'^- 



HOW ABOUT HERBS 



-^ 



floating row cover to protect them. 

 'African Blue' grows very large — 

 three feet or more — and thus should 

 make quite a statement in the gar- 

 den. (A fellow gardener gave me a 

 rooted cutting and I an eager to see 

 what happens.) And I was recently 

 reading a catalog from a small busi- 

 ness in Kentucky and found a basil 

 of similar description called 'Ameri- 

 can Blue Basil'. ..this could get 

 mighty confusing! 



Other basils mentioned in my 

 various readings are 'IVlrs. Burns,' a 

 lemon variety that is not as delicate 

 as the more common O. citriodorum. 

 This is available from Companion 

 Plants in Athens, Ohio (614-592- 

 4643). Also of interest to me is 

 'Aussie Sweetie,' from T. DeBaggio 

 Herbs in Arlington, Virginia (703-243- 

 2498). This is a variety that never 

 flowers (making it less work to grow 



as a crop) and is described as hav- 

 ing a minty sweet fragrance that is 

 almost floral 



There's a great deal of discussion 

 about purple basils — how they vary 

 so much in color and often change 

 in only a few generations, some- 

 times leaving us altogether. 'Dark 

 Opal' and 'Purple Ruffles' still seem 

 to be the varieties most often avail- 

 able, although DeBaggio mentions 

 'Rubin' (which closely resembles 

 Dark Opal) and 'New Guinea' (which 

 resembles Rubin). (DeBaggio has a 

 fascinating article on the purple 

 basils in the April/May 1994 issue of 

 The Herb Companion.) 



If you find a good purple basil, 

 be sure to make some purple basil 

 vinegar and enjoy this Holiday Basil 

 lelly, a traditional favorite in our 

 family. 



HOLIDAY BASIL JELLY 



2 cups sugar 



1 cup Dark Opal Basil vinegar 



1 cup finely grated horseradish, well 



drained 

 1/2 bottle pectin (like Certo) 



Boil sugar and vinegar 3 minutes. 

 Add horseradish and stir well, 

 Return to boil for 1 minute. Stir in 

 pectin. Remove from heat, skim, and 

 pour into sterilized glass jelly jars. 

 Makes 3 6-ounce glasses. 



Without a doubt, basil is one of 

 summer's most popular herbs. 

 We've barely scratched the sur- 

 face — of varieties as well as culinary 

 uses. There's plenty of room for lots 

 more good reading and experimen- 

 tation. 



Tanya ]ackson, a well-known area herbal- 

 ist, can be reached at 603-431-6774. 



Iii^^?i 



KIIIAII. & 



wn()i,i-s,\Li: 



Newton Greenhouse 



32 Amesbury Road, Newton, NH 03858 

 603-382-5289 



Quality Plants 

 green & flowering 



from 3" to 10" pots 



Holiday, bedding plants & dish gardens 



Year round cut Smaps, Gloxinias, & African Violets 



Seasonal Cut Tulips & Iris 



Liscensed propagator 



of Mikkelsen & Ecke New Guinea Impatiens 



Let Rough Brothers' 



expertise turn your 



greenhouse into a 



powerhouse — for profits. 



Call the experts at Rough Brothers tor information and 

 technical assistance on these quality products. 



Manufacturers of: 



• WhiteHouse 



• The International 



• Harvest House 



• The "2100" gutter-connected house 



• Free-standing poly arch houses 



• Techlite glazing 



• Ro-Flo benches 



• Ebb & Flo benches 



Distributors of 



• Alcoa Aluminum Fin Heating 



• Heating and ventilating equipment 



• Maintenance supplies, glass, parts 



...and more 



Rough Brothers 

 P.O. Box 16010, Cincinnati, Ohio 45216 



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1-800/543-7351 



lONE ♦ lULV 1996 



