Herb gardens

There are great benefits in having herbs in abundance close to hand when you are cooking. Many recipes will benefit, and also your wallet. Fresh herns from the garden really do taste different (better!) than herbs that you buy dried from your local supermarket.

Perhaps equally important is the aroma that herbs can bring to your garden, and many of them also make attractive garden plants in their own right. What more could you ask of your garden?

If at all possible, establish a herb garden within easy reach of your kitchen so that they are always close to hand. Alternatively, and just as effective if you don't have space for a dedicated herb garden, is to simply plant the herbs as 'ordinary' plants among the others in your garden - again, close to the house is preferable. A third possibility is to have a series of containers on your terrace or patio where you grow your herbs.

Some of the most popular herbs grown (and their primary uses) are:

basil - used to give extra flavour to tomato sauce

chives - used in salads, egg dishes, and also many different sauces

mint - used in meat dishes, mint jelly, and various drinks. Mint has a strong attractive smell in the garden.

thyme - used for flavouring soups, stuffings poultry and in sausages

sage - used for much the same purposes as thyme

borage - used in salads

chervil - commonly used in egg dishes

marjoram - flavouring for soup, lamb, fish and salad

sesame - provides flavouring for bread and biscuits

dill - used for making pickles, also for adding additional flavour to meat dishes

lavender - not used much for cooking, but grown for the smell and attractive appearance. Dried sprigs of lavender are often kept in the home or in the back of clothes drawers. Lavender is also grown industrialy for use in perfume production.

 

Many herbs are also dried, of course, for use in the months when they are not readily available in the garden. For most herbs this is a simple process: cut the herbs, wash them, and hang upside down to dry. They can then be tied into bunches and left for a further two-three weeks to dry out thoroughly (enclosed in a paper bag for this period by preference). When they are thoroughly dried the leaves can be crumbled and put in jars for winter use.