1
MINT Mint makes a wonderful potted plant. It’s vigorous growth makes it dangerous to plant directly into your lawn or garden, but this trait comes in handy when growing mint in a potted setting. Medicinal: Mint is great for digestion, headaches and nausea — just add several freshly picked or dried leaves to hot water and steep into a delicious tea. Fresh leaves can also be used to reduce irritation and create a cooling affect on bites and stings. Simply crush them up and apply the pulp to the area for quick, effective relief. Culinary: I love adding mint leaves to fresh fruit to make a quick and easy fruit salad. Mint also makes a great addition to peanut-based dishes, and can really help to amplify their flavors. Drinks: A few fresh, mint leaves can also bring a basic mixed drink to the next level. I highly recommend whiskey and water with 2 to 3 muddled mint leaves and a touch of liquid sweetener such as stevia, agave, or simple syrup. Your guests will be impressed with your fancy bartending skills, and a shot of whiskey will suddenly become a Mint Julep with very little extra effort. SAGE
Aside from perspiration, sage can also be used to aid a sore throat quite efficiently. Simply boil two tablespoons of fresh leaves in one cup of water to create a gargle, and store the leftovers in the fridge for later use. *As sage should not be taken with some health conditions, please speak to your doctor or naturopath before using sage medicinally. Culinary: When it comes to cooking, sage is often reserved for use in fattier meats like duck, or ground into sauces. It can also be finely chopped, mixed with melted butter, and added to pastas or gnocchi. Drinks: Aside from tea, sage can make a great addition to cocktails. For an interesting twist, try adding three fresh sage leaves, muddled into two oz. of tequila, a splash of Cointreau or squeezed orange, and a few slices of lime. Add sweetener, such as stevia or simple syrup if available, to taste. (If you are someone who feeds hummingbirds and makes their own hummingbird food, it can make a GREAT simple syrup in a pinch, as it’s just sugar and water. Just add a little extra — simple syrup is 1:1 and hummingbird food is 1:4) ROSEMARY: Rosemary is one of the easiest herbs to grow indoors. Its woody stem makes it tough to kill, and its growth habit means that you rarely end up with a plant with nothing left to harvest. I have a friend who has had the same rosemary plant growing in her house for at least 5 years; it’s absolutely gigantic and at this point is more of a tree than a potted plant. Medicinal: Rosemary is great for your skin and hair, and can even stimulate hair growth and combat dandruff and dry scalp. To make a simple hair rinse, boil 4 cups of water, add rosemary (10 sprigs fresh or 4 tbsp. dry), and steep for 30 minutes. Store in the fridge between uses. And believe it or not, rosemary can also help to improve your memory - simply by growing it! A study was recently conducted
in the UK, and students who took a memory test in a room with a noticeable rosemary aroma scored five per cent to seven per cent better than students who did not. Now I know it may sound crazy, but there’s some science behind this. Rosemary contains a compound that causes an increase in a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, and this increase in neurotransmitters leads to an improvement in your memory. Culinary: Rosemary is great paired with garlic and olive oil, and is often used in breads, sauces, and pizza. I like to add it to potatoes, or other roasted vegetables, for a strong yet balanced flavor. Drinks: To make a refreshing cucumber rosemary lemonade, muddle four slices of cucumber into a glass or shaker. Add one part lemon juice, two and one-half parts water, stevia, agave or simple syrup to taste, and a sprig of rosemary. Shake on ice or stir. This recipe can also be made with mint, or basil. Great for sunny spring afternoons on the front porch.
2 3 Sage is a great addition to an indoor herb garden. It’s a perennial, making it fairly hardy and slow to go to blossom or seed, sometimes taking years to mature. It can be propagated simply by cutting and rooting, and is very easy to establish.
Story Sheidow is a Chartered Herbalist, Certified Natural Product Advisor, and owner of Townes Herbals Apothecary. Her many years of experience working in greenhouses and landscaping professionally, working within the health food industry, as well gardening at her home in Cardigan keeps her constantly inspired by the power of nature- and always looking to further her knowledge and share it with others.
Medicinal: Sage is one of the few herbs that can effectively aid in decreasing excess perspiration. In fact, it is often a key ingredient in supplement formulas for hot flashes and night sweats to be used during menopause. It can easily be made into a tea, or taken orally.
SPRING 2018 www.pei-living.ca
61
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs