I have been busy making herby decorations for Christmas gifts. The first one I tackled was lavender balls. These look and smell lovely hanging from the Christmas tree. The hardest part of this project was finding the right polystyrene balls. I think everyone has started their projects before me because there were only really small balls or really big balls left in a lot of stores. After searching around 6 different craft supply stores I finally found some a suitable size.

You Need

Polystyrene balls (I used 65mm)

craft glue

dried lavender flowers

purple ribbon 6mm wide

Purple organza ribbon 25mm wide

Scissors

soft paint brush

bamboo skewers

newspaper

To Make

Lay newspaper on your work surface to catch any glue spills.

On a plate put a thick layer of dried lavender flowers.

Paint half the polystyrene ball with craft glue, roll in lavender to cover.

Push the skewer into the middle of area that has been covered, this will provide you with something to hold the ball, cover the other half with glue and roll in lavender.

Let dry overnight.

The next day, dab glue onto the areas that have spaces where the polystyrene can still be seen, and push lavender into the spaces.

Once the ball is completely covered, leave to dry.

Cut a piece of ribbon about 20cm long.

Remove skewer from ball and insert glue into the hole where the skewer was.

Fold the ribbon in half to create a loop to hang the ball. Push the 2 cut ends into the glue filled hole with the skewer.

Once the glue has dried, tie a bow with the organza ribbon around the base of the looped ribbon, and you’re done.

Wrap these fragrant baubles in clear cellophane gathered at the top with ribbon or raffia and a cute gift tag.

On a recent trip to Melbourne we were wandering around St Kilda when we caught a glimpse of green. We made our way towards what we thought might be a nursery only to discover it was a community garden. Yippee!

I love the idea of a community garden, it offers a bit of paradise in the midst of city living. A place to put your hands in the soil, meet with like minded people and share the delight of growing your own food.

It is a great place for city children to discover nature and learn about life and its cycles. It unites people of different cultures, giving an opportunity to share knowledge, plants and seed in a very peaceful environment.

We made our way through the front gate of VEG OUT community garden; the gate itself is a work of art, made from metal and depicting trees and chooks.

Wood chipped paths lead you through around 140 plots filled with herbs, vegetables and flowers. The plots have an individual artistic look. The plot owners use all sorts of pre-loved materials to add character to their gardens.

Old metal gates have been used through out to define borders and offer a place for beans and peas to climb. Recycled bits of timber hold back the soil as well as provide shelving for potted plants; old bricks create borders and paths within some of the plots.

Large water pipes covered in mosaic and filled with sage and thyme looked gorgeous as well as serving a function. A rusty old typewriter sitting on a stump surrounded by calendulas, cabbages, rhubarb and shallots looked quite at home. Ned Kelly was holed up in the corner of one of the plots, keeping watch over his booty, which would soon need picking.

Dinosaurs and birds fashioned from bits of metal looking a little scary with their rusty bones showing. Colourful plastic watering cans joined together at the handles make an amazing giant flower.

There was even a ship garden with 2 large masts with a gathered up sail and ropes, old sleepers providing the sides of the boat that hold the garden and a place to sit freshly picked produce at the bow.

Almost everyone had a letter box of some type, all with their own individuality. Chickens pecked about happily in their pen, one plot holder had just given them a bucketful of greens to scratch through. Brightly painted tin watering cans sit on top of poles along the front fence, a reminder of the need to conserve water.

This place certainly has some creative caretakers. What an enjoyable visit!

On returning home I searched for Veg out community gardens online where I found out some history.

In October 1998, Port Phillip Council offered the site of the disused St Kilda Bowling Club as studio space to local artists. The Club buildings were quickly occupied on a month-by-month basis and a thriving artist colony began. However, the sorry sight of a former bowling green sprouting weeds drove several of the artists to turn the soil into what would become a series of plots and a community garden. The first crop at the gardens was 1,000 sunflowers, planted as a symbol of health, wellbeing and hope.

If you are involved in a community garden let us know about it.

I thought I would follow up from my last post 5 Reasons Herbs in Pots are hot with some information on how to grow herbs in pots.

Growing Herbs in pots is easy as long as you provide them with their basic needs, soil, nutrients, light and water.

Choosing a Pot

You can grow your herbs in almost any container providing it has drainage and is large enough to allow the herb you are planting to flourish.

When choosing your pot consider the growth of the plant when it is planted in a garden. Rosemary grows bigger than thyme in the garden, so would require a bigger pot.

Try growing your herbs in some of the following containers.

Hanging baskets

Terracotta pots

Bath tubs

1/2 wine barrels

Wheel barrows

Old wash tubs

Glazed pots

Troughs

Large saucepans

Teapots

Polystyrene boxes

Old tins

Make sure there is plenty of drainage holes in pots and containers used for your herbs.

Potting Mix

It is better to use a good quality potting mix rather than soil. Soil from the garden can become heavy and gluggy and does not drain properly.

When growing herbs in pots the drainage is of prime importance.

For some herbs such as rosemary, lavender and thyme you can add dolomite to increase the pH, as these Mediterranean herbs like an alkaline soil.

Nutrients

When herbs are first potted we either soak the plant or water them in with a seaweed based liquid fertilizer this helps reduce transplant shock and gives them a strong start. Organic extra or a similar palletized organic fertilizer can be sprinkled on the top of the potting mix every 4-6 weeks.

Light

Most herbs need at least 2 hours of good sun a day to grow well. Herbs that do not get enough sun will grow leggy and lack the robust flavour that herbs with plenty of sun have. Herbs in pots can be grown in full sun providing you water them adequately.

Water

Depending on the size of the pot, how much sun they receive, and whether they are exposed to wind, will determine how often you need to water.

In our nursery the herbs are grown on benches in the full sun. We water our herbs every day.

Most herbs like good drainage and don’t like constant wet roots.

The best way to determine how much to water your potted herbs is to stick your finger into the potting mix to at least 5cm depth if it feels dry, water well, if it feels moist hold off watering.

Do the finger test every day for a couple of weeks and you will know how often you need to water.

Potting up your Herbs

Soak the container of herb to be potted in a bucket filled with seaweed solution, until all of the air bubbles have dispersed and the roots are soaked through.

Place some potting mix in the bottom of the new container/pot.

Loosen the herb to be potted by turning upside down, support the herb by holding around the base of the plant. Squeeze the pot gently to release the herb.

Gently tease the roots and place in the new pot, back fill around root ball with fresh potting mix

Pat down gently, and water in well.

You will not need to add any fertilizer at this stage as most good quality potting mix contain enough fertilizer to last for around 4 weeks.

I hope you enjoy growing some herbs in pots, let me know your tips.

I have added a few more pots to the garden in recent weeks. With all the rain we have been having, some of my herbs have become a little sad and soggy. Thyme and sage are two that have suffered with wet feet, so I planted some in pots and placed them in my garden, not too far away from the tap so when the weather is hot and dry they can be easily watered.

1. Controlled conditions

Planting herbs in pots allows you to control the conditions the herbs are exposed to. When there is continual rain, you can move them under cover to reduce the amount of water they receive. The pots can also be moved to suit the light requirements when the sun changes its path in the different seasons.

2. Controlled growth

Planting herbs in pots also allows you to control the growth of the herb. Assorted mints, lemon balm, comfrey, gotu kola or swamp pennywort, brahmi curry leaf tree, elder and st john’s wort all spread by underground runners. Growing these herbs in pots keeps them from taking advantage of your garden. Large trees like Bay, Ginkgo, Juniper and Curry leaf make great pot specimens and allow you to grow them in a smaller space or garden.

3. Accessibility

Growing herbs in pots allows you to place them within easy access to the kitchen. Having herbs close to the kitchen means you will make use of them more often to flavour your meals. You can even bring them into a well lit kitchen for a few days before moving them outside again.

4. Lack of space

If you live in a unit or apartment growing herbs in pots and containers is the only alternative. You can grow quite a lot of plants on a small balcony by using pots. Climbing herbs and vegetables can be planted in pots or planter boxes and trained up the railing. Hanging baskets and window boxes can be used to make use of space and allowing for a multi –level garden.

