There are all sorts of gardens you can grow. And we’re big fans of all kinds of gardens here. But when we heard about the cocktail garden concept, we got very excited.

To find out more about the cocktail garden concept, we interviewed one of the minds behind the idea: Sara Jenkins-Sutton. In addition to Jenkins-Sutton’s role as the cocktail garden expert, she’s also the vice president and co-founder of Topiarius, a full-service landscape design, build, and maintenance firm that provides high-end services to customers in Chicago’s urban environment.

EcoSalon: What made you think up the cocktail garden concept?

Sara Jenkins-Sutton: We like a great cocktail. And it’s even better when we can use herbs that we’ve grown ourselves. The taste is that much better and fresher.

ES: What types of plants and herbs should people start with?

SJS: When using herbs for drinks, most of us are only looking for one or two plants, so mass plantings are not necessary. Purchasing a plant start from a local nursery, grocery store, or box store should not limit your options or break the bank. And with plant starts, you can start using them almost immediately and they will continue to grow as they are used.

ES: What are the most popular herbs used in drinks?

SJS: Basil, rosemary, lavender, mint, and thyme are the most popular herbs to add to both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink recipes.

EcoSalon: How should people prepare herbs before they place them in drinks?

SJS: Nothing too special. Once clipped, give them a quick rinse with cold water and either shake dry or towel dry, and they’re ready to go.

EcoSalon: Any secrets to using them in drinks?

SJS: I’m a big fan of muddling mint, basil, and thyme into drinks. Pressing down lightly on the leaves to intensify the flavor of the herbs.

EcoSalon: How can people care for their gardens?

SJS: Once past your location’s freeze date, it’s time to get started outside. Here’s what to do:

1. Herbs need lightweight, well-draining soil.

2. Some herbs can be quite invasive in the garden, so we recommend that herbs be planted in containers. Make sure that the container has proper drainage holes and a way to keep the holes from getting clogged (we use a 2” layer of clean rocks with landscape fabric over them) as herbs do not like to have “wet feet.”

3. Make sure they are in a location that gets at least 6 hours of direct sun each day. Keep an eye on the soil moisture level, especially as the temperatures rise. You do not want to let the soil become completely dry. Basil, thyme, and mint like continuously moist soil. Rosemary and lavender like to dry out between watering.

4. Keep the soil clean. Be very cautious about choosing to use fertilizers since you will be ingesting the herbs. We like organic fertilizers and homemade compost.

5. Pick leaves or cut stems regularly to encourage growth. (Always make a clean cut with a clean, sharp blade.)

6. Pinch off the flowers as they grow to keep the plant growing. The first frost will take its toll on the plants, so make sure to enjoy them as much as possible beforehand.

ES: What are some of your favorite drinks containing items from your cocktail garden this summer?

SJS: On a hot summer day, lavender lemonade is super refreshing and delicious with or without alcohol. I also love to take other fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden and add them to drinks, whether it is a strawberry mojito or a fresh Bloody Mary with basil and thyme.

Mix it up with this mojito recipe and enjoy!

Organic Strawberry Mojito (inspired by this recipe)

Makes one mojito

Ingredients

3 fresh organic strawberries
3-5 fresh organic basil leaves
2 oz of homemade organic simple syrup (for a simple recipe, check here, but use organic ingredients)
2 oz of organic rum
Crushed ice
Club soda

Method

Slice strawberries and place at the bottom of a tall glass along with basil leaves. Pour in simple syrup and muddle the mixture. Stir in rum and top with crushed ice. Top with club soda and garnish with strawberry slices.

Connect with Abbie on Twitter and Instagram.

Related on EcoSalon

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Image of strawberry mojito from Shutterstock

The post Are You Growing a Lush Cocktail Garden Yet? appeared first on EcoSalon.

Why not make sure you have an herb garden that gives you the best cocktails possible?

While a well-mixed cocktail is a good thing, a well-mixed cocktail with homegrown garnish is even better. Which is where your herb garden comes in.

