Herbs, Herbs, Herbs

[GinnyPNW]

I'm ending a few of my hydroponic herbs and drying them in the Excalibur. Today I'm doing a Marseillie Basil. Yesterday, I did the Dill plant...

 

[jennyema]

Looks terrific! Those herbs are beutiful and lush!

 

[GinnyPNW]

Looks terrific! Those herbs are beutiful and lush!

Thanks! I'm pleased with them!

 

[taxlady]

Those do look great.

I'm curious why you pull them out and dry them. Do they stop growing well at some point? Do you need space for other herbs in the hydroponics? Do you prefer the dried version of the herbs? Something else?

 

[GinnyPNW]

Those do look great.

I'm curious why you pull them out and dry them. Do they stop growing well at some point? Do you need space for other herbs in the hydroponics? Do you prefer the dried version of the herbs? Something else?

They were getting out of control. The more I prune, the more they grow! And, eventually, they will go to seed. When plants do that, they change flavor and can turn bitter. I don't suppose that too much of a big deal with Dill, but I chose to end them. It does make more room in the garden for things that I use more of and more often. The Cilantro and Seasoning Celery...parsley and so on. Plus, the Dill was totally shading the Rosemary, and that ticked me off! LOL.

For the Marseille Basil, this was the first time growing it. I'm not terribly impressed. So, I'm drying it. I have some Genovese there too that may go in the freezer, although I have a lot in the freezer. I'm enjoying the little Globe Basil, so that one stays along with the Red Rubin, 'cuz it is different!

Does that make sense? If these start to flower, they will need to go too. I get tired of pinching off the flowers?

 

[taxlady]

They were getting out of control. The more I prune, the more they grow! And, eventually, they will go to seed. When plants do that, they change flavor and can turn bitter. I don't suppose that too much of a big deal with Dill, but I chose to end them. It does make more room in the garden for things that I use more of and more often. The Cilantro and Seasoning Celery...parsley and so on. Plus, the Dill was totally shading the Rosemary, and that ticked me off! LOL.

For the Marseille Basil, this was the first time growing it. I'm not terribly impressed. So, I'm drying it. I have some Genovese there too that may go in the freezer, although I have a lot in the freezer. I'm enjoying the little Globe Basil, so that one stays along with the Red Rubin, 'cuz it is different!

Does that make sense? If these start to flower, they will need to go too. I get tired of pinching off the flowers?

This makes perfect sense.

I freeze dill, because I use dill when I make graved laks. I make the gravede laks with a frozen piece of salmon and frozen dill, if I don't have any that's fresh. I let them thaw in the "marinade" in the fridge. It's easier to get the dill off the finished gravede laks when it's in longer pieces of stem than the short bits of dried stuff.

 

[GinnyPNW]

This makes perfect sense.

I freeze dill, because I use dill when I make graved laks. I make the gravede laks with a frozen piece of salmon and frozen dill, if I don't have any that's fresh. I let them thaw in the "marinade" in the fridge. It's easier to get the dill off the finished gravede laks when it's in longer pieces of stem than the short bits of dried stuff.

Good deal! Or should that be "good dill"?

I'm not a salmon fan, but I can see that the fresh or frozen would be best.

 

[pepperhead212]

My first thought was wondering why you would dry them, too! Then I read down, and see that you were having the same problem I'm having with the dill - it's going nuts! Same with the epazote, as well as those greens. I have to trim that stuff way back. What I do with those things after I trim them is give them away, use as much as I can, or throw it away! Well, not really, but if nothing else, compost them - the dill and basils grow back incredibly fast. BTW, the cuisine I found that uses more dill than any other is Laotian. And it's absolutely delicious, mixed with many of those same flavors from northern Thailand.

 

[taxlady]

Good deal! Or should that be "good dill"?

I'm not a salmon fan, but I can see that the fresh or frozen would be best.

Have you tried salmon that hasn't been heated? I and DH detest cooked salmon. I hate it so much that it makes me gag. But, I adore cold smoked salmon, gravede laks, and salmon tartar is pretty good too. I always use frozen salmon for my gravede laks. If it is commercially frozen or frozen at -18°C / 0°C, for at least a week, it kills any parasites. In fact, that is how a lot of "sushi grade salmon" is made safe to eat raw.

 

[GinnyPNW]

Have you tried salmon that hasn't been heated? I and DH detest cooked salmon. I hate it so much that it makes me gag. But, I adore cold smoked salmon, gravede laks, and salmon tartar is pretty good too. I always use frozen salmon for my gravede laks. If it is commercially frozen or frozen at -18°C / 0°C, for at least a week, it kills any parasites. In fact, that is how a lot of "sushi grade salmon" is made safe to eat raw.

Interesting...and no, I've not tried it cold smoked. I've been cautious of uncooked fish since we lost an uncle to the big "C". Although he lived here in the USA, he got a kind of Cancer that isn't often seen here, only in Japan. It is caused by parasites in fish...and Uncle Jack loved to fish and he loved sushi. So, there you go.

 

[taxlady]

Interesting...and no, I've not tried it cold smoked. I've been cautious of uncooked fish since we lost an uncle to the big "C". Although he lived here in the USA, he got a kind of Cancer that isn't often seen here, only in Japan. It is caused by parasites in fish...and Uncle Jack loved to fish and he loved sushi. So, there you go.

Yeah, you do have to be careful about parasites in raw fish. But, I had already been eating both cold smoked salmon and gravede laks, so I figured there had to be a safe way to make it. I did a lot of internet searching and found some reliable sites that mentioned the freezing. Some even had charts of how long fish has to be frozen at various temperatures, to be safe. Sometimes I buy already frozen salmon to make gravede laks and sometimes I get fresh salmon that I keep in my freezer for at least a few weeks and check that it is freezing down to at least -18°C. It's usually a few degrees colder than that.

