 So I am pleased to introduce Yolanda Schmidt. She's from Towner, North Dakota, and she moved back to take her current position in Pierce County in August of 2012. She's in a single agent county, so that means she offers a whole bunch of different programs ranging from ag and natural resources to horticulture, to ag business, community development, and 4-H and youth development programs. So she's a busy lady. She's currently working on her master's degree in extension education with an emphasis on horticulture, and she likes to garden in her spare time. She also provided a fun fact, so we might all have a question about how she did this. She has successfully grown miniature bananas and oranges indoors. So with that, welcome Yolanda. Thank you, Julie. So as Julie said, today I'll be talking about herbs. Herbs have been around for centuries since the beginning of civilization, and we've used them for everything from cooking to medicine, aromatherapy, religious ceremonies, even pest control and decoration. But for today's talk, we'll just be focusing on the culinary use of herbs. And I'd like to note that growing your own herbs can be fascinating and satisfying at the same time. So to start with, we'll define what an herb is. Herbs and spices actually differ. Sometimes we use the terms interchangeably. They both come from plants, but herbs are the fresh part of the plant while the spice is actually a dried part. Could be a root, stalk, seed, maybe even a fruit of the plant. Whereas the herb is always used fresh and is usually going to be leaves or flowers. And then another unique thing about herbs is that they contain essential oils, which is a collection of chemicals that are responsible for their unique flavors and aromas. And the concentrations of these essential oils vary by the plant part. And that will depend on what particular herb is being grown. So some might be more highly concentrated in the leaf tissue. Some, the essential oils might be more heavily concentrated in the flowers. It just depends on the herb and then what part you're using. But the other unique thing about herbs is as everyone knows, they can add flavor to whatever it is that we're cooking. But the bonus is that we can add this flavor without adding additional fat or sodium to whatever it is that we're preparing. Most herbs are quite easy to grow. They have very few pest problems for the most part. Actually, some herbs are rumored or known to repel certain pests. Also, herbs are rarely bothered by deer or rabbits, partly due to the scents that they give off from those essential oils that are present. But as most of us know with deer and rabbits, if they are hungry enough, they'll eat almost anything. Herbs generally require very little care, just your basic meeting of the basic needs, water, light. Balance soil. And then with herbs, a little goes a long ways. So you don't need to grow a huge crop of herbs in order to enjoy them in your kitchen. So as we talk a little bit about growing herbs and some of their basic requirements, light, water, and fertilizer are the keys. And on fertilizer, generally, depending on our soil type, we probably won't need a lot of fertilizer. A light fertilizer with your basic miracle grow will probably be good enough. But the one thing that we do wanna keep in mind when growing herbs is that they do require at least six hours of daylight. So you definitely don't wanna grow them in complete shade. And then drainage is really important. A lot of our herbs, like many of our other garden plants, don't like to have wet feet or wet roots. So make sure that our soil can drain well. And then herbs aren't really picky as to where they grow. We can grow them in a container or we can grow them in a garden if we have space. And as I mentioned before, since a little goes a long way, the spot that we're growing them in doesn't have to be super big. The one thing that is ideal is if we can locate the garden or the containers someplace close to the house and especially the kitchen, because that's where we're most likely going to be using the parts of the herbs from. Another consideration, especially if we're growing the herbs in the ground, is that some herbs, such as mint and borage, are spreaders. And then there's other ones that are heavy reseeders like dill and chamomile. We do have some options as to whether or not we're going to direct seed or transplant our herbs. Some herbs are well suited for starting from seed and some are okay to use as transplants. Some don't like to have their roots messed with. So in some cases it's better to start them directly from seed wherever we're going to be growing them. As far as if we're going to try starting some herbs indoors, before I talk about all of this, what I do want to encourage is that it's okay to experiment. Sometimes people will say certain things can't be done. And sometimes when it comes to growing plants, I'm one of those people who likes to try what can't be done and just to see if it'll work. So just because a certain herb might not be ideal for transplanting or starting from seed, it doesn't hurt to try. So if you are going to try starting some herb seeds indoors, the one thing that I would recommend