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We love this lil herb, Salad Burnet! 

1/22/2016

 
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A beautiful fernlike herb plant, Salad Burnet is a perfect addition to any garden or container. Use the leaves to brighten up a salad, or drink! Can we say hello Bloody Mary's?
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Check out this adorable houseplant! Salad Burnet does well indoors, as its light and drought tolerant.
​Salad Burnet is hands down one of my most favorite plants. I mean, I actually sorta like it better than Basil, and Thyme. I know, I know huge statement! One of the reasons why I love this little plant is because it is one hardy bugger! It's a beautiful fern like herb with a nutty cucumber flavor that shines when sautéed with veggies, in summer salads, or vinegar!  

Salad Burnet, Sanguisorba minor is a perennial that tends to be drought-tolerant and lucky for us it grows year round. The young leaves can also be used as a substitute in some recipes for mint. You can plant this attractive plant in containers or the ground. It will reseed itself, but is certainly not invasive. Are you looking for a unique houseplant? Salad Burnet is a fantastic as it never grows too big or tall.
Salad Burnet sprinkled on potatoes is one way to use this herb and its also great with beans. It makes a great salad dressing and is so good on cucumbers and sweet onions. These are just a few great ways to use this versatile herb and vinegar. This was my Grandmother's signature vinegar in her vinegar business, and I am pleased as punch to continue in her tradition and offer it under the Blue Heron Herbary Threebird label as well. You can find a listing of our herb infused vinegars on our website http://www.blueheronherbary.com/shop-online.html

Here are a few of our favorite recipes using Salad Burnet 

Salad burnet and Lemon Salad Dressing 
Chop a small bunch of burnet 
6T of lemon or better yet BHH Threebird Salad Burnet Vinegar 
Pared peel of lemon cut in long strips 
1T clear honey 
3/4 cup olive oil 
Salt and pepper 

Cut half of the lemon peel in tiny bits and add other ingredients. Save a few burnet leaves and half the lemon to add later. Make sure with the lemon that you have zest and not too much white. 

Salad Burnet Cucumber Salad
2 Medium cucumbers
1 Tablespoon salt
1/2 Cup BHH Threebird Salad Burnet vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 small onion, sliced
Wash cucumbers and slice thinly. Place cucumber slices in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let stand 2 hours, then drain off any liquid that has formed. Add onion to cucumber slices. Combine Salad Burnet vinegar and sugar and pour over the vegetables. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.

Salad burnet Dip 
1 cup fresh Salad burnet leaves (use leaves when young. Herbs can get bitter with age)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves 
1T lemon juice (or better yet us BHH Threebird Salad Burnet Vinegar) 
1/4t salt 
1 cup low fat sour cream or plain yogurt 
1/4t pepper 
Pulverize the burnet, mint,lemon juice and salt in a food processed or mortar and pestle.
When smooth, pour into a bowl and add sour cream and black pepper. Let sit for an hour to allow favors to blend. 

Herb Dip (w/ salad burnet parsley & chives)

8 oz. package of cream cheese 
1/2 C. mayo
3 T. finely minced, fresh salad burnet leaves
1 T. finely minced, fresh parsley
1 T.  finely minced, fresh chives

Blend cream cheese and mayo with the minced fresh herbs with a fork.  Do not add the herbs to the food processor.  Cover and chill until ready to serve.  It's best to let the flavors meld for at least an hour. Can be used as a dip, spread with vegetables, flatbread or crackers.

Tuna Salad with Salad Burnet

1 can of tuna (drained of water) also awesome with salmon! 
1 Tbsp. of mayo
1/2 dill pickle diced or t. of BHH Threebird Herb Infused Vinegar 
1 Tbsp. minced chives
1 Tbsp. Salad burnet leaves

Mix thoroughly, serve on toasted bread or bagels

The Tomato Days

1/18/2016

 
PictureOur lot is #127
​Here is a photo of an old map we use to have hanging in the family room. It shows all the old names and homesteads. I meant end previously that my parents purchased the young Johnson house. Our property was partially sold off to the Oregon Department of Fish and Game (ODFW), leaving only a little finger of land surrounded by state land. 


This is good in many ways depending on how one looks at it. My father had what other hunters called the worlds smallest hunting club. Before the 1996 flood, we would get enough water behind the house to get loads of ducks and geese flying in for the winter. Now, the water flow has changed and we primarily have a great goose season, with a few good duck days of hunting. 

