Growing Herbs for Health, Wellness, Cooking, and Crafts E-Book

Kim Roman

• Herausgeber: Creative Homeowner
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Seitenzahl: 350

Beschreibung

Growing Herbs for Health, Wellness, Cooking, and Crafts provides everything you need to know to start your own herb garden today. From soil preparation, lighting, how often to water, pests and disease prevention, important things to know when planting indoors verses outdoors, expert gardener and author Kim Roman shares invaluable tips to producing high yield quality herbs. Kim also shares quick reference charts and plant profiles for 36 of today's most popular herbs, in addition to a few of her favorite recipes where herbs are the star ingredient including marinades, salad vinaigrettes, infused oils, delicious cocktails or mocktails, herbed and plain focaccia bread, teas and more! You can enhance your crafting projects by adding herbs as well. Herbs include echinacea, St. John's Wort, turmeric, elderberry, ginger, chamomile, Tulsi, anise hyssop and so much more!

Leseprobe

Copyright © 2024 Kim Roman and Creative Homeowner

This book may not be reproduced, either in part or in its entirety, in any form, by any means, without written permission from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts for purposes of radio, television, or published review. All rights, including the right of translation, are reserved. Note: Be sure to familiarize yourself with manufacturer’s instructions for tools, equipment, and materials before beginning a project. Although all possible measures have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the material presented, neither the author nor the publisher is liable in case of misinterpretation of directions, misapplication, or typographical error.

Creative Homeowner® is a registered trademark of New Design Originals Corporation.

Growing Herbs for Health, Wellness, Cooking, and Crafts

Managing Editor: Gretchen Bacon, Acquisitions Editor: Lauren Younker, Editor: Christa Oestreich, Designer: Wendy Reynolds, Proofreader: Jeremy Hauck, Indexer: Jay Kreider

Print ISBN 978-1-58011-600-8eISBN 978-1-63741-304-3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023950518

This book has been published with the intent to provide the author’s personal experiences with and opinions about culinary herbs and spices for health and wellness. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the author is not a healthcare provider, and this book is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition or disease.

The author, contributors, and publisher expressly disclaim any responsibility for damages arising out of or in connection with the use of this book. Do not start using any herbal remedies or stop taking any prescribed medications without first consulting your own physician or healthcare specialists. Use of this book implies your acceptance of this disclaimer.

We are always looking for talented authors. To submit an idea, please send a brief inquiry to [email protected].

Creative Homeowner®, www.creativehomeowner.com, is an imprint of New Design Originals Corporation and distributed exclusively in North America by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 800-457-9112, 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my grandchildren: Katelyn Falk, Luther Falk, and Reece Roman; my sons: Jeremy Roman and Matthew Roman; my daughter-in-law: Crystal Roman; and my husband: Master Sergeant Tim Roman. Family is everything!

Special Thanks

First off, I want to acknowledge Michelle Guerrero Denison, who put in a lot of time and effort to provide the information for the herbalist section. Many thanks and much gratitude to Bea Wright, Amie Guyette Hall, Shelley Carr, and my Berlin Girls—Melinda Means, Rejane Conradie, and Katie Thomas Atkinson—who have supported me in different ways throughout the process. And a special, special thanks to my brother, Chief Master Sergeant Alan Howes who introduced me to the works of Hildegard of Bingen (Saint Hildegard).

Preface

Even though I’m not an herbalist by training or profession, for many years I dreamed of growing a large medicinal herb garden and learning more about herbs. I always had shelves filled with canning jars and bags of store-bought dried medicinal herbs, and I have always made all sorts of things with herbs. In 2021, my husband and I bought a house with our youngest son and daughter-in-law and moved from the suburbs south of Baltimore, Maryland, to a more rural setting on 1.25 acres (5000 square meters) in North East, Maryland.

We love our in-law apartment inside the multigenerational house. While it’s fun having chickens and goats in the backyard and several more pets in the house, I soon realized that my dream of a large medicinal herb garden wouldn’t happen. The bulk of the yard is in deep shade, and we’re not allowed to remove living trees because it’s protected land. That’s okay, I wouldn’t want to cut down living trees anyway, and it’s a joy watching the grandchildren playing in those woods. The area that gets the most sun is in the front yard—over the septic field. That means I can’t have an in-ground garden.

