SupHerb! For Superb Herbs

Many Farmers Markets Open this Winter

2009-11-12T07:45:00.000-05:00

Farmers markets abound during the growing season. There is no doubt that the search for fresh local foods is easy from May to November. But when the sun sets at 4 a lot of farmers markets close up for the winter. However there are a growing number of markets open year round. They just move indoors to warmer climes until spring arrives again.

Speaking of farming indoors, there is no reason to give up on gardening just because the snow is flying. A grow light or sunny window can provide a nice assortment of fresh herbs and greens this winter. Want tomatoes, cucumber and peppers this winter? A high intensity grow light and simple hydroponics set up can provide frsh tomatoes and more for the winter dinner table Although it is still fall gardening seminars for January and February are already being planned by myself and other garden experts at Adams

Here is a list of farmers markets open this winter throughout the region:

New York Winter Farmers Markets 2009

Dutchess County

Beacon Farmers Market

Beacon Sloop Clubhouse, near Beacon Train Station (indoors)

Sundays 10am-4pm, Year round

Simone Williams (845)440-8530

simplyvalley@optimum.net

www.beaconfarmersmarket.com

Red Hook Winter Farmers Market

Elmendorph Inn, Rt. 9, btw the IGA and Stewarts Shop (indoors)

Saturdays 10am-2pm, Dec. 13, Jan. 10, Feb. 14

Miriam Latzer (845) 943-8699 Miriam@heartyroots.com

www.heartyroots.com

Orange County

Indoor Winter Farmers Market at Pennings

161 S. Rt. 94 & Warwick Turnpike, Warwick, (indoors)

Saturdays 11am-4pm Jan 10-March 28

Steve Pennings (845) 986-1059 or 5959 info@penningsfarmmarket.com

www.penningsfarmmarket.com

Rensselaer County

Troy Waterfront Winter Market

Uncle Sam Atrium, Fourth St. & Grand Ave. (indoors)

Saturdays 10am-2pm, November 3-April 7

Erica Veil (518) 708-4216 troyfarmersmarket@yahoo.com

www.troymarket.org

Saratoga County

Saratoga Winter Farmers Market

Salvation Army Bldg., 27 Woodlawn Ave. (indoors)

Saturdays 9am-1pm, November 1 - April 25

Liza Porter (518) 638-8530 dport@spa.net

www.saratogafarmersmarket.org

Schenectady County

Schenectady Green Market

Robb Alley, off Proctors Theatre box office, 432 State St. (indoors)

Sundays 10am-2pm, November 2 - April 26

Barbara Blanchard (518) 374-1956 bjblanch@nycap.rr.com

www.schenectadygreenmarket.org

Saratoga County

Saratoga Winter Farmers Market

Salvation Army Bldg., 27 Woodlawn Ave. (indoors)

Saturdays 9am-1pm, November 1 - April 25

Liza Porter (518) 638-8530 dport@spa.net

www.saratogafarmersmarket.org

Schenectady County

Schenectady Green Market

Robb Alley, off Proctors Theatre box office, 432 State St. (indoors)

Sundays 10am-2pm, November 2 - April 26

Barbara Blanchard (518) 374-1956 bjblanch@nycap.rr.com

www.schenectadygreenmarket.org

Westchester County

Briarcliff WinterMarketplace

Briarcliff Congregational Church, Elm St. and South State Rd. (indoors)

Alternate Saturdays. 8:30am-2pm, January 10 – May 16

Miriam Haas (914) 923-4837 mhaas@communitymarkets.biz

www.communitymarkets.biz Mamaroneck WinterMarketplace

St. Thomas' Episcopal Church, 168 W. Boston Post Rd. (indoors)

Saturday 8:30am-12 Noon, January 17 – May 23

Miriam Haas (914) 923-4837 mhaas@communitymarkets.biz

www.communitymarkets.biz Westchester Center Winter Farmers Market

Westchester Co. Center, Lower Level, 198 Central Ave. (indoors)

Sunday 10am-3pm, Jan. 4, Feb. 8, Mar. 15

Kevin Cook (914) 864-7064 kdc2@westchestergov.com

www.westchestergov.com

So there you have it! A detailed list of farmers markets open all winter in the Hudson Valley for Locavores and locals alike.

Window Farming? Yes Window Farming.............

2009-11-08T19:55:00.000-05:00

This is a totally incredible idea on using hydroponics to grow amazing amounts of food in a window!

www.windowfarm.org

This system can churn-out a salad per week. The window farm described in this How-To is a reservoir system. A water pump on a timer periodically pumps water and liquid nutrients from the bottom reservoir to the top reservoir. There are small holes drilled into the underside of the top reservoir. Small drip emitters with valves let out a constant drip of water and nutrients into a column of plants. Each plant sits in a grow medium in a net cup (a perforated plastic cup commonly used in hydroponics), within an inverted plastic water bottle. The cap of each water bottle has a hole in it so that the water and nutrients can drip from one bottle to the next, from the top to the bottom of the column of plants. The bottom-most bottles are connected to tubing that takes the water and nutrients into the bottom reservoir, where it sits until the pump turns on again.

