Message Boards

Hello Cep how are you my friend long time no speak. I talk to Trekkie often,always ask how you are. Any way back to Parsley my Gran always use to say the one that wears the trousers should sow the Parsley.................. your guess is as good as mine. another tip is always plant anything on a Waxing Moon not a Waning Moon the energy is a lot stronger that way. Love to you Ann xxx

Cep - my aunt used to grow parsley from seed in drills in the garden - I think she used to pour a kettle of boiling water into the drill before sowing the seed - apparently it sterilises the soil

Basil, Parsley and
Chives freeze well. The more you cut them the more they grow, the more you freeze. The other you can dry.

I grow loads of herbs in my garden, and when they are getting too much, bushy etc I do that bbq'd fish that Ainsly did in the newspaper - fish tastes great, uses up the herbs without wasting.

Earthmum, have a look in Holland & Barrats. I got a pack of 4 madagascan vanilla pods for under £2.00 and they are really nice and moist. They are the best place to buy saffron from too as it is from La Mancha and was also under £2.00. Apparently it's because they don't use fancy packaging or glass bottles which makes it cheaper.

Hope this helps.

Does anyone know where to get bunches of vanilla pods from that are both moist and inexpensive as I find the ones you buy in the supermarket are inferior and extortionate. I love to bake and make ice cream etc but am put off by the cost of the pods - earthmum

CEP, I was in a place called Oil and Vinigar over the weekend and they had a balsamic and rasberry dressing which was super this led me to think of this thread again. Would this be done using the same method but obviously using whole rasberrys and balsamic or would the balsamic be too over powering?

Sounds great Cep will definatly try that.

I am very lucky, I get all the main herbs that are sold in the supermarkets, sadly chervil is not one of them but I am always trying to pursuade my hubby to try new lines, I love tarragon.

Basil does not tend to grow very well in the garden but I do have alot of sucsess with the growing pots, basiclly I found that by popping the plant in quite a large amount of water worked a treat and on the window sill of course, it was by pure trial and error really that I discovered this and was quite shocked at how much water it would take.

As for the parsley I had a rather sad looking curly parsley last year and after hubby telling me that their plants were not hardy enough to go in the garden decided to try it and see what happened well it worked and lasted the summer and through to about December, I planted it in a fairly shady area as well so was very surprised it worked.

You could always plant the Parsley in a pot, one that you can take in and out side. When the weather gets a little more predictable try putting the pot out side and in the evening bring it in put back out in the morning, I know this sounds fairly far fetched but you only need do this until the weather is warmer and this way you have a hardier plant that should last fairly well, Try it anyway it might work!! this may also work with Basil, corriander etc but might need to be a little warmer might last the summer anyway.

cep hi, have you tried growing parsley in a container rather than the ground,i find it works well,hope this helps

Sorry Lucy - hijacked you there.
You can dry just about anything by tying it in big bunches and hanging in an airing cupboard or similar.
Try herb vinegars. Put loads of your favourite chopped herbs in a big mixing bowl and cover with wine or cider vinegar (malt is too strong). Stir well and cover with a tea towel. Leave for 3-4 days (depends when you get time to deal with it- I've left it for a week with no ill effects)stirring every day. Strain the vinegar through a sieve and measure how much you have. To each pint of vinegar add 2-4 tablespoons sugar (depends how sweet you want it)and bring to just under the boil. Stir till all sugar dissolved. Put into sterilised bottles and use for dressings etc. This works beautifully with raspberries too.

I can grow rosemary, oregano, thyme, mint horseradish etc no probs at all but can't get parsley (curly or flat) to grow for love nor money. Any tips fellow gardeners out there. Soil is very rich well fertilised loamy stuff.

lucy you are so lucky getting loads of fresh herbs, i tried to grow my favorites last year but failed miserably, this year i am hoping to have more success, my fav's are coriander, parsley, chives and basil

You are so lucky. Do you get Chervil? I can never find it, but love the flavour. Perhaps you should set up a mail order service for your pals on this site

thanks for that,I will definatly give it a try. I must have gone wrong by not heating the oil.

I can get both cut and growing. I do use the herbs daily but just hate to waste anything which is why I was asking for the advice. think I will go and have a play while hubby is watching the rugby!!!

Are they all cut herbs or could you grow them on? Depending on the herbs, you could dry them. Rosemary and thyme - just hang in an air flow and they will dry naturally. Basil leaves can be dried in the microwave. Agree with Mrs W on drying herbs before adding to oil.. Let us know if you need any more info on any of this.

Lucy, You need to wash the herbs then dry thoroughly before putting in oil, if you don't do this already. I always heat the oil slightly, sterlise the bottle as if making jam/marmalade, put the herb(s) in then pour over the oil and seal whilst still warm. Just looked at herbs bottled in oil about 2 years ago and they still look perfect. Good luck.

Any tips on how to make up oils, I always find the herbs go mouldy, what am I doing wrong? Same goes for chilly oil as well.

Yep done that!!!!!

Loads of pesto, yummy