Herb Garden

Well people say hello to my herb pot, as it was left over from last year. A lot of the plants seem to have not only survived but also thrived just being left alone! I am trying this technique on various areas of the garden, it's called 'leaving them alone'. It seems to be working. I am just allowing areas of the garden do their own thing for one year and so far they have all appreciated not being poked and prodded for a bit. It does mean that some things needed a bit of a prune when it was time for me to 'stick my oar' in again but I think it is a good way of letting them flourish!

Anyway, on with the herb gardens. As you can see from the picture above there is a selection of herbs there, and, as is sensible, these are the ones that I use most often. It may seem like a silly rule but do think about what herbs you are likely to use. There are hundreds of herbs out there and you can get carried away with the idea of the herb garden rather than what is going to be a good use of your time raising. Lets have a look at the herbs I have got there:

Parsley

In the middle a the front, in that attractive light green. A great herb to have, probably you have all seen it before as a garnish, that little piece of green that always causes the 'can I eat it?' query at meals. Well, you can! Parsley is often used as a garnish and this is how I use it, but often not as the 'lump' that restaurants do. Try chopping it up and sprinkling it over your lasagna or even mix it through mashed potato! There aren't many dishes that parsley won't brighten.

Chives

Stringy green, front right. There is only one thing I use these for and it is THE best. Cut them up with scissors and mix in the mashed potato. I know I said use parsley up there but that's only if you are out of chives. The oniony flavour is amazing in potato.

Rosemary

Grey/Green, on the left. I always like to put a few sprigs of this when I am roasting a chicken, great flavour and a beautiful smell. Try putting the sprig between the skin and the flesh of the chicken to allow the flavours to really permeate through the meat.

Fennel

The hairy plant at the back. This is a wonderful aromatic plant and can be used in a multitude of ways - try it with salmon!! But also, after the flowers have come through wait for the seeds, collect them, dry them and there you are, your own fennel for the kitchen spice rack!!

I am also in the process of growing some flat leaf Basil so I will let you know how that progresses and hopefully get some nice pictures for you soon.

Saving Your Herbs

I found this wonderful way of preserving your herbs out of season! I had to share it with you. When your herbs are ready, cut them and chop them. Then put them into an ice cube tray. Fill the sections with water and freeze as normal. Then, when you need to use the herbs, just pop out a cube and put it straight in your recipe. Voila! Also, why not putting in single leaves of, for example, mint to make attractive and tasty ice cubes for drinks!!