Flu Flighting Foods

2009-11-05T08:54:00.000-05:00

This I found in the Daily Guide from Waynesville, MO

"TOP 10 FLU FIGHTING FOODS." The first five were presented tonight and the last five next week:

n Green Chile Peppers. They contain vitamin C, a powerhouse antioxidant, which help fight colds and flues. Foods rich in vitamin C are hot chili peppers (1/2 cup contains 182 milligrams of Vitamin C), guava, bell peppers, kale, broccoli florets, papaya, oranges, strawberries, cantaloupe and Brussels sprouts. The food with the highest amount of Vitamin C is acerola or West Indian cherry. It has in one cup 1,677 milligrams of Vitamin C.

n Sunflower Seeds: It has vitamin E which is crucial in maintaining your immune system and it helps the activity of the white blood cells that protects us from viral (colds and flues), fungal and other infections.
Foods which are rich in Vitamin E are almonds, hazelnuts, filberts, peanut butter, spinach, greens (mustard, collards etc.) avocado, guineo, seeds, olives, spices and vegetable oil.
A tip on whole sunflower seeds: Put seeds in a bowl of an electric mixer and pulse until shells break but do not crunch seeds. Pour seeds in a bowl of cold water. The shells will float and then skim them off with a slotted spoon. Sunflowers are good in salads (greens, chicken or tuna) and ground they can replace flour in coating meat or chicken.

n Carrots, Carotenoids — Carotenoids and beta carotene is a class of nutrients that help regulate or enhance the immune functions. Beta-carotene and other carotenoids are made into vitamin A which helps cells fight infections. Foods rich in carotenoids are sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, pumpkin, winter squash, greens, broccoli, rabe, parsley, red peppers, cantaloupe, apricots and spices.

n Cod Liver Oil, Vitamin D — Vitamin D helps regulate the immune system so it is not under active or overactive. New research implicates vitamin D in the prevention of cancer and diabetes. Foods rich in vitamin D are: Cod liver oil, salmon (canned), herring, mackerel, oysters, sardines, tuna (canned), beef liver, eggs, cheese, clams, shrimp and milk enriched with vitamin D.

n Yogurts— Probiotics are good bacteria that live in all healthy digestive systems. They guard against microorganism attacks and improve immune functions. Foods high in probiotics are: Yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, tempeh and miso soup. Note, when probiotics are heated, they can easily be destroyed and become ineffective.

The Best Loser with the most "fresh" weight was Kathy. She won the fruit basket and signed her name on the "gift." Randy's name was drawn from the incentive jar and he won $1. Kathy's challenge for the week was to bring in a recipe using tomatoes and/or zucchini squash. Kathy also won the Dollar contest. The Best Loser with the most weight loss was Nancy and she won a gift from the "box." The Best Loser for the month of October was Kathy and she won the "fine" money.
Randy closed the meeting with, "The less we look with our eyes, the more we will see with our hearts."
For more information on TOPS, call Randy at 573-793-6782, our national toll free number is 1-800-832-8677, or attend our meeting on Monday. Weigh-in is from 5 to 6 p.m. and our meeting is from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Pulaski County Health Department.

Composting In the Cold

2009-11-02T06:26:00.002-05:00

I use obscure econometrics principles in my garden. One that always works is the chile pepper plant and composting corollary. This connection simply states that when your chile plants succumb to frost your plumbing goes haywire. No that's the "away on business trip chile plant corollary". The chile plant composting pairing simply states that when your chile plants are done in by frost your compost pile stops working as well. Meanwhile there is all that plant debris and leaves to get rid of.

Enter indoor composting. The garden debris leaves and such will have to remain outside and wait until spring to compost but you can still get rich soil indoors. Home made indoor composters are easy to build out of plastic storage bins. Ready made bins are available specifically for indoor composting but are quite expensive for what you get.

They major difference in composting indoors is the composting "agent" itself. Outside one can simply pile up any organic matter and worms, bugs, beetles and other creepy crawlers will find it and digest it. I don't know many gardeners who wish to have creepy crawlers all over their house looking for something to eat. "Hey beetle, I am not done with that salad yet do you mind?" Indoor composting agents of action are red wiggly worms. They resemble small night crawlers or large earthworms. These hungry tilling machines have been bred especially for eating garbage.

A perfect sized container for housing your worms is a plastic storage bin measuring 1' high, 2' wide and 2-3' long. Any plastic container with similar dimensions will do fine.

Plastic storage containers with lids are perfect because they balance strength of the plastic with light weight thus being easy to move around. Next punch a series of holes along the lower sides of the container. Measuring about one third of the way down from the top punch holes through the container with sharp scissors and continue all the way around.

Two rows of holes should be enough. These holes will supply oxygen to the worms and are small enough to prevent them from escaping.

Next take shredded newspapers and wet them to the consistency of a damp sponge. Line the bottom half of your container with the shredded paper. You can also add shredded card board like toilet paper tubes to change the texture of the bedding. Now spread the little red wigglers over the newspaper bedding. After they get accustomed to their new home which should take about two milliseconds cover them with another two inches of all the news that is fit to print.

About one week later begin feeding your friends food scraps. The rules for indoor composting are exactly the same as for outdoors. No meat, fish or dairy. Egg shells are permissible as long as they are rinsed off before adding. They should be crushed as well.

