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Pot Marigold

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Hardy annual

Cosmetic, Culinary, Medicinal, Ornamental

1 to 1-1/2 feet high, 1 foot wide

Full sun

Rich, well-drained soil

 Calendula, Pot Marigold, Calendula officinalisAs cooler weather approaches in the fall and many herbs stop flowering, calendula is a special plant to have in the garden. Plants have long been cherished for the long periods of color they add late in the season, the flavor they add as a seasoning, and the relief they provide as medicine.

Calendulas originated in India where the Hindus used them to decorate their temple altars. It takes its botanical name from the Latin word calendae, which means “throughout the month,” referring to its long bloom season.

Flowers are single or double, and definitely live up to their name, “flowers in the sun.” They close up at night and occasionally on dark days, then reopen with sunshine. Flowers are borne on top of sturdy stems, framed by large, oblong, pale green, aromatic leaves. This herb’s neat growth and cheerful color make it a lovely indoor container plant.

Planting & Care.

Easy to grow from seed. Sow in light, well-drained rich soil in a sunny location in spring. For fall bloom, sow in early summer. These hardy annuals reseed freely. With the right conditions new plants come up year after year. To encourage new blooms on existing plants, pick and enjoy flowers frequently.

Harvesting and Use.

Flower petals have many medicinal and cosmetic values. They are an excellent source of vitamin A and phosphorus. Drinking an infusion of the petals has been recommended to help poor circulation and varicose veins. Use it for bathing to relieve tired swollen feet, for cleansing and softening skin, and for soothing tired eyes. An ointment made from the petals can treat acne, relieve sunburn and minor burns, and can help fade old scars.

Culinary Use.

Petals give food a delicate, tart flavor, which some claim is similar to tarragon. Chopped blooms impart a strong color to eggs, cheeses and soups, and can be used as an inexpensive substitute for saffron in rice and pasta dishes, biscuits and breads. The petals make a colorful and nutritious addition to salads. To experience this edible flower, try the recipe for Calendula Vinaigrette.

Blog and Recipes

Lavender Cilantro Dressing

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Lavender Cilantro Dressing

1/4 cup orange juice
2 TBS. fresh lemon juice
2 TBS. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. organic lavender buds
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 TBS. honey
1-1/2 tsp. fresh hot peppers minced
1 tsp. freshly grated orange zest
1/3 cup Fredericksburg Herb Farm Lavender Champagne Vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a small saucepan, combine the orange juice, lemon juice, and lime juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup. Let cool for 15 minutes, then transfer to blender.

Then add all other ingredients, except the Olive Oil and salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Add the Olive Oil until creamy. Season with the salt and pepper and blend.

Chicken Herbs de Provence

1 T. Herbs de Provence Seasoning
4 t. Lavender Champagne Vinegar
3 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 t. Sea Salt
4 Chicken Breasts

Combine all ingredients, and marinade chicken for at least two hours.

Grill until tender, basting frequently with marinade, or bake for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees F.

Salad Greens and Lavender Dressing

Salad

10 C. mixed Spring Greens
2 medium green onions, chopped
1 large peach, peeled & cut into bite size pieces
1-2 oz. feta cheese

Dressing

5 T. Lavender Champagne Vinegar
5 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t. sea salt
1/4 t. Dijon mustard
1 t. fresh grated ginger
1 T. chopped parsley

In a salad bowl beat all dressing ingredients together. Add Spring Greens, green onions, bite-sized peeled peaches and feta cheese.

Lavender & Basil Grilled Salmon

4 fresh salmon steaks or filets

The Marinade

1/4 C. fresh basil, chopped
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. Lavender Champagne Vinegar
1/3 C. extra virgin olive oil

Combine all marinade ingredients to use as a baste for grilling. Place salmon on a hot, lightly oiled grill or barbeque, skin side down. Baste frequently with the marinade. When salmon is done, baste with remaining marinade, serve and wait for the complements.

Lavender Cooler

1 qt. lemon lime soft drink (like 7-UP)
3 T. Lavender Champagne Vinegar

Add vinegar to soft drink and stir. Serve over ice with strawberry.

Wild Blackberry-Lavender Tart

Filling

1/2 C Lavender Champagne Vinegar
1/4 C. melted butter
5 eggs, slightly beaten
1 C. granulated sugar
1/2 C. wild blackberries (raspberries or blueberries are good too.)

Crust

1-1/2 C. unbleached white flour
1/2 t. sea salt
1 t. granulated sugar
1/2 C. butter, unsalted
2 T. cold water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine dry ingredients for crust, cut in butter until crumbly, slowly add water and gently mix with a fork until mix is crumbly. Pat into a tart pan and bake empty for 10 min.

