Herbs galore!

I need to get some more batteries for my camera, but I went walking through the herb field last night and was astonished at how well the herbs look. They are nice and bushy big and green! Except for the purple basil :) that is dark purple! They look amazing.

We will be bringing herb bunches to market this weekend. Otsiningo and Ithaca Market.

We got our tea bags in the mail yesterday so today I will be working on putting our first sets of tea bags together. Is there any specific types of teas you would like to see?

We also purchased our Iced tea dispenser as well hoping it arrives before market Saturday at Otsiningo. Today I am mixing some Lemongrass, Rosemary and Thyme tea together to make sure that that is the tea we want to serve! We had a customer one of our first years down at Downtown Binghamton Farmer's Market buy a Lemongrass plant from us. When she came back the next week she informed us that she made Lemongrass Thyme tea and that it was delicious. I was searching for a good recipe online yesterday and found one for Lemongrass, Rosemary, Thyme tea. I am very excited to try it. If it comes out well we will be bringing it to Otsiningo Farmer's Market this weekend!

We will also have more fruit this weekend. We will definitely have Methley plums from Cornell University Orchards.

Methley Plums

Also, Otsiningo Farmer's Market extended their pruchasing distances and now have included PA. So we are hoping to get PA peaches, watermelon, cantaloupe and some other goodies. It is not definite yet, but hopefully the variety is expanding.

FACT FILLED FRIDAY

ROSEMARY  
Rosemary is native to the Mediterranean region. 


It has been known as a symbol of loyalty and ceremony. Hence the saying "Rosemary for remembrance."


There are 2 different types of Rosemary- upright and sprawling.

•  Upright- Grows like a bush. It is best for fresh cut herbs.
• Sprawling- spreads more like a ground cover. The flavor is not as intense.

Rosemary is a tender perennial that typically will not survive outdoors north of zone 6.

ROSEMARY PLANT IN THE BEGINNING OF IT'S FIRST YEAR

The seed is slow to germinate and the rate is low and uneven.

It takes at least 2 years of continuous growth for a plant to grow big enough to be a strong producer.

Aphids and Spider-mites are the most common pests.

Rosemary is medicinal, culinary and decorative.

There are many forms- teas, tinctures, extracts, essential oil, dried leaves and bath and body care products.

USES:

• upset stomach
• flatulence
• rheumatism
• apathy
• stimulating the appetite
• enhancing coronary blood flow
• traditionally thought to improve memory

CAUTION: ROSEMARY AND IT'S ESSENTIAL OIL CAN HARM THE UTERUS OR FETUS WHEN TAKEN IN THERAPEUTIC AMOUNTS DURING PREGNANCY. AMOUNTS USED IN COOKING ARE GENERALLY CONSIDERED SAFE.