Herb Garden Update

I thought I would update on how my herbs have been growing so far.

You can see my Cascading Rosemary and Sage are slowly creeping along:

My Lavender has started to bloom and the Chives have gotten a haircut:

I picked up a couple of hanging baskets.  Not quite sure what kind of flowers they are.  I may have to take a better picture if we ever get a sunny day again:

My Apple Mint, Rue and Anise are all doing well, and my Tequila Sunrise Columbine flowers have started to peek through, not sure if they will bloom this summer at all:

Chocolate Mint is still growing quite well:

And my Wooly Thyme, Lemon Balm and Catnip are doing well.  Again, Columbine are growing but I am not sure if they will bloom this year:

It seems I forgot to take a picture of my Basil and new Rosemary plant.  Those will have to come later as it is pouring down rain right now.

Herb of the Week - Recipes

To finish off the first Herb of the Week, I thought I would post a few incense recipes.  These are from Scott Cunningham's The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews

Rosemary Healing Incense:
1 Part Dried Rosemary
1 Part Dried Juniper Berries

Crush herbs and burn on charcoal disc

Study Incense:
2 parts Gum Mastic
1 part Rosemary

Crush herbs and burn on charcoal disc

Crystal Purification Incense
2 Parts Frankincense
2 parts Copal
1 part Sandalwood
1 part Rosemary
1 pinch finely powdered salt
1 small, purified Quartz Crystal Point

Crush herbs and place in a jar.  Add the quartz crystal. Pour herbs onto charcoal disc (be sure to LEAVE the crystal in the jar).  Pass crystals to be purified through the smoke. 

On Listening to Good Advice

I'm stubborn.  A few months ago, I bought Scott Cunningham's The Complete Book if Incense, Oils and Brews.  I have a rather large herb collection and decided to make an incense for Imbolc.  I didn't follow one of his recipes - NOOOOOO that would be too easy.  I made up my own.  I picked some herbs appropriate for Imbolc (gleaned from my notes on the Sabbat) ground them, mixed them together, bottled them and then put them aside for a few weeks.  I didn't even think about the incense until Imbolc when I lit a charcoal disc, opened the bottle and FELL IN LOVE! OMG I didn't remember it smelling that good when I made it!  Slowly, a horrific realization took hold of me - I hadn't written down the recipe.  Cunningham stressed the importance of writing recipes, in fact, I'm pretty sure he mentioned it at least 5 times.  But I knew better! I would never want to re-create this particular recipe, I would simply explore a new avenue and try something else, right? WRONG! My lesson in all of this - when someone who has been working with herbs and writing about herbs for as long as Cunningham has - LISTEN TO HIS ADVICE!

After an hour or so of sniffing what little I had left and experimenting with the herbs I had on hand (luckily I could narrow it down by looking at the original Sabbat notes), I did manage to re-create it.  So here is the recipe:

Ingredients
Purple Basil (I grow and dry my own - I have never seen it available in a store but I am sure regular basil would be fairly close)
Chamomile
Rosemary
Frankincense Resin

I didn't really follow any set measurements but I have added to my notes to go light on the Chamomile and heavier on the Basil.  Also, try not to over-work the Frankincense - it got started to get gummy on me.

*I will probably re-post this recipe next Imbolc.

Herb of the Week - Rosemary

I thought I would start my Herb of the Week postings with Rosemary as it is very common within most Witches' gardens and can easily be found within nearly everyone's kitchen. 

Rosemary is a beautifully fragrant herb that can be easily incorporated into both magick and cooking.  Young plants are usually readily available at most nurseries.  I have also seen Rosemary more and more often in ready-made herb pots (containing multiple herbs) at most grocery stores (Superstore and Sobeys here in Canada). 

As a cooking herb, Rosemary is piney with a hint of lemon.  It works very well with basil or thyme.  It can be used with nearly all meats and is particularly good when paired with lamb or poultry.  It is also a great partner with eggplant, potatoes and in many sauces and marinades.  Rosemary is one herb that many people keep close to the barbecue in order to add flavor and fragrance to dishes. 

As a magickal herb, Rosemary holds powers of Protection, Love, Lust, Mental Powers, Exorcism, Purification, Healing, Sleep and Youth.  It can be burned to purify a space or prepare for a ritual and works well in incenses.  Rosemary may be burned in the bedroom or kept under the pillow to protect the sleeper and drive away nightmares.  It may be hung throughout the house, particularly in doorways or on porches, to protect the inhabitants and drive away thieves.  Rosemary can be used in baths or bathing products to ensure youthfulness (I have a rosemary mint shampoo and conditioner that smells DIVINE).  It works well in nearly all magickal applications including dream pillows, poppets and tinctures. 

Herb Garden Beginnings - the 2010 Edition

I finally got some time to plant my patio herb garden this morning.  I also got permission from my building manager to put pots on the ground next to my patio, so I am expanding this year.

Here are my Chives and Lavender from last year:

Doing quite well I think... Look at those buds! Can't wait for it to bloom!

Now for the Newbies:

Lemon Balm

Woolly Thyme

Anise

Rue

Apple Mint

Sage and Cascading Rosemary

And Dill and Angelica awaiting a new pot

Clearly Poseidon likes the smell of the Angelica...

I also have purple basil and Genovese basil. I will be keeping these inside the house until July as they die when I put them out early (every year!)

This is my first time with the rue, angelica, anise and woolly thyme so any advice would be greatly appreciated!