With the threat of frost looming I decided that a herb harvest was in order.
I collected these yesterday. (Are you singing? I was singing in my mind while I cut these.) After dinner I planned to come back for chives and lavender. I didn’t make it back and this morning frost blanketed everything. I was, however, thrilled to find that none of the herbs had been affected by the frost. I was able to harvest chives, spearmint, chocolate mint and lavender today.
I wasn’t the only one interested in the lavender. There were many bumble bees flying from blossom to blossom – collecting nectar I presume. Not wanting to take it all from them, I only harvested about 1/2 of the blossoms.
All of these herbs will be dried, then some will be used for culinary uses, others will be infused into oils for use in soaps or balms, and some (spearmint and or chocolate mint) might be infused in vodka since we enjoyed it the last time I made it.
Now that we have had a frost there are other things that can be harvested; these include rose hips and horse radish. Look for a future post on how I will be using them.
Thanks for reading and until next time – be well. 🙂
Don't Eat It! Soap and Skin Care 
Ruth, there’s no end to your talents! I am delighted you got to harvest your herbs! Enjoy using them! Xox
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I was lucky enough to get all the basil before the frost and made lots of pesto!
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I usually harvest lots of basil early then let it flower because the bees like the flowers.
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Infusing with vodka… now there’s an idea! 😉
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I like this mixed with water on ice. Very refreshing.
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Many herbs make great house plants – basil, parsley, chives to name a few. Thanks for sharing this Trina. 🙂
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Saw you on: its good to be crazy. I think I’m right below you. I grew my own herbs for years. I grew so much last year I dried and bagged them for cooking. I’m still using them up. So maybe next year I’ll be able ti grow a new crop. I di miss the fresh ones, though.
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Thanks for stopping by. I always grow more herbs than I can use but when I let them flower our honey bees love them as well. I especially like the perennials that I don’t have to plant every year. I think parsley, rosemary and basil are the only annual herbs I grow but having fresh herbs is worth it.
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Yup. Thanks for the ear worm!
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🙂 I just couldn’t resist. They all grow nicely together.
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I’m glad the frost didn’t destroy your harvest.
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Me too! I’m sure it won’t be long now.
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Yes I was singing! I harvested my lavender yesterday too, never been so late, but then I had to replant it all in the spring as it did not survive last years harsh winter. Do you make your own lavender oil?
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I have never had lavender blossom this late but I cut more blossoms this year than in past years. I infuse lavender into oils for soap making.
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I tried to make lavender oil one year by soaking the buds and stems in vodka for a month and then freezing it and scraping off the oil – I got about half a teaspoon. It was a method I read about on the internet but I should have just drank the vodka…
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I think it takes 10’s of thousands of buds to make one ounce of essential oil. They are very highly concentrated.
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Yes, I was reading the caption under the first picture and wondering at rosemary if you were doing that order intentionally. 🙂 Have always loved that S&G song. The bees are happy you left them some lavender to bury into a little longer.
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I couldn’t help myself. Even when I was cutting the herbs the song was stuck in my mind and I cut them in that order. LOL. Crazy how the mind works.
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We probably heard that song so many times it is forever engrained in our brain. Made me smile reading it though.
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