Grow your own herbs

I am so glad my kids know that the green specks in their food mean flavor!

I will say over and over that when I started keeping a well stocked pantry, I became a better cook. One way to have items on hand and to save a lot of money in the kitchen is to grow your own herbs. You can buy the plant for the price of the herb in the grocery store. This is the time of year to do it. It is super easy to do.

Do you know the difference between herbs and spices? The main difference is where it comes from on the plant. Herbs are the leaves of plants, and spices come from roots, bark, berries, seeds, and other substances. Some spices are mixtures of other spices and herbs. For example, Italian Seasoning is a mixture of dried herbs like basil, oregano, and thyme. Curry is a mixture of spices.

I like to plant basil, oregano, parsley, cilantro, rosemary, thyme, and dill. I usually purchase them from Lowes or Walmart. I will use a container that I can keep on my backpoarch. It is so easy to step out my door when I am preparing supper and snip a few leaves. Any container that drains well will do.

You can plant several in one container. Herbs grow up and do not spread out very much. I have found that the herbs will last until about October then I will then bring them inside and try to get a few more weeks out of them. After that I will throw them away and plant new plants next spring.

Give it a few days and they will be standing up beautifully. When you need to use the herb, snip the leaves with scissors. Run the leaves under water and blot dry. Pull the leaves off the stems. You can chop with a kitchen knife and cutting board or cut them with kitchen scissors.

I cook with herbs often without a recipe. Rosemary is wonderful sprinkles on roasted potatoes. Dill is great with on grilled fish. You know if you ever want to know what herb will work with a certain food, you can google it. I have learned which websites that I trust for good answers to my cooking questions.

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