If you are fortunate enough to have an American witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) in your yard, you can stop buying witch hazel astringent and make your own. It’s important that you distinguish between the American witch hazel and Asian witch hazels (H. mollis). Only the American witch hazel yields the astringent. It’s easy to tell them apart. American witch hazel ... Read More The post DIY Witch Hazel Water appeared first on Advice From The Herb Lady ..read more

One of the classic flavors of the Christmas season is ginger. Gingerbread, ginger cookies, ginger cakes, the list is endless. Another way to add ginger flavor to your holiday desserts is by using candied ginger. Candied ginger is fresh ginger that has been first cooked and then dried with sugar. Use it in moderation. It has more sugar in it ... Read More The post DIY Candied Ginger appeared first on Advice From The Herb Lady ..read more

This is what patience (and procrastination) looks like. Back in February, I decided to try growing ginger. I purchased a hand of ginger at Trader Joe’s so I could get an organic one. I made sure that it had eyes. Then I planted it in a deep pot so that it would be the required three inches deep, watered it ... Read More The post Patience appeared first on Advice From The Herb Lady ..read more

Remember those seeds that I sowed two weeks ago? This is what they looked like today: It’s amazing what a heat mat and misters can accomplish in a short period of time. The basils are overflowing their containers and need out immediately. Hey, what happened to that missing square? Did the seeds fail to germinate? Did the seedlings die? Nope! ... Read More The post The Fun Begins appeared first on Advice From The Herb Lady ..read more

I always like to attend the NJ Flower & Garden Show on the first day when the plants are all new and fresh. The show starts on a Thursday so by going on the first day, I also avoid the weekend crowds. I didn’t see a lot of herbs this year, but I did spot this cute little herb garden. ... Read More The post Herbs at the Flower Show appeared first on Advice From The Herb Lady ..read more

We’ve had such a warm winter that my perennial herbs are already growing even though it is still February. I always have to laugh at the chives. They start out growing all crooked. It’s as if they want to make sure that it is safe to come up before they straighten out and grow upwards. What are they going to ... Read More The post What’s coming up in my garden? appeared first on Advice From The Herb Lady ..read more

It’s my favorite time of year. The greenhouse at Rutgers Gardens is open! It opened a couple of weeks early this year, so I was able to get in to start some herb seeds earlier than usual. There’s a little bit of marketing in my seed sowing schedule. If I sowed all of my seeds at the same time, some ... Read More The post It’s the time of year again! appeared first on Advice From The Herb Lady ..read more

We have had an extraordinarily warm fall. Rosemary will generally bloom twice a year; once in the spring and then again in the fall. But this year has been so warm that the rosemary in the herb garden at Rutgers Gardens is still blooming in December. At home, my basil cuttings are doing so well that one has started to ... Read More The post The Blooms of December appeared first on Advice From The Herb Lady ..read more

I do a lot of baking, especially during the holidays. Vanilla extract is an important part of my favorite sweet treats. It’s a “flavor potentiator” meaning it enhances other flavors including our perception of sweetness. Vanilla extract is usually made from ethyl alcohol, water and low grade vanilla beans. You can increase the quality and flavor by making your own ... Read More The post DIY Vanilla Extract appeared first on Advice From The Herb Lady ..read more

Last year when I wintered over cuttings of Pesto Perpetuo basil, I put all 4 cuttings in one container and left them there until they outgrew the container and had to be separated. At that point, the root systems were large and tangled and hard to separate. The poor plants not only had to endure transplant shock but additionally having ... Read More The post Wherein each child gets his own room appeared first on Advice From The Herb Lady ..read more