5. Change the look

You need never become bored with the look of your garden. Growing some herbs in pots allows you to change the look of the garden, they can be moved to suit your mood, group them together or place them in a row along a pathway. You can also use pots of herbs to fill in spaces in the garden until other plants have matured.

If there are any other reasons you like to grow your herbs in pots let us know.

There are a number of common herbs we can grow for chickens for general health. Herbs can also be used to treat chooks for infestations of worms, lice and mites.

Herbs for general health

General poultry tonics and laying stimulants include, garlic, onion, chickweed dandelion, fennel, wormwood, rue, cleavers, cress, marigold, mint, vervain, comfrey, mullein roots, thyme, marjoram, sage, nasturtium, mugwort, goats rue, gotu kola and parsley.

Parasitic worms, body lice and mites are the most common problem of chickens.

Worms

A good preventative for worms is nettle. The nettles should be boiled and the liquid added to mash when cold.

Garlic is the best organic treatment for worms.

A cold extract can be made by putting several cloves of crushed garlic into half a cup of water overnight. It can be given to chickens individually by eyedropper or the extract can be put into the chooks drinking water for a week.

Herbs can also be used on a regular basis to treat worms.

Once a month leaves such as horseradish, garlic, wormwood, tansy, elder, santolina, rue hyssop, goats rue, can be mixed with onions, grated carrots, mustard and pumpkin seeds and then added to feed at a rate of about 20%.

Nasturtium leaves and seeds have antiseptic and medicinal properties and are also good wormers.

Lice and Mites

Lice and mites are another common problem for poultry. Garlic again is suitable for these problems.

Artemisia’s such as southernwood, wormwood, mugwort and other insect repellant herbs like tansy and fennel, when grown near the chook pen can be used to control these external parasites. Other good insecticidal herbs are rosemary, catnip, feverfew, lavender and pennyroyal.

These can also be grown near the chook shed, so the chickens can brush past them or nibble on them.

These insect repelling herbs can also be cut fresh and strewn around the ground in the chook area or can be dried and added to feed.

When herbs are used as a food for chickens they will only eat what they need of these herbs.

Comfrey

Comfrey is rich in protein and is a very nutritious tonic food. It has high levels of potassium and calcium and is a good source of amino acids. If chickens are fed comfrey daily before their grain, they will have good health and produce eggs with golden yolks.

Chickweed

A common weed that grows during the cooler months of the year here in SEQld is chickweed. This is a favourite tonic green for chickens.

Feverfew

Feverfew is related to pyrethrum but is not as strong. It produces lots of flowers and self seeds readily. Flowers and leaves can be made into a tea and sprayed to control lice and mites.

Gotu Kola

Gota kola is a creeping plant that likes damp partially shaded areas. The leaves fed to chickens are a useful tonic. It can be used externally for skin conditions.

Nasturtium

Nasturtiums are a good general herb for chickens. It has antiseptic and antibiotic properties and is a good wormer. It also helps to repel insects.

Nettle

Nettles are a great tonic herb for poultry. High in a range of vitamins and minerals, they are a preventative against worms and can be dried and added to comfrey to stimulate egg laying.

This is just a few of the herbs that you can give to your chickens; there are many salad herbs that are quite safe to feed to your chooks.

What herbs do your chooks like the best? Leave a comment.

I was first introduced to Curry leaves when I met Maria from Mudgeeraba Spices and Curry Blends . We both had a stall at the Mudgeeraba village market that was held on a Saturday about 20 years ago. I was selling herbs of course and Marie and Alan were selling spice blends, chutneys and jams that they made at their property at Mudgeeraba.

They had a few small plants of curry leaf for sale and filled me in on the uses. I remember taking a plant home and after a couple of months it had hardly grown at all and I wondered whether it was ever going to grow like Marie had described it would.

Well 20 years on we have this huge plant in our garden, which suckers from the base, it grows so profusely we could never even dream of using all the leaves.