is check the seed package first because that's going to tell you the ideal time to start that seed. And that usually corresponds to a last frost date and all of our areas that we're living in are probably going to be a little bit variable and the next slide I'll talk a little bit more about that. The other thing that we want to keep in mind is the growth rate of the plant and that's where the seed package label has some guidelines. They'll usually recommend anywhere from six to eight, maybe even 10 weeks depending on how long it takes for a seed to germinate to start them that many weeks before you intend to set them out in the garden. So that would be the next thing that you would consider is when are you planning to plant your garden? And we do want to keep in mind that most of our herbs are sensitive to frost. So we want to make sure that when we're planting them outside that they're not going to be damaged by a late frost. Time, rosemary, basil, sage, chives, and tarragon can be a good candidate for starting indoors. These usually have very fine seeds and have a longer germination period. So depending on which zone, you might start them in early March to plant in mid to late May. And we'll talk about growing zones a little bit later in the next slide or two as well. But first, before I do that, I would like to talk about a few herbs that do well by direct sowing in the garden or in a pot if that's how you're growing them. And those would be cilantro, dill, and even basil. Basil works good both ways. But if you do grow basil indoors, you just want to make sure that it doesn't overgrow on you. And we did have good luck with chives. Chives are a perennial and I'm kind of jumping ahead a little bit of myself. But I do a program with youth here in my county in the summer and the last two years, we've done a pizza garden theme and we did grow some chives and we direct sowed them into some raised beds. And sometimes raised beds are not the ideal scenario for planting a perennial. However, these chives were apparently very hardy and they did over winter for us. So that's just another example of don't be afraid to try something that they say can't be done. So talking about last frost dates, I just updated this chart a couple of days ago, pulled the numbers off of the Old Farmers Almanac website and it's just a guideline due to the unpredictability of North Dakota weather. Most gardeners usually tend to wait until Memorial Day or shortly thereafter to plant their gardens just because we can still typically get frost even up to Memorial Day. And so you can see from the various locations when the estimated last frost date is. And I'll just point out because I'm here in rugby North Dakota, our last frost date for this year happens to be May 30th. So I wouldn't be too excited to plant my garden or my herbs before that date. And even if you would get your herbs set out in the garden a little bit later after that, you'll still have plenty of herbaceous or leaf growth to go through the summer season. For growing media, you would want to use a seed starter mix, something that contains peat moss, compost or perlite. And that's just to help provide some drainage. I'm gonna stop just a second, Julie, are you still able to see the screen? Yes. Okay. So the peat moss compost and perlite is just to provide drainage. Potting soil is acceptable. However, I would maybe stay away from the potting soil mixes that have a fertilizer mixed in because that might be a little bit too much for the tender seedlings as they first start emerging. And then another reminder is avoid using topsoil or garden soil. Especially garden soil from outside because it can harbor diseases and bacteria that can affect the seedling growth. And then also it's more prone to crusting which can interfere with germination. Temperature is also very important when we're starting seeds. Most seedlings or seeds and seedlings like warm soil temperatures in that probably 70 to 80 degree range and that helps to promote germination. Some people and myself included when I start seeds, I do like to have a seedling heat mat. I've not tried it, but I suppose a heating pad would probably work, but you probably wouldn't want to use it for anything else. And then the other thing as far as temperature is try to avoid window sills. And I know a lot of people like to put their seedlings in a window sill because of the lighting. And that's good. However, this time of year, what we have to keep in mind is that the outdoor temperature drops drastically in the evenings. And so that can provide a draft which our little seedlings don't appreciate as much. And then after they've germinated, room temperatures are typically sufficient. The rule of thumb is if we're comfortable, they're comfortable. And then moisture is important. We do want to keep the soil moist, but not overly wet. The rule of thumb is that it should feel like a wrung out sponge. So it should be damp, but not soaking wet. And then of course, drainage is critical. We wanna make sure that whatever we have the seedlings started in, that they can drain when we water them. And then if at all possible, it's best to use water that's room temperature so that we're not