Fresh Winter Herbs for Tea

At a recent dinner party I delighted my guests with fragrant, soothing cups of fresh herb tea (a.k.a. herbal tisane, or infusion) served with their dessert and picked from my garden only moments before. We had eaten a filling meal, it was late and no one wanted caffeine- perfect! my herbs are always at the ready to pop into a tea pot.  It was gratifying that they enjoyed it so much- a simple pleasure from the garden that I’m especially grateful for.

Use Both Fresh and Dried Herbs 

In my view, herbs are essential workhorses of any garden and many are easy to grow and undemanding. It’s winter but in our zone 9 climate I’ve still got mints, bronze fennel, and Yerba Buena, plus sage, rosemary, oregano and sweet marjoram for cooking. 

In the fall I watched diligently for the first predicted frost so that I could harvest branches of fresh lemon verbena for drying. It's frost sensitive and goes dormant for the winter but the fresh leaves (before frost damage!) dry quickly and store well in an air-tight container. It's my favorite lemon scented herb, and potent too! 

Lemon Verbena dries in a few days in a warm room

An Winter Herb Tea Recipe

I often steep a tea bag or two of chamomile with herbs from my garden. I like to use it as a base to add more body to the infusion. Don't be afraid to add typically "culinary" herbs such as sage, rosemary or thyme. Sage adds a surprisingly pleasant and mild spice to the tea when you add just one or two leaves per pot. 

Clockwise from top: sage, bronze fennel, dried lemon verbena, and basil mint

For a medium sized teapot (holds 2 1/2 to 3 cups of water) use:

2-3 sprigs of fresh mint, any kind (2 to 3 inches long)

1 sprig fennel, any kind (2 to 3 inches long)

1 - 2 leaves fresh sage (the culinary kind)

3 or more leaves lemon verbena, fresh or dry

Optional: 1- 2 tea bags of chamomile

Rinse all fresh herbs with water and shake them dry. Add to the teapot with stems and leaves intact, add chamomile tea bag. Pour boiling water (or just about to boil) over the leaves and steep for 5 minutes before serving in pre-warmed cups. Offer honey as a sweetener. 

Have fun experimenting with herbal combinations and enjoy using what's available seasonally.

Tip: when making herbal infusions steep the herbs while covered to capture any volatile compounds. The herbs in this recipe are known to aid digestion.

Photos: Patricia Larenas, Urban Artichoke

Maximize Free Ecosystem Services in Your Garden

Carpenter bees are one of our local pollinators

By adopting certain practices you can maximize numerous free “services” to create a healthy and thriving garden, courtesy of Mother Nature. All you have to do is to make a safe home for her critters. A healthy garden doesn’t need extensive and expensive inputs such as pesticides, herbicides or even large amounts of fertilizers. In fact, you have to avoid using these toxic products.

I’m referring to ecosystem services, and what I mean is this: 

If your garden is a healthy ecosystem it is easier and less expensive to maintain, and it's healthier for you and the environment.

What are Ecosystem Services?

In a nutshell they are things that nature provides when the right conditions exist. The ecosystem services most important for home gardeners include: pollination, pest control, fertility through decomposition of organic matter, healthy soil leading to healthy plants, ambient climate control, food production, and even remediation (breakdown) of harmful contaminants.

Silver thyme in flower is much loved by bees

Here’s more on these points:

Pollination

Some edibles depend entirely on pollination to produce any crop at all, while others produce a better crop when pollinated. For example, include flowering plants that attract pollinators when you plant your vegetable garden and they will pollinate your crops for an optimal harvest. This is especially important for squashes and cucumbers which rely on pollination. Many fruit and nut trees require pollination, including certain varieties of apples, most plums, pluots, pears, cherries (except sour cherry) and nuts. To read more about attracting pollinators go to this Xerces Society page.

Pest Control

Birds, wasps, and other predatory insects will keep the “bad” bugs under control. They will also kill a certain amount of ”good bugs”, but a balance will eventually be established.  Efficient predators such as wasps prey on many insects and their larvae that feed on plants. It's critical that you don't use any toxic chemicals if you want to establish beneficial insects in your garden. Birds forage on the ground for insects and they also pick them off of foliage. Set out bird baths with water to attract them, and make sure they have shrubs and trees for their nests. To learn more about biological pest control go to this UC Davis page.

