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Posts Tagged ‘Herbs’

I like to cook with fresh herbs. Don’t you? Not only do they taste nice, they smell wonderful too! It’s easy to use fresh herb plants too. Just clip a few sprigs from the nearest herb and mix in with your other ingredients.

But what do you do when it’s winter and fresh herbs are few and far between?

Try freezing as a fresh alternative to drying your herbs because it is a simpler and better way to keep your herbs fresh. In three steps you can set them aside for future recipes—raise them, harvest them and freeze them. It’s not important to chop them before you freeze them. Even after they are frozen, you will not have to chop them to cook with them.

If you do want your herbs measured before you freeze your herbs, you can dice them up and freeze your herbs in ice trays. Simply fill each compartment of the ice cube tray almost to the top with chopped basil or whatever other plant you want to freeze and add water. Put these cubes into the freezer bags and later, when you’re ready mix a few cubes into your soups, stews and other meals.

Here are some herbs that really keep their flavor and taste when frozen:

• Basil: Remove the leaves from the stem just before the flowers of your basil when you’re ready to harvest them and dry them. Put the dried leaves into a freezer bag so that you can use them in the future. You can also avoid the drying out part and put your herbs straight away into the freezer. Another way to keep your basil is to layer your herbs in the bottom of a plastic container and cover your herbs with extra virgin olive oil, which will both keep and bring out the flavor. Your basil will last for several months like this.

• Parsley: It is not just a pretty garnish; you can use parsley in any Italian dish.  Parsley will work well in almost any Italian meal. Nobody appreciates parsley for it’s positive features. It cannot help it if the other Italian herb plants (like oregano, basil and garlic) have stronger, more memorable flavors.  Parsley works hard to help other herbs taste better. Mix it into any dish (usually near the end of the cooking process) and it will make the rest of the herb plants that much nicer. I put whole leaves in a freezer bag and lay it flat until it’s frozen, usually by putting something on top of my bags for a few days in the freezer. When you take out the bag to use the herb, just scrunch up the bag in your hand. No need for a knife.

• French Tarragon: If you plan to over-winter your French tarragon plant, be sure not to trim it back too much. Of course it’s better to use the leaves fresh, but you can tuck some of these leaves into a freezer bag and they will get you through the winter months. Spice up your chicken or fish dishes with this herb. French Tarragon is good for making vinegars, cream sauces and mustards.

Once you put the herb plants in the freezer bag, write the name of the plant on the outside of the bag and the date so that you will be able to tell similar herb plants apart.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Italian Herb Garden. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.

I collect cookbooks and like to experiment with interesting dinners from other culture like a Mexican mole. What about you? Like me, you grow many of the ingredients if you start your own themed kitchen herb garden.

You can cultivate the major herbs in your own garden and have the freshest ingredients to add to your recipes, or experiment on your own.

You do not need a special location for your themed kitchen herb garden. You can cultivate them in containers or in your usual garden bed.

Here are some suggestions on growing your own themed kitchen garden:

• Asian: There are a lot of different cultures and folks in Asia, such as Thai, Chinese, Indian and Vietnamese, so how could the food be boring? Some fantastic herbs to cultivate in your Asian-themed garden are lemongrass, cayenne pepper, cardamom and anise. Try the licorice flavor of anise in your next Indian meal, or use its warm sweetness in your baked goods. You can also try it in tea as well as in baking a savory-sweet cookie. The growing popularity of Asian cooking has helped it fall back into favor in the US in the last few years.

• Mexican: Not a week goes by when I don’t chow down on a Mexican meal. Some spicy beans and rice or nachos can quickly hit the place. The best Mexican recipes always include these: Cayenne pepper, Cilantro and Garlic.

• Italian: Just about everybody I know has their favorite Italian pasta dish. Mine is lasagna, of course. Among the best herb plants to use in your Italian dinners are basil, fennel, parsley, garlic, marjoram, oregano, rosemary and thyme. You can add garlic to all your favorite Italian meals and savor the oniony taste! Put a little garlic on your roasted chicken or add it to your soups and stews. You can even put some chopped garlic in your mashed potatoes. Be warned, the longer you cook garlic, the milder the flavor becomes so do not overcook it!

• Middle East: If you haven’t tried any of the exciting and flavorful foods from the Middle East and Northern Africa, you are missing some fabulous dishes. There is such variety in the array of herbs used in Middle Eastern cooking. Add chick peas, couscous and figs to your pita and herbed yogurt sauce for something super special. Try these herbs to spice up your Middle Eastern dinners: cardamom, garlic, parsley, rosemary and saffron.

• German: You don’t have to wait for October to cook up an Octoberfest meal at home if you have the right herb plants used in German cuisine. These are a couple of the best and most often used in authentic German dishes: chives, dill, horseradish, sage and thyme. Horseradish, which is in the mustard family, is a great condiment, opening the sinuses while adding tang to the taste buds. Use it to add some extra twang to beef, fish, cream cheese spreads, potato salad, mayonnaise and meat loaf.

