Little Suzy from Bertram wrote: “Mamaw said that she was sending her dirt to A&M to have it tested. Do I need to, 4 my mud pie? It’s really fun. Mamaw and Pawpaw blue up a balloon to use instead of candles since it is so dry.”
Suzy, what a wonderful idea to use balloons instead of candles because of the burn ban. Your Mamaw is sending her soil to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service to check the health of her soil for planting. That way, she’s not playing the guessing game with the nutrient balance in her garden. Do you use brown sugar in your mud pie recipe?
HERBS
Are your herbs in full swing? Now is the time to harvest them. Cut your herbs at mid-morning — best flavor time. Remove any that aren’t just right (dead, wilted, etc.)
You have several options for what to do with them once they are harvested. If you choose to dry your herbs, you can either air dry or oven dry.
To air dry, tie together the ends of the branches, about 4-5 per bundle depending on size. You can use twine or a rubber band. Slide a paper bag over the herbs. Poke a few holes in the bag for ventilation. The paper bag helps keep as much of the flavor in the leaves as possible during the drying process. Hang them in a warm (not hard to find in August) ventilated room (not the tool shed.) Your herbs will be ready in 1-2 weeks.
To oven dry, place the leaves of your herbs on a cookie sheet. No need to grease and flour the pan. Place the pan in the oven at 170 degrees or the lowest temperature your oven has for warm. Leave the door open. Two to four hours later, your herbs will be dried.
Whether you oven dry or air dry, you will know your herbs are ready when they crumble easily. Store whole dried leaves in an air-tight container and label and date.
If you have a dehydrator, go for it.
Another option is our favorite: ice cube trays.
There are two different forms of this herb preservation. For herbs such as basil, rosemary, and other aromatic herbs we often use to sauté with, we chop the herbs up like you were about to cook with them. Place the chopped herbs into ice cube trays. You can either put them in separate cubes or combine them. Fill the ice cube tray halfway with olive oil and freeze. Then, when it’s fall or winter, you can pop out a cube and sauté away with your homegrown fresh herbs. Make sure to label and date them.
One night I (daughter Martelle) accidentally put mint in my spaghetti sauce rather than basil and oregano. It was an interesting flavor.
P.S.: If you like to make fresh pesto, you can put your basil and olive oil in the food processor. Combine, then scrape into the ice cubes. Don’t add lemon juice though. Lemon juice counteracts the olive oil in the freezing process and the ice cubes become sloshy. Little ones could knock it over in the freezer and make a mess.
Final ice cube tray option: Gather your mints. Chop them up and place them in an ice cube tray. Cover with water and put in the freezer. Label and date. Then, when you are serving iced tea, pop out a mint cube for each glass — yummy flavor of fresh mint. You can also use the mint cube to cool down a cup of hot tea. If you are growing chocolate mint, save it for hot cocoa days.
GENTLE REMINDERS:
• Mulch, mulch, and mulch.
• Our fine-feathered friends that help keep the bugs away need watering, too. Clean your hummingbird feeders often.
Keep your souls and soles in your garden! Remember the True Master Gardener: Jesus said, “I am the vine; my Father is the Gardener.” John 15:1
Contact Bill Luedecke at The Luedecke Group Realtors at (512) 577-1463 or email him at bill@texasland.net. Contact Martelle Luedecke at (512) 769-3179 or luedeckephotography@gmail.com.