Autumn is the perfect time to plant!

Tasmania has experienced a very cool, wet summer this year as have many other parts of the country! While this means that our basils, tomatoes, chillies and other heat loving plants haven't done so well it's not a complete loss. Wasabi has thrived in our backyard - we planted them in and around the vegetables in dappled shade and they have tripled in size! I intend to harvest

a couple of plants and taste the unique and intensly flavoured wasabi paste and experiment with a few different recipes. Eating Wasabi regularly is also reputed to keep colds at bay - just what we need for the long, cold winter ahead....

Another healthy addition for winter eating is Garlic. In Tasmania we begin planting in late March to early May (depending on how cold it is). Given that we have had a few light frosts already we will be planting sooner rather than later! Space is fairly limited in our vegetable beds, so before garlic cloves are planted, we have to wait for the summer vegetables to ripen and be harvested. This year, we had a wonderful crop of corn, spring onions, asparagus, cape gooseberry, baby carrots, potatoes. About thirty of our heirloom tomato varieties are still valiantly trying to ripen kilo's of fruit, and will be destined for pasta sauces along with the 20 basil plants struggling to produce more leaves given that I keep picking them off to dry for various winter uses. Patience is not one of my strong points.....




New Products Available on our website http://www.fourseasonsherbs.com.au/ now

This month we have a number of new plants available, although we have low numbers of stock for some varieties - first in best dressed!

Basil Licorice Also known as 'Anise' or 'Persian' Basil this one has a spicy Anise flavour. Similar in appearance to Thai Basil, except the leaves have a silvery shade to them.

Turmeric Turmeric originates from South East Asia & has been used for thousands of years. Turmeric is the orange colour & flavour in most curries & mustards. Turmeric powder is from the root after it has been roasted & dried, but it can also be grated just like Ginger, Horseradish & Wasabi. The leaves can also be used as a wrap.

Echinacea 'Prima Donna Deep Rose' This variation of Echinacea has long lasting, bright crimson flowers and will attract bees and butterflies to your garden.

Mint Lemon Delicious minty/lemon flavour and scent!

Pepino A small (kiwi sized) yellow fruit streaked with pale purple stripes and varying in colour from golden-yellow to apricot. The pale yellowish-green flesh has a delicious melon-like texture. It is a delicious subtle flavoured fruit similar to a honeydew or rockmelon.

Myrtle Lemon Scented
Lemon scented Myrtle is a beautiful native Australian tree with leaves & flowers that have a strong, sweet lemon fragrance. Mature height will vary from between 6 to 20 metres depending on local conditions. A tea made from the leaves will help relieve the symptoms of coughs & colds.

Yarrow Woolly
Woolly Yarrow is a mat forming ground cover version of the Yarrow family, with woolly leaves (obviously!) & bright yellow flowers. Doesn't have the medicinal properties of the taller Yarrow's.

Yarrow Snowball (Sneezewort) Sneezewort Yarrow is one unusual herb. It's dried leaves really are sneezing powder, yet fresh leaves chewed can relieve a toothache. It is also poisonous to livestock. Sneesewort is very hardy & grows to about 2 feet tall with daisy like white/mauve flowers & long spiky leaves.

Zaatar - Spiked
Spiked Zaatar has long been used as a spice in Middle East regions. If you like Lebanese food, Zaatar is probably the reason why. Especially the flatbread called Manakeesh. It doesn't like extreme cold, but is otherwise a pretty tough perennial.

Strawberry 'Temptation' Strawberry-Temptation has large, fleshy fruit which ripen earlier than other Strawberry varieties. It is also doesn't form runners, making it the ideal choice for either the vegie patch or in a container on the patio.

Angelica Angelica comes from temperate-sub Arctic Northern Europe & North America & has been long used for its medicinal properties. Nowdays its mostly used to flavour confectionary as well as liqueurs, so it must be pretty good!!! It dislikes full sun but will grow into a nice tall shrub in a shady spot.

My Garden

I went a bit 'snap happy' yesterday with my camera and this compilation is the result! We have had a very wet start to summer this year, and as a result everything is green and lush all be it a bit delayed compared to last year. Our Feijoa trees are loaded with flowers - if you haven't tried the fruit its unlike anything else! Artichokes produce the most stunning flowers (I am not keen on eating the centres, or hearts) but grow the plants because of the structural elements they add to a garden. That, and the bees just love them....

