Hello, again! Sorry for disappearing after my last bucket but I’ve been on vacation celebrating my 20th wedding anniversary. It is my general policy, when on vacation, to ignore the outer world completely and count on my Darling Spouse to let me know if the apocalypse has begun. He’s a news junkie beyond saving but I can kick the habit for short periods of time.
I have sad news to report about the hawk we tried to rescue 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately, he died within a week of bringing him to the rehabber. After he passed, she sent him to a pathology lab where they confirmed he had West Nile virus. Our rehabber said that the virus has been hitting young birds hard this year. Our friend was in the end stages when we got to him and it was just too late to save him. At the very least, he was safe and cared for in his last days.
The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns spinning around us.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
In that last Bucket, some people (hi, OD! ;) ) expressed an interest in hearing about my adventures with herbs this past year so here’s a little synopsis of how I returned to my herbal studies.
Last winter, February-ish, I was jonesing for my garden and it occurred to me that growing things in pots might let me garden without breaking what’s left of my back. After all, I wouldn’t have to break ground or mulch or weed. Heck, if I planned it right, I wouldn’t even have to bend over! Just throw dirt in pots, slap in some plants or seeds and water once in a while, right?
And, for good measure, I wanted to grow vegetables again (don’t worry, I’m getting to the herbs). Darling Spouse and I were rapidly coming to the conclusion that microwave and take out food were not doing wonderful things for our health and we figured having a ready supply of fresh veggies on the patio would be a good thing. I had visions of the baskets of fresh produce that would grace our kitchen and the wonderful dishes I would prepare. (stop laughing ;) )
So I gathered up my seed catalogs, ordered way more seeds than I needed because that’s what you do and started a bunch of plants in my sunroom under lights in April. I’ll tackle the details of growing seeds with cats and a curious Wonder Pug in the same house in another Bucket, but let’s just say the results were good and many small plants were produced.
Now, you can’t grow veggies without some idea of what you’re going to do with them unless you’re like me and most of your choices were determined by how much you liked the catalog picture. I did remember that any food is improved by adding herbs so I added a bunch of those, too (see? told you I’d get there!)
Between seed and plant catalogs and visits to the local nurseries, I ended up with 6, yes 6, different kinds of basil (sweet, lemon, purple, Blue Spice, Thai and dwarf), 3 mints (lemon, ginger and apple), 3 rosemarys (spike, dwarf and weeping), 3 scented geraniums (2 lemons, one rose), lemon verbena, dill, summer savory, sweet marjoram and garlic chives (those last 4 were overwhelmed by the dwarf basil I planted them with — oops.) Almost all of them in their own pots. On the patio. Along with all the vegetables. And flowers. In pots on the patio.
Oh, and an aloe plant. Everyone should have an aloe plant (need I say it was also in a pot? On the patio?)
In case you’re wondering what a gazillion pots on a limited patio looks like . . .
And then there was the herb table . . .
Having all those herbs around renewed my interest in making herbal tea (have you ever tried fresh lemon mint tea? Yum!) . . .
and from that point, I completely lost it. My obsession with herbs, lost these many years, was rekindled and shows no sign of slowing down. I’ve spent the summer rereading all my herb books and buying new ones, buying herbs I can’t grow or wildcraft for myself . . .
and generally making a nuisance of myself to my long-suffering spouse. He’s the test audience for all my concoctions. :)
So far, I’ve developed a wonderfully relaxing tea for bedtime, a fruity herbal punch for hot days and a spicy herbal rub for grilling or baking anything but particularly chicken and veggies. I’ve also made an herbal oil that seems to ease the arthritis pain in my ankle and another to treat scratches and bug bites. I’ve had a few false starts, too, but overall, getting back into the study of herbs and the discovery that growing in pots can satisfy my garden cravings, I’m feeling more myself than I have in a long time.
I would like to do a series of essays on my discoveries here on the Bucket if you folks have no objections. I’d love to get your feedback and hear your experiences with herbs. Some of my essays may not be exactly Backyard Science, more like Kitchen Science in some cases, but I’m not sure where else it might fit. I hope that’s OK with everyone.
How do you use herbs — do you just garden with them? Cook with them? Make medicine? Please share your experiences in the comments!
Since experimenting with herbal tea is what set me off this time, that will be the topic of my first herb Bucket in a week or two.
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