The beauty of cocktail garnishes is that you don’t need a lot of herbs, which means that a mixed drink herb garden can be as simple as a few pots in your kitchen window. Beyond garnishes, you can use your herbs as cocktail ingredients, either muddling them or making easy simple syrups.

Here are five herbs to make sure you have on hand and a few ideas for drinks to use them in.

1. Mint

Mint is probably the most classic of cocktail herbs, and since it’s easy to grow, it’s a must for your herb garden. Mojitos and mint juleps are of course the go-to mint drinks, but there’s much more that this herb can be used for. Muddle with blackberries and raspberries and top off with Cointreau for a seasonal drink or mix with lime and rum for an easy Mint Daiquiri.

2. Basil

An herb garden isn’t an herb garden without basil, and while the savory herb is most commonly associated with pesto and caprese salads, its strong flavor is a great pairing for mixed drinks. Basil works great as a simple syrup, or simply shaken like in this Lillet-Basil Cocktail.

3. Lemon Verbena

I bought a small lemon verbena plant earlier this spring to keep in my kitchen window, and it has since exploded. I love the bright citrus flavor that it adds to food and drink, it’s a great option for cocktails. You can muddle it into drinks, dry the leaves and make a lemon verbena sugar to be mixed with bourbon, or whip it into a simple syrup that can be used for things like a Lemon Verbena Gimlet.

4. Rosemary

An easy way to use rosemary is to crush it with vodka and let it sit and steep for awhile, like in this recipe for a Rosemary Ginger Cocktail from the Drunken Botanist. With a little grapefruit juice you can make a Rosemary Ruby Cocktail.

5. Lavender

If you are growing lavender, then you can easily make a lavender simple syrup, which can be used in a variety of drinks, like this Lavender Collins. With its floral taste, lavender pairs well with blackberries, blueberries and cherries; all good for a seasonal (and maybe even foraged) cocktail. Blueberry Lavender Vodka Spritzer or a glass of Lavender Champagne perhaps?

This is just the beginning; there are many more herbs out there. What herbs do you like in your cocktails? Share with us in the comments below!

Related on EcoSalon

9 Homemade Cocktail Mixers Worthy of All Your Summer Drink Recipes

10 DIY Cocktail Syrups for Summer Drinking

The Perfect Cocktail 101: What Are Bitters and How Do You Use Them?

Image: Didriks

The post 5 Cocktail Herb Garden Garnishes and Mixed Drink Ingredients You Can Grow Yourself appeared first on EcoSalon.

Just because you crammed into the tightest corner of the city without any view of foliage or semblance of nature in sight doesn’t mean a garden is off the table. All you need is a window and a few supplies to start growing your own herbs and veggies. Here are 5 tips to get started.

1. Find a Spot

Choose windowsills, fire-escapes or balconies that are under the sun for at least 5 hours per day. If plants can catch the rain too, even better! You can keep more delicate herbs indoors while fruits, veggies and greens with more brawn and thicker skin can grow outsider.

2. Choose a Size

Do not overcrowd plants. Containers for herbs should be at least 15-centimers wide, while larger greens (e.g. lettuce), veggies (e.g. carrots) and beans require more space, so you should plant them in a pot at least 25-centimeters wide. Pots should also be deep, so that the roots can grow freely. The deeper the pot, the more successfully your plants will grow.

3. Support Growth

Bean stalks and other tall plants often require something to climb up. Be ready to support their growth by finding a stick to stand upright next to the plant’s stem as it continues to get taller, using a string to tie the stalk or stem to the stick.

4. Go Compost Shopping

Use compost that is fit for containers versus actually land, as these composts are better able to hold onto moisture and are equipped with extra nutrients to buffer plant growth.

5. Layer Wisely

Put stones at the bottom of the pot before packing in soil. This way, you can prevent soil from becoming too saturated with water at any given time. The stones drain the water from the soil. Use your finger to test whether you water too often or too much – poke your finger into the compost and it should be slightly moist just below the surface, not drench and swimming in water.

Related on EcoSalon

10 Ideas for Sexy Urban Gardens

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image: Selena M.B.H

The post 5 Tips to Starting Your Own Urban Garden (Even if it’s Teeny-Tiny) appeared first on EcoSalon.

