March 2024
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Greetings from my last gasp winter garden! It is that time of year when the winter greens bolt and beautiful flowers appear. The pak choi and the mustard greens produced tiny yellow flowers that look similar. However, the leaf shapes tell which are mustard greens with feathery serrated leaves. The rounded leaves are pak choi. We had enjoyed these tasty winter greens since January. In my quest for more information on these wonderful plants, I discovered that the flowers and stems are also edible. I decided to experiment with the flowers as appetizers. I made flower bundles to serve with fruit as an extra. The photo of the stems and flowers with blueberries and honey are the mustard flowers. The flower bundles with green grapes are the mustards and pak choi flowers. Both are wrapped in their own leaves and secured with a toothpick. The smaller bundles are pak choi. Cream cheese spread on the rounded pak choi leaves added a slightly creamy taste to the bundle. The plate of yellow flowers with stems, blueberries, and honey are mustard flowers. Dipping the delicate flowers and stems in organic honey was a sweet and delightful food experience. This was an experiment for a party I planned to host the following day. The flowers and flower bundles surely would have been a hit. However, I found out at the last minute that one of our guests was very allergic to mustard green flowers. This reminded me to always check on allergies when I try something a little different for guests. Happy gardening!
October 2023
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My bountiful harvest of roselle came this year from 4 bushes that grew to about 7 ft high and and 6 ft in diameter. I have been harvesting buds every other day, drying for teas, and freezing in quart bags for Florida Cranberry Sauce. The sauce is a great addition to any holiday meal. I hope you enjoy trying this new twist on my older version of this delicious sauce.
June 06/2023
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Pepper Success!!
For several years I have tried to grow peppers in my all sun container garden. I have had varying success. My organic farmer friend advised me to put pepper plants in part sun/part shade since the Florida heat is so intense. My container garden is also near our concrete driveway and built up heat affects the plants. |
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These are the varieties I planted in my part sun/part shade backyard in pots:
Marconi Sweet Red Pepper (10-12 inch oblong type) 1 - 1000 scoville
Serrano Pepper (hotter than Jalapeno) 10,000 - 25,000 scoville
Clown Pepper (unique shape/ same rating as chipotle)) 5000 - 30,000 scoville
Banana Pepper (very mild) 500 scoville
Poblano Ancho Pepper 1000-1500 scoville
The peppers are just beginning to produce.
I hope to grow enough peppers to dry and bottle at the end of the season.
Enjoy seeing these lovely peppers. Try some different ones in your garden.
Marconi Sweet Red Pepper (10-12 inch oblong type) 1 - 1000 scoville
Serrano Pepper (hotter than Jalapeno) 10,000 - 25,000 scoville
Clown Pepper (unique shape/ same rating as chipotle)) 5000 - 30,000 scoville
Banana Pepper (very mild) 500 scoville
Poblano Ancho Pepper 1000-1500 scoville
The peppers are just beginning to produce.
I hope to grow enough peppers to dry and bottle at the end of the season.
Enjoy seeing these lovely peppers. Try some different ones in your garden.
May in Florida 06/2023
Spring 2023 and time to try something new. I had always heard about Seminole pumpkins and wanted to grow them. The plant I purchased at Garden Gate, a locally owned Gainesville nursery, was the usual size found in a four-inch seedling pot. Now, two months later, the plant has taken up the entire ground portion of my small garden and is twined around most of the herb pots. For a few weeks, we have been admiring the brilliant large yellow flowers. I searched in vain almost every day but could not tell if any of the flowers were followed by tiny pumpkins. On May 31, to my great surprise, I discovered a beautiful green pumpkin about 18 inches in circumference hiding under several large leaves. I learned that this dark green squash takes about 125 days to mature. I also learned that I must turn it quite frequently until it becomes a yellow-orange color.
