Comments on: Cucumber and Chamomile Salad

By: Barbara

Barbara — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:51:11 +0000

I’ve had worms and flying bugs in chamomile that I’ve dried. I cut the stems and lightly hosed them off then hung them inside in a cool, dark, dry room to dry. I then snipped and stored the flowers in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. For a few months, I used them often to make chamomile tea. About a month had passed since I’d last made tea and when i went to open the jar, I saw there were small (a quarter of an inch long and a 64th of an inch diameter, striped, almost transparent worms moving around inside. Another time last year I had flying brown bugs inside. What am I doing wrong? It’s put me off drying chamomile even though what came from my garden was the best I’d ever had. Thanks.

By: Jennie

Jennie — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:10:42 +0000

Oh-ho-ho, now I know what you are talking about! I didn’t really think that tiny when you first described it. That, my friend, is called a “flower thrip”. They are pollen munchers and they love any flower with a big stash of pollen like chamomile and chrysanthemums. Unfortunately they are very very tough to get rid of, even with harsh chemicals which you would never want to put on a tea herb anyway. My advice, in this case, though it’s rather gross is to ignore them or hope a thorough swish in a bowl of cold water will dislodge them. Before you cring and give up chamomlie, you can also try drying your blossoms (which is actually how I use them myself) and the thrips will go away because they are only interested in fresh live plant material. I hang stems to air dry in a cool dark closet for about 2 weeks and then snip the flowers off and store them in an air-tight container until I’m in the mood for a cup of tea.

By: Jason

Jason — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:37:51 +0000

I will try to get a picture of a couple of them, today, when I pick a few chrysanthemums. The bugs/worms are very very small, so a photo might be hard — even on a micro setting.

But, to give you some preliminary clues, I think there may be one that I see in the first picture of chamomile in THIS POST (on the edge of the left petal). They’re about that color and exactly that size, so they blend in really well with chamomile and chrysanthemums. They’re so small that it’s hard to really notice any physical attributes about them (i.e. whether they have legs or they just wiggle around).

I’ll try to get you a picture of some of them. Thanks!

By: Jennie

Jennie — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:43:50 +0000

Hey Jason! Hmmm, so I’ve been trying to figure out what this little critter is that’s pestering your edible flowers. I don’t have anything that gets on mine, save for the occasional baby bee that’s not willing to scram. I can only imagine how unnerving a floating wormy thing in your chamomile tea would be. I have that problem any more with eating broccoli as I always seem to have a few cabbage moth caterpillars that managed to get on it even with the row covers protecting my plants. Anyway…as to your problem, I can’t seem to figure it out based on my own experience so I was wondering if you could send me a picture or link to one so I can ask the bug expert that I work with for his thoughts. straightfromthefarm (at) gmail (dot) com.

By: Jason

Jason — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:43:20 +0000

I have one more question about chamomile.

Do you ever notice these tiny, little squirmy, not-quite-worm-not-quite-bug things on your chamomile blossoms? Have you found a good way of getting rid of them?

This summer was my first time growing chamomile, so I was surprised that EVERY TIME I harvested a bunch, I had to spend about five minutes rolling and shaking the blossoms to shake out these little critters because the thought of seeing them (later) rising to the top of my cup of tea was — to put it mildly — unsettling.

I’ve noticed this with other edible flowers that I grow, too, (especially chrysanthemums) but I can’t really find much definitive information on them much less how to make sure I don’t eat any of them.

By: Jennie

Jennie — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 02:23:17 +0000

Congrats, George! Thanks for sharing the article. I’m going to click on it now to give it a read!

By: Jennie

Jennie — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 02:22:02 +0000

Oh, K, there are many wonders in the herb world, though not exculsively in PA. Like I told Sylvia above, if mine sets seeds, I’ll be sure to spread the love.

p.s. – you’re always welcome in my garden!

By: Jennie

Jennie — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 02:20:07 +0000

Hey Sylvia – It is indeed a Salvia elegans, but a cultivar that has the scent of melons to its leaves. The tag on my plant when I bought it said Honeydew Melon Sage, but I’ve also seen it listed in references as Honey Melon Sage. It’s really tough to find. I hunted for mine (both seeds or a plant) for a year and a half before I found it at a tiny specialty greenhouse. If mine gets around to flowering (was rather scrawny when I bought it in June and I’ve been pinching off stems for tea and seasoning) and sets seed, I’ll make sure to mention it here on the blog and maybe make a give-away of the seeds.

Glad you like the salad too!!

By: Jennie

Jennie — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:59:17 +0000

Ahmen, Leyla! You are my kind of summer foodie!

By: George Davis

George Davis — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:12:10 +0000

Hi Jenn,
I had a highlight to my gardening this week, had an interview in the paper about my cold frames. If you are interested, please see the link:

http://delawaregardener.delawareonline.com/article/20090813/LIFE0402/908130312

George Davis
Wilmington, DE
Bellevue State Park Community Gardens