Herbes de Provence...

[debthecook]

The growing conditions for Basil is not much, nice soil, water as needed. I keep them both where they get adequate sun. I still have tall basil outside now, but I think by mid November it will be over. I have alot in the freezer now, probablygive the rest away. The parsely stays sometimes till JANUARY!!!! That parsley is amazing.

 

[buckytom]

deb, i pulled out my oregano because of the same reason. it needs a certain type of poor soil to produce the flavorful oils. my sage is about 7 years old now, getting bigger every year, maybe a different variety than yours. my thyme and rosemary do well, if i can get people to stop cutting them so much. parsley comes back on it's own from seeds, same as cilantro. my mint, only 1 type, don't know which, is prolific, and has to be shovel edged a few times a year to keep it from spreading. all basils are annual, so they have to be planted, april 15th is pushing it here, but i guess you can start earlier on the island due to the milder weather from the ocean. i'm jealous of your lemongrass. i grew a few years ago and didn't know what to do with it, so i pulled it and dw dried it and made it into a decoration.

 

[debthecook]

It is pushing it after April 15th, I think our area its safe to plant after May 15th. I plant annual flowers after Mother's Day, the herbs I have not had a problem with (so far).

 

[buckytom]

yeah, mother's day is considered the norm around our region for summer plantings. i usually start the veggie garden around the beginning of march, with the cold resistant ones like peas, lettuces, beets, radishes, kale, cabbages, etc..

do you plant a veggie garden as well?

 

[debthecook]

Yes, I plant lots of different tomatoes, this year I planted Zebra Green, a very nice green Heirloom as well as other Heirloom, italian and regular tomatoes. I plant also red bell pepper and hot chilis like, Habanero, Red Savina Habanero, Thai Bird's eye Chili, Cayenne pepper. I also plant pumpkins, cucumber, green beans. I have so much at the end of the season, over the years now I just want to plant what I use and can give away. The pumpkins are nice, never have to buy any for Halloween. The corn is always a disaster, I have a MAJOR squirrel problem.

 

[kyles]

On the calming effects of lavender, I used to put one drop of pure lavender oil between the shoulders of my cat at night, it used to calm her down, and helped her sleep, very effective. As she slept on my bed it was good for me too!

Nigella Lawson bakes small amounts of lavender in her cup cakes that she sells for the Lavender Trust, to raise money for young people with breast cancer. they taste delicious, but too much can taste soapy.

Lavender also works well with a mild mustard.

 

[scott123]

Do deer eat basil?

If you plant basil on may 15, about when do start seeing leaves you can cook with?

And do you plant a seed or a seeling?

I know a gardening website would probably answer these questions, but it's nice to talk to someone from my area.

 

[debthecook]

I'm not sure if Deer eat basil. I use small seedlings, I can start pulling leaves within a month. Usually I can get a 4 pack of seedlings for $1.49 at a nursery. Genovese Basil.

 

[buckytom]

hiya scott123,
i start a few types of basil from seed on top of my oil burner in the basement to help them sprout. i usually start genovese, sweet, purple ruffle, thai, about the last week in april. on warm days, i put the seedlings outside but if it's still cold out at night, i take them in, and put them back out during the day. it takes at least 3 or 4 weeks to get to begin picking, but as soon as the summer heat hits, you should pick a lot, especially the tops so they don't bolt to seed. they'll keep splitting off new branches so they can produce seed pods at the top. i planted mine late this year, some time around the end of july, and i'm still taking in a few leaves here and there.

and deer love basil. the only way you're gonna keep them out is to fence in your garden, including over the top to form a dome like thing, and burying the fence in the ground about 2 feet down, using "rabbit" fence or chicken wire. there's a lot of sprays and things that work for a short time, but you have to keep applying them, especially after a heavy rain.

 

[kitchenelf]

Herbs de Provence is not clovey or minty at all - like marmalady said it's perfumey. I have even put it in spaghetti sauce - when I'm not doing a heavy meat sauce but the meat/poultry is served as the entree and I want to use it as a side dish - it's quite lovely (I hate that word "lovely" but it really fits LOL)

 

[Otter]

kitchenelf, seemed like every show I turned on they were cooking with it, so I ordered the small bottle and will be giving it a road test.

 

[kitchenelf]

I used a tad too much in my sauce one time - not good!! LOL

 

[Otter]

I will be proceeding with extreme caution the first time - don't want a chicken that smells like bubblebath.

 

[kitchenelf]

check this out:

Roasted Acorn Squash with Herbs De Provence and Honey

 

[Otter]

thanks kitchenelf, I was considering what I would do to "rescue" the chicken if I didn't like it - I think the honey might smooth it out a bit.

 

[Otter]

I tried my recently-arrived Herbes de Provence tonight on some chicken. I really liked it. It had a nicely balanced taste and the aroma was pleasant. I'll definitely use it again on chicken as well as try it on a few other things.

 

[marmalady]

Next time you order from Penzey's, get their 'Barbeque of the Ameicas' blend - it rocks!

 

[Otter]

I got their regular barbeque seasoning with the last order and it was quite good also. I've been happy with everything I've ever bought from them.

 

[Juliev]

I tried my recently-arrived Herbes de Provence tonight on some chicken. I really liked it. It had a nicely balanced taste and the aroma was pleasant. I'll definitely use it again on chicken as well as try it on a few other things.

That's right, I was going to ask you how it was. It sounded really good, and I'm glad you enjoyed it!

 

[Otter]

Giada DeLaurentiis (Everyday Italian) did her holiday turkey with Herbes de Provence on the outside as well as under the skin (with butter in both cases). Based on my positive experience with it on chicken, I think I will try that this Thanksgiving.