A great happy herb-filled hello and welcome to the June 2008 edition of The Little Herb Cottage newsletter. Well, let's start with the good news - even though I mentioned that I'll be leaving a few newsletters ago, I'm happy to say that I'm here till at least the end of the year. This means that The Little Herb Cottage and HerbsOnline are running as normal for the remainder of 2008. The bad news is that I've been battling with a horrible head cold for about 10 days now. I think I need to call a plumber - I feel like a very old leaky tap. Of course I'm nursing myself with some lovely herbal teas and I'm sure they are helping with the symptoms, but my poor immune system seems to have gone haywire as I've even developed ouchy coldsores... At least I'm very happy to not have the flu that seems to be doing the rounds - I've had numerous people telling me that they just cannot seem to get rid of an irritating cough this year and keep on getting sick again and again. Remember to continue to boost your immune system this season as there seems to be all sorts of nasties out there that are determined to get us down and out. Except for using your harvested herbs for cures and relief for the winter ailments, remember that homely warm stews and soups seasoned with your own gathered herbs make an extra special treat! Why not try baking a herb bread as a special June project? Don't think because it is winter there is little to do in the herb garden - use the extra time you have to clean and sterilise all your gardening equipment and pots and to clean up around your herb garden and gardening shed in general. Throw out and recycle all the old junk you won't be using anymore - even better, see if you can donate it to some charity that may still find a use for it. After doing a feature on gardening design last month, I thought it would be nice to focus on a particular plant again this month and was inspired by the lovely little orange globes hanging from trees all around me and also the proliferation of fruits available for sale at my local vegetable market - Kumquat's are in season! An extra feature that we'll try out this month is a quiz - the first correct entry drawn (e-mail or post) will receive a R150.00 voucher to spend at etither The Little Herb Cottage or HerbsOnline. Enjoy! News Plant Profile : Kumquats Quiz Footnotes Big Brother to grow herbs The UK Big Brother's producers said "this year's 16 wannabes will have to cultivate their own potatoes and carrots and season their food with herbs from the garden as they released the latest pictures of the house.", according to The Press Association Modern Day Victory Gardens PRNewswire.com reports that "Today, as growing economic strain collides with growing concern for the environment, a modern-day victory garden movement is emerging" Canada's Controversial Bill C-51 "It is true that changes under Bill C-51 would tighten policing of the burgeoning alternative medicine sector. But it is unreasonable to fear that natural health products would be made subject to the same strict research protocols demanded for pharmaceutical drugs, or that many popular herbs and vitamins would disappear from stores shelves." says TheStar.com Meet me at the nutrition club for a cuppa! According to Jamaica Gleaner: "Many Jamaicans are raising their glasses to improved health, friendship, happiness and business possibilities, with shakes and teas in hand." Teaching the unemployed Modern Ghana reports that "about one hundred participants are to undergo six months intensive training in various aspects of herbal medication" Literally translated, Kumquat means "golden mandarin baby" (mandarin as in orange), but the fruit is neither an orange nor a mandarin. As a mattar of fact, it does not even belong to the citrus genus, but has a genus of its own. However, as can be seen by its scientific classification, it still broadly fits into the citrus family: Family: Rutaceae Subfamily: Aurantioideae Tribe: Citreae Genus: Fortunella Plant Description The kumquat is a small slow-growing tree or shrub that can range between 2.5m and 4.5m in height. The smooth, sometimes thorny, angular branches bear a dense foliage of dark green leaves. Pretty, small sweet-smelling pure-white flowers, like those of other citrus trees, are borne singly or clustered in the leaf-axils. Being a small, neat, evergreen bush, Kumquats are popular pot plants and are often grown, like lemons, as house  decoration. They bloom freely during the spring and early summer and the attractive orange coloured  fruits are plentiful during autumn and winter. The fruits are either ovate, oblong, or spherical and a transverse section of the fruit very closely resembles that of the orange, showing either five or six cells and quite large seeds.