Curry Leaf Tree Murraya koenigii grows to a height of around 4m, it prefers warm temperatures and grows well in sub-tropical and tropical areas. It likes well-drained, fertile moist soil, full sun to partial shade and needs protection from frost. In areas with colder winters it is best to grow them in a pot and move them to an indoor position over winter.

They grow well in pots and make great ornamental plants for both outdoors and indoors. If keeping indoors make sure it gets enough light. Keeping the curry leaf in a pot also restricts its vigorous growth in warm climates where they can tend to sucker up and invade the garden.

Curry Leaf Tree is popular in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Southern India. The leaves release a curry like fragrance when crushed and are used in many curry blends.

Curry leaves are best used fresh for the nicest flavour, however freezing the leaves is a good way to ensure a continuous supply with good flavour.

Since the cuisine of southern India is predominantly vegetarian, curry leaves are most often used to flavour lentil and vegetable dishes. However, they are also used in chutneys, pickles and samosa fillings, and in Sri Lanka are included in chicken or beef curries.

The leaves are most commonly fried first in a little oil or ghee, this creates quite a bit of carry on as they crackle when they hit the hot oil. Once fried and crispy they can be left in while continuing to cook the dish or removed and sprinkled on top of the meal when serving. The whole leaf stem can be added when cooking a stew or soup and be removed before serving.

The leaves can also be processed with a little water and onion in a blender or food processor and this can be either fried off at the start with other spices for a curry or added later to a soup or stew.

We also use the leaves on the BBQ to add a warm, smoky, spicy flavour to fish, meat and potatoes. Simply pile a large handful of leaves onto the BBQ plate and place the fish or meat on top and cook covered with a deep lid from a large pan.

Chickpea and Pumpkin Curry

2 tbsp oil

4 leaflets of curry leaf tree

(60-80 leaves)

2 lge onion chopped

4 cloves garlic crushed

4 tsp coriander seed

4 tsp cumin seed

2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp salt 2 cans peeled chopped tomatoes

2 cans chickpeas, drained

800g pumpkin peeled and cut into small pieces

2 cups of shredded spinach leaves

1/2 cup of fresh coriander leaf chopped

1. Place coriander seed and cumin seed in a small heavy based saucepan over medium heat stir until fragrant, add turmeric powder and chilli powder and stir for a further 1-2 min. Remove from heat and scrape into mortar, pound into a powder with the salt.

2. Heat oil in a large heavy base pan add curry leaves and cook until crisp. Add onion to pan and cook until soft add powdered spices and garlic and stir through. Add tin tomatoes, chickpeas and pumpkin, bring to boil, turn heat down and simmer for 15-20min or until pumpkin is cooked. Turn off heat and stir through spinach or kale.

3. Top with fresh coriander leaves and serve with rice.

Angelica is growing fantastically in the garden at the moment, a biennial in cooler climates, it often flowers and produces seed in the first year here in south east Queensland. Angelica archangelica is from the Apiaceae family, it is a stunning plant reaching 2m in height when in flower and about 1.5m in width.

The stems can be used when cooking tart fruits in particular rhubarb. It neutralises the acidity, reducing the amount of sugar needed to produce a delicious sweet dessert. The candied stems are used as an edible garnish for desserts and cakes.

I made some yummy rhubarb and angelica tarts to share for morning tea at an Earth Mysteries workshop. Not only did they look great, they also tasted delicious.

There is a bit of pre-planning required as it can take a few days to make the candied angelica, I used this recipe and dried them in my dehydrator at the end instead of the oven.

The following recipe can be simplified by purchasing pre-made pastry cases and using crème fraiche or mascarpone instead of the crème patisserie.

Rhubarb & Angelica Tarts with fresh Strawberry

Pastry

2 cups plain flour

2 tbsp icing sugar

180g butter

2 egg yolks

2 tbsp lemon juice (depending on the size of your eggs you may not need very much juice at all)

1. Sift flour and sugar into a large bowl, rub in butter. Add egg yolks and enough lemon juice to mix a firm dough. Form a smooth ball cover and refrigerate for 30 min.

