News

All you need to know about Red Shiso - the alien herb that could.

There is a component in your food that's slowly affecting your health in a negative way. Our horticulturist Mirjam went on an investigation to find out more.

Photo by @davidam on Instagram

 With our refill selection growing continuously, questions as "Is Catnip just for cats?", "What do I do with Shiso?" and "What should I grow next?" can come up more and more often. We've got all the answers right here. 

You might have noticed that the vegetables you get in the store do not really taste right in the last years. Tomatoes, that our parents shared sweet, flavorful memories about, are now...well, bland. But why is that? Have we gotten so used to the intense flavor pop sodas and BBQ ribs have to offer that we can't appreciate the good old tomato? Maybe, but that's not exactly it.

Up there together with Mini Tomato, Chili Pepper, Moss Rose, Wild Strawberry, Petunia, Peppermint and Catnip, Oregano is one of the most loved Smart Herb Garden refills. And just when we all thought we know everything there is about this special little plant...it turned out we don't. Here's 4 things (and a little more) you most probably didn't know about the so-called “Mountain delight”!

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. But why is that? Of course, if you throw it hard enough, it will keep anyone away. However, scientists are actually convinced that the flavonoid components in the apple skin are responsible for our good health.

Parsley is one of the world's most popular herbs. It has been cultivated for 2,000 years, and was used medicinally long before that. Highly nutritious, it is a great addition to our Smart Herb Garden refill selection.

Parsley has many health benefits and has been used as a cure for many ailments. It contains more vitamin C than any other standard culinary vegetable, approximately three times as much as oranges and about the same as blackcurrants, making it the ultimate vitamin bomb.

We usually avoid playing favorites, but Thyme is one of our favourite herbs out there - no wonder we've praised it to be the plant of the most wonderful month of the year. If you're not as big of a fan of Thyme yet as we are, be prepared - here are 6 facts about Thyme that will make you reconsider.

There are no pesticides, fungicides, insecticides, plant hormones or any other type of poisons used. And we don't need to - a well watered and feed plant with perfect growing conditions can defend itself without any otside help. But we do use additional minerals to feed the plant. So in most countries it cannot be certified as organic.

Every Tuesday we cover the uses and qualities of our edible Click & Grow plants. This week we’ll look at Thyme. 

Background

Interestingly, there are a number of theories as to the origins of the name thyme. Most agree that its derived from the Greek word thumos or from the Latin fumus which both mean smoke. The association with smoke probably comes from the fact that thyme was used in sacrifices or from the plants fragrant odor, which is often tied with the word fumigate.

What we do know is that thyme originates from the Mediterranean area and in ancient times, thyme was appreciated for its antiseptic properties. For example, Greeks used it as a fumigant while Egyptians made use of its qualities in the embalming process.