Fresh Herbs
“Much Virtue in Herbs, little in Men.”
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Poor Richard’s Almanac
I’ll admit it “My name is Mike and I’m an Herb addict.” It wasn’t always this way, I used to buy my herbs dried in the little jar ( I didn’t know any better). Then along came Andrea and my culinary world was stood on it’s end. Unfortunately with fresh herbs comes a large supermarket bill, I know it doesn’t have to be this way, and that is why I’m coming out of the closet on this issue. I WILL BE GROWING HERBS IN MY GARDEN THIS YEAR! I just got back from food shopping and spent $6 on rosemary, thyme, sage, and parsley. To me that is just a bit to much.
So I went home and hatched my plan. I really like Bountiful Gardens for my heirloom seeds. I had great luck with all the seeds I got from them for my Fall Garden, and will be getting my seeds from them again this year.
I’m planning on growing some Parsley, Sage, Thyme (My wife’s favorite), Basil, Cilantro, Dill, and Rosemary. I’ll be growing them in some home built planter boxes. I’m going to grow them right on the back deck, just outside the kitchen door. I’ll have to work on a design that will be transportable into the back window so I can get a few more months of fresh herbs. Hopefully I’ll be able to get a jump on them in the spring and keep them going deep into the Fall.
What are your favorite herbs and is there something else I should be growing?
“Parsley – the jewel of herbs, both in the pot and on the plate.”
Albert Stockli, American Chef (1918-1972)
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I like growing multiple kinds of each of those herbs. I also like growing mint. I grow it right in my herb bed. I like having a LOT of mint. I use it mainly in sekanjabin, which is a wonderful Summer drink.
I love herbs so much that I have devoted the entire south side of my house to them. It is 4’x~50′. I made spaghetti sauce one time, and dumped in literally handfuls (seriously, it must have been at least two cups of packed leaves!) of oregano, basil, thyme, sage and marjoram. It was the best spaghetti sauce I’ve ever had. While I was eating it, it struck me that if I had bought all the herbs that I had just dumped in my spaghetti, well, I wouldn’t have bought them, it would have cost me at least $50! I also realized that I would still be able to use these herbs years in the future, and in fact, they all, except the basil, lasted for three years in the garden, until last year when the one two punch of severe drought and a summer long illness struck. I got hundreds of dollars worth of herbs that I would never have been able to afford for less than $10. Herbs are honestly one of the best garden investments that you can make. Especially if you are lucky enough to live in an area mild enough for them to keep growing in the winter!
Wow, that is a big herb bed! I’m very jealous 🙂 (Pictures on FB are always appreciated, too)
That sounds like a VERY good sauce.
I’m not lucky enough to be able to grow herbs outside all winter but I’ve got a big bay window in my kitchen that I’ve got big plans for.
I’ve heard Mint can be invasive, have you had any trouble with it?
I’m an herb fanatic also. My sous-chef was too and I remember him making this salmon that he stuffed with basically, dill, chives and lime wheels. Gosh, it was dang good.
I was just looking into my garden and remembered oregano, marjoram, mint, and chives. I use those herbs a lot too. I also grow this Italian herb called nipitella that is traditionally used with fresh porcini mushrooms.
I’ll have to give a few of those a try too. The nipitella sounds interesting as I’m a huge fan of mushrooms.
I’m glad to hear about your herb addiction and your decision to grow your own. I love using fresh herbs and growing them myself. Your plan to put them in a planter near the kitchen is good. That will make them convenient to tend and to use, and like you said, you can bring them inside when it gets cold. You don’t need to do that for rosemary, though. Unless you live somewhere ridiuculously cold, rosemary will be fine outside all winter after it gets started good. I have grown rosemary bushes for several years. They just grow into a big edible hedge bush.
It looks like I’ll be growing a Rosemary bush. Thanks for the info on that.
I’d vote for chives, mint and oregano also. Another one I really like is hyssop, adding bits of the tender top growth to salads really adds a flavorful punch.
I’ve definitely got to add oregano.
I am going to check out Bountiful Gardens now, thanks for the tip. Have you thought of growing some of your herbs for teas too? I like your idea of making them portable so they can come inside to extend their growing season. Thank you for this article, I enjoyed it.
Bountiful Gardens is pretty cool, I can whole heartedly recommended them.
I’ll have to look into Tea herbs. My wife and I drink Chamomile.
I’m glad you like it!
Check out my article on my blog I did on herbs for your tea garden. It will help you get started:)
One I grow and love the smell too, lemon grass.
I haven’t been able to find it in seeds yet, but my local Home Depot sells Potted herb plants by Bonnie Plants and one that I got last year was Lemon Thyme. I was trimming it and dehydrating it all summer. It makes an excellent dry run for chicken on the grill. I also grow mint. I keep it in large pots as it can be invasive but there is nothing better on a hot summers day as a nice cold glass of sun tea with a sprig of fresh mint in it!!
I also grow alot of basil. It helps keep away mosquitos.
We are huge Thyme fans over here. My wife just made Herbed Beans and Sausage for dinner, it is made with a ton of thyme. Thanks for stopping by!