I was feeling sort of yuck one afternoon; I think it was the weather, raining one minute and sunny, hot, and desperately humid the next. Then more rain. Stuck inside the house under those meteorological circumstances wasn’t doing me any good. I decided what I needed was a jolt of nutrition so I went out to the garden during a break from the rain for some green stuff.
Here’s what I picked and/or assembled:
Clockwise from the top center: tulsi, spilanthes, lemon balm, French sorrel, blackberries/banana, peppermint, chamomile flowers & homemade yogurt (I make mine by the gallon using this easy method).
I thought, this is way too much to pack into a Magic Bullet, but I did it anyway, plus a little orange juice. Also, I used a frozen banana, represented in the photo above by a non-frozen one, (because no one wants to look at a frozen banana).
It blended surprisingly easily and tasted fantastic.
I also think it made me feel better!
Packed with vitamins A, C, and riboflavin (B2), French sorrel is great in smoothies because of its tangy, tart flavor and smooth texture. Lemon balm is calming and soothing as well as lemony. Mint has many benefits in addition to great flavor; it aids digestion and helps stomach woes. Tulsi is used to regulate blood pressure, de-stress, and promote healthy skin, among an almost endless list of other benefits. Spilanthes is known as an antibiotic and antifungal herb. I would have used more blackberries (good for the heart, brain, and teeth) but there were only two ripe ones!
Whether or not you’re a fan of smoothies, I urge you to grow every plant in this smoothie if you don’t already. Sorrel, for example, is also a good addition to salads, makes a delicious soup, and is a perennial that starts early and outlasts lettuce in the garden. Lemon balm and tulsi make the most delicious tea ever, and spilanthes is just plain fun as well as medicinal.
I was surprised by how good it tasted; the banana and oj was plenty of sweetener. If I had any fresh ginger I would have added that, too. Next time.
You can substitute other herbs and greens for a similar smoothie. Spinach would be good, too, other mints and basils, etc. Experiment with the herbs in your garden.
What is the most unusual smoothie you’ve ever tried?
Never go without fresh ginger: keep it in the freezer! It’s always handy and you don’t end up wasting any!
This is my standard…
1-2 bananas – frozen or not . half a pound of fruit – frozen or not . 2-3 soaked dates (I put them in a jar with water when they come home from the store and cover them with water) . a bunch of dandelion greens with maybe a comfrey leaf, clover (including flowers, if there are any) . with water or goat-milk kefir + vanilla powder. And I might add a spoonful of coconut oil.
I too like ginger in my smoothies, especially when they are made of apples and greens.
What is left over, if anything, can go into popsicle molds.
Patricia–Whoa, sounds so good. Love the popsicle idea.
I don’t know where you live, but do you know those herbs will grow in the hot Phoenix area. I have been trying to grow comfrey and I find I need to shade it all day long to keep it from turning into dried herb on the vine, so to speak. It also needs watering every day or two just make it along. I guess it likes the moist humid part of the country, but it sure does struggle to make it through the day here.
I would like to grow the herbs if they can handle the heat for sure. Thanks for the smoothie tip. It sounds great.
Haggard–Check with your local master gardeners, look around your local botanic garden, and the southwestern gardening forum on GardenWeb. Of course you’d need to water them because none of them are exactly xeriscape candidates, but they have all survived some fairly droughty summers in the southeastern US, with some supplemental water.
Haggard, hi!
I picked this up off the web… “Thyme, rosemary, Lavender, lemon balm, sage and oregano, hail from warmer climes and only thrive in hot, sunny parts of the garden.”
There’s a lot of good info on the web. Don’t feel shy to search for what you want to know.