Gardening Note 1: Bloody Sorrel

Aptly named bloody dock for its distinctive red veins, this herbaceous plant originates in the Mediterranean. It is a culinary and pot herb as well as an apothecary's medicinal. The flowers once mature are used in dried flower arranging.

Like other perennial sorrels, it has a tangy, acidic taste that many good cooks use to flavour sauces, stews and soups.

Cooking with sorrel offers depth and a surprise flavor with almost no effort. Sorrel has a natural affinity for fish and eggs, and is the basis for many soups. When sautéed for a minute or so, it melts into a puree that, with a little butter and cream, makes a lovely, easy sauce for fish or vegetables. A sorrel cream is a perfect bed for poached eggs. When the leaves are young and tender it adds a fresh, tart edge to any salad.

Sorrels like rich, moist soil and will even grow well in boggy areas. It grows well in full sun to semi-shade areas.

A real attention getter for pots and boxes at close range on the patio.

Gardening Note 2: Growing healthy herbs

1. A Sunny position, 
2. Well drained, composted soil,
3. Organic fertiliser.

The aim of giving the correct growing conditions is to produce a plant that is:

• More resistant to fungal diseases like rust, black spot and mildew,
  • Plants resistant to diseases require less or no spraying to ensure a natural,organically grown product,
• High in essential oil and other constituents , to ensure:
  • More flavour in culinary herbs,
  • More fragrance in herbs used for aromatherapy and pot-pourri, and
  • More of the active ingredients in herbs used for medicinal purposes.

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Gardening Note 3: Cooking with Rosemary

Rosemary is an evergreen perennial plant which can be harvested all year round. It produces small pretty blue flowers in the winter and early spring. A good time to prune rosemary into shape is after it has flowered.

Rosemary can be used fresh or dried. It is an evergreen plant so using it fresh is easier and preferable. You can either strip off the leaves from the woodier stems or use whole sprigs to flavour your food then remove them.

The leaves and flowers of rosemary can be used in many different dishes; here are just a few ideas to whet your appetite. However, remember that rosemary has quite a strong flavour so you don't need to add very much even in dishes that are slow cooked.

• The flowers can be used in desserts eg sprinkled over ice cream or mousses.
• Rosemary blends especially well with oranges but also other fruits. An orange fool flavoured with rosemary is lovely.
• You could also make Rosemary Syrup.
• One of the more traditional uses for rosemary is as an accompaniment to lamb dishes. If you blend rosemary leaves, garlic, lemon juice and seasoning and marinate your lamb before cooking it will taste delicious. This also works for chicken and pork dishes.
• Use sprigs for roasting, grilling or on the barbeque.
• Another combination for lamb is to mix rosemary leaves with orange to create a glaze but some people may find this a bit too sweet.
• The fresh shoots can be used to flavour olive oil or milk/cream or syrup to be used in puddings. Also delicious added to lemonade and other summer drinks.
• Onions roasted with rosemary and made into a sauce is also tasty.
• You can make rosemary flavoured oil or vinegars.
• Adding rosemary to roast potatoes is another popular use and is one of my favourite ways of using it.
• Make skewers from stripped, longer, stronger sprigs (soak in water before cooking) or use as they are as a basting brush.
• Rosemary sprigs cooked with fried vegetables make a lovely combination (don't forget to remove the sprigs before eating!)
• Makes a wonderful oil and vinegar. Great for marinades.
• Add finely chopped leaves to soups, sauces, salads, pasta and bread such as foccacia.
• Rosemary combines well with any of the following herbs: bay, chives, garlic, lovage, mint, oregano, parsley, sage, savory and thyme.
• An essential part of ‘herbes de provence’.
• It goes well with the following foods: apricots, breads, cabbage family, eggs, fish, lamb, onions, oranges, parsnips, pasta, pork, potatoes, poultry, squash and tomatoes.

Source: HubPages

Gardening Note 4: Beneficial Insects

Garden plants attract insect pests by the dozens, from aphids to slugs. But before you reach for an insecticide, take another look at the insects in your planting beds.

While the pests are devouring your squash and tomatoes, another wave of insects is coming to the rescue.

Beneficial insects prey on the pests gardeners detest, keeping insect populations in check.

Most of the beautiful adult lacewings feed on pollen, nectar, and honeydew. Green lacewing larvae, however, are voracious predators. Nicknamed "aphid lions," the larvae do an impressive job of devouring aphids by the dozens. Larvae hunt for soft-bodied prey, using their curved, pointed mandibles to stab their victims.