Fresh Herbs

Quoted message said:

Steve YATES asks:

But my Q is, how best to keep

Quoted message said:

the herbs . It's too late for the Basil, that is already
black, mint is going same way and lime leaves are
starting to curl.

It won't be a problem once summer (eventually) arrives as
basil, mint and hopefully lemongrass all flourish in garden
but how can you keep shop bought herbs ?

Fresh herbs are perishable, not meant to be stored more than
a few days... simplest approach is to only buy what you
intend to use within that few days window. Perhaps you can
cook more.

---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =--- ---= Move UNITED
NATIONS To Paris =--- Sheldon ```````````` "Life would be
devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

Steve YATES said:

It won't be a problem once summer (eventually) arrives as
basil, mint and hopefully lemongrass all flourish in
garden but how can you keep shop bought herbs ?

My favorite is to wash, drain, wrap in paper towel to keep a
few days. Otherwise freeze coarsely chopped in water in
icecube trays, then into plastic freezer containers for
longer storage. If presentation isn't an issue, the taste is
very nice and fresh. I made pesto today from last fall's
basil and it tastes great. I also freeze fronds of herbs for
pickle making on a cooking sheet and then place in plastic
bags in freezer. I've given up trying to preserve green
onions tho. Now I just eat a few and plant a few. I can buy
radishes by the each, why not green onions? Edrena

Steve YATES said:

Am just getting into Thai cooking and so went off to an
Asian supermarket that is 15kms from office (60 from
home) to get ingredients. Cam back with basil, mint, lime
leaves and lemongrass and had reasonable success with
first attempts at cooking. But my Q is, how best to keep
the herbs . It's too late for the Basil, that is already
black, mint is going same way and lime leaves are
starting to curl.

The lemongrass can be bought peeled, chopped and frozen.
It's much more consistent than the fresh stalks you'd buy in
the store. 12oz for $2 is a great deal. You can tie it in
cheesecloth or a use a tea-ball if you don't want it
floating around in a soup.

Basil and mint I'd chop off the last 1/4" of the stem end
and keep in a shallow glass of water in the fridge.
Wrapped in damp papertowles in a plastic bag they'll last
a while as well.

Lime leaves can be kept frozen until ready to use. Don't
keep thawing and refreezing or they'll turn to mush.

-sw

Steve YATES <[email hidden]> deliciously posted in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Am just getting into Thai cooking and so went off to an
Asian supermarket that is 15kms from office (60 from home)
to get ingredients. Cam back with basil, mint, lime leaves
and lemongrass and had reasonable success with first
attempts at cooking. But my Q is, how best to keep the
herbs . It's too late for the Basil, that is already
black, mint is going same way and lime leaves are starting
to curl.

It won't be a problem once summer (eventually) arrives as
basil, mint and hopefully lemongrass all flourish in
garden but how can you keep shop bought herbs ?

S

You *really* don't want to plant mint in your garden. It is
very invasive.

Michael
--
Deathbed statement...

"Codeine . . . bourbon." ~~Tallulah Bankhead, actress, d.
December 12, 1968

Luckily I have 3000 m2 of garden for it to try and take over
! However so far the nettles keep it down.

Am worried about the lemongrass plants that I put in
last weekend, from what I read on various websites, that
is also something that spreads. However same sites also
said that cats like the small/taste so have put the
plants in separate beds hoping that the cats will miss
at least one !

S

Dog3 said:

Steve YATES <[email hidden]> deliciously posted in -"]news:[email hidden]-
berlin.de:

Quoted message said:

Am just getting into Thai cooking and so went off to an
Asian supermarket that is 15kms from office (60 from home)
to get ingredients. Cam back with basil, mint, lime leaves
and lemongrass and had reasonable success with first
attempts at cooking. But my Q is, how best to keep the
herbs . It's too late for the Basil, that is already
black, mint is going same way and lime leaves are starting
to curl.

It won't be a problem once summer (eventually) arrives as
basil, mint and hopefully lemongrass all flourish in
garden but how can you keep shop bought herbs ?

S

You *really* don't want to plant mint in your garden. It
is very invasive.

Michael

Steve YATES <[email hidden]> deliciously posted in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Luckily I have 3000 m2 of garden for it to try and take
over ! However so far the nettles keep it down.

Am worried about the lemongrass plants that I put in
last weekend, from what I read on various websites, that
is also something that spreads. However same sites also
said that cats like the small/taste so have put the
plants in separate beds hoping that the cats will miss
at least one !

S

I don't have any experience with lemon grass in the
garden. I just buy it as needed. Lemon balm smells nice
but it is also invasive. I don't have enough room. I grow
mint in a pot and it still sneaks into the flower beds. My
cat likes any type of grassy plant, including the palms
indoors. She'll pass up the catnip and graze on a palm
tree. Go figure.

Michael
--
Deathbed statement...

"Codeine . . . bourbon." ~~Tallulah Bankhead, actress, d.
December 12, 1968

In article <[email hidden]>,

Steve YATES said:

Am just getting into Thai cooking and so went off to an
Asian supermarket that is 15kms from office (60 from home)
to get ingredients. Cam back with basil, mint, lime leaves
and lemongrass and had reasonable success with first
attempts at cooking. But my Q is, how best to keep the
herbs . It's too late for the Basil, that is already
black, mint is going same way and lime leaves are starting
to curl.

It won't be a problem once summer (eventually) arrives as
basil, mint and hopefully lemongrass all flourish in
garden but how can you keep shop bought herbs ?

S

Freeze them inside Ice Cubes, then bag them.

Either that or dry them, but that's just not the same....

K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

"There are many intelligent species in the universe, and
they are all owned by cats! -- Asimov

Quoted message said:

,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

cgi6.ebay.comeBayISAPI.dllOpen ↗
&include=0&userid=katra

In article <[email hidden]>,

The Joneses said:

Steve YATES said:

It won't be a problem once summer (eventually) arrives
as basil, mint and hopefully lemongrass all flourish in
garden but how can you keep shop bought herbs ?

My favorite is to wash, drain, wrap in paper towel to keep
a few days. Otherwise freeze coarsely chopped in water in
icecube trays, then into plastic freezer containers for
longer storage. If presentation isn't an issue, the taste
is very nice and fresh. I made pesto today from last
fall's basil and it tastes great. I also freeze fronds of
herbs for pickle making on a cooking sheet and then place
in plastic bags in freezer. I've given up trying to
preserve green onions tho. Now I just eat a few and plant
a few. I can buy radishes by the each, why not green
onions? Edrena

Green onions can just be served as a veggie by
themselves. ;-)

While I usually mince them as a flavoring, you can also just
cut them in about 4" long sections and steam them, then
serve with lemon butter.

They are delicious that way! I never waste those.

Do they do well planted? I'd like to get some going as my
"wild" onions do so well here. I have a couple of nice
patches of Texas wild onions. Those are delicious if
harvested before they bloom.

K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

"There are many intelligent species in the universe, and
they are all owned by cats! -- Asimov

Quoted message said:

,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

cgi6.ebay.comeBayISAPI.dllOpen ↗
&include=0&userid=katra

Steve YATES said:

Am worried about the lemongrass plants that I put in
last weekend, from what I read on various websites, that
is also something that spreads. However same sites also
said that cats like the small/taste so have put the
plants in separate beds hoping that the cats will miss
at least one !

I saw lemongrass today, it reminded me uncomfortably of
bamboo. To say it's invasive might be a massive
understatement. Stuff like that you plant in a pot, as in
bury the pot so the roots don't go sqirreling around and
taking over your property. Same with mint.

nancy

"Steve YATES" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Am just getting into Thai cooking and so went off to an
Asian supermarket that is 15kms from office (60 from home)
to get ingredients. Cam back with basil, mint, lime leaves
and lemongrass and had reasonable success with first
attempts at cooking. But my Q is, how best to keep the
herbs . It's too late for the Basil, that is already
black, mint is going same way and lime leaves are starting
to curl.

It won't be a problem once summer (eventually) arrives as
basil, mint and hopefully lemongrass all flourish in
garden but how can you keep shop bought herbs ?