2. Roll pastry on a lightly floured surface, cut to fit muffin tins. Refrigerate for 20 min.

3. Cover pastry with paper and beans.

4. Cook 7min in 190°C oven.

5. Remove paper and beans – cook further 7 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown

Filling

Crème patisserie

1 1/4 cups milk

1 egg

2 egg yolks

1 tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp corn flour

1/4 cup castor sugar

1tsp vanilla

1. Combine 1/4 cup milk, egg, egg yolks, flour, corn flour and sugar in a blender. Process until smooth. Place remaining milk in saucepan, bring to boil. Pour in hot milk gradually while motor is running, process until smooth.

2. Return mixture to saucepan, stir constantly over heat until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, cool.

Rhubarb filling

Mix 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in a saucepan when sugar dissolves bring to the boil and boil rapidly till thick. Add 4 stalks of rhubarb chopped into 3-5cm lengths and cut in half lengthways as well. Add 2 stalks of angelica stems. Cook for 5min or until rhubarb is soft. Remove angelica stalks- cool.

To assemble

Strawberries

Candied Angelica

Place case on plate put 1 tbsp of crème patisserie into case followed by rhubarb, top with a fresh strawberry; decorate with icing sugar and 3 angelica sticks.

We are out in the garden a lot at this time of the year; it’s a good time for getting lots of planting done and tidying up before the hot days of summer arrive.

Along with the satisfaction of getting lots of gardening jobs done come the common problems associated, such as sore and tired muscles, insect stings, cuts scrapes and sunburn.

Herbs offer us some simple first aid remedies.

Sore muscles

After a big day in the garden, try a bath with fresh rosemary added. Take a generous handful of rosemary cut fresh from the bush, place it in a sock or a face washer and tie with string. Place under the hot water tap while filling the bath squeezing to release the essential oils. Some rolled oats can be added along with the rosemary to help soothe and soften the skin.

Insect bites

For bee stings, dab with a little honey or essential oil of lavender.

Spider bites are relieved by bruising a fresh plantain leaf cover the sting cover with gauze or sticking plaster to hold in place, change leaf twice a day. This will reduce the pain, swelling and inflammation.

Bumps and bruises

A poultice of comfrey will reduce inflammation, swelling and speeds cell renewal for sprains, strains and broken bones.

Homeopathic Arnica is always at the front of our first aid kit it reduces inflammation, swelling and bruises.

Cuts and scrapes

A bruised yarrow leaf applied to minor cuts will stop bleeding; it will also help to speed healing and reduce pain.

Calendula made into an infusion can be used as an antiseptic and healing wash for cuts and scrapes.

Burns and Sunburn

The inner gel of Aloe can be scooped out and applied to burns and sunburn to remove heat and start the healing process.

Comfrey poultice is also quite effective as is pure essential oil of lavender.

If you have any favourite first aid remedies you would like to share. Please leave a comment.

A common weed that can easily be used to treat basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas

We often have groups come for morning tea and a tour around the herb garden. I enjoy walking around our herb garden and sharing information about the herbs that we grow.

I particularly like showing people the weedy herbs that help themselves to the prime positions in the garden, begging to be noticed, so they can be used as they were meant to be.

I am amazed at the uses of the many medicinal weeds that grow abundantly in our gardens. Radium weed is one of these, an annual weed common throughout Australia; it was introduced from Europe in the 1800’s.

Historically, it has been used for treatment of warts, corns and skin cancers.

What is Radium Weed?

Radium weed Euphorbia peplus, is also known as petty spurge, milkweed and cancer weed. It has branched stems with alternate oval leaves, the yellow green flowers are inconspicuous, and the stem when broken produces a milky corrosive sap. The sap is the useful part of this plant, being used to burn off sun spots.

An Australian company called Peplin Biotech Pty Ltd www.peplin.com is conducting research and developing a gel from the sap of Euphorbia peplus as a simple topical treatment for certain skin cancers, such as basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas.