shocking our seedlings. Another thing that I like to do when I do my seed starting is I like to pre-moisten my seed starting mix until it feels like that wrung out sponge. It just makes putting it in your seed starting containers a whole lot easier. And then if you've ever watered dry potting soil, you know that it has a tendency to kind of overflow, almost like a potting soil volcano until the water can absorb into it. And so it can make a mess and it can dislodge your seedlings. So that's why I like to pre-moisten my seed starting mix before I plant. One other tip is in order to keep the moisture in and keep it even, I like to cover my seed starting flats or containers with clear plastic. Surround wrap works. If you have a clear plastic bread bag and a small container, you can put that over the top of them too. That helps to hold in the moisture and then it'll also help hold in some heat. The one thing that can happen depending on how warm your environment is, we all know that mold likes warm and damp. So mold could become a problem. And if that's the case, poke some holes in the bag or the plastic covering or even remove it for an hour or so at a time to help increase air circulation. And then once the seeds germinate, typically in 10 to 14 days, make sure to remove that plastic. You might not, all of your seeds may not germinate but when the majority of them are poking through the soil, that's your cue to get that plastic off. Lighting is also important when we're starting seeds. The quality of the light isn't as important as the quantity. And this is more so after the seeds have germinated because most seeds don't need light to germinate. They just need warm moisture and darkness. But after germination, when that seedling first appears above the soil, that's when light becomes a necessity. And keep in mind that it's the quantity, not the quality that's key. Generally, seedlings need anywhere from 16 to 18 hours of daylight to be their healthiest. And that's where grow lights do come in very handy. There's nothing wrong with starting seeds in a windowsill if that's all that you have. Just be aware that you could have more leaning and spindlier plants because they're not getting as much light as they need. And speaking of light, I generally like to put my grow lights on a timer because then I can be assured that they're getting the full 18 or 16 hours of light that they need. And when I put a grow light on my seedlings, I usually use my hand as a guide and you want to keep that light as close to the seedlings as possible. I usually put my hand over the top of the seedlings in the tray and then I put the light just above my hand. If my hand feels warm from the light, I adjust the light up a little bit higher. If it's too warm for my hand, it's gonna be too warm for the seedlings. And the reason that you put the light so close to them is because plants have a tendency to grow towards light. The light is too high, they're gonna grow towards that light and you'll have spindlier, laggier plants. Make sure to label your containers because when they're small, they're gonna be hard to tell or differentiate between what seed is planted where. You'll want to plant at least five seeds or if the seeds are very small, a pinch in each cell and then lightly cover them. The rule of thumb is to plant the seed just two times deeper than its thickness under the soil. Some of these seeds, if they're really tiny, you may not even need to cover them. And then when they get big enough, you'll thin them to one plant per pot. And in six to eight weeks, you'll pinch the tops off and that encourages lateral growth and a bushier plant and then harden them before you set them out. And then I just put together just a short, not very complete list of some herbs for North Dakota outdoors. And I won't go through all of this. This is where I cue myself to talk about the plant hardiness zones. Most herbs in North Dakota are annuals with the exception of maybe some zone fours and you might need to heavily mulch those. Some perennials are just not hardy for our zone but they might be able to be brought inside and overwintered as house plants. So the rule of thumb is if a plant is hardy, one or two zones above whatever zone you're in, it might be worth trying to overwinter outside as long as you have a good snow cover and it's been given plenty of mulch. And so here's just a quick overview of the plant hardiness zones for the United States. I'm up in rugby North Dakota. So that's the top half of North Dakota in that pinkish purple area, which is zone three. There's some zone three A and some zone three B. But for the most part, it's gonna get about minus 40 at any given time here. So I wanna make sure that I'm choosing zone three perennials if that's what I'm looking to grow. And then the light purple area or lavender is zone four and that's about minus 30 to minus 25. And I would say that's probably, I know Highway 52 doesn't go straight across North Dakota, but generally I would use that as my guide, probably south of Highway 52 is gonna be more of our zone four plant. Some good herbs for beginners would be common or sweet basil, dill, parsley. Perennial herbs that would be good