But, if I had family who had had bad experience, possibly from raw fish, I'm not sure I would try making gravede laks myself.

 

[pepperhead212]

Here's all the dill I just trimmed from 4 hydroponics plants. One very overgrown new variety - Tetra - I might pull out entirely, as it got some really immense roots on it! I wouldn't recommend it again for this, or container planting, but will plant in in the ground next year, and see how it resists bolting - Dukat is usually the best then, too. The roots were barely noticeable on the dukat, yet I still got a lot from 2 plants there, too.
Dill trimmed from the hydroponics, Tetra in the bag, Dukat out of it. 12-2 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Hydroponics basket of tetra dill, showing huge amounts of roots, 12-2 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here's the other one that was shading out all the others - the epazote. Only one of those plants. I'll take these to the guy at the Mexican market tomorrow.
Red Epazote, trimmed in the hydroponics, 12-2 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here's some other things finally exposed, after trimming all that stuff. I also cut the mizuna down to about an inch - I still have that growing outside.
Hydroponics herbs, exposed after dill and Epazote trimmed away, 12-2 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Bok choy, in hydroponics, 12-2 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Mizuna in hydroponics, before trimming, 12-2 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The only basil that didn't do well was the Mammolo, though it was shaded, so I'll give it a chance.

 

[GinnyPNW]

Very cool Dave! Isn't it great having fresh herbs and greens available, year round!? Thanks for sharing the pictures.

 

[blissful]

I usually grow herbs during the summer, then dry them at 95 deg F in the dehydrator, crumble or process, put in jars, label.


I also save seeds. I had a hard time finding summer savory seeds last year, so I attempted to save them this summer. I harvested the savory that was not flowering. I let the flowers go and last week cut those, and then crumbled the flower heads-tiny. The seeds are tiny-er. Usually I winnow seeds with a hair drier but these were too tiny. Even a little blowing on them scattered the chaff and seed.



I found that I had two sifter densities, so one took out the big chaff and the other only let the little chaff through. I sifted 4 times. I have seeds for summer savory! Woo hoo. It was a difficult victory!

 

[GinnyPNW]

I usually grow herbs during the summer, then dry them at 95 deg F in the dehydrator, crumble or process, put in jars, label.


I also save seeds. I had a hard time finding summer savory seeds last year, so I attempted to save them this summer. I harvested the savory that was not flowering. I let the flowers go and last week cut those, and then crumbled the flower heads-tiny. The seeds are tiny-er. Usually I winnow seeds with a hair drier but these were too tiny. Even a little blowing on them scattered the chaff and seed.



I found that I had two sifter densities, so one took out the big chaff and the other only let the little chaff through. I sifted 4 times. I have seeds for summer savory! Woo hoo. It was a difficult victory!

Very cool! Yes, some seeds are soooooo tiny! I found a way to deal with planting them! I use a small dish, count out the seeds I want (usually 3), then I use my smallest funnel to place them where I want, and just dump the dish into the funnel. Well, it does work for my hydroponic sponges!

 

[blissful]

Ginny, we usually winter sow the seeds in containers, and we use tweezers a lot.

I have a friend that is just starting to grow some hydroponics this winter for her first time. She's crazy about greens and herbs too.

 

[GinnyPNW]

Ginny, we usually winter sow the seeds in containers, and we use tweezers a lot.

I have a friend that is just starting to grow some hydroponics this winter for her first time. She's crazy about greens and herbs too.

Thanks! Yes, I have tweezers too, but some just seem too small even for tweezers? Or maybe it is just my eyes!

 

[larry_stewart]

All I got going right now is some sorry looking parsley. Its an aquaponics system, but the fish died (and I never replaced them) so no real nutrients in the water. I dumped some pond water in there ( from outside )and the plants are starting to perk up. Guess I got to get some fish and put them to work.

 

[pepperhead212]

Another thing that's great for handling seeds is eye loupes - I have about 20 of those I got dirt cheap from Harbor Freight, which they sell (or used to, at least) in 5 packs. I think the mag of them is 15, 10, 8, 5, and 2x. Those highest ones I use for the very small herb seeds, like the oregano and mint families. The Hoja Santa has been the smallest I've seen. And I also have various tweezers - one type I also got at Harbor Freight many years ago, and keep one of those, plus I think a 10x eye loupe, both in my workshop, plus the shed, to remove very tiny splinters. The same tweezers I use for the minute seeds.

On my back porch I keep a small foil loaf pan with most of the tools I use for handling seeds. Here's a photo showing most of them, including an eye loupe, that very small tweezer, an olive fork, that I find useful for either making a smaller hole, or for digging out sprouted seeds, and some of the petri dishes, that I often sprout seeds in. A friend of mine often comes in, during the seasons I'm working with these things, with an eye loupe and tweezers, and says "What's my mad scientist workin' on today?"
Tools for handling the seeds, for planting. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Today I trimmed my smaller, potted rosemary plant - that gets put on my back porch for the winter, just in case it gets too cold. This variety has survived without covering, down to 7° f since I had it, and has been down in the teens a lot. But just in case, I have this to back me up. Same thing with the Syrian oregano and marjoram - I root some of those (which is super easy) every fall, in case it is killed by intense cold.
My smaller rosemary plant, in a 5 gal fiber pot, with a lot trimmed off. Still some of the lower needs trimmed. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[GinnyPNW]

Nice, Dave!