The Mountain Peppers are covered in berries which we collect, dry and store for use in casseroles, stews, or anything that requires a kick of hot peppery flavour. I have a number of fig trees which thrive on neglect and produce a bountiful crop each year regardless of the lack of attention they receive. Fresh from the tree is always best.....

Our corn crop failed to germinate the first time I planted out seed as we had some late frosts; the second planting faired much better and we are anticipating lots of juicy corn cobs in late summer....

Organic Tasmanian Garlic is now available!

This delicious certified garlic is easy to grow - just separate the bulbs into individual cloves before planting, or eat it fresh now! Drizzle whole bulbs in olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and ground pepper and roast for an hour or so - serve with any roast meat or enjoy the soft, sweet cloves squeezed onto thickly cut bread slices....

Go to our website to order - www.fourseasonsherbs.com.au

Xmas Special Offer:
We would like to show our appreciation to our valued customers for their support over the past year by offering a 20% discount across our entire product range. Valid until the end of January 2011.


Organic Garlic



Garlic packs will be available from mid- december onwards (until sold out). Choose from 3 or 6 bulb packs or if you are a serious garlic lover, try our new 1kg pack. Please email us if you would like to pre-order.


We wish you a merry christmas and a relaxing new year; keep safe and enjoy your holidays (preferably in the garden!)


As always, if you have any enquiries we would love to hear from you.
Email us at


sales@fourseasonsherbs.com.au

or visit our website at;

www.fourseasonsherbs.com.au



Or leave a comment on our blog at


www.fourseasonsherbs.blogspot.com


Happy Gardening!


Tara Springer

What a busy month we have had!

I haven't had time to update the blog lately (excuses, excuses!) but we have had quite a number of shows, events, festivals and markets to attend recently.. Our winter break ended with a bang when we threw ourselves into spring sales by attending the Tulip Festival in beautiful Wynyard. The tulips were a sight to see - colour everywhere. Next was the Deviot Gourmet Market during which we meet all our local customers on the bank of the glorious Tamar River. Followed by our attendance at the Tasmanian Craft fair - Specialist Plant Nursery section. This great annual event runs over the November long weekend and show cases over a dozen plant specialists including Bonnie Banks Iris's, Fushia Fantasy, Misty Downs Nursery, Cloverlea and Topiary Nursery, Fernmania, Gatenby's Nursery, Jubilee Nursery, Tazwild Plants, Clematis Cottage and Woodbridge Nursery....oh, and of course Four Seasons Herbs :)

It didn't end there; November was just as busy as we exhibited all weekend at Gardenfest in the beautiful grounds of Entally House with over 30 other nursery and garden specialists. Last weekend we attended Clarence Point Gourmet market on the banks of the Tamar River and watched sail boats casually drift by as we chatted with locals and tourists alike. This weekend we are going to try a new market called the Lilydale Village Market - apparently their wood fired pizzas are to die for ..... So, I hope this list of events excuses me from being so slack about updating my blog...I will try harder next time...

Spring is definately here!

Spring is definately here! My daughter, Jess planted up this pot a few months ago and doesn't it look fantastic! It brightens up our entire sunroom, and the scent from the Hyacinths are just beautiful....

Jess is now inspired to plant out every empty pot she can lay her hands on...

I know this has absolutely nothing to do with herbs, but it is so pretty.

French Tarragon is an anise-flavoured (licorice) herb with long narrow, pointed leaves. Use French tarragon rather than russian for best flavour. Culinary uses include Bernaise Sauce for steak or eggs Benedict; tarragon butter that can be used over green beans, asparagus, peas, carrots; in salads or salad dressings, in mayonnaise to serve with cold seafood or fish; with eggs, chicken, beef, pork, lamb. It is also one of the herbs in "fines herbes" mixture, along with chervil, chives and parsley in equal amounts. Make tarragon vinegar by infusing white wine vinegar with fresh tarragon; place in cool, dark place for 2 weeks, then remove leaves.

This plant requires a position with sun, although prefers a little afternoon shade. Keep well watered in summer. In Autumn it will begin to die down and begin its winter dormancy. Completely normal, it will re-shoot the following spring.