Hello Gardeners and fellow Chileheads. I hope everyone is getting through the winter o.k. Hang in there, we're past the halfway point and the days are getting longer now.
Some of our subscribers have written that they have already started their indoor seedlings. That is fine for the very warmest climates but be careful not to start too too early. One Chilehead from Ohio started their plants a few weeks ago and I question the timing for that zone. Over the years I found it's better to be a few weeks late than too early because the Tomatoes and Peppers always seem to catch up once the weather really warms up.
One thing helping to get me through the winter besides the abundance of preserved Chiles is my collection of hand-ground dried herbs. I have Rosemary, Parsley, Basil, Oregano, Lemon Balm, Sage and Dill. I toss most of them into soups, salad dressing, spaghetti sauces, stews, bean dishes, etc.
They go a long way because I ground them into an extra fine powder so a small jar lasts a few years. Depending on the herb I either dried them in a food dehydrator or in a sunny windowsill. I enjoy them because they're wholesome and organically grown so I know they are not only tasty but extra nutritious. I have a marble hand grinder that I received as a gift. You may want to try to hand grind some of your herbs and plan this when you're planting your garden.
My garden is getting even more colorful lately over the winter. There are shades of citrus orange, lemon yellow and lime green. How's that? >From the ton of citrus rinds that I tossed in the garden over the winter along with eggshells and coffee grounds and some other stuff like banana peels for their potassium. We use a lot of citrus to flavor water, drinks, fish, chicken, duck, etc.
My favorite drink (non-alchoholic that is) that I believe cleanses the palate as well as the liver is to slice a lemon, orange and lime into a gallon container and fill with ice and water. It's great in the summer and after exercising. I'm not sure what the citrus may have been sprayed with so I wash them in a little dishsoap & water and rinse them very well.
The added benefit is that The Citrus rinds are somewhat of a deterrent to ants. Ants are at the root of all aphid problems because they 'herd' them, like we do cows and 'milk' them for their sweet nectar which the aphids suck out of the plant leaf.