S

When purchasing hergs like basil, see if you can buy them
with the roots still on them. Then place it into a flower
vase with a bit of water and put on the counter. It should
keep for a couple of days, but will eventually turn black.
You may wish to start cuttings indoors now and transplant to
the garden when the weather is warmer.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Dog3 dognospam@adjfkdla;not said:

Steve YATES <[email hidden]> deliciously posted in -"]news:[email hidden]-
berlin.de:

Quoted message said:

Am just getting into Thai cooking and so went off to an
Asian supermarket that is 15kms from office (60 from
home) to get ingredients. Cam back with basil, mint,
lime leaves and lemongrass and had reasonable success
with first attempts at cooking. But my Q is, how best to
keep the herbs . It's too late for the Basil, that is
already black, mint is going same way and lime leaves
are starting to curl.

It won't be a problem once summer (eventually) arrives
as basil, mint and hopefully lemongrass all flourish in
garden but how can you keep shop bought herbs ?

S

You *really* don't want to plant mint in your garden. It
is very invasive.

Michael

Or you can plant it in a place where you don't care if it
takes over. ;-) I used to have a mint patch in the rose
garden. It did well there, until I got my BC. She trampled
it all to death! <sigh> I'm planning on just planting more
in a very large pot now..... It does fine as a container
plant. Partial shade to full sun, lots of water.

K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

"There are many intelligent species in the universe, and
they are all owned by cats! -- Asimov

Quoted message said:

,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

cgi6.ebay.comeBayISAPI.dllOpen ↗
&include=0&userid=katra

Nancy Young said:

Steve YATES said:

Am worried about the lemongrass plants that I put in
last weekend, from what I read on various websites,
that is also something that spreads. However same sites
also said that cats like the small/taste so have put
the plants in separate beds hoping that the cats will
miss at least one !

I saw lemongrass today, it reminded me uncomfortably of
bamboo. To say it's invasive might be a massive
understatement. Stuff like that you plant in a pot, as in
bury the pot so the roots don't go sqirreling around and
taking over your property. Same with mint.

nancy

I grow it in pots, as it will not overwinter where I live,
but I have never heard it said to be an invasive plant. In
fact, it is recommended that the clumps be divided every 2-3
years and that is the main means of propagation. It is not
easy to grow from seed - believe me, I have tried several
times with minimal success.

See Gernot Katzer's pages about lemon grass for more general
information. Mr. Katzer is worth a bookmark in any cook or
gardener's browser. His pages are full of information and
wonderful pictures of herbs and spices.

He also provides links on the page about lemon grass which
may also prove interesting. www-www-Open ↗
ang.kfunigraz.ac.at/~katzer/engl/

boron

Boron Elgar said:

Nancy Young said:

Steve YATES said:

Am worried about the lemongrass plants that I put in
last weekend, from what I read on various websites,
that is also something that spreads.

I saw lemongrass today, it reminded me uncomfortably of
bamboo. To say it's invasive might be a massive
understatement. Stuff like that you plant in a pot, as in
bury the pot so the roots don't go sqirreling around and
taking over your property. Same with mint. nancy

I grow it in pots, as it will not overwinter where I live,
but I have never heard it said to be an invasive plant. In
fact, it is

See Gernot Katzer's pages about lemon grass for more
general information. Mr. Katzer is worth a bookmark in any
cook or gardener's browser. His pages are full of
information and wonderful pictures of herbs and spices. He
also provides links on the page about lemon grass which
may also prove interesting. www-www-Open ↗
ang.kfunigraz.ac.at/~katzer/engl/ boron

I was given some clumps of "Arizona" or "Navajo" lemongrass.
It is not at all tender like the nursery plants were and
thrives in the alkaline soil and blowtorch sun we get. I can
actually root out any invasive mints from my beds but have
started mints this year in a very shady tree spot that won't
grow anything else and also between some paving stones,
it'll be nice to step on. Edrena

On Sun, 28 Mar 2004 21:51:30 GMT, The Joneses <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Boron Elgar said:

Nancy Young said:

Steve YATES wrote:
> Am worried about the lemongrass plants that I put in
> last weekend, from what I read on various websites,
> that is also something that spreads.
I saw lemongrass today, it reminded me uncomfortably of
bamboo. To say it's invasive might be a massive
understatement. Stuff like that you plant in a pot, as
in bury the pot so the roots don't go sqirreling around
and taking over your property. Same with mint. nancy