These plants are native to Florida and were cultivated by the indigenous peoples in the Everglades. The three groups that make up the Seminole tribes, Creek, Calusa, and Miccosukee peoples, refered to this plant as "Chassahowitza", land of hanging pumpkins. The banks of the Chassahowitza River in Citrus County were an original area where the wild pumpkins were found. The pumpkins were hung from the trees to protect them from excessive humidity of the swampy ground. The pumpkin has a very tough rind and orange flesh on the inside. The taste of the flesh is said to be sweeter than butternut squash. In 125 days or so, the story will be continued.
I would urge you to plant an herb or vegetable you have never grown in the past. I learned about Cuban oregano and Roselle because I was willing to introduce plants I had never heard of into my container garden. Happy Gardening Adventures!!
These plants are native to Florida and were cultivated by the indigenous peoples in the Everglades. The three groups that make up the Seminole tribes, Creek, Calusa, and Miccosukee peoples, refered to this plant as "Chassahowitza", land of hanging pumpkins. The banks of the Chassahowitza River in Citrus County were an original area where the wild pumpkins were found. The pumpkins were hung from the trees to protect them from excessive humidity of the swampy ground. The pumpkin has a very tough rind and orange flesh on the inside. The taste of the flesh is said to be sweeter than butternut squash. In 125 days or so, the story will be continued.
I would urge you to plant an herb or vegetable you have never grown in the past. I learned about Cuban oregano and Roselle because I was willing to introduce plants I had never heard of into my container garden. Happy Gardening Adventures!!
October in Florida 10/2022
As October comes to a close, Jessica has finished with her roselle for the year, but not before harvesting an Amazing Yield!
We picked an estimated 40 lbs of roselle buds, I dried 30 trays in the dehydrator, and have 8 quarts in the freezer that can be dried later or used to make Florida Cranberry Sauce.
I put up approximately 128 ounces of dried roselle into 3 oz and 4 oz bottles I have two 24 oz. bottles for my own use. Before this count, I had given away at least 10-3oz bottles to friends.
Today we found one last roselle that fell out of the yard trash that was picked up today. I had previously saved buds to dry for seeds and I will dry this one, too. Each bud can have about 10-12 seeds inside that can be sprouted next spring for new plants. The buds are left in a dark closet in an open paper box until they pop open when completely dry. To sprout the roselles seeds: place between 2 dampened paper towels and leave for 2 - 3 days. Do not refrigerate. Roots will begin to grow and then you can plant the rooted seed in the ground.
This year the seeds I had dried from 2021 failed. I had put seed in a cabinet under the bathroom sink, not realizing that is a rather damp area. I bought four 6 in high plants from SweetRoots Organic farmer. I planted two in each bed. Two plants in one area grew to 7 ft x 5 ft bush, and the other grew to 5 ft x 4 ft bush. Winds from Hurricane Ian blew the plants sideways, partially onto the ground. They survived and were still bearing 3 and 1/2 weeks later. By October 23 they still had some blooms and some buds. I harvested the last 5 lbs on October 22. We removed the bushes to make way for winter flowers. The bushes do not survive a hard freeze in our area of North Central Florida.
This is only the fourth season we have had roselle. The first year it was planted in a large steel garden container. It only grew to about 3 ft tall, with lovely flowers, but a very small yield. It was a beautiful plant, however. The plants flourish when planted in the ground.
I get carried away when I talk about roselle. It is one of my very favorite plants. There is a lot of information and recipes on the internet about roselle. Roselle has greatly increased in popularity in recent years. Small packages can be found at most farmer's markets from September to early November. I saw a quart-size plastic bag with about 8 or 10 roselle buds. The price was $6.00!
I put up approximately 128 ounces of dried roselle into 3 oz and 4 oz bottles I have two 24 oz. bottles for my own use. Before this count, I had given away at least 10-3oz bottles to friends.
Today we found one last roselle that fell out of the yard trash that was picked up today. I had previously saved buds to dry for seeds and I will dry this one, too. Each bud can have about 10-12 seeds inside that can be sprouted next spring for new plants. The buds are left in a dark closet in an open paper box until they pop open when completely dry. To sprout the roselles seeds: place between 2 dampened paper towels and leave for 2 - 3 days. Do not refrigerate. Roots will begin to grow and then you can plant the rooted seed in the ground.
