GGClub - From Grass to Gardens - Herbs

I am loving From Grass to Gardens and there are so many wonderful gardening tips that I want it available to all, so am entering it on this blog. Following are quotes from Janet Lembke, maybe slightly paraphrased, and my comments, too. Please hit reply and add your own comments.

BIRDS HELP THE GARDEN pg 62+
Put your bird feeder in the middle of your garder and the seeds strewn by the birds (and squirrels) will sprout and you'll have lovely volunteer flowers in your garden. Place a bird house near your vegetable patch to be serenaded by the music while you pick the beans.

HERBS pg 71 +

Harvest your herbs in the spring, for the oils are stronger before flowering.

Put on cardboard or (me - plastic) racks flowers come on, put in a car sitting out in the sun and the herbs will dry in 2 days (and I bet the car smells great).

John Gerard (1500s), an English botanist, published a list in the Herball of the 1,000 plants in his garden in 1597 with copious notes on medicinal uses of the plants. His 1633 revision was published in 1975 in the US.

OREGANO
Be sure to get the greek oregano - Origanum vulgare hirtum or O. heracleoticum. MInt family.

SAGE
Mint family. Does not dry well so she chops and freezes it. (I find it dries fine)

HERB BUTTER - mix oregano, thyme, basil, savory and sage to a stick of butter to slather on bread and baked.

WINTER SAVORY SUMMER SAVORY
Mint family (Lamiaceae). Winter is perinneal. Bohnenkraut -"bean plant" is the german name because it reduces the flatulence of beans. Clip it back in fall. Late spring - dig up spreading roots, pot and give as gifts.

ROSEMARY
Mint again - are all herbs mints???
Friendship and remembrance. Power over forces of evil. Heat rosemary over hot coals for the scent. Sugared flowers "comfort the heart, and make it merry". Used as firewood in Germany.
Creeping as well as bush. I like the idea of creeping rosemary. Found wild in CA< OR, NC, SC and Pureto Rico.

THYME
Mint, too. Was used to smoke stinging insects out of a house. Dried flowers used to repel insects that infect linen.

BASIL
mint. "Kings Herb" - Ocimum basilicum. In France, a pot of basil set on a balcony signaled that she wanted a suitor. Loves SUN and rich soil. (When I get a lot from the CSA at Calver't Gift Farm, I chop it in the food processor and pack it firmly in small jars with a covering of oil and vinegar and freeze it."

CARROT FAMILY
Dill, parsley, cilantro. Leaves of cilantro you know for the tangy flavor. If you wait for the seeds, they are coriander seeds redolent of oranges.

BORAGE
good companion for strawberries.

LAVENDER
And we finish with more mint family. Latin means to wash.

CHIVES
Finally, not a mint! Lily family.

TARRAGON
"Little dragon sacred to the goddess Artemis" is the meaning of Artemisia drancunculus.
Aster family (sunflower and marigold). Does not grow well from seed - use cuttings.