Libido enhancer is one that helps in enhancing the male sexual thoughts and capacity. Herbs that can be considered as libido enhancer include Ginseng, Indian gooseberry, Mucuna, Shilajit, Ashwagandha, Shatavari, Garlic, Onions, Horny Goat Weed and Cnidium. One can consume them as a single herb or can also go for some formula that includes more than one of above mentioned natural aphrodisiac
Every man considers male libido or male sexual desire to be an important thing. Male sexual desire changes from one person to another and in most cases it changes in one individual according to the circumstances. A man’s mental well-being depends directly on his sexual libido. When a man is having difficulty with sexual libido, he feels depressed and afraid of rejection. A man measures his masculinity by his libido.
Is good for sperm motility and mobility and nearly 50% of the selenium in a man is in the testes and seminal ducts. Getting enough selenium is vital for peak sexual performance. Oily fish is a great source of selenium, also crab, shellfish, cashew nuts, Soy beans and Brazil Nuts.
Good blood circulation needs to be combined with the realize of nitric oxide to get an erection quickly. Nitric oxide is the chemical that allows the blood vessels of the penis to relax and blood to flow in and create an erection. Without sufficient production of this vital chemical, you simply cannot get an erection. It declines naturally with age - but you can get it boosted naturally, by taking natural herbs
Ginkgo is one of the herbs to increase libido and provides better blood circulation, as well as putting you in the mood for sex, by increasing energy but there is no one herb that combats all the problems which cause low libido, so for maximum affect ,combine it with the herbs below. These herbs will increase testosterone and nitric oxide, the other two key elements for strong libido.
Provacyl is a purely natural and organic supplement specially for men who are are above 40. It is made of the most potent botanical extracts like Muria Pauma Bark Extract, Panax Ginseng, Ginkgo Biloba leaf, Acai Fruit, Chaste Berry etc., which are known for their aphrodisiacal properties the world over. Moreover, they not only help boost testosterone levels but also stimulates grwoth hormone and help in reversing age effects significantly.
Cistanche Bark - This herb is great for blood circulation. Cistanche has a reputation for increasing energy and maintaining youthfulness. It is used to reinforce the vital function of kidney, especially that of the sexual organs and induce laxation, to help treat of impotence and premature ejaculation
Ginkgo Biloba - The best herb for improving blood circulation and keeping the blood vessels healthy. Ginkgo Biloba improves blood flow and oxygen throughout the body, while its anti-oxidant action helps protect body tissue, protect blood vessels and finally reduce arteriosclerotic lesions. It also works to increase the half-life of the endothelium relaxation factor, which is crucial to maintaining a long hard erection.
Read about Herbal Supplements. Also read about Tribulus Terrestris and Increase Libido
This article is free for republishing
Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_790082_17.html
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Herbs And Healthy Aging
Many of us know that in today's time of health awareness that herbs are emerging as very popular products in maintaining good health. Many herbs are now being used in place of some of the notable vitamins that we are all familiar with. Herbs are all natural, so they will not harm you. Many herbs can help you and they can be found in all sorts.
Herbs are used for many reasons, like teas that are used to cleanse are digestive systems or the overall help of the internal body.There are many other uses for herbs such as a supplement, for medicines and vitamins. Herbs have become quite popular in the use of many over-the-counter anti aging products, this causing an explosion of their use in hope of reversing wrinkles or other anti aging features.
One of the most popular herbs today is Kava- Kava. Kava is widely used in reducing anxiety. It has also become recognized as a relaxant and a sleep aid. Ginko Biloba is also another great herb that increases blood circulation. This herb will help with lungs to function properly, while distributing oxygen and increasing oxygen flow which in turn produces freedom of blood flowing to the brain. This has also led those to believe that Ginko helps those that are suffering from memory loss or forgetfulness. It has been known to help support healthy brain function and designed to enhance mental alertness.