This year the seeds I had dried from 2021 failed. I had put seed in a cabinet under the bathroom sink, not realizing that is a rather damp area. I bought four 6 in high plants from SweetRoots Organic farmer. I planted two in each bed. Two plants in one area grew to 7 ft x 5 ft bush, and the other grew to 5 ft x 4 ft bush. Winds from Hurricane Ian blew the plants sideways, partially onto the ground. They survived and were still bearing 3 and 1/2 weeks later. By October 23 they still had some blooms and some buds. I harvested the last 5 lbs on October 22. We removed the bushes to make way for winter flowers. The bushes do not survive a hard freeze in our area of North Central Florida.
This is only the fourth season we have had roselle. The first year it was planted in a large steel garden container. It only grew to about 3 ft tall, with lovely flowers, but a very small yield. It was a beautiful plant, however. The plants flourish when planted in the ground.
I get carried away when I talk about roselle. It is one of my very favorite plants. There is a lot of information and recipes on the internet about roselle. Roselle has greatly increased in popularity in recent years. Small packages can be found at most farmer's markets from September to early November. I saw a quart-size plastic bag with about 8 or 10 roselle buds. The price was $6.00!
Jessica lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico for many years and became very knowledgeable about chili peppers. Click here for her chili information and recipes which she has shared with us.
September in Florida 09/2022
The roselle bushes are thriving. The largest is 8 ft tall x 6 ft circumference. The other is 6ft x 4 ft. It appears my harvest will be very abundant this year. This variety I purchased from an organic garden. I will try to dry the pods for seeds to plant next spring. This bush is covered with the blossoms and buds. In the picture above you can see the beautiful drying calyxes I will use for hibiscus tea and freezing for Florida Cranberry Sauce for the holidays. Also, I am planning for the fall/winter garden of more herbs and my standard fall veggies.
Happy May! 04/2022
I bottled the Nostalgic Blend of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme to start the loveliest month of the year. May gardeners harvest late winter herbs. Herbs planted in February are producing. Sage, Thyme, and Rosemary are perennials. Parsley is planted in early spring, which is February in central Florida. This blend was very popular last year. I was delighted to receive an early request from Tricia, my talented cooking friend. ROSELLE 2022 UPDATE!! Four roselle plants I purchased from an organic farmer are doing well. This is the first blossom on the 18 inch tall plant. This was my surprise on Earth Day. Perhaps, this is a good sign that the plants will make a four foot tall bush with abundant flowers as in the 2021 season. I am still drinking the hibiscus tea from last year's mid-fall's harvest. Good luck with your herbs this year!!
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Jessica's last of the Winter Garden 03/30/2022
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This is the in-between season for veggies and herbs in Northcentral Florida. As the days get warmer, I have planted peppers, celery, basil, and roselle plants. These are all for spring/summer garden. The perennial herbs such as rosemary and sage are thriving. Today I began the drying process for the curly parsley, chives, lemon and lime balm, and thyme. These herbs have wintered over and are producing wonderful new growth. I harvested the last of collard greens, a southern favorite, as well as dinosaur kale. Don't wait too late to plant your summer veggies and give plenty of water the first week. Happy Gardening.
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Jessica is enjoying her winter herbs, vegetables, and teas! 01/22
Jessica is multi-talented. She volunteers for many important causes, she is a published author, and she enjoys gardening. Her gardening includes various greens, herbs and peppers. Some of the herbs and peppers she drys in her dehydrator and they become wonderful seasonings that can be stored and used in many dishes. Her dried herbs have a wonderful fragrance and taste which don't compare with the dried herbs in the supermarket. Click her for Jessica's wonderful recipe for Southern Greens and also the recipe for the pesto sauce she uses.
