Grow Radish

Radishes are the vegetables that spring-starved fanatics get out and plant because they’re early and quick-you might have the first ones to eat as soon as 3 weeks after planting.

Children love to grow these brassica roots, because they grow so easily in a pot or outdoors. The quick red globe kinds are the most commonly grown, often to mark the rows of slower-germinating plants like carrots.
Or you can plant them with parsnips or parsley; the robust radish sprouts help those frailer creatures break through the soil’s crust. All parts of the radish are edible (but the leaves aren’t usually eaten), and there’s much you can do with them

VARIETIES

Raphanus sativus is your basic radish, but there are many different varieties (red, white, yellow) with maturing dates ranging from 20 to 60 days. (Horseradish is not a radish.) The red radishes don’t usually do as well once the days get short, but there are winter varieties that can be planted in the fall. Some radish varieties look and are used rather like turnips.
One almost rootless variety is grown for its green top, which is used in salad, and one is grown for its seed pods! Every major Asian country developed its own favorite radish variety centuries ago, and Asians include radishes in their daily diet much more than we do. Available from Bountiful Gardens, Cook’s Garden, Kitazawa (winters!), Nichols, Park, Shumway, and Territorial.
Red Radishes. The short “cherry” radish is the most familiar one in the United States: red skin, white flesh, green leaves, cherry-sized, quite hot. These are fast and easy, best for container growing. Use sliced (not peeled) in salads or as raw, edible garnishes.
You can also boil them or add them to soup, as you would carrots. There are also long, red varieties. Use them raw like the small ones, or roast with meat, as you would turnips, or chop and saute them together with other vegetables.
White or “Winter” Radishes. These close relatives of thereds are generally larger, milder in flavor, harder to grow, and longer to mature. They also stay crisp longer-several weeks instead of several days. Icicle, a 4-inch white, is the quickest-to-mature long white; it straddles the categories of red and white.
The other whites are the true “winter radishes,” so called because they are often planted in midor late summer, harvested in fall, and stored during winter in damp sand. Winter radishes taste better cooked than the summer ones do. One of the best winter radishes is daikon.

Daikon. This is a very large (2-4 inches across, 6-20 inches long), white, Asian radish variety (Raphanus sativus longi pinnatus.) With its peppery taste (milder than the reds), it is the most popular Japanese vegetable, a fixture in Japanese cuisine.
But writer Lane Morgan and some other folks say that daikon has a problem in the United States because it’s so attractive to the cabbage-root-maggot butterfly. Plant in late summer (1 inch deep). They take a long time. Seeds are available from Cook’s Garden, Johnny’s, and Kitazawa.
Harvest, store, and cook like any root vegetable. Daikon contains diastase, a starch-digesting enzyme, so it goes well with a heavy-starch meal. Daikon leaves can be substituted in any cooked greens recipe. In Japanese edible art, daikon is carved into shapes such as a rectangular fishnet made of one continuous peeling of the daikon that is then laid over seafood dishes.
The Japanese serve grated or slivered daikon with raw fish on rice (sushi) and with rice in general. Daikon can also be slivered and made into Instant Pickles. Or substitute in regular pickle recipes. Or use raw slices in green salad, stirfry, or cook in soup.
Sakurajima. It takes 70 days to mature and needs as much room to grow as does a tomato plant. I’ve heard that a single specimen can get to 10, 20, or even 50 lb. in size. This variety is not eaten raw because it is extremely hot. Cook it turnip-style. Plant seeds 2 feet apart.
Lobak. This is a Korean radish, spicy rather than mild. It’s white, with some pale green shading at base. It’s as wide as a potato and is 6-8 inches long. You can cut into strips and serve with a dip, or use in the famous Korean relish called kim chee.
It’s good chopped into an omelet, sauteed as a side dish with carrots and onions, sliced in an avocado salad, or cooked in a soup.

Black Radishes. There is a Chinese black radish and a Black Spanish one. Some black radishes look like daikon (7-8 inches in length, 2 -3 inches in diameter). Some are turnip-shaped. The black ones are also “winter radishes,” so plant them like winter radishes and cook like turnips. Seed is available from William Dam.
Rat-Tail Radish. This “podding radish” is raised in order to harvest the long (9 inches or more!) seed pods, which develop late in the season. This is a very uncommon but fascinating- looking variety of radish. The seed pods are long and beanlike, but they are wide at one end and dwindle to a tip at the other. Rat-tail radishes are grown just like other radishes. Harvest after only a few weeks, while still tender.
Use like edible-podded peas, or stir-fry or pickle them. The taste is moderately hot, like other radishes.

Grow Cucumbers

Cucumis sativus, the cucumber genus (of which citron is a member), is easy to grow if you have a warm summer and can avoid insect and disease problems. Before World War II, especially in the South, people had simply given up trying to grow cucumbers because they suffered so from diseases.

Then seed companies came out with disease-resistant hybrids that solved most problems-except the cucumber beetle. As with tomatoes, there are a jillion varieties: the familiar green salad cuke, various thin-skinned pickling kinds, little yellow-colored “lemon” cucumbers, long crooked ones from Asia, the Japanese “kyuri” (which they use unpeeled), citron, and so on.
CITRON: Citron looks like a small, round watermelon but is solid clean through, with uniformly green flesh and green seed. (Don’t confuse it with the citrus fruit that resembles a large lemon and is also called citron.) Citron is eaten only pickled, preserved in sugar syrup, or candied. You can substitute citron-melon preserves for store-bought citron in fruit cakes, plum puddings, and mincemeat.
LEMON CUCUMBERS: This round, tennis-ball-sized fruit may have a few spines on the skin; just rub them off. Otherwise it’s just another cuke.

