Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with herbs

How can I save thyme?

lapsangsouchong — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:38:52 -0800

How can I, or rather my landlady, save some thyme that has just been brought in for the winter? Thyme seems to do best growing out of a crack in bare limestone on a little-rained-on Mediterranean hillside. I've killed it when I've tried to grow it indoors in Scotland and in France. Now I'm in central New Jersey, and with the frost my landlady has just brought two pots (one 'ordinary', one lemon thyme) in from the garden. The lemon thyme is in the kitchen and is crisping and dying already (probably the central heating). The ordinary thyme is in my landlady's part of the house but I assume it's having the same trouble. What can we do to save them--should we just put them back out in the cold and not touch them till spring?

I like to add a sprig of thyme to my tea when I can do so without killing the plant. I can refrain from doing so until the spring if necessary.

Thanksgiving Vodka?

The Whelk — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:42:50 -0800

Vodka That Tastes Like Fall? Since I do my Thanksgiving a week or so after everyone else, I have time to infuse a massive jug of vodka with seasonally appropriate flavors for the festivities. What infuses well and tastes like fall/thanksgiving/etc? I was thinking cinnamon/apple but that almost seems too trite. Maple? Nutmeg? Do nuts infuse well(or at all?) if you mash them into a powder?

Gardening in the sink

bradly — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:13:00 -0800

What indoor plants or herbs can I grow in this repurposed children's sink? The ideal plant would have a carpet-like sheet of foliage (if a non-herbal plant) or be something I could use around the kitchen.

This is in a bedroom, but quite a bit of sunlight can be given if needed.

FWIW, the 'sink' doesn't have any drainage.

Thanks in advance!

The Intoxicated Aesthete

The Whelk — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:22:18 -0800

Help Me Give The Gift Of Drunkeness: What can I infuse in these little jars? I got a case of them as a gift and I want to turn it around into another gift, little jars of infused vodka, but I have some questions, mostly about making them pretty. 1) I've washed them out and scrubbed off the labels and kept the tops so I can re-seal them with wax later. Anything else I should know?

2) Are they large enough to successfully infuse in the jar or should I make a big batch and then re-fill all of them? I'd to have some whole fruit/spice/whatever floating in them to make em all pretty. What could I fit in them that would look good (raspberries, for example, just turn white and weird looking) and also infuse the vodka? Cinnamon sticks? Vanilla? Mint sprigs? What's in season now (Eastern US) that infuses well/is totally tasty/unusual?

3) How long should I let them sit, considering the size? Do I have to keep them out of sunlight?

4) Anything else I could do to make them super-attractive little art objects you can also consume? Do they make edible glitter?

I love you, fresh egg

chalbe — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 08:34:01 -0800

What cooking secrets take your food to the almost-pro level? I love food; making it, reading about it, eating it. I already do a few basics, like shopping the NYC Union Square farmers' market, using fresh leafy herbs and garlic, squeezing lemon juice, cooking meat the right temperature, adding enough salt + pepper, grating Parmigiano-Reggiano, etc. Even so, my cooking still tastes a little flat and two-dimensional.

What practices or ingredients do you use to elevate your cooking? Spice mixes? Marinades? I prefer answers that skew towards the complex-but-tasty and avoid processed goods. Bonus points if you are a professional cook or culinary school student.

To get us started, here are some ideas I've been wanting to try:
- Making brown veal stock and remoullage, for braising and sauces
- Making yogurt from scratch milk + starter
- Making herbed butter and herb-infused oils

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme in NYC?

webhund — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:54:32 -0800

What are some good New York City (and environs) culinary herb and spice shops? Midwestern Foodie looking for culinary herb and spice shops to visit in NYC during an upcoming trip. Places along the lines of The Spice House in Chicago are what I'm searching for. I'm aware of Penzey's (yes, I know there's a family connection with The Spice House) in Grand Central station. Particularly looking for places that grind, process, and mix their own herbs, spices, pepper, salt, etc.. on site. Google-fu turns up a lot of noise, including grocery stores and other places that don't really focus on herbs and spices as their specialty. NOT looking for holistic/new age/herbalist shops.