Red wiggly compost worms are voracious eaters and you can easily add one to pounds of scraps per week for each pound of worms you buy. Plan on using one-half-pound of red wigglers for each cubic foot of worm bin; (one-half-pound of red worms is about 500 worms, depending on their size). A 1' x 2'x 3' bin is six cubic feet. So you will need three pounds of worms for optimum resource recovery. One thing to keep in mind is these worms cost on average twenty five dollars a pound. They also reproduce fairly quickly. If you think that spending seventy five dollars on worms is a bit steep purchase half as many and let them fill in the gaps for you.

After several weeks the newspaper and food you have added will turn to rich dark soil.

Harvesting the soil is simply a matter of moving all the newly created humus over to one side of the bin. Add newly shredded bedding and food scraps to the other side. Bury it deeply within the new bedding. A while later all your wiggly friends will have migrated out of the finished soil and over to the new food supply. The New York City Compost project web site says this migration can take four weeks. This little waiting step is a real time saver. This way you will not have to pick the worms out of the fresh compost you made. Do not wait too long to harvest the fresh soil however. As strange it may seem fresh compost becomes toxic to compost worms over time.

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Peek at Weekend Posts on The Real Dirt

2009-10-30T15:26:00.001-04:00

This weekend I will have an update on new additions (herbs) to the grow room and a test report on the "new easy to clean" Droll Yankee feeder now that it has been though two fill ups of seed and some rain and snow!

A Superb Composter.......on Wheels Even

2009-10-28T20:26:00.001-04:00

We just received some new composters for use as holiday gifts. While there many tumbling type composters on the market this one, (from Compostumbler), is different. First off it is not black.While black is the ruling color for composting bins I often wonder if it gets too hot inside an enclosed bin on a hot summer day. The rest of the year black is a fine color for bins since solar gain is less during spring an autumn. Those times of year a compost maker (you the gardener !) can use all the solar gain one could get in this cloudy section of New York.But what about those hot summer days when compost activity is at its' peak? Could a 90* day cause the inside of an enclosed tumbler to "burn" those important soil microbes? Perhaps. The Compostumbler is a light green color with extraordinary well designed ventilation. Screens are built in to the walls instead of the normal slits or slots on most bins.The Compostumbler is also equipped with WHEELS making transpoting compost easy. The model is named "Back Porch" due to the ingenious inclusion of wheels. You fill it up neat the "BACK PORCH" and when the compost is done simply wheel it to the garden.The door on the bin is hinged. Many plastic tumbling models have a sliding door that sticks and expands when hot making it hard to slide open. The Compostumbler latches and swings down allowing easy access to the inner chamber.Another nice feature is there is no rod running through the center of the barrel making extracting finished compost with a scoop diificult at best. The door also removes. Nothing can get in the way of your removing the compost. (Except maybe a fellow gardener!)Makes a great gift to yourself or the gardener on your list!

Bring in the Basil

2009-10-11T08:14:00.001-04:00

There is a freeze warning for the entire Hudson Valley tonight. Bring in the basil!!!

Herb Talk in Athens, Greene County

2009-10-10T15:46:00.001-04:00

On Thursday, October 22 at 1 PM, I will be speaking about herb gardening at the October meeting of the Athens Garden Club. The Athens Garden Club is not your average garden club. Their projects have earned them a reputation not only in New York but across the country as well.

My talk will cover all the basics of herb gardening including the thymely topics of harvesting storing and using them in teas and cooking. I will have several of my potted specimen herbs there at the talk including my Lemon Verbena which has grown to almost three feet tall and round, all from a four inch pot purchased this spring. As well, I will have cuttings growing in rock wool a medium used primarily for hydroponics. Rosemary, lavender and verbena cuttings are thriving in the rock wool cubes awaiting transplanting into an ebb and flow hydroponic system in my basement.

If you have never ventured into Athens you are missing a step back in time. Recently placed on the National Register of Historic Places (or Districts) (good for history buffs, bad if you want to paint your house), Athens retains a slow pace. So slow in fact a recent transplant commented on the fact that her new home in the village is within walking distance of everything but wishes there was more to walk to! Once home to thirteen brick factories, a ship building company and half a dozen ice houses, history is on every corner.

The village of Athens is located 5 miles north of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge on state route 385.
The meeting is held at The First Reformed Church, 11 Church Street in Athens. Easily found on Google or your GPS!

An Interesting Offshoot on My Basil

2009-07-26T07:45:00.005-04:00

Nothing shouts summer pesto to me more than basil. I use basil on everything in the summer. One of the best uses I found this summer was to place a few sprigs of basil and winter savory underneath tilapia fillets! What a nice taste surprise to cut a piece of fish with your fork and get a blast of fresh herbs along with a mild fish.

One particular pot of basil on my front porch started to flower very early. I snipped the buds well below the flower stalk to prevent even more flower buds from setting. With in a few days a myriad of small leaves began to grow from the point where the flowers were cut off.

Now a whole branch, representing about one third of the leaf mass of the plant, is full of tiny leaves about the size of a cooked grain of white rice.

A sport, new variety? Who knows I am not harvesting many of these leaves. I want to bring the plant in for the winter and see if I can propagate this.

If it is a "new" variety I have yet to come up with a name "Little Gem. No too common. More likely "Rain Dance" would be more fitting as a reminder of this tropical like summer in upstate New York.

Notice how small the leaves are on this "sport" compared to a leaf on regular Itlalian basil!