I resigned myself to the fact that I was stuck with three 4' x 8' x 2' (122 x 244 x 61cm) raised garden beds for vegetables and culinary herbs. Luckily, I’ve taught small-space vegetable and herb gardening since 2010, when I became a Square Foot Gardening™–certified instructor, taught and mentored by author and SFG creator, Mel Bartholomew.

However, recently, I ran across a 2019 article on PubMed.gov titled “Health Benefits of Culinary Herbs and Spices” by T. Alan Jiang. As I read, I became more and more excited about how powerful culinary herbs and spices are.

Here’s the abstract:

Spices and herbs have been in use for centuries both for culinary and medicinal purposes. Spices not only enhance the flavor, aroma, and color of food and beverages, but they can also protect from acute and chronic diseases. More Americans are considering the use of spices and herbs for medicinal and therapeutic/remedy use, especially for various chronic conditions. There is now ample evidence that spices and herbs possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumorigenic, anticarcinogenic, and glucose- and cholesterol-lowering activities as well as properties that affect cognition and mood. Research over the past decade has reported on the diverse range of health properties that they possess via their bioactive constituents, including sulfur-containing compounds, tannins, alkaloids, phenolic diterpenes, and vitamins, especially flavonoids and polyphenols. Spices and herbs such as clove, rosemary, sage, oregano, and cinnamon are excellent sources of antioxidants with their high content of phenolic compounds. It is evident that frequent consumption of spicy foods was also linked to a lower risk of death from cancer and ischemic heart and respiratory system diseases. However, the actual role of spices and herbs in the maintenance of health, specifically with regards to protecting against the development of chronic, noncommunicable diseases, is currently unclear. This review highlights potential health benefits of commonly used spices and herbs such as chili pepper, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, turmeric, fenugreek, rosemary, and garlic.

It’s a good possibility you’ll be able to improve your health and wellness and proactively head off some chronic illnesses all while adding more spice (and herb) to your life.

Contents

INTRODUCTION

PART 1: GETTING STARTED

CHAPTER 1: Benefits of Growing Your Herbs & Spices

CHAPTER 2: Vocabulary—Are We on the Same Page?

PART 2: WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GROW

CHAPTER 3: A Gardening Primer

CHAPTER 4: What Plants Need

CHAPTER 5: Overview of Outdoor Gardening Methods

CHAPTER 6: Overview of Indoor Gardening Methods

PART 3: LET’S GET GROWING

CHAPTER 7: Planning & Planting

AT-A-GLANCE CHARTS

CHAPTER 8: Plant Profiles

CHAPTER 9: Seed Starting, Transplants & Cuttings

CHAPTER 10: Pests & Diseases

CHAPTER 11: Protecting Your Herbs

CHAPTER 12: Harvesting & Processing Your Harvest

CHAPTER 13: Collecting & Storing Seeds

PART 4: USING YOUR HARVEST

CHAPTER 14: Herbs in the Kitchen

CHAPTER 15: Cocktails, Mocktails & Tisanes

CHAPTER 16: Skin Care, Hair Care & Oral Care

CHAPTER 17: DIY & Crafting with Herbs

PART 5: WELLNESS

CHAPTER 18: Herbalist Talk

CHAPTER 19: Wellness & Illness Prevention

Resources

Photo Credits

About the Author

Introduction

I’ve always loved growing fresh culinary herbs for cooking, and I have frequently bought medicinal herbs when I’ve been ill. Then I realized that there are so many culinary herbs that have tremendous health benefits that could work on my total-body wellness before I even needed medicinal herbs to help with illness.

What drew me to culinary herbs for wellness? Here’s a brief timeline:

A 2013 paper from the National Institutes for Health (NIH) found that, “The use of herbal medicinal products and supplements has increased tremendously over the past three decades with not less than 80% of people worldwide relying on them for some part of primary healthcare.” This is one of the things that got me interested in medicinal herbs.

Another NIH paper from 2017 concluded that: “More than one-third of [survey] respondents reported using herbal supplements. Older age and higher education were associated with a higher use of herbal supplements. People with chronic diseases are more likely to use herbal medicines than others.” Since nothing in conventional medicine helped with my fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis without causing side effects worse than the pain I was experiencing, I delved deeper into the world of herbs.

A sentence from the 2019 PubMed article on culinary herbs I mentioned in the preface of this book, this information clinched the deal for me. “There is now ample evidence that spices and herbs possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumorigenic, anticarcinogenic, and glucose-and cholesterol-lowering activities as well as properties that affect cognition and mood.”