Do Bananas constipate??

lynnie-the-pooh — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:07:12 -0800

Do Bananas constipate or do they do the opposite? My daughter needs to eat foods that make stool soft. Some people have told me to feed her bananas and others say to stay away from them. Which is the truth? My daughter is five years old. Also, my daughter takes Miralax to make things soft. Is there any alternative to this? Like an herb or some natural vitamin/herb/spice combo that she could take instead?

Thanks,

Lynnie-the-Pooh

How can I care for my volunteer plants?

Gortuk — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:08:27 -0800

How do I care for and encourage my volunteer plants? Early last summer while mowing the lawn, I noticed an unusual seedling and on a whim, mowed around it instead of over. It turned out to be lemon balm, a fantastic lemony mint plant which tastes great in potato salad!

Cut to this year, and already the lemon balm plant is two feet across with big tasty leaves that go great in potato salad. My lawn also came with a wild strawberry patch that seems to be spreading very slowly.

Both of these plants (I assume) were accidents, volunteer plants that just happened to take root in my lawn. I'm not obsessive about having 'the perfect lawn', and I'd just as soon have a backyard full of productive, edible things that I don't have to mow. Other than clearing out any dandelions that try to take over, how can I encourage these plants to grow as big and wide as possible? Should I be fertilizing and/or watering them or just leave them to grow naturally? (I have read that I should NOT fertilize the strawberries during their fruiting phase - but most info online seems to treat these delicious plants as weeds that should be hammered with pesticides!).

And are there other volunteer plants that I should watch out for - or can I fake it by throwing some basil or mint seeds on the ground and letting nature take its course? I do have a small herb plot and some pots, but the lemon balm is putting to shame anything I've ever tried to grow on purpose.

(This is in Kitchener, ON, hardiness zone 5A).

How do I start my own backyard garden?

lockestockbarrel — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 12:25:43 -0800

GreenThumbFilter: I'd like to start a garden in my backyard to grow some veggies and herbs and stuff -- like the Obamas' garden, but obviously at a lot smaller scale. How do I do this? I live in Matamoros, Mexico -- that's at the southernmost tip of Texas. I have a backyard area that gets pretty good sunlight and is completely fenced, so I don't have to worry about small animals getting in and ruining everything.

1. What should I plant? I'm mostly interested in stuff I can use in cooking, so vegetables and herbs. I also sorta want to plant a lime tree or banana tree or something -- is that difficult to do / care for?

2. From what I understand, I have to start the seeds in little egg containers and then transfer them outside. What soil do I use in the egg containers? Do I put them in direct or indirect sunlight?

3. For composting -- what do I need to exclude other than dairy? Do I need earthworms or anything? Can I chuck everything in a big plastic bin outside and let the magic happen? How do I know when it's ready?

4. I'd like to grow these things organically. Do I need to do anything special to replace whatever pesticides one normally uses?

5. Are there any good online resources for this kinda thing?

Thanks everyone!

What herbs or vitamins or food makes more blood flow to the brain?

lynnie-the-pooh — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:31:23 -0800

What herbs or vitamins or food will make more blood flow into my brain? I am looking for any herb, vitamin, food, or anything else that will help make more blood flow to my brain. I know exercise is great for that as well. Any ideas from you would be great, but I'm not looking for any pill or anything a doctor would prescibe. I'm interested in something more natural and that I can do on my own. Thank you so much!!

Lynnie-the-Pooh

What is this asthma-reducing herbal stuff?

