A Pinch Of Homepage cooking with herbs and spices

Q: We just had a big rain storm after days of really hot weather. I just went out to my basil plant which has been doing very well, and there are very small purple and white colored things on all the leaves. At first I thought a bird dropped something on my plant but I touched them and they felt slimy. Could these be baby slugs? I don’t know how to get rid of them. There are several on every leaf. I did read that spraying with vinegar and water may help? If it does can the basil still be eaten? Any suggestions? DH

A: Could be tiny slugs or snails. If it is, they will likely disappear as the weather warms again. If they don't, I would suspect something else. You might want to pick a leaf and take it to your local garden center or master gardeners. I haven't heard about vinegar and water working, but you could set a beer trap to catch the slugs. This is a matter of filling a small bowl or tuna can with beer and burying it level with the ground. The smell attracts the slugs and they fall in.

Q: I am trying to grow strawberry plants along side my Oregano. Both have spread out as a ground hugging plant. Yet I have read oregano gets tall, and mine just spreads. Today I see that some plants are flowering. Have I waited too long to harvest? Can you make an herbal oil out of some herbs? Thank you for your time. I am really a novice at this! JD

A: You have learned the lesson that different plant varieties have different growth habits. Oregano is a notorious spreading plant, but some varieties also grow tall. You can still harvest the oregano with flowers. We talk about making herb oils on the Cooking Q&A Page.

Q: Hello, I've been looking all over the internet for an answer but so far no luck! I have sweet basil growing in a large pot outside. I noticed that the tops were about to flower, so I pinched them all. Under the leaves, near the stalks where the flowers were about to grow was some sort of white/clear mucus. It really looked like spit, just a little thicker. What is it? I don't have a pest problem (as far as I can tell) and the basil seems happy. There is a cucumber vine that keeps invading the basil's territory, but it's nowhere near the top of the plants. Thanks! LD

A: Have you considered spittlebugs? They emit the sort of froth that you describe, but don't really do much damage to the plant. You could give the plant a good spray of water and that will probably get rid of them.

Q: Hi there, What can I do to fight of little white flying bugs on my basil? I’ve heard about 1 drop of soap in a gallon of water sprayed on the plant. I don’t want to kill the plant. Any suggestions? Thanks! KL

A: I'm providing a link to the University of Illinois page about whitefly. If this isn't your pest, you can search their site and see if you can find out what it is.

Q: I have made pickles for years using a clove of garlic. I put the pickles in a brine solution of 1 part vinegar and 3 part water salt brine then can in pints or quarts using the hot water bath method. After jars are sealed they are stored in a basement closet until needed. Is it safe to use minced garlic in oil instead of fresh garlic cloves? AL

A: The National Center for Home Food Preservation doesn't recommend canning foods for a second time. I think your minced garlic in oil would qualify as already being canned once so you are probably better off with sticking to the fresh cloves of garlic.

Q: I have basil plant with holes and black round things on the leaves. I cannot find any slugs or caterpillars. I researched this some and think the black things may be caterpillar frass. How can I rid my plant of this? BS

A: It is really important to identify the pest before you can do anything about it because each one needs different treatment. Continue to monitor the plant and look for the caterpillars at different times of day, even after dark. They may have moved on by now and you won't need to do anything.

Q: Hi! I just discovered your site and found it very helpful, but I didn't find the answer to my question anywhere else. My grandfather planted some peppermint and it ran wild, so he let me dig up a plant and bring it home. It had been growing sideways over his driveway and many of the leaves were black and yellow, or yellow with black spots. I plucked off all of the diseased leaves and the plant seems to be okay, but I was just curious as to what might have caused it. I also want to make sure it wasn't anything poisonous. Thank you for your help! ED

A: Could be that the leaves had been stepped or driven on since they were so close to the driveway. Might also be a lack of water or too much water. I know, it's really hard to say. If the plant seems okay now it was probably environmental rather than a disease.

Q: Please let me know how to dry dill seed. I've looked at multiple sites and the all talk "about" dry seed, but not one of them tells me how to dry the seed. Thank you. CM

A: We cover this topic in the article "All About Dill."

Q: After picking the basil and cutting it, the basil develops dark spots. I understand that I may be bruising the leaves. Any suggestions on how not to? LI

A: It's best to tear the leaves just before using them rather than cutting with a knife.

Q: What store can I find Morton's Chili Blend in? JH

A: I'm not sure which stores would sell it, we did find this popular chili powder through our Mini-Mall.

Q: I bought large amounts of dried green and red chile powder while in New Mexico. Can I freeze them? If so in what kind of container? Should I freeze them in small amounts or doesn’t it matter? Thank you, SDM

A: You don't want to freeze them if they are already in a dried powder form. This would introduce small amounts of moisture that would actually shorten the shelf life. It's better to keep spices in a cool, dry place away from any heat sources.

Q: Looking for McCormick Meat Marinade which I can no longer find. Also Schilling's Tuna Casserole Sauce Mix. Thanks. RD

A: I checked the McCormick website and the meat marinade is still available, but no luck with the tuna casserole mix. You might ask your grocery to stock the marinade mix if they have other McCormick products on the shelf.

Q: What spices make up “Pumpkin Pie Spice”? What can you substitute?

A: Blends will differ, but most will have some combination of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg or cloves. You could make a pretty decent blend of your own by using the spices in our recipe for My Best Pumpkin Pie on the "All About Cloves" page.

Q: I dry my thyme from my garden. Can you tell me if it is okay to dry thyme after it has developed flowers on it. Does it make a difference in the over all flavor? EH

A: While it is best to harvest herbs before they flower because the essential oils in the leaves are more intense, I think it is okay to dry it after flowering. Might even be kind of pretty.

Q: My basil plant looks like it has the start of scales. I am afraid to use a commercial insecticide because of coarse I will be eating it soon. I know my usual fix of soap and water spray will not work because of the hard shells they have. What can I do? Thanks, L

A: Scale is hard to get rid of. I've had good luck getting rid of them by wiping the stems with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol.

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