Many people ask themselves, how do I know that herbs are safe for me to take? Herbs are all natural, so in most cases herbs are very good to take. Herbs rarely cause side effects like many other drugs sold, but some people have experienced side effects. But the cause of this rare happening has not yet been determined.
Another question some people may have that are not familiar with herbs, is where can I find more information about them? Now days you can find all sorts of herbs from your local Wal- mart to malls, herbal stores and drug stores and many other places. You can also find lot's of information and products online as well.
Just remember it is always important to talk with your family doctor before taking any herbs. Some medications work against herbs despite herbs coming from natural sources. This is why a visit too your doctor is always the wise thing to do before taking any herbs, over-the-counter meds or vitamins.
You should keep in mind though it is rare to find an FDA approved herbal supplement, if you do you may not experience side effects. But with that in mind though, the FDA, Government, Pharmaceutics and others try to keep some herbs out of this country, since they have been proven to cure certain diseases. So I think we can all figure out why this would be the case, money sometimes comes ahead of healthy people. For this you should decide for yourself to use at your own risk. Most importantly however, you want to consider the herbs and their purpose first. For more information see us at http://consumersolutions360.com and at our health store at http://webhealthshoppe.com
Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_781687_23.html
Herbs are used for many reasons, like teas that are used to cleanse are digestive systems or the overall help of the internal body.There are many other uses for herbs such as a supplement, for medicines and vitamins. Herbs have become quite popular in the use of many over-the-counter anti aging products, this causing an explosion of their use in hope of reversing wrinkles or other anti aging features.
One of the most popular herbs today is Kava- Kava. Kava is widely used in reducing anxiety. It has also become recognized as a relaxant and a sleep aid. Ginko Biloba is also another great herb that increases blood circulation. This herb will help with lungs to function properly, while distributing oxygen and increasing oxygen flow which in turn produces freedom of blood flowing to the brain. This has also led those to believe that Ginko helps those that are suffering from memory loss or forgetfulness. It has been known to help support healthy brain function and designed to enhance mental alertness.
Many people ask themselves, how do I know that herbs are safe for me to take? Herbs are all natural, so in most cases herbs are very good to take. Herbs rarely cause side effects like many other drugs sold, but some people have experienced side effects. But the cause of this rare happening has not yet been determined.
Another question some people may have that are not familiar with herbs, is where can I find more information about them? Now days you can find all sorts of herbs from your local Wal- mart to malls, herbal stores and drug stores and many other places. You can also find lot's of information and products online as well.
Just remember it is always important to talk with your family doctor before taking any herbs. Some medications work against herbs despite herbs coming from natural sources. This is why a visit too your doctor is always the wise thing to do before taking any herbs, over-the-counter meds or vitamins.
You should keep in mind though it is rare to find an FDA approved herbal supplement, if you do you may not experience side effects. But with that in mind though, the FDA, Government, Pharmaceutics and others try to keep some herbs out of this country, since they have been proven to cure certain diseases. So I think we can all figure out why this would be the case, money sometimes comes ahead of healthy people. For this you should decide for yourself to use at your own risk. Most importantly however, you want to consider the herbs and their purpose first. For more information see us at http://consumersolutions360.com and at our health store at http://webhealthshoppe.com
Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_781687_23.html
Friday, February 6, 2009
Fresh Herbs in Your Cooking and Tips for Cooking Healthy Food
Author: zsidhurenu
Many common herbs that you might use in cooking are well known for there healing properties. Using them in cooking is a great way to incorporate the healing attributes of natural herbs with your meals for the help www.july4-recipes.com. Chances are you probably already use some herbs in your cooking like basil and thyme but experimenting with even more herbs can add taste to your dishes while improving health.
Cooking with fresh herbs is just as easy as using dried herbs. Just chop up a bit of the herb and season to taste. You will need to use about twice as much of the fresh herb than the dried. You may want to wait until the last 20 minutes of cooking to add the herb so the taste stays crisp. Herbs can be used to flavor any foods. Commonly used in pasta sauces, herbs can also be added to soups, oils, eggs and even desserts and drinks.
