Archive for June, 2009

Parsley..not just for garnishing.

We have been experience wonderful cooking for about a year now with some help from Chef Lori Gandy.  Each week she helps out with making everything work for us.  Watching caloric intake, fresh quality foods and using the right ingredients.  She not only has expanded my use of ingredients but has introduced me to so many things I would have never tired.  I am a chicken man.  Just Chicken…I tell her that all the time.  I love chicken so much that I could eat if all day long.

My boys love the super special french fries, what makes them special?  Parsley and Sea Salt.  Chopped parsley splashed with sea salt and a bit of cayenne pepper( In New Orleans..you have to bring the heat to everything) really adds some great flavoring to average fries.  I don’t or should say can not eat the fries( I am just about 40 yrs old and for a guy..”fried” doesn’t go in my mouth)

Foods that Parsley likes:

1. Any kind of Potatoes & Rice

2. Everything else.  Chicken, Casseroles, Lamb, Steak as well as Fish

Some things you may not know about Parsley:

1. It causes birthing issues if consumed as a drug for pregnant women( hey..stop huffin the parsley)

2. High in oxalic acid which helps develop kidney stones

Neapolitanum Parsley
Full sun 10 – 14
Annual
Petroselinum crispum
Neapolitanum Parsley

Genus:
Petroselinum crispum

Common Name:
Flat Italian Parsley

Features

A must for every herb garden! It will be your most used herb. Contains more Vitamin C than an orange. Also, great source of Vitamin A, several B vitamins, iron and calcium.

• Landscape Plant

Ornamental Characteristics

Foliage Color
Green

Height
10-14″ (Medium)

Spacing
9-12″

Habit
Mounded

Container Plant Style
Filler – Intermingles well with other plants to fill in the middle ground of a combination

Plant Needs

Duration
Annual

Bloom Time
Foliage Plant

Hardiness Zone(s)
Annual except in zones 9 – 11

Hardy Temp
20°F (-7�C)

Exposure
Full sun

Water Needs
Normal

Maintenance
Easy

Uses
Landscapes and containers

Use in landscapes and herb gardens.

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So growing Thyme requires a few simple things, Heat & Dry Conditions.  It requires routine fertilizer and if you select to fertilize organically, use a kelp based fertilizer( increase pungency)  Thyme is from the Mint family and there are up to 400 varieties in the wild today.  Thyme is a Mediterranean herb and does well mixed with similar herbs of it region.  Adding Thyme to breads, pasta and pizza is traditional.  Thyme is even used in some perfumes and used to preserve meats.

See the Information below from Proven Winners website for detailed tag information.

Sun or partial sun 6 – 8
Annual
Thymus vulgaris
Genus: Thymus vulgaris

Common Name:
Common Thyme

Features

Bright purple to white flowers in summer

• Attracts Butterflies
• Drought Tolerant *
• Fragrant Foliage
• Landscape Plant

*Even drought tolerant annual and perennial plants will need water for the first few weeks while they get established. Shrubs and trees will need to be watered for the first year after they are planted. After this, little or no supplemental water will be necessary when planted in the ground. No plant is truly drought tolerant in a container; water is necessary for all plants in containers.

Ornamental Characteristics

Flower Color
White

Foliage Color
Green

Height
6-8″ (Short)

Spacing
10-12″

Habit
Mounded

Container Plant Style
Filler – Intermingles well with other plants to fill in the middle ground of a combination

Plant Needs

Duration
Annual

Bloom Time
Late Spring to Early Summer

Hardiness Zone(s)
Annual except in zones 5 – 10

Hardy Temp
0°F (-18�C)

Exposure
Sun or partial sun

Water Needs
Dry to Normal

Maintenance
Easy

Uses
Landscapes and containers

This plant will beautify your garden all season

Growing Tips
Trim stems as necessary to control growth.

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