Speaker
 

Past Herbs Featured

Consultant
 

Herb's Herbs
 

Site Index

Cooking with the Herb Ladies.
Recipes and herb tips from Farmer's Market 2000

Home

Author Bio Biographical statement from the author of Growing and Selling Fresh Cut Herbs.

Speaker
Sandie is a speaker
that will bring a wealth
of information to any
event.

Consultant
Learn how to grow
herbs efficiently

Growing and Selling
Fresh-Cut Herbs
Looking for a great gift for that favorite gardener? Here you'll find out where to buy this book or how to
order it online.

Herb of the
Month
Check here each
month for a new herb, featuring: growing,
care and uses.

Questions and Answers
Send your questions to the author by e-mail. They will be answered personally and may be included on this page for others to read.

Links
Here you can order Growing and Selling Fresh-Cut Herbs, see media and book reviewers' comments, check out herb organizations, and visit sites that sell herb seeds, plants, packaging, etc.

Reviews
Read here to find out what readers have to say about Growing and Selling Fresh-Cut Herbs

Herb of the Month

Over the next year, the herb of the month feature will focus on those unusual herbs that a professional grower may occasionally be asked to supply.  These profiles are supplied by Herbalpedia

Anise Hyssop

Agastache foeniculum
Perennial
Up to 3 feet

         Cultivation: A perennial to zone 4.   Space 1 to 1 ½ feet.  Soil temperature best at 70-85F and should be well-drained, semi-rich, sandy loam.  It prefers full sun but adapts to partial shade.  Can be propagated by seed, cuttings and root division.  Also self-seeds. Because the seeds are quite small, they can successfully germinate only under a light soil covering and should be planted either very near to, or actually on the soil surface.  The seeds germinate well, emerging in 4-10 days.  Seedlings transplant easily.  The plant grows very slowly initially and often requires 2 years from seed to bloom.  Seeds can be planted in late fall, allowed to lie dormant through the winter, to germinate in the early spring.  Cuttings can be rooted from soft or semi-ripe stems.   It does best in cool weather.  Abundant moisture is required, especially during dry periods.  Under drought conditions, plants will stop flowering in late summer.  On the other hand, excessive rainfall or irrigation can also be damaging.  Anise hyssop dies back to the ground after a killing frost and is late to come up in the spring.  Harvest leaves at any time during the growing season.  They can be used fresh or may be air-dried and stored in air-tight containers.  The most pungent tea is brewed from fresh leaves or flowers. It’s recommended harvesting the leaves early in the day during a sunny, rain –free period, in the belief that this promoted the highest concentration of oils.   Grown as an essential oil plant, it has been estimated that the 50 kg of aromatic oils per ha can be expected.

           A delightful licorice-mint taste makes anise hyssop leaf tea pleasing either hot or cold.  The Plains Indians of North America found it a tasty food sweetener.  To replace anise in a recipe, make a strong anise hyssop tea (using 1 teaspoon in ½ cup water) and replace half of the recipe’s liquid with it.  The fresh or dried leaves complement peas, lamb and other dishes, and can be added to flavor fruit salads and beverages.  The flowers are also culinarily useful.  The flowers have an anise flavor and can be used as a seasoning in baking and in teas, as well as in salads and as garnishes. The flowers tend to have a lighter flavor than the leaves. 

     Click here to see a preview of the Table of Contents for Growing and Selling Fresh-Cut Herbs.
     Click here to see archived Herb of the Month pages.

The comprehensive revised edition of Growing and Selling Fresh-Cut Herbs is available from author, most internet booksellers, bookstores, and in libraries.  It can be ordered from the distributor, Independent Publishers Group. 

E-mail your questions, tips or suggestions.
I look forward to hearing from you.

Home | Author Bio | Growing and Selling Fresh-Cut Herbs |
Herb of the Month | Questions and Answers | Links

Herb's Herbs
PO Box 64
 Zumbro Falls, MN 55991
email 

Design & Hosting by The Herbal Connection