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Spearmint
Spearmint is a sweet mint that can be used for culinary and aroma therapeutic purposes. It grows well in moist soil and warm weather, but will tolerate drought and light frost. It’s flowers attract honeybees and other pollinators to the garden. Read on for tips to grow, harvest, and use this common garden mint. Growing Spearmint Spearmint is drought tolerate, but well watered spearmint will be finer, and brighter green in color. This is an herb that spreads quickly by its roots. Like most mint, spearmint will send out horizontal stems, and each leaf group will root into the soil. This makes spearmint an easy plant to separate and move…
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Fresh Spearmint Tea
There is nothing quite as special as harvesting fresh herbs and using them right away. One of my favorite ways to use herbs from the garden is in a fresh spearmint tea. The minty leaves will be full of essential oils, giving the tea a rich, buttery feel. I learned to do this from the grandma of a family I stayed with in Southern France. Only, she had peppermint in her garden. I’m a bit envious as every time I’ve tried to grow peppermint something has eaten it. So I stick to my well established spearmint. Preparation: Cut a hand full of spearmint (or other garden mint). Rinse well in cool…
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Basil & Artichoke Hummus
This is a perfect recipe to use summertime basil abundance. Healthy and delicious, this hummus is convenient because only a few ingredients need to be fresh. You may already have most of the other ingredients in your pantry! To learn more about growing and harvesting your own basil at home, check out this post on sweet basil. And now to the recipe: Ingredients 1 Can White Beans or Chick Peas 1 Can Artichoke Hearts 1/4 Cup Tahini 1/4 Cup Olive Oil 1/4 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves 1 Lemon (squeezed) 1 Clove Garlic 1 tsp Cumin 1/2 tsp Salt Instructions: Drain and rinse the canned beans. Drain the artichoke hearts. Combine…
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Sweet Basil
Sweet Basil is my absolute favorite thing in the garden. It smells wonderful, and grows prolifically in the hot, dry climate of Central California. I love to use fresh basil in hummus, pesto, and soups. Check out this recipe for hummus made with basil and artichoke. Growing Basil from Seed It is easy to grow basil from seed. It germinates within a week, but takes a few months to get big enough to start harvesting. For this reason, it may be best to start seedlings indoor and then transplant to the garden once it’s warm enough. Transplanting Basil Basil does well transplanted. Often, store bought potted basil will have several…
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Fresh Oregano Pesto
This recipe is adapted from my mother’s. She came up with it to use some of our abundance. Three years ago, I brought home a little baby oregano plant from the nursery. I planted it in my herb row, between the spearmint and thyme. That plant is now the biggest, busiest with bees, bush in my garden. She also dries some of the oregano to add to soups and sauces. To read more about harvesting and using this herb see my post on Oregano. Ingredients: 1 Cup Fresh Oregano Leaves 1/2 Cup Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese 1/2 Cup Raw Almonds 1/2 Cup Olive Oil 1 Garlic Clove Salt Black Pepper…