for beginners would be chives, peppermint, spearmint, parsley. Parsley is a biennial. That means it takes two years to complete its life cycle or to produce seed. Zone fours I probably would not recommend for beginners. That would be more your seasoned gardeners. And French tarragon will mostly likely be propagated from plants because it rarely produces viable seed. And anise doesn't transplant very well, but can always try the impossible. And then keep in mind that some herbs will self seed. And then I did want to quickly touch on the fact that herbs can be irresistible to our foraging pollinator insects. And there's a number of herbs that attract butterflies and a number of herbs that also attract bees. And pollinators, such as bees, actually service about $15 billion in crops in the U.S. and they're really the lifeblood of vegetable and fruit production here. They're responsible for the pollination of 75% of our fruits, nuts, and vegetables. So that includes our almonds, berries, citrus fruits and cucurbits, which would be your cucumbers, your melons, those types of plants. So definitely consider sprinkling some herbs in your flower beds or even growing them in your vegetable garden among your vegetable plants to help attract those pollinators. You might even increase some of your garden yields with these pollinator attracting herbs. An example would be tomatoes. Tomatoes can be self-pollinated, but you'll get more fruit if they're pollinated by bumblebees. So something to keep in mind. For harvesting herbs, we'll want to start when the plant has enough foliage to maintain its growth. That's usually anywhere from six to eight inches tall. And we can harvest up to 75% of the current season's growth at one time. With perennial herbs, we might remove only about a third. And then we do want to harvest early in the morning after the dew dries, but before the heat of the day. And this is because we'll capture the optimal aroma and flavor and also cut down on potential of disease spread. And then herbs are best harvested before they start to flower. Otherwise, leaf production declines once flowering starts. So if your herbs are starting to flower, if you deadhead them, pinch the flowers off, that will prolong your leaf production. And you can harvest annual herbs all the way up until frost. If you have perennial herbs like chives, you can harvest until late August. After that, we want to stop because we want that plant to start getting ready for winter. And then even though tarragon and lavender are a little bit trickier to grow up here, lavender is a zone five plant, but you might grow it as an annual. It can be sheared to half their height in early summer to encourage a second fall flowering. And I'll know more about growing lavender in zone three after this summer because for our youth garden project, we will be, we have a history themed garden. So we'll be growing some lavender to try and make some dyes. And then also to use in sachets and potpourri. So I'll know more about lavender in our colder zone. Using herbs, we want to rinse the fresh herbs under running water and then pat dry. And we want to cut them into tiny pieces. And the reason that we cut them into small pieces is to expose more surface area to give more optimal flavor. Guidelines for how much to use. General rule of thumb is two teaspoons of fresh herbs are equivalent to three quarters of a teaspoon of dried herbs or one quarter teaspoon of powdered herbs. And then keep in mind we have different flavors of herbs. Our strongly flavored herbs would include bay leaves, rosemary and sage. Moderately flavored herbs would be our basil, dill, mint, marjoram and oregano. Mild flavored herbs are chives and parsley. And so we can use a lot of these and not affect our dish. So one thing to remember is don't overdo it with herbs. Try to use them for a variety and accent only. And usually try to use only one strongly flavored herb alone or pair it with two more mild flavored herbs. If you're new to using herbs and cooking, a way to acquaint yourself with the unique flavors of herbs that you might be growing would be to chop or crush a few of the fresh herb leaves very finely and then add it to a tablespoon of softened butter or cream cheese and then just let that set for about an hour and spread it on a cracker or a piece of bread so that you can discover the unique taste and see if that's a flavor that you like or not. For storing herbs, we can store them for up to a week in the refrigerator. Just keep in mind that the flavor and the aroma of herbs deteriorates quite quickly after picking. So we do want to be prepared to use them as soon as we can. And so if we're storing them, we want to trim the ends of the stems and then we'll store them in a glass or a vase with about an inch of water in the bottom. And then we'll cover it loosely with a plastic bag so that we can allow for some air circulation so we're not getting mold and then we change the water daily and then of course, wash under cool water and pat dry. You may want to try preserving some herbs and there's a few different ways to do that. We can air dry them, dehydrate them, dry them in a microwave and we can freeze them. So I'll just