Back then the diversity of textures, flavours [...]]]> As we know, history repeats itself and when it comes to food there is no exception. Culinary habits are becoming more interesting with the reintroduction of ancient grains in to the diet along with salad herbs that haven’t been seen since the sixteenth century.

Back then the diversity of textures, flavours and colours might have come from 50 or more different flowers, leaves, seeds, buds, blanched stems, and even pickled roots.

Following is a list of unusual but delicious salad ingredients you might like to experiment with.

Borage Flowers (Borago officinalis) – Use these pretty star shaped blue flowers to add colour to salads.

Calendula petals (Calendula officinalis) – Sprinkle the petals through a salad to add a mild flavour and vibrant colour.

Chickweed (Stellaria media) – The tender leaves of this lovely herb add a lovely texture to salad greens.

Chive flowers (Allium schoenoprasum) – For a mild onion flavour gently toss the flower petals of chives through salads. Add a mild garlic flavour by using the white flowers of  Chinese chives.

Endive (Cichorium endivia) – A lovely salad green but best blanched or picked young to avoid its bitter flavour.

Garden cress (Lepidium sativum) – In its early stage of growth this herb is usually considered to be “mustard and cress” but if it’s let to grow it becomes a pretty salad green, especially if you want to add a little heat.

Garden pansy (Viola x Wittrockiana) – The pretty flowers of this plant can be used to add vibrant colour to most salads.

Jack-by-the-hedge (Alliara petiolata) – This wild plant has a very mild garlic flavour – chop young tender leaves and add to salad.

Lawn Daisy (Bellis perennis) – Young leaves and flowers can be added to salads; small flowers can be used whole or the petals can be separated.

Meadow crane’s bill (Geranium pratense) – This is a delightful plant that has mild flavoured crimson-veined blue or blue flowers that bloom most of the summer. Add the flowers to salads for colour and flavour.

Mizuna mustard greens (Brassica japonica) – Grows all year when re-sown. The stalk is tasty and both the stalk and leaves have a fresh mild flavour that makes them very useful as a salad green.

Orach (Atriplex hortensis) – Leaves are purple or gold and should be harvested when young and tender to add colour and a mild flavour to salads.

Rape cabbage (Brassica napus) – Grow as a seedling crop and use young leaves to add a mustard/cabbage flavour to salads.

Rose Petals (Rosa species) – Any scented rose petals can be used to add flavour and colour to a salad but remove the white heel at the base of the flower because it is bitter.

Salad rocket (Eruca vesicaria) – Most of us are quite familiar with this herb with its hot spicy flavour. The flowers can be tossed in a salad but be sure to use young leaves as those that are older become quite bitter.

Summer purslane (Portulaca oleracea) – A prolific herb with leaves that add a delicious crunchy and nutty flavour to salads.

Variegated nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) – This is another well-known salad herb with leaves that add a sharp peppery flavour to salads. The flowers and buds can also be used but have a milder flavour.

Viper’s bugloss (Echium vulgare) – The flowers of this herb are small and are either blue or pink. They contain a sweet nectar and although they have a very mild taste they are an attractive addition to many types of salads.

Winter purslane (Montia perfoliata) – You can cut this herb and it will grow again to give you an almost constant supply of an ideal salad green.

Begin a salad by making the base with leaves that have a mild flavour such as chickweed, summer purslane, lettuce, and dandelion. Next, add small amounts of shredded leaves with sharp or pungent flavours such as nasturtium and basil then add flowers choosing those that have colours that go well together – blue and yellow, orange and yellow, pink and white, or yellow, blue and white. Finally, add small amounts of other culinary herbs such as chervil, thyme, tarragon, parsley, and lemon balm.

Apart from adding flavour and colour to food herbs also have health benefits when used regularly.

Pet Grass (Dactylis glomerata)

If  you have pets such as dogs, cats, and guinea pigs, you’ve probably noticed them eating this grass in your yard unless of course it’s always maintained and there is no place for weeds or grass to grow long.

Pet Grass (Dactylis glomerata) has been described as [...]]]>

Pet Grass (Dactylis glomerata)

If  you have pets such as dogs, cats, and guinea pigs, you’ve probably noticed them eating this grass in your yard unless of course it’s always maintained and there is no place for weeds or grass to grow long.

Pet Grass (Dactylis glomerata) has been described as pet medicine and is even very good for birds. It contains high levels of vitamins and minerals so it’s a perfect natural supplement for your pets whether they have four legs or wings. It’s a perfect breath freshener for dogs and will assist cats with eliminating fur balls.

Let it grow in your garden or grow it in containers if you live in an apartment or don’t have a garden. Wherever it grows make sure it’s handy for your pets so they can chew on it whenever they need to.

This health-giving grass grows in full or part sun to a height of 30 cm (1ft) and likes well drained soil; water and fertilize regularly.

Thyme, Dogbane, Aloe vera, Soapwort

Once a month when the popular Nanango Markets are held it’s very difficult to find a parking space. People come from a widespread area to purchase all manner of items but one of the most popular stalls is the one selling medicinal herbs and garden [...]]]>

Thyme, Dogbane, Aloe vera, Soapwort

Once a month when the popular Nanango Markets are held it’s very difficult to find a parking space. People come from a widespread area to purchase all manner of items but one of the most popular stalls is the one selling medicinal herbs and garden plants. This stall is usually my first port of call, I just cannot resist buying more herbs and they are usually of very good quality.