Planting and Growing

WHEN TO PLANT: Cucumbers are less hardy than winter squashes but are more hardy than melons. Wait to plant or transplant into the garden until the weather is truly warm, after the corn, at the same time that you would plant watermelon-about a week after your last frost date. (A frost would be the end for them.)
In a very hot climate like that of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, an early spring planting (February or March) and a late summer one do best. Cucumbers like a warm summer and lots of sunshine.
HOW TO PLANT: Cucumbers need well-manured, welltilled ground and plenty of water all through their growing season. We plant from seed directly in the garden around June 1, which is when we can start to trust the weather to be and stay warm here.
Cucumbers are only 55 to 65 days to maturity, so a late start still gives you time for a good crop if you have a reasonably long growing season. It’s possible to transplant cucumbers, but it’s a little risky because they don’t do well if their root system is disturbed.
So if you start them inside, do so using a system that lets you set them out in the garden in the same block of dirt in which they grew inside-little peat pots, for instance. Or plant in the garden under paper or plastic, which gives you a little extra safety as the weather is warming up.
Most people plant them in hills, 4 to 5 feet apart each way, 1 inch deep. Allow 7 to 10 days for germination, about 75 days to maturity. If you want to plant cucumbers in rows instead of hills, make the rows about 7 feet apart, and thin the plants to 12 to 18 inches apart in the row
CONTAINER AND TRELLIS GROWING: Cucumbers do exceptionally well in containers, and they produce for city dwellers even in rooftop gardens. You can fit 3 bush cucumber plants into a container the size of half a whiskey
barrel. Provide at least 3 gal. soil per plant, at least 1 foot deep, plants at least 6 inches apart. In the garden, you can
crowd them more if you give the vines something to climb up. Lane Morgan says she usually uses trellises with hers “to save space and make life harder for the slugs.”

THINNING AND WEEDING: In hills, thin to about 4 plants per hill if you have well-composted or manured soil,
less if you don’t. But don’t thin until the plants are at least 3 weeks old, because they have a high fatality rate and you may end up with too few. Weeding in your cucumber patch can be done thoroughly and with a rototiller while the little plants are at home on cucumber hill. But when they start “running,” as it’s called, with long, leafy stems covering the ground every which way that’s the end of the cultivating. You can still weed by hand, though.
WATERING: Cucumbers need plenty to drink, especially after they start making cucumbers. A cucumber is 95 percent water, which has to come from somewhere. Figure on a deep watering at least once a week. You don’t have to water every piece of ground the running vine is covering.
If you’re short of water, concentrate it near the hill where the primary roots are. Once the cucumber vines start bearing fruit, as long as you keep watering, they will keep bearing cucumbers until the frost kills them. A few vines can produce a lot of cucumbers before the summer is over.
But if you let your vines dry out badly, the cucumbers will taste so bitter that you won’t be able to eat them, and even the very little ones that have experienced such a drought will grow up with that bitter taste. So if they do dry out badly, it’s a good idea to pick off all the cucumbers, water the plant well, and let it start from scratch again.
BEETLES AND DISEASES: Cucumber beetles do their damage while the plant is young, before it starts to run. They attack the lower part of the stem and the underside of the leaves. Commercial farmers generally have more trouble with them than do home gardeners. It doesn’t take a whole lot of cucumber plants to give your family a good supply.
If you live in cucumber-beetle country, you can protect the little plants by covering them with frames over which you have stretched fly screen or mosquito netting-wooden box-type frames set into the dirt, for instance, or wire frames with the edges of the netting held down by covering with dirt.
When the plants have grown big enough to hold their own, you can store away the whole rigging for use next year. It helps control diseases if you destroy the old vines and cucumbers by burning at the end of each year and don’t plant cucumbers in the same place in your garden 2 years in a row.

If you’ve never grown cucumbers before, the best way to find out what problems you will face is to simply plant some and see what happens.

Harvesting

Keep picking to keep your vines producing. Pick cukes while they’re green and small for the best taste. Pick according to the size of cucumber that your recipe calls for. In general, 3-9 inches long is about right. You can actually pickle or eat any size, but cucumbers that are getting yellow and seedy are not nearly as tasty.
All you have to do once the cucumbers are big enough to suit you is gently pluck them off the vine and carry them into the house. Store extras in the refrigerator while you’re figuring out what to do with them.
Very young, tender cucumbers can be used peel and all. “Midgets” are those up to 3 inches. They go into your midget crock-a glass gallon jar will do. “Dills” are those 3 to 6 inches long. Cucumbers over 6 inches long are “slicers” to be used fresh or to make cucumber sandwiches (slice peeled cucumbers and mayonnaise on homemade bread) or instant pickles (put thinly sliced, peeled cucumbers in a salt-vinegar-water brine).
Great big cukes don’t make good pickles anyway because they get too hollow in the middle. If you’ve seen only store-bought cucumbers you may not know about yellow ones, but the life cycle of a cucumber goes like this: blossom, tiny green cucumber, big green cuke, real big green cuke, yellow cuke, brown cuke.
Yellow/ brown is the proper stage for saving seed or feeding to cows, pigs, or chickens. But some people cook the yellow ones or make pickles out of them.
STORING AND PRESERVING: Store green cukes in a basket in a cool, damp place such as your root cellar. Storing at 45-55T, 80-90 percent humidity, will keep them fresh as long as is possible for cukes-which isn’t all that long.Then you’ll need to shift to another method.
Freezing. I’ve been told that if you wrap individual servings of sliced cucumbers in foil and freeze them, they make a delicious dish that winter served unwrapped, thawed, in individual dishes. Mix heavy cream with a little dollop of lemon juice and pour it over them.
Drying. I used to think pickling was the only way to preserve cucumbers. As on many other points, my readers have educated me. Jeanne Weston , sent me a lot of advice about home-drying foods, and she says you can dry cucumbers. She has done it and says they make good salad flavorings. She thinly slices them, dries them until brittle, and stores them until needed. Then she breaks up the dried cucumber into small pieces and scatters them over her winter salad.

