Natural Bug Patrol.

During the month of July, August and September
is when we , USA Southerners, have the peak of the insect season. From Japanese Beetles to tiny
Aphids, you just never know what your going get.

Learning to distinguish between the good and the bad bug is very beneficial. Grasshoppers, leafhoppers, Japanese Beetles, Aphids, Squash-bug, Slug/Snails are all very pesky and will eat a variety of plants.

PrayingManthis(as ugly as it is)LadyBeetles and
spiders of all kinds are very helpful in controlling
the bad ones. And of course if your lucky enough to have a family of wild turkeys who come for
breakfast and supper every day, they will keep the grub population under control. My hubby is not a hunter and we would never dream of killing one of these beautiful creatures. But there is a hunting season here when it is legal to kill a certain number per person who has a license to hunt, so later in the autumn they will go deep into the woods for protection. Hopefully this family will live to return next year!

The gardens are starting to slow down a tiny bit as far as new growth. Still a lot of cutting to do on the Mints and Thyme. I'm allowing one bed of each: Oregano, Basil, Marjoram and Chives to flower, and they are so pretty. Rosemary, Thyme and Sage is very hardy and will continue to produce right through the autumn months, they will also survive the winter in the ground if you protect them with a good cover of hay or light branches ,etc. The amount of protection depends of course on where you are located and the severity of your winter months.

We have dried gallons upon gallons of all the herbs and looking forward to sharing our wonderful
Herb Blends with all of our friends, family and customers , both local and around the world.

We have customers who have become 'friends' in England and Canada.

I love the connections that the Internet allows us to make. We truly are living in what will be a great time in the history of communication.

You may view the products we have for market by going to the Sage Hill Farms website.

http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com

As always feel free to contact us if you have questions or just wish to visit.

Be Well,

Bea Kunz/SageHillFarms.

Herb Knowledge.

Throughout history people from every culture have been using herbs to season and flavor food.

In the 17th century, John Parkinson, the famous English herbalist at the Court of King James I,
Wrote these words, Dried summer savory leaves ground up with bread crumbs "used to breade
meate, be it fish or flesh, give it a quicker relish." Meaning that it gives it a better taste.

Herbs do taste good and smell good, they are healthy and they give us so many options to experiment with. Hard and fast rules when using herbs are very few. You can make your own
rules. Fresh versus dried is simply a matter of personal preference.

There are a few things to remember when cooking with herbs in order to get the best benefit
of the natural oils. Fresh herbs like basil, should be torn with your fingers instead of chopped with a knife. Tearing releases more of the natural oil. Any fresh or dried herb should be added no more than 5 or 10 minutes to the end of cooking time. The longer they cook, the more taste
you lose.

Another little tip: When using dried-----half the amount of fresh will do in most recipes.

Too little is better than too much! Herbs can be overpowering if not used in the proper amounts.
The blending of herbs can serve a two fold purpose, adding wonderful flavor to your dish,
and allowing you to cut back or completly stop the use of salt and or fat.
Actually there is a third benefit, once you remove the salt and fat from your food, you discover
the real taste . This is always a big suprise to most people.

I'm an herb farmer and strongly believe in the powers of herbs to support, heal, cleanse and maintain the health of our bodies, minds and spirit.

But they are like everything we do that has a real purpose, we must learn about the process
and commit to a practice of when and how to best use them.

You can find more information about our farm and our products by going here:
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com

Please visit this blog often, I will post at least weekly. This is a very busy time of year with
harvesting and getting the herbs dried and ready for market.

I would love your feedback, and if you have questions , please feel free to email , snail mail or phone me.(although phoning will get you the answering machine on most days, but I will call
back if you are in the USA.)

Be Well,
Bea Kunz/SageHillFarms.