briefly talk about each one. So for air drying, of course, we'll pick the plants at their peak just before they bloom. We'll bunch the washed herbs and then we'll tie the stems with a string and we'll hang them upside down for about two weeks, being sure that they're completely dry before we store them. And one way to test if they're dry is to crumble the leaves and if they crumble easily, they're dry. Another thing to keep in mind is that sometimes our stems have an undesirable flavor so we may want to keep those out. So just using the leaves. We can dry either using an oven or a dehydrator. So we'll wash the herbs and we'll set the oven to 100 degrees Fahrenheit or its lowest setting and then we'll heat until the leaves are brittle, testing hourly. And then since dehydrators are all different, you'll want to follow the manufacturer's instructions. Microwave drying is a possibility. So after the herbs are washed, you'll place two bunches between paper towels and then you'll microwave on high for one to three minutes, making sure that you check every 30 seconds. And then once they're cool, you'll test to see if the herbs are brittle. So if they crumble well, they're dry. Freezing herbs, you'll want to use some airtight bags or containers to freeze them in. You'll place chopped herbs in ice cube trays and you can cover them with water and freeze. And then when you're ready to use them, you, or when you're ready to store them, you just pop the cubes out and you put them in freezer bags. And when you want to use them in whatever dish it is that you're making, you can just drop the whole cube into your soup or your stew. Storing your herbs and spices, you want to make sure that you're keeping them away from moisture, tightly covered jars or containers, store in a cool place, and keep them out of sunlight and try not to store them near heat sources. For best flavor, it's recommended to use your herbs within one year. And then just quickly, I wanted to go through a few of the different herbs and give you an idea of what they look like. So anise is technically a zone for perennial. So depending on which zone you live in or are gardening in, this may or may not overwinter for you. If you're in zone three, like I am, I wouldn't be afraid to try to overwinter it with some extra mulch. I would probably give it at least 12 to 18 inches of mulch, straw, leaves, that kind of thing. And then hope for a good snow cover, which it sounds like down south, the southern part of the state, we got good snow cover. So it is a short-lived perennial. It's about three to five feet tall and it is in the mint family. It does like a sunny location and it is not pH sensitive. It does like adequate water. If we don't have enough, it can cause some wilting. And the parts that you'll eat will be the leaves or the flowers and they tend to have a licorice scent. And the flowers are very attractive to pollinators. So it can be a nice addition to a curbside flower bed or just any flower bed that you have in the yard. One of my favorite herbs is basil. I like it because it's a milder herb and it pairs well with a lot of dishes. But it's most commonly used in tomato sauces, pasta and pesto or Italian dishes. It is an annual herb and it is very cold sensitive. So we wanna make sure that when we're setting that one out, the danger of frost is passed. It likes full sun, well-drained soil. And then you do wanna keep an eye on this one and dead head to discourage flowering because we're gonna be using the leaves on this one. And the leaves are very delicate. So we do want to candle them very carefully to prevent damage to the leaves. And as you'll find out, there are a lot of varieties of basil. The Genovese is the preferred culinary type. But there are some citrus flavored basils. So you can add some unique flavors and scents to your cooking. Chamomile is attractive to some gardeners because it's often used in teas. It's very easy to grow. It's easy enough to grow that it has the potential to become a weed because it recedes very easily. It is low growing and it does adapt well to many soil types. Chives is another of my favorite herbs because of its mild flavor. Can be used in soups, shouters, salad dressings, potatoes, meat, poultry, fish, eggs and cheese. Very, very versatile herb. It's very easy to grow and it does tend to form clumps and it is a perennial and it will recede itself after it flowers, that's where the seeds will be. And so you should dead head to encourage new growth as well. Full sun is its only requirement. It is also very adaptable to many soil types, even grows well in containers. And as I mentioned earlier, we had it regrow in a raised bed. So very cold tolerant from my experience. Cilantro or coriander, they usually used in ethnic cuisines like Mexican. It can be used in Chinese, South American dishes, Vietnamese dishes. If we're using the foliage, we call it cilantro. If we're using the seeds, we call it coriander. Pretty easy to please, full sun, regular water. In the middle ages, it's rumored that it was used as an aphrodisiac. Dill is another very popular herb. This one is also a very easy receder and it does thrive in cool weather. If you are looking to use the