If the only spices that you have in your cupboard are salt
and pepper, it is time for you “Kick it up a notch!” Cooking with fresh herbs not only makes
your dish look better, adding fragrance and color, but it enhances the flavor of your
dish.
I used to never use fresh herbs because the dried herbs are
so much simpler and less expensive, but not if you plant your own herb garden. Spring is the perfect time to do just that! SIDENOTE:
Don’t try to start your garden from seed. It is a pain in the ---! It is so not worth daily spritzing those
stupid little seeds ten times a day in their little petri dishes; just to see
them turn into spindly, feeble like stems, similar to the Chia Pet grass, only
have them to fall over eventually because there stems can’t support the growth
of the height. Go to Lowe's or Menard's,
any place that sells herbs and but an herb that has already been started. Especially, for $1.88 per herb…NO BRAINER!
I am going to tell you how easy it is to start your own herb
garden…..AND FUN! Here are just a few of
the most commonly used herbs:
Rosemary. my personal favorite. It is a perennial (have to replant it each year), but can grow from late May
thru August. It can flourish with little
watering and even though it prefers full son it can tolerate slightly shady
areas.
Basil. It is also a perennial, but once it “takes off” there
is no stopping it. Plant it in various
stages. In other words, plant one or two
in May and then another in June and maybe even July. You can never have too much basil. At the end of the season, you can take what
is left before the first freeze and make pesto sauce. (I will tell you how to do that later, when
we get to that point.) Basil needs lots
of sun and normal watering. The most
important thing to remember is to always take from the top. You never want it to flower, so keep pinching
the tops off.
Chives. Yea! Chives are an annual (comes back without replanting) so if you get a good
base and established roots, they will come back time and time again. Cilantro is a gimme. It likes sun, but can tolerate it at dusk or
dawn. For best results you should dived
your root “clumps” every 2-3 years.
Cilantro. Not so easy and personally I think the hardest
herb to grow. It too, is a perennial.
Plant early spring. It does great until
the end of May and then just dies off.
At that point I go to market and buy it at a dollar a bunch. Not work the headache at that price.
Dill. It is technically an annual. However, I have seen dill
“pop-up” throughout my yard via the seed that float through air after the season
is over. It is pretty easy to grow. Like Rosemary, it prefers sun, but can grow
in the shade.
Mint. It is an annual
and will take over your entire yard. Therefore,
I would recommend growing a pot, some sort of controlled environment. Especially, since I don’t know very many uses
for it and the majority of them are alcoholic in nature (ie. mint julep). It likes sun, shade, rain, no rain….beware.
Oregano. Is also an
annual that needs to be controlled or it will turn into fragrant ground
cover. Now while there are several more
uses for oregano, you need to be sure to keep it contained year after
year. Like mint, it requires no TLC and is
happy to get what it gets in hopes of being “picked” for that next marinara.
Parsley. It is an annual. It is one of the most commonly used
herbs. In fact, it is probably the only
one that most people use fresh or regularly with salt and pepper. I always keep it in my garden, mainly for
color, but honestly, it costs about $ .75 a bunch.
Sage. It is an annual
that demands little care. Most importantly
at the end of the season cut the stems and split the roots periodically through
the years. Likes sun or shade. Are you
beginning to sense a trend….annuals are a piece of cake!
Thyme. Last but not least. It can come back, but it does demand
care. It is a slow growing herb so it’s
only request is to keep weeds and all other herbs AWAY! It needs its space.
Watch for my next blog about fun ways to use these spices in recipes! Go plant!