You can grow your own herbs in the garden on window sill and have fresh herbs all the time. Some grocery stores have fresh herbs right in the produce section and, of course, you can always find dried herbs in the baking section for the help www.book-of-cookies.com. If you grow your own herbs, you can freeze them or dry them yourself in a dehydrator to have for future use.
Here's some food and herb combinations that I like to use when cooking with fresh herbs:
• Eggs with dill
• Pesto with basil
• Mint in any tea or punch
• Parsley with salad
• Rosemary and Thyme on oven roasted potatoes
• Basil and sage added to flavor butter
If you have a special condition or illness that might be treated with herbs, then feel free to incorporate the herbs into your usual cooking. Start by adding a small amount of the herb(s) and taste - add more to suit. This is a great way to realize the healthy benefit of herbs without having to remember to take pills.
Tips for Cooking Healthy Food
Just eating healthy is not sufficient. You should also pay special attention to the way you cook. Here are some tips for cooking healthy food so that you eat healthy.
• It is important to use less fat in your cooking. The best way to do this is by using the 3-R method, which stands for remove, replace and reduce. Where ever possible, you should remove the food item that is instrumental in introducing fat into your food. A good example of this is sausage. You can either do away with the sausage in the food you are preparing or you can replace it with turkey kielbasa. If this not good enough for you, think of reducing the quantity of sausage you use so that the fat content in the food reduces.
• Use mono-saturated fat for cooking. A good example is olive oil. Avoid saturated fats as much as possible.
• Use less sugar in your recipes. Americans are eating more sugar than ever. A good for cooking healthy is to reduce the amount of sugar. This means less calories. Also avoid candy, soft drinks and frozen milk desserts. You should get around 6 percent to 10 percent of your daily caloric intake from sugar according to the USFDA. This amount to 9 teaspoons a day.
• Switch to whole grains, which would include brown rice and whole wheat flour among others. Whole grains have more nutrients, fiber and beta carotene.
• Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. They are good source of essential nutrients, vitamins fiber and beta carotene. You can introduce fruits and vegetables like cantaloupes, bananas, winter squash, oranges, berries, mustard greens, cabbage, kale, spinach, tomatoes and Brussels sprouts in your recipes.
• Eat lean meat like chicken and turkey breasts, pork tenderloin, ground sirloin, center cut pork loin and extra lean ham. Just limit the serving to 3 to 4 ounces per person.
For more information please click the link below:
www.bread-machine-cookbook.com
www.delicious-sandwich-recipes.com
Cooking with fresh herbs is just as easy as using dried herbs. Just chop up a bit of the herb and season to taste. You will need to use about twice as much of the fresh herb than the dried. You may want to wait until the last 20 minutes of cooking to add the herb so the taste stays crisp. Herbs can be used to flavor any foods. Commonly used in pasta sauces, herbs can also be added to soups, oils, eggs and even desserts and drinks.
You can grow your own herbs in the garden on window sill and have fresh herbs all the time. Some grocery stores have fresh herbs right in the produce section and, of course, you can always find dried herbs in the baking section for the help www.book-of-cookies.com. If you grow your own herbs, you can freeze them or dry them yourself in a dehydrator to have for future use.
Here's some food and herb combinations that I like to use when cooking with fresh herbs:
• Eggs with dill
• Pesto with basil
• Mint in any tea or punch
• Parsley with salad
• Rosemary and Thyme on oven roasted potatoes
• Basil and sage added to flavor butter
If you have a special condition or illness that might be treated with herbs, then feel free to incorporate the herbs into your usual cooking. Start by adding a small amount of the herb(s) and taste - add more to suit. This is a great way to realize the healthy benefit of herbs without having to remember to take pills.
Tips for Cooking Healthy Food
Just eating healthy is not sufficient. You should also pay special attention to the way you cook. Here are some tips for cooking healthy food so that you eat healthy.
