The cook can easily purchase herbs throughout the year and most up-market grocery stores are beginning to offer a selection of fresh herbs. But if a cook wants those special herbs, like lemon-scented basil, applemint and other less-commonly grown herbs, she may want to grow them herself.
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The most useful herbs for garnishing are parsley and chives. These are indeed readily available in grocery stores, but in one’s own garden, she could have them fresh daily, whenever she needs to pluck a few stems for use. These are perfect herbs for potting up. For easy access, leave a pot of both outside by the kitchen door.
Herb gardens can be traditionally laid out or simply planted in rows as the gardener would plant a vegetable garden. Whichever is chosen, nurturing a herb garden is a pleasurable pursuit. A walk around the herb garden can inspire the cook to come up with recipes to suit the herb rather than herbs to suit the recipe. All the cook needs to do is pinch a leaf and ponder over the scent it offers.
For the most part, herbs require full sun and a hot open location with good drainage. Even though they do best in open locations, they still need protection from those drying winds. A hedge or row of trees several feet away would be a perfect location, depending on which way the wind blows in the garden location.
Experiment with the herbs grown in the garden. The basic herbs most cooks use are thyme, sage, rosemary, parsley, chives, fennel, dill, marjoram, basil, tarragon and oregano. All are hardy, but some sports like licorice basil may be tender and will need to be brought in for the winter or potted from the start. The cook could add fancier types to her garden every year.
The cook will need to learn how many of each herb she thinks she’ll need. Sometimes only one or two plants is enough. Sage, for instance, can grow into a very leafy low shrub. A family of three or four, likely won’t need more than one plant.
There are numerous mail-order herb nurseries and most have an excellent selection. Richter’s Herbs in Goodwood, Ontario will ship plants and seeds world-wide. They also have a good thick print catalog, free for the asking.
Growing and nurturing a culinary herb garden gives the cook instant access to those special ingredients that add punch to a recipe. Even a few little pots of herbs on a balcony or in a kitchen window may be enough. The fun of growing culinary herbs is in the kitchen and the wonderful foods created with these fresh ingredients.
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