A shrub or bush is a small to mediumsized woody plant. Unlike herbs, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. They are distinguished from trees by their. Almstead is a fullservice tree, shrub lawn care company for residential and commercial properties in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Parmesan Panna Cotta Recipe here. Our certified arborists. Berries are a fabulous source of antioxidants and anthocyanins eat lots while theyre ripe in the Northwest, and save some for later, too. The Michigan Native Plant Producers Association is a group of independently owned nurseries in the state of Michigan that focus on production of Michigan Native. How to make strawberry freezer jam and blueberry balsamic shrub. Berries are a fabulous source of antioxidants and anthocyanins eat lots while theyre ripe in the Northwest, and save some for later, too. I think there are three things that Seattleites universally look forward to when contemplating summer The reappearance of a certain glowing orb in the sky, dining alfresco without needing a warm hat and gloves, and local berries. Happily, our berry season runs from June to September, although you have to act fast to take full advantage of the more fleeting June to July strawberry season. How To Make A Shrub' title='How To Make A Shrub' />Strawberries are our nations most popular berry, followed by blueberries. Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, with a mere half cup supplying most of your daily need. Blueberries are loaded with antioxidants, including anthocyanins, the colorful pigments that give many fruits and vegetables their beautiful shades of blue, purple and red. Other berries strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries and marionberries also contain some anthocyanins along with other antioxidants. Antioxidants are important for health because they neutralize the free radicals that can damage our cells and DNA. Anthocyanins are a family of phytonutrients compounds produced by plants that often have health benefits for humans and eating anthocyanin rich foods could lower your risk of cardiovascular disease heart disease, heart attack and stroke and cancer. Research suggests that blueberries, and other berries to a lesser extent, may be an important part of a brain healthy diet. The anthocyanins in berries are delicate, and while cooking degrades them, freezing does not. Thats great news if you grow, buy, or pick fresh berries in season and want to enjoy them year round. Its also nice if you tend to buy your berries already frozen. Even when you get your fill of fresh, in season berries, its fun to extend the season so you can reclaim a little taste of summer once the rain returns. Two ways to hold on to some of that fresh flavor is with no cook freezer jam and cold pressed berry shrubs no, not the plants that some berries grow on. Strawberry freezer jam. Bruised apricots, smashed berries and or overripe pears are just some of the fruit that can be made into a shrub, a tart drinkable vinegar that is softened with sugar. We created the Proven Winners ColorChoice brand to provide growers and garden center retailers with faster sales and better margins, and to assure consumers of. Nursery and farm specializing in rare and uncommon tropical ornamentals, fruits, bamboo, palms, spices and herbs. Outdoor topiary can create a striking effect in your garden. Taking the time to make your own topiary can save you money and give you a gardening focal point that you. Its going down. Support the artists. XXXTENTACION httpssoundcloud. Garden Debut is a Superior Landscape Collection made up of Great New Plants and Trusted Selections that have been thoroughly tested for longterm performance. Freezer jam is perfect for anyone who cant commit to the whole process of canning, or is nervous to try it. As an added bonus, freezer jams dont need to be cooked, so you wont damage those lovely anthocyanins. Because I blanch at the idea of using twice as much sugar as fruit, I opted to make low sugar jam, using Pomonas Universal Pectin. The very thorough information page inside the box includes directions for making both cooked and canned jam as well as freezer jam, so there are a lot of words on that page. Simplify things by writing down exactly what you need to add, and in what amounts, so you dont have search the page as you work. I also recommend making sure your jarscontainers are washed and dried and the sugar, water and pectin are measured before you start working on the berries it makes the whole process easier. Ingredients. 4 cups crushed strawberries youll need about 4 pints of fully ripe strawberries1 cup sugar. Instructions. 