Harvesting Roman Chamomile

Chamomile is one the world’s most preferred teas and has excellent medicinal and therapeutic qualities.

Harvesting Chamomile is rewarding and will provide many benefits for you and your family.
Flowers can be harvested for purposes of drying and for fresh use as soon as they are fully open and come into season. The harvesting of Roman chamomile flowers must be done before the flowers start to darken so the flavor and potency of the flowers are not lost.
- Harvesting must be done either after they open in the mornings or before they close at sunset.
- Cut or pinch only the flower head off so flowers can grow back.
- Once the fresh flowers are harvested you can soak them in cold water to cleanse them or just look them over real well to make sure no bugs or soil are on them.
- You can air dry, sun dry, or oven dry the flowers.
- Make sure all flowers are dried completely. 
- Dried flowers can then be stored in airtight jars for about 6 months.

  A few ideas after drying and making into a tea are adding to your bath, using as a facial toner, using as a hair rinse and of course as a enjoyable tea.
Roman Chamomile has also been used as a ground cover and a alternative for lawn.  With its sweet sent who would not love it!

Freezing Beans

Quick Easy and Terrific! - Select young and tender string less beans - Wash thoroughly and snip off ends. - Cut in 1 ½ inch pieces or slice lengthwise for julienne/french style. - Small green beans 3-4 inches long can be left whole - Blanch in boiling water for 2-3 min. - After blanching chill in iced water for 5 minutes. - Drain and pack in freezer containers or bags with about 1/2 inch from top.

Freezing Herbs

Freezing is a quick and easy way to preserve your herbs.
Wash and cut your herbs and press into ice cube trays adding water or oil just above the top of mixture and freeze.
After frozen remove from trays put into freezer bags getting as much air out as you can.  To ensure all air is out you can use a straw and suck out air as you finish closing bag.
Some of the best herbs to freeze are;  Basil, chives, dill, lemongrass, mint, oregano, sage, tarragon & thyme.
My favorite herbs to freeze are basil and chives which I add to my tomato soups.

Freezing Onions

Freezing chopped onions is a really brilliant way to store your homegrown Siskiyou Onions.  It's great because you don't have to worry about proper dry storage conditions and it makes for easier meal preparation later.

You just clean the onion as usual, removing all outer skins. Then chop, grate, or mince the onions into various sizes that you like to use in your favorite dishes.  Put into a plastic freezer bag and label with date.  Onions should keep up to a year in the freezer.

Now, when you're making that comfort soup, stew, or meatloaf, the onions are never more than an arm-length's away!

Storing Fresh Carrots

    Everyone enjoys being able to enjoy those garden fresh carrots year-round.  There are a few different ways you can store your garden's bounty of carrots. Just choose the right one that suits your particular needs.

   If you have an extra refrigerator with some extra room in it that could be one of the most convenient ways.  Simply harvest, scrub, top, and then bag carrots in a plastic bag. Check on the moisture periodically to be sure it's adequate, but not too moist.

    Those people who don't have the luxury of extra fridge space need not fret. All you need to do is dig a hole outside in the ground.   Line the bottom with leaves or straw, throw in the carrots, and pile more straw on top!  Lastly, cover the whole spot with a board of some sort.  This is similar to having your own little root cellar in your backyard!