Garden Herbs - not for cooking

[PaulSanderson]

The garden is absolutely abundant this year since I installed a zonal drip irrigation system, with the usual veggies - spuds, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, chillis, garlic (so much garlic!!), beets, leeks, onions, corn, salad leaves of all kinds, broad beans, peas, brassicas, corguettes, squash, pumpkins and aubergine (gross!) etc. BUT, and its not a bad thing, i have an overwhelming amount of herbs that i dont do anything with except use for cooking. Primarily things like mint, lemon balm, rosemary, fennel, oregano, sage and thyme, basil and lemon grass (in the greenhouse).

What are people doing with herbs except cooking? keen to tap into backyard remedies if people have some good suggestions.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Everything Mac]

Mint goes rather nicely in a Mojito or a Pimms.... And we sometimes use ours for tea.

It's not "technically" cooking...

 

[C_Claycomb]

Mint, lemon balm and oregano….cut off the seeds and control by digging up the plants or they can take over the garden. Especially oregano. My mum has let it run rampant because the bees like it, but it’s taken over to the point it’s a hazard, flopping over pathways and streps.

 

[Woody girl]

I've started to learn herbal medicine. Mostly home study from books and certain yt channels.
You have a good start to a a medicine cabinet there. I dry herbs, make my own teas, tincture and oils.
Recently got into rose petal tea, and currently drying my own rose petals to make my own as it's not cheap.

I also do a monthly course.
Lemon balm is very invasive! But makes a tea good for helping you sleep, and settling nerves. Sage makes a good gargle for sore throats. Thyme steeped in honey makes a very good cough syrup.
Fennel and mint are good for digestive troubles, upset tummies and settling nausia.
Dry the herbs and store in jars in a cool dark cupboard for making teas, with these lovely herbs.
I make a spring tonic tea of sticky grass, nettle and dandelion, a great spring pick me up full of minerals to restore the body after winter or illness.
Herbs make a great addition to pot puree and I often make herbal posies for my friends, either to scent the room in a vase , or to use in cooking, particularly those who don't have gardens and love to cook.. cut herbs cost a fortune in the supermarket, wrapped in plastic and probably not awfully fresh either. My herb posies are always well appreciated.

 

[PaulSanderson]

Mint goes rather nicely in a Mojito or a Pimms.... And we sometimes use ours for tea.

It's not "technically" cooking...

may not be cooking, but youll be cooked after a few!!

 

[PaulSanderson]

Mint, lemon balm and oregano….cut off the seeds and control by digging up the plants or they can take over the garden. Especially oregano. My mum has let it run rampant because the bees like it, but it’s taken over to the point it’s a hazard, flopping over pathways and streps.

i deliberatly want this part of the kitchen garden to go quite wild ... ive found how tough oregano is ... and drought tolerant too!

 

[PaulSanderson]

I've started to learn herbal medicine. Mostly home study from books and certain yt channels.
You have a good start to a a medicine cabinet there. I dry herbs, make my own teas, tincture and oils.
Recently got into rose petal tea, and currently drying my own rose petals to make my own as it's not cheap.

I also do a monthly course.
Lemon balm is very invasive! But makes a tea good for helping you sleep, and settling nerves. Sage makes a good gargle for sore throats. Thyme steeped in honey makes a very good cough syrup.
Fennel and mint are good for digestive troubles, upset tummies and settling nausia.
Dry the herbs and store in jars in a cool dark cupboard for making teas, with these lovely herbs.
I make a spring tonic tea of sticky grass, nettle and dandelion, a great spring pick me up full of minerals to restore the body after winter or illness.
Herbs make a great addition to pot puree and I often make herbal posies for my friends, either to scent the room in a vase , or to use in cooking, particularly those who don't have gardens and love to cook.. cut herbs cost a fortune in the supermarket, wrapped in plastic and probably not awfully fresh either. My herb posies are always well appreciated.

some great pointers here - many thanks!! ah cleavers, i must have thrown away 1/2 ton just a few weeks ago - didnt even think to do something with it!! as for nettle, my all time favourite herb/weed ... make everything from cordage to soup to beer with it!! seeds are protein packed too and taste delicious when lightly toasted.

 

[Falstaff]

Chopped lemon balm leaves tossed into the cooked pasta with a bit of olive oil. Pot pouree's and herb posies as already suggested.
Lavender in cloth bags or pillow cases keeps stored clothes and laundry smelling nice and fresh during winter, or dangled on clothes rail.

 

[slowworm]

Sweet woodruff is a nice little creeping plant that's useful dried as a strewing herb or added to potpourri. We also use a lot of mint for mint tea. Hops, if you have the room, can be used in sleep pillows.

My best discovery is sage flower wine, it went a bit wrong and turned out as a sparking pink brew but it was absolutely delicious and I must make some more.

 

[Toddy]

I too like the melissa/lemon balm. If it's getting overwhelming just cut it down. It'll live, come back up again with fresh bright leaves.
It's one of those good ones to add to any Summer tea. It's lovely if tied in a bunch and put into a bath....even better if you have soapwort to add too.
It's good with meadowsweet too, which is a natural and gentle on the stomach analgesic.
If you make a tea (tisane) from it, then add some agar and a little sugar, it makes a soft jelly that makes a really lovely sorbet. Really nice in this weather but ideal too for those of us who can't digest dairy easily.
It's also part of the mix that discourages insects and makes a soothing wash/wipe if you have been bitten.
Melissa, Mugwort and Myrica Gale (the bog myrtle)....just make it into a tisane, strain and it'll keep in the fridge for a few day. Easy to make and use, and gently effective. You can add the meadowsweet to that too if you like....more ease to the bites.

Sage is brilliant. Well worth drying (roll it up into a kind of fluff between your palms) It crisps up in hot oil, seasons it, and it is so good in home made bread and is excellent anything sausage or stuffing like. It's a lovely tea too, but it's good for sore throats, for mouthwashes, and it's a mind sharpener as well.
It's really good added to butter that's used on pasta, less fuss to make than pesto, and it's tasty.

Mint makes everything from tea to lipsyl, from seasoning new tatties to making chilled summer drinks. Lots of varieties. I like the spearmint, apple mint, and there's a perfumed one too that is a really nice background smell in a home made pot pourri. Mint ground up with salt makes a good cleaning powder for sinks, etc.,.....and it discourages rodents. They really do avoid it as much as possible.

Rosemary is a staple cooking herb, but it's also a really good one to add to shampoo (make a strong tea) especially with citrus based ones.
It's another bread and sausage herb too, and it dries well, and it's a brilliant addition to sachets for stuffing into shoes.

 

[Stew]

Sweet woodruff is a nice little creeping plant that's useful dried as a strewing herb or added to potpourri. We also use a lot of mint for mint tea. Hops, if you have the room, can be used in sleep pillows.

My best discovery is sage flower wine, it went a bit wrong and turned out as a sparking pink brew but it was absolutely delicious and I must make some more.

Damn - I thought sage leaves at first!

It grows so well but I barely use it. It feels bad just cutting it back.

 

[Woody girl]

I've just managed to get hold of some soapwort seeds today. Wrong time for planting them, but they will be going into my herb area next spring.
I make a sort of soapy liquid from ivy, and also conkers, but the only conker tree in my area is on its last legs, and the owner is thinking of having it felled. Conkers, are a lot of work to make soap powder from and take a lot of collecting, grinding and drying, plus when you want to use it you have to rehydrate, and strain before using. So having soapwort In the garden means It's right on hand. Super stoked!
Plus it's a pretty flower for the flower beds!
Win win.