Dee Xtrovert — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:56:50 -0800

I'm looking for a strange medicinal herb which alleviates breathing problems from asthma, and sold at pharmacies circa 1970. Can you tell me what it could be? It came in a tin, like chewing tobacco. You opened it up and lighted the dried herb and it almost immediately made it possible to breath again. It had a sweet smell - not menthol-like, though. Sort of a dried-herb incense. Not terribly dissimilar to marijuana in appearance perhaps. It did not require a prescription, but you did ask the pharmacist for it. (I'm asking for a friend.) Anyone have a clue what this is?

Aerogarden taste test!

tittergrrl — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 11:01:50 -0800

I live in an efficiency, and am thinking of getting an aerogarden to grow fresh vegetables and herbs. I hear they work well when it comes to growing, but I'm wondering how things taste in comparison with stuff from the supermarket.

Plants on my Balcony

barrakuda — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 04:16:08 -0800

What should I plant on my balcony? So I have two balconies in my new apartment, both come with two huge built-in concrete plant thingies. What should I plant?

In terms of the first balcony, I'm looking for decorative plants that would look good (hopefully green) all year round. I like all sorts of ivies, i love lavender (although not sure it would not turn grey and ugly at some point of the years) - can you suggest anything else? Links to pictures of goodlooking plants greatly appreciated.

In terms of the second balcony, I was thinking about perhaps growing some herbs (of the non-smokable variety), not sure however if the climate (Germany) would allow for a year long production? What are some herbs that would keep well year round? Rosemary perhaps?

Please give me your suggestions and any general tips, comments, hacks, views on successfully planting on the balcony. Thanks.

Basil bounty suggestions

jujube — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:08:43 -0800

What to do with my basil bounty? Looking for yummy recipes that will freeze/keep well, as well as recipes to take advantage of special flavors/colors, etc. I've looked at this and this previous questions. And while some answers were YUM!, I'm wondering if folks have other ideas/suggestions?

AND, suggestions that are specific to these varieties that I have would be AWESOME!

Thanks!!

Varieties I have are:
Cinnamon Basil - very sweet, cinnamon scent
Fino Verde Basil - "Piccolo' type basil with a very small leaf.
Holy Basil (both green & red varieties) - Called 'Kaprao' in Thailand, 'Tulsi' in India, this has a musky scent with a hint of mint.
Lime Basil - As the name says, very lime-y.
Mrs. Burns' Lemon Basil - Very lemony.
Spicy Bush Basil - Slightly hot with mint, citrus, flowers, spice and anise.
Sweet Thai Basil - Strongest spicy anise-clove scent.
Red Rubin - Large red leaves with a strong basil flavor.

Can I replant rooted herbs I got from a grocery store?

icollectpurses — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:12:57 -0800

Can I replant rooted herbs I got from a local grocery store? My local grocery store sells a bunch of healthy basil, the roots and everything. I know with some plants like scallions you can plant it in dirt and be able to grow it, but wasn't sure about rooted herbs.

Anyone with green thumb that's tried this?

I heard somewhere that once things have been rooted you can't plant it again to grow, but trees get replanted all the time.

How can I use herbs for an earlier period?

mafedeso — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:04:44 -0800

Any way I can use herbs to make my period come earlier? My period is supposed to arrive right on the day I start a week long vacation in the desert in August.
Are there any herbs that would make it arrive earlier? And how should I take them?
I'm not on the pill and have a Paraguard IUD. Oh, and I'm not pregnant.

Thank you!

i want candy!

judith — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:39:08 -0800

I want to recreate some delicious candied herbs I'd purchased in Italy several years ago, and am utterly unable to find a recipe for candy-coating herbs or making dragees. To clarify, I'm looking to achieve the hard candy coating you find on Jordan Almonds or on the candied fennel seeds you find as part of mukhwas at Indian restaurants. The only advice I've found is in this book from 1800 - surely someone has made these since then!

Seed sellers in Chicago

sk381 — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:44:56 -0800

Where can I buy quality seeds, specially for herbs, in Chicago? I'm looking for sellers that are within city limits. Thanks!

Dill recipes?