1. Crush strawberries using a potato masher, or lightly pulse them in a food processor. You want to have some chunks. Add the sugar to the berries and mix to combine. Allow to sit for 1. Follow the directions for mixing the pectin and water listed on the box insert for your particular brand of pectin. Pour the pectinwater mixture over the berrysugar mixture and stir until the sugar has dissolved, about three minutes. If using Pomonas, follow the directions for adding the calcium water, which youll have mixed up during your advance prep. Ladle the jam into plastic containers or straight sided glass jars, leaving inch at the top to allow for the jam to expand when it freezes. Use a wet paper towel to wipe any jam off the rim of the container, and put on the lids. Follow your pectin brands instructions for freezing. Pomonas says to freeze immediately, but other brands say to let sit at room temperature for 2. Note Sure Jell and Ball also make low sugar pectins that are simpler to use, but I like Pomonas because its free of preservatives and sugar yes, most low or no sugar pectins contain sugar, in the form of dextrose. You can find Pomonas at several stores in the Seattle area, including Whole Foods, PCC Natural Markets and Central Co Op. It has a store locator on its website, and you can also order online. Blueberry Balsamic Shrub. I became intrigued by shrubs recently when a patient was reminiscing about a balsamic berry shrub her sister made for her when she was pregnant and unable to partake of alcoholic beverages. A quick Google search turned up a wealth of how tos for DIY shrubs. Shrubs are essentially a mix of fruit juice, vinegar and sugar, although they can get much fancier with herbal infusions and whatnot. I took my inspiration from a simple cold brewed shrub recipe on Serious Eats. Google serious eats shrub recipes. You wont be disappointed. Ingredients. Instructions. Crush the blueberries in a glass or Pyrex bowl and stir in the sugar. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1 2 days. Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and dump in the fruit and sugar. Press the mixture with a spoon, allowing the juice and syrup to drain into the bowl. Discard the fruit solids. Whisk in the vinegar until the sugar is mostly dissolved and pour the mixture into a clean jar or bottle. Put on a lid and put it in the fridge to mature for a few weeks, shaking every so often. It will become mellower and richer in flavor. Note If you find balsamic vinegar too strong for your taste, try white balsamic vinegar. Pineapple Guava A great shrub for your Edible Landscapeby Avis Licht. You can eat the petals from this plant. Theyre good The Pineapple Guava is one of my favorite plants. It serves many purposes in the edible garden. Its an easy care, evergreen shrub that has edible flowers, edible fruits and somehow, the deer DONT eat it. How could you know Where I live, deer eat almost all our plants, so having one that does all these good things is a real treasure. Climate The Pineapple guava grows in Zones 8 1. What this really means is that it likes some cool weather, can go down to 1. F, likes rain in the 3. Soil Its adaptable to a wide range of soils, including acidic soil, but prefers a humus rich soil that is well drained. Adding compost and not manure works for this plant. Water This is considered a drought tolerant plant, meaning it survives with relatively little water, but needs adequate water for good fruit production. During dry spells you should give it additional water. In real terms, this means observe your plant. In real terms, in the garden, you always need to observe your plants. Everyones garden is different from the norm that all these books talk about. Youll always want and need to adjust requirements to your own situation. If you need some great information on starting your Spring Garden, have a look at my new ebook, called The Spring Garden Made Easy. You can prune it, you can eat it, you can watch the hummingbirds feed on the flowers. Sun Full sun is best but it can tolerate partial shade. Wind The Pineapple guava makes a good windbreak. It can take some salt air, but I wouldnt put it on the dunes as a first line wind break. Care  What I really love about this plant is that it needs so little care. It just grows happily on its own. You can prune it for shape or let it alone. If you prune it back hard, you will lose some fruit production. Pests Almost none. Well, I havent seen any. Fruit and flowers  The flowers which bloom late Spring are edible. The thick petals are spicy and are eaten fresh. The petals may be plucked without interfering with fruit set. The fruit ripens in late Fall, which is a great boon, since almost everything else in the garden is gone. The fruit in the picture below, came from my garden on December 2. They taste fresh and tangy. We eat them by scooping out the fruit with a spoon. Or you can  cook them in puddings, pastry fillings, fritters, dumplings, fruit sponge cake, pies or tarts. Be sure to check out my store for great tools and garden implements. Cut the fruit in half and scoop it out with a spoon. Really tasty. If you live in the right climate, I really think you ought to try growing the Pineapple Guava. Its a giving and a forgiving plant for your edible landscape. If you want to know a lot more about gardening I have lots of posts on my blog and a new e book called The Spring Garden Made Easy. For 4. 9. 9 its the deal of the century. Check it out here http www.