Culinary herbs and spices, not just medicinal herbs, help with all sorts of health-related problems with the added benefit of being able to be used in cooking. I love it when something pulls double duty. Culinary herbs and spices are relatively simple to grow—many indoors as well as out.

As I sat in my office on a cold December afternoon working on the draft of this book, I reached over and grabbed the mug of steaming herbal tea. A few days earlier, I picked, rinsed, patted dry, and dehydrated sprigs of thyme, oregano, stevia, and mint from my fall/winter outdoor garden.

I dry whole sprigs of herbs then crumble the dried leaves from the stems to store in glass jars. But those stems have so much flavor that this is what I used to make the tea—and the dried stevia leaves sweetens it. Next to the mug of tea sits a bowl of popcorn seasoned with dried herbs and spices from this summer’s garden. Since my office is in my bedroom, I faintly smell lavender and calendula wafting from the sachet on my pillow. You’ll learn how to make sachets in the chapter on crafting with your herbs.

Also in my bedroom/office is a five-tier shelving unit that houses part of my indoor garden and is currently holding my seed-starting operation that includes basil, thyme, eucalyptus, Moroccan cilantro, holy basil (tulsi), bee balm, Thai basil, and more. On that day, I ordered seeds for anise, culantro, tarragon, sage, chamomile, and more. We’ll be covering seed starting in Chapter 9.

Just outside my bedroom/office/indoor garden is my living room where I have a jar of homemade skin-nourishing salve made with homemade calendula oil. In the cold winter months, I rub it on my dry feet and slip on some socks. No more dry, cracked feet! The living room is also where another small vertical growing area resides on a shoe tower—you heard me right, a shoe tower. It’s just 15" (38cm) deep and can hold up to 30 pots that are 6" (15cm) in diameter. Yes, I’ll tell you all about various indoor and outdoor growing methods, and my friends at Veteran Compost will share two soil recipes (page 36) perfect for growing the two major types of herbs—those that like nutritious soil that hold moisture and those that love a well-draining soil with fewer nutrients.

Two steps from my bedroom is the small bathroom filled with things I’ve made from herbs, like a eucalyptus bath soak that opens my sinuses, along with various skin-care products that I’ll show you how to make. Oh, and let’s not forget cleaners you can make from culinary herbs.

Product and Resource Disclaimer

You’ll notice that I’ve included a few commercially available products throughout the book. These are not endorsements of the products, and they represent just a small sample of what’s available on the market. If products have been given to me by the manufacturer to try, I disclose that fact. If something doesn’t live up to my expectation, I’ll tell you that too.

The Resource section at the end of the book lists helpful contact information and product sources as of the writing of this book. Of course, we all know that things change, people leave, and companies fold, so forgive me if you have trouble contacting a particular organization or finding a specific product.

Seven steps from my bedroom or bathroom is my tiny kitchen, where we’ll explore making marinades, dressings, herb oils, vinegars, sugars, salts, cocktails/ mocktails, and other great things that will easily enhance the simplest meal. One of my favorites is making ice cubes using herbs, garlic, water, and olive oil or butter. Just throw a couple water-based cubes into a pot of soup or stew for added flavor or melt a couple of olive oil or butter cubes into a pan to sauté vegetables. In addition to these ice cubes, I’ll show you other ways to process your harvest.

I mentioned that my husband and I live in an in-law apartment inside a larger house, but I didn’t tell you that it measures about 770 square feet (71.5 square meters). So, no matter how large or small your home, even if you don’t have outdoor gardening space, you can fill your life with healthy herbs and spices that will enhance your wellness goals.

Even though our living space is small, we’re on a 1.25 acre (5000 square meters) plot of land. That may sound like a lot, however, most of it is deep shade, and the sunny part is over the septic field. That means I can’t dig to make an in-ground row garden. The good thing is many herbs need a lot less sunlight than most vegetables. My outdoor gardening space consists primarily of three 4' x 8' x 2' (122 x 244 x 61cm) raised beds—small as outdoor gardens go, but ample enough considering I use a combination of hügelkultur and the Square Foot Gardening™ method. You’ll learn more about different outdoor growing options in Chapter 5.

While we’re focusing on wellness, I’ll introduce you to my friend Michelle Gurrero Denison in Chapter 18. She’s an herbalist who will explain herbal actions from adaptogens to vulneraries. She’ll also tell us various ways to prepare our herbs like decoctions, infusions, extracts, oxymels, and more. Never heard of these? Don’t worry, she’s an awesome teacher.