Box Store Spreads Spreads Tomato Blight

2009-07-02T07:17:00.000-04:00

A story in the Albany Times Union had a story about late blight on tomatoes being spread throughout the northeast from plants sold by Home Depot.
The source: Bonnie Greenhouses with dozens of growing ranges in several states. The blight got into a 10 acre field and destroyed the entire crop.
One more reason to buy local....

One More Reason To Buy Local

2009-07-02T07:16:00.001-04:00

Hooray for Horehound

2009-06-04T06:50:00.002-04:00

Over the weekend I was jolted with a case of bronchitis that hit me out of the blue. In a matter of hours I went from helping customers with last minute plantings to asleep on the couch where I remained for almost four days.

A trip to the doc confirmed acute bronchitis. As a precaution due to something showing up on my X-ray I was given an antibiotic as well.

However before the antibiotic had a chance to kick in I went out to my herb garden and pulled some herbs for a tea in hopes of at least alleviating the cough and chest pressure. I then dried some Horehound, lemon catnip, lemon balm, gray sage and basil leaves.

In a hurry I used the microwave. The leaves were dried to crisp perfection in three minutes. I then boiled some water and poured it over the leafy mixture in the bottom of a tea pot. After four minutes of steeping the concoction was poured in a small coffee cup.

The results? At first, very bitter. However a little sugar and some honey sweetened the grog to drinkability.

I must say I felt almost immediate relief from the pressure in my chest and was breathing easier. Long term? I must say it helped. I feel the best part of the mixture was keeping it somewhat bitter to prevent consuming the tea like a soft drink, all at once.

In my opinion slowly drinking the hot herbal blend slowly has a lot to do with the success of my tea.

Historical Perspective on Herbs

2009-05-04T17:38:00.001-04:00

The continued popularity of herbs and herbs in the garden amazes me. Few trends in gardening have lasted so long. The Chia Pet comes and goes, aqua globes have outlived their appeal and yes even some day soon the upside tomato planer, a.k.a. Topsy Turvy, will fade from the garden scene. One blast from the past this spring took a little detective work to discover it’s comeback. Dozens of gardeners new and experienced have been requesting large bags of vermiculite to use in their outdoor gardens. I could not figure out for the life of me why all of a sudden gardeners were using 4 cubic foot bags of mica in their planting beds. It finally dawned on me when a brand new gardener approached me and asked for large bags of vermiculite and FIVE different kinds of compost! Compost is such a generic term for anything organic and rotted these days that finding a good source of one kind of compost is difficult let alone five different ones!

This request brought forth a look of bewilderment to myself and seasoned garden industry veteran Jim Howard. We looked at each other and said almost at the same time “Square foot gardening”?The customer said, “Yes, how did you know”? I answered the vermiculite and five different composts gave it away. A ne w organic version of Square Foot Gardening has been released and sales of vermiculite have soared ever sense.

This to shall come to pass since books like Square Foot Gardening are the source of the joke about the $7 per pound home grown tomato. But herbs and herb gardening will never go away as they have entrenched in gardening history and folklore for eternity. The newly rediscovered health benefits of herbs and their ease of growing will see to that their longevity continues unabated.

The first recorded use of herbs is found upon the stone tablets of the Sumerians dating back almost 6,000 years. They managed to experiment with and tabulate the properties of some 250 varieties of herbs. Amongst their writings were poppies, which even then was used fr it’s narcotic and tranquilizing tendencies.

Garlic and onions were used by Egyptians around 2000 BC. These potent herbs were fed to the builders of the pyramids. An ancient Egyptian document written on papyrus lists hundreds of medical prescriptions for herbs. In addition herbs were used by Egyptians in the embalming process as well as fumigation and cosmetic uses. This document known as the Ebers Papyrus dates back to 1500 BC. This writing was discovered in the 1870's by archaeologists.

The Ancient Greeks were also important recorders of herbs beneficial uses. Greek herbals were written by experts on the sub ject about 300 BC. These writings contained information on some 500 species of herbs from information written down by Aristotle himself.

The standard herbal for the last 1500 years was written by Discorides in the first century AD. His treatise entitled “De Materia Medica” has been the basis for national pharmacopeias ever since. In fact much of the information contained in De Materia Medica still holds true today. In detailed writing Discorides describes the method of use for over 600 different plants having medicinal or curative properties.

However after the Roman Empire fell and the world entered the Dark Ages little additional research was done on discovering the benefits of these wonderful plants we call herbs. It was not until the reformation that science began to gain respectability and studies of herbs returned to the forefront.While Europe was muddling through these dark times scholars in the Arab world began translating the Greek manuscripts into Latin.

The first use of herbs in formal garden settings were gathered from the wild. They were then grown in and around temples and used in religious ceremonies. The Benedictine Monks in St. Gall Switzerland had detailed plans for a monastery herb garden as early as the 10th century.

Using herbs for household and culinary uses did not begin until the 1200's. Before gaining popularity as culinary20delights the scents of various herbs played an important role in the home. Highly scented herbs, sure to include lavender, were hung in bunches around homes in old times to discourage vermin such as rats and mice from taking up shop. Rich folks carried around sachets filled with aromatic herbal mixtures to ward off bad smells and reduce the risk of infection. Personal hygiene was highly lacking in those days.

