Along with having a beautiful name Love in the Mist or Nigella damascena has many other uses. This native to southern Europe self seeds prolifically so be ready to weed or put it in a place where it can run wild.
The blue, white or pink flowers look great in cut flower bouquets.
With its deep jewel tones it’s easy to see how this flower has been popular in cottage gardens since Elizabethan times.
The dried seed pods lend shape and interest to dried flower arrangements.
A relative, Nigella sativa, is known as black sesame and is used as a cooking spice in Indian food. It is questionable whether the seeds of N. damascena are edible or not so I would not eat them; some sources say they are tasty and others say they are actually quite toxic!
Summer has been here for a while and the raspberries are ripe and ready! Turning the berries into jam is an easy, almost magical process that brings back the flavors of summer deep into winter.
Of all the jams I make raspberry is by far the one that people like the most. This is great as it’s also the easiest to prepare and I’ve never had it not turn out tasting delicious.
Step 1: Find berries to pick in your backyard or at a nearby U-pick.
When picking the berries look for ones at their peak of ripeness that easily come off the bush. If they are too ripe they will give an off-flavor to the jam and if they are under-ripe they will lack flavor.
Step 2: Mash the berries and scoop them into a cooking pot.
To make firm jam I usually add in pectin. Pectin is a white powder, usually derived from citrus fruits, that helps the jam gel. Some fruits, like apples, are naturally high in pectin so it does not need to be added but for most berries, I do like to use it.
Step 3: Add in pectin, bring to a boil then add sugar and cook a bit longer.
When making the jam, be sure to stir it continuously. If you don’t, it will scorch and all your hard work will be for nothing. I once spent hours pitting cherries then slowly cooking them to make a conserve. The phone rang and in seconds I had a big mess of burned cherries that couldn’t be saved. I nearly cried as I took the pot out to dump on the compost heap.
Step 4: Ladle into jars, cap and you’re all set.
It’s important to sterilize your canning jars or you will pry the lid up and be greeted with a layer of mold. To sterilize them place the jars in a canning rack then lower the rack into hot water and boil for 10 minutes. If you don’t have a canning rack you can submerge them in a big pot of water but sometimes the jars will break.
Drying your own herbs is a great way to spice up your dishes, make nice presents and save money. The fragrant oils are at their peak around mid-morning so this is a great time to harvest. If you need to wash them then give a light spray with the hose first thing in the morning and pick them when they are dry.
Chives
I like to pick them with long stems so they are easy to tie together. Once they are picked then tie them with twine or wire in a small bunch.
Bunched and ready to hang to dry.
They will keep their flavor best if dried in a cool, light free area. I tie a rope across the rafters in the basement and hang my bunches from there.
Sage
Check them frequently and take them down when the leaves are dry enough to crumble in your hand.
Ready to store.
Too dry and they will lose flavor, too wet and they might mold.
Calendula flowers
Tomorrow I will talk about different blends you can make with your lovely home dried herbs.
With our mild climate you really can eat fresh veggies all year but you need to start planning for your fall and winter garden now. This can be hard with a garden full of warm season favorites but it can be done.
All the onions just got pulled so it’s time to weed a bit, add in some compost and gear up for the next crop!
I just harvested my garlic, peas and onions so in the new bit of bare soil I am planting crops for fall. As our rains start in early October it’s important to prepare the soil so it drains well. I usually loosen the soil in my raised beds and add in lots of compost.
Where possible remember to do crop rotations to minimize soil nutrient depletion and reduce pests. I usually follow the leaf to root to flower to fruit method as it’s easy to remember. In the place I harvested the onions I am planting kale and in the spot where the peas were I am putting in carrots and beets.
Beets and Lambsquarter seedlings are coming up from a recent planting.
The next step is to choose what to plant; our first frost date is usually around late October so pick something that will survive the frost. Mid-July is a good time for roots and greens. If you get started in early August then I would do lettuces.