Recipe Ideas

RAW CUKES: Cucumbers are good raw in salads and sandwiches. Or peel and cut into sticks or chips and serve plain or with dip. Or make a gourmet salad: sharp cheese, Greek olives, tomatoes, and cukes, all chunked and tossed with raw greens and salad dressing. Or serve cuke slices with chopped onion, tomato, raw greens, and blue cheese dressing.
Boats. If allowed to grow, cucumbers will get very large- as long as 10 inches or so. Such a fat cucumber makes a fine child’s boat for the bathtub. Cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and there’s your boat. You can feed the other oversized, yellowed, or imperfect cucumbers to the chickens and pigs.
When feeding them to chickens, first break cukes open. If the chickens aren’t hungry enough to stoop to cucumbers, the cukes will still make fine compost.
Sandwiches. In summer we eat lots of cucumber sandwiches, a quick lunch at a time of year when cucumbers are abundant and time is not. Peel and slice fresh cucumbers. Spread homemade bread with mayo, layer on sliced cucumbers- maybe add slices of fresh garden tomato-and top with another slice of bread
COOKED CUKES: Cukes can also be eaten cooked, as you might a summer squash, in soups and vegetable dishes. See summer squash recipes for more possibilities; you can often substitute cukes for zukes.

Grow Peppers

The sweet peppers (Capsicum frutescens grossum) are basically bigger than the hots and come in many types: blocky bell peppers; heart-shaped pimentos;tomato-shaped “cherry” varieties; long banana-shaped peppers that are only 2 inches wide at the top but 6 to 8 inches long and produce heavily (30 or more fruits per plant); the long, curved, green Italian bull’s horn pepper; Japanese sweet peppers; Lamuyo, the European sweet pepper; and yellowgreen, thick-walled, 4- to 5-inch-long cubanelles that set fruit continuously once mature.

You can grow the pimento (also spelled “pimiento”), an exceptionally sweet pepper when red-ripe, for salads or to make red strips for stuffing olive centers. In my opinion, bell peppers are for folks who’ve never tried the others.

Sweets do well where there’s a long, warm growing season; they’re also a possibility if you have a hot summer and give them an early start indoors. Redwood City, Territorial, Shumway and Nichols all have good sweet-pepper offerings.

PLANTING

Sweets like a light soil. (I have the heaviest clay imaginable. Our valley used to have a brick factory, and all the really old buildings on Main Street are made of Kendrick mud.) Too much nitrogen in the soil makes tall, dark green plants that don’t grow any peppers.

Small plants will set more peppers. In temperate zones, start peppers from seed indoors, about 50 to 70 days before your frost-free date. Plant between February and April, 1/ 8 to 1 / 4 inch deep and 1 inch apart, more or less. During germination, keep them at 75 to 95°F; a soil temperature of 85°F is ideal. Keep moist until they’ve sprouted.

Water with warm water to avoid a possibly fatal cold shock. After germination they can handle 70°F day temps and night temps as low as 60°F, but they’ll grow faster if warmer. Below 55°F, they stop growing. When peppers are about 2 inches tall, transplant to 2 inches apart. They need plenty of dirt for their roots!

If you buy plants, be careful: Sweets and hots look exactly the same when young. To grow in a container, put 1 pepper plant in each 12-inch pot; to grow in a larger box, space 18 inches apart, soil at least 1 foot deep, 3 gal. soil per plant.

Wait to transplant peppers to the garden outside until they are at least 5-6 inches tall, 6 to 8 weeks old, and and last frost date is at least a week past (2 weeks is better). (They grow best when days are 70 to 75°F) Plant 1-2 feet apart, rows 2 or 3 feet apart. Don’t mulch cold ground.

SAVING SEED

Sweet peppers are self-fertile and bee-pollinated. They will cross with nearby plants, so don’t grow another variety within 20 feet. Remove inferior plants before flowering happens so that any marrying that occurs is between your best. Thoroughly ripen before picking-until they actually begin to shrivel.

If frost is a risk, gather just before frost and finish ripening inside. Then cut in half and remove seeds. Not much pulp will come along, so you can just dry and store them. You’ll get hundreds of seeds per fruit. They live about 4 years.

HARVESTING AND PRESERVING

Night temps below 60°F and day temps above 90°F can cause blossoms to die and drop off. But with good weather, you’ll harvest maybe 10 weeks after transplanting to the garden. Each bell plant ripens only 1 fruit at a time. You’ll get 8 to 10 fruits per bell under ideal growing conditions, with steady picking and no frost.

Be sure to harvest before frost. You can use the small peppers too (they’re great stuffed). To pick, cut the stem an inch above the fruit. “Green” peppers start out green-colored and are generally picked green if they’re to be shipped to market. But you can wait until they are ripe and truly sweet (the darker the color, the sweeter the flavor).

They change in color to red (or yellow, dark purple, white, or brown for unusual varieties). When a frost is imminent, pull up the whole plant, hang it upside down somewhere, and the fruit will continue to ripen! Sweets will keep a while more off the plant and in the house, if it’s cool and the air is not too dry.

Freezing Sweets. Cut in half; remove seeds and pulp. Freeze your nicest ones in halves for later stuffing. Dice or slice the others. No need to blanch. Package in small plastic bags, since you may want only a little at a time. To freeze pimentos, roast and skin as described under “Canning Pimentos,” and then freeze.

Frozen pepper strips of various colors make visually appealing dishes. Never thaw pepper before using. Use in strips in winter salads when only partly thawed and still crisp. Or add to soups, casseroles, and macaroni or chicken dishes.

Drying Sweets. Cut in 1/ 2 -inch strips or rings. Remove seeds. Spread on drying frames or thread on a string. Spread rings no more than 2 layers deep, strips no more than 1/ 2 inch deep. Dry until crisp and brittle.

Canning Sweets. Cut out stem ends and remove seeds and cores as above. You can leave them whole or cut into any number or shape of pieces you fancy. Preboil 5 minutes. Then pack hot with hot liquid.

Canning Pimentos. First roast in a 450°F oven 5 minutes or until the skins blister. Then drop them into cold water. Then peel. Cut out stem ends; remove seeds and cores. Pack them flat in pint jars. Sprinkle in about 1/ 2 salt. Puon your jar lid. Pimentos make their own liquid-don’t add any.

Sweet Red Pepper “Pimentos.” Halve sweet red peppers. Take out seeds and pith. Cut into strips; steep in boiling water 5 minutes. Drain. Put into canning jars. Pour over a boiling-hot mix of 1 c. cider vinegar, 1 c. water, 1/2 c. sugar, 11. salt, and 2 t. olive oil. Cover and let soak like that 2 weeks in the fridge. Then either repackage into small bags and freeze, or use procedure and times for canning chilies.

