The current of air is crisp , the sky is a clean-cut bluing , and the leaves eagerly keep an eye on their fellow to carpet the dry land on our trivial farm here in Ohio . I have spent the past week bringing in the contents of myvegetable gardenand picking the last of our fallapples . Today I am turn to my herbal companions .
Do you glean your medicine along with your veggie ?
Most gardeners think only of the rime on thepumpkin , but I occupy also about the frost on my tenderherbs . I make an effort to focus on planting both perennial and natives , but there are oh so many tender annual that I feel I must have in mymedicinaland culinary arsenal , as well . Here in my garden , the Anthemis nobilis is not just a companion plant life for the cabbage , but also a useful nervine ( a class of herbaceous plant that feeds and nourishes the flighty organization ) for my tea cupful .
When the grow season is over outside , I begin to turn my thoughts to what I would like to have available throughout the winter . Sometimes that signify a honorable store ofdriedand frozen medicative herbs , but there are always some plants that I must have fresh .
Medicine in the WindowsillMy lemon balm ( Melissa officinalis ) will winter — it ’s hardy where I endure — but it will do so below ground while I crave its lemony - sample leafage . Tulsi , also calledholy basil(Ocimum sanctum ) , will be destroyed in a difficult frost , and my only hope will be that it has left enough seminal fluid behind to replant itself in the bound . These two industrial plant will make a lovely compounding in a beautiful pot I found this aurora in the barn loft .
I dig cautiously around a sound specimen of each , ensuring that I get all the roots so that there ’s less chance of jar . Inside , these two plants will be happy in a part sunny room , such as my kitchen . I will keep them watered and level-headed all winter long with the help of a constantly brewing bucketful of compost tea .
Throughout the wintertime I will pick a few leaves of each and make myself a cup of Camellia sinensis whenever I feel low . Lemon balm and holy basil are shining , gay and cheery . They also happen to be jolly darn tasty ! The combination is an splendid treatment for the winter “ blahs ” that creep up on many of us who go in overcast arena of the state . This blend would also be perfect for anyone you screw who is hurt with a touch of the blues that are n’t associated with the weather . Do n’t worry about the need for an expensive dryer or figuring out how the lowest scene works on your oven ! Most herbal teas are best nibble fresh .
manoeuvre on out today and keep up that bit of dark-green for your wintertime windowsill . If you put together an extra bay window , it might even make a staring early contribution to that holiday gift list you ’ve been compiling .
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