A Mason jar isn’t just retro-chic, it’s also extremely affordable and functional. We turn some into herb planters. Ooh la la!

If you haven’t gotten on the Mason jar train just yet, let me be the first to strongly urge you to do this. They make life so much easier. In the kitchen, I store all my bulk grains, nuts, seeds, beans and flours in them. They’re easy to store (we have great pull out shelves) and there’s no guessing what’s inside (I learned the hard way: mark your flours).

We also use these in the fridge instead of yucky plastic to store leftovers, homemade nut milks, and juices. They store well in there, too, and unlike plastic containers, I can easily see through the glass to know what we have to eat, instead of opening a plasticy rotten mess too late.

Mason jars have other uses around the house, although I keep any new acquisitions in the kitchen rotation—seems we can’t get enough!—but they can be storage savers for nails and screws, buttons, odds and ends. If I were a candle person (but I’m not), I’d make my own Mason jar candles. I have made lotions right in Mason jars before, and that’s quite fun, too (next tutorial?).

What I haven’t done, yet, but am willfully relinquishing some of my kitchen stash to do ASAP, is make Mason jar herb garden planters. Sounds easy enough, right?

My partner has the green thumb in our house, but even I know that plants need drainage. So, I was a bit confused about how a sealed glass jar would be a suitable environment for plants, especially yummy ones I plan on eating. But a little Googling and I learned a thing or two. Most experts recommend doing the following in crafting Mason jar planters:

1. Start with clean Mason jars. Soap and water should do fine. You can vinegar rinse them too for an extra clean.
2. Use small rocks or marbles for drainage (aha!). Place these in the bottom of the jar. For a standard quart-sized jar, fill about 2 inches of rocks or marbles at the bottom.
3. The website Homegrown and Healthy recommends adding about ½ inch layer of activated charcoal next, which will prevent mold from contaminating your garden (a risk when there’s no drainage).
4. Next, add your soil. A rich, organic soil is best. Add a little compost as well and more soil. Leave about an inch from the soil line to the top of the jar (about where the jar neck starts), and do not pack the soil. Leave it loose.
5. Finally, add your herbs. Whether you do this with seeds (follow the seed packet instructions) or starter plants is up to you. Choose herbs that will do well with the light you have. Recommendations for kitchens include basil, mint, cilantro or parsley.
6. Water lightly. You’ve got very limited drainage, so your soil will stay moist.

For the super crafty, the next step is to build a stylish repurposed Mason jar planter holder. If you’ve got a lot of wall space, this can be quite the way to transform a well-lit room. This can be done with old pieces of wood or metal, an empty drawer, just to name a few ideas. Check out this fun wall planter tutorial from Not Just a  Housewife.

Happy growing!

Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

Image used with permission by  JessIsMore

The post DIY on the Fly: Mason Jar Herb Garden Planters in 6 Steps appeared first on EcoSalon.

Herbs can be lovely—but if you’re looking to buy the organic, locally sourced kind, prepare to leaf out a lot of green. We propose a fun, economical alternative: Grow your own, either indoors or out. These are some of the best types to harvest at home. 

9. CHAMOMILE

“Chamomile just screams—or maybe I should say, ‘softly and lovingly whispers’—relaxation,” says Zoe Kissam, a clinical herbalist for the tea company Traditional Medicinals. The Matricaria recutita species is easy to grow: Plant it in early spring in full sun or partial shade to yield an apple-and-honey-flavored botanical that’s said to be an antidote to stress-caused physical problems. Harvest the flower itself, Kissam advises, as it’s the blossom that imbues those healing properties. Mixed into tea, infused into honey, or planted on a lawn, chamomile enhances every herb garden.

—Avital Andrews

This article appears courtesy of Sierra Magazine.

Image: KateMonkey

The post Green Your Spring Garden with 9 Easy-to-Grow Edible Herbs appeared first on EcoSalon.

Your hands are capable of creating more than just tweets and emails. Here are 7 ways to use them.