• It is important to use less fat in your cooking. The best way to do this is by using the 3-R method, which stands for remove, replace and reduce. Where ever possible, you should remove the food item that is instrumental in introducing fat into your food. A good example of this is sausage. You can either do away with the sausage in the food you are preparing or you can replace it with turkey kielbasa. If this not good enough for you, think of reducing the quantity of sausage you use so that the fat content in the food reduces.
• Use mono-saturated fat for cooking. A good example is olive oil. Avoid saturated fats as much as possible.
• Use less sugar in your recipes. Americans are eating more sugar than ever. A good for cooking healthy is to reduce the amount of sugar. This means less calories. Also avoid candy, soft drinks and frozen milk desserts. You should get around 6 percent to 10 percent of your daily caloric intake from sugar according to the USFDA. This amount to 9 teaspoons a day.
• Switch to whole grains, which would include brown rice and whole wheat flour among others. Whole grains have more nutrients, fiber and beta carotene.
• Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. They are good source of essential nutrients, vitamins fiber and beta carotene. You can introduce fruits and vegetables like cantaloupes, bananas, winter squash, oranges, berries, mustard greens, cabbage, kale, spinach, tomatoes and Brussels sprouts in your recipes.
• Eat lean meat like chicken and turkey breasts, pork tenderloin, ground sirloin, center cut pork loin and extra lean ham. Just limit the serving to 3 to 4 ounces per person.
For more information please click the link below:
www.bread-machine-cookbook.com
www.delicious-sandwich-recipes.com
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_764771_26.html
Herbs In Menopause Therapy
Author: Lorna Goldsborough
Herbs in menopause therapy is growing more fashionable, and although it was once believed abnormal it's, is now commonplace for women who have female menopause A lot of women employ them, but are they in reality effective and what can they do?
Herbs associated with menopause treatment do not actually treat menopause, since no drug can do that, let along an herb, but they do treat the symptoms. This is important to remember when searching for a way to ease the symptoms. There is no known cure for menopause other than a lifestyle change so as the symptoms start, you have to learn how to deal with the symptoms instead of eliminate of the symptoms, as your body is going through a permenant change. and there is no way to avoid it. As such you'll be required to do things differently if you want to be as comfortable as you once were. Menopause symptoms are numerous and different for everyone. More commonplace symptoms would be hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness but, can taking herbs for menopause symptoms help with those?
What types of herbs are used to treat the symptoms of female menopause and what is better to use? Well, one of the more popular herbs that is used as treatment is Black Cohosh. very potent by itself, it works much better when combined with different herbs. Black Cohosh will decreasing the luteinizing hormone in the woman's body. This lowers the level of discomfort by the menopausal symptoms, and makes the person feel better. Red clover is also helpful which works as a type of hormone replacement in the body and helps the woman feel more balanced very quickly by replacing estrogen.
Though Black Cohosh and Red Clover are very popular they are only two among many in the market because herbs like wild yams, Dong Quai, chasteberry, maca root, and many others are prevalent today. but a lot of women decide to use a dietary supplement as a way to replace hormones because these herbs are difficult to get for many people. Therefore, many companies have made as many as possible available to everyone in the form of a pill Like a multivitamin, women can get their daily dose of herbs so they can treat their symptoms quickly.
When a woman first starts menopause they probably don't want to think about herbal medicine as an alternative. Though herbal remedies are't isn't the only way to go, it is very effective because the effect of herbs on menopause symptoms has been proven by several different studies and many cultures around the world use it.
Visit my website to find out more about the menopause, and how to deal with it.
Herbs associated with menopause treatment do not actually treat menopause, since no drug can do that, let along an herb, but they do treat the symptoms. This is important to remember when searching for a way to ease the symptoms. There is no known cure for menopause other than a lifestyle change so as the symptoms start, you have to learn how to deal with the symptoms instead of eliminate of the symptoms, as your body is going through a permenant change. and there is no way to avoid it. As such you'll be required to do things differently if you want to be as comfortable as you once were. Menopause symptoms are numerous and different for everyone. More commonplace symptoms would be hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness but, can taking herbs for menopause symptoms help with those?
