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Posts Tagged ‘Italian Herb Garden’

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.

Plants are commonly found in European homes, especially in the land of Italy. There is a wide variety of plants available in the market. Plants can truly give a living touch to an Italian home without having a great deal on expenses. For a plant to live and survive, it needs three things: water, fertilizer and sunlight. That’s why it’s no surprise that a lot have tried to grow plants. But many have come to convince themselves that they have “black thumbs”, because they kill their plants unintentionally. Now, this problem arises from the lack of understanding of what plants need for their survival. In order for you to turn that black thumb into a “green” one, here are some tips that you can do in order for you to take care of your plant in your Italian herb garden.

Step#1: Know How Much Water Your Plant Needs

The first thing that you should know is the amount of water that your plant needs. It should be noted that one of the leading causes of death in plants is that there’s just little watering or too much of it. Now, this is something that can be rectified quite easily. What you need here is to find a resource on your plant, and learn how they are supposed to be watered. Some plants would like to remain damp at all times, so you have to water them frequently (but just in small amounts). Others would like to be soaked in water and then have their soil dry up. Some just like to be watered only once a month! Knowing how to water your plant properly will help you extend your plant’s life much longer

Step#2: Give The Right Amount Of Sun Exposure

The second thing you need to consider is your plant’s exposure to sunlight. The same with watering, too much or too little sunlight is also a common cause of death among plants. You see, plants need sunlight so that they can photosynthesize. Photosynthesis, along with nutrients from soil and water, determines the survival of the plant. Too much sunlight will hurt the leaves of your plants by burning it, and burnt leaves are not able to photosynthesize properly, resulting to their death. Being exposed to too little sunlight will also starve out your plant.

Step#3: Know The Right Soil For Your Plant

Once you’re done addressing both the water and sunlight, the next thing that you need to look at is your plant’s soil. Without the appropriate soil, your plant will not survive. Fertilizing the soil will grant the roots of your plants access to everything your plant needs for its own survival.

These are the tips that you can follow to ensure your plants’ survival in your own Italian herb garden. If you’re having a hard time keeping your plants alive, you can look for other reasons as to why they’re not surviving. Do not apply bottled water to your plants, because lacks the mineral content of tap or rain water. Children and pets can also cause death to plants, as they can damage the leaves. So now, it doesn’t matter if you’ve got a black thumb in taking care of your plants, because now you know that it is always possible for you to learn how to keep them alive and healthy inside your herb garden!

You can open up some wonderful opportunities by growing herbs in an Italian herb garden. Italy has some of the best and most well known herbs in the world.  And herbs have an important role at least in a small way to contributing to popular Italian dishes.

One well known Italian herb is Basil and it is useful in many recipes. Basil will not only add flavor to many Italian cuisines, it is useful in the garden to other plants. Did you know that planting them beside tomatoes and peppers will improve their flavor?. Plus, basil will also repel flies and mosquitoes. Click here for more: italian herb garden

Parsley, while slightly harder to grow will find it’s way into many Italian recipes as well as other types of cuisine. Many generations ago before their were breath mints it was found that eating fresh, raw parsley after a meal eradicated the bad breath left over from enjoying a flavorful cuisine. The tradition arose to serve parsley on a small dish after the meal.  That is why today many of us use parsley as a garnish to our food.

Oregano is as decorative as it is flavorful.  The mature plant will show little purple flowers.  Oregano should not be harvested until it has flowered because this is when the plant is most flavorful.

Fennel is famous for its seeds that grace and enhance the flavors of Italian sausage.  Fennel, unlike Oregano, looses its essence with age. It is a perennial plant that should be divided and replanted every few years to savor its flavor. For more visit our blog: Herb Gardens Blog

Rosemary is another Italian herb, much like Basil, that is valuable to other garden plants.  IT sprouts little blue flowers and grows into a large shrub. It also finds usefulness in attracting pollinating insects like bees. Although it is a tough evergreen perennial, it is sensitive to frost.

Probably the most used herb in Italian cuisines is garlic. An Italian herb garden would simply be incomplete without this useful herb.  Garlic cloves can be planted and will thrive in just about any garden with very little attention. They can be stored to be used at a later time after they are harvested by freezing them or pickling them to store in the refrigerator.

Sage is used in a variety of Italian dishes from meats to salads. New shoots of the plant contain the most flavor so it is recommended not to let sage plants to get to woody by keeping them trim. Therefore, new shoots will be encouraged to grow.  Sage can be harvested after it blooms.

While there are many more herbs that canbe put to good use in your Italian herb garden, it is important to think about which ones you will use. Think about the growing conditions each plant needs and consider whether or not you can provide them. Yes, Italian herbs add flavor to food but they should also be looked at as more then that. Take their scenic role in landscaping. They can be particularly useful for their smell and color.

By planting Italian herbs amongst other plants, you will be graced with the sweet aromas straight from Italy. It will be like taking a stroll on a Italian hill side. Click here for more: Herb Garden Guide