Shake hands with a craftsman, sculptor or chef and chances are you’ll feel something distinct in their grasp. Defined calluses, miniscule cuts, dexterous fingers, a firm yet gentle grip – these are all proud badges of individuals who spend a lot of time using their hands.

Regardless of whether you make a living sewing dresses or designing websites that sell them, few things are more satisfying than an honest day’s work. However, in our digitized world, the products of a lot of people’s “work” are increasingly intangible.

It’s not that a lot of labor and effort doesn’t go into digital endeavors; building a website can be just as frustrating as building a house. However, if you dig a ditch, you can stand in it to gauge its depth. If you catch a fish, you can weigh it before filleting it for dinner. Close your laptop after a day of Google searches and sending emails and what do you have? There is seemingly a different level of satisfaction, albeit a more exhausting one, when you come home from a day’s work and can hold, taste, see, or smell the proverbial fruits of your labor.

The technology that so many people rely on to do their jobs has undoubtedly made us more efficient and, for that reason, it’s likely not going anywhere. That means many people will never have jobs that require using their hands for much more than typing and clicking. But that doesn’t change the fact that human beings were designed to create more than just tweets and word documents.

There’s no shortage of lifestyle blogs and Pinterest or Tumblr accounts to showcase creativity online, many of which served as inspiration for the ideas below. However, following, posting and linking shouldn’t be our only creative outlets. Closing the screen, putting down the phone and making something can’t be re-blogged is good for us, even if we don’t do it for a living.

Here are seven things to make, mould, prepare, craft, and create with your hands.

• Printmaking– Printmaking is an age-old practice which dates back to ancient Mesopotamia. But thanks in part to the popularity of sites like Etsy, which displays thousands of quirky and creative prints to purchase, this ancient art form is having a bit of a renaissance. Eager first-timers can get started by seeing if a there is a community printmaking studio in their area that teaches the basics of monoprinting, intaglio, collography, or screenprinting methods. Printmaking can also be done easily at home with at simple materials such as cardboard, rolling pins, mesh, and sponges. We love this so-easy-a-kindergartner-could-do-it method.

• Herb Garden– Who wouldn’t love to have the time to maintain a bountiful and delicious vegetable garden? But in the real world, climates, apartment buildings, and work schedules don’t always allow for such endeavors. A herb garden, which can be maintained indoors or out, is a manageable alternative that can be started in an afternoon. All you need is a place that will get about five hours of daylight each day. We love this Mason jar version, just make sure you place it near a window with southern or western light exposure.

• Jewelry making– Remember those friendship bracelets you made hundreds of as a kid? Try making a grown-up version using one of these crafty techniques – we bet it will make you feel like you’re at summer camp again. You can also head to the hardware store for some industrial grade jewelry making supplies. Nuts, bolts, washers, and copper wire paired with more delicate materials like twine or ribbon can look seriously chic.

• Food Preservation– Food preservation, depending on the method, is not as daunting as it sounds. If you already buy seasonal and locally sourced goods from the farmer’s market, why not double up and preserve some for the colder part of the year. Making your own sun-dried tomatoes can actually be as easy as putting tomatoes in the hot sun or in the oven, and then sealing them in plastic bags or jars of olive oil. Another method that doesn’t require any special equipment is blanching and freezing vegetables, fruit or prepared sauces like pesto (made with basil from your fresh herb garden, of course) for later use. A little handiwork and preparation now can mean a more delicious diet all year round.

• Volunteering– Getting one’s hands dirty feels good, and doing it for the benefit of someone who needs a little help will feel even better. Habitat for Humanity, which works to provide a decent place for people all over the world to live, has a searchable database to help you find affiliate projects in your area. Or, if you feel like getting really local, offer to help a neighbor with home improvement projects or handiwork.

• Bread-making– We love bread. But honestly, who doesn’t? Real estate agents claim that a house is more likely to sell if there is fresh bread baking in the oven when prospective buyers arrive – it’s easy to understand why. With just three humble ingredients – water, yeast, and flour – it’s a wonder that more of us don’t make this age-old food staple more regularly. There are few recipes that are more tactile or rewarding to master. So don’t be intimidated and dig in with this recipe.