Herbs began to be used in culinary form as a way to bring back flavor to foods preserved heavily with salt. At first most herbs used for cooking and flavoring were those only grown locally. As explorers opened up the world to more markets they returned with herbs and spices that ignited an insatiable hunt for the secret passage to India. In history class we revere these explorers for bringing back to their homes wonderful new products and foods. Yet at the same time we want nothing but food grown locally and close to home. How many of you could go without that morning cup of coffee with beans grown in the far flung reaches of the world?

While lacking in conventional wisdom the Dark Ages did have wide range of uses for herbs. Religious rituals were not the only ones herbs. Witches , magicians and sorcerers were also fond of conjuring up the burning smells of dried herbs when practicing their rituals. Mandrake is a feared herb of old. Resembling a human form beneath the surface of the ground it was said to emit shrieks of fatal terror when dug up that dogs were used to unearth the root.

Herbs have shown up in all forms of literature as well. Even in the Bible. “Better a dinner of herbs where love is than a stalled ox and hatred therewith” says Proverbs. Shakespeare, never at a loss of descriptive verbiage, wrote in The Winters’ Tale, or you there’s rosemary and rue, these keep seeming and savor all the winter long”.

So there you have strong evidence regarding the staying power of herbs. There is a new breed of snake oil salesman on Sunday afternoon talk radio and the endless info-mercials touting an herbal medley for your digestive tract. While their pitch may be venomous there are thousands of well documented studies proving herbs deserve a place in our dietary rotation.

Historical Perspective on Herbs

2009-05-04T17:38:00.000-04:00

Germination Achieved

2009-04-12T16:57:00.002-04:00

Bottom heat is the secret to getting seeds to germinate properly. The cilantro I planted on 4/5 and listed germination as 7-14 days showed 100% germination in six days a heat mat.

The young seedlings are resting comfortably under a 150 watt high pressure sodium lamp courtesy of National Garden Wholesale.

The Serrano chiles are just starting to pop. Planted also on 4/5 they listed a germination time of 14-21 days. Lift off here occurred in 7.

Cilantro...........

2009-04-06T10:32:00.002-04:00

For the lack of anything better to do since the soil is cold I started some cilantro seed last night. Got the seeds on a hydrofarm heat mat with a large gro-dome to keep the heat close to the soil. Our home is kept cool around 59*.

Cilantro should sprout in about a week. Then time to transplant into larger pots and wait for warmer weather to plant them out in the garden.

Which Variety for Your Garden?

2009-03-15T11:26:00.003-04:00

Herbs are amongst the easiset of all plants to grow. In fact it is safe to say we probably give thm too much care. The most important consideration in a few common herbs is choosing the right variety for your garden.

Let's look at lavender for instance. There are many varieites of lavender available but not everyone is suitable for northern gardens. Lavender is adored for it's beautiful fragrance.

Lavendula angustifolia is the latin and therefore proper name of this popular herb. Listed as perennial zone 5 this herb grows 2-3 tall with an equal spread. Grayish purple blooms are adorned on spikes measuring three inches long at the top of the plant.

Young lavender plants are very susceptible to cold weather. Most damage often occurs in heavy soils which heave during early warm spells. the species angustifolia is the only one that can handle hard freezes. Cutting of the flowers of first year plants, a difficult to justify task, will help strengthen the plant in the long run and help it's chances for survival.

L. angustifolia "Munstead" is a variety hardier than the species and is dwarf as well.
L. angustifolia "Hidcotte" has deep purple flowers and is also hardier than the species.

L. dentata French lavender can handle wet soils to much surprise but is not hardy in the Northeast U.S.

So when choosing herbs for the 2009 garden season keep in mind not only how the plants will handle your particular garden but their intended use as well.

There are 42 species of Basil in the world grown for commercial use. There sizes vary as widely as their flavors.

Cinnamon basil may makes a great tea ingredient. But cinnamon has no place in your homemade marinara sauce.

Thyme for Cuttings

2009-02-23T14:08:00.002-05:00

Twenty five degrees outside and a fierce wind from the north west. Once again the temp is ten degrees below normal. Seems par for the course for winter 08-09.

But March 1st is this coming Sunday and spring is somewhere. At least I can see it on my calendar. The next page of the calendar anyway.

March 1st means it is time to take cuttings on woody herbs you may have growing on your window sill. I managed to bring in and have survive a pot of rosemary. I almost forgot it was on my back deck! I did not bring it inside until the middle of November. I figured it was a goner since it had been below freezing for a few nights.

But that pot of rosemary has done very well. Just a few weeks ago new shoots began sprouting from the end of last years growth cycle. They have grown about three inches long and are ready to make new plants.

Any woody stemmed herb with newer growth can be cut now from the tips to make new plants. Early March is the perfect time since it is early enough in the season to allow the cuttings to set roots and be ready to go outside late April.

And with good luck you may get to take a second cutting in April just in case something happens to the March cuttings.

To take cuttings off of woody stemmed herbs choose soft new growth from the ends of the branches. Cutting should be about two to three inches and length although there is no set rule. The only rule is that the cuttings come from soft tissue. These root much easier.

After taking cuttings remove the leaves from the bottom inch or so of the stem. There should be no foliage below the soil surface. To expose more rooting tissue cut the bottom of the cut piece once more at a 45* angle. This exposes more surface area across the bottom of the cutting giving rooting success a much greater chance.

