Herbal Vinegar, Moonshadow Herb Farm

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September's earlier sundown signals plants that it is time to make seed for next year. And, it reminds gardeners that it is time to harvest, take cuttings and collect seed from plants they want to grow indoors or preserve for winter use.

Harvesting herbs and preserving them is a specialty of Sharon Owens at Moonshadow Herb Farm. Sharon spoke at Muskogee Garden Club this week and shared some of her recipes for herbal vinegar and herbal combinations for cooking.

If you would like to be added to the email distribution for Moonshadow's quarterly newsletter contact Sharon at moonshads@aol.com -

HOW TO MAKE HERBAL VINEGARS

Use clean and completely dry herbs and glass containers. Put herbs in the bottle and pour vinegar to the top.
HERBS AND SPICES - Fresh herbs should be gently washed and patted dry with a paper towel. Treat any fruits (blueberries, raspberries, etc.) the same.

One teaspoon of dried herbs can be substituted for one-tablespoon of fresh herbs for flavor, use some fresh parsley or cilantro for artistic effects.

CITRUS – White wine vinegar with quartered fresh limes, lemon grass,lemon basil, lemon thyme or lemon verbena
MINT – White or wine vinegar with lemon peels & mint springs
ASIAN – Rice wine vinegar, whole cayenne or Szechwan pepper, lemongrass, sliced fresh ginger, garlic
CHILE GARLIC – Cider vinegar, basil, two cloves of garlic, six chili peppers, & two slices fresh ginger
DILL – Cider or white vinegar, dill stems, stalks & flower heads,lemon peel (no white inner zest), thyme, lemon basil, bay leaf
SAGE – Cider vinegar, sage leaves, three cinnamon sticks, whole allspice, whole cloves.
ITALIAN – Red wine vinegar, oregano, basil, rosemary (no stems),peeled garlic clove(s), whole red chili peppers.

Photos:
Purple millet, sunflowers and
zinnias thrive in the cooler nights and
warm sunny days of mid-September.

Have a Peaceful Day
Today qualifies as a sort of peace day. President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation September 22, 1862 and President John F. Kennedy signed legislation creating the Peace Corps on this day in 1961. You can read more at the Writer's Almanac link.

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