Grow Lettuce

Lettuce growing goes back at least to the Greeks and Persians in 500 B.C. Columbus first brought lettuce seed to the Americas. There are many different kinds of lettuce, all Lactuca sativa. But they can be sorted into 5 basic types: butterhead, celtuce, crisphead, looseleaf, and romaine.

Butterhead. These are between head lettuce and pure leaf lettuce. They make a head but not a tight, blanched sort like crisphead lettuce. They are loose, leafy, and headshaped. That gives them some of the best of both worlds. I don’t even try to grow a crisphead lettuce in my garden, but every year I do grow some butterhead-type lettuce as well as leaf lettuce.
Those are my 2 favorites in salads and, in my experience, the easiest to grow. Boston and Bibb lettuce are butterhead types, as is any lettuce described in a seed catalog as making a “loose head.” The butterhead lettuces are green-leafed and healthy, have a wonderful garden-fresh flavor, and are ready to harvest only a little later than leaf lettuce.
But butterheads, like crispheads, can’t stand hot weather. You will have more wonderful lettuce than you can eat for a brief period. Then, when the weather turns hot, that’s the end of it.
Crisphead.The most familiar crisphead is iceberg lettuce, the kind with the big, firm head that you buy in stores and eat in restaurants. Years ago it dominated the commercial lettuce market to the exclusion of all other salad greens, despite the fact that it has less color and taste and fewer vitamins and minerals than any other kind of lettuce. (It does store and transport well, though.)
But crisphead lettuce is the hardest to grow in your home garden and is really the least desirable. And it takes twice as long to mature as leaf lettuce. The inside leaves of a head lettuce are blanched because the sun couldn’t get at them. That’s the reason for the milder taste and lower nutritional value.
Hot weather, especially hot nights, is the worst thing for head lettuce; instead of making a head, it tends to go to seed and acquire a bitter taste in the process. Fulton, Great Lakes, and Imperial are varieties of crisphead lettuce. Space them 8 to 18 inches apart, wider for bigger heads
Looseleaf.Looseleaf lettuces are the easiest to grow, the hardiest in hot weather, and the most nourishing. Slobolt is
a famous hot-weather variety; Oak Leaf and Salad Bowl are 2 others. Once you’re used to leaf lettuce, iceberg lettuce is
almost too bland to bear. Leaf lettuce has at first experience a stronger taste, but you can soon get used to it and learn to love it.
Leaf lettuce is ready long before the others, in 40 to 45 days, whereas head lettuce takes 80 to 95 days and needs all of it cool. There are many different varieties of looseleaf lettuce, including Simpson, Grand Rapids, and Salad Bowl.
Romaine. Also called “cos,” this lettuce comes in several varieties such as Paris White, Valmaine, and Parris Island. Romaine leaves grow out of a tight central bunch and straight up instead of curling into a ball or waving loosely.

Romaine tolerates more heat than head or butterhead lettuce but not as much as leaf lettuce. It’s not as easy to grow as leaf lettuce, and it takes much longer. Germination is more spotty, so plant it thicker. Leaf lettuce matures in 40 to 45 days, while romaine needs 70 to 85 days; if you start romaine indoors and then transplant it, though, you’ll enjoy its nutritious and flavorful leaves.
It’s often planted in late summer or fall in warm-climate places to avoid the heat. Plant 1/ 2 inch deep, 1/ 2 inch apart if you’re going to transplant. Thin or transplant to 8 inches apart. Romaine varieties do best in the Pacific coast climate, but there’s a limit to how much rain even romaine can appreciate, so consider a tunnel cloche.
When to Plant In spring, plant hardy lettuce varieties at the same time as peas-as soon as you can get seed into the ground in the spring. They can endure some early freezes. If not, since seed’s cheap, plant again. But leaf lettuce or any of the other non crisp head lettuces are very perishable once harvested from the garden, and they don’t last in the garden very long-an average of only 3 weeks.
The answer to that is succession planting about every 2 or 3 weeks. With succession planting plus a cold frame, you can have lettuce every month of the year if you live in the South, and fresh lettuce for about 8 months of the year in a climate like the Midwest.
Winter Lettuce. To grow winter lettuce where it freezes, plant it in the garden in late summer (or in your cold frame in early fall), and then transplant to the cold frame right before first frost. There it will keep producing for some time.
You can plant a fall crop in late July, another in early August, another in late August, and maybe even another in September. To save your latest crop during a frost, dig up plants, transplant them to pots or flats, and install in a sunny window inside your house, where they’ll produce some more.
Avoiding Bolting. Lettuce is one of the seed makers that is triggered to mature by the long daylight periods of early summer. That means if you live in a warm part of the country where they grow lettuce all winter, and you plant your seed in October, your lettuce won’t make seed until the following summer.

The seed may lie dormant all winter, but it then comes up first thing in the spring. But if you plant it in late spring in the North, it soon makes seed. So for a longer harvest season and a delay of the seed making (”bolting”), plant as early in the spring as you can, indoors or out. In the very far south, you can grow lettuce in the winter months.
How to Plant. Lettuce likes deeply worked, crumbly soil that you have manured or composted the fall before, because it has a puny root system that doesn’t hunt for food effectively. The Cook’s Garden offers many lettuce varieties, but every catalog has some.
You can plant lettuce in the garden or start it indoors and transplant when in the 4-leaf stage. But I’m just too lazy to start it indoors and transplant when, with just a little more time, it will grow outdoors. Plant1/4 to 1/ 2 inch deep. For containers, put 1 plant in a 8- inch pot, 4 in a 12-inch pot. Their shallow roots can manage in a pot or flat only 6-8 inches deep. But plant several seeds and then thin.
Sun. For very hot weather choose loose leaf lettuce. But any lettuce seed is harder to sprout in hot weather. It helps to cover the newly planted seed with burlap or wet sawdust and keep it wet until after sprouting. Later you can shelter the lettuce from the sun by stretching burlap on upright sticks over the row like a light roof. In fact, professional
growers grow lettuce under cheesecloth or fish netting laid over slats to cut back the sun’s heat as much as 45 percent.
They use a photographic light meter as a guide to getting the right amount.
Water. Lettuce needs water when the leaves begin to droop. If it doesn’t rain, you’ll have to irrigate. Base-type watering is a better irrigation for your lettuce than water sprinkled on because it’s less inviting to bugs than moisture between the leaves. But sprinkling works if that’s what you’ve got.
Air. Any lettuce will stand up better under heat if it is well thinned and air can get in there and circulate. When any kind of lettuce is crowded, the leaves may start to rot in heat. Then bugs move in by the millions. (Uncrowded lettuce has bugs too, but only some walking around that you can easily rinse off.) Speaking of pests, if slugs are a problem, install toads and leopard frogs. They like to rest under small piles of old hay or mulch during the day and hunt (slugs!) at night.
Thinning. Lettuce thinnings are good to eat-just cut off the root-so it helps your salad supply to thin in stages, as the plants need more room and as you need more lettuce! When thinning, be sure and pull the plant up root and all, because if you leave the root in there, it will try to grow again and pull nourishment from the other plants.
Harvesting. The nicest time to harvest in hot summer is early in the morning, before either you or the plants get hot. Then you wash your lettuce and put it in the refrigerator until you use it. If you cut lettuce leaves away fairly early in a plant’s lifespan and it doesn’t need thinning, keep watering; it’ll keep growing more leaves for a while.