Morrigan — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:39:56 -0800

We have LOTS of dill coming up. Can anyone provide any not-too-difficult recipes to take advantage of this situation? I'm especially looking for some sort of dill cream sauce to serve with fettucini but all ideas are appreciated.

Parsley, sage, rosemary and... one pot?

holgate — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:23:37 -0800

Basil, parsley, mint, sage, rosemary: which combinations will work best when potted together in a balcony herb garden? The herbs are in the standard starter peat-pots; I've got a couple of long 12in planters that hold three abreast. I've also got a couple of larger round pots. So, I'm not sure whether to plant the perennials and annuals separately, or group them according to whether they prefer full sun or partial shade, or whether to keep separate the ones with a reputation for being invasive (mint).

I'd gladly add a few more herbs to these five, especially if that would allow for better combinations.

Vacant Lot Rennovation

craven_morhead — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 06:56:40 -0800

Winter Guerrilla Gardening: need help planting in a temperate environment in the winter/early spring. So I leave for a week, and the house next door that has been vacant for years is bulldozed, I assume by the city. Nothing suggests that anything will be built there in the near future. It's now just a dirt lot. I'm in northern Indiana, and it's winter-ish, daily highs generally in the 30s. What can I plant either now or in the near future that will provide some good ground cover? My biggest concern is not letting the lot become an ugly weed bed, but if there's something that could produce either vegetables, herbs, or flowers, that would be good too

Take a pinch of Agrimony...

Solomon — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 03:11:31 -0800

I'm trying to locate a New Age-y type book that I owned a few years ago. I can't remember what it's called, sadly. It had a black and khaki green cover, with a kind of Celtic knot pattern. It was a paperback.

Inside was a list of plants, trees, herbs, etc, in alphabetical order. Each plant was divided into subsections, such as cookery, healing, superstitions, history, where the Latin name came from, other uses, etc. For example, under Yew, there was information on how Yew wood was used in the formation of bows in the Middle Ages, how the tree itself is poisonous, it's often associated with old age and death etc, because it's often planted in cemeteries. Under Nettle was information on how the plant is often used as a blood tonic and dying agent for wool, as well as information on cooking it, etc.

I bought this book about 5 years ago, in a UK New Age bookshop (which has since closed down). It wasn't specifically a Wiccan or Pagan book, but I can see why people who move in those circles would be attracted to it. It was a sort of "catch-all" book, that covered everything about each plant.

Any ideas?

Why do my rosemary plants die every winter?

slogger — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 21:22:39 -0800

Help my rosemary plant live through the winter! Another winter is passing, another rosemary plant is dying. Every year we grow potted herbs outside, then bring them in before the first frost. Every year my rosemary shrivels and dies right in the middle of January. This year we had a nice, large, 2-foot tall rosemary plant that I was determined to keep alive through the winter. I brought it in and kept it well watered and in a sunny, south-facing window. But now the death has set in--dry, spindly sprigs that look like and unloved Christmas tree.

So what are we doing wrong? Our other plants and herbs are doing well--the parsley is actually growing! If it makes a difference, we live in the St. Louis, where the winters are cold-to-mild and summers hot. But this has happened in warmer as well as cooler climes. Is there some secret to keeping rosemary alive inside during the winter?

Plum Plum Fizz Fizz

DenOfSizer — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 07:42:55 -0800

Anyone got a recipe for a dry seltzer, like these? Something that doesn't involve a syrupy or juicy base? Corollary question: Is it possible to make a potable seltzer using a tablet, rather than cartridge, technique? I'm thinking Alka-seltzer, without the Alka. I make my own seltzer, and have been having fun making funkily-flavored syrups, I don't really want to be drinking that much sugar. How can I get fresh herbal flavors into the seltzer as an essence?

Aside from cannibas, which herbs induce a high?

watercarrier — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:10:21 -0800

Aside from cannibas, what herbs, individual and in combination induce the most powerful highs? Thanks.