Wellness is the daily act of practicing healthy habits to attain better physical and mental health outcomes. As you can see, this book is jam-packed with great information about herbs and spices for wellness. My wish for you is to have a joyful life filled with vim and vigor so that you’re not just surviving, you’re thriving!

Part 1

Getting Started

IN PART 1, WE’LL TALK ABOUT THE “WHYS” OF GROWING AS many of your own herbs and spices as possible. Coming up with your why will help motivate you to start a garden and keep you motivated even when things don’t always go right. As you read this chapter, I want you to think about your why(s)—really give it some thought. If you have trouble finding your reason for wanting to grow your own herbs, at the end of Chapter 1, I’ll go over some of the common whys as well as share mine.

There are many reasons to eat fresh and healthy herbs, whether that is for yourself, your family, or the planet.

CHAPTER 1

Benefits of Growing Your Herbs & Spices

You can, of course, purchase jars of dried—and even a few fresh—herbs and spices from the grocery store, but there are so many benefits for you and the planet by growing your own. Here are just a few.

Herb gardening is good for your heart.

Herbs can improve so many areas of your life, helping you enjoy it to the fullest!

Your Overall Wellness

There are so many reasons to grow your own herbs and spices, which apply to all aspects of gardening. But even the simple act of putting your hands in the soil on a bright, sunny day can improve your health. Seriously!

For a while now, I’ve seen articles touting soil microbes being as good as Prozac in treating depression. In a 2018 article by Lisa Marshall from the University of Colorado Boulder, titled “Why dirt might be nature’s original stress buster,” she introduces the decades of work by integrative physiology professor Christopher Lowry, who has studied the impact of beneficial microorganisms on mental health.

“It has already been very well documented that exposure to pets and rural environments during development is beneficial in terms of reducing risk of asthma and allergies later in life,” says Lowry.

“This study showed for the first time that these exposures are likely to be important for mental health.”

Have you ever heard the adage “a little dirt never hurt”? A multinational research team found that children living on farms in Germany had a much lower incident of allergies and asthma than those living in urban areas. They speculate that the beneficial microbes in soil are the key. The simple act of gardening and getting your hands dirty is important for mental health and wellness.

And the bright sunlight I mentioned? Healthy sun exposure for at least 10 minutes a day increases your vitamin D levels. This vitamin is important for regulating calcium and phosphates in your body, which in turn keeps your teeth, bones, and muscles healthy. It’s even more important to get sunlight in the winter, especially if you routinely suffer from seasonal affective disorder like I used to. While herbs do contain a variety of nutrients our bodies need, vitamin D is not one of them, so be sure to get outside on a sunny winter day.

A Sense of Accomplishment

Another benefit of growing herbs and spices—really any plant, edible or ornamental—is the satisfaction of accomplishing something. I sometimes joke that my superpower is growing “big food from tiny seeds.” It still amazes me every single time I drop a seed or put a transplant into soil, nurture it, and end up providing my family and myself with nutritious, organic food that costs less than I can get it for in the store.

Setting aside 10 percent of each open-pollinated or heirloom crop to save seeds is also very satisfying. It is powerful to be self-sufficient and know that I won’t have to buy seeds annually.

Each year I like to try new crops or new varieties of crops; while I don’t have to buy seeds, I just can’t resist the challenge of growing an unfamiliar thing, such as kohlrabi or a teeny variety of basil that grows in a small container.

If you garden, you fully understand how wonderful the sense of accomplishment when you grow and harvest from your garden. If you’re a brand-new gardener, just wait: you’ll soon understand.

Gardening Community

A couple years ago, I had a mishap with my seed refrigerator—I didn’t check to ensure I had closed it properly. A few weeks later, I was going to plant something and discovered that the ice in the little freezer compartment had melted and almost all my seed packets were wet, moldy, and stuck together. I was heartbroken.

I mentioned this on my social media and in the GardenComm Facebook private group. Garden Communicators International (GardenComm.org) is a great peer-to-peer organization for anyone who communicates for any aspect of the green community. Immediately, friends and strangers alike offered to send me seeds. The donations were about a third of what I originally had—it’s amazing how many seeds you can buy, barter, seed save, and swap in 12 years. While my seed collection still isn’t as robust as it once was, my heart overflows with love and gratitude each time I think about the kindness shown to me. Many of these people I’ve never met in person, but they have become dear friends and a wonderful support system. I hope you find the same support from a gardening community.

