Oh my, is it ever hot and humid this week. Many of the plants in the herb tower garden had gotten to a good size. I decided to get everything picked early in the morning before it got too hot. This is Cutting Celery that was given to me by a friend, and it taste just like regular celery.
I washed it up well and pureed it in the blender. I poured the juice into ice cube trays and once frozen put them into a silicone freezer bag. It will be nice to have it to add to recipes in the future. I will still have plenty to use fresh as long as it keeps growing.
There was some Plantain growing here and there around the edges of the gardens. I picked and washed them to dehydrate for making pain salve when I need it. I know there are many uses for it and will be looking into more details on its benefits.
Next, the Mullein plant had begun to flower, I harvested the buds and some of the smaller leaves and now I have two quarts on the pantry shelf.
The Lemon Balm got harvested for the first time and now I have some of that done. I will continue to dehydrate it as it branches out during the summer months. It will be a nice addition to my tea blends.
One of my favs, Spearmint had enough growth to harvest a few stems. I'm sure it will give me plenty more to dry before too long. My regular mint is growing a lot slower due to its shady spot in the garden.
The last thing #dehydrated this week was another round of Raspberry leaves. The young leaves needed to be picked before setting fruit. Many of the stalks have fruit on them but I had trimmed the canes back and they set side shoots which offered me another chance to get young leaves. This will be the first time I will use them in one of the teas I will put together. That will be another day once I get all the herbs and plants that I will use dried.
I had mentioned in a previous post about gathering Dandelions back in late April. These have been slowly infusing in Extra Virgin Olive Oil for two months. I decided to strain the oil, when I get a chance, I will use it to make soap. For now, it will stay in the refrigerator until I use it. I also have Lilac oil that I infused when they were blooming.
So many things are keeping me busy now that summer has arrived. Yesterday I spotted the first Monarch Butterfly drinking nectar from the flowers I planted for them. Soon, I will be looking for eggs to hatch. I hope you're all enjoying your gardening season and enjoying nature too.
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