foliage of dill, a couple of varieties to try are bouquet or dew cat. Dill is popular in pickles, sauerkraut, dill is popular in pickles, sauces, salads, fish, and chicken dishes. Garlic isn't technically an herb, it's a vegetable, but a lot of people like to grow garlic and I do get a lot of questions in my office about garlic. It's used to flavor salsa, stir fry, spaghetti sauce, almost anything you can think of. Well, it's not a very hardy perennial, but it is a hardy perennial in the onion family. We do have a variety that is hardy for North Dakota and that is a hardneck variety. So if you're looking to try garlic, German red or Spanish roja would be the varieties that you would want to try. Now, when they talk about garlic, we talk about hardneck or softneck. And hardneck are typically hardier for North Dakota, so zones three through five. They will produce larger cloves, but fewer. And the softneck varieties will produce more, but smaller cloves. And typically what we find in the grocery stores is the softneck variety. And the reason for that is they have a longer shelf life, typically six to eight months. But again, remember the softneck varieties are not hardy for North Dakota. And if we are going to plant garlic in North Dakota, it's best planted in late September to early October. So garlic is planted in the fall and then we harvest it in the following growing season. As I mentioned earlier, lavender is a zone five plant. It's native to the hot, dry Mediterranean climates. And the oils are most concentrated in the flowers. And culinary uses include teas and beverages and savory dishes with meats and vegetables. And with lavender, a little goes a long way. But again, I like to test the limits. So if you have a nice micro climate and you're able to mulch it well, you might be able to get lavender to overwinter in zone four, maybe even up here in three. We'll see after this growing season. But in zones three and four, it's best treated like an annual. Lemon balm is a perennial in the mint family, hardy to zones four through nine. So depending on which zone you're in, if you're up here in three like me, it might need a heavy mulch and don't be surprised if it doesn't overwinter. It can be used in teas, soups and sauces, vinaigrettes, marinades, seafoods, all kinds of different things. It does lose a lot of its flavor when it's dried. So it's best used when it's fresh. Even though it loses a lot of its flavor when it's dried, it still keeps enough fragrance to make it a nice addition to potpourri. And then the leaf flavor does turn bitter when the flower buds appear. So you want to keep on top of deadheading if you're planning to use the leaves of lemon balm. Oregano, depending on, again, what zone you live in, some varieties are perennial to zone four. The herb itself is pungent, kind of spicy and slightly bitter. At least I think it's kind of bitter. So if I have a recipe that calls for oregano, I use just a little bit. You can always add more. But oregano is definitely one of those stronger flavored herbs that a little goes a long ways. Commonly used in Italian, Greek and Spanish dishes, and it pairs well with meats and tomato dishes. It likes a well-drained sandy soil. Definitely does not like to be over-watered. Also doesn't do super well seed-starting. We started some last year for our pizza garden. And it did grow, but it wasn't as happy as it was the stuff that we actually planted in the ground. We did a comparison for the kids so that we could see which did better, and it actually did better starting it directly in the garden. Marjoram is a cousin or in the same family as oregano, so it has an oregano-like flavor, but it's a little more subtle. And it's described as having a floral and wood-y flavor. And because it's a little bit lighter and more subtle, you would add it more towards the end of cooking. And you could use it in place of oregano for a gentler flavor. Mint, their hardiness depends on the variety. So it could be anywhere from a zone 3 to a zone 5, so make sure you check the seed package or if you're finding mint plants, make sure you check the zone on the tag. If they are perennial for your zone, they can be fast-growing spreaders. So you might want to make sure to keep them in check, spading some out, that kind of thing. They do like rich moist soil, and they prefer partial shade. And then we can use the leaves in beverages, salads. They're also popular with lamb, fish, and poultry dishes. Parsley is a popular herb. It's a biennial. That means it takes two growing seasons to complete its life cycle and produce seed. It's a member of the carrot family, so you will smell a carrot aroma when you pick the leaves or the stems. It is an important food source for the black swallowtail larvae. Black swallowtail is a butterfly here in North Dakota, and so you shouldn't be alarmed if you see some large striped caterpillar-like worms eating your parsley. That is their favorite food source. Flat leaf varieties are better for flavor, whereas the curly leaf varieties are used more when you want a fancy garnish, and they're commonly used in sauces, salads, and soups. French tarragon can be hardy to zone 4 with protection. It is in