Unless you use too much of your plant in cooking, your herb will keep growing and provide you with ingredients for other meals. When you remove a few leaves from your sage plant, it can grow back. Most herbs appreciate being cut back from time to time and will likely grow bigger and fuller as a result.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Fresh Herb Gardening. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.

We use over 100 different herbs in thousands of recipes from all over the world. Most people buy there herb’s from the supermarkets, think how much nicer your meals would taste with grow homegrown herbs In the early stages herbs will require quite a lot of attention, the seeds and cuttins need your help to grow but once estableished they are easy to care for and just require ample water. You only need access to a window to be able to grow your own herbs, so whether you live on the tenth floor of a block of flats or have access to acres of land in the country you can grow your own herbs.

Most people who live in a flat and don’t have access to a garden think that they will not be able to grow there own fooda> but this is not the case, growing herbs (and even some fruit and vegetable plants) can easily be grown indoors on a window sill or in window boxes. When growing your herbs indoors all you require is a container that is easy to move and a little bit of knowledge into the specific herb you wish to produce.

A garden is ideal as it allows you the space to grow a lot more than you can with access to just a window sill or window box. Herbs are vulnerable to frost (both early and late) so be sure to protect them well. Herbs do not like cold summers and the growth will be affected by them so you need to be careful with the temperature~A cold summer can really affect the growth of your herbs so you will need to be careful of the temperature~The temperature is a key factor when growing herbs as a cold summer can really afferct growth~The growth rate of your herbs will be affected by cold summers so be careful witht he temperature~Herbs do not like cols summers and the growth rate will be affected by them so you will have to be careful with the temperature}~Temperature is key when growing herbs, for example a cold summer can really affect growth~Cold summer really affect the growth of herbs so be careful of the temperature~The temperature is a key factor when growing herbs as a cold summer can really afferct growth~The growth rate of your herbs will be affected by cold summers so be careful witht he temperature~Herbs do not like cols summers and the growth rate will be affecteb by them so you will have to be careful with the temprature}.

In kitchens around the world we use five herbs more than any others, these are basil, rosemary, thyme, chives and parsley. Every one of these herbs can be grown in or outdoors. These 5 herbs will add lots of flavour to various dishes as well as add colour and sometimes even a wonderful scent to your garden or window box. your window box will really stand out with the white and lilac flowers of the basil and the ground coverage of the thyme and rosemary alongside the attractive leaves of the parsley.

Have a go at growing your favourite herbs, it is easy!!!

Growing your own herbs is not just a enjoyable pastime it will also improve your cooking and your homw

If you’re a beginner when it comes to herb gardening, you might be worried about which types of herbs you should grow. There are many different herbs available, and some are more difficult to grow than others. However, there are a few varieties that are especially easy for beginners. These are generally more hardy plants that don’t require a lot of fertilizer or special work.

Parsley – A hardy, easy to grow herb is parsley. You can grow curly leaf and flat leaf parsley easily, and they grow wonderfully without you having to give them a whole lot of care. They do well in either light shade or full sun, and they prefer moist soil that is nice and rich. However, it’s important to note that parsley doesn’t do overly well in the heat.

Cilantro – Also known as coriander, this annual herb doesn’t need exceptionally rich soil, and isn’t extremely particular about sun and shade. It can do well in full sun or light shade. It is relatively easy to care for, and does well in almost all zones.

Chives – Chives are herbs that will grow in just about any conditions and almost any type of soil. In fact, they barely need any tending to grow. They prefer to have full sun on them, and rich soils make them do better; however, they survive just about anywhere. They have a wonderful flavor that is a bit like onions and they are tasty on baked potatoes.

Oregano – Oregano is probably one of the most popular herbs to grow in an herb garden and it is tasty with a variety of foods. You can use it in many dishes, including pork, chicken, and pasta dishes. It is an herb that does great in just about any area. It should have soil that is well drained and also likes full sun, but it will even grow in soil that is rocky and poor.

Thyme – Thyme is a perennial herb. It is hardy in zones 4-6. It’s a small, shrub-like herb that requires full sun and moist, well-drained soil. It is quite hardy in its standard zones, and doesn’t require much care at all.

Basil – This is another herb popular with Italian cooking and can easily be grown indoors. It does not take long for basil to grow and the leaves can even be eaten raw. It does well in many places, but for the best flavor, it needs to have conditions that are hot and dry. The soil should be very rich and a bit moist and it should be kept in full sun. Between waterings, the basil should have time to dry out.

Bay – Bay leaves are used in a variety of dishes, especially Mediterranean cuisine. You can crumble up dried leaves and put them in dishes or use them whole and remove them after you have absorbed the flavor in your cooking. It is a very hardy herb and does well in many zones. It needs soil that is rich and not overly wet. However, it does fairly well in most conditions.

Remember to be careful about the zones. Although many of these herbs are hardy, they do much better when kept to their hardiness zones. As long as you grow them in the zones in which they do best, most of these herbs will be very easy to care for, and shouldn’t need a whole lot of extra work to take care of them. Herbs make a wonderful addition to any vegetable garden.