​The other way to look at our little slice of heaven is that we will never be surrounded by neighbors, other than one house directly next door. In the almost 45 years of my life, I have only had 2 neighbors. Harold and Muriel Cushman, or as I called them Milkman and Mill, I spent most of my summer days playing over at their house growing up. Their youngest son, of nine kids was a year older than I, and the only kid within a mile radius. Milkman, worked for the ODFW as a mechanic. You might be wondering about the nicknames. Harold had a couple of Jersey Dairy Cows, and would milk them. We use to get the fresh milk from him, and in my magical way called him Milkman, come on, I was little. The amusing part was that it didn't sound quite like that, as a child I had a terrible speech impediment and was missing the beginning and ending of my words, let's just say 90% of the population probably had no clue what I was saying. And for my most favorite woman growing up, Muriel, or Mill. She was a great baker and could cook, some mean fried chicken. My father always knew when the pie or cinnamon buns were fresh out of the oven! Sadly when I was about 16, it came time for Harold to retire. 

My new and current neighbor became Jimmy. Jimmy also works for ODFW, and has become one of the family. He saves my bacon more often than not, and I will be lost without his and his families friendship. Jimmy and I spend a lot of time handing out in the back enjoying the beautiful view. Some of you have met his wife Denise, as she fills in at the Herbary on Saturdays when mom comes to the PSU Farmers Market with me. Denise also helps out watering and planting. 

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My dad, the tomato gardener.
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My tiny A&W beer mug.
I think one of my favorite stories is how we had a tomato patch where the Herbary is planted. We grew over 300 tomato plants, and sold them picked and U-picked. The key to our successful tomato crop was that each plant had a tire around it! The tire warmed the ground, and supported the cage. The plants were planted deep so the stalks were always huge and strong. With the money we took a trip to Disneyland. I think we went the summer of 1975, I was 4. Everyday, when my father returned home from work, I would run out the door to meet him. Clutched in my hands was a beer, salt shaker and one of those tiny A&W mugs. Dad and I would patrol the tomato patch looking for a red tomatoes to sample. We would sit on the tires, dad would pour some of his beer into my mug and we would salt our 'mators. 

We used the top part of our property in lots of different ways .... More stories another day.

Sauvies Island won the coin toss

1/14/2016

 
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The Old Johnson home and their children's house, the Young Johnson house, future home of Blue Heron Herbary.
PictureThis could have been my childhood neighborhood, Oak Hills. Thankfully my father happened to find the young Johnson House!
I found an old aerial photo of our property. It was taken some time in the mid 70s.


At this point in time, we had just finished building a pig pen, next to the chicken house.  My father found a huge hunk of steel, salvaged from a ship that wrecked across the road down on the river. They drug it up using a couple of tractors. The first thing my father built on our property was the chicken house. It still stands, barely. As a kid, my brother and I raised hogs for 4H, in addition to sheep. We finally tore down the pig house in 2009 when we build our 2nd greenhouse. 

My father also found the orchards final resting place by this time. He had moved the trees 3 other times before settling on the current location. What I find amazing is that when my parents moved to the island, there wasn't a single tree planted on the property. 


We raised all sorts of things before finally landing on the Herbary in 1992. My parents were involved in Field Trails, showing Springers. Their kennel were called Mipen. (Mike-Penny) We had horses, and even a cow! We were involved in 4H so of course, I raised everything under the sun; ducks, geese, rabbits, chickens, turkeys... Heck even Guinea Hens. The barn stands were the Herbary shop is located. We had horses at this time, a big beautiful quarter horse named Skeeter and a pony named cookie. I raised some Grand Champion Lambs, and hogs. Occasionally, we still raise a couple spring lambs, and of course some chickens and now 2 geese! 

My parents were torn when it came to purchasing the house on the island. They use to come out to the island for field trail meets. Mom always like the Johnson house, (where Jimmy and Denise live) and would have loved to have bought their house. However it was the young Johnson's that was up for sale. Mom called it an ugly mushroom house from top to bottom. The other option was to buy a house in Oak Hills... For those that don't know, Oak Hills 

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The neighborhood is north of the Sunset Highway and is bounded by Cornell Road on the south, West Union Road on the north, Bethany Boulevard on the west and Northwest 143rd Avenue on the east. It was a planned community and was built in the 1960s.The first ten homes were completed in May 1965, the first of about 650 planned, in an area of approximately 250 acres (100 ha).Oak Hills today includes around 650 residences, of which 627 are single-family homes.The neighborhood is located at the western end of Cedar Mill and southeastern end of the Bethany area. 






