get rid of any other way.
This year I am planning on harvesting spinach, pea, carrot, and radish seeds (along with my previous onions and cilantro) so stay tuned for more details.
Tags: birds, cheap, cilantro, garden seeds, outdoor plants, vegetables
Growing sprouts in a Mason jar
15.8 years ago cheap, kids, sprouting
My daughter was required to do a presentation which included an experiment using plants for school and of course her mother directed her to me. Given there was not a lot of time until the presentation I suggested that she grows sprouts, given you can go from seeds to a jar full of sprouts in less than a week.
Construction
You really can grow sprouts in almost anything. We chose a mason jar, though plastic storage containers, trays, or even fabric bags (just drip in water and hang)
The important thing is to provide plenty of airflow, if you don’t your seeds will produce an awful stank that you won’t want in your house let alone eat. We used a piece of an old pair of leggings, which we stretched over the opening of the jar and applied the mason jar ring….well that’s about it.
How to Grow Sprouts
The process starts with seed selection. You can grow any seed as a sprout though you may not want to eat them. Cilantro is a good example it will grow great but the root of a cilantro/yellow mustard
Take about a tablespoon of seeds and soak in room temperature water with a couple drops of liquid fertilizer overnight.
In the morning drain, rinse and let sit out of direct sunlight. Repeat the drain/rinse process once a day (twice a day if your sprouts begin to smell) During the first couple days it is advisable to shake and/or roll the jar on its side to allow the seeds to spread out a little. Doing this simple procedure within about a week you should have a jar full of fresh healthy sprouts.
Why grow sprouts?
Fun: Great for kids with limited attention spans. Within a day or two they can see their seeds sprout growing more and more each day. It is also a great way to keep your sanity during those long winter months.
Cheap: For mere pennies you can grow pounds of greens.
Nutritious: These little sprouts pack a ton of nutrients for their little size.
Easy: The process is pretty fool proof, just rinse with water, set them on your counter, and eat. What could be easier
Tags: cheap, cilantro, garden seeds, garlic bulbs, outdoor plants
How to grow onions and not onion flowers
15.8 years ago growing challenge, onions
Last year, I grew a lot of onion seeds but unfortunately not many large onions I could use in the kitchen. I have learned a few things since then which hopefully can help you not have the same problem.
Use small onion sets: Last year I selected all of the largest onion sets in the 100 count bag which from some of my experimentation this year proves why almost all of my onions bolted to seed. Smaller onion sets were much less likely to bolt to seed during normal temperature fluctuations. Now what should you do with those large onion sets? Why not think of them as flower bulbs since that is what they will end up eventually. Given you know the onions will grow pretty small so you can plant a 1-2 inches apart and they do make a quite attractive flower and as an extra bonus you can collect the onion seeds for next year.
Grow from seeds: Well if you are like me with all of your plants bolting to seed on the positive side that gave you a considerable number of onion seeds. Now you have a couple choices here, you can plant some seeds at the end of the summer which will create basically small onion sets which will go dormant over the winter and pop back up during spring. The other option is to plant seeds indoors 9-10 weeks before last spring frost and plant seedlings the size of a pencil or smaller into your garden.
Try a different onion variety: The ultimate reason flowers bolt is temperature fluctuations which tricks the onion that it has completed its biennial (2 year) growing pattern which results into the onion jumping into its last stage of its life, flowering. Now unless you are growing in a heated greenhouse or grow box, unfortunately you don’t have too many options in controlling the weather. Fortunately you can select onion varieties that are more tolerant to temperature fluctuations.
Hopefully with these tips you can grow a few less onions flowers and a few extra onions. Though if you still get a few onion flowers you do have a couple choices. Pull it up and user the smaller onion in your kitchen or simply embrace the flower and the bees it will attract and get plenty of onion seeds for next year.
Tags: cheap, garden seeds, growbox, outdoor plants, vegetables
Picking strawberries in the garden
15.9 years ago kids, strawberries
In the past couple years we have grown strawberries the story has been my oldest daughter salivating over the strawberries asking, “Is it red enough yet?”
This year her desire for strawberries is just as great though with the plant maturing as well as the additional plant we propagated last year she has been easily getting her fill with plenty more ripe strawberries on the plants. Not wanted to be wasteful, we went out and picked all of the ripe strawberries.
Not having enough to make something like jam or even some strawberry shortcake for the family we opted to make a strawberry milkshake.
Strawberry milkshake recipe
- handful of strawberries
- 2 scoops of ice cream
- milk
Directions: Add strawberries and ice cream to blender. Blend adding milk until it has the consistency of…well…a milkshake.
Tags: cheap, outdoor plants, strawberry plants, vegetables
Getting rid of aphids on pepper plants
15.9 years ago aphids, brown spots, ladybugs, peppers
It can be difficult getting rid of aphids on plants in your garden. Fortunately you can get rid of those aphids with materials you have in your kitchen.
First of all I am a little embarrassed that I let the infestation get this bad before noticing. I unfortunately set the grow box to have the sunrise at 1:00am and the lights always were off by the time I got home. Though the cause is not as important as how to get rid of them.
If this plant was outside my local lady bug population would have kept these buggers in check though they seemed to thrive without the vicious predators. For an outdoor plant a quick high pressure spray of water on the the leaves (as well as underside of leaves) would take care of the problem. Though this does not kill the aphids, they will starve to death before they make it anywhere to do any more damage.
This has not been my first battle with aphids, so fortunately I had some insecticidal soap on hand. I sprayed the entire plant from the top and bottom. I removed the major yellowing leaves and did another quick spray. Now if you don’t have any insecticidal soap, or just want to save $5 on buying a bottle here are a couple of proven recipes:
Simple Aphid Killer Spray
- 1 tsp dishwashing soap
- Fill 32 oz spray bottle with water
Directions:
Shake and spray liberally on tops and bottom of leaves ensuring aphids are covered completely.
Complex Aphid Killer Spray
- 1.5 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon Murphy’s Oil Soap
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- 1 tablespoon Vinegar
- 1 gallon water
Directions:
Pour into spray bottle and spray liberally on tops and bottom of leaves ensuring aphids are covered completely.
Extra Spicy Aphid Killer Spray
- 3 hot peppers chopped finely
- 1 quart of water
Directions:
Mix peppers with water and let seep overnight. Strain and pour into spray bottle and spray liberally on tops and bottom of leaves ensuring aphids are covered completely. WARNING: You care not to get this spray in your eyes.
US Department of Agriculture Mix
- 2 tsp dishwashing soap
- 1 cup of vegetable oil
- Fill 32 oz spray bottle with water
Directions:
Shake and spray liberally on tops and bottom of leaves every 9-10 days, ensuring aphids are covered completely.
If none of these solutions work, squish those buggers with your fingers being sure to include a sinister laugh while doing it. Which even if you are squeamish, this is what you will see if you let them have their way.
Tags: grow lights, growbox, outdoor plants, pepper plants, vegetables
