Use Your Herbs

Use Your Herbs

I know that you can buy plenty of fresh herbs down at your local store, but it is really wonderful feeling just stepping out of your kitchen into your garden and picking your own herbs.

The flavour is best just before the herbs flower and try to pick the young leaves from the plant in the morning when the dew has evaporated.

Flavouring your food with herbs means that you will use less salt, which can only be a good thing!

Chop lots of fresh lemon thyme and mix with a little butter lemon zest and garlic and smear it under the skin of a roast chicken or halfway through cooking of your Bolognese sauce, add lots of finely chopped fresh rosemary and garlic instead of salt.

Using herbs does give your food a fresh taste and they are not beyond the reach of most people to grow.

A few easy herbs I grow are:

Mint; This is a plant that likes a lot of sun and water, according to the books but I find that mint will grow just as well in the shade and can be forgotten about in a pot and still thrive. In fact, it is one of those plants that are very hard to kill. For this reason it is not a good idea just to plant it in your garden because it can be very aversive and take over. I grow mine in pot and have no trouble with it.

There are many types of mint; spearmint and peppermint are problem what spring to mind when you think of mint both of these have a very refreshing flavour, but why not pop down to your local garden store and see what else you can pick up in the Mint line. That is what I did and now have over ten different tasting mints to use.

Mint likes a thin coat of rotted manure or compost for the winter, however a spring dressing is better late the never.

You may find that old mint plants have orange patches of mint rust on their leaves, you can cure this by digging up the plant and washing the roots in water that is 110 f and leave the roots in the water for ten minutes before replanting. But remember that well-fed mint rarely rust, so new beds or old that are dug, split and remade every fourth spring, need compost or manure. If you have neither you could use 4 oz a square yard of fish meal.

Parsley is another very useful herb that can be grown in a pot near your kitchen. This herb is wonderful for garnishes and flavouring as well as being a tasty supplement to green salads. It is not very easy to germinate, so it is best to buy a few plants from your local store. Parsley is a biennial, and so should last you for a few seasons.

Chives are another of my favorites. These can be grown in your garden or you could use them to grow along your path edges. All you have to do then is go out with your scissors and snip away as much as you want for they will soon grow back.