Crimson clover is another bee magnet

Decomposition and Healthy Soil

A healthy garden ecosystem is supported by healthy soil. A key process at work in the soil food web is the decomposition and recycling of organic matter. We typically remove valuable sources of organic matter when we rake up leaves, grass clippings, and other trimmings from our garden. We can return these to the soil in the form of compost, use a chipper to make mulch, or use wood chips as mulch. Mulch added around your plants to cover any bare soil, will be a source of organic material that will breakdown over time while it helps retain moisture. Composting your yard and kitchen waste is one of the most valuable practices you can do at home. There are many methods and you can find one that suits your lifestyle.

Soil is alive and teeming with microorganisms as well as larger creatures such as nematodes and earthworms, and many others. If you take time to build up your soil with good compost and provide proper amounts of moisture, your plants will thrive and be better able to access nutrients, resist diseases and insect damage. Read more about the soil food web.

A lovely flowering dogwood tree

Climate Control

Trees are essential for providing many much needed ecosystem services in suburban and urban areas. Not only do they shade our homes and offices but they also transpire water vapor, which cools the local environment around them. This added moisture creates favorable conditions for both plants and animals. Trees mitigate the "heat island" effect caused by overdeveloped areas that are low on vegetation. In dry climates like California, trees are an essential natural resource. And of course they also provide important habitat and food for birds, insects, and mammals. It’s true that when you cut down a tree you are destroying an entire ecosystem.  

Organically grown home-garden harvest- it's dinner time!

Food Production

Our food producing plants are fascinating - watching luscious tomatoes, strawberries and lettuce grow and transform into delicious food is magical. You can maximize your pleasure and quality of life by growing an endless variety of herbs, fruits, and vegetables to enjoy with your family, neighbors, and friends. Why not use your precious resources of land and water to grow at least some amount of food?
But besides food, edible plants contribute to a healthy garden ecosystem. For example, by letting herbs flower they attract scores of beneficial insects in addition to providing fresh herbs for your meal. Try oregano, thyme, rosemary, mint, basil, and parsley for starters.

Flowering parsley attracts beneficial insects

Bioremediation of Soil Contaminants

Through the process of decomposition some soil contaminants are eventually broken down. This process is a feature that can be leveraged through the use of compost (through the microorganisms). It has been used in clean ups for PCB, diesel fuel, and other petroleum type contaminated soils, to name a few. However, if you suspect that your soil is contaminated, you need to have it tested. I'm not suggesting that you should attempt to clean up serious or dangerous contamination on your own. I mention it here to show the power of natural processes.
To read more go here.

In my next post: Tips and strategies for creating a garden ecosystem.

Photo credits: Patricia Larenas, Urban Artichoke

Visit 11 Edible Gardens on the Edible Landscaping Tour

A lush front yard with squashes and watermelons among the flowers

The rampant abundance of delicious summer crops may have you daydreaming about how to add more vegetables and fruits to your home garden. Going on a local self-guided tour of unique and notable suburban edible landscapes is a fantastic way to get inspired with great ideas and a perfect opportunity to meet enthusiastic gardeners who love sharing their gardens. 

Here on the San Francisco Peninsula we are fortunate indeed to have Common Ground’s annual Edible Landscaping Tour coming up on July 20th, now in its 7th year. 

An apple espaliered on a fence is attractive and a good use of space

I've been on the organizing committee for several years now and I'm always delighted by the innovative ways that gardeners incorporate food plants, raising chickens, ducks, rabbits and bees on their suburban lots. Some take a decidedly urban farm approach, while others integrate fruit trees and vegetable gardens into their otherwise ornamental landscapes.

Keeping chickens and beehives is no longer rare in suburbia

Either way, each garden is beautiful, interesting and a reflection of the family's lifestyle and their quest to create a higher quality of life right at home.

Beans displayed on a teepee of bamboo poles

And it's a natural step to spread goodwill and delight by sharing extra fruit, eggs and beans with neighbors and friends. 
 

A young girl cuddling her chicken

From my perspective, gardening is not just a pleasant leisure-time activity, it’s critical for a healthy future. 

It's about:

•  building a supportive community around growing food organically and sustainably in our suburban neighborhoods.  
• understanding where our foods comes from and connecting with the Earth's processes that support this almost magical ability.

Grape vines on this pergola create an outdoor dining room

When I visit these gardens I see simple everyday acts that have deep meaning and far reaching consequences.

Vegetable beds decorated with children's tiles

When I reflect on all of the trouble in our world, these simple positive acts seem like a profound way to add much needed joy at a very basic level. 

That's why the Edible Landscape Tour is at the top of my "must do" list every summer!

Photos: Patricia Larenas, Urban Artichoke