What types of herbs are used to treat the symptoms of female menopause and what is better to use? Well, one of the more popular herbs that is used as treatment is Black Cohosh. very potent by itself, it works much better when combined with different herbs. Black Cohosh will decreasing the luteinizing hormone in the woman's body. This lowers the level of discomfort by the menopausal symptoms, and makes the person feel better. Red clover is also helpful which works as a type of hormone replacement in the body and helps the woman feel more balanced very quickly by replacing estrogen.
Though Black Cohosh and Red Clover are very popular they are only two among many in the market because herbs like wild yams, Dong Quai, chasteberry, maca root, and many others are prevalent today. but a lot of women decide to use a dietary supplement as a way to replace hormones because these herbs are difficult to get for many people. Therefore, many companies have made as many as possible available to everyone in the form of a pill Like a multivitamin, women can get their daily dose of herbs so they can treat their symptoms quickly.
When a woman first starts menopause they probably don't want to think about herbal medicine as an alternative. Though herbal remedies are't isn't the only way to go, it is very effective because the effect of herbs on menopause symptoms has been proven by several different studies and many cultures around the world use it.
Visit my website to find out more about the menopause, and how to deal with it.
Improving Your Cooking Skill Step By Step.
Author: Ajits Singh
Cooking classes proves to the best way to know the basics involved in cooking, know about the skills in cooking, or improve the already known skill. They cover many topics for people to reach the goal.
The first class in cooking will cover the basics. They are divided into nutrition storage, safety. Nutrition covers the topics like charts of calories, serving of sizes, ingredients measuring, information of nutrition, way to understand the nutrition labels, and vegetables and nutrition. For more details www.cooking-chinese-style.com Storage deals with the learn books to store food and its safety, pantry stocking, charts on food storage, and foods should not be frozen. Safety deals with contacts on safety information, bacteria elimination inside the kitchen, effects of contamination, keeping eatables in safe temperatures, proper usages of eggs, and safety of foods during picnics.
Herb and spices are dealt in next section. Herbs deal with substitution of herbs, applying dried herbs instead of fresh, crushing the dried herbs, taking care of fresh herbs, fresh herbs. Spices deal with the storage of dry herbs and spices, blends of spices, peppercorn cracking, dealing with ginger, and vanilla flavored beans. This deals with topics like, marinades, dry rubs with flavor, rubs: info and tips, seeds that needs be toasted, citrus zest or peel, flavored with dry mushrooms, cooking that deals liqueurs, fruity smelling vinaigrettes, exploring vinegars, and bouquet garni.
The forth coming classes deals with the ides and techniques. They mainly deal with high heating techniques and cooking that deals with sweet and savory till miscellaneous. High heat deals with frying deeply, flavors in pan searing, and quick pan-frying. Thickeners deals with making of roux, and flour, cornstarch as thickeners. Cutting deals with chopping vs. mincing. For more details www.delicious-candy-recipes.com .Cooking of sweet and savory deals with phyllo dough, puff pastries, strudel dough, and grinding nuts. Miscellaneous deals with standard metric equivalents of U.S, conversion of recipes to convection ovens, high altitude cooking, hints of microwave timing, and measuring the ingredients.