That’s especially true of leaf lettuces. Some of the special hot weather varieties will let you keep harvesting for a surprising length of time. To use your lettuce like that, pick off outside leaves or cut so you leave about the bottom third of the plant. Then it will take off and grow again, for a while anyway.
Drying. There’s no point in freezing or canning lettuce. Some people dry it, though. To do that, use tender inner leaves. Shred the leaves. Blanch until wilted. It takes about 1 1/2 minutes in boiling water. Drain.
Spread thinly over deny drator trays or sun-drying trays. Dry at 120T in a dehydrator or oven. Stir and rotate trays once in a while. When dry enough, a cool shred will crumble when rubbed between your fingers. Takes about 8-12 hours in a dehydrator, 2 or 3 days in the sun. Use dried lettuce in soups and in other recipes.

Marshmallow

Marshmallow (Althea officinalis) -- the herb, not the white puffy confection roasted over a campfire -- has been used for more than 2,000 years as both a food and a medicine. The Romans, Chinese, Egyptians, and Syrians used marshmallow as a source of food, while the Arabs made poultices from its leaves and applied them to the skin to reduce inflammation. Both the root and leaves contain a gummy substance called mucilage. When mixed with water, it forms a slick gel that is used to coat the throat and stomach to reduce irritation. It is also applied topically to soothe chapped skin.

Very few scientific studies have looked at the effects of marshmallow in humans. Most of its suggested uses come from a long history of use in traditional healing systems.

• Asthma
• Bronchitis
• Common cold/sore throat
• Cough
• Inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
• Indigestion
• Stomach ulcers
• Skin inflammation

Herb Description

Marshmallow ( Althea officinalis )-the herb,has been used for centuries as both a food and a medicine. Its botanical name comes from the Greek word "altho," which means "to cure." The Romans, Chinese, Egyptians, and Syrians used marshmallow as a source of meal,To reduce inflammation on the skin Arabs used its leaves & applied on external areas. Marshmallows are incredibly cool not because of its good taste, but also a good source of light, just lighting them you can create a great light in a dark campsite.Due to exceptional healing properties it has been used by herbalists for many centuries to heal a range of ailments, hence its botanical name, Althea officinalis, from the Greek altho, meaning 'to heal'.

Mallows & there family grows largely in the tropical region, where they form a large proportion of the vegetation; towards the poles they gradually decrease in number. Besides the medicinal virtues of so many species, some are employed as food; the bark of others affords a substitute for hemp; the cotton of commerce is obtained from the seed vessels of yet other species, and many ornamental garden flowers are also members of this group.

Both Marshmallow root and leaf are medicinal teas. The root is used as medicine to prepared cough tea and cough syrup medicines . In the United States, marshmallow is used as a component of dietary supplement antitussive and demulcent preparations .

Uses and Benefits

Marshmallow is used to cure following problems:

• Asthma
• Bronchitis
• Common cold/sore throat
• Cough
• Inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
• Stomach ulcers
• Weight loss aid (marshmallow swells with fluid and gives a sense of fullness)
• Wound healin

Marshmallow is excellent for the skin. If applied externally it shows fantastic moisturizing and nourishing properties and is used to soothe and repair dry and cracked skin.

Marshmallow contains anti-inflammatory effect, Marshmallow is very good for problems with the urinary system, including .cystitis, urethritis, urinary gravel and calculus. 

Marshmallows leaf if used internally cure the irritation of the oral and pharyngeal mucosa and associated dry cough.

Root of Marshmallow use in :

• Demulcent
• diuretic
• emollient
• vulnerary.

Leaf of Marshmallow use in :

• Demulcent
• expectorant
• diuretic
• emollient
• antilithic.

Flowers of Marshmallow use in :

• expectorant

Side Effects

Not recommended during pregnancy .

Don't take medicine if it shows following symptoms which may mean you are allergic to it.The right away is to talk to your doctor.

• Breathing problems.
• tightness in your throat.
• Chest pain .
• Skin hives.
• rash.
• itchy.
• swollen skin .
• tightness in your chest .

Dosage

As a dietary supplement take 1-3 ml. (approx. 28-84 drops), 3 times a day

• Leaf fluid extract: ¼ to ½ tsp (1:1 g/mL),2-3 times daily
• Leaf tincture: 1 to 2 tsp (1:5 in 25% ethanol), 2-3 times daily
• Root infusion or cold-water maceration (2% to 5%): 5 ounces (1 to 2 tsp) taken to soothe cough and sore throat
• Dried root: 2 to 6 g or equivalent preparations daily (cold infusion 3 times per day)
• Marshmallow cough syrup (from root): 2 to 10 g per single dose

Unless otherwise prescribed: 5 g per day of cut leaf.

Infusion: 1-2 g in 150 ml boiled water, two to three times daily.

Cold maceration: 1-2 g in 150 ml cold water for 60 minutes stirring occasionally; strain and warm before drinking, two to three times daily.

