If you are ready to start your Hilton Head area spring gardening, here are two ideas.

1. Plant a medicinal herb garden(enjoy the article below) or contact Kaycey Hadl to plant a herb garden for you!  Not only does her company do terrific landscape design, they also provide installation and maintenance.  There email is anchorland@gmail.com
2. Call Christine at Sea Pines CSA for a truckload of Mulch for your flower beds.  Of course, you may have to wait for delivery(there were 28 loads in front of mine and I have to wait a week or two), but the mulch is free(with the exception of any gate fees).  The phone number for the free mulch is (843)671-1343.

Herb Gardening: Growing Culinary

& Medicinal Herbs in Your Garden

By Kaycey Hadl & Andrew Baumann

The following are some of the highlights of our presentation.  If you would like the full presentation notes, please e-mail us at anchorland@gmail.com

Herbs Covered:

Parsley- Petroselinum crispum

Dill- ¬Anethum graveolen

Sage- Salvia officinalis

Mint-Mentha sp.

How to dry herbs:

Drying is simple:  Here is our method of hanging herbs:  First, take and bundle a bunch of the herb together at the base of the stems.  You may use a rubber band, wire tie, or piece of small nylon cord to create this bundle.  Then, use a clothespin to attach the bundle to a wire clothes hanger.  You may attach several bunches of drying herbs to one clothes hanger, but make sure to give each bundle space.  Hang in your laundry room (as long as it’s not too dusty or well-lit in the laundry room).  Reason for hanging  in the laundry room is because it is warm, dry, and DARK.  Moisture and sun exposure are no good for hanging herbs.  Crush or chop the dried herbs into an airtight container.

PLEASE NOTE THAT FRESHLY USED HERBS HAVE THE MOST NUTRITIONALLY, MEDICINAL VALUE!

Parsley:

• Parsley is best grown in four to six hours of morning sun with afternoon shade- especially during the hot months of the summer.
• Parsley likes miost, well-drained soils with alot of organic matter.
• Need to reseed or replant parsley every year
• Parsley is a host plant for the larvae of the Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly- This is the State Butterfly!
• It is a natural breath freshener- a pallet cleanser and aids in digestion.
• Can be used in stews, chicken dishes, shellfish dishes, pestos, salad dressings, turkey stuffing, over raw and cooked vegetables, beef, lamb, and pork.
• Sprinkle the raw form into whatever I may be cooking toward the end of its cooking cycle.
• Parsley seed oil has the most medicinal / nutritional value of the plant.
• Parsley is an effective diuretic- eliminating kidney and gall stones.
• Externally, parsley can be used to treat insect bites, skin spots, and acne with fresh juice from the leaves and stems.
• Avoid eating parsley while you are trying to become pregnant or you are pregnant because it can stimulate the uterus and causes pre-term labor

Dill

• Dill needs 6 to 8 hours of full- sun
• USDA hardiness zones:  9 and above
• Plant in fertile, Well- drained, moist soil in mid to late March
• When planting or seeding, plant close together so gangly stocks can support one-another
• Used in the kitchen- It’s a different type of spicy!
• The leaves, flowers, and seeds are all edible.  Dill has a sweet, citrusy flavor.
• Seafoods crave dill- crab, scallops, most all fish- dill goes best on seafood with a lemon / garlic sauce to compliment
• Soups- pumpkin soup, tomato soup, cabbage soup (one of my favorites), and homemade chicken soup
• Use dill to enhance scrambled eggs- not just for breakfast!
• Many cooking / service sauces can be seasoned with dill:  Mustard sauce; horseradish sauce, ranch dressing
• Add dill to some leftover dishes to change-up old flavor
• Dill is great for relieving flatulence and colic
• Stomach soothing Tea:  Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of seed per one cup of boiling water and steep for 10 mins.
• Use up to 3 times per day

Sage:

• Latin name for sage (salvia) means to ‘Heal All’
• Native to the Mediterranean region- belongs to the Lamiaciae family
• More than 900 different species of salvia worldwide- not all are edible!
• USDA Hardiness Zones- 5 thru 10
• Sage has a dry, smokey, southwestern flavor.  One might even compare it to a mild chipotle flavor.
• Sage should be used in moderation when cooking with it depending upon the type of dish
• Use sage mostly in meat dishes:  Pork, beef, lamb, turkey, chicken- usually not fish
• Works well with potatoes, and breads- foccacia bread usually contains sage- Don’t forget the stuffing!
• Sage (like dill) relieves flatulence
• Studies have been shown that sage is effective in the management of moderate and mild Alzheimer’s disease
• Sage has high antibody properties- It’s great against fighting infections

Mint:

• In the Lamiaciae family- Originates from the Mediterranean Region
• Many, many, many varieties of mints
• Mint grows best in cool moist, well-drained soils
• Needs 4 to 6 hours of morning sun
• Mint can be used to deters aphids when planted near roses- Good companion plant!
• Primarily for dessert dishes
• Goes hand in hand with chocolate
• Over Gelato or vanilla ice cream
• Mint Jelly over lamb
• Mint oil Extraction:  Place 1/4th cup of mint leaves in a glass jar, and cover with 1.5 cups of almond oil.  Let the mixture set in a warm spot for one week shaking the jar twice a day.  Occassionally, open the mixture and press with a spoon to extract the essential oils. Now add 8 oz of this herbal oil and place in a non-metal pan with ¼ cup of bee’s wax.  Heat over a low temperature- creating your desired consistency. Add more bee’s wax if the mixture is too soft.
• Mint is good for reliving colds, colic, muscle aches and pains
• Mint aids in digestion by breaking-down fats in the body
• Mint (like Parsley) is a natural diuretic- when made as a tea

Please enjoy this information!

Consult with your physician before attempting to use any of this medicinal information to cure or treat any relating ailments.  AnchorLand Management is not liable for harm caused to oneself while attempting to use any of the mentioned herbs, medicinally.