I grow it in pots, as it will not overwinter where I
live, but I have never heard it said to be an invasive
plant. In fact, it is

See Gernot Katzer's pages about lemon grass for more
general information. Mr. Katzer is worth a bookmark in
any cook or gardener's browser. His pages are full of
information and wonderful pictures of herbs and spices.
He also provides links on the page about lemon grass
which may also prove interesting. www-www-Open ↗
ang.kfunigraz.ac.at/~katzer/engl/ boron

I was given some clumps of "Arizona" or "Navajo"
lemongrass. It is not at all tender like the nursery plants
were and thrives in the alkaline soil and blowtorch sun we
get. I can actually root out any invasive mints from my
beds but have started mints this year in a very shady tree
spot that won't grow anything else and also between some
paving stones, it'll be nice to step on. Edrena

Do you have any other details about it? I cannot find any
botanical listings for "Arizona" or "Navajo" lemon grass
on the net.

Mints are a wholly different different plant family -
Lamiaceae - while lemon grass is Poaceae.

boron

"Kswck" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Steve YATES" <[email hidden]> wrote in message -"]news:[email hidden]-
berlin.de...

Quoted message said:

Am just getting into Thai cooking and so went off to an
Asian supermarket that is 15kms from office (60 from
home) to get ingredients. Cam back with basil, mint,
lime leaves and lemongrass and had reasonable success
with first attempts at cooking. But my Q is, how best to
keep the herbs . It's too late for the Basil, that is
already black, mint is going same way and lime leaves
are starting to curl.

It won't be a problem once summer (eventually) arrives
as basil, mint and hopefully lemongrass all flourish in
garden but how can you keep shop bought herbs ?

Lemongrass? I would love to plant and have never seen it
available in nurseries - I don't mind the invasive bit - and
have tons of mint and don't mind at all. Would it grow in
Maine - or southwest N.B. Canada.

Thanks,
E.

Boron Elgar said:

Quoted message said:

I was given some clumps of "Arizona" or "Navajo"
lemongrass. It is not at all tender like the nursery
plants were and thrives in the alkaline soil and
blowtorch sun we get. I can actually root out any
invasive mints from my beds but have started mints this
year in a very shady tree spot that won't grow anything
else and also between some paving stones, it'll be nice
to step on. Edrena

Do you have any other details about it? I cannot find any
botanical listings for "Arizona" or "Navajo" lemon grass
on the net.

Mints are a wholly different different plant family -
Lamiaceae - while lemon grass is Poaceae.

boron

Will try to find out from the Native American lady who
gave me the lemongrass.

As to the species thing, I guess I should doublespace my
paragraphs or something. I didn't figger anybody could mix
those two things up. Edrena

On Sun, 28 Mar 2004 23:56:37 GMT, The Joneses <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Boron Elgar said:

Quoted message said:

I was given some clumps of "Arizona" or "Navajo"
lemongrass. It is not at all tender like the nursery
plants were and thrives in the alkaline soil and
blowtorch sun we get. I can actually root out any
invasive mints from my beds but have started mints this
year in a very shady tree spot that won't grow anything
else and also between some paving stones, it'll be nice
to step on. Edrena

Do you have any other details about it? I cannot find any
botanical listings for "Arizona" or "Navajo" lemon grass
on the net.

Mints are a wholly different different plant family -
Lamiaceae - while lemon grass is Poaceae.

boron

Will try to find out from the Native American lady who
gave me the lemongrass.

As to the species thing, I guess I should doublespace my
paragraphs or something. I didn't figger anybody could
mix those two things up. Edrena

Ahhhh...it all makes more sense now. Thanks.

Boron

On Sun, 28 Mar 2004 21:51:30 GMT, The Joneses <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

. I can actually root out any invasive mints from my beds
but have started mints this year in a very shady tree
spot that won't grow anything else and also between some
paving stones, it'll be nice to step on. Edrena

brute.

your pal, blake

blake murphy said:

The Joneses said:

. I can actually root out any invasive mints from my beds
but have started mints this year in a very shady tree
spot that won't grow anything else and also between
some paving stones, it'll be nice to step on. Edrena

brute.

Not. Clumsy, yes. I've heard of whole lawns of chamomile
tho. I can't imagine that one. Your pal-ette, Edrena