To all beginners, I want you to know that gardening can bring you ultimate joy. But remember, you can do everything perfectly, and you still might experience a disaster. Please know that this also happens to even the most experienced gardeners. The good thing is, in general, herbs are some of the simplest plants to grow.

Help to Your Budget

Have you ever gone to the grocery store and seen a tiny plastic container of fresh herbs for an outrageous price? Growing your own will save you so much money. In his book Square Foot Gardening High-Value Veggies (Cool Springs Press 2016), my friend and mentor Mel Bartholomew calculated all the inputs—seeds or transplants, soil amendments, and water over the growing season—and found the return on investment (ROI) for a square-foot yield of certain vegetables and herbs. (Why a square foot? Because Mel was the creator of the Square Foot Gardening™ method.) He found that your best ROI in the garden, in general, comes from growing herbs. Mel’s top herbs in order of ROI: thyme, rosemary, mint, chives, tarragon, basil, oregano, dill, sage, cilantro, Italian parsley, and curly parsley.

Just how much can you save? As I was writing this, my husband picked up a ⅔oz (19g) package of fresh herbs for $2.49—not even a whole plant. By contrast, a packet of seeds from MIGardener.com costs just $2.00 and you get between 50 and 1000 seeds for those herbs listed above. For less than the cost of a tiny, store-bought package of herbs, you can potentially get 50–1000 plants by growing your own! Even buying a single herb transplant will benefit your wallet over buying at the grocery store.

Help for the Earth

Not only are there personal benefits to growing your own herbs and spices, the act can have a positive impact on the earth.

PESTICIDE, HERBICIDE, FUNGICIDE AND FERTILIZER USE

Avoiding the use of conventional garden chemicals can help you in the long run if you’re growing herbs and other food organically. Without the use of synthetic chemicals found in conventional pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers, you’re keeping those chemicals out of your body. It’s great to have so much control over what and how to grow.

Growing organically not only keeps those chemicals out of us, but also out of our soil and our water system, which will help people, animals, birds, fish, beneficial insects, etc. When we garden organically and sustainably, we are being better stewards of the land.

REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS

Years ago, I spoke to a class of high school students in Maryland about vegetable gardening, buying local, and how our buying decisions affect our carbon footprint, which is basically our impact on the earth. I used a simple frozen chicken parmesan dinner as an example. A typical chicken parmesan recipe contains chicken breast, eggs, breadcrumbs, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and/or provolone cheese, flour, olive oil for frying, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, herbs, and spices.

We started by locating where each of the ingredients likely originated. Not just the ingredients, but we included the packaging materials that also had to be shipped from who knows where to the location the meals were assembled. Then there was the energy expended to prepare the food, store the finished meal, and eventually ship them from the facility.

We then tried to source most of the ingredients within a 100-mile radius of the school and cook the meal ourselves. Of course, there are plenty of meat-chicken and egg-chicken farms in Maryland, so that was simple, but we were surprised that we could also source fresh mozzarella just 72 miles from the school. We considered the cost of going from place to place, or for that local creamery to ship to a store near us, but it was still less expensive and much kinder to the earth than the frozen dinner. And healthier, too, with less sodium and fewer preservatives than is used in processing.

About the only thing we couldn’t easily access were some of the spices typically grown in tropical areas. But allowing those few ingredients to be the exception still reveals just how many elements can be found near home.

Let’s reduce food waste by growing our own herbs.

I hope you can see that when you make a conscious decision to grow at least some of your own herbs and vegetables. Cook fresh, whole foods at home often, and as much as possible, buy the ingredients you can’t harvest from your garden locally. This way, you can make an impact on our carbon footprint.

Stop Food Waste

Each year, Americans waste 108 billion pounds of food, which equals an unbelievable 40% of food in the country. Worldwide, one-third of food is wasted. Growing your own food can go a long way to lower your impact. That sense of accomplishment means you’re much more likely to use what you’ve grown. If you can’t use it, you’re proud to share it with friends and neighbors. Worst case, if your food does go bad, you can always put it into your compost pile, which will feed and nourish your garden. We gardeners are quite resourceful.

One of the biggest wastes I see is people buying herbs from the produce section of the grocery store. It’s tempting because the price is usually better than at a nursery. If you decide to buy these herbs, take a few minutes to learn how to properly take care of them so they’re not dead a few days after you bring them home.