Fluidextract 1:1 (g/ml): 1-2 ml, two to three times daily.

Tincture 1:5 (g/ml): 5-10 ml, two to three times daily.

For Adults (18 years and older) in skin inflammatory conditions (eczema, psoriasis): Applied, 5-10 grams of marshmallow in ointment or cream base or 5% powdered marshmallow leaf to the skin three times daily. Daily oral doses of 5 grams of marshmallow leaf, or 6 grams of marshmallow root have been suggested by mouth. Oral and pharyngeal irritation: A dose of 2 grams of marshmallow in 1 cup of cold water, soaked for 2 hours then gargled has been used.

Children (younger than 18 years) There is not enough record scientific data to prescribe marshmallow for use in children.

Drug Interactions

Don't take marshmallow along with other herbs or medications because it may interfere with the absorption of certain medications .So it is important to take marshmallow several hours before or after ingesting .

Marshmallow is generally safe with only rare allergic reactions reported.

Oral marshmallow preparations may interfere with the absorption of drugs or other herbals in the body. Because it coats the gastrointestinal tract.

Fenugreek - Uses and Benefits

Alternative Names:

Fenugreek,Greek hay, Foenugreek, 

Herb Description

Fenugreek is an annual herbaceous plant deep-rooted to Asia & southern Europe . It is one of the oldest cultivated herb, fenugreek is widely found presently in the Mediterranean countries, Argentina, France, India, North Africa, & the United States as a medicinal, food, condiment, dye, & eat age plant. Fenugreek is normally famous as safe for human consumption as a spice and as a plant extract . It is also known as Methi or Classical Fenugreek , is a crop plant produced as a potherb . It is an erect herb, mature to be about 2 feet tall. It White flowers blooms in the summer and develop into long slender green pods. Mature brown pods have 20 tiny yellow aromatic seeds.The fenugreek seeds contain high amount of the polysaccharide galactomannan . The diamond like seeds are irregularly rounded, about 3 -5 mm long and 2-3 mm thick and wide.

It is a food that has been used safely for thousands of years as a common ingredient of curry.The fenugreek seed is usually taken in the preparation of curry powders , pickles, & pastes, and is generally used in the cuisine of the Thailand & Indian subcontinent. Egyptians use fenugreek roasted seeds and use them as coffee. The fresh leaves and sprouts of fenugreek are consumed as greens & the fresh or dried leaves are used to flavor other dishes. The dried leaves have a bitter taste and peculiar, not unlike lovage or celery and a strong characteristic odor which means they need to be taken sparingly. Fenugreek is normally used in the food industry as an artificial maple flavoring.

Uses and Benefits

Externally fenugreek is used for boils, eczema ,skin inflammations, ulcers, and cellulite . Internally fenugreek is used to treat numerous problems such as gastric inflammation,diabetes in adults , poor digestion, digestive disorders & tuberculosis. It is also beneficial for painful menstruation, labor pains and insufficient lactation. It is also efficacious treatment for painful testicles and premature ejaculation . It is generally taken for weight loss, anorexia & for appetite loss. Young fenugreek leaves are cooked as a vegetable curry and are also dried and used to flavor vegetable dishes. The roasted seeds are use in curry powder, pickles, stews and fried foods. The seed sprouts are also used as a salad.

In Ayurvedic medicine it is commonly used for digestive,rejuvenation ,bronchial complaints, gout ,arthritis and as an aphrodisiac. In Chinese medicine it is widely used for the treatment of kidney related pain such as premature ejaculation,back ache, as well as loss of libido, painful testicles, hernia, painful menstruation & edema of the legs

Now a days ,The fenugreek seeds are used to large extent in the manufactures of condition powders for cattle & horses . It has a powerful smell of coumarin and is widely used for flavoring cattle foods and to make damaged hay palatable.

Its seed has been taken to enhance milk production since biblical periods. The plant retains phytoestrogens, which are herbaceous chemicals similar to the female sex hormone estrogen. Diosgenin, a main compound, has been shown experimentally to enhance milk flow .

Side Effects

The herb fenugreek has produced aggravated asthma disorders in some women and has lowered blood glucose levels in some women with diabetes. Person using oral drugs for diabetes or taking insulin should be closely monitored by a doctor while using fenugreek.

Few side effects have been reported from exposure to fenugreek, such as numbness,facial swelling, breathing difficulty and fainting are likely a cause of an allergic reaction. Some side effects may occur such as dizziness, diarrhea and gas when fenugreek is used at recommended doses.

Fenugreek may cause loose stools in some women, can produce uterine contractions ,hypoglycemia in some mothers ,sweat and urine smells like maple syrup , since it can produce lowering of blood glucose levels so it is recommended to diabetic mothers should not use fenugreek without consulting any health care professional.

Dosage

Usual daily dosage:

• 1 - 2 gm. Take three times a day.(For general health )
• 50 gm. Take twice a day.(For type 1 diabetes )
• 2.5 gm of seed powder . Take three times a day.( For type 2 diabetes)

Tea:

• Drench 0.5 gm of crushed seed in 1 cup of cold water for 3 hours. Strain 5 min before drinking. Drink 3 times a day
   

Drug Interactions

Fenugreek should be taken at least 2 hours before or after any prescription drug because it may interfere with the absorption of other drugs that are taken orally.

Fenugreek may heighten the risk of bleeding when taken with anticoagulants (blood thinners) or antiplatelet drugs such as warfarin , heparin and clopidogrel .

Growing Fenugreek


Fenugreek (Trigonella Foenum-Graecum) is an annual indigenous to the Mediterranean and grown widely in Europe and Asia. It has a long medicinal history, and is recommended for cleansing the chest and lungs in Culpepper's Herbal of 1649.

Planting Fenugreek

Fenugreek grows to about two feet (60cm), with yellow/white flowers and long yellow seedpods. It likes full sun and well-drained, neutral to slightly acid soil. It doesn't like to be transplanted. In spring, after the threat of frost has passed, sow seeds to a depth of a little less than a quarter inch. The seeds sprout quickly. Unlike many other herbs that thrive on neglect, fenugreek likes fertile soil, so be generous with the compost. Space plants five to six inches apart.

