Herbal Delights (or what to do with those herbs you are growing)

There is one particular thing I have been wanting to do for years. After many years of waffling on the matter, I decided it was time to just do it already. Now, should I let the fact that my family will likely turn their noses up at the results or the fact that I have never, ever canned food before deter me? Nah, not this time. With that thought in mind, I searched for a nice basil jelly recipe that even I couldn't mess up - much.

It has been a good year for basil. And can you believe that even with all this, I still had to go out and cut some more to get the requisite 2 packed cups?

Here we have 5 cups of white sugar, 1 quart water, 1 package (1-3/4 ounces) powdered fruit pectin, green food coloring (optional) and the aforementioned 2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves, finely chopped.

I bring the basil and water to boil in a large saucepan.

Meanwhile, I had washed the canning jars and lids in hot, soapy water and now heat them in a large pan that is filled with water. Hmm, seems that after 10 years somebody finally figured out that she could heat pans on her stove top grill. Hey, they don't call me bright for nothin'. Excuse me while I go bang my head on a nearby wall.

The basil has turned a darker shade of green by the time the water comes to a boil. Now, remove the pan from the heat and cover. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.

After the 10 minutes are up, strain the liquid and discard the basil. And isn't this an appetizing color?

Return 3-2/3 cups of the liquid to the pan. Stir in the pectin.

Add the radioactive-green food coloring. After each drop, stir until you decide whether the color is right or it needs more coloring. Geez this tube is hard to squeeze.

Return to a rolling boil over high heat.

Pour in the sugar. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and skim off any foam that gathers on the surface.

I finally get to use my grandmother's old canning funnel for canning. She'd be so proud of me.

Leave 1/4 inch head space in the jar.

Cap, but don't screw the lid bands on too tightly.

At this point the covered jars get put back into the water bath and the whole thing is boiled for 15 minutes in order to kill any bug-wuggies. Can I tell you how noisy this necessary step is?

Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool. You will begin to hear the lids popping as they seal. Do not be alarmed. This is good.

Once the jars in the water bath have cooled a bit more, remove the jars to a safe location so that they can continue to cool. I placed the jars on a towel on my dryer so that they were out of the way.

The next day, test the seals by lightly pulling with your fingers. You do not want to pry the lids off; you just want to make sure they are secure. I found that one jar was not properly sealed, so that was tossed.

I had a bit left over for immediate consumption.

And what did I tell you? My family's reaction was definitely 'meh'. The culinary heathens.

Basil jelly, while sweet, has a bit of a grassy taste to it. Good, but different. I understand that it pairs well with cream cheese on crackers. And as it seems that I will be enjoying this herbal delight alone, I will be looking for different ways to use basil jelly.

Herbal Pleasures

I had decided that it was time to once again harvest some of my herbs. As fall is rapidly approaching, I need to get to work on laying aside a supply for the winter months. And do remember that it is best to harvest the herbs on a dry morning so that the essential oils are at their strongest. It is also important that the herbs be dry to prevent the growth of mold. Cut herbs should be dried in an airy place that does not receive direct sunlight.

Here are a couple of my herb pots. On the left is the remains of my flat-leaf (Italian) parsley. The plant is already started to recover from the visit of the black swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. See, I told you they would be gone soon. Do you like the petunia that self-seeded there?

On the right is a pot of thyme, chives and oregano. This is the third season for the thyme and the chives. Hopefully, the oregano will overwinter also.

My rosemary plant is beginning to flower. This pot will come inside this winter as rosemary does not overwinter well in our area.

The pot on the left holds a Roma tomato plant and two basil plants. Tomato and basil plants are good planting partners as they can keep some diseases and pests away from their partners. The pot on the right holds a bell pepper plant, a serrano chili plant and a 'Bush Goliath' tomato plant.

Not shown are a pot containing sage and a bay plant and a pot containing basil, flat-leaf parsley and a serrano chili.

As you might have guessed from the pictures, all of these pots are on my back deck. The deck faces south and has easy access to my kitchen. Now, I don't garden in pots due to a lack of space given that we live on an acre of land. Rather, I chose to garden this way because I can easily water and harvest the plants. Since we live on a southern slope, with thin soil over limestone, water is a major issue with gardening here. Let's just put it this way: Southern Indiana is not known for farming.

You might also recall that I had earlier promised myself that I was going to make or buy a rack for my herbs. This is much nicer than my former system. While this rack is still in my laundry room, it is up and out of the way and out of any direct sunlight. For less than $20 I was able to purchase this coat rack and the "S" hooks. And I must say that it works wonderfully.

Do you like the herbs that I harvested today? If you are interested, from the left we have sweet basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary and sage.

Can You Say Frittata?

Do you remember the roasted turnip and potatoes from the other night? I had a bit left over and decided that a frittata would be a great way to use the remainder.

May I introduce today's players? Here we have olive oil, salt, black pepper, the leftover roasted vegetables, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, diced onion, fresh flat-leaf parsley, thyme, oregano, chives and the eggs.

Oops, my darling daughter called and is on her way home. So two more eggs will be needed, as I am using two eggs per person for this dish.

First, I heat the roasted veggies and the onion in the olive oil over medium-high heat on the stove top.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs and season with salt and black pepper.

Pour the egg mixture over the sauteed veggies and turn off the heat.

Sprinkle cheese and the chopped fresh herbs evenly over the frittata.

Place in a preheated 325 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until the egg mixture is set.

Mmm, this is looking good.

Very good.

The nice thing about frittatas, besides the fact that they are just so easy to make, is that there are many options for fillings, such as ham, sausage, or mushrooms. Just make sure that any meats are cooked before adding to the frittata.