Filling

Whisk vinegar with melted butter. Add eggs, sugar. Place berries in tart shell. Pour filling mix over the berries and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

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Herb Gardening

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Good Bedfellows… Bad Bedfellows

Several herbs are believed to have positive effects when they are planted near vegetables or other herbs. They not only protect them from insects but are believed to boost their growth and improve their flavor. Chives, for instance, promote the growth of carrots; parsley or borage help tomatoes. Rosemary and sage thrive when planted in tandem, and yarrow is thought to increase the fragrance of most herbs. However, some plants decline because they cannot tolerate the particular chemistry of their companions. Basil, for example, hinders rue. Coriander retards the growth of fennel, tomatoes and beans.
Careful planning is the key to companion planting. Place good bedfellows close together. Use paths and walkways to separate foes. Alternate complimentary herbs and plants in rows, locating them checkerboard -style in a bed. Or plant protective herb borders around pest-susceptible vegetables and ornamentals. The most interesting aspect of companion planting is the cumulative benefit. When herbs, vegetables and flowers are grown together, food plants seem to be more flavorful, flowers and scented leaves become more fragrant. All the while the combinations and interactions help control pests.
Herb Vegetable
Anise Coriander
Basil Peppers, Tomatoes
Bee Balm Tomatoes
Borage Beans, strawberries
Chamomile Cucumbers, onions
Chervil Radishes
Dill Cabbages, lettuces
Galic Roses
Horseradish Potatoes
Hyssop Cabbages, grapes
Lovage Beans
Mint Cabbages, Tomatoes
Mustards Grapes, fruit trees, beets
Oregano Beans
Rosemary Tomatoes Marjoram
Savory Beans, onions
Tarragon Most Vegetables
Thyme Eggplant, potatoes

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Rosemary

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Semihardy, woody perennial, low shrub, craft, culinary, medicinal, ornamental

2-6 feet high, to six feet wide

Full sun to partial shade

Almost any well-drained soil

 Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalisBrush a sprig of rosemary through your fingers. The fragrance it releases is reminiscent of a seacoast with pines.Rosemary is an herb of strong diverse symbols. It has been considered the emblem of loyalty, friendship and remembrance. Where basil symbolized the quickening of love, rosemary was a token of its long-lasting qualities. Bridesmaids wove rosemary into the bridal wreath they presented to the bridegroom on the wedding day. It was also placed under nuptial mattresses to encourage faithfulness and discourage insects and mildew.
According to custom, rosemary twined in your hair stimulated the memory or helped prevent baldness, depending upon your need. Also connoting friendship, no more party favor could be offered than a gilded rosemary sprig.Rosemary flourished through medieval and renaissance periods. Every garden seemed to have a single bush or several, often pruned in fanciful or symmetrical shapes. The essential oil or the leaves and flowers were used as a bath freshener and mouthwash, in liniments and as a moth repellent.Rosemary has been grown in gardens for so long that natural hybrids have occurred, resulting in forms suitable for many landscape situations.

Rosmarinus officinalis has an upright, shrublike growth habit, reaching 3 to 6 feet high and as wide. Plants blend well with many gray-foliaged plants found in the herb garden.

R. officinalis ‘Prostratus’ is the ground-hugging form, more commonly grown in mild-winter regions of the West. It performs well as a cascading ground cover draped over a wall, on slopes or in the foreground of a flowerbed. The gray-green leaves create a dense, 2 foot-high plant that can spread 4 to 6 feet in diameter.

Leaves of all forms are needlelike with decurved edges and whitish undersides. Flowers come in shades of blue to white. They nestle in the axils of clustered leaves on younger stems and cove the aromatic foliage from late winter to early spring. They are highly attractive to bees.

Planting and Care

Plant from containers in early spring or in fall in mild-winter areas. Accepts almost any well-drained soil. Plant in full-sun to partial-shade. Water needs are low to moderate, once plants are established. Over-watering and too much fertilizer cause growth to be rank. To maintain a low, flowing form, cut back to hard wood, reducing foliage buildup in center of plant. Prune to maintain natural plant form every year of two in late winter, prior to the strong, surge of early spring growth.

In cold winter regions, rosemary cannot survive as a landscape plant, but it can be grown using the indoors-to-outdoors method. When growing in pots use a mixture of perlite, or large-grained, sterile sand, humus and potting soil for good drainage and aeration.

Grow indoors in a sunny location. Accepts low water but performs best with regular irrigation. Reduced sunlight and lower daytime temperatures indoors lessen the need for water.

Harvesting and Use

Rosemary’s components of tannin and camphor give it a moderate bitterness and pepperiness, especially with foods in high fat, like lamb roasts and pork or with bland foods such as potatoes or legumes. Dried rosemary generally can be substituted for fresh. Whole needles must be dried to preserve its oils. Tie in a cheesecloth bag or mince well before adding to foods so you won’t chew on the tough needles. The flavor strength of the dried herb varies greatly, but usually one part dried herb equals about four parts fresh.

We use rosemary in all kinds of body care products, fragrances, and in savory foods and even our famous, Rosemary-Orange Rum Cake.