In New York City recently, the aroma of fenugreek created a cloud of mysterious maple fragrance which was traced to a nearby manufacturing plant. Your garden can smell like maple too.

Harvesting Fenugreek Seed Pods

Harvest and dry seedpods in early to mid fall, and store them in an airtight container in a dry, dark spot.

Using Fenugreek as an Herbal Remedy

Fenugreek can be taken internally or used topically. It is most often used to treat coughs and sore throat, although current research suggests that it may be effective in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, can help lower blood cholesterol, and increase circulation. It is also often recommended as an herbal treatment for tinnitus. For more information on possible uses for fenugreek, visit: Fenugreek as an Herbal Remedy

Other Uses for Fenugreek

It is a common ingredient in curries and imitation maple syrup. It can also be used as a dye.

Fenugreek Aphrodisiac

Fenugreek usually makes the short list of sexual stimulant herbs, and has been used with some success in treating male impotence. It's thought that Fenugreek's ability to help improve circulation is the cause.

In women, fenugreek may also help in treating vaginal dryness.

Tips on Growing Chamomile and its Benefits

An erect annual (Matricaria recutita),with small, daisylike flowers, is used to make chamomile tea and posessing a number of medicinal qualities.

German Chamomile seeds are one of the few seeds that need light to germinate, so starting them by seed is a delicate process. It is best planted outdoors in August by broadcasting the seed and mixing very lightly with the soil. Alternatively, they can be started indoors in propagation flats in March and transplanted outdoors after a hardening off period. In most cases, direct planting in the garden after all chance of frost has passed are successful, as well. Once they are firmly established, German Chamomile is extremely hardy.

Chamomile tea can be sprayed on propagation flats to prevent damping off. It is also believed to increase the absorption of calcium when added to a compost pile.


Growing German Chamomile

Growing CulturesOutdoors, containers, landscaping, mass plantings. German chamomile not recommended for containers.
Plant HeightChamomile grows to a height of 20 to 30 inches (50 - 70cm).
Plant SpacingChamomile plants should be spaced 6 inches (15 cm) apart.
Preferred pH Range
Chamomile will grow in a relatively wide pH range between 5.6 (acidic) and 7.5 (neutral).
Propagation
From seed. Direct sow in spring or fall. Fall sown seeds germinate following spring. Seeds need light to germinate.
Seed Germination Period7 to 14 days.
Seeds Per Gram (Approximate)10,000 to 18.000.
Soil Requirements
Well drained, poor to average soil.
Alternative Growing Media
Soilless potting mixes, perlite, vermiculite, rockwool, coco peat, Oasis foam.
Time From Seed to Saleable PlantSeeds to finished plugs, 6 weeks; plugs to saleable plants, 6 to 6 weeks.
Sun & Lighting RequirementsChamomile grown outdoors prefers full sun but will tolerate some shade.
Chives will grow indoors satisfactorily under standard fluorescent lamps, and exceptionally well under high output fluorescent , compact fluorescent, or high intensity discharge (metal halide or high pressure sodium) plant growing lights. Keep standard fluorescent lamps between 2 and 4 inches from the tops of the plants, high output and compact fluorescents approximately one foot above the plants, and HID lights between 2 and 4 feet above the plants, depending on wattage. Have an oscillating fan gently stir seedlings for at least 2 hours per day to stimulate shorter, sturdier, and more natural plant habit.
USDA HardinessAnnual.
Water RequirementsWater on a regular schedule, taking care to not overwater.
Potential Pests & DiseasesAphids, mealybug. Minimal disease issues.
Special NotesChamomile may be considered a noxious weed or invasive plant in some areas. Chamomile is known to attract bees, butterflies or birds and has fragrant blossoms. Chamomile self-sows freely; remove flowers (deadhead) if you do not want volunteer seedlings the following season.

Chamomile - Uses and Benefits

Alternative Names:

Feldkamille,Camomile, Chamomile,Fleurs de petite camomille, Wild Chamomile, Sweet Chamomile, German Chamomile, Hungarian Chamomile, Mayweed, Scented Mayweed, Pineapple Weed , Fleur de camomile, Flores Anthemidis.

Herb Description

Chamomile ( Anthemis nobilis ) is an annual herb originally from Europe which has escaped to the wild and is now grow on almost every part of world.The chamomile word is derived from the Greek chamos "ground" and melos "apple", referring to the low growing plant and the fact that the fresh flowers are somewhat apple like aroma.It can now be found maturation along fence rows, roadsides & fully sun light open areas from Southern Canada to Northern U.S. west to Minnesota.

It is a low height plant, crawling or trailing, its tufts of leaves and flowers are one foot high.The root of this small herb are jointed and fibrous, the stems, hairy & freely branching, are covered with leaves which are dichotomy into thread-like segments, the fineness of which gives the whole plant a feathery appearance.It flowers in July to September and are borne solitary on long, erect stalks, drooping when in bud.The leafage is feathery with an apple aroma , and it is accented by white, daisy-like flowers with down-turned petals.

Chamomile is considered one of the oldest garden herbs with medicinal property & used by the ancient Egyptians as a universal remedy for the treatment to promote calm and relieve anxiety at bedtime. Chamomile is naturally caffeine-free & used as a herbal tea in many parts of the world.It flowers are eatable and quite tasty in salads or used into a refreshing cold or warm beverage. It is useful in the treatment of asthma and hay fever as it contains anti-allergenic property.

Properties

• Analgesic.
• Antibacterial.
• Antiseptic.
• Digestive Stimulant.
• Anti-inflammatory.
• Sspasmolytic.
• Vulnerary.
• Antimicrobial.
• Mild sedative.
• Carminative.
• Anticatarrhal.

Uses and Benefits

Chamomilla  are widely used to alleviate morning sickness, mastitis, menopausal symptoms, dysmenorrhoea, amenorrhoea with a psychological component & hysteria .Internally it is used to treat to treat inflammation & spasms of the digestive tract. As a mouth rinse, it's taken for sore gums and oral inflammation.  