• Analog Photography– Photography has become a high-tech hobby, with Photoshop and megapixels now synonymous with the craft. But way before Instagram made vintage photos a matter of pressing a few buttons, photographers had to master the precise photo-developing process. To master the craft yourself, search your area for darkrooms (high schools and local colleges often have them) or photography studios that might offer classes. Taking away the instant gratification of digital photography will only require you to use your hands a bit more, but also restore the nearly forgotten magic of this analog craft.

Image: BradleyPJohnson

The post 7 Ways to Get Your Hands Dirty appeared first on EcoSalon.

I’ve discovered the ultimate plant for green health: lemon verbena. The leaves from this plant make some absolutely delicious tea.

Alice Waters is a big fan of lemon verbena tea, I learned upon reading her biography. I later tasted it myself for the first time from dried leaves of a plant grown at the Edible Schoolyard, Waters’ educational, middle school kitchen and gardening project. I then understood – as the name implies – lemon verbena tea has an extremely soothing citrus flavor.

I since acquired my own plant, and it’s growing like a weed in a pot on my deck garden. I lucked out because my deck gets a ton of sun and the lemon verbena plant likes a lot of direct light. Once the plant is established, remove some of the leaves, lay them out to dry and store in mason jars or an airtight container.

To make tea, steep around one teaspoon of dried herbs in one cup of hot water, or see these recipes for using fresh leaves. (Or, make your own lemon verbena ice cream!)

Lemon verbena has great health benefits. It aids with relaxation and digestion, and apparently it can also help with relieving cramps.

Now that I’ve fully embraced drinking tea from loose, dried herbs, I’ve realized how fun it is to create your own blends. Add a peppermint plant to your herb garden, and make your own mix of lemon verbena and mint. Delightful!

See a few more tips on growing your own lemon verbena plant here.

Image: Nani Kora

The post Infuse Your Life with Lemon Verbena: DIY Tea appeared first on EcoSalon.

If you’ve started a vegetable or herb garden, it’s important to keep your sage separate from your cilantro and to know your tomato plant from your pepper plant. And if you’re a beginner gardener, that may be harder than it sounds. Luckily, a crop of Etsy designers have created so clever and gorgeous re-purposed plant markers, which add a little fun, along with function, among your greenery.

Upcycled Garden Markers from Mon Petit Chou Boutique

Vintage silver-plated cocktail and shrimp forks come together with reclaimed copper beautifully in these upcycled garden markers shown above. While the handmade markers are nothing less than polished, each one boasts one-of-a-kind charm as the artist bends, hammers and torches vintage silverware and customizes the plant names to make a perfect set for your garden.

Eco-Friendly Rustic Garden Markers from a Remark You Made

Brilliantly crafted from fallen branches, these twig-like rustic garden markers will blend into your garden seamlessly. Each stick is sanded smooth by hand with a flat carved spot for labeling your plants. You can write in the herbs and veggies yourself, or have the artist customize them for you.

Old Silver Spoon Garden Markers from Daisy Chestnut

Made from vintage spoons that are silver-plated and adorned with illustrated labels, these garden markers are so adorable you hate to have them hiding behind your greens! The Connecticut-based Etsy artist illustrates and colors each vegetable and herb label by hand using archival ink and a finish that’s moisture and UV-resistant made to last in the garden. Buy by the veggie or choose a set customized to your needs.

Chalkboard Garden Plant Markers from Bradens Grace

You can change the names on these chalkboard plant markers as often as you like – annually, seasonally or when your crops don’t survive and need replacing – so you don’t have to constantly buy new ones. If writing with chalk outside where rain and H2O from your watering can could wash away your labels worries you, this Etsy seller swears by chalkboard markers that are longer lasting than regular chalk.

