by Herb Exchange | Oct 5, 2011 | Miscellaneous |
There was some commotion this morning as our Marketing Director, Caroline, found that she wasn’t alone in the bathroom…
While October is one of my favorite months, because of the feeling of mystery and surprise in the air, I wasn’t quite expecting the fright I found in our office bathroom this morning. Don’t get me wrong–I don’t scare easily, I mean, I LOVE horror movies and Halloween is my favorite holiday. I was even raised in the country, so I’m used to creepy, crawly things. But getting caught off guard in the bathroom by an unidentified jumping object, BEFORE I’ve had my morning coffee…well, that would be enough to make anyone jump.
I was minding my business and fixing my hair, when I saw something leap from the wall to the light fixture, inches from face. Immediately thinking it was a monster, (maybe I should lay off the scary movies!) I jumped back in surprise. As it turns out, it wasn’t some brain-eating, blood sucking creature from beyond, but a wayward frog who’d found his way into our office.
After chasing him around the office for a bit, trying hopelessly to catch him (they’re a lot quicker than they look!), I finally got a grasp on this little green man. He tried to escape a few times, even once jumping into my hair (which elicited another surprised scream), but eventually, I was able to convince him that the outside was a lot nicer. I took him out to our porch and he immediately made a jump for our hydrangea bush where he’ll be a lot happier and we won’t be looking over our shoulder for little green monsters in our office.
by Herb Exchange | Aug 22, 2011 | Miscellaneous |
Being the resident “crazy cat lady”, our Marketing Director Caroline, rescued two flats of Catnip this past season that were past their prime for selling and were bound for the compost pile. Here’s her experience with biting off more than you can plant and finding a great way around it!
Admittedly, as stated above, I’m a little kitty crazy. My whole house is filled with cat toys and scratch posts and I’m even thinking about buying Cat Bubble Backpack because one of my cats loves to explore! So when offered the abundance of Catnip that was about to head to the big compost pile in the sky, I excitedly threw two flats into the back of my Jeep. I promised myself that I would find room as well as time to actually plant, which I quickly realized upon getting home and assessing my two overflowing gardens, that it just wasn’t possible to find homes for these plants. Not wanting it to go to waste, I decided to save what I could by harvesting the plants to dry them for later use.
I began by clipping each plant at the soil level with a pair of sturdy gardening scissors. I piled the plants up into a shallow tupperware container, with all of the stems facing the same direction. Instead of hanging them in bundles to dry, I simply placed the open container piled high with plants on the top shelf of my pantry where it would be out of the way ( I didn’t want my boyfriend to think it was something to cook with!), in a dark, dry place and out of reach from my two mischievous indoor cats. After about a month of forgetting it was still there, I took the container out and assessed my project. The once formidable pile had dried to a much smaller version of itself, making it much easier to manage.
I got a large mixing bowl, and for about thirty minutes, just stood at the kitchen counter, removing all of the usable parts (leaves, some flowering heads, small pliable stems) and adding them to the bowl. The stems, I tossed to the floor for my cats to play with in between begging for the “nip” I was currently working on. After removing all of the good stuff from the stems, I broke up any large pieces or stems by hand in the bowl. I found two recylced Chinese food containers to pack everything into and popped them in the freezer. Storing it in the freezer keeps them fresh for a longer time, and also triggers a frantic dash for the fridge from my cats, any time I open it to get a Popsicle. Give this little trick a try next time you have too many herbs to handle. You can extend the plant’s useful life and enjoy fresh herbs for everything from your cats to culinary use, for much longer!
by Herb Exchange | Aug 5, 2011 | Miscellaneous |
Our Marketing Director, Caroline, discovers the bug-eat-bug world in her backyard…
So while gardening yesterday evening in my backyard oasis, I stumbled across a clever praying mantis, strategically positioned in my cat’s food dish. I say “stumbled upon”, because I literally almost brushed it out of the dish, thinking it was a stray leaf cluttering my cat’s dinner. At closer inspection, I saw that it was a mantis who had camouflaged itself to blend in with the muted, neutral colors of the dried pellets and worn clay dish that housed them. As I watched the mantis carefully, I realized that my first thought that it had been attracted to the food was incorrect; instead, it was hunting bigger game.