As a remedy chamomile is used for various disorders such as Bronchitis ,Colds ,Cough ,Fever ,Skin inflammation ,Sore throat ,Tendency to infection ,Wounds and burns . Chamomile is use to ebb & relaxes at bedtime,relieves restlessness, teething problems, and colic in children,relieves allergies, relieves morning sickness during pregnancy,speeds healing of skin ulcers, wounds, or burns,treats gastritis and ulcerative colitis.

Products made from chamomile are widely used as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antispasmodic, and sedative property.Its extracts are used to ease pain and irritation, clean wounds and ulcers, and aid irradiated skin injuries, as well as cure cystitis & dental afflictions . The tea has anti-inflammatory actions,beneficial for rheumatism, arthritis, and other painful swellings.

Scientist recommended chamomile as medicine or therapy to treat various problems such as allergies, arthritis, boils, colic, cuts, cystitis, dermatitis, dysmenorrhea, earache, flatulence, hair, headache, inflamed skin, insect bites, insomnia, nausea, neuralgia, PMS, rheumatism, sores, sprains, strains, stress, wounds,acne ,blisters ,depression ,digestive problems ,gout ,indigestion ,irritable bowel syndrome ,nervous tension, eczema & psoriasis.

Dosage

• Tea:

Take 1 cup boiling water add 2 teaspoon of dried flowers & steep covered for 10 to 15 minutes. Use three times in a day.

• Liquid Extract:

1:1 in 45% alcohol, 1-4ml . Use three times in a day.

• Tincture:

1:5 in 45% alcohol, 3-10ml. Use three times in a day.

Drug Interactions

Chamomile have tranquilizing properties which could add to the blood-thinning effect of Coumadin & similar drugs.It is recommended not to use with alcohol & anti-anxiety drugs such as Valium,Ativan, and Xanax.

Chamomile may heighten the level of drowsiness caused by some drugs such as benzodiazepines, ativan, barbiturates & phenobarbital.

Parsley - Uses and Benefits

Alternative Names:

Petroselinum crispum

Herb Description

Parsley is one of the best known and most widely used culinary herbs and it has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years.This herb is native to Lebanon, southern Europe and Algeria . It takes its name from the Greek word meaning "rock celery" (parsley is a relative to celery).It is actually a biennial plant, but is usually planted as an annual because the first year leaves have the best flavor. The use of curly leaf parsley is mostly favored, because it can not be confused with poison hemlock like flat leaf parsley or chervil . parsley was used medicinally prior to being consumed as a food.

Parsley is available in two types: a curly-leaf type, which has a mild taste, and a flat-leaf type, known as Italian parsley and has a more pronounced pungency than the curly-leaf variety. Parsley is one of the most widely known herbs The leaves contains vitamin C, vitamin A, iron and essential, aromatic oils in good amount. Parsley leaves and seeds are commonly used in cooking.

Uses and Benefits

Parsley used to control high blood pressure also used as an emmenagogue. It relieve from period pain and menstrual irregularity, as well as rheumatism.Due to its diruretic properties, its root play great service in gravel, stone, and jaundice.

Raw parsley clear the blood, dissolves sticky deposits in veins, maintains the elasticity of blood vessels, facilitates removal of moderately sized kidney & gallstones,good to treats deafness and ear infections, and benefits the sexual system.If there is bad breath ,chewing parsley prevents from it.

Parsley helpful in : diuretic ,removing excess water from the body,slimming ,detoxifies ,boosting kidneys ,gout and arthritis ,contracting the uterus after childbirth ,menstrual pain ,period irregularity .

Its traditional benefits are: Congestion , Culinary , Depression & Rheumatoid Arthritis

Parsley root is more generally prescribed than the seeds or leaves in herbal medicine. It is used as a treatment for flatulence, cystitis and rheumatic conditions. Parsley is also helpful as a promoter of menstruation, being works well both in stimulating a delayed period and in relieving menstrual pain.

Side Effects

People having untreated kidney or gallbladder problems may want to avoid eating parsley .Parsley may lead the risk of bleeding or potentiate the effects of warfarin therapy.It may cause some sort of internal reaction due to skin allergy.

Parsley is one of the foods that contain measurable amounts of oxalates, naturally-occurring substances found in plants, animals, and human beings. When oxalates become too concentrated in human body fluids, they can crystallize and cause health problems.

During pregnancy use of parsley seed not recommended because it may uterine bleeding and cause muscle contractions in the uterus. Some studies reported occasional allergic skin or mucous membrane reactions .

Parsley oil is toxic in nature so should not be used in isolation . Using high doses of Parsley oil or preparations rich in the oil can be poisonous .Symptoms of poisoning are increased contractions of the bladder, intestines and uterus. Other side effects include excessive weight loss, nosebleeds, kidney shutdown,bloody stools.

Dosage

Fluid Extract : 2 ml 3 times daily.

Prescribed dose :crushed herb and root 6 gm daily .

Infusion: 2 gm in 150 ml water, 3 times daily.

Drug Interactions

None known.

Medicinal Uses of Parsley

Parsley is a vitamin and mineral powerhouse, and as such should be part of every medicinal garden.  Indoors, it adds greenery and makes an attractive, edible garnish for the kitchen shelf during the winter.  Outdoors, it can be planted with other herbs or flowers, and makes a pretty, green accent.  

Parsley contains a large amount of chlorophyll, and as such is a natural breath sweetener.  Eat the leaves right off the plant to combat breath odors.  

Throughout history, Parsley Teas have been used mainly as kidney stone, bladder infection, and jaundice medications, as well as digestive aids.   The root appears to be more effective than the leaves, but leaves can also be used. Leaves can be dried, pulverized into a powder, and inserted incapsules, if desired.  See the link below for more information.  Pregnant women should avoid all but small quantities of Parsley because it can be irritating to the kidneys.  

Externally, make an Oil of Parsley leaves and roots to repel head lice, and try making an Ointment for use on swellings.  Pound the leaves into a paste and mix with a little water or tea to use on skin for easing symptoms from bug bites and stings. A little oatmeal can be added to this mixture for better consistency.   Try dipping a cloth in unsweetened tea and place over closed eyes for 10 minutes to reduce fatigue and swelling of the eyes