1. Chose the healthiest plant you can find—not the biggest and certainly not the one with flowers.

2. Put them in a new container with the appropriate soil and give them the right amount of sun. Check the At-a-Glance Chart (page 61) for the right soil and light needs for each type of herb.

3. Prune the plants. When you harvest the herbs, it stimulates the plant to grow.

This is just one way to stop waste. Take a look at your grocery list and think about how else you can make a difference in what you buy and throw away.

What’s Your Why?

Have you found your “why” yet? My personal why is that I wanted to improve my health. Once I got serious about cutting back on processed foods and adding more herbs and spices into my life, I found I was experiencing less pain from my fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, and connective tissue disorder. In January 2023, I ran into someone I hadn’t seen since April 2022. She noticed there was more pep in my step and I’d even lost a little weight. I don’t think herbs necessarily caused my modest weight loss, but having less pain and more energy allowed me to be more active and thus lose weight.

Other whys I’ve heard from my students over the years:

“There are a limited number of plant varieties at the garden center—I want to grow unusual things like basils with different flavors and sages with gorgeous, variegated leaves.” Variegated means that a plant’s leaves have two or more different colors.

“I want to control what goes into my body—that’s why I’m choosing to grow using organic methods.”

“Fresh just tastes best. Even my dried herbs taste better than what I find in the store. Who knows how long those little shakers of herbs have been on the store shelf. Plus, they’re expensive.”

“There’s nothing better than seeing fresh herbs growing indoors on my windowsill during the bleak winter months—it’s like a mental boost.”

We’ll talk just a bit about indoor growing, but this isn’t really a book on how to garden. Indoor gardening has its own set of whys, including being able to garden no matter the weather, not being able to garden when you live in an apartment, or not being allowed to do edible gardening at your house because of Homeowners Association (HOA) restrictions.

Having one or two strong whys can be an important motivator for you to start and maintain your herb garden.

CHAPTER 2

Vocabulary—Are We on the Same Page?

Words can be imprecise, so before we begin, let’s go over a few terms to make sure we’re on the same page.

What do we mean when we say “herbs” or “spices”? It’s important to define terms rather than guessing.

Wellness vs. Medicine

This book does not claim that by using culinary herbs and spices it will magically cure your illnesses. My hope, and the goal of this book, is to improve your overall wellness, help your body prevent illness, and in turn help you enjoy your life even more.

The Pfizer corporation says, “Wellness is the act of practicing healthy habits on a daily basis to attain better physical and mental health outcomes, so that instead of just surviving, you’re thriving.” They go on to say, “Several key areas of your lifestyle are considered dimensions of overall Wellness. They include social connectedness, exercise, nutrition, sleep, and mindfulness. Each one has an impact on your physical and mental health. By making simple and healthy choices daily, you will be well on your way towards reducing stress, having positive social interactions, and achieving optimal wellness.”

On the other hand, the Cambridge Dictionary simply says about medicines that “medicinal substances are used to cure illness.”

Wellness is thriving—being the best you that you can be by adding or removing things in your life that hinder your body’s innate ability to prevent health problems or even heal.

Culinary vs. Medicinal

Please note that there is a lot of overlap here— medicinal herbs can oftentimes be used in cooking, and culinary herbs have medicinal constituents in them. Now let’s look at the difference between culinary and medicinal.

Culinary herbs can be a source of overall wellness.

I define an herb as a plant where the leaves are primarily used for flavor; a spice is made from everything else (roots, seeds, bark).

I like the description from the University of Nevada, Reno, for culinary herbs: “Culinary herbs are the aromatic, fresh, dried, or processed leaves and flowers of herbaceous plants that enhance the flavor and fragrance of food. There are literally hundreds of plants that can be grown for this purpose, and there are no steadfast rules that must be applied when cooking with herbs. Both plate and palate can be diversified with the subtle culinary flavorings and delicious teas that are made from herbs.”

For the definition of medicinal herbs, I checked with the National Institutes of Health: “A medicinal plant is any plant which, in one or more of its organs, contains substances that can be used for therapeutic purposes or which are precursors for the synthesis of useful drugs. This description makes it possible to distinguish between medicinal plants whose therapeutic properties and constituents have been established scientifically, and plants that are regarded as medicinal but which have not yet been subjected to a thorough scientific study.”

Herbs vs. Spices

What’s the difference between an herb and a spice? It depends on who you ask and what you choose to believe.

