Veggies Gone to Seed Are Still Tasty
Veggies gone to flower and seed offer an amazing array of tasty delights to your dinner plate. Try turnip, chervil, peas, fennel, dill, broccoli, kale, collards, mustard greens, cabbage, crowder peas, scarlet runner beans, leek, onion, garlic, radish, arugula, parsley, bok choy, tatsoi … the list goes on. It’s okay to eat the flowers or pods of most any vegetable you can eat the leaves of. They are great in salads, stir-fries and soups (add toward the end of cooking when making soups). If you consider the nutritional work the plant puts into flowering and going to seed, it makes the harvest of this treat even more beneficial.
–Dayna McDaniel, Raytown, Missouri
Thanks for sharing! –Eds.
Praise for Lavender Lemonade Recipe
The Lavender Lemonade recipe you posted in your e-newsletter today was so good!
–Karen Rush, Fredericksburg, Virginia
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Karen! That recipe was featured in a recent Herb Companion article called Lavender Plant Love & Obsession. To subscribe to our popular weekly e-newsletters, visit our e-newsletter subscriber’s page. –Eds.
Does rue cause rashes?
I transplanted rue the other day. Now I seem to be breaking out in hives (not blisters). Could it be from the rue?
–Sherrie Grable Prosch, Indianapolis, Indiana
It’s possible, as rue can cause photodermatitis, an abnormal skin reaction that can result in a rash, blisters or scaly patches. This skin reaction is usually caused by exposure to a plant that contains psoralens (like rue) and then subsequent exposure to ultraviolet light. Be sure to wear gloves or a long-sleeved shirt when handling rue to avoid future skin irritation. –Eds.
Growing Lavender Tips
Growing lavender in hot, humid Charleston, South Carolina, can be difficult. I spread oyster shells around the base of my lavender. This reflects light up into the plant, thus keeping the plant drier. I also thin out the interior of the plant. Plus, my lavender grows in what I call my “Hell Strip” up each side of our driveway.
–Laurette Sweet, Charleston, South Carolina
Thanks for the tips! –Eds.
Online Giveaway
Our website constantly features exciting giveaways. Be sure to see Win Award-Winning Skin Care and enter for a chance to win a set of herbal beauty must-haves from derma e. All sets are free of parabens, phthalates and petrolatum.
Facebook Fodder
We asked our Facebook fans for some of their favorite essential oil uses. Read The Essence of Essential Oils to learn how essential oils are made.
TERI WILLIAMSON WILMARTH: I use them in soaps and lotions for aromatherapy.
JULIANA RUSSELL DAWSON: I definitely use essential oils in soaps as well as candles and healing potions.
DALE DALESSIO: I use these oils in creams and salves. And hydrosols, too!
ROBERT MACFARLAND: I use peppermint, tea tree and orange for my homemade beeswax and olive oil lip balm.