We had our first nasturtium flower on 5 July! I put it in a salad for my friend as an un-birthday present. It tastes peppery! The leaves are also edible and have that peppery zing, too. (You can see my mildew-covered zucchini leaves in the background.)
To harvest chamomile flowers, I just lift the flower/s by raking my fingers through. Not sure if it makes a difference, but I only harvest the ones with very yellow (as opposed to green) centres.
Some other uses for Chamomile:
Anti-fungal spray for plants: pour 2 cups boiling water over 1/4 cup; steep until cool. This can be sprayed on plants to kill fungus. You can also soak/start seeds in this mixture to prevent damping off!
Hair rinse: I've read that a chamomile infusion can highlight blonde to brown hair. Being Chinese, this isn't of much use to me, but it's good to know. I bet it's good for the scalp.
Treat skin problems: To treat skin irritations (ulcers, infections, rashes, burns), grind flowers into a paste, add water, add oatmeal to reach desired consistency. Apply to affected area. Also: "The flowers can also be used in a bath to ease the pain of hemorrhoids and cystitis, and the essential Oil can be applied to combat neuralgia and eczema." Since chamomile has antibacterial properties, I assume it can't hurt to wash acne-prone faces with it. It can also soften the skin. Also: "Chamomile oil has also great wound healing properties and is extensively used with skin problems such as rashes, acne, eczema, psoriasis, hypersensitive skin and allergic conditions."
Steam inhaler: for "respiratory and allergic problems such as asthma, hay fever, and sinusitis."
Those really tall plants are bachelor's button. Mostly, I planted them to be pretty :). There is something kind of magical (to me) about blue and purple flowers--especially the ones that occur naturally (not cultivated for their colour).
I moved some more oregano into this pot. It's doing very well!
EDIT: Turns out, that wasn't oregano, but spearmint I had started from seed! Oops! I've since pulled it out. It wasn't very strong-smelling, either.
Haven't showed off my purple basil for a while. These seem to grow slower than their green relatives.
Broccoli seedlings. Will replace harvested broccoli for next growing season. ...Hopefully!
Already harvested a few zucchini (four; but one started rotting so had to compost it). I've been harvesting them when they get to about 6 or 7 inches. We're going to barbecue some tomorrow! Nothing like grilled zucchini, mmm.
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