Some updates from the Culinary Herb Garden for herbs that are now open:
Chives – Use them as an alternative to onions or scallions in any way that your creativity offers. Please do not cut them all the way to the bottom!
Some Edible Flowers – Johnny jump ups, gem marigolds, bachelor buttons, and nasturtium to start– add a pop of gorgeous colors and unexpected flavors to summers salads. When you pick edible flowers, cut the stem along with the flower. Once you get home, bathe them gently in a bath of salt water to remove any dirt or grit, then perk up the petals by dropping them in a bowl of ice water for 30-60 seconds and drain on a paper towel. Store the flowers with stems whole in a glass of water in the refrigerator until you use them. They do not keep long.
Thai Basil- This is a wonderful basil version and use it for anything that you might use for standard basil for. Please pinch or cut the top cluster of leaves as you leave the next layer of leaves so that the plants will continue to bush out.
How To Harvest Herbs So They Last All Season
If you pick herbs each week, and dry them on your kitchen counter or band them together and dry upside down, you will have enough dry herbs for the year! However, harvesting each herb takes some care and attention. Here are essential tips to make sure the herb plants thrive and remain available to all sharers throughout the season:
Harvest the plants evenly: People tend to harvest only from the front of each row, resulting in a few plants becoming over harvested. Walk a few steps further, to the middle or end of each row, and snip your share from the larger plants.
Include the flowers: The flowers on herb plants are always edible and we encourage you to harvest these along with the leaves.
Always use scissors: Using scissors will ensure that the plants are not damaged.
Purslane: A Weed You Can Eat
Purslane is a low-lying succulent plant with a lemony flavor. It grows as a weed in the fields and in the culinary herb garden. Pull it up and try it! Low in calories and fat, purslane is rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, anti-oxidants and minerals. Fresh leaves contain more omega-3 fatty acids (alpha-linolenic acid) than any other leafy vegetable plant: 100 grams of fresh purslane leaves provide about 350 mg of alpha-linolenic acid.
Purslane also has one best sources of Vitamin A among all green leafy vegetables. It’s rich in Vitamin C, carotenoids, and some B-complex vitamins, including riboflavin, niacin and pyridoxine. It also has many dietary minerals, such as iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and manganese. (Note that purslane also contains oxaclic acid, in case that is a concern).
Try juicing the fresh, raw leaves; include tender leaves in salads; sauté and gently stew the stems and leaves to serve as a side dish with fish and poultry; add to soup and curry preparations and eat with rice, as in South Indian regional cooking, or stir-fry and mix with vegetables and other leafy greens such as spinach.
