Did you know that some herbs can make it through the winter?

Yes, sage, thyme, oregano, parsley, spearmint, peppermint, and wornwood are perennial herbs and can all be winterized. 

All you need to do is wait for the first frost.  Then, after the frost, trim away any browned and dead stems and mulch lightly around, but not over the plants.

If you have snow, don’t worry, that’s a good thing!  Snow acts as an insulator and protects plants from excessive cold, so keep the snow cover on the plant when you get it.  In the spring, just remove any winter damage and carefully get rid of any debris that has blown in and become wedged in the plants.

Then just sit back and watch them grow again!

Add comment October 26th, 2006

Try Fried Green Tomatoes for those Leftovers

As summer comes to an end, it’s sad to see all of those tomatoes on the plant that aren’t ripe yet, and whenever I pick them green, they don’t seem to ripen very well in the house. 

So, I went looking and found this secret to getting them to ripen.  Here’s what you do:

1. Pick the mature green tomatoes (those with a pinkish-yellow tinge on the blossom end) before it frosts.
2. Wash the skin with a 1% bleach solution, rinse with water and dry.
3. Place in a 60F to 70F room, not touching each other.

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And then again, you could always make Fried Green Tomatoes.  Here’s one of the easier recipes I found:

30 min 20 min prep

4  medium tomatoes
1  cup cornmeal
2  tablespoons bacon drippings
 salt and pepper

1. Cut the tomatoes into thick slices and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
2.   Roll the tomato slices in the corn meal until both sides are covered.
3.   Heat the bacon drippings in a frying pan and add the tomatoes.
4.   Fry slowly until golden brown.

This way, you can enjoy ALL of your tomatoes!

Add comment October 1st, 2006