Growing Herbs
Growing herbs is a rewarding experience. If you have a patch of land next to your kitchen, its even better. This way you can snip off a few springs of thyme and rosemary when you are making a lamb dish or hearty soup. Herbs are used in varieties of cooking which enhance flavors along with the health benefit it provides. Growing herbs is rather easy. Just get a few herbs plants from an organic nursery near you. Or you can start an herb garden from seeds. There are plenty of seeds available in your local garden store such as home depot or you can order online.
Herbs need atleast 4 hours of full sun to thrive. Culinary herbs are the best to grown on your kitchen window sill. The aromatic herbs in pretty small containers will create a warm and cozy ambiance to your kitchen. And the convenience of adding fresh herbs whenever you need close at hand.
The basics of herb growing is having adequate sunlight, good quality soil and good drainage. Herbs don’t need fertilizer. They are resilient and prolific so it is best to leave them alone without too much fuss.
You can grow herbs year round as long as there is sun. You can also grow under artificial light as well. The kind of herbs to grow depends on what you like.
There are many varieties of herbs out there. Here are some common ones that you can choose to get started in the herb world.
Rosemary- its more earthy, woodsy and ideal for roasted chicken, lamb or turkey. The aroma is very strong and can be overpowering so use it sparingly.
Thyme- Its highly aromatic pungent flavor and taste gives it a 5 star as its used in a lot of delicate cuisine. Add it to eggs, soups, potatoes. The english thyme is more aromatic than german one.
Basil- Thai basil has thin leaves with purple color tone and is highly aromatic. It is used in most Thai and Asian cuisine. Italian or Genovase Basil has wider leaves than Thai basil but also aromatic and used mostly in pasta and making pesto sauce.
Dill- beautiful thin leaves, unique aroma, pairs very well with salmon, omelet and soups. Its a delicate herbs and used a lot in Persian cooking.
Parsley- A super healthy herb that adds not just as a garnish but good to eat as salad. Use it for making green juice or tabbouleh salad.
Oregano- Health properties of Oregano is immense. This strong highly aromatic herb is used mostly in Italian cuisine.
Tarragon - Aromatic, pungent flavor. Used in mostly french cuisine, also pairs well with salmon, chicken or eggs.
Mint- This herb is well known and widely used in variety of savory and sweet dishes. You gotta get this herb.
Cilantro- Very versatile herb that is used as garnish to soups, salads, vegetables, salsa, noodles, mostly used in Asian, Mexican and Indian cuisines.
After you pick herbs, if you need to wash then dry them in a paper towel. Once its all dried, put it on a clamshell or an airtight container. Refrigerate. You can also freeze herbs in ice cube trays or mix with butter in a blender and then freeze it for later use.
To dry herbs, hang a long string suspended in air in your kitchen. Then put your herbs in a bunch and wrap a string around it then hang each bunch of herbs one after another from a long string in your kitchen. They will dry naturally and then you can crush the leaves and put it in a jar for a long time use. This is how you can make lavender tea or mint tea.