This morning I bought Pet Grass for my little elderly feline and eight year old cockatiel; I have written about it in a separate article. I also bought some beautiful quartz crystals to use for making orgonite, which is a project for next week.

Other items of discovery were a couple of books about gardening and herbs (of course), and a beautiful enameled dress ring I bought from an Asian lady who ran after me when I left the stall; she gave me a complimentary CD of Buddhism chants. To receive such an unexpected gift really made my day.

Below are some more photos of the herbs for sale at the markets. Market stalls selling herbs like these give those interested in herbalism the chance to have a very  useful herb garden.

Various Varieties of Basil

Mexican and French Tarragon

Lovage

Lamb's Ears

In 1885 Baron Ferdinand von Mueller noted that the leaves and flowers of this popular garden plant could be eaten as a replacement for cress and considered it to be -anti-scorbutic (scurvy-curing). Although nasturtium is known more for its culinary uses Europeans use the essential oil made from the plant as [...]]]>

In 1885 Baron Ferdinand von Mueller noted that the leaves and flowers of this popular garden plant could be eaten as a replacement for cress and considered it to be -anti-scorbutic (scurvy-curing). Although nasturtium is known more for its culinary uses Europeans use the essential oil made from the plant as an antiseptic. Unfortunately, its vitamin C content has never been assessed so the plant’s treatment of scurvy has never been substantiated.

A native of Peru, nasturtium was introduced to Europe in the sixteenth century by the Spanish conquistadors after their expeditions to South America. As long ago as 1837 the plant was growing as an ornamental in the gardens of Australian settlers who valued it not only for its hardiness and colourful blooms but also because it was good to eat.

The flower buds and young fruit of nasturtium were and still are pickled in vinegar and spices to make a substitute for capers and the leaves are used as cress, and served as a vegetable or added to salads to give them a peppery flavour.

Nasturtium tastes similar to cresses, capers and mustards because although it’s not related to them  they all share identical oils. In Australia in the 1800s the plant was known as Indian cress, in fact, nasturtium is the old name for watercress, which has the botanical name Nasturtium officinale.

Herb and Nasturtium Blossom Salad

1 kg/2lb mignonette or cos lettuce leaves

¾ cup of chopped fresh parsley, chives, and basil

8 nasturtium blossoms

Wash and pat or spin dry the lettuce leaves, add herbs and salad dressing and toss together. Garnish with the blossoms. Serves 4.

Tomato Plants in No Dig Garden

This style of gardening is well worth doing if you have poor or clay soil, like to garden the easy way without digging or weeding, or only have concrete instead of grass – yes, it will work on top of the hardest surface.

Apart [...]]]>

Tomato Plants in No Dig Garden

This style of gardening is well worth doing if you have poor or clay soil, like to garden the easy way without digging or weeding, or only have concrete instead of grass – yes, it will work on top of the hardest surface.

Apart from making gardening easy, the no dig garden is a great way to improve poor soil because it will eventually decompose and can be dug in to the soil that has been enriched beneath it.

I first read about no dig gardening in 1992 when a friend lent me a book written by Esther Dean who pioneered no dig gardening in Sydney, Australia, in the 1970s because her soil was very heavy clay and awful for growing vegetables. My husband and I had not long purchased a property on the Atherton Tableland in North Queensland, Australia, where the soil was excellent but contained a lot of rocks. My first effort at this type of gardening was fairly haphazard because I used what I had on hand but it still produced lovely healthy vegetables and I have been using this method, mainly to make gardening easier, ever since.

I have developed my own style of no dig gardening but it’s very much the same as Ms Dean’s. It can be quite involved or simple and I use the simple method, which I’ve described below.

Materials:

Stack of newspaper or cardboard to suppress the weeds

Bales of pea straw or lucerne hay, or straw. I’ve used sugar cane mulch this time because although I prefer to use Lucerne it is far too expensive due to the drought and pea straw isn’t available in my area.

Sheep or cow manure or any other animal manure

Poultry manure (optional)

Blood and bone (optional)

Garden lime

Compost

Method:

Step 1.  Prepare the ground first by mowing as low down as possible or scrape the weeds off and put them in a plant pot to make weed tea. I had to level my area a little because there was just too much slope.

Step 2. After preparing the ground put down a layer of cardboard or newspaper, that’s about 7 sheets thick and wet the newspaper if it’s windy so it doesn’t blow away. When this layer is finished moisten it quite well. It will all begin to break down after the materials are placed on top. I’ve used cardboard here because I didn’t have enough newspaper – both work well.

Step 3. Lay down the first layer of straw. Each layer should be about 15 cm high.

Repeat steps 3 & 4 three times or less if you don’t have enough ingredients. My garden is made up of three layers of straw and manure.

Step 5. Cover the last (third) layer with about 15 cm of straw. The finished height should be around 60 cm or so. Give it a good watering to stop the straw blowing away and to begin the decomposing process. Give it a water every few days and leave for a couple of weeks before planting any seedlings.

Step 6. Make  hollows in the straw and fill with compost. Plant your seedlings in the compost at the recommended distance between each plant and water well.