In the Garden with: Herbs

Kenan and Briscoe White

Briscoe White, co-owner at The Growers Exchange, joined Mike Darcy for his informative and fun radio show, In the Garden.  

Mike and Briscoe talked herbs, Jamestown and the first American settlers.  And according to Mike, herbs are one of his favorite topics! (He likes Jamestown, too!) Good thing Briscoe knows his stuff!

Briscoe stumped Mike with his suggestion of citronella scented geraniums to repel mosquitoes. It really works!  Listen to the podcast here.  And get your geraniums here!

And for another herbal mosquito repellant, check out this DIY salve recipe from Unplugged Sunday:

The main ingredients (clockwise):
dried catnip, calendula, coconut oil, beeswax,
lavender and lemon oils, and rosemary.

all photos by Alexa @Gardenista

Materials:

• 1 cup Dried Calendula Flowers
• 1 cup Fresh Rosemary
• 1 cup Dried Catnip
• A mix of Olive and Coconut Oil (about 2 cups total)
• 1/4 cup Beeswax
• Lavender and Lemon Essential Oils (about 10 drops each)
• Double Boiler/ Sauce Pan and Bowl
• Cheesecloth
• Liquid Measuring Cup and Glass Jar
• 4-5 Lidded Jars

Directions:

• Set up your double boiler and bring water to a boil.
• Add the rosemary, calendula, and catnip to the top bowl 
• Cover with enough olive and coconut oil to completely submerge the herbs.
• Allow the mixture to simmer for about 30 minutes to slowly heat up the oil.
• Strain the oil into a glass jar through the cheesecloth.
• Reheat the filtered oil over low heat, adding the 1/4 cup of beeswax until it's completely melted.
• At that point, add in your drops of essential oil and stir.
• Prepare your glass jars, fill with the mixture, and allow to cool completely. 

Voila! The finished product!