Some sources say that if the primary part of the plant used is its leaves, it’s an herb, and a spice refers to other parts of the plant, such as the bark, seeds, or roots. Another definition is that an herb is the fresh leaves, seeds, and flowers used as a flavoring for food that is not the main part of the dish, whereas spices are dried, may also contain the roots and bark, and are also used as flavoring but not the main part of the dish.

Neither of these definitions seem completely accurate to me. I tend to favor the first definition about the leaves being an herb and the rest of the plant being a spice. To me things like oregano, thyme, and basil, grown for their leaves, should be considered herbs, but the second definition would consider them as spices when the same leaves have been dried.

Why is it Important to Know the Botanical Name?

Here’s just one example: There are hundreds of types of salvia, but only a few are edible. Usually, if the salvia is edible, it’s called sage (Salvia officinalis) in the US. While nonedible salvias are not poisonous, they often taste bad. Sometimes, something called sage isn’t really a sage at all. Although its common name is Russian sage, you can tell by the botanical name, Perovskia atriplicifolia, that it is not a sage. It is not edible. On the other hand, Artemisia tridentata, whose common name is sagebrush, is also not a salvia. There’s great debate whether sagebrush is edible. In high doses, and eaten frequently, the oils can be toxic to the liver, so I’d steer clear unless you know what you’re doing.

Sage (Salvia officinalis)

Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)

Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata)

We’re not even going to address the botanical definition, since in that case a banana tree is technically an herb, and things we call spices like cumin, turmeric, and cardamom come from plants that are botanically herbs. And please don’t get me started on garlic, which is technically a vegetable even though it’s not the main part of a dish and can be used either fresh or dried.

However you choose to classify them, these healthy flavor powerhouses are usually simple to grow, don’t require the best soil, and don’t mind a little neglect. Most of them are also a great option if you don’t have a lot of light available.

Common vs. Botanical Names

Let’s take the quintessential sandwich served on a long roll. Do you call it a sub/submarine, hoagie, grinder, hero, torpedo, po’boy, wedge, or something else? These are examples of “common names” that are influenced by your native language, culture, and geographical region. The same is true with plants.

My herbalist friend Michelle Gurrero Denison shared with me the different common names for what I know as lemon balm that have been influenced by geographical region: balm, melissa, sweet balm, balm mint, heart’s delight. Another common name for lemon balm is bee balm, but Michelle points out that bee balm is also the common name of a type of plant from the genus Monarda, which is a completely different family of plants. Can you see how confusing, and potentially dangerous, this can be?

Every species of plant has its own unique botanical name (aka scientific name, Latin name, and binomial) that it receives when it is first discovered. The benefit of these standardized names is that they are accepted by scientists no matter what language they speak or where they are in the world. The scientific name of lemon balm is Melissa officinalis.

The botanical name is a two-part name (binomial) made up of the plant’s genus and species epithet. You’ll notice that it’s usually written with the first word capitalized, the second not, and is traditionally italicized.

Occasionally, as scientists find more information about a plant, the botanical name may change to correct an error or to provide a better description. If the species epithet is “officinalis” it usually indicates that the plant has medicinal properties.

When buying plants in person or online, knowing the botanical name ensures you get exactly what you want. Our chickens adore pineapple sage (Salvia elegans), but “the ladies” virtually ignore Salvia officinalis, which is common sage. I once ordered a tea camellia (Camellia sinensis) but received a Camellia japonica. It’s okay to make tea with japonica, but it doesn’t quite taste the same and wasn’t what I wanted or ordered.

To save time at the garden center, write down the exact type you want before heading out the door. When you get to the center, if an employee doesn’t know, they can look in the computer to see if they have exactly what you want.

Part 2

What to Know Before You Grow

IF YOU’RE A BEGINNING GARDENER, THIS SECTION WILL teach you so much about the basics of gardening using a handy garden primer. If you’re a novice or experienced gardener, skim through and I’m sure you’ll pick up a few handy tidbits. We’ll explore different indoor and outdoor gardening methods and even get a homemade growing medium recipe from a soil expert.

Even experienced gardeners need a refresher every now and again.

CHAPTER 3

A Gardening Primer

There’s quite a bit to learn before you select seeds or buy transplants. We’ll touch on plant life cycles, microclimates, hardiness zones, frost dates, and how to protect your valuable herbs. This will not only help you with your herb garden but will be especially valuable if you also grow vegetables and small fruits like strawberries. Even if you’re an intermediate or advanced gardener, you might just find some nuggets here that will help you hone your gardening skills.