An elderly gentleman who was partaking in the trials came to our nursery in search of radium weed. When the trials were finished he asked one of the doctors how he could continue the treatment which was having a positive effect on the skin cancers on his head, the doctor replied ‘Use the weed’.

How to use Radium Weed

The milky sap can be applied to sunspots for 2-4 days. You do not need a lot of the sap just a drop on the area to be treated. The site will fester and be quite unsightly, followed by a scab, then fresh pink skin. Fresh aloe gel can be applied to aid healing.

Be careful when using radium weed Avoid contact with the eyes and internal membranes. The sap is corrosive and will burn sensitive soft tissues.

Growing Radium Weed

Euphorbia peplus self seeds readily throughout the garden, it will grow in poor soils and difficult positions, but grows better in a well watered position in sun to semi sun. It grows much more abundantly throughout the cooler months of the year here in South East Queensland and in the warmer parts of Australia. In cooler southern states it will grow through summer.

Know your Weeds

Another useful herb chickweed grows profusely at the same time that radium weed grows. Chickweed is a nutritious and soothing herb that can be eaten as well as applied to sore, dry itching skin to bring relief. If you pick radium weed Euphorbia peplus accidently along with the chickweed, thinking it is all chickweed you could be adding a corrosive substance to your cream/oil/meal instead of the soothing chickweed you thought you picked.

Be sure you know what you are picking when it comes to using weeds from your garden!

All information provided on this website is for informational purposes only.
Please seek professional advice before commencing any treatment.

We had a family get together on Saturday to farewell one of our sons and his girlfriend, they are off to Peru to open a restaurant and continue their love of food in the land of the Incas. I busied myself making some dishes to go with the BBQ, Chicken marinated in toasted cumin seed, parsley, garlic, paprika and olive oil, hummus with thyme infused pita crisps, chickpea and kale with bread picada, and a huge salad of herbs from the garden. Our son made a delicious salad of rainbow chard, with fennel seed, red onion, sultanas, parsley, goat feta and toasted pine nuts, Yum. But what will we have for dessert???

We have a cumquat tree that is loaded with bright orange tangy fruits begging to be turned into something sticky and sweet. The variety we have growing in our garden is Ngami, the fruits are oblong, the skin bright orange when ripe and the tree crops heavily, unlike some varieties of cumquats you can eat them straight from the tree, the oils in the skin are quite sweet, the flesh inside is quite tart, so the whole fruit skin included is eaten.

I decided on cumquat and rosemary cake, based on a gluten free orange and polenta cake recipe. It is a nice dense moist cake with plenty of eggs (fresh from our chooks), polenta, almond meal, sugar and instead of the oranges I used cumquats and of course I just had to add a herb..

Rosemary, it is one of my favourite herbs and it partners really well with citrus, its flavour of pine, camphor and citrus adds freshness to this cake.

Gluten and Dairy Free Cumquat & Rosemary Cake

Ingredients
500g cumquats

6 sml eggs

125g polenta

125g almond meal

225g caster sugar

1 tbsp chopped rosemary

Method
Put cumquats in a large saucepan cover with water, bring to the boil, then simmer for around 45min or until the cumquats are soft.

Drain and cool, cut in half around the middle and remove the seeds

Preheat the oven to 160°C

Put the cumquats in a food processor and process till the cumquats have broken down almost completely, (a few bits of skin adds to the texture of the cake). Add eggs and process till mixed through and creamy looking.

Fold in polenta, almonds, sugar and rosemary.

Pour into greased and lined spring form cake tin.

Cook for 60 min or until cake holds firm when touched in the middle.

Serve cake with cumquat sauce and some whipped cream.

Cumquat Sauce infused with Rosemary

Ingredients

20-24 cumquats pricked once with a skewer

2 cups caster sugar

1 cup water

1 tbsp chopped rosemary

1/3 cup orange liqueur

Method
Place the sugar and water into a saucepan, on moderate heat.

Once the sugar has dissolved add the cumquats and rosemary.

Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer gently for 30min.

Take off the heat and stir in orange liqueur.