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A wonderful way to spend a late January afternoon is processing herbs I had grown in the late fall or harvested after Christmas. The process takes up all my kitchen counter space. The 2 and a half hours I spend I consider it my meditative time off. The tantalizing aromas from the ground herbs fill the whole house. The results today were a dozen bottles of herbs and teas. I had saved all my dried hibiscus calyxes from early fall. The lemon balm and lime balm for teas were planted in late November. My oregano had thrived during cooler and drier weather in January. The carrot greens I bought at Sweet Roots Organic Market that is open every Saturday off Newberry Avenue. I also used some of the fresh carrot greens when making a big pot of collards for New Year's Day. Gardening and enjoying fresh produce is not limited to spring through fall. Enjoy the winter herb, vegetables, and teas!
Greetings from Northcentral Florida and Happy New Year.
My winter garden is still producing. Collards, Red Kale, and Curly Kale love the cooler weather. Winter herbs such as oregano, garlic chives, lemon balm and lime balm are thriving. The balms I will prepare for delicious, warming teas. The dried oregano will be wonderful in sauces and stews. My good friend was preparing her homemade spaghetti sauce and added my oregano. However, the shaker lid fell off and about 3 times as much oregano fell into the sauce. Her family thought it was the most delicious sauce she had ever made. The fresh garlic chives are wonderful in salads or in a lemon marinade for fish. The dried chives are also wonderful in homemade soups as an ingredient or as garnish on top. The mixed leafy greens will be cooked in a very large pot, simmered with ham bits, onions, 2 cups of chicken broth added to the water. The other additions are 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and 2 - 3 tablespoons of sugar. A couple of tablespoons of the oregano will give the greens a bit of spiciness. I have found gardening is a year-round adventure. May you find much joy and interesting new herbs to plant during the coming year.
My winter garden is still producing. Collards, Red Kale, and Curly Kale love the cooler weather. Winter herbs such as oregano, garlic chives, lemon balm and lime balm are thriving. The balms I will prepare for delicious, warming teas. The dried oregano will be wonderful in sauces and stews. My good friend was preparing her homemade spaghetti sauce and added my oregano. However, the shaker lid fell off and about 3 times as much oregano fell into the sauce. Her family thought it was the most delicious sauce she had ever made. The fresh garlic chives are wonderful in salads or in a lemon marinade for fish. The dried chives are also wonderful in homemade soups as an ingredient or as garnish on top. The mixed leafy greens will be cooked in a very large pot, simmered with ham bits, onions, 2 cups of chicken broth added to the water. The other additions are 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and 2 - 3 tablespoons of sugar. A couple of tablespoons of the oregano will give the greens a bit of spiciness. I have found gardening is a year-round adventure. May you find much joy and interesting new herbs to plant during the coming year.
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More on Roselle:
Happy November and almost the end of fall harvest!
Happy November and almost the end of fall harvest!
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By the middle of October I had harvested roselle three times. On the third harvest I cut 135 of the beautiful red calyxes. I have dried some for tea. The rest are in the freezer. These photos show the harvested roselle buds and the seed pods inside. The lovely flowering roselle bush continues to put out flowers and produce buds. The bush will die with a killing frost. Farmers Almanac gives the first average day of frost for Gainesville as November 25. All gardeners know that date is very unpredictable which is part of the fun of watching the herb garden seasons. Our family will be eating Florida Cranberry Sauce made from roselle on Turkey Day. Happy Fall Holidays!
The latest news flash on 2021 Roselle from Jessica's Garden.
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The all-white bloom with red buds is the result of my roselle from 2020. The white flower tinged with pink with the darker more oblong buds is from the seeds from a variety at the Haile Farmers Market in 2020. The oblong buds are much fleshier and easy to peel. The green seeds inside, shown with the buds, were left in an open paper box in my pantry until completely cracked open and dry. I planted both varieties, but only the Farmers Market seeds produced the majority of healthy plants and flowers. The first harvest I put in the freezer to make Florida Cranberry Sauce for Thanksgiving. My later harvest will be dried for hibiscus tea. These plants will last until Gainesville's first hard freeze.