the sunflower family, so if you've ever tasted a sunflower leaf or part of a sunflower plant, you know that the flavor can be kind of sweet, but yet a little bitter. So the flavor is described as a combination of vanilla and licorice with a slightly peppery taste, and the bitter taste might be more pronounced in the Russian variety, and so it's used mostly for vinegars, pickles, and sour dishes. Rosemary can be a perennial in zones 5 and up, but in our area it would be grown more as an annual. And they are an evergreen-type plant with needle-like foliage. They have a spicy aromatic flavor. I classify the flavor as kind of a piney flavor, so it's kind of pungent and can be overpowering. It is popular in Mediterranean dishes, so a little goes a long way on the rosemary. Thyme has an earthy flavor with a lemon and mint tone to it, it's often included in seasoning blends for poultry and stuffing, also commonly used in fish sauces. It goes well with lamb and veal. Hardiness will depend on the variety, so you want to make sure that you read the seed package or the seed tag if you're finding plants. It can make a good ground cover because it is low-growing, depending on variety. If you have the creeping variety, it'll be low-growing and therefore can make a nice ground cover. Fennel is kind of another fun herb, it's actually a vegetable, and it is a perennial related to parsley. In zone 3, we would treat it like an annual, and it does a good amount of growing. The foliage does resemble dill, and it's an anise-flavored veggie, so it will have kind of a licorice-like flavor, and you can use either the seeds, the leaves, or the bulbs, and you would use it a lot like you would use celery, so it can be commonly used in French and Italian cuisines. So that's a quick rundown. In the end, just have fun with your herbs. Don't be afraid to try new ones. Be a little adventurous. Experiment to find out which ones you like. And then also try preparing a pizza or pasta dish with dried oregano versus fresh oregano. So that's a quick rundown on just a few different herbs. In the end, just have fun with your herbs. Try to find out which ones you prefer versus fresh or dried oregano and basil versus fresh oregano and basil, and see which you prefer. The tastes are definitely a difference, so for sure what I'd like to leave you with is just have fun, experiment, and be adventurous. And then, as Julie mentioned, there should be links to two handouts from garden to table, harvesting herbs for healthy eating, and then also from garden to table, garlic. And with that, I would like to open it up to any questions. Okay, I answered one of the questions, I think. Somebody asked about storing herbs and water, and actually the idea is to trim the end of the stem off the stems and water and not the entire herb. Otherwise, any time you put anything in water, it's going to break down faster. So other questions, you can go ahead and type into the chat box. Have you ever preserved herbs and salt? I'm not aware of that, Julie. I'll let you handle that. I have not. I have not, have you? I have not. And we have a lot of different methods on the handouts that you referred to, and drying is really an easy method, but you can also chop them up and put them into ice cube trays with water, and then you can simply pop out a cube and drop it into your recipe. So that's another method. But I haven't seen anything about putting them in salt. Okay. What percent of the herb leaves on the plant should be picked at any given time? You could pick up to three quarters of the green material on the plant or a third. General rule of thumb would be a third to three quarters of the plant. Where do we find the handouts that you are referring to? If you simply Google NDSU extension field to fork, you will find it. And I can also pop that into the chat box. I'll look for it right now unless Bob gets ahead of me. And I'm not sure the field to fork might be up on the screen right now. I can only see it on my side. I don't know if your Bob can see it. I just popped it in the chat box. So you're going to find all kinds of materials on that website. There's even some printable pages of a calendar. There's a beginning guide to harvest, weed identification guide. If you decide to be a food entrepreneur and sell all these herbs that you're going to grow, there's a site on there. And also our food preservation resources, plus all the webinars. So it's a very large site with lots of things to explore. Any other questions? So I see someone commented. Lucinda said lavender plant came back the last eight years in South Fargo. Who would have thought? Oh, good for you, Lucinda. That's awesome. That's great. Any other questions? Well, we hope that if there aren't any other questions, we hope that you join us next week for our final webinar of the year, I guess, or at least right now. And certainly give us feedback on other topics that you want, because I certainly hope that we can continue doing these field to fork, because this spring we've had, according to my records, about 515 people participate. Wow, that's awesome. So thanks to all of you. And please check out the website and let us know if you have any questions. Thank you.