| APOTHECARY GARDEN:
What�s a Witch or Wise Woman without her apothecary garden? Growing, harvesting and preparing your own herbs is magickal unto itself. Even if you only have a small outdoor spot for medicinal herbs you should definitely attempt to grow your own. Many herbs do well in containers also, so apartment dwellers need not be left out of keeping an apothecary garden! The following herbs are all ones that I find indispensable and are ones that I either grow myself or collect locally. Lavender Feverfew Coltsfoot Comfrey Elderberry (small tree) Mullien St. John�s Wort Motherwort Sage (salvia species) Nettle Burdock Horsetail Rosemary Thyme Dandelion Cleavers |
 |
 |
| CULINARY GARDEN There is nothing like the taste of fresh herbs added to a favorite recipe. Dried herbs cannot compare to the taste and vitality of fresh cut ones. Luckily, culinary herbs are easy to grow, need very little tending and are adaptable to location. Even a few containers of potherbs grown on a windowsill will enhance your cooking experience. The most important things to keep in mind when choosing a location for your culinary herbs is that they receive enough sunlight and they are kept close to the kitchen so you will use them regularly. My culinary herb bed is located within a few paces of the back door for easy access all year round. Container grown herbs need an abundance of sunlight and should be kept in a warm location. If you plan on growing some of the more finicky herbs like rosemary or bay you�ll need to provide ample humidity too as these herbs thrive in Mediterranean climates and are use to an abundance of air borne moisture. The following are some of my favorite culinary herbs. I hope you�ll give them a try. Chives: Easy care, super hardy. Plant them once and you will have them forever. French Tarragon: A must have for meat and vegetable dishes, easy care Flat Leaf Parsley: This biannual is easy to grow, self seeds readily and is far more flavorful than curly parsley. Freezes well. Flat Leaf Basil: Tender perennial in most climates, easy to grow, keep blooms picked off for more abundant harvest, freezes well. Superior to sweet basil. Thyme: There are so many varieties of thyme to choose from there is sure to be one to meet your needs. I like lemon thyme for fish dishes, oregano thyme for Italian dishes and silver thyme for all around use and inclusion in Herbes De Provence blend Lavender: Provence lavender is my personal favorite, traditional inclusion in Herbes De Provence blend Sage (Salvia Species): Easy care, woody perennial. The more you pick the better it grows. Do not cut back in fall or you risk loosing the plant1 Wait until spring growth appears when you can see what is truly dead and what only appeared to be so! Dill: the second sowing of dill is more abundant than the first, so plan on planting it twice. Excellent for refrigerator cucumber recipes and fish dishes. |