By Cindy Naas

The sweet fragrance of lavender on a hot summer afternoon is one of my favorite scents of summer.

I have lavender plants tucked into nooks and crannies all over my garden because of the perfume this herb gives off.

Because it can be used in cooking, herbal medicine and in perfuming the home, lavender will always be a must-have in my urban garden.

Growing: Lavender requires full sun and very well drained soil. It is not a heavy feeder and will do poorly in soil which stays too damp. Mine is grown throughout my rock garden instead of with the other herbs, and it benefits from being surrounded by the warm rocks as well as from the gritty soil.

Harvesting: Lavender blooms are used in Read the rest of this entry »

By Cindy Naas

Rosemary is a perfect choice for city gardeners who have some room on a porch or balcony, since it is one of the herbs which really should be grown in a planter.

Rosemary is too tender to be left outside in the winter in most of the U.S.

It also makes a beautiful indoor plant in the winter, filling your home with the spicy-fresh scent of rosemary.

Growing - Rosemary needs a fertile yet well-drained soil. I use an extra handful of manure added to my container potting soil mix, and I line the bottom of the pot with small rocks. Water fairly often, letting the soil become nearly but not quite dry between watering.

This plant will not thrive in constantly damp soil. Grow in full sun. In regions with late summers/early falls, place small stones on top of the planter soil to retain heat into the evening.

This will allow the essential oils to become more concentrated, at least according to my elderly Italian neighbor who grows perhaps the finest vegetable garden I have ever seen.

Harvesting - Rosemary is used in fairly small quantities. Using scissors, snip off ends of branches. Peel off the needles or snip the needles directly into your recipe. Rosemary doesn’t keep as well as some herbs, I always pick it just before I need it.

Recipes: Here are a couple of really good uses Read the rest of this entry »

By Cindy Haas

Mint is one of my favorite herbs to grow.

I love to sit outside at night in the middle of summer listening to the crickets and watching the stars.

The smell of mint still warm from the sun is always a part of that memory, it is a very evocative scent. Because of its strong scent as well as strong flavor, mint has a lot of uses and is a wonderful choice for adding to your herb garden.

Growing Mint

Mint is easy to grow- it can be too easy. Mint will take over a small garden if allowed, and can Read the rest of this entry »

By Cindy Naas

Basil is pretty much the entire point of summer as far as I’m concerned.

If I could grow only two things in my garden, I would choose basil and tomatoes.

I can make a meal out of only those two things.

Growing Basil

Basil is one of the herbs which needs a lot of water to thrive. Mine grows next to the tomatoes in my garden. However, my in-ground garden is small, but I love basil so much that I also grow it in to oblong planter boxes, keeping it well watered. It likes a more fertile soil than some of the other herbs such as oregano and thyme, and needs a lot of sun.

Harvesting and Storing

Basil leaves should be picked often. During the height of Read the rest of this entry »

By Michael Nolan

I can’t contain my excitement any longer.

My cucumbers are almost ready to eat but even with my voracious appetite, I can’t eat them all!

What in the heck am I gonna do with a bushel of ripe cucumbers and a full belly?

Thank the gardening gods for those who have gone before us and the knowledge they passed on, because I would be lost without homemade pickles! I firmly believe that everyone is entitled to my opinion so I have decided to share my own personal recipe for Simple Summer Pickles with my Casual family.

Be warned though – once you have tasted them you won’t want to share and believe me when I tell you that everyone is going to want some!

Ingredients
• 3 large cucumbers
• 1 red pepper
• 1 onion Read the rest of this entry »