Richter's order

[Reinbeau]

I just unpacked my Richter's order. I love their packaging, they do such a good job. I bought all sorts of basils:

African Blue
African Spice
Lesbos
Thai

Lots of Sage:

Honey Melon
Pineapple
Peruvian (this is my favorite)
White

Two miniature curryplants (love the smell)

Vietnamese Coriander - this was a wonderful discovery last season. This is a plant that creeps, you can plant it in a hanging plant or in a corner of the garden, which is what I do. It lasts all season, unlike regular cilantro, that bolts and reseeds over and over. The flavor is just like cilantro. My Philippine sister in law tasted it and loved it, I got her a plant, too.

Then the oreganos, Bristol Cross oregano (ornamental), and Zaatar, a tasty variety.

Lemongrass - I've never grown it, so this will be fun.

Aztec Sweet Herb, just for fun

Gotu Kola, 'Creeping tropical plant used for centuries in India. Believed to have remarkable rejuvenating properties. One or two leaves daily are said to be sufficient to revitalize the cells of the brain and to retard the aging process' - I need this these days!

Maralroot - 'Remarkable metabolic and tonic effects. Helps athletes increase endurance, reflexes, concentration and recovery. Root extract increases capacity of muscles and normalizes blood sugar levels'. So, I have no idea if I'll use it, but it certainly sounds intriguing!

Rau Om, the rice herb - sounds delicious. It's from Vietnam, I can't wait to try it.

Purple Snowcones Pennyroyal and Sweet Pink, just because I love them. Mom and I saw Purple Snowcones up at Cornell, it's a lovely plant, and the Sweet Pink just because I love fragrance in the garden, and I love all of the Dianthus.

Lemon Verbena, no herb garden is complete without it!!

They didn't have the Lemon Savory, sadly.

All of these plants were securely packed and arrived in great shape. I didn't supply the botanical name, if you want any of that info just let me know!

 

[Ridgerunner]

That Vietnamese coriander got my attention. I can never get cilantro to coincide with tomatoes. I just may be looking for some of that. Thanks.

Editted to add:

Best grown in tropical or subtropic climate and damp conditions. That damp hurts me when it is hot here and my winters are not tropical. I'm guessing you treat it as an annual?

 

[lesa]

Wow- I thought you meant seeds! Those are some nice looking plants! Do you make herbal teas?? I am hoping to try this year.

 

[digitS']

Wow Ann! I can understand your excitement :rainbow-sun!

I know nothing about Rau Om. Wonder what it tastes like . .

I got an order from Richter's this year - mostly seed. Among the packets -- Vietnamese Coriander!

At first, I thought that the seed might be bad . . . it took forever to come up! Probably a month before any finally emerged. I'd moved it off the top of the fridge and into the greenhouse. That likely just delayed it since, nighttime especially, it is cooler in the greenhouse that on the top of the fridge. But, it was in the last container up there! Finally -- lots of little plants!

Yeah, even the seed likes warmth, Ridgerunner. I'm not sure about the tropical conditions.

Confession: I bought a Vietnam Coriander plant at the garden center a couple of years ago. It stayed in the greenhouse thru the summer. It isn't really humid in there because the door is open in the summer and it is so arid outside. Let's just say "warm & protected" - in there with some basil.

Autumn came and it took up a place in a sunny window. Before I knew it, the plant was covered with spider mites! Set it outside for the day and sprayed it ~~ it didn't like any of this and died!

Promise to do better with these plants! That probably means that I should spray them with insecticidal soap before they come in for the winter. If they need more help with the mites later, maybe I can take more drastic action .

Steve

 

[Reinbeau]

That Vietnamese coriander got my attention. I can never get cilantro to coincide with tomatoes. I just may be looking for some of that. Thanks.

Editted to add:

Best grown in tropical or subtropic climate and damp conditions. That damp hurts me when it is hot here and my winters are not tropical. I'm guessing you treat it as an annual?

Mine did fine in the corner of my sunny herb garden right out front, and last year was hot and dry. I do water, but it got no special treatment. It actually lived over the winter under the deep snowcover we had, but the spring frosts did it in. Go for it, I don't think you'll regret it.

Lesa, I'm not much of an herbal tea drinker, I confess, but I am an herb eater!

Steve, did you try it? It's really quite tasty. I'm not a cilantro lover, but this was good.

 

[digitS']

Ann, I did try it!

And, I am a cilantro lover . (Yeah, some people think it tastes like soap but I know the taste of soap . . . Cilantro tastes like lemon to me .)

Julienned in noodle soup ~ does one julienne an herb . . ? But, we only had it a couple of times. There was only one plant and it was quite small. Very, very tasty and obviously you have to like cilantro to think so. Seems to me - trying to remember now - cilantro has a little bit of a carroty flavor, absent from the Vietnamese cilantro.

Culantro - there, that's the other name for it. I wonder what the origin of names tell us.

Steve
who likes Mexican and Southeast Asian foods among others

 

[patandchickens]

Hey, that's cool about the vietnamese cilantro, I may have to try that, as I am the only person in the family that likes cilantro and it is therefore way too much work to grow a constant succession for just me.

I live about ten minutes from Richters' and can just pop down there in person. Neener neener (Great place to stop by in January, just walk thru the greenhouse ruffling plants with your hand and sniffing )

Have fun with your plants,

Pat

 

[digitS']

. . . Very, very tasty and obviously you have to like cilantro to think so. . .

Oops, I meant to say that you do NOT have to like cilantro to think so!

Steve

 

[Greenthumb18]

Richter's seems like a nice place to get herb plants from. I was actually going to get some thyme from there, but then I noticed their located in Canada.

 

[digitS']

Greenthumb, I was told by the Richter's people that they actually drive a truck across the border for mailing to their US customers.

Wouldn't you be close enuf, they could drop it at your house?

Steve