Inviting Herb into Your Life

With warmer temps, the herbs are thriving.

They love lots of sun and, if you keep them

well-watered, they can take the heat.

Unlike a lot of vegetables, herb plants are

pretty and edible.

Roses in the center of one of my herb gardens.

So, if you feel you don't have room for a garden,

why not grow them in with your flowers?

A well-groomed herb will stay beautiful and green

the entire growing season.

Here in Kansas, I've found that herbs grow very well

in a mostly-sun/full-sun area that is protected in the

winter.  Thus, my best herb garden is on the south side

of my home. 

But they will need water every day

in the hot months of summer.

I always keep an eye out for recipes that use

lots of fresh herbs--fresh makes all the difference!

I'd love to publish a cookbook of herb recipes someday.

Some of my favorite uses:

Breads

Chicago-style pizza

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (recipe below)

Soups, esp Italian

Braised Balsalmic Chicken

(super-easy and soo full of flavor when you replace the dried herbs

in the recipe with fresh ones--use liberally!)

Herbs need constant trimming; learn to cook with

them and this will never be a problem! 

And if you have more than you can use,

you can just dry them for next winter.

Once cilantro goes to seed, I find your might as well toss it.

Therefore, I'm careful to keep it trimmed--the above one

will be cut back today.

Always harvest herbs in the morning when their

flavors are most intense. 

I like to keep a bundle on my kitchen island

just for decor, whether I'll be needing them or not. 

Strangely, while I was writing this post, a friend

just posted on facebook this

 link about 10 common mistakes

 that new herb gardeners often make.  It's pretty

good info so you may want to check it out.

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

(this is a little runny but still very good, esp with a liberal use of dill)

¾ c mayo
½ c buttermilk
2 T finely chopped fresh parsley
1 T fresh lemon juice
½ t dry mustard
¼ t dried dill
¼ t salt
1/4 t cracked black pepper

Combine mayo and buttermilk with whisk till well-blended.
Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and chill for at least several hours
or overnight. Store in refrigerator up to 5 days.

 

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