Herbs from Tanglewood Gardens

Published as a feature article in the June 9, 2009 edition of the Union Leader. In the AT HOME section, writer Kathleen D. Baily describes  the types of herbs and herb wisdom one can find by visiting Tanglewood Gardens of Bedford, NH. 

Here is a summary and synthesis of that article.

HERBS FOR EVERY TASTE

Bedford Greenhouse veteran knows there’s a variety for almost every need.

Basils

Louise Komisarek, co-owner has been the herb specialist at Tanglewood Gardens for 37 years.   She has had up to 100 varieities in the herb greenhouse and delights in being able to provide the diversity of herbs and to share their unique qualities with her customers. 

She carries up to 30 basils of the 40 that are available. 

 There are about 75 varieites of thyme, most are edible but some are simply decorative. 

Oregano

You will find Italian and Greek oregano varieities, some spicier than others.

You will find common cilantro as well as a delicious vietnamese  cilantro that  grows well in New England Soils.    

Peppermint

There is always a selection of the mint family: peppermint, spearmint, apple  mint, orange mint, chocolate mint, etc.   Louise enjoys drying her chocolate mint leaves and including them in her ground coffee for a morning drink.

                                   

Louise will share with you information on

• how to store your herbs
• ways to use  herbs
• combinations that partner favorably

Culinary herbs are easy to store for off-season use. 

• Fresh herbs can be simply washed, dried, chopped to desired size  and packaged in preferred portions in simple plastic freezer bags. 
• Herbs can be stored individually or in a seasoning mixture such as thyme, basil, oregano, chives. 
• To use, simply remove from the freezer and sprinkle from the bag into your favorite recipe. 
• The aroma remains garden fresh.

Lavender

For Fragrance:

Attar of Rose

You will also find wonderfully scented lavenders and  geraniums. They can be used in vinegars, teas, or to flavor foods.  A favorite is Attar of Rose.

 

 

For Teas:

Stevia

Chammomile

Popularity is increasing for the stevia plant. It is grown for its leaves which are harvested as a sweetner for hot and cold beverages.  Stevia sweetner is a nice addition to chamomile tea…You will find chamomile and stevia plants  at Tanglewood Gardens.

 

 

Louise encourages customers to become familiar with the unique varietal qualities of  Tanglewood herbs by sampling their leaves as they consider their options. 

 

Tanglewood Gardens is open from 8-7 daily during the growing season….to answer your questions and to assist you in making your decisions.

Hello Tanglewood Garden customers!

Our seedlings are ready for the 2009 spring planting season!

Many herbs and cool-weather plants can be placed in your vegetable garden, perennial beds, or window boxes at this time.

The daily temperatures in New England continue to fluctuate from breaking records for hot weather during the daytime to warnings of freezing temperatures in various regions during the nighttime. This inconsistency means it is still too cool to transplant tomato seedlings and other heat loving plants into the garden.  More information on when to transplant seedlings can be found in the New Hampshire Cooperative Extension fact sheet: Planting and Maturity Dates of Vegetables in New Hampshire. A simple to follow chart can be downloaded from the NH Cooperative Extension Service as well called Timing Vegetable Transplants.

Seedlings can be purchased early but need to be  cared for within a warm environment until the outside temperatures become consistently warmer. Our climate map suggests waiting until May 30th for safe transplanting of tomato seedlings into your outdoor garden.

Look for our upcoming  post of  available plants . We look forward to seeing you again at our greenhouses…..