[Sca-cooks] RE: peppermint

[Kathleen A Roberts]

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 14:05:01 -0400
  Barbara Benson <voxeight at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Elisabetta> So what do I do with the flowers? Can I 
>cook with them
> or dry them, or
>> just let them bloom and die?
> 
> Greetings,
> 
> With most herbs your desired portion of the plant is the 
>leaf. Flowers
> are usually undesirable. As a general rule, once the 
>plant starts
> producing flowers it spends considerably less time 
>making leaves. And
> this is not what you want.
> 
> When herbs start to form a flower head you want to 
>"pinch" it back.
> This involves taking your fingers and pinching the end 
>of the stem and
> breaking the tender flower head off. Some of your more 
>woody herbs
> will require small snippers.
> 
> This type of selective pruning will encourage your herbs 
>to become
> more bushy and produce more abundant leaves. If you 
>allow it to go
> completely to flower it will then put the majority of 
>it's energy into
> making seeds to procreate. If seeds are what you are 
>looking for that
> is good (like fennel seeds). But for most herbs it is 
>bad.
> 
> I hope that this is of some assistance.
> 
> Glad Tidings,
> --Serena da Riva
> Barony of the South Downs, Meridies
> 
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy which 
sustained him through temporary periods of joy."
W. B. Yeats
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kathleen Roberts
University of New Mexico
Office of Freshman Admissions
Administrative Asst. III
505-277-6249