Summer Herbal Tips

I buy basil at farmers markets or from Trader Joe’s with the longest stems I can find. I fill a glass with water and put the bunch of basil in it, then put it on my kitchen window sill where it gives a fragrance of basil and is handy for putting in special dishes or salads.  Sometimes the basil even starts growing, and I’ve kept it for as long as two months before it wilts.  You can also clip other favorite herbs and try the basil in water method or let them dry by hanging them. 

Lavender sprigs can be found at farmers markets now and are wonderful air fresheners. If they start to shed you can rub the blossoms off the stalks and put them in a bowl or fill silk pouches or small plastic baggies punched with holes to put in drawers. If you have lavender bushes, be sure to cut the flowers when the buds come out. Trimming  increases  next season’s flower yield. KJ
From Seasons of the Soul 2004