The 2021 Spring & Summer herb harvest
The 2021 spring & summer herb harvest was beyond my expectations. I prepared forty 3oz. bottles. The delicious herbs and blends include basil, oregano, sage, chives, celery leaves, cilantro, arugala, parsley, and rosemary. My newly created salad/soup blend is arugala, celery leaves, cilantro and parsley. This one can also be used mixed with bread crumbs as a coating for a fresh garden taste on baked chicken or fish. The Nostalgic Blend is Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme. Many will remember the sing by Simon and Garfunkel in 1966. The repeated names of the herbs have a history. Go to: davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/4394 for more information. Happy end of summer gardens to all of you.
Jessica's FALL PLANTING 2021
On the left is Cuban Oregano, a fleshy plant with the same flavor as the familiar Oregano. On the right is Culantro , a broad leafed plant with the same flavor as Cilantro
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To dry, Cuban Oregano, the leaves must be cut into 1/2 inch pieces. The drying process takes 40-42 hours. Other varieties of oregano with the fine small leaves only require 24-26 hours to properly dry. I love this Cuban variety because it is rather unusual. The bottom stems turn reddish the larger the plant grows.
Cilantro, a favorite in Mexican dishes and salads. Here in North Central Florida I have had better luck growing this variety than the more fine-leafed Cilantro. |
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Jessica's Mints
Last spring I planted Spearmint Mojito. I have harvested and dried for delicious tea. Another wonderful use is fresh mint leaves for ice tea or mojitos. Cheers! On September 4, I planted Orange Mint in hopes it will flourish as well. The garden shops had a large supply of various mints for fall planting. |
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News from Jessica’s Herb Garden June 4, 2021
Basil loves the June hot weather in Northcentral Florida. I have always grown Sweet Basil and prepared successfully. This year I added Holy Basil to the garden. However, I found differences in preparing the Holy Basil variety for the dehydrator. More about Holy Basil later. Here are my tips and tricks for drying Sweet Basil. Sweet Basil is more labor intensive to prepare, unlike other herbs that can be dried on the stems like rosemary, oregano, or thyme.
TIPS AND TRICKS TO DRYING FRESH SWEET BASIL
Basil loves the June hot weather in Northcentral Florida. I have always grown Sweet Basil and prepared successfully. This year I added Holy Basil to the garden. However, I found differences in preparing the Holy Basil variety for the dehydrator. More about Holy Basil later. Here are my tips and tricks for drying Sweet Basil. Sweet Basil is more labor intensive to prepare, unlike other herbs that can be dried on the stems like rosemary, oregano, or thyme.
TIPS AND TRICKS TO DRYING FRESH SWEET BASIL
- Harvest early in the day.
- If not able to process right away, place in plastic bag in refrigerator. Do not rinse.
- For best results, prepare the basil the day it is harvested. You must prepare within 24 hours or many basil leaves will darken.
- Pick or cut leaves from stems. Carefully check for aphids on underside of leaves. Holding the stems upright with leaves pointed down will help you spot these little creatures. Discard those leaves and any leaves that have darkened.
- Rinse leaves at least three times. Gently redistribute after each rinse. Spin dry in a salad spinner. If no spinner, place single leaves between paper towels and gently pat dry.
- Roll about 10 – 12 leaves into small bundle and cut bundle into 3 or 4 parts.
- Distribute leaves on dehydrator trays. Do not overcrowd.
- Set hydrator at herb setting – usually 95 degrees F and 35 degrees C. Sweet basil usually needs 20-24 hours to dry. This will depend on indoor humidity when drying.
- Once dried, store in glass sealed containers until ready to process and put into small glass herb jars. Be sure to label the storage containers.
- Notes on Holy Basil: This was my first experience with Holy Basil. Almost all the leaves had completely darkened after 24 hours in the refrigerator. I discarded the entire bunch. I will continue to experiment with this variety of basil. It does smell lovely and produces delicate blue spires on flowers.
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Scroll down to see her gardening tips on
Roselle & Peppers.
Roselle & Peppers.
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The drying process begins with collecting and labeling the herbs, & cleaning them.
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To the right is the drying schedule in the dehydrator for the various herbs.
