Wine and beer have been made in the home since time immemorial. A number of shops sell very adequate beer making kits and equipment. Once the initial outlay has been made it is only necessary to purchase the ingredients for any subsequent batches as the equipment can be used over and over. Herbal beer is a term applied to beers made with herbs other than hops. Almost any fruit and herb can be used for wine and beer brewing. After the initial investment in equipment the cost of making beer especially from herbs is very small.

Equipment

You need: 5 liter plastic fermenting vessel with a lid, a strainer, fine cheese cloth, wooden spoons, a large bucket, beer bottles and stoppers. Equipment must be always clean and if possible sterilized.

Nettle Beer

With gloves and a pair of scissors gather the top three pairs of leaves from young green stinging nettles. Just about to fill the brewing bucket but do not press the shoots down. This will make about 4 1/4 liters.

Nettles

Crystal malt, crashed 125g

Malt extract 1kg

Sugar 250g

1 handful of dried hops

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt

Ale yeast 1/4 tsp or follow the manufacturer’s instructions

Simmer washed nettles and malt crystal in a large pan for about 45 minutes. Place sugar, lemon juice, salt and malt extract into the fermenting vessel and strain into, (using the strainer covered with cheese cloth), the nettle and crystal mixture. Squeeze nettle well so you gain the full flavor. Stir everything thoroughly. Add in some water to make about 4 1/4 liters but no more. When cool at about 20C stir in yeast according to instructions cover the vessel and maintain this temperature.

Allow to ferment between five and seven days and if it is necessary remove any yeast from the top. When fermentation has finished (liquid is clear and bubbles stop to rise) siphon the beer in to a clean container. Dissolve 50g of sugar in a little hot water and add to beer. Siphon into clean sterilized beer bottles and stopper well. Store in a warm room for two days then transfer into a cool place and store for at least a month before drinking

Herbal Beer

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Dyer’s Gardens are intended for growing herbs and plants traditionally harvested to be used in producing dye supplies to color wool, cotton and silk fibres, fabrics and crafts. The problem in growing this type of garden is that you will generally need a lot of one particular dye plant to make just a little dye. For this reason most dye gardens look mostly like cut-flower gardens. It is a lot of fun deciding what plants to use. The design and planting is very simple, strait rows of specific dye plants and a walkway running in between each row for easy access. Rather than planting large dye gardens of their own many gardeners will concentrate on 3 to 4 dye plants and look for wild plants as source of material easily gathered from sunny meadows such as goldenrod for a source of yellow dye.

A dyer’s garden is a place where nature, dye plants, time and human history meet. Relatively large plots are necessary to produce the amount of material required for a practically usable amount of dye. The interesting part is in knowing the right formula for each batch of fiber since the amount of plant dye, mordant (color fixer) and amount of fiber will differ according to the type of dye plants available. Plant a dyer’s garden with a collection of herbs and plants such as Bloodroot to dye reds, pinks and orange colors. Burdock; for a yellow dye. Hollyhocks blossoms to get pinks, red, mauve and tan colors.

Dyer’s garden

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A large number of people are turning to earth-friendly herbal solutions in an attempt to avoid chemical insecticides. Interestingly, many of the aromas of herbs that we find pleasant, insects find unpleasant. Chamomile, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Eucalyptus are among insect-repelling herbs. They can be rubbed on the skin to repel mosquitoes and gnats.

Garlic and chili peppers are potent insect repellents and they should be plant in vegetable and flower gardens as companions to keep away a whole host of chewing insects. A mixture of chili peppers and garlic liquefied in a blender and mixed with water can be used as a spray to effectively protect plants. Other herbs with insect-repelling properties are pennyroyal, peppermint, pyrethrum, southernwood and tansy.

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This is a modern alternative garden that uses mostly flowering herbs to attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. This type of garden is usually planted in a warm sunny area and away from strong wind. A wall or hedge offers a good protection. Paths are formed to separate pre-made beds that have been filled with herbs. These beds can be planted in an orderly fashion to create a more formal appearance or encourage the herbs to knit into each other and spill into the pathways for an informal look.

Bees are useful to help pollinate plants and manufacture honey but they can also contribute a little of old-fashioned touch as they searching for pollen and nectar. They are attracted to most herbs. Butterflies are highly attracted to herbs such as oregano, mint and basil, violets, rue, foxgloves, evening primrose, Echinacea and lavender. The purpose here is to attract as many as possible of these beautiful insects for our pleasure but also to provide them with an extension of the ever decreasing habitat. Tubular red flowers such as pineapple sage, bee balm, nasturtiums but also hyssop, Korean mint, salvia and catmint are a magnet for hummingbirds.

An additional attraction to hummingbirds that should be included in your herb garden, though without herbal qualities, is a hummingbird vine or trumpet creeper such as ‘Madam Galen’ that has large flowers and stays in bloom for some time. The vine makes a lovely addition to the garden and, there is nothing else more certain to attract hummingbirds.

bee/butterfly/hummingbird garden

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Parterre is French for “on the ground”. The popularity of Parterre garden is dating to 17th-century France. The garden is similar to formal Elizabethan knot garden; however, knot gardens are more elaborate, with hedges of different varieties crisscrossing to appear as though they are knotted. Parterres can be much simpler in design, and often planted with a single hedge material in a pattern and with the spaces in between filled with herbs of different colors. The garden simply is a layout of symmetrical, geometrically raised beds bordered with boxwood and separated by brick paths providing a case of kaleidoscopia. As with knot gardens, parterres are best when located in a leveled area that can be viewed from above. A fence or wall surrounding the garden covered with some type of vine, such as ivy, ensures privacy and enhance the feeling of serenity.

Parterre Garden

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