With a bit of planning you can have fresh greens all winter.
Once the seeds are planted water them in the morning and at night until they begin to sprout. If the days are really hot then shade them with an old umbrella or a piece of light cloth like Reemay. When the plants are established mulch them to hold moisture in the soil. I like to mulch with dried grass clippings but watch out for weed seeds if you use this method. You may need to control for slugs in September. One of the best ways to do this is to hand pick them in the early mornings.
You can plant Lambsquarter now and get some nice plants for stir fries.
Enjoy the summer and think ahead to your cool season garden!
Last night after having a Dark and Stormy cocktail, (a delectable blend of ginger beer and rum), I decided it was high time to use my ginger bug and make some soda from it.
Here’s the nicely fermented ginger bug; a combo of sugar, water and ginger.
A hopping ginger bug!
The first step is to chop up some ginger and put this in a pot with water and a bunch of sugar. Next simmer this for about 20 minutes and let cool.
Add sugar until the syrup is quite sweet.
Pour the sugar and ginger syrup through a sieve into a clean bottle.
A funnel makes the pouring easier.
Add some of the liquid from your bug into the bottle then lightly cork it. Now let it sit on your counter for a couple of days until it begins to bubble. You can adjust the sweetness by the fermentation time; longer will result in a less sweet beverage. Once you’ve reached the desired flavor put it in the fridge to slow the fermentation.
Yum.
You can make all sorts of flavors; this one is rhubarb.
About the simplest thing you can do to preserve your lavender is to cut it, tie it in bunches then hang it to dry.
Bunched lavender tied tightly with string.
Be sure the bunches aren’t too thick or they might rot in the middle. Tie the string very tight or use a rubber band as it will shrink as it dries and all the stems will fall out.
Once you have your cut and tied lavender hang it upside down in a dark place with good air circulation to dry; I tie a string between the rafters in our basement for this purpose.
Drying lavender in the basement.
Once the lavender is dried put it in a basket, cover it with a cloth to keep dust off and store in a dark place.
I toss these dried bunches into gift boxes and baskets to fill empty spaces and bring the smells of summer days.
Shrub is a drink that is sweet, tart, bubbly and cool; the perfect mixture for a hot summer day. The unusual name comes from sharab the Arabic word for syrup. This colonial era beverage was much sought after as it both quenched the thirst and preserved the fleeting flavors of summer fruit. It fell out of favor with the advent of soda pop but is now experiencing a resurgence as it can be enjoyed with bubbly water and ice or blended with alcohol for a unique and refreshing cocktail.
Ingredients
The three basic ingredients in a shrub are sugar, fruit and vinegar. Almost any type of fruit can be used and it doesn’t have to be in pristine condition. Most sugars will work but white refined sugar competes the least with the fruit flavors. Cider or red wine vinegar is usually used but if you have other types on hand give them a try and see how it tastes.
How to Make
Once you have your ingredients together you can either do a cold or hot process. To do the hot process mash the fruit, mix with the sugar and cook until you have a light syrup. (A third vinegar, a third fruit and a third sugar is a good blend.) Strain out the seeds, mix in the vinegar and store in the fridge.
One cup sugar One cup red wine vinegar. Berries ready for mashing. One cup mashed berries.
To do a cold process mix the sugar and mashed fruit then let sit for a day or two in the fridge until the juices are coming out. Strain out the seeds, add the vinegar and put back in the fridge. This makes for a fruitier, fresher tasting drink than the hot process version.
Sugar mixed with berries ready for the fridge to sit and let the juices come out. Strain out the seeds. Sugar and berry juice mixed together. Vinegar, berry juice and sugar all blended together and ready to mellow in the fridge.
This delightful blend will be quite concentrated so add in bubbly water or ice cubes before drinking. Gin pairs nicely with this raspberry version of shrub.
Mixed with ice and bubbly water the shrub is ready to refresh!