Insert the cuttings into well drained soil. Cover with a humidity dome used for seed flats or place into a small clear plastic bag. The idea here is to create a mini greenhouse environment. Light should be bright with little direct sun until rooting has taken place.

Your new cuttings are ready to transplant when you begin to feel a good deal of resistance when tugging on the cutting. Rosemary should take 3-5 weeks to set firm roots.

Welcome...................Testing 1, 2, 3

2009-01-29T18:08:00.002-05:00

Welcome to SupHerb Greg Draiss' blog on all things herbs. One of the best features of this blog is not just great posts on herb gardening but all the fantastic information available from the side bars.

For instance check out the great links to the history of herbs, herbal substitutions when cooking and SupHerb herbal articles when you click on a subject.

Great Gardening

Greg Draiss

Organic Gardening Has Run Its' Course

2009-01-19T12:28:00.003-05:00

The tide is turning on the green washing of the consumer. People are getting tired of hearing about how bad their past habits have been to the environment.
Consumers want organic/natural because of the supposed healthier aspects of it. Most in my opinion do not care about the environmental benefits of it beyond their own backyard. All they care is that if it works as well as the chemical form and is better for "MY GARDEN" (not the earth as a whole), then they buy it.
Green washing has done much to destroy the groundswell of organics from it's grass roots infancy. Organics are now mainstream as a result of marketing not environmentalism.
Which is a shame because while organic gardening is a justifiable and locally beneficial practice it is now under control of corporate manufacturers who in the past preached mass consumerism. What right do they have to now tell us the stuff they sold us in the past is wrong and we must repent by buying "ALL NATURAL ORGANIC STUFF MADE BY ACME INTERNATIONAL"?
If a garden is truly organic and sustainable by design there is little need to buy "green products" MANUFACTURED from recycled milk cartons!
But just as marketing has made every fad sooner or later mainstream it also makes it boring after awhile.
Give them time and they will destroy heirloom gardens, herb gardens and water gardening as well.
Gardening is as simple a past time as can be.Why let Madison Avenue screw it up. Leave it to some guy in a suit in a boardroom to try and mess up what we already know works.
Look at the "over branding" of plants. How many different names can you give a flower any way?

