Autumn is a Perfect Time for Your Home Herb Garden
Fall is the time of year that the colors change to yellow, red and brown so do not forget your home herb garden. This time of the year, when the weather is not too hot your herb garden is calling for attention.
Your blooming plants will give you seeds for growing garden herbs in the spring. You can confine the seeds by placing a paper bag over the blooms. Cut the stem and you have seed in a bag, rub the bag together and the seed will leave the pods. Store the seed in any container that you prefer. I store them in labeled envelopes and then into a shoebox.
Dry your herbs by cuting the stems and tie them together, then hang in a dry location. Be sure the location is away from sun light, which will lessen the oils and zest. When they are dry you can remove the leaves , storing them for your culinary needs. If the sprig is looking good, you can put in a jar and cover with oil or vinegar. The oil or vinegar will absorb the essence for a quick add to any recipe. Think about saving jars for this purpose. After 2 weeks, I put a bow on the jar and give it as a gift. These make great gifts for a house warming. Some garlic lovers will sauté there meats or vegetables in the garlic oil you so willing gave to them.
Another drying method is to strip the herb leaves laying them out on paper or a screen. A sweater screen is perfect.In a day or two, you can put the leaves in a container for latter use. Autumn is the time to trim the woody stems and allow the herb garden to go dormant. Some of the herbs in your garden will need to come inside for the winter.
You have completed many of the tasks for Fall, but there are a few left to do. Another Autumn task is planting. YES! I said planting. Garlic, chives, french tarragon and thyme are great autumn plants. A few more herbs for growing and planting in Autumn are dill and parsley. Add these to your planting if you are in a warm or hot climate. Two other herb garden plants for fall planting are shallots and saffron. Schedule their planting with the daffodils.
Autumn is a wonderful time of the year to be out in your home herb garden clipping, thinning and planting. The Autumn weather can be so enjoyable to spend in your home herb garden. Plus, you have all your dry herbs for cooking that special dinner.