The other class deals with the basic kitchen items. This mainly deals with the knives and cookware, and other utensils. The last sections cooking charts. This deals with the basics of kitchen, seafood, greens and fruits. Kitchen basics deals with the metric conversions, timesavers in supermarkets, storage chart that deals with purchased foods and home cooked foods. Fish and seafood deals with the fish verities and its cooking and cooking chart of shellfish. The meat section deals with the roasting charts, charts of meat broiling, skillet cooking meat, grilling indoor and out. Pasta deals with fresh pasta charts, and dried pasta chart. Poultry deals with the roasting of poultry charts, charts that deal with the poultry broiling and charts on poultry microwaving. Fruits and vegetables deal with selection of fresh greens and fruits, cooking of fresh vegetables, grilling of vegetables chart, and work that deals with cooking of fresh vegetables.
www.cooking-groundbeef.com
www.cat-head-biscuit.com
The first class in cooking will cover the basics. They are divided into nutrition storage, safety. Nutrition covers the topics like charts of calories, serving of sizes, ingredients measuring, information of nutrition, way to understand the nutrition labels, and vegetables and nutrition. For more details www.cooking-chinese-style.com Storage deals with the learn books to store food and its safety, pantry stocking, charts on food storage, and foods should not be frozen. Safety deals with contacts on safety information, bacteria elimination inside the kitchen, effects of contamination, keeping eatables in safe temperatures, proper usages of eggs, and safety of foods during picnics.
Herb and spices are dealt in next section. Herbs deal with substitution of herbs, applying dried herbs instead of fresh, crushing the dried herbs, taking care of fresh herbs, fresh herbs. Spices deal with the storage of dry herbs and spices, blends of spices, peppercorn cracking, dealing with ginger, and vanilla flavored beans. This deals with topics like, marinades, dry rubs with flavor, rubs: info and tips, seeds that needs be toasted, citrus zest or peel, flavored with dry mushrooms, cooking that deals liqueurs, fruity smelling vinaigrettes, exploring vinegars, and bouquet garni.
The forth coming classes deals with the ides and techniques. They mainly deal with high heating techniques and cooking that deals with sweet and savory till miscellaneous. High heat deals with frying deeply, flavors in pan searing, and quick pan-frying. Thickeners deals with making of roux, and flour, cornstarch as thickeners. Cutting deals with chopping vs. mincing. For more details www.delicious-candy-recipes.com .Cooking of sweet and savory deals with phyllo dough, puff pastries, strudel dough, and grinding nuts. Miscellaneous deals with standard metric equivalents of U.S, conversion of recipes to convection ovens, high altitude cooking, hints of microwave timing, and measuring the ingredients.
The other class deals with the basic kitchen items. This mainly deals with the knives and cookware, and other utensils. The last sections cooking charts. This deals with the basics of kitchen, seafood, greens and fruits. Kitchen basics deals with the metric conversions, timesavers in supermarkets, storage chart that deals with purchased foods and home cooked foods. Fish and seafood deals with the fish verities and its cooking and cooking chart of shellfish. The meat section deals with the roasting charts, charts of meat broiling, skillet cooking meat, grilling indoor and out. Pasta deals with fresh pasta charts, and dried pasta chart. Poultry deals with the roasting of poultry charts, charts that deal with the poultry broiling and charts on poultry microwaving. Fruits and vegetables deal with selection of fresh greens and fruits, cooking of fresh vegetables, grilling of vegetables chart, and work that deals with cooking of fresh vegetables.
www.cooking-groundbeef.com
www.cat-head-biscuit.com
Friday, January 9, 2009
Popular Colon Detoxing Herbs
Learn about 2 powerful herbs that work together to promote a healthy colon.
There are many ways for the human body to accumulate a whole assortment of toxins even if a person lives a fairly healthy lifestyle. Things such as chemicals in our foods and bathing products, pesticides in our fruit and vegetables and toxic fumes from vehicle and factory emissions slowly build-up in our systems and need to be cleaned out.
The two main detoxifying organs in your body are your liver and your kidneys but there's only so much that they can do. The human body just wasn't created to withstand the requirements most people put on them. On top of all this, people add to the problem by drinking excessive alcohol, smoking and taking drugs.
There are many fast and even extreme detox methods available ranging from all kinds of fasting, very strict diets and the different types of colonic therapy. For a lot of people these types of detox regimes are just too complicated and require discipline and motivation and sometimes lots of money.