Footballs End Kicks off Seed Season

2009-01-19T11:47:00.001-05:00

Welcome to deep Winter. Two weeks before Super Bow Sunday and 28 days before pitchers and catchers report for Grapefruit and Cactus League. Deep winter is often called the cause of the winter blues. I disagree. Winter blues are caused by the end of football season and the tease of NASCAR. Hey I like NASCAR just as much as any good ole’ boy , but the good ole’ boys seem to forget that despite the Daytona 500 going on in warm weather it is still snowy up here.There is just something about watching NASCAR on TV when it is 25* and snowing here. It just isn’t fair. They even move the Super Bowl to warm climates so the so called celeb-fans can show up and not catch cold. Do you really think Jessica Simpson et al would show their tans at the ICE BOWL at Lambeau Field. That was real football. Super Bowls in Florida or any other warm locale are just a show for the elite. They are as much football fans as they are real gardeners.So what are the real gardeners, real football fans and real NASCAR fans to do in deep winter?Hit the racks! Seed racks that is. New seeds are arriving almost daily and the time for choosing your garden seed program is now.While it is too early to start most seeds it is time to begin planning. Time is on the gardeners side now but in a little more than a month time becomes a premium for starting seeds indoors. To help you beat the mid winter blues take a look at the incredible variety of seeds available for any kind of gardening. Whether you fancy heirloom tomatoes, herbs, chile peppers, or beautiful flowers there is a seed pack with your name on it.To help you through the myriad of seeds and planting choices come to my seed starting seminar at Adams Poughkeepsie location Saturday Jan 24th at 1PM. You can join other gardeners in lamenting the end of football, share tips on how to beat the winter blues and learn great tips and seed starting techniques you can use at home. All of this taught by yours truly. And of course there is the free coffee, cookies.The earliest gardening creeps into the calendar is old wive’s tale number 386 subsection A: Sow pea seeds on St. Patrick’s Day. Did one ever consider from what part of the North American Continent this old wife resided? Perhaps closer to the Mason Dixon Line one could get away with sowing peas on St. Patrick’s Day. One look out my dining room window tells me the only seeds we will sowing on St. Patrick’s Day are seeds of hope . At any rate the only things going in my garden hope chest right now are Snow Peas and Iceberg Lettuce.The above dire warnings and pessimism should keep the gardener from planning. For there are some seeds that will need to get started soon indoors. Seeds have five simple requirements in order to reward us at a later date: a container, soil, water, light, and heat. Luckily seeds are fussy about most of these requirements. In addition we have better control over all these needs indoors than relying on fickle Mother Nature to dole out these needs even keeled.Containers for seeds can be anything that hold soil and has adequate drainage. Egg cartons especially the cardboard kind are perfect. The "cups" can usually be planted right into the garden since they will break down. The lids on egg cartons are a great way to control moisture and warmth until germination takes place. For kids egg cartons are great. For smaller seed starting projects yogurt cups and foam coffee cups are perfect vessels. The trick for using these is turn them upside down cut out the bottoms and poke small drainage holes in the lids. Inverted coffee and yogurt containers are great for small hands since and upside down cup is less likely to fall over.Instead of adding more plastic to the waste stream traditional seed four packs and six packs that fit into standard growers flats are also made from compressed peat moss. When ready to go into the garden the whole cup or cell is planted into the garden. Over time the peat cup bio-degrades and becomes part of the soil. The added benefit is there is no shock to the root system.Soil is a complex and personal issue with many gardeners. Old time gardeners for years got away with using soil straight from the garden. Garden soil though rich in nutrients is also heavy. Experienced gardens take this into consideration and watered accordingly. For most gardeners heavy soil from outdoors is not suited for seed starting. Professional or light weight soil mixes now accountfor over 90% of sales for indoor or container use. They are blends of peat moss, perlite and vermiculite. All natural materials in abundant supply they work together to supply the right mix of air, and water holding capacity. There are many brands on the market and most are suitable for all growing needs. There are now certified organic soils free of chemical fertilizers.Moisture is needed not only for seedlings to uptake nutrients but also to break down their protective seed coat or shell. Moisture works in combination with soil temperature to soften the seed coat in order for the cotyledons and initial roots to burst forth and begin growing. Again controlling moisture levels in soil is critical for seedling success. A very good way to get the right moisture level in the seed bed is to pre-moisten your soil mix. When moisture level is adequate you should be able to squeeze a handful of soil in your hand and form a small ball or clump. Soil that is too dry will not hold together in a clump. Soil that is too wet will ooze like a running faucet. A few drops are ok.Another benefit of pre-moistening the soil is the fact that seeds will not be disturbed by a blast of water from a watering can. Also most of the excess air pockets are removed and thus the soil will not settle to the bottom of the container.When the pre-moistened soil is in the containers it is now time to sow seeds! Place seeds that grow with singles stems 2-3 seeds per cell or container. Plants that grow with multiple stems (chives, alyssum, parsley etc) sow as many as you like into the container. Multiple stem, or spreading plants do not need to be separated.After sowing seeds label the container or tray with the date, seed type, and approx days or date of germination. This practice will help you keep track of what you planted when and how well the seeds are progressing. Then place the containers on top of a warm spot. Refrigerators, water heaters and good old fashioned radiators serve as excellent sources of bottom heat. If none of these are available purchase a heat mat suited for seed starting. A soil temperature of approximately 70-75*Fis needed for germinating seeds.Light becomes a factor only after germination. In fact most seeds do not require any light germinate.As soon as seeds germinate it is important to remove them form the warm bottom heat and place them in bright light. At this time it is also important for seedlings to be in a cooler environment. Too warm a temperature and seedlings will stretch and become spindly. Cool temperatures around 60* keep the young plants short and stocky.Many potting mixes today contain fertilizers so feeding new seedlings need not be done until planting out time. Any general purpose fertilizer will help new seedlings grow well.May 15th is the average last frost date for the Mid Hudson Valley. This date is important for seed starting because it determines the timing of starting seeds indoors. On the back of seed packs there will be instructions as to when to start seeds indoors. Often the timing will say "start indoors 4 to 6 weeks before last frost date in your area". Since the last frost date in our area is May 15th. Four to six weeks before that date would be April 1st to 15th. Start seeds before that date and you run the risk of having plants outgrow their surroundings and become leggy. Start seeds too long after the suggest date and your plants may not have enough time to grow and produce the flowers or vegetables you worked so hard on.

Good Buy Schultz and the Organic Garden Safe Brand

2008-11-23T14:05:00.001-05:00

It was downhill after the Schultz family sold out to Spectrum Group that also ruined Peters Fertilizers as well.Schultz had a great line of naturals and OMRI certified oraganics under the "Garden Safe" line.Not to mention all the little old ladies who made Scultz what it was with their African violet food!

Keeping Vampires Out of the Garden

2008-11-10T12:01:00.000-05:00

A sure sign of impending cool weather and the real end of summer is the annual Garlic Festival held in Saugerties, NY This festival has been rated as one of the top food festivals in the nation by some culinary experts. Everything sold at the festival must have garlic in the recipe. Originally a one day event it now spans the entire weekend attracting as many 50,000 people in search bad breath, vampire repellents and strangely flavored ice cream.

As a maturing society America discovered itself as a vast land of foodies in the mid 1980’s. There were many food fads that have come and gone. Gourmet abandoned it’s place on mid day PBS cooking shows and became synonymous with any food cooked by some one who liked to tell others how they cooked it. Nouveau cuisine became the new gourmet as high flying restaurants began serving small portions of artfully placed food stacked high and a high price to match. Food presentation was more important than taste.

Now with the health consciousness ones there is all of a sudden too much food on the plate.

But one trend in food that has endured is America’s love of herbs and spices an especially garlic. No food ingredient adds as much to a dish as herbs and garlic is the king of herbs.
No longer are gardeners and cooks stuck with one variety to choose from. There are dozens of garlic varities available for the home gardener as well as the home gourmet.

Garlic planting in our climate begins six weeks before the last frost date. That makes mid September a good starting point. The newly planted cloves need enough time to set roots and even begin some leaf growth before the ground freezes solid.

