Food

The kids don’t always participate in garden work but today was a blessing as they were all about it.  Harvesting is their favorite; they can see, touch and taste the many things we have.  We even get help with research when needed, like today when I didn’t really know what to do with the stevia plant that I picked up this year at the garden show in Stockholm, and my son read all about it and helped us to decide how to process it.

Here is a list of what we did this morning together and then afterward we continued to distill and process herbs for the entire day.  At this time of year, we do this several times a week with various plants and crops.

• Two kinds of mint were harvested and put on the drying racks.
• Lemon Balm was harvested and put on the drying racks.
• Lemon verbena was harvested and some put on drying racks and some in a 5 liter distillation. A Lemony Fresh stress buster!!
• Stevia harvested and will become a tincture tomorrow.
• Roman Chamomile harvested and into a small distillation.  This Roman Chamomile hydrosol is very special; yes it’s relaxing but the aroma is soothing, almost smooth like butter.  We might end up with 10 or so bottles for sale.
• Gotu Kola harvested from the greenhouse plants that are for sale.  My own crop lives indoors and takes up half of the sunny south side window sharing that space with the Rose Geraniums.

Tomorrow I will get up first thing and harvest Tulsi.  She really likes the attention.

The day before yesterday I blended new batches of Garden Herb Tea and a Relax/Peace tea to clear the drying racks.

My daughter harvesting from the pots of gotu kola.  A great way to snack.

One of the larger pots of Gotu Kola after the harvest and the bounty.