Fused Glass Plant Markers from Pane in the Grass

Starting with a base of recycled knives and forks and topped with colored glass rectangles, these markers add a splash of color to your garden and color-coding makes it easy to tell the difference between your lettuce and arugula from far away. For $20 you’ll get a set of six with the herbs, vegetables or even inspirational quotes of your choosing. Plant names are fused onto the glass so you don’t have to worry about the printing coming off.

The post Best of Etsy: Eco-Friendly Vegetable and Herb Garden Plant Markers appeared first on EcoSalon.

I admit, I’m an impatient person though I prefer to view myself as a fan of efficiency. I sigh when a driver in front of me insists on waiting for the seas to part before attempting to cross a lane and recently, when making a shopping return, I insisted on re-hanging the items for customer service in order to shave off three minutes.

You’d think that this impatience would naturally make me and other type-A people far from gardening candidates, but there are a number of plants that are perfect for us that either grow quickly, offer great returns, or are simply worth the wait. Sunflowers, basil, and the butterfly bush are my top three.

From 0-5 Feet in Under 70 days

Sunflowers require very little care other than occasional watering, they can survive the heat and I like the fact that they can go from 0-5 feet in under 70 days. And talk about sustainable: you can enjoy their  bright colors, surround yourself with multiple pots to create a fortress and when their season has come to an end, sunflowers can be dried and displayed, their seeds roasted and eaten or harvested for next season.

Pesto Anytime

Quick growing, tasty, and aromatic, basil is actually a member of the mint family. Basil grows well indoors and out, which makes it perfect to keep near the kitchen. According to herbgardening.com, leaf production slows or stops on any stem that flowers, so you should pinch off flower buds to keep the plant in production or leave some to bloom for decoration or seeds. For a fantastic pesto recipe, try my very favorite from the Mossewood Cookbook.

Susan’s Pesto (Ironically not this Susan. Just coincidence)

Best served immediately, but it will keep refrigerated for 3 or 4 days. Yields: one cup. Total cook time: 10 minutes

1 cup well-packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts *
½ teaspoon salt

* To toast pine nuts, spread in a single layer on an unoiled baking sheet and bake in a conventional or toaster oven at 350° for about 3 to 5 minutes, until just slightly deepened in color.

Rinse and drain the basil leaves. In a blender or food processor, combine the basil, tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts, and salt and puree until smooth. You may need to stop several times to scrape the sides of the blender or processor bowl with a rubber spatula.

PER 1 OZ SERVING: 13 CALORIES, .7 G PROTEIN, .7 G FAT, 1.6 G CARBOHYDRATES, .1 G SATURATED FATTY ACIDS, .3 G POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS, .2 G MONOUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS, 0 MG CHOLESTEROL, 135 MG SODIUM, 3 G TOTAL DIETARY FIBER.

Reprinted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites, Copyright ©1996, Moosewood, Inc. Clarkson N. Potter, publisher, New York.

Portable Spring

In the northeast, butterflies begin to emerge with the warmth of spring. There are a number of flowers that will attract them that vary in size, color and scent. According to BirdsandBlooms.com, plants with different heights will draw a diverse crowd of butterflies as they offer nectar flowers at different levels. This can be accomplished by mixing plants with different growing habits, such as trailing, bushy and upright. BirdsandBlooms.com suggest a butterfly bush in a container with coral bells and garden verbena or sweet peas spilling over the edge.

Top Butterfly Picks for Containers:

Annuals

• Floss flower
• Globe amaranth
• Heliotrope
• Lantana
• Moss rose
• Salvia
• Sweet alyssum
• Sweet william
• Zinnia

Perennials

• Agastache
• Aster
• Butterfly bush
• Butterfly weed
• Candytuft
• Chrysanthemum
• Coreopsis
• Delphinium
• Dianthus
• Gaillardia
• Goldenrod
• Liatris
• Oregano
• Penstemon
• Phlox
• Purple coneflower
• Rudbeckia
• Salvia
• Scabiosa
• Sea pink
• Sedum
• Verbena
• Veronica
• Yarrow
• Wallflower

Please send us your favorite container garden combinations!

Image: Plutor

The post 3 Container Gardens That May Change Your Life appeared first on EcoSalon.