Most leaves work ok as a tea, and most are ok dried (echinacea leaves are usually best fresh; the root is best fresh but can be used dried, depending on the species). Barks and roots usually require a cold infusion (cold water overnight) or a strong decoction (add boiling water, let sit overnight). For details see Michael Moore's materia medica manual, available online. Milk thistle is usually prepared as a tincture for medicinal use; some people grind the seeds and eat them as food. Burdock root is also commonly eaten in soups, and you could make a fine spring salad with several common weedy greens, such as young dandelion, chickweed, and miner's lettuce.

Not ones that will survive your winters, but if you don't mind bringing them in, almost all the mediterranean herbs would fit that description... lavender, rosemary, thyme, sage....

I like everything about that Cranberry Chutney except the sage, LOL. I don't mind sage, but it doesn't work for me in that chutney. It should be perfectly cannable, though. I don't see much risk in it. I'm guessing 15 minutes, but we'd need to find a comparable canning recipe to be certain. There is a grape jelly with thyme recipe posted some time back by Robin. -Robin Grape Thyme Jelly 1 Cup Sauterne (a type of dessert wine) 1 1/2 Tbsp thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried leaves) 3 to 4 Lbs Concord grapes 2 medium apples 4 1/2 cups sugar 1 pouch liquid pectin Heat the sauterne in an enamel pot to the boiling point. Put the thyme leaves in a bowl and pour the wine over them. Allow the leaves to steep for 30 to 40 minutes. Then pour the mixture back into the pan and simmer it over a low flame until it reduces to half a cup. Stem the grapes and crush them in a large enamel kettle. Peel and cube the apples and add it to the grapes with 1 cup of sugar. Add enough water so the grapes are barely covered (too much water will dilute the flavor). Cook the mixture at a simmer until the fruit begins to lose color and becomes soft (about 1 hour). Pour the mixture into a damp jelly bag or through several thicknesses of cheescloth and allow to drain. Do not squeeze the cloth or the jelly will become muddy and the taste will be affected. You should have 2 cups of juice. Add the sauterne and thyme mixture, the remaining 3 1/2 cups of sugar and the liquid pectin. Bring to a boil and stir constantly and rapidly for 1 minute. Remove the mixture form the heat, skim if neccesary and pour into hot sterile jelly jars. BWB 10 minutes. There's Emeril's Pickled Green Beans with Lemon and Rosemary posted by Annie. That's kind of a fun one. I have made these. I cut way back on the rosemary and still found them a bit too resinous for my taste. The rosemary I grow is really powerful. But overall it's a recipe worth fiddling with. In retrospect I think I would infuse the brine with rosemary (still use about half what he says) then pull it out and put only the lemon in the jars. Or for appearance put in just the tiniest sprig. Lemon-Rosemary Pickled Green Beans: 2 pounds green beans 4 sprigs fresh rosemary 4 cloves garlic, peeled 4 (3-inch) strips lemon peel 2 1/2 cups water 2 1/2 cups white wine vinegar 3 tablespoons pickling salt 2 tablespoons sugar Sterilize 4 pint-sized jars and their lids according to the manufacturer's instructions. Evenly trim the ends of the green beans to fit the jars. Divide and pack the green beans, rosemary, garlic, and lemon peels among the jars. Bring a large pot or canner of water to a boil. In a medium pot, combine the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Ladle the hot mixture into the jars, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe the rims with a clean cloth, affix the lids and seals, and seal tightly. Process the jars in the hot water bath for 15 minutes. Carefully remove with tongs and set aside to cool. Let sit in a cool, dark place for at least 3 weeks before opening. Yield: 4 pints (Emeril's Recipe) from Annie Ellie Topp has a lovely pickled asparagus with tarragon and shallots, which normally I wouldn't even put out there for canning this time of year. But our stores have just put asparagus on special in anticipation of the holidays. With her small batches and hydroponic tarragon, it is doable. Also, she offers a spiced orange slice recipe for canning. Perfect for the season. But the emphasis is spices - cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and peppercorns, so I don't know if you're interested in that one. Carol

I'm no expert on companion planting, and there are whole volumes written on the subject. But in brief (and I don't pretend to be scientific about it!) there is a belief that certain plants do better when grown together. Sometimes one plant will keep harmful insects away from the other, sometimes one will bring useful insects to help pollinate the flowers of the other. Basil, for instance, attracts bees, which are needed to pollinate tomatoes, and so they make good companions. Sometimes you will have one plant some distance from another to act as a decoy. Garlic chives will attract aphids away from roses. Often you'll find that companion plants are members of the same family, and like the same conditions. Other times you'll find plants growing together that balance each other in their uses of nutrients - one may use a lot of nitrogen, the other might provide it. Some act in other ways to be good companions. For instance, Anise deters pests from Brassicas by camouflaging their odour and improves the vigour of plants grown nearby. It deters aphids, fleas, reduces cabbage worms.Coriander and anise seeds sown together will germinate more quickly. Borage accumulates silica and potassium, of great use when growing flowering and fruiting plants such as Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Pumpkin, Tansy, Tomatoes, Rose, Squash, Strawberries. Chillies help plants which are affected by root rot and other Fusarium diseases. French marigold kills harmful nematodes. Horehound improves the fruiting of tomatoes. Yarrow is a good companion plant for most plants because it provides a lot of nutrients for them, especially those will need to produce their essential oils (the highly perfumed plants like lavender and basil, for instance). Yarrow is one of the so-called Physician Plants. Grown near a sick plant, it helps it to recover. Thyme is also a Physician Plant. So is marjoram/oregano. Some plants will help prevent grass and weeds from growing nearby. One such is Arrowroot, another is comfrey. Comfrey also is an excellent companion palnt because it keeps soil rich and moist, accumulates calcium, phosphorus, silica, nitrogen, magnesium, potassium, and iron, acts as a trap for slugs and because the rotting leaves make good fertiliser. I need to check this, but I think it's coriander which helps prevent fennel from seeding too much and becoming a weed, which it's otherwise likely to do. Fennel has the reputation for being the overall worst companion plant of all - it should be grown well away from other plants. It seems to inhibit the growth of many plants. Coriander (if such it be) is about the only plant which helps to control fennel. There are definitely some scientific reasons for all these things - some answers are already provided. I have heard that elder is a bad companion plant because the roots produce some substance or other which kills off competition plants - and I have found it true that nothing much...