Omg!! Thank goodness my father saw the magic of owning a couple acres!  My parents moved to the island, Thanksgiving of 1968. 

More to come another day- 

Heather ​

Gardening is good for the birds part 2...

1/11/2016

 
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A beautiful male hummingbird grabbing a snack from a Jacob Cline Monarda.
Continuing on the bird kick, here is a list of some perennials that attract birds and especially hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are always a favorite in the garden. We tend to plant a lot of nectar plants at the Herbary, especially bee friendly plants. Among our favorite are Bee Balm, Foxgloves, Columbines, Echinacea and of course Lavender! 


Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) 
Hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies adore the bright wild blossoms of bee balm. We carry an array of of blooms in pinks, purples, raspberry and occasionally white. Remember to deadhead often so you can keep the blooming season longer. We love to put bee balm in pots, as well as planting large stands. Thankfully many of our varieties are mildew resistant. Bee balm does best in full sun. 








Foxglove (Digitalis spp.)
A country garden classic, foxgloves produce spotted, tubular flowers that are very attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies. Foxglove stands are also known as Fairy Condos. Here is a perfect plant to brighten up those shady sections of your garden. Foxgloves range from white to pink to purples, there seems to be new variations springing up. The blooming season is spring to summer. 











Columbines (Aquilegia spp.)
An easy to grow perennial that can strive in full to part shade. Hummingbirds love the deep, bell shaped flowers of these little beauties. There are many different varieties to choose from, with colors ranging from yellows, pinks, scarlett and purples. Expect blooms from late spring through midsummer. 






Echinacea 
Coneflowers come in all sorts of crazy colors now day! The classic coneflower is purple or white, but there are yellows, oranges, reds and more! They are excellent in beds and containers. This hardy perennial attracts seed eaters, and insects as well as butterflies. Remember to deadhead to continue the blooming season, but make sure leave some for the birds to enjoy in the fall and winter. 


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A incomplete list of perennials to enhance your bird garden! 
  • Ajuga 
  • Asters
  • Balsa root
  • Beard-tongue
  • Bee balm 
  • Begonia 
  • Black-eyed Susans
  • Blanket Flowers
  • Bleeding heart 
  • Butterfly weed 
  • Canna 
  • Cardinal flower 
  • Century plant 
  • Columbine 
  • Coral bells (heuchera)
  • Coreopsis
  • Cleome 
  • Crapemyrtle 
  • Dahlia 
  • Dame's rocket 
  • Daylilies
  • Delphinium 
  • Echinacea 
  • Eupatoriums 
  • Fire pink 
  • Four o' clocks 
  • Foxglove 
  • Fuchsia 
  • Gilia 
  • Geranium 
  • Gladiolus 
  • Globe Thistles
  • Glossy abelia 
  • Goldenrods
  • Hollyhocks 
  • Impatiens 
  • Iris 
  • Ironweed 
  • Lantana 
  • Liatris 
  • Lily 
  • Lupine 
  • Milkweeds
  • Nasturtium 
  • Nicotiana 
  • Paintbrush 
  • Penstemon 
  • Petunia 
  • Phlox 
  • Pincushion Flower
  • Sage 
  • Salvia 
  • Scabiosa 
  • Scarlet sage 
  • Stonecrops
  • Sweet William 
  • Verbena 
  • Violets
  • Yarrows
  • Yucca 
  • Zinnia
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Bee Balm, or in my opinion Crusty the Clown hair from the Simosons is a fabulous addition to your bird garden as well as your salad!
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Bees love the trumpet flowers on the Foxgloves.
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Columbines are a great fairy hideaway as well as a source for hummingbirds.
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Beautiful Coneflowers attract butterflies and are great for seed loving birds.

Attracting more wild bird - annuals

1/8/2016

 
​I am still on a wild bird kick.. This spring, I am going to make an extra effort to ramp up my bird attracting plants. Here are a few of the annuals I am going to incorporate into the Herbary. I recently tore apart the front yard beds to build a deck off the front porch. I will be adding pots to the deck, and will prune the Flowering Cherry a bit to allow more sun in that back bed. Last year I had a huge stand of Calendula and loved it, hopefully they will be even thicker this next spring!  

Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus and C. sulphureus.)
One of my all time favorite flowers. I love their simple look and ease of growing. They are a sun loving plant, yet can also handle some shade. Don't worry if you don't have the best soil in the world, these babies can grow in just about any soil condition. The Cosmos are attractive to seed eaters and insects. The classic color are pink, but you can them in pinks, reds, orange, yellow and white.  They have a long bloom season, summer to fall. 

Hollyhocks (Alcea roses) 
Hollyhocks come in an array of co,ore; Whites, Scarlett's, purples pinky and yellows. They are  
tall and have a long season of color blooming mid summer to early fall. The large bright showy flowers are a fan favorite of hummingbirds and other nectar feeders. Planting in well drained soil, and remember Hollyhocks self sow readily. 

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum manus) 
Nasties the best addition to just about any garden! They are beneficial in gardens, pots, or as a screen. So many different colors to choose from; whites, yellows, oranges, reds, purples and even black! The trumpet shaped blossoms attract hummingbirds. Nasturtiums have a long blooming season, summer until frost. Sow directly in the garden after the last frost. 

Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis) 
So called because colonists used to toss it's marigold like flowers into cooking pots to add the blooms deep orange color to rice and other dishes. Calendula also can be found in yellows, creams and red blooms. Remember to deadhead this plant and you will get blooms from summer to frost. Don't forget to let some plants to go to seed to provide food through the fall. 

Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.) 
Sunflowers attract Jay's, chickadees, and other seed eating birds. There are many different types of sunflowers both annual and perennial sunflowers. We have both in our garden, and really like to add the annual sunflowers to our pots. Sunflowers have large showy daisy like flowers of yellow, orange, and cream with very large, flat eyes on a thick stalk. Sow after the last frost, or plant in trays and get a quick start on the season. Sunflowers bloom from Midsummer to mid autumn.

And my last favorite annual is Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) 
These make the best cut flower! It's fragrant pink, purple, red white or bicolored flowers make it a favorite amongst gardeners. The tufted deep green foliage contrasts nicely with its bright blooms. Sweet William self sows readily and provides food for many seed eaters. It's not a tall plant, 10-18 inches and blooms from late spring to summer. 
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The whimsical Cosmos, I love how they sway in the wind.
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Nasties, or the formal Nasturtium, a spicey addition to a salad, or a sweet treat for some nectar seeking birds.
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Hollyhocks, a biannual showy plant that is often over looked. Plant a stand and wow the neighborhood.
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A very happy flower, Pot Marigold or Calendula. This is one of the best bursts of color!
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A classic in any garden vegetable or herb garden.
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Ah, Sweet William... A sturdy cut flower that grows like a weed.

Snow Day 1/3/2016

1/3/2016

 
PictureDre, Billy Ray and Coach enjoying the first snow day of 2016
​First snow of 2016! 
I love the snow, one of the biggest thing I miss about not living in Jackson, Wyoming. This past fall, I build a deck off the front porch. My main idea was to create space when entering the house, but instead I created yet another perfect perch to watch the day go by. 

I hung up some bird feeders and have enjoyed spoiling them. I have a posse of goldfinches that are eating me out of house and home. There are also the other typical backyard Tweetie birds.

​Of course, on the snow day I have run out of Niger seed, and the birds are swarming the deck looking for some love. The bird baths are defrosted, extra food is scattered about and I am working on a new suet feeder. 

So, if you haven't checked your feeder, or bird baths take a minute and help out your little feathered friends! 

Our friend Krissy has a very popular hummingbird feeder happening right now. I am off to locate my hummingbirds feeders and see if I have any hummers lurking around.

​i am going to have to research some better plants to keep my birds happy during the winter.  
 

Enjoy the blanket of snow!  

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A few female goldfinches enjoying a snack.
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Our friend Krissy's hummingbird feeder!
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    About Us

    Blue Heron Herbary is a herb plant nursery and gift shop located on Sauvies Island in Portland, Oregon.

    We also create a line of handmade herb vinegars and herb blends with the no-pesticide herbs we grow on our Portland farm.

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Blue Heron Herbary
27731 NW Reeder Road
Sauvies Island, OR 97231
ph: 503-621-1457



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