The herbs you grow and dry yourself will be far superior to those you buy packaged. Herbs with woody stems and thick or tough leaves are best for drying and holding their flavor—thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, and lemon verbena are good choices. (Herbs with soft leaves and stems such as basil, dill, parsley, chervil, and
Cucumber plants that are stressed during the growing season may produce fruit that is bitter flavored. Commonly a lack of water or temperatures too cold or too hot cause cucumbers to bear bitter-tasting fruit. But some cucumbers may have a slightly bitter flavor by nature. Cucumbers contain organic compounds called cucurbitacins that can cause fruit
Onion sets are small, dry onion bulbs grown the previous season but not allowed to mature. Grow your own onion sets from seed. It is not difficult, does not require much time, and can put you ahead in both time and money. Planted in the second season onion sets produce an early crop of bulb
Herbs well suited for growing in cool weather are cilantro, chervil, chives, dill, and parsley. Unlike warm-weather summer-grown herbs, cool-weather herbs can be sown directly in the garden a month or more before the last frost in spring for late spring harvest and again in late summer for fall harvest. Cool-season herbs grow best in
Mounded planting beds A garden planting bed is home to your vegetables, herbs, and flowers. You want a planting bed in which plants will thrive and you want a planting bed that is easy to make and easy to maintain. Making a new garden planting bed should be a one-time investment in sweat equity. Once
A traditional herb knot garden Herbs are both beautiful and useful. They require a small amount of effort for a great reward. An herb garden is easy to start; you can grow herbs in their own stand-alone bed, include them in existing flower and vegetable beds or grow them in decorative pots. Herbs are highly
What Is Community Investing? In finance, the term “community investing” refers to institutions and investment products that are intended to support economically disadvantaged communities. In the United States, for example, there are several types of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), such as community development banks (CDBs) and community development credit unions (CDCUs). These institutions provide
What Is the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA)? The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) is a federal law enacted in 1977 to encourage depository institutions to meet the credit needs of the communities where they are chartered, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. The CRA requires federal banking agencies to assess how well each institution fulfills its obligations
What Is Community Property? Community property refers to a U.S. state-level legal distinction that designates a married individual’s assets. Any income and any real or personal property acquired by either spouse during a marriage are considered community property and thus belong to both partners of the marriage. Under community property, spouses own (and owe) everything
What Is Commutation? Commutation refers to the right that a beneficiary has to exchange one type of income for another. Commutation is offered to annuitants and to the beneficiaries of life insurance policies so that they might receive a lump-sum payment instead of a series of future payments. When this happens, the net present value (NPV) of