But there are a few easy to find herbs you can add to your diet today to help strengthen the immune system and to help the body to rid itself of unwanted toxins and poisons.
Below we'll look at two of the herbs available that actually work even better when used together. They are both used effectively for colon detoxing:
- Psyllium Seeds and Husks
These small seeds or husks are very high in in-soluble fiber which means that they don't digest or get absorbed into the body. They absorb water in the colon and expand, and then act like a sponge by helping waste move out of your body. They also help promote healthy bowel movements and can be useful for problems such as diarrhea. It's easy to drink a cup of water mixed with about a teaspoon of psyllium husks and it can also help to reduce your appetite!
- Cascara Sagrada
This wonderful herb acts as a natural and safe laxative. This herb should only be used for a few days at a time to prevent dependency. On the other hand, the use of cascara will help strengthen the muscles in your colon. Cascara is also best used in conjunction with psyllium husks to give the colon a thorough cleansing. It is a good idea to wait several hours after taking psyllium husks before using any form of laxative to get the most out of the cleansing properties of the husks.
Just by using these 2 easy to find herbs you can strengthen your immune system and prevent severe illnesses. Did you know what colon cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the US? Also
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sign up for my FREE 25 Day Detox ecourse at: Colon Cleansing or Bowtrol
Harvesting Herbs for Cooking and Crafting
When is it time to harvest herbs? The time for harvesting is decided, not by the time of year, but by the readiness of the herbs. It's so much fun to bring the outdoors in and extend your garden through your cooking and crafting.
A great part of the joy of growing your own herbs is in the harvesting. I love to harvest my flowers and herbs this time of year for use in cooking and crafting. You planted herbs which would produce leaves, flowers, seeds and roots for use during the winter. Now is the time that you will see the fruits of your labor. The great bulk of your harvest will be leaves—parsley and chervil, sage, thyme, basil, marjoram, lemon balm, the savories, tarragon, rosemary and perhaps spearmint.
Of course, you have been using your herbs all summer long. You snipped bits of chives and parsley to scatter over eggs and creamed dishes or to spice up low-calorie diets. You gathered those which took your fancy as you wandered about the garden with the salad bowl in mind, or perhaps tucked a sprig into a favorite book or into your purse for fragrance.Now it's harvest time, the time when the bulk of your plants must be gathered for your pleasure and used through the winter. Now you can go into the garden and gather loads of fragrance and fun.
Harvest time is a time of planning too. You must decide which plants to bring into the house, which to dry, which to make into gifts. You will want to mark those plants which you wish to pot for the winter, even though it is not necessary to dig them until just before frost. When making this decision, keep in mind that you will want:
- A variety of culinary herbs for the kitchen window sill.
- A few larger plants to provide sprays for bouquets or iced drinks, to toss into your bath, and for other favorite uses.
- Several small compact plants to pot for gifts.
- Pots of plants to place in different rooms throughout your own house.
Just when is harvest time? The time for harvesting is decided, not by the time of year, but by the readiness of the herbs. Most herbs are ready to harvest just as the buds are opening into full blossom. This is when the plants contain the most volatile oils and therefore the greatest fragrance and flavor. Fortunately for you, not all varieties will be ready at the same time. But if you should discover that several are just right on the same sunny morning, take a separate box, basket or tray for each herb and label it. Otherwise, unless you are more of an expert than most of us, you may have trouble sorting the herbs after they are dry.
It is best to gather herbs in the early morning of a warm, bright day when the dew has evaporated, but before the sun is high and hot. This is the most pleasant time for being in the garden, and it is a fragrant, relaxing way in which to begin your busy day.
It is important, too, to harvest as early as possible in the season so that the plants will come up again vigorously before the growing season is over. For me, this first harvesting is a difficult decision. I wander about the garden, enjoying the beauty of the plants, their delicious fragrance and lush growth. And each year, in spite of previous years' experience to the contrary, I think, “What if they do not come back again? Will I ruin this lovely garden?”