Some of these details won’t be pertinent if you’re only growing indoors; with indoor gardening you completely control the environment.

There’s a lot to learn when starting a garden.

How Long Will My Plants Live?

Different plants have different life cycles, and it’s important to know what to expect from each plant you grow. I teach vegetable and herb gardening classes, and I can’t tell you how many panicked emails, messages, and phone calls I’ve received saying something like, “Honest! I took good care of my cilantro. But it wilted and died!”

I must explain that this was perfectly normal because cilantro is an annual plant, and a short-lived one at that. If you started it from seed, either indoors or out, and set out a small transplant, after only 6–8 weeks of growing well, it will send up a thick central stem and the leaves on this stalk will sometimes look different than the regular leaves. You may notice that at this point the regular leaves will start to taste bitter. When the central stem appears, soon small white flowers will begin to appear. Then hard brown seed clusters will form before the life cycle ends. Lucky for us, cilantro seeds are the spice we call coriander, and the seeds can be planted next year.

Let’s look at the three main life cycles of plants, not just herbs, and a few variants:

ANNUAL PLANTS

These only live for a short time—a single growing season. They grow, flower, produce seeds, then die. They must be replanted every year (annually). Some of the most popular annual herbs are basil, cilantro, dill, and marjoram.

It can be confusing if you know a plant is an annual, but you see them pop up in the same place the next year. This is probably because they are self-seeding. A few examples of self-seeding herbs are borage, cilantro, dill, and fennel. They don’t always germinate, but if you provide the area with water even after the main plant dies, you just might be in for a treat.

Annual plants are further divided into subcategories based on their cold tolerance.

Hardy annuals will be the most tolerant and can take light frost and even a brief period of a freeze. They may even seem like they’re about to die when the hot summer weather comes but will usually bounce back when the weather cools again.

Half-hardy annuals can usually take cooler soils and modestly cool air temperatures but will be damaged by anything more than a brief, light frost.

Tender annuals originate in warmer, tropical regions and will not tolerate colder soil temperatures or frosts.

Plants have different life cycles, and those life cycle can be different depending on where you live.

PERENNIAL PLANTS

Some perennials may keep their leaves all year long and are called evergreens. Others might die back all the way to the ground and appear to be lifeless, but as soon as the weather starts to warm up, they come back to life. Perennials have different lifespans, but generally live for three years or longer. Some perennial herbs are chives, lavender, mint, oregano, and rosemary.

Like annuals, perennials have different categories.

Hardy perennials can survive in freezing temperatures. Some may be evergreen and keep their leaves year-round, but some may look dead. If kept moist, they’ll spring back to life quickly when the weather is more temperate.

Half-hardy and tender perennials are relative terms that are dependent on where you live (which zone you’re in). If you live in the US South, some tomatoes and peppers are perennials. Move a bit farther north, and if you create a microclimate, which we’ll talk about in the next section, those same tomatoes and peppers might live. Grow those varieties way up North, and you might get more time with them if you dig them up and bring them indoors. In most cases, half-hardy and tender perennials are best treated as annuals.

There are some plants whose life cycles are determined by where they’re grown. For instance, bay laurel is called a tender perennial because it comfortably survives the winter in hardiness zones 8–10 but not much farther north than that. I’ll explain the benefit of knowing your hardiness zone, and what it means when you’re deciding where to put certain plants, later in this chapter.

BIENNIAL PLANTS

In between annuals and perennials, there are biennials. These plants grow through the spring, summer, and/or fall and go dormant during the winter months. Biennials do not flower or produce seeds in that first season or year but will come back to life the following spring. Examples of biennial herbs are parsley and stevia. If you don’t want to save seeds from these crops, you can just harvest them and pull the entire plant out in the fall. I usually sacrifice my parsley because it is a host plant for the black swallowtail caterpillars; I love watching them become beautiful butterflies.

Microclimates—You Can Fool Mother Nature

If you were around in the 1970s, you might remember the Chiffon margarine commercial that said, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” Microclimates are a way we can fool Mother Nature, but I like to think that instead of being angry, she would be pleased that we’re doing what we can to save her precious plants. After all, she creates microclimates herself.

Let’s look at the bay laurel. By using a microclimate, I’ve kept mine alive for several years outdoors in Zone 7a where they would die if not somehow protected. You can take advantage of natural microclimates or make one of your own if needed.

NATURAL