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To the left is 2 cups of cilantro that has been dried in the dehydrator and to the right you see that it becomes 1/4 cup ground. Then comes the bottling and labeling. Jessica made one blend of 1/4 cup cilantro and the rest parsley. Bottles and caps are run through dishwasher and throughly dried prior to bottling. Kamenstein Spice jars available online, or Bed Bath and Beyond. Other bottles are blends made from spring/summer garden 2020.
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Above are pictures of Jessica's beautiful purple kale collards and celery.
On the right are parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Do you remember the song? |
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Roselle
Roselle 2020 and update on Roselle 2021
Last year for the first time I planted roselle which is fast becoming a popular plant in Florida. The first photo below of 2020 Roselle show the beautiful white flowers that appeared in early September and the second photo show the red calyxes that resulted through early October. I harvested the calyxes and made Florida Cranberry Sauce and hibiscus tea. A great variety of tropical drinks, which can be found online, also incorporate hibiscus. The tea is made from dried red calyxes that are peeled from the core of the bud. The Florida Cranberry Sauce is made from fresh or frozen calyxes and prepared like cranberry sauce for a delicious winter holiday dish. Last year I saved seeds from the original plant and successfully grew lush new plants for 2021. The plants are in two different areas with full sun. This year I planted directly in the ground. The hibiscus flower buds have not appeared as of late July, However, I am anticipating an abundant crop this year. Roselle plants can be found at local nurseries. I encourage you to grow this beautiful and useful plant in your garden!
Last year for the first time I planted roselle which is fast becoming a popular plant in Florida. The first photo below of 2020 Roselle show the beautiful white flowers that appeared in early September and the second photo show the red calyxes that resulted through early October. I harvested the calyxes and made Florida Cranberry Sauce and hibiscus tea. A great variety of tropical drinks, which can be found online, also incorporate hibiscus. The tea is made from dried red calyxes that are peeled from the core of the bud. The Florida Cranberry Sauce is made from fresh or frozen calyxes and prepared like cranberry sauce for a delicious winter holiday dish. Last year I saved seeds from the original plant and successfully grew lush new plants for 2021. The plants are in two different areas with full sun. This year I planted directly in the ground. The hibiscus flower buds have not appeared as of late July, However, I am anticipating an abundant crop this year. Roselle plants can be found at local nurseries. I encourage you to grow this beautiful and useful plant in your garden!
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Pepper Season
Pepper harvest season is here. Last year I had great luck with preparing mild red and green Shishito peppers and a few hot spicy Datils purchased from the Farmer's Market. I gave away and used about a dozen bottles.
What you see in photo #1 is all I have left from 2020. The peppers were delicious in scrambled eggs, Mexican dishes, pasta sauces, and soups. My 2021 plan was to grow my own variety of peppers. I planted several kinds: hot jalapeno, hot datils, mild Cubanelles, and sweet green peppers. Alas, my pepper garden produced very few peppers. I learned that peppers need some time of shade and my container garden is in full sun. I got a small weekly harvest of 10-12 peppers, mainly datils and jalapenos. Photo #2 shows jalapenos and datils with a few mini sweet red and yellow peppers purchased at the market. My only resort for making the delicious dried peppers is to purchase them in the coming weeks from the organic farmers. As all gardeners know, good intentions and planning do not always lead to success. I have plans for next year to experiment again with peppers.
What you see in photo #1 is all I have left from 2020. The peppers were delicious in scrambled eggs, Mexican dishes, pasta sauces, and soups. My 2021 plan was to grow my own variety of peppers. I planted several kinds: hot jalapeno, hot datils, mild Cubanelles, and sweet green peppers. Alas, my pepper garden produced very few peppers. I learned that peppers need some time of shade and my container garden is in full sun. I got a small weekly harvest of 10-12 peppers, mainly datils and jalapenos. Photo #2 shows jalapenos and datils with a few mini sweet red and yellow peppers purchased at the market. My only resort for making the delicious dried peppers is to purchase them in the coming weeks from the organic farmers. As all gardeners know, good intentions and planning do not always lead to success. I have plans for next year to experiment again with peppers.
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