All summer long we have been battling flies that have been swarming our kitties’ dishes of dry food and water. We’d tried everything from placing potted herbs nearby in hopes to thwart them naturally, good old-fashioned (and very satisfying, I may add) fly swatters, and even hanging sticky fly strip paper from the banisters to keep these constant clouds of flies at bay. Watching this mantis dispatch the flies hungrily, gave me hope that maybe the battle could be won! I settled in to watch the struggle, capturing everything with my camera.
The mantis started by stalking the two flies in front of it, just outside of the dish. While they greedily ate the pieces of cat food, they never saw this cunning, camouflaged hunter creeping up on them! His large eyes kept the mantis on the look out for any dinner opportunities that may have landed in his peripheral vision, and he kept moving his head back and forth almost like a radar antenna in search of movement.
As slowly as I’d watch it move, the mantis struck out so fast for the fly that I didn’t see it. He’s got his dinner in hand, now!
And at last, this hungry mantis is feasting on the fly!
This is just another example of how some insects can be really beneficial to your home and garden. Before dropping an atomic bug bomb or squishing anything with multiple legs that scurries past, keep in mind that it could be your best defense in the war against harmful pests. For a great resource, check out What’s That Bug.com, for more information on identifying the good, the bad and the bugly!
by Herb Exchange | Mar 3, 2011 | Basics, Containers, Flowers, Gardening, Growing, Herbs, Indoor Gardening, Inspiration, Miscellaneous, Urban Gardening |
As some of you may have followed our previous blogs on our Social Media and Marketing Director, Caroline’s Nasturtiums, here’s an update on her indoor garden!…
Those who know me, know that I’m a pack rat. I can’t stand to waste anything that has potential. This, coupled with my tendency to nurture, is what led me to my first attempt at indoor gardening, or, as I like to refer to it, my “Garden of Misfit Plants”. I’ve got annuals, succulents and houseplants cohabiting on an old card table that faces the sliding glass door to my backyard, that live in (general) harmony. Barring random attacks from our two nosy cats and the occasional neglected watering, my collection of crippled Cacti, Calendula and Nasturtiums have flourished in their new homes! After trials with recent repottings, I was excited to find that my ‘Empress of India’ Nasturtiums have begun to bloom yet again and my Calendulas are about to burst open in the next few days! These annual-turned-tender perennials have been such a great experiment in gardening–let’s see how long I can keep them going!
by Herb Exchange | Feb 15, 2011 | Inspiration, Miscellaneous, Recipes |
Chimichurri Steak
Our resident Chef and Office Manager, Julie discovered a great recipe over the weekend using fresh herbs. The fresher, the better!
There are so many herbs in our greenhouse to choose from that I can go on a culinary adventure any day of the week. On Friday, I chose to put a little Latin flair into my weekend by whipping up a delicious Argentinean chimichurri sauce with fresh ‘Italian Flat Leaf’ Parsley, ‘English’ Thyme, and ‘Greek’ Oregano that I got right here at The Growers Exchange. This recipe was super simple but packed a world of flavor when drizzled over my perfectly grilled steak!!
Chimichurri (you can use a food processor or chop by hand):
1 1/2 cup Spanish olive oil
Juice of 2 limes
1 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh ‘Italian Flat Leaf’ Parsley
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, minced
1 Tbsp each finely chopped fresh ‘English’ Thyme and ‘Greek’ Oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Combine the ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Or, place the herbs, shallots and salt & pepper into a food processor. Pulse until fine, then drizzle the olive oil down the shoot while pulsing and until you get your desired texture. Divide the chimichurri between 2 bowls. Use half as the marinade and half as the dipping sauce.
Steak:
2 lb skirt steak
Chimichurri
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
1. Place the steak in a large baking dish and pour half of the chimichurri over it. Turn to coat; cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
2. Preheat grill to high. Let the steak come to room temperature. Remove it from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes on one side until browned, turn, and grill another 4 to 5 minutes for medium-rare doneness. Remove from the grill, let the meat rest for 10 minutes, and slice thinly on the bias. Serve with the remaining chimichurri on the side