Garlic is a very long crop taking almost a full year to complete its cycle. Soil preparation is vital. A rich deep soil with lots of organic matter is what the bulb like best. If like me you have clay soil consider building raised beds and adding lots of compost, rotted manure or anything to achieve loose non compacted soil.

To plant break apart the bulb into individual clove and plant one inch deep. In raided beds or colder areas plant as deep as 4 inches to protect from freezing. Even then add an inch of mulch to the top of the bed for further protection. Garlic will easily push its way through the mulch when temperatures rise in spring.

For the largest bulb possible spacing is critical. I planted my Racombole too close last year and ended up with small bulbs. Space the cloves 6 inches apart in rows 12 inches apart for best results.

Always be watchful when cultivating weeds in the garlic bed. Remember these little cloves are often just below the surface.

Garlic’s’ nutrient needs are minimal for such a long crop. A moderate dressing of rich compost, dried manure or fish emulsion will suffice as the leaves begin to grow in the spring. Garlic also has an interesting need for nitrogen like other flowering bulbs. Garden logic tells us that flowering plants do not like nitrogen as it tends to encourage more leafy growth than flowers or roots. Well like tulips and daffodils an application of nitrogen sprayed on the leaves helps the leaves grow large enough to make enough food for the roots and flowers to grow larger. However this need for feeding comes to and ends in mid summer when bulbs start forming.

There are to classes of garlic to be concerned with, hard neck and soft neck. Hard neck varieties can be planted in fall and should be as spring planting will often result in poor yields. Soft necks varieties can be planted in fall or spring. As a matter of fact in areas of severe cold with no reliable snow cover or mulch soft necks should only be planted in spring.

Hard neck and soft neck varieties have the same growing and care needs with one exception. Hard necks if left to their own will form bulblets near the top of the flower stalk. This may look like a novelty in the garden the main bulb underground will be much smaller. Remove the flower stalk when it reaches 6-8 inches in height.

Harvesting begins when the leaves start to die off in late summer. Bulbs are then lifted dirt shaken off and then the bulb removed from direct sunlight. Place the bulbs anywhere there is good air circulation and warm temperatures. Curing takes roughly two weeks to three months depending on the location.

When the garlic has dried a choice needs to be made. Store or replant? Garlic is alike to rabbits in how fast it multiplies. Store what you need for the next year at 45-55 degrees in well circulated air.

Too plant some of this years’ harvest for picking next year simply follow the planting instructions at the beginning of this article. Garlic is a wonderful crop to enjoy in all seasons of its growth.

Garlic reminds us like other flowering bulbs that there is a lot going on the garden in the fall. Gardening is indeed a year round activity simply by its design. Next time Labor Day rolls around and you think the garden is done for the year remember garlic. This small clove planted just before the weather turns harsh withstands the cold to give us a harvest of pungent delight.

And Rodale Brags About Their 2008 Earnings

2008-11-04T17:48:00.000-05:00

Revenues for all operations grew by 7.6% compared to the second quarter of 2007
Rodale print advertising revenues were up 8.3% compared to an industry-wide decline of 4.9%
Revenues from all online activities increased by 27.1% over the second quarter of 2007, and uniques and page views for Rodale?s sites were up by 74% and 94%, respectively, compared to the same period last year
Revenues from international operations through June are up 14% compared to the first half of 2007
Rodale has shipped more than 1 million copies of Eat This Not That! by Men's Health Editor-in-Chief David Zinczenko and Associate Editor Matt Goulding to retail outlets since the book was released in December 2007 EMMAUS, PA, and NEW YORK, NY, August 6, 2008 -- Rodale Inc. reported its second quarter 2008 results today. Revenues for the company increased by 7.6% over the second quarter of 2007, led primarily by increased e-commerce activity, the success of its integrated advertising programs, growth in international operations, and robust sales of Eat This Not That! and Flat Belly Diet!

Shame on Rodale Press

2008-11-04T17:40:00.001-05:00

Rodale Press the venerable Organic Gardening magazine publisher just announced layoffs totalling 70 workers at it's Emmaus PA HQ. Rodale the long established leader in the organic movement is to organic gardening what Mother Earth News is to off the grid living. One would think with the new emphasis on "green living" would make for great conditions for green businesses like Rodale. However Rodale is a mature business that has rested on it's laurels for a long time. Not resting on laurels in an elite way but let's face it they have not been at the forefront of the organic movement for a long time. How many new gardeners actually have read OG magazine. I have not read it in years because of a ceratin attitude the mag carries about regular synthetic gardeners. I have found their readers to be carrying the cross and wearing it on their shirt sleeves. OG readers act like militant environmentalists and the "gay activists" on every street corner in Greenwich Village. Everyone is entitled to their opinion indeed but I draw the line when I am told I must join the movement in order to save myself and the planet. So good luck to the out of work at Rodale. You must be feeling mighty bitter that the leader in alternative gardening and living has not seen fit to find ways of preserving your jobs like they have telling us to preserve the Earth! The phonies in the management of OG who like other left leaning liberals shows clearly here. They espouse upon us to share the bounty and spread the wealth. But when the rubber hits the road the leadership does not spread the wealth by cutting everyone's salary and benefits so all can remain employed. No, they circle the wagons, protect their own fiefdoms and cut the servants, who have been loyal to the cause for all these years, loose to fend for themselves. Shame on you Rodale for not believing in your commune.