But don't you believe it! You are more likely to destroy by holding back than by cutting! If you wait to harvest perennial herbs late in the season, you will lose not only their flavor but probably the whole plants as well. Do cut early enough to assure regrowth. Otherwise, your plants may die during the winter. Do not cut annuals too close to the ground. Leave enough foliage so that the plants will continue to grow. You may hope for another harvest this season, at which time you can take the whole plant. Cut perennials about two-thirds of the length of the stalks and side branches, less if the stalks are stiff and woody.
You may pick sage, marjoram and basil at any time. The new growth of sage is always flavorful, and so is that of marjoram at any time before the young plants blossom. Basil scarcely has an off-season even though, like other herbs, it is at its best just at blooming time.
If for some reason you do not manage to harvest all you want of a particular herb when it is ready, gather some later on even though its peak cutting season has passed. Once I made a final bottle of basil vinegar in a greedy rush when the weather forecaster said, “Look for a freeze tonight.” The resulting product could barely be distinguished from that made earlier.
If the herbs you harvest are to be dried, it is important to gather them when the oils are at their best. If you do decide to dry some of the last-minute crops, it might be well to label your jars so that you will know which are prime and which are seconds. Of course, you will also keep some of your favorite herbs growing in the house throughout the winter, and those you will use fresh.
As soon as you have carried your herb crop indoors, quickly rinse off the dirt from the lower leaves and shake off all excess moisture. Then spread the herbs on either window screens laid across two chairs or on some stretched cheesecloth.
Remove any yellowed, decayed and very coarse leaves, and dry your harvest in an airy place away from direct sunlight.
When to harvest
Harvest these herbs when they are just starting to bloom: basil, tarragon, horehound, mint, sweet marjoram, lemon balm, costmary, fennel, winter savory, sage, summer savory, lavender (also may be cut later).
Clip the tops of these at full stage of bloom: hyssop, rosemary, lavender, thyme.
You can harvest both the leaves and flowers of these four herbs, and you can also pick rosemary leaves separately.
The following herbs should be harvested in the young leafy stage: parsley, caraway leaves, chervil, lovage.
It is the flower heads of the following herbs that you will want to harvest: camomile, German camomile, and marigold. You can go ahead and cut the flower heads off and just dry them on a screen. Camomile is great for the skin and is used in herbal bath sachets along with some oatmeal (uncooked) and grated soap. Put equal amounts of each in a washrag secured with a rubber band and used as a wash cloth in the shower.
The culinary herbs that you will wish to dry include sweet basil, parsley, thyme, chervil, rosemary, spearmint, marjoram, summer savory, sage, tarragon and lemon balm. Lemon Balm cookies are easy to make with 2 tablespoons of chopped Lemon Balm added to a basic sugar cookie recipe. There are some great books on making vinegars and herbal seasonings at you local library and bookstore. With the holidays right around the corner, you may want to obtain one of these books and start crafting some gifts!
As far as the other culinary herbs in your garden are concerned, do not dry chives, but pot for winter use, put in vinegar or freeze. Dill should not be dried either, but the leaves can be frozen fresh or the seeds dried. Parsley may be potted, salted, frozen or dried. If you want to dry parsley, place it in the microwave between two paper towels for one minute intervals until dry. If you try to air dry it, it will simply turn brown and unappealing. Burnett, which is too delicate for drying
Harvesting herbs in the summer or fall is a fun way to bring your garden indoors for the winter. You will be rewarded with countless hours of fun for not only for you but those you bless with the gifts from your garden.
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julia is a master gardener as well as a professional floral designer. She loves to dry flowers from the garden for wreaths and arrangements.Married to a professional landscape contractor, they have been gardening in the Mid South for over 27 years. They now enjoy teaching others about gardening